It was Thanksgiving morning, following a late night in the kitchen, and time for a sunny London adventure.

Abbey Road, home of the one photo taken exactly fifty years ago.
the iconic photo was taken in less than 10 minutes / it took us about two hours to find
the Beatles had a police man to hold up traffic / Beth and I angered over ten drivers.
the Beatles walked back and forth on the crosswalk / Tourist can now be seen spinning and walking on their hands
the St John’s Wood suburb street was just another symmetrical London street / now there isn’t a spot on the walls free of hand written fan letters and drawings

just another beautiful afternoon being a London tourist.

Nanaimo band Sure Furs are pretty certain they are the first band ever to reference the 1969 Beatles album, “Abbey Road,” the famous cover of which features a photograph of John, Paul, George, and Ringo walking across the titular street. On the cover of their 2009 CD, “Dashboard,” the band is similarly photographed walking across a street. Bass player/singer Greg Richlieu is barefoot, and in the background there is a Volkswagen Beetle, belonging to Dennis Sands, a friend of Richlieu’s mother. “Man, we really nailed that,” Richlieu said, inspecting the band’s CD artwork. “I’ve never seen any other band do this since the Beatles. I’m pretty certain we’re the first.” The Sure Furs are planning to promote the album with some local shows and photos of the band spelling Help! in semaphore.

heng and i went to abbey road thanksgiving morning. what a treat. [kels thanks for snapping some photos of me. proof that i actually do live in london. i think that might be a first, or second.] anyways, my favorite redhead and i ventured to the beatles shrine/stomping ground. i am somewhat dressed in my indian costume from thanksgiving dinner. this years thanksgiving was OOTW. [out of this world]. the biolans really pulled it together and we had a feast in danni and i’s kitchen, brits and americans alike. this shall certainly be a thanksgiving i shall never forget.

Dagens tips: Ta en låt som du tycker om och som du har lyssnat på så många gånger att den nästan, men bara nästan är uttjatad. Lyssna på den än en gång, men ansträng dig att inte lyssna på texten eller den musik som hörs bäst (t.ex. huvudgitarren). Lyssna istället på resten av musiken, den som man sällan lägger märke till i vanliga fall. Du kommer upptäcka nya delar av låten som förhoppningsvis gör den ännu bättre och mer intressant.

Jag gjorde detta med i princip hela Beatles-albumet Abbey Road på bussen idag och alla låtar blev direkt snäppet bättre, trots att de redan innan har varit bland det bästa jag någonsin har hört. Jag trodde jag hade tjatat sönder Gloden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End under alla repetitionstimmar i slutet av 9:an. Men icke! Nu hörde jag en massa fantastiska basgångar som jag inte hade någon aning om innan (lyssna bara på You Never give Me Your Money, Carry That Weight eller Here Comes the Sun så förstår du vad jag menar). Och jag fick också flera bevis på vilken betydande roll Ringo hade (vilket jag redan visste eftersom jag inte är dum i huvudet). Så alla där ute; underskatta aldrig en trummis! De är en viktig del för all musik som görs!

Ett annat tips är att lyssna på ett helt album från början till slut istället för att slumpa fram låtar. I många fall kan man följa en handling. Många låtar blir mycket bättre då

För övrigt är det helt underbart hur I Want You (She’s So Heavy) övergår i Here Comes the Sun på det nämnda albumet. Ville bara få det sagt.

Michael Jackson no podra morir en paz, ya que el titulo de rey del pop ha llegado a nuevos niveles. El papa Benedicto XVI hara su debut como cantante de pop, bajo el sello UNIVERSAL en Mx.

Y como buen pontifice escogio tierra santa para grabar su disco, el mismo lugar que fue testigo de Money de Pink Floyd y de interminables joyas de los Beatles, los estudios Abbey Road.

En todo el mundo se han dado muestras a la prensa y todos coinciden que el resultado es sorprendente, yo espero a que salga el remix de Toy Selectah para escucharlo, saldra de gira… Marcelo lo traera al zocalo???

Its either a cynical marketing exercise in the lead up to Christmas, or a really helpful move for those who can’t afford the steep asking price of the full Remastered boxed sets…

EMI in Europe has announced it is issuing (on 7 December) a limited edition boxed set of four of the new stereo remasters called The Beatles Christmas Pack.

The Beatles "Christmas Pack: Limited Edition"

The set will contain “Rubber Soul”,  “Revolver”, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Abbey Road”.

Each album will include the bonus “Making Of” video that uses exclusive original footage from the Beatles’ own archive plus other rare footage and voice-overs by the Beatles and George Martin.

