"Hey Bulldog" by Fanny
Earlier today, I was hipped to the group "Fanny" by the excellent website Dangerous Minds. In the comments somebody mentioned that the group did a cover of "Hey Bulldog." I liked it so much I had to share. Super guitar solo.
Review: RAM (Paul McCartney Archive Collection)
DEVIN McKINNEY • Can anyone think of another pop record whose qualities have been so vindicated, and whose reputation has been so rehabilitated, by time? Though I’ve fought bravely on this site against massed resistance (well, one or two people) to call it something just less than a masterpiece—can’t get past a certain emotional vacuity at the core of things—RAM is so bountifully queer and cleanly, gracefully executed, the beautiful song crowded by the gargoyle-ugly, that finally masterpiece doesn’t matter. I’ve loved RAM since I first heard it. It is Paul’s best solo record by a distance, and one of my favorites [...]
Rundgren v. the Beatles
Todd Rundgren and his spat with Lennon came up in the comments thread on the "Ah, Girl" post -- I wasn't aware of it until Devin pointed it out. [Particulars here: http://trconnection.com/trconn.php/article=lennon.art#lennon]. The tenor of this interchange doesn't surprise me much, and brings into focus my sense of Rundgren's animosity toward the Beatles. Rundgren seems to have a clear case of what Harold Bloom would call "anxiety of influence" where the Beatles are concerned. That is, Rundgren knows both that he's influenced by them and that he can't play in their league musically, and resents that. His references to the Beatles feel particularly pointed. Rundgren's first group, [...]
All that time
Greil Marcus "When I became record reviews editor, I made it clear to him after a few months — nobody had done the job before me — that the record review section was an independent republic within the country of Rolling Stone. That meant that nobody else could tell me what to review or what a writer could say. They could argue with me, but ultimately it was my decision. And that worked well. There was one incident where Paul McCartney makes his first solo record and people thought it was wonderful: this rough, homemade one-man-band album. It was accompanied by [...]
“Poor old Buddy”
DEVIN McKINNEY • Greil Marcus sends a link to this rare footage from 1972: John Lennon playing "Rock Island Line," with snatches of two Buddy Holly numbers, "Maybe Baby" and "Peggy Sue." Yoko provides handclaps for the first number (in rhythm!) and vocal interjections for the latter. But mainly it's just John's voice and raunchy guitar reaching out in time, coming back with a feeling you can see in his face. In return, I sent Marcus this photo I took on April 22, 2011, outside the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, where Buddy Holly played the night before his plane went [...]
Why People Love John Lennon
“Happy New Year…” Friend Jon just forwarded me this news article detailing a letter that John Lennon wrote a young songwriter in early 1970. The letter never reached the songwriter--it was intercepted and sold. Which I think is quite a neat metaphor for both Lennon's fundamental decency, and how the circumstances of his life conspired to make it difficult for him to express that.
"Genius Is Pain"
(All words from Lennon interviews.) http://youtu.be/oSnjRaGoYyI (Via Jonathan.) [MG, Oct. 2013--This is from National Lampoon's great comedy album Radio Dinner, which came out in 1972, and you should listen to. John and Yoko were friends with National Lampoon art director Michael Gross, and used to hang around the magazine...until this came out, I suspect.]
A Momentary Lapse of Reason
The happy newlywed? Shirley Tilloch over at Beatles Til I Die has written a very interesting post originally inspired by one over here at Dullblog. This post of mine began as a lengthy comment to her post...until I got to the point where it was too long and went off in too many directions. So apologies in advance if what I'm about to say is a bit (or a lot) scattered. I think it's sufficiently original to be worth saying anyway. Briefly—and Shirley, please correct me in the comments if I mischaracterize you—Shirley writes that the presence of a 1969 [...]
"John was as blind as a bat…"
George watches This Boy. http://www.youtube.com/v/NAZGpFrx8G0&h
Ram On!
Get a room DEVIN McKINNEY • Speaking of which, did anyone else listen to this? Here's the tracklist: Earlimart :: Too Many People Frankel :: 3 Legs The Parson Redheads :: Ram On Bodies of Water :: Dear Boy Radar Bros. :: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey Naptunes :: Smile Away Los Baby Fools :: Heart Of The Country Le Switch :: Monkberry Moon Delight The Broken West :: Eat At Home Amnion :: Long Haired Lady The Parson Redheads :: Ram On (reprise) Travel by Sea :: The Back Seat Of My Car It's the expected farrago of good, bad and [...]