Guest Michael Rife
GuestForum Replies Created
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Hi Jung;
Their reaction to SP is unusual. I was still 13 when it came out and we had a listening party, too, when the guys I hung out with bought it. The first time we heard it that day turned into about 10 by the time we were done. Maybe by that time I was accustomed to the change in the Beatles’ direction. But, that very first time we listened to it and the extended E chord on the piano hit and lasted about 47 seconds caused us to look at each other and one said, “Whoa, what is this album??” After that night we got together everyday after school to go to a friend’s house and listened to it over and over and over…….well into the evening. Mike.
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Considering that I am totally biased…………..the Beatles became the best band when they showed up on Ed Sullivan in Feb. 1964. Also, they were not only the best of that era….they are the best of any era. Mike.
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I am trying to remember my opinion in 1967……I believe the video and singles were released around Jan. 1967 when I was 13. I believe that I thought they were going in the wrong direction at the time. The Beatles were no longer the RnR/Love Song band they were previously and nobody likes change that much.
Then I remember those two songs were supposed to be part of Sgt. Peppers but the Beatles were forced to release a double A-side 45 rpm which meant that Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane was released early. Then when Sgt. Peppers was released later on in 1967, I thought of the early release songs and Sgt. Peppers as a part of the same process. And overall my view of the two songs changed when combined with Sgt. Peppers. For example, Strawberry Fields and Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds are somewhat similar. Penny Lane fit in well with his other songs on Sgt. Peppers. So, I began to like the two singles by the time Sgt. Peppers was released……….Only to be surprised by the Beatles again when I Am The Walrus came out as a single. Mike.
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For awhile I have been wrestling with the questions of 1) Why did the Beatles happen, i.e., why were they so wildly popular and 2) Why at that particular time? To answer these questions I have read several books about them and have studied the structure of their music. To date I basically have nothing.
I have a few observations about the times, though. I actually did start to write it, but the first point was easily 500 words……so I decided not to bore you all with it. So, briefly they came with a new sound repackaging US R & B and giving it back as a cover band. They discovered they could write their own songs and were very good at it. They had Brian Epstein to dress them up and put away the ‘teddy boy’ image. They had George Martin who taught them about musical instruments and music in general. They came at a time (1964) when popular music was having a ‘dry period’. They came with a sound that was so unique and happy that we had to listen to it. The US was in the doldrums then and we needed something to improve the mood in the US. Also, they had very unique harmonies. The Paul and John vocal parts on the early songs were so complex and still pleasing to the ear. Their chordal patterns were also different from traditional music and it still worked. They were innovators but the innovation was based on what others did before. But, they were also informal students of music. They studied Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Smokey, and several other R & B musicians as well as skiffle bands in the UK. They learned from others even when they were world famous (the Byrds, Beach Boys, and Donovan mainly).
Anyway……that is about all I have but books could be and have been written about it. I think the most simple answer is that it was not based on one or even a couple of factors that made them so popular. Mike
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Hi all;
About the only thing I remember from college music classes is that Beethoven’s 5th Symphony marked a major change in music. The third movement of most symphonies were light and airy prior to the 5th symphony. With Beethoven’s 5th the 3rd movement was darker and brooding and it caught people by surprise.
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Hi all;
Getting back to the Buckinghams………I believe all of their hit songs were about the lead singer’s girl friend and their up and down relationship. Turns out her name was Susan and one can trace the state of the relationship through the songs by the Buckinghams. Mike.
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Hi all;
To have someone or a group continue in the music of the 1960s and 1970s is very valuable to me and not something that is easily measured. In that way I believe MLT has been successful. There are other younger ones out there doing the same type of music but not as well as Mona and Lisa. Mike.
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Hi all;
By 1980 I was working for an electric company in North Carolina. It was a Monday night and had Monday Night Football on the TV. Like I often do, I fell asleep during the game. I woke up at the end of the game and heard Howard Cosell say, “More about the Lennon murder on your local news.” In my groggy half asleep state I thought about what I had just heard and thought, “No, I didn’t hear that correctly.” And, I went up to bed. When I woke up the next day, I found out the terrible news was true. Mike.
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I could be wrong but I believe the Rooftop show happened during the completion of the Let It Be album. The songs are mainly from Let It Be LP. But, that could be more mythology than fact. Mike
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Hi Jung;
Yes, Beethoven was a trend setter and took a chance with the 3rd movement. Those who do things out of the ordinary are the ones who make advances in music, e.g., The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Elvis, and many others. I was taught in college that the four notes in the 5th Symphony is called the motif of the Symphony……which means it shows up often during the whole symphony and serves as the foundation. The same is true in RnR, Country Rock, and many of the other genres. Mike.
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Hi;
On the Dick Van Dyke show Jeremy there was one line that he always gets reminded of when bumping into fans, Chad and Jeremy were in the living room of Dick Van Dyke and it went something like this:
Jeremy: (Pointing to a chair) Do you know what we call that in England?
DVD: (Looking amazed) No, what??
Jeremy: (Deadpanned) A chair!!
Mike
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Hi;
I saw Peter and Jeremy play Lady Godiva at a show last year. Soon it turned into a sing-a-long. Peter plays it with a banjolele which gives the song its distinctive sound. But, it was a Peter and Gordon song way back when. Mike.
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Hi;
Jeremy is doing well physically. He is still in shock and in mourning some according to his FB page and will say more about Chad later. I think he is doing shows with Peter Asher, of all people, and they play and sing Peter and Gordon songs as well as Chad and Jeremy songs. They also tell a bunch of stories. I believe Jeremy will turn 80 in February or March of next year. Chad was 79 and had a fall a few weeks ago. Then he developed non-Covid pneumonia and passed away from it. Mike.
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Hi Jacki;
If the ones across the road ever start to complain, it might be time to move.
Mike
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Hi Jung;
I never ever hold her violin. But, we do have a scary story about it. Her violin was being held in a rack once at one place we played and one guy who weighed about 250 pounds lost his footing near it and almost stepped on it. She quickly grabbed it when he got far away from it. Mike.