Have you ever met one of your heroes? As a teenager I was a huge Beatles fan. I knew all the songs, all the lyrics. In fact I was so nerdy I could have told you the track order of every single (British version) album they produced between the years of 1962 and 1970. I was an uber-Fab Four geek. The inspiration of their incredible songwriting led me to write and perform songs of my own. Of the four, John Lennon was my biggest hero but I was well aware that all four of them made the band what it was – take any of them away and I do not believe their career would have been quite as successful.

In 1990 the guitarist in my band, Niall, offered me a ticket to see Paul McCartney play at Wembley Arena. This was his first major tour in some time (possibly his first since having ditched the ‘Wings’ format of his ever-changing backing band) and punters were told to expect plenty of Beatles songs. Niall’s brother-in-law was McCartney’s press agent at the time, which meant that we not only had tickets, we had backstage passes (which explains how I met Donald Sutherland backstage at a McCartney gig).

I spent weeks anticipating the fact that I was going to meet one of my childhood heroes. Yes of course I’d have loved for John Lennon to still be alive and to be able to meet him (meet him? I’d have put super-glue on my palm before shaking hands with him in order to get plenty of time to chat to the guy!). What does one say to such an important, if distant, figure in their lives? “Your music changed my life, Paul.” Hmm, bit corny and probably something he’s heard his whole life. “I love you.” Me and several million other people. I couldn’t work out whether there was anything worth saying and decided to just realize how lucky I was to be able to be in the same room as the guy.

As it turned out, even if I’d had a perfect speech planned to harangue the man with, I wouldn’t have been likely to get it out as when he was suddenly stood in front of me (Linda by his side), my tongue stuck itself to the roof of my mouth and it was all I could do to mumble “Hello” as we shook hands. In my defence, as he entered the room he really did bring that superstar presence into the place. This was one of the most famous people in the world and I guess if I was going to be reduced to a speechless buffoon I’d rather it was by a Beatle than by anyone else in the world.

The gig that evening reduced me to tears of joy so many times. ‘Live and Let Die’ was amazing, as were quite a few of his solo classics (even ‘Ebony and Ivory’ took on a poignancy I’d never credited it with before). But it was hearing Beatle’s songs live that brought the tears to my eyes again and again: ‘The Long and Winding Road’, ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Yesterday’ and then the entire medley from the second half of Abbey Road, concluding with ‘The End’, fittingly the last thing his former band ever recorded. By the end of the night I was practically speechless again and I’d realised something. The middle eight of ‘The Long and Winding Road’, which I’d always felt was ‘mine’ as a teenager, do not apply. ‘Many times I’ve been alone and many times I’ve cried’? Actually, despite the many times I had cried in those formative years, I’d never been alone – I could always stick a Beatles album on the turntable and let their songs chase away my loneliness.

I don’t think I’ve ever legitimately used a payphone in my life. I remember seeing a lot of them when I was a kid. And I knew people that had pagers (which now makes me think of Dennis Duffy a la 30 Rock). But with the cell-phone revolution payphones are virtually non-existent in our world now.

The one time I can remember using a payphone was in Dublin, Ireland. And it cost something like 5 euro to call home. It was a short conversation… on a Sunday afternoon. My dad and I called my mom who was still in Florida to tell her quickly about all that we’d done so far and find out how she and my little sister were. I don’t know if the crackling I remember was added by my imagination or if the phone really was crackly.

Last night I had dinner with my friend and two of our other friends stopped by to watch us eat and polish off the cheesecake we ordered. At one point all of us had our cell-phones up answering texts, playing video games, or just joining in to be obnoxiousness of it all. My friend suggested we have the waitress take our picture and title it “The Decline of Civilization”. We all laughed and slowly put our phones away.

I recently became obsessed with starting a record collection. I love music so much and am constantly looking for a new band or new style, diving through the old collection to feel the old feelings, and looking for new ways to experience  music.

My friend Pam has a record player named Hermes that I’ve been envious of for quite some time. So, I asked my family to keep their eyes open for a record player. A few weeks later I became the proud owner of a turntable. I have yet to purchase a record and figure out how to hook it up to a system… (it’s missing a needle so I can’t really play anything until I get that anyway) but I’m so looking forward to the first moment I hear Abbey Road or the White Album the way it was meant to be heard with all the crackles and pops. I can’t wait to relive an old Boston record with my dad, enjoy some Ella Fitzgerald with my mom, and show my little sister Kings of Leon or Anberlin on vinyl.

The thing is, whether vinyl or payphones I think of how we’ve moved forward with technology and lost something in our relationships. Ironic as it may be to blog about this phenomena, it’s what was on my mind today. There’s a line in a Jimmy Eat World song (Dizzy) where he says, “I tried, but it rang and rang, I called all night. On a payphone, remember those from another life?” That line echoes in my head on days like this.

