Publisher at The American Bystander
is Blogmom of Hey Dullblog. His novels and parodies have sold 1.25 million copies in 25 languages. He lives in Santa Monica, CA, and runs The American Bystander all-star print humor magazine.
Latest posts by Michael Gerber (see all)
- From Faith Current: “The Sacred Ordinary: St. Peter’s Church Hall” - May 1, 2023
- A brief (?) hiatus - April 22, 2023
- Something Happened - March 6, 2023
Ran across this in the comments at the always-entertaining Dangerousminds.net, and felt moved to share. When Paul asked, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins obliged.
My life has been taken over by Bystander, but I hope to post more in the coming months. Carry on.
Related posts:
"Hey Bulldog" by Fanny
Hmmm…
A slight present, on John Lennon’s 75th birthday: Interview self-interview, 1974
A box of LPs from the States.
And now a word from our sponsor…
Blank on Blank on John and Yoko on Love
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
Who should I interview at The Fest?
Lennon and McCartney On The Tonight Show, 1968
Why not add something to a comment?
"All This And World War II"
Yes, we are perverse
I didn’t know about the subtle lyric change until I saw the dangerousminds comment. Screamin’ Jay didn’t want to sing about drugs.
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Here’s an essay about She Said She Said by Alec Wilkinson:
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http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/my-obsession-with-a-beatles-song?intcid=mod-latest
Ram shows you that a) McCartney is the most talented record producer of his time, maybe all time, and b) he desperately needs three other dudes to tell him when his tunes need work. It’s come to be recognized, rightly, as a masterpiece, but a damaged, demented masterpiece.
Ram is brilliant, IMO. I don’t think he needed three other guys to do anything with it. Monkberry Moon Delight might be my favorite song on Ram(though Too Many People, Dear Boy and Uncle Albert are certainly in the running, I think Too Many People is actually a killer opening track)).
If it’s a damaged, demented masterpiece, well think of what Paul was going through at the time? Perhaps that is exactly the point.
Well, I love “Ram” more on each listen, and can only second Stephen Thomas Erlewine’s current review on allmusic.com that it’s “a more unique, exquisite pleasure with each passing year.”
That She Said article is terrific. Started me down a rabbit hole that introduced me to two Gopnik articles that I also got a lot out of. There’s no end to the subjects, themes and events that you can relate the Beatles’ music to.
Another cover, from The Residents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1nDMks18rs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ooeMXnPuIg
(Formerly Terence D’Arby)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v62A2J_1BY
no not demented, divine. ok i exaggerate. but it’s top tier, absolutely on par with beatle work, an absolutely paul at his most personal and emotionally vulnerable.
also while we’re on the subject, screamin’ jay does a decent cover, but this is one of many covers related to anything beatles that is vastly inferior to the original.
Cool jazz on a 7 string guitar by George Van Eps. All My Loving, And I Love Her, Yesterday, Love Me Do, If I Fell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEhYOtkT4xc
Lennon’s “Come Together” is musical accompaniment to the new Justice League movie. I think he would have gotten a quiet, guilty thrill knowing his song was superhero material.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cxixDgHUYw
A familiar face in the crowd:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSZP-GDpriI
Band on the Run would be my pick of solo Paul albums (not that I’ve heard them all), followed by McCartney. Also a big fan of Plastic Ono Band, which took the singer-songwriter genre to its logical conclusion just as Pepper did with mid-Sixties art rock. Haven’t given solo George or Ringo much of a chance yet.
Justin, All things must pass by George is the most musically sophisticated post Beatles record in my opinion. I was born in 1956 and have been a fan since 1964 when I was 8yo. Thank’s Jimmy Gunn
All Things Must Pass’ complexity is much more a product of its heavy sound over production and folksy lyrics rather than its intrinsic musical sophistication. After very late sixties roots rock and very early seventies style fragmentation, it was incredible to audiences then.. Also, it had the sixties lofty lyrics in some songs. It’s recording style was then unique but now sounds very dated. I have been reading audio blogs and forums with commenters who worked for decades in record production and many note this. The album had the re-emerging Spector style heavy, layered wall of sound and late sixties heavy lead guitar that had great popularity in the seventies. @jimmy, I am around your age as born in 57. It is interesting that the style and sound of that album is dated to many younger fans they say on blogs and forums who now prefer the indie and varied genre styles. George recycled this album’s style till eighties.