1966 Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

Psychedelia in the UK: "A Technicolor Dream"

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-12T18:01:53-07:00July 23, 2013|1965, 1966, 1967, Documentaries, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Sgt. Pepper|

Inside the "Ally Pally," for The 14-Hour Technicolor Dream, 1967 Any of you that have been interested by my burblings on "psychedelia"—by which I mean the whole gestation, birth and decay of the flower-power movement—will be interested in a video I streamed from Netflix last night: "A Technicolor Dream." It documents the UK scene: the Albert Hall poetry reading in 1965; the Indica bookstore; IT; The London Free School; UFO; and finally the Fourteen Hour Technicolor Dream on April 30, 1967. Lots of Beatles-related stuff in here, from McCartney's right-hand Miles, to footage of a very stoned John Lennon. Here's [...]

4

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-23T23:19:38-07:00January 29, 2013|1966|

Don't ask me which is which. Some of you might remember George's introduction to "I Me Mine" on the Anthology discs where he name-checks this 60s band—which was, apparently, internal Beatles slang for each other. http://youtu.be/ReSuTBoXTWM Now, thanks to this post from Dangerous Minds, I think we perhaps know where The Beatles crossed paths with them…Vic Lownes' Playboy Club. "But," you say, "John, George, and Ringo were all married." To which I respond, "They only went there for the articles." (PS—Just last week, I bought a copy of Playboy from December 1966—a business expense, I assure you—which has a hilarious [...]

2

Lewisohn on Strawberry Fields Take 1

By Michael Gerber|2013-09-09T08:50:31-07:00January 24, 2013|1966, John Lennon, Strawberry Fields|

No graffiti pre-'67 I'd bet A commenter asked whether Mark Lewisohn's Beatles Recording Sessions attributed the mellotron beginning of Strawberry Fields Forever. Here's what he says: Thursday 24 November Studio Two: 7:00pm - 2:30am. Recording: "Strawberry Fields Forever" (take 1). P: George Martin. E: Geoff Emerick. 2E: Phil McDonald. ...Of all Beatles recordings, "Strawberry Fields Forever" is known for being among the most complicated and difficult to record. It is also known that the song changed shape in the studio not once but several times. Both facts are certainly true. Take one, recorded on this night, was not only magnificent [...]

3

Evolution of Strawberry Fields Forever

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-22T12:59:25-07:00January 23, 2013|1966, 1967, John Lennon, Strawberry Fields|

If you don't know the blog Dangerous Minds, go take a look. I find it essential reading, and check it nearly every day. This morning they posted a YouTube video which lovingly traces the evolution of Strawberry Fields Forever, which I've embedded below. You'll doubtless recognize the tracks (from It's Not Too Bad, Anthology and other places), but it's a nice piece of work, a good use of the form, and well worth listening to. http://youtu.be/QS6wswlJCB4

36

"The mopheads or whatever"

By Ed Park|2013-08-05T04:35:07-07:00January 21, 2013|1966, John Lennon, Paul McCartney|

Yoko Ono and an apple, 1966. Browsing in a used bookstore last night, I came across this quote in Rolling Stone Raves: What Your Rock & Roll Favorites Favor (1999): Yoko Ono: "No, I didn't know any of [the Beatles' music when I met John Lennon.] I had heard about the band, the mopheads or whatever. I knew that they were making a big impact on people, like a social phenomenon. I just never got around to listening to their music." [1992] My first reaction was "Wow." I mean, I knew Yoko was no Beatles fan when she met Lennon, [...]

6

Did Yellow Submarine beget The Simpsons?

By Michael Gerber|2016-02-28T13:35:31-08:00December 4, 2012|1966, 1967, 1968, Obituaries|

Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein argues so in this (hotly debated) article for The Guardian. Without Yellow Submarine there would never have beenThe Simpsons, no Futurama, no South Park, no Toy Story, no Shrek. No animated anything that enables us to laugh at ourselves while being highly entertained. Naturally, I want to believe him. In my opinion, The Beatles (and -related) are that clear, burbling spring from which all good things flow. Of course the comments are alive with internet types, people who obsessively leapfrog each other in truth-owning appeals to obscure authority, who defiantly declare that Yellow Sub was/is shite and the REAL breakthroughs were the [...]

6

Underrating Sgt. Pepper’s

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-23T18:13:47-08:00June 21, 2012|1966, 1967, books, Reviews, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper|

NANCY CARR • “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is now routinely underrated. I recently read Robert Rodriguez’ new book, Revolver: How the Beatles Reimagined Rock n’ Roll, and the introduction threw this underrating into sharp relief. I highly recommend Rodriguez’ book in all other ways—it's a fascinating look at Revolver’s creation, artistry, and context—but the introduction made me grind my teeth. The path Rodriguez treads in his introduction is now very well worn: people used to think Sgt. Pepper’s was the thing, but now we know Revolver is. Fair enough, to a point. Revolver is excellent, and preferring it to Sgt, Pepper’s is defensible. [...]

15

Christ! The Beatles In Memphis

By Devin McKinney|2013-09-13T13:54:38-07:00April 28, 2012|1966, bootlegs, concert, John Lennon|

The before-show press conference, backstage, Mid-South Coliseum. DEVIN McKINNEY • I'm a bit ashamed to say it's taken me this long to listen to something I've had on the shelf for a few years—the audience recordings of the Beatles' afternoon and evening shows at Memphis's Mid-South Coliseum, midway through their final tour. The evening show is the famous one: Near the end of "If I Needed Someone," the third song, a cherry bomb was thrown onstage and exploded. I remember reading that three teenagers, adolescent mischief-makers with no malign intent beyond literally making a noise, were detained by security. I [...]

6

"’Rain’ blows me away"

By Ed Park|2015-01-02T11:51:34-08:00April 9, 2012|1966, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr|

ED PARK • Devin's post about the drumming on "Dear Prudence" spurred me to look up Ringo's comments about his work on "Rain" (reprinted in William J. Dowlding's Beatlesongs): “My favorite piece of me is what I did on ‘Rain.’ I think I just played amazing. I was into the snare and high-hat. I think it was the first time I used this trick of starting a break by hitting the hi-hat first instead of going directly to a drum off the hi-hat . . . . I think it’s the best out of all the records I ever made. ‘Rain’ blows me [...]

13

The King Features’ version of "Tomorrow Never Knows"

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-26T10:50:19-08:00February 9, 2012|1966, cartoon|

Robert Freeman's rejected cover for Revolver, 1966. A Tomorrow Never Knows cartoon? It happened. The Beatles cartoon is wince-worthy, for sure, but have a little sympathy for the animators. As the years passed, they had to shoehorn what The Beatles were becoming—that is, overtly weird-ass—into the family-friendly Fabs from 1964. After watching the clip below, the following scene popped into my noggin.... The time: June 1966.The place: Conference room "B" at King Features Syndicate, here in Southern California. There's acoustic tile. Fluorescent lights. Shitty coffee. At the west end of a grim metal table ringed by uncomfortable chairs, hangs a portrait of Snuffy [...]

5