So, we chat, text, network, tweet, and blog. Maybe all we need for connection is to dust off a vinyl or find an old payphone, remember the other life.

"Does this even need a witty caption?"

Lady Gaga is a confusing artist. I’ll say this right now; her songs are cringe-worthy, and incredibly pretentious at times. However, she creeps up on you, and before you know it you are singing along to every chorus, and trying to join in on the absurd dance moves in her videos. Lady Gaga is the both the worst of pop, and the best of it all at once, and I don’t know if I’ll ever wrap my head around her fully. If her first album wasn’t confusing enough, this special edition bonus tracks-cum-EP-cum-new album that she calls ‘The Fame Monster’ just adds to the Gaga enigma.

Just let me take on the Lady as a whole, first off. She’s incredibly odd, in terms of look, costume, public persona, music, and especially her music videos. By rights, she should have gone the way of Bjork in the public perception, a one hit wonder that drops out of the mainstream but still has hardcore fans who can accept her strange aesthetic and unique musical style. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, endures. I think this is because she isn’t unique. Whether this is pure lack of creativity, or as I like to see her, a big postmodernist comment on the world of pop and celebrity, is still up for debate. What Gaga does well is take on the wide range of what we call pop, smash it all together through massive layers of production and create something decidedly weird, but catchy as hell and so bombastically unoriginal that it comes full circle and feels fresh and new.

I hate to go track by track, but I’m going to party have to for ‘The Fame Monster’ as it is not really a coherent album. Oh sure, it’s being sold as that now, but it was originally planned as a bonus disc for her debut release ‘The Fame’, filled with tracks that were either new or left off that release, depending on which articles you read. The only thing that seems to pull the album together is the repetition of the words “free bitch” in a few of the songs. The reason for highlighting certain tracks will just give you an idea of what to expect, and an idea of how eclectic an album ‘The Fame Monster’ is:

Bad Romance is the closest to what I’ve come to expect of Gaga thus far, with a similar sound to previous songs like Paparazzi, though with a vocal hook that reminds me of Boney M’s Rasputin, and a verse in French for no other reason than it’s a Lady Gaga song. Alejandro opens with a spoken intro in a bad, pan-European accent, and carries on in that vein, sounding like Shakira taken to the Europop extreme. Monster is booming R&B and features the line “he ate my heart and then he ate my brain.” ‘nuff said. Speechless would sound like Abbey Road/Let It Be era Beatles mixed with Christina Aguilera, if it weren’t for the strange accent Lady Gaga puts on to sing it. Try to imagine a country drawl mixed with Dick Van Dyke quality cockney and you’ll be about half way there. Dance In The Dark sounds a little like a darker version of her earlier song ‘Just Dance’, funnily enough. Telephone (feat. Beyonce) opens with a harp, and then breaks out into a thumping club track. If you like random vocal effects and hearing Beyonce for a verse, then you’ll probably enjoy it, there’s not much else to it really. So Happy I Could Die is what Rhianna would sound like if she’d been around in the 90s, pop R&B scene. Finally we have Teeth, which to my ears is the love child of Fanz Ferdinand’s ‘Ulysses’ and everything Scissor Sisters ever released. Though sadly, unlike those bands, Lady Gaga’s tongue is nowhere near her cheek in this one.

So where does that leave us? The Fame Monster is an eclectic mix of songs, which while possibly enjoyable on their own, don’t totally work together. Actually even on their own, just as you start to get into a song something, be it the lyrics, or an odd sound effect Gaga decided to add, will make you cringe. The subject matter is a little more mainstream than her main her first album, with each track seeming more about relationships than celebrity. Here’s the rub. Nothing I or any other reviewer says about this album will matter. This album will sell. It will pump out single after single, and Lady Gaga will make video after absurd video to promote it. I still can’t work out whether Lady Gaga is a genius or just very lucky to hit on some untouched artery of the market, but it doesn’t really matter. She’s cemented in pop culture now, and this album is doing nothing to endanger that.

5/10

Standout Tracks:

Bad Romance

Speechless

Telephone (feat. Beyonce)

Es ist ein offenes Geheimnis, dass sich die Musikindustrie mit dem Weg ins digitale Zeitalter mehr als schwer tut. Es hat lange gedauert, bis sich die Konzerne an iTunes und Amazon gewohnt haben, die Konzerne hätten gerne eigene Vertriebsstrukturen. Aber: Der Vertrieb von CDs bringt die goldene Zeiten der Schallplattenindustrie mit ihren Superhits nicht mehr zurück.

