'Paul, this is John'
'Hi'
'John, this is Paul'
'Hi'
Paul: 'John, in 10 years time, we will make the greatest album ever, and it will be still heralded on its 50th anniversary in the 21st Century. And it will be based on Edwardian music hall'.
John: 'Does Elvis Presley mean anything to you?'
Hey Bulldog is just amazing. The dissing of that and Helter Skelter perplexed me when I was an obsessive poring over Ian McDonald’s Revolution in the Head.
It’s All Too Much was pretty damn good as well, mibees the closest they got to SF style acid rock as opposed to music hall trippiness (or the still incredible but somehow out of time and still from the future Tomorrow Never Knows), those two songs save the Yellow Submarine soundtrack from being an absolute bucket of shite.
Fuck, I’ve half a hankering for a microdot now. If you could make it stop after two hours or so.
I kinda like Flying and Blue Jay Way as well G-Man, even if they are slight and throwaway. I’d take either over the slightly gloopy and curdled (lyrics just seem Too Much Macca) Fool on the Hill. Hello Goodbye should have been strangled at birth. Always had to fast forward that pish when I was tripping.
Across the Universe belongs to the India phase, which began when they met the Maharishi in August 1967 but was over for Lennon by The White Album, as evidenced by Sexy Sadie being originally an attack on the Maharishi. Across the Universe was recorded just before they left for India, but Lennon was not happy with it and eventually gave it to a World Wildlife Fund compilation, before it was unwisely given strings and a choir for Let It Be.
I thought they'd fallen out by then, but they seem to be OK in these photos. Yoko was apparently not yet surgically attached to Lennon's right arm although they had been living together since May.
They'd already started recording the 'White Album' in May, and McCartney just fancied a break from recording. The falling out started when Lennon was taking Yoko to the recording sessions, and when they were filming the 'Let It Be' film in Jan '69, the tension is there for all to see.
I've only seen 'Let It Be' once in the early '80s, and was surprised to see how well they got on at the final rooftop concert. It was only years later that I came to realise that The Beatles were always the happiest when performing.
One of the reviews for the 'Mad Day Out' book states that he can't believe that a book has been published about what is just a photo session, but looking at the year of Feb '68 to Jan '69, the following recent books have been released:
Their extended holiday in India, Feb '68 to May'68;
I tried to get to see the 50th anniversary release of Yellow Submarine a few weeks ago but couldn't manage to get a showing.
As Serge mentioned upthread, they are recording The White Album at the moment (does anyone ever call that album 'The Beatles'?) It's definitely my favourite Beatles album. I've been listening To Harry Nilsson's Harry album (1969) a lot lately and any fans of the McCartney songs on the White Album would be well advised to listen to it. There's a great version of Mother Nature's Son on it bu also many of Nilsson's self-penned songs on that album could almost be outtakes from the White Album.
Talking of the McCartney side of things, I recently heard Peter Serafinowicz talking about his love for the McCartney lyrics in A Day in the Life and how he wished there were more of them, so he could he find out what happens after he gets off the bus. So he did his own version. It's great fun.
Superb lengthy piece in the latest "Record Collector" magazine about the making of the LP. One of the incidental points it makes is that it was "the Beatles" or "The Double Album" for a while. It was from about 1972 onwards that "The White Album" became the accepted common name.
I think with Penny Lane, it had a rhythm and tempo that seemed slightly at odds with pop songs of the time and it still doesn't quite seem a comfortable fit.
Two different Beatles compositions are No. 1 on different sides of the Atlantic - 'With A Little Help From My Friends' (Joe Cocker) in the UK, 'Hey Jude' (Beatles) in the USA. Yoko is in hospital and their unborn child will die on Nov 21st. IIRC this pushes Lennon and Yoko towards the heroin habit that makes him even more uncommunicative in the 'Get Back' sessions in January. 'Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins' is released tomorrow (11/11/68) in the USA.
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