Die Gaming-Industrie liegt dagegen mehr im Trend. Es werden in den USA mehr Spiele verkauft als Kinokarten. So ist es nur sinnvoll, Musik und Games miteinander zu verbinden. Die Guitar-Hero-, Sing-Star- und Rock-Band-Serien machen es vor, wie es geht, um digitale Dollars zu verdienen. Queen, Abba, Metallica – alles gute Produkte, die Spaß machen. Jüngstes Beispiel für mich persönlich seit September: Beatles Rock Band.

Die Pilzköpfe gehören zu den Kulturgütern der Popmusik und ich habe mich sehr gefreut, als Rock Band Beatles für die PS3 erschienen ist. Gleich gekauft und abends jammt die ganze Familie “Lucy in the sky with diamonds”. Das bringt Stimmung, das macht Spaß und die Musikindustrie darf vorerst weiterleben.

Heute gibt es was Neues für John, Paul, George und Ringo: “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” erscheint als zweites Trackpack für The Beatles Rock Band.

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” ist nach “Abbey Road” das zweite für The Beatles Rock Band erhältliche Komplettalbum seit der Veröffentlichung des Spiels am 9. September 2009. Darüber hinaus ist “All You Need Is Love” ebenfalls im The Beatle: Rock Band Music Store erhältlich und mit bisher mehr als 100.000 Downloads überaus erfolgreich.  Mit den Erlösen aus der Rock Band-Franchise setzen Apple, MTV Games und Harmonix ihre Unterstützung der Hilfsorganisation “Ärzte ohne Grenzen” auch in Zukunft fort.

Die komplette Trackliste des Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Trackpacks sieht wie folgt aus:

Fixing A Hole

She’s Leaving Home

Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Within You Without You

When I’m Sixty-Four

Lovely Rita

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

A Day In The Life

Wednesday was another day full of magical moments!

First, we headed up to Notting Hill to explore the Portobello Road market.  En route, we stopped so Madre could have a quick look at a comic book store…and were stopped by a TV crew from Harry Hill’s TV Burp on ITV–it’s basically the British version of The Soup, one of our favorite shows back home!  As part of a montage making fun of an incident on last week’s The X Factor (Simon Cowell’s UK American Idol), we were prompted with the question “What is your favorite movie?” to which were to reply in a completely genuine, obvious manner “GUMMO!”  We obeyed…and made it into the montage that played at the beginning of the new 14-Nov 7:30pm episode!!!!!  Surreal…

Anyway, we then made it to Portobello Road and browsed all of the cute shoppes and stalls, pausing briefly for breakfast at Kitchen and Pantry.  After satisfying our Notting Hill itch, we headed northwest via bus to Abbey Road and were “those people” taking pictures in the zebra crossing.  I had been waiting this entire semester to have someone to go with me to the famous spot of my favorite band and was so happy that I got to do it with Madre.  It was totally worth the wait!

We headed south for an afternoon of Christmas retail magic at Harrods.  After productively spending money on Christmas gifts for many of my readers (;)) we indulged in Afternoon Tea at The Georgian Restaurant.  I cannot stress how content I was having my favorite meal in a gorgeous restaurant festively decorated for Christmas in pink!  (I KNOW! Believe me, I was freaking out.)

We continued the department store up Brompton Road to Harvey Nichols, Harrods’ edgier but equally expensive counterpart frequently referenced in the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.  We headed back to the LVH for an early night on the eve of our most epic, magical adventure yet…

August 8^th – Could I of asked for a better day? Film is in the camera; I have 10 minutes to shoot. “O.K. So John, if you lead; Ringo, Paul and George follow and just walk across the zebra crossing”. This is great, there is even a white VW parked on the side of the road and if you think of the association with the band a little further, you’ve got the registration plate reading ‘Linda McCartney Weeps’. Brilliant.

“I’m gonna’ take my shoe’s off. Is that O.K?”. John is wearing this all white suite – very smart, looks a bit like a priest. Ringo; all black, McCartney has no shoes on like a ghost and George… well he looks a bit like a grave digger come to think of it, wearing his all denim attire. I hope this comes out ok, It’s like Sgt. Pepper I guess… being able to read into it. But who would do that?

Since 09/09/09, it’s been Beatlemania at our house. Tom bought a bunch of the remastered CDs and we’ve been listening to 1 a month. So far we’ve rocked out to the White Album, Revolver, and Abbey Road. Throwing in our super awesome $79 deal for Rock Band: The Beatles, we are pretty much eating, sleeping, and breathing the Beatles. It is awesome.

Luckily for us, Luke is into Rock-And-Roll. None of the Baby Mozart stuff for him! Hopefully that means he will be grow up to be somewhat cooler than me, who was raised on Richard Marx and Michael Bolton. I am enjoying my musical education as well, with my faves being Rocky Racoon, And Your Bird Can Sing, and She Came In Through The Bathroom Window. Of course, these are neither Angelia nor Time, Love and Tenderness, but hey, they are still pretty good. HA!

Anyway, here are Luke’s favorite Beatles tunes so far:

Yellow Submarine – Luke is a fan of any whimsical Ringo song, but this is his favorite. Probably because his bathtime book, which we have read to him at every bath since he was born, has a submarine in it. Or maybe just because it is awesome.

Come Together – Luke was already familiar with this song because I snuck the Kris Allen version onto his CD of baby songs we played in the car for a while. I’m sure he appreciates the Beatles version much more. He has good taste, after all.

Yer Blues – It’s clear at this point that Luke’s preferred musical genre is The Blues. This was the first song he responded to, with a cool head bob. Kind of depressing lyrics for such a little kid, I guess, but as long as he’s not hearing prophetic messages from Helter Skelter, I think I’m okay with it.

I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – Luke finds this song inexplicably hilarious. I was driving the other day and he just burst out laughing. I couldn’t really figure out what he found so funny until the song came on again and the same thing happened. This song makes him the happiest of anything in the world. Maybe he’ll turn out to be a badass guitarist or something.

Our December album is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and I am sure something from that will end up on Luke Tunes: Vol. 5. I’m betting on the bounciness of When I’m Sixty-Four, but the kid is unpredictable so you never know.

Did I say “awesome” yet?

21. “You Never Give Me Your Money” – Abbey Road

20. “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight” – Abbey Road

Few songs capture the same kind of feeling that the Abbey Road Medley does. Plus, singing “Carry That Weight” is fun. Seems like a bar song.

19. “Strawberry Fields Forever” – Magical Mystery Tour

18. “A Hard Day’s Night” - A Hard Day’s Night

Entertainment Weekly put this song at #1. Then, I stopped reading Entertainment Weekly. Great song, yes, as are all of these. BEST? Not by a long shot. Maybe it’s just because I’m not in love with their early recordings. I’m a Sgt. Pepper and beyond type guy.

17. “Birthday” - The Beatles (The White Album)

This song is just catchy. I’m sorry. That bridge is contagious.

16. “The End” - Abbey Road

If there’s a way for the greatest band in history to go out, this is it…well, that and “Her Majesty”, of course.

15. “Something” - Abbey Road

Unfortunately, George Harrison was just beginning to shine as a songwriter when the group decided to call it quits.

14. “Get Back” – Let It Be

While Abbey Road was recorded after Let It Be, making it The Beatles’ last album, many people believed that “Get Back” was the last song in their catalog because Let It Be was recorded, then shelved, then released after Abbey Road shortly after the band’s breakup.

13. “Hello Goodbye” - Magical Mystery Tour

…and here on display is Paul McCartney’s complicated wordplay that constantly keeps the listener guessing…”You say yes, I say no, you stay stop, and I say go go go…”

12. “Here Comes the Sun” – Abbey Road

More proff that three of the four Beatles could write an incredible song. Ringo’s still working on it, most likely.

11. “Elanor Rigby” – Revolver

Father Mackenzie seems like an awful man, and after hearing this song so many times, I am yet to realize why I feel the way I do.

10. “All You Need is Love” - Magical Mystery Tour + Yellow Submarine

Everything The Beatles were about summed up in five words.

9. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

John Lennon said that he was inspired to write this song when his son Julian showed him a painting that he had made in school that he called “Lucy in the Sky”. The rest of the song was also inspired by Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (LSD).

8. “Hey Jude” - Past Masters [recorded during sessions for “The Beatles (The White Album)”

This is the first Beatles song I ever heard, and I love it, everything from the everlasting chant to John walking in and saying “bloody hell!”.

7. “Revolution” - Past Masters [originally recorded for “The Beatles (The White Album)”

The B-side to the previous song. This actually did appear on The White Album, but in a more mellow tone rather than the real rock tone that this version delivers.

6. “Come Together” - Abbey Road

Rumor has it that each of the four verses describes one of them. I’m yet to discover which one has “toe jam football”, and I think they all would fit the “spinal cracker” definition. I think.

Wait, what the hell is a “spinal cracker”?

5. “I’ve Got A Feeling” – Let It Be

From the album that almost wasn’t, this track was recorded from the famous rooftop concert that The Beatles gave, which would end up being their last concert. After about 45 minutes, the police asked for the concert to be stopped. I bet they regret that move to this day.

4. “Glass Onion” - The Beatles (The White Album)

This song is basically a review of songs from Magical Mystery Tour, which happens to be my favorite Beatles album, this album being my 2nd favorite. The song shows that John Lennon did indeed have a sense of humor, confusing conspiracy theorists even further with this line: “I told you bout the walrus and me, man / You know that we’re as close as can be, man! / Well here’s another clue for you all / The walrus was Paul…”, even though John appeared as the walrus in the video for “I Am the Walrus”, sang “I Am the Walrus”, and appeared as the walrus on the cover of Magical Mystery Tour.

3. “Helter Skelter” – The Beatles (The White Album)

Paul McCartney’s one moment of recorded spaz became what is probably the first metal rock recording, and who can forget Ringo’s quote at the end of the song?

I GOT BLISTERS ON MA FINGAS!!!

2. “Don’t Let Me Down” - Past Masters [originally recorded for “Let It Be”

Probably one of the most under appreciated songs of The Beatles whole catalog.

1. “I Am the Walrus” - Magical Mystery Tour

Everything about this song is amazing. Enough said. This song makes absolutely no sense, but it proved that not everything has to make sense. Some things can just be interpreted as they are.

Para comemorar os 40 anos de lançamento do álbum Abbey Road, dos Beatles, a inspirada banda Rubber Soul, primeiro grupo cearense cover dos Fab Four (fundada em 1991), tocará todo o repertório do disco, inclusive seguindo os arranjos originais, no próximo sábado, 14, às 18h30min. A apresentação da Rubber Soul acontecerá no cineteatro do Centro Cultural Banco do Nordeste-Fortaleza (rua Floriano Peixoto, 941 – 2º andar – Centro). No show, a banda Rubber Soul – formada por Kildare Rios (baixo e voz), Eduardo Neves (guitarra e voz), Armando Gaspar (bateria e percussão) e Thiago Mendonça (teclados, voz, guitarra, gaita e percussão) – revive a antológica atmosfera musical e toca todo o repertório do álbum Abbey Road, incluindo canções que se tornaram clássicos da música popular universal – a exemplo de Come together, Something, Oh darling, Here comes the sun, You never give me your money e Golden slumbers, entre outras, animando e emocionando a platéia presente ao cineteatro do CCBNB-Fortaleza.

Antes, no mesmo dia (sábado, 14), às 17 horas, no auditório do CCBNB-Fortaleza (3º andar), Nelson Augusto (jornalista, pesquisador musical, produtor e apresentador do programa semanal Frequência Beatles, da rádio Universitária FM 107.9 MHz) e Astrid Miranda Leão (professora universitária e colaboradora do programa) farão, no programa Literatura em Revista, uma retrospectiva das letras das composições na obra musical dos Beatles e suas inclinações poéticas.

Durante o programa de apreciação e difusão literária, serão tratadas desde a temática romântica do início da trajetória dos Fab Four, com construções mais simples de álbuns como Please, Please Me, até à fase das músicas psicodélicas e com o foco direcionado para as mensagens mais sofisticadas do então LP Abbey Road, que completou 40 anos de lançamento em setembro deste ano. Na apresentação, letras de músicas dos Beatles serão analisadas, seguindo a ordem cronológica, com algumas de suas traduções, acompanhadas da audição dos registros originais e alguns clipes, além de ressaltado o aspecto histórico desse vasto e belo cancioneiro, dentro do contexto artístico mundial.

O álbum Abbey Road foi lançado na Inglaterra, pelo selo Parlophone, em 26 de setembro de 1969, e foi direto para o primeiro lugar em apenas uma semana. Nos Estados Unidos, foi lançado em 1º de outubro de 1969, onde também chegou ao topo das paradas. É o 12º álbum dos Beatles e o último gravado pelo grupo. O disco tornou-se o álbum mais vendido dos Beatles, com vendas de aproximadamente dez milhões de cópias durante a primeira década de seu lançamento. Com relação às harmonias das canções, elas nunca foram tão inventivas e assombrosamente precisas quanto em Abbey Road. Abbey Road foi também o primeiro disco dos Beatles a ser lançado apenas em estéreo e recebeu um Grammy em 1969, na categoria Melhor Engenharia de Gravação em Gravações não-Clássicas.

A banda paulistana Beatles 4Ever apresenta, nos dias 20 e 21 de novembro,
sexta e sábado, a Maratona The Beatles Complete Works, no Teatro União
Cultural, em São Paulo, das 14 às 22 horas.

Nesta maratona de shows serão apresentadas todas as músicas gravadas,
oficialmente, pelos Beatles, em seqüência cronológica e precisa
dos 15 álbuns da discografia do quarteto de Liverpool. A cada hora,
o Beatles 4Ever executará um álbum, totalizando 16 horas de apresentação
(oito horas a cada dia), já que o Álbum Branco, de 1968, é duplo.

LEIA MAIS NOS SITES
:: SORTIMENTOS.COM >> http://www.sortimentos.net/?p=4051
:: GEBBEG >> http://gebbeg.com.br/?p=7255

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I want you
I want you so bad
I want you,
I want you so bad
It’s driving me mad, it’s driving me mad.
I want you
I want you so bad babe
I want you,
I want you so bad
It’s driving me mad, it’s driving me mad.
I want you
I want you so bad babe
I want you,
I want you so bad
It’s driving me mad, it’s driving me mad.
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you,
I want you so bad
It’s driving me mad, it’s driving me …
She’s so heavy heavy, heavy, heavy.

She’s so heavy
She’s so heavy, heavy, heavy

I want you
I want you so bad
I want you,
I want you so bad
It’s driving me mad, it’s driving me mad.
I want you
You know I want you so bad babe
I want you,
You know I want you so bad
It’s driving me mad, it’s driving me mad
Yeh!

She’s so…

It’s really driving me mad…

And now for something completely whacked out.

Here is a song by The Alan Parsons Project married up with an old short movie by Orson Welles. Wow, what a find! The song is “Psychobabble” and is one of my all-time favorites. I had thoughts about sharing the song here on the blog and during my search I found this piece of classic weirdness on YouTube. The movie is called “Hearts of Age” and is actually the first movie ever made by Welles, dating way back to when he was only 19 in 1934.

Prior to striking out on his own Parsons’ first musical project was a little album called “Abbey Road” by a group called The Beatles. (Perhaps you’ve heard of it.) Parson’s received production credit on that album and others that followed including “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd. Eventually Parsons struck out to do his own thing. His first album was released as The Alan Parsons Project and called “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” and featured musical interpretations of the writings of Edgar Allen Poe.

Enjoy!

From my recent reading and discovering of the hiker/backpacker lifestyle, I’ve come to see that one of the inevitables in joining thehiking community is creating a nickname while out on the trail. There are many reasons hikers have become accustomed to doing this. A primary reason is the sense that you are not the same person you are in your daily life when you are blazing a trail through steep mountains and low river valleys, therefore giving yourself a nickname that resembles some characteristic about you. Most people you meet have no earthly clue why you chose the name you did, while others can actually be given to you and later adopted from people’s previous experiences with a particular hiker. Since I am slowly becoming enthralled with the world of hiking (mostly backpacking), I thought the time had come to develop a nickname for me while on the trail. Some possibilities and the reasoning behind them are below.

1. DURDEN — This is taken from my favorite movie of all time, Fight Club. Not only is Tyler Durden one of my favorite literary and cinematic characters, he symbolizes a backpacker’s vision of living with minimalistic values and fending for yourself, not giving into the society we surround ourselves with every day.
2. NARRATOR — This is a strong possibility because of my love for writing. What do most stories need in order to be told? Why, a narrator, of course!!
3. GRIZZ — This is a nickname that I’m sure is frequently used out on the trails, but does have some resemblance to a nickname I currently have, which is “Grizzly P,” one given to me at a place I used to work. The inside joke is rather odd, but alas, the name stuck with several people I know.
4. RAZZ — The name of a Kings of Leon song, one of my favorite bands.
5. SERGEANT PEPPER — For any Beatles fan, this should be self-explanatory.
6. MCFEARLESS — Another Kings of Leon song.
7. FLOWOOD — The city where I was born in Mississippi, and has a somewhat “earthy” tone to it.
8. SUN KING — A Beatles song with yet another “earthy” feeling.
9. ROCKY RACCOON — My favorite Beatles song. This one might be a frontrunner.
10. RUBBER SOUL — Another Beatles album, but a deep meaning nonetheless.

I will more than likely choose one of these nicknames by the time my next trip is underway, which is just over a week from now. Until then, let me know if any names stand out!

Para comemorar os 40 anos de lançamento do álbum Abbey Road,
dos Beatles, a inspirada banda Rubber Soul, primeiro grupo cearense
cover dos Fab Four (fundada em 1991), tocará todo o disco seguindo
os arranjos originais. O show será no dia 14 de novembro, às 18h30, 
no cineteatro do Centro Cultural Banco do Nordeste-Fortaleza,
em Fortaleza, no Ceará.

LEIA MAIS NOS SITES
:: SORTIMENTOS.COM >> http://www.sortimentos.net/?p=4071
:: GEBBEG >> http://gebbeg.com.br/?p=7232

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“Pirate Radio/The Boat That Rocked”
a review by Darby O’Gill

Hands down, the feel good movie of the year! Before Howard Stern, and even before Wolfman Jack, a band of rogue deejays rocked the airwaves. In 1966, at the height of the British Invasion, rock and roll was only allowed to be played on British radio stations for barely two hours a week. The only way people in the U.K. could listen to rock or pop music was by tuning into pirate radio stations broadcasting from boats just off the coast of Britain in the North Sea. In Pirate Radio, previously released as The Boat That Rocked, earlier this year in the U.K., writer/director Richard Curtis tells a fictional story based on the true events of Britain’s rock and roll revolution. Broadcasting live 24/7 from an old tanker turned makeshift radio station, anchored just outside British jurisdiction, is a band of misfit deejays known as Radio Rock.

The story begins when Young Carl is sent by his mother to the ship known as Radio Rock, to spend time with his godfather Quentin, the owner of the radio station, who is played by the always brilliant Bill Nighy. It’s very much a coming of age story, and I think the British equivalent to Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. Once on board, Young Carl meets the motley crew of deejays. There’s The Count, the flagship American deejay that is constantly pushing the envelope and crossing the line, masterfully portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. There’s the always charismatic, and at times narcissistic Doctor Dave, played by the extremely funny Nick Frost. Another familiar face is that of Flight of the Concords’ manager Brian, actor Rhys Darby, who plays the self proclaimed funny man Angus “the nut” Nutsford. Even though all the faces may not be familiar, this is truly an all-star cast. Each performance is so masterfully executed that you can’t help but feel the authenticity of this film. However, I think one of the most unsung heroes of this film is Ike Hamilton, who plays Harold, the ship’s booth technician. If you watch Ike’s performance throughout the film, I guarantee that you will be totally blown away. Every little nuance that he brings to the character of Harold just radiates brilliantly off the screen. If you’re reading this after you have already seen the film, I highly recommend seeing it again for Ike’s performance alone. But, if you’re anything like me you’ll already want to see this movie again regardless.

The other side of this story is that of the British government and their efforts to stop the pirate radio ships from broadcasting. This task is helmed by Sir Alistair Dormandy, played by Kenneth Branagh, and his new assistant Mr. Twatt. I’m not kidding, his last name is Twatt. And, yes Richard Curtis takes full advantage of it. Twatt is played by Coupling’s Jack Davenport. Now, don’t worry. The political stuff doesn’t weigh down the story at all. Mostly because it’s not an overpowering plotline and it also lends itself to some of the film’s funnier scenes. I dare you not to laugh or at least snicker every time Dormandy says, “Twatt.”

Richard Curtis has, as always, done a masterful job telling this story. His unique vision, and heart warming style of storytelling, makes Pirate Radio/The Boat That Rocked a must see film. Every part of this film oozes 1966. The wardrobe is fantastic, the soundtrack is to die for, and even the look of the film itself sets the tone. It’s almost as if the film was shot and processed in 1966. Adding to the film’s authenticity, the bulk of the movie was shot onboard an actual ship, just off the south coast of England. Richard Curtis’ first cut of the film had a running time that was just over three hours. The final cut of The Boat That Rocked had a two hours and fifteen minute running time, where as the final cut for Pirate Radio has a one hour and fifty-six minute running time. I’ve seen the U.K. version of the film and enjoy both cuts, but I have to say this film is so enjoyable that I wouldn’t mind sitting though the three hour cut at some point. Most of the missing scenes from the first cut of the film appear on the U.K. DVD release of The Boat That Rocked. (U.K. DVD review will be posted soon) The two major scenes that were cut from The Boat That Rocked for the U.S. release of Pirate Radio consists of a visit to the Radio Rock ship from a large group of contest winners, and the other is the unseen stag party in London. The scenes aren’t necessarily needed, but this movie is so, as I said before, enjoyable that I don’t think you could ever get enough of these characters.

I realize this review is quickly becoming a mini-novel, but I think I would be crucified if I didn’t at least talk about the music in the film. As you would imagine, this movie is chock-full of classic rock from the likes of The Who, The Kinks, The Turtles, and so many more. Both the U.K. release, and the U.S. release of the soundtrack feature a two disc edition with 36 tracks to take you back. Also, the opening credit graphics are fantastic! The use of the radio tuner dial transitioning from scene to scene, as The Kinks’ “All Day and All of the Night” blares, instantly sucks you into the world of the movie. But, I think one of my favorite things was the use of the album covers in the end credits. It not only instills you with a fantastic sense of the history of rock and roll, but it also makes you want to listen to some great albums you might not have listened to in awhile. The bottom line here should be obvious at this point, but needless to say I highly recommend this movie no matter which version you see.

Rating:

The Boat That Rocked U.K. DVD Special Features: COMING SOON