All Things Must Beat. Share Anything Beatles!!

[Michael Favata]

Today is the 55th anniversary of the debut of the Beatles’ first perceived failure, Magical Mystery Tour. Not the music, of course, but while there are some choice bits(Victor Spinetti is once again hilarious as yet another frustrated authority figure), the film is pretty much a directionless mess. However, the Bonzos are their weirdly wonderful selves, and let’s give it up for Jan Carson.

Never really liked any of the movies. They just seemed like marketing tools to me. Goofy. Pointless. Just marketing. So I never gave them serious thought.

Paul said the “Magical Mystery Tour” album was not meant to be an album and they hated that “album.” Apparently it was only meant to be an EP of the movie soundtrack but us Americans didn’t like EPs. So the record executives and marketing made it in to an “album” placing previously released singles on the “album” which the Beatles never did. So they added the singles “Hello Goodbye/I Am The Walrus, and “Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane and the song written and recorded for a live tv event “All You Need is Love/Baby Your a Rich Man.”

So as much as a Beatles freak as I am I’ve never watched any of the “movies” all the way through. Only bits and pieces of them. I just don’t like them. Love lots of the songs on them though. “Hard Days Night” is my favorite album of the early records.

here’s an interesting interview with Paul on the “album.”

https://www.beatlesbible.com/1967/12/27/paul-mccartney-justifies-magical-mystery-tour/

 

[Michedelic]

Never really liked any of the movies. They just seemed like marketing tools to me. Goofy. Pointless. Just marketing. So I never gave them serious thought.

Paul said the “Magical Mystery Tour” album was not meant to be an album and they hated that “album.” Apparently it was only meant to be an EP of the movie soundtrack but us Americans didn’t like EPs. So the record executives and marketing made it in to an “album” placing previously released singles on the “album” which the Beatles never did. So they added the singles “Hello Goodbye/I Am The Walrus, and “Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane and the song written and recorded for a live tv event “All You Need is Love/Baby Your a Rich Man.”

So as much as a Beatles freak as I am I’ve never watched any of the “movies” all the way through. Only bits and pieces of them. I just don’t like them. Love lots of the songs on them though. “Hard Days Night” is my favorite album of the early records.

here’s an interesting interview with Paul on the “album.”

https://www.beatlesbible.com/1967/12/27/paul-mccartney-justifies-magical-mystery-tour/

Yeah, the concept of the EP, while popular in the UK, was just not utilized in the US. But the release of the made-for-TV movie gave Capitol an opportunity to take that material, scoop up all the loose-end singles of the year, put it all in a nice package for the Xmas sales season, and, ka-ching! They needed new product anyway. But American TV wouldn’t bother with the film, maybe because of the bad UK reviews.
On the other hand, HDN was revolutionary; made quickly and cheaply because the suits thought that this Beatles fad would be over at any moment, Richard Lester nevertheless delivered a film that was intelligent, witty, quirky, sarcastic, and never condescending to its subjects or the audience, while at the same time was as close to depicting early Beatlemania accurately as possible. It was no dumb Elvis film.
Help didn’t quite measure up, in spite of the big budget. It was contrived, and the band was world weary at that point(and it showed). But once again, if you take the individual song scenarios separately, it was still setting the standard for what music videos became.

 

[zontar]

has this been shared yet?
if it has--well here its again:

 

[G-Dog]

has this been shared yet?
if it has--well here its again:

Luckily, her voice, costumes and mostly smiling faces make happy singing from strange words. We!
.

 

[beans-on-toast]

 

[G-Dog]

.
My thanks to @bobyoung53 for posting the Billy J. Kramer recording, with the Dakotas, of this 1963 Beatles song by John Lennon. That post includes some interesting comments about it from Billy J., too. But it was neither The Beatles nor Kramer who released it, but The Fourmost who took it to No. 17 in the U.K.

Here is John's demo recording. I've never heard it before just now! What do you think? Should The Beatles have recorded and released it?

.​

 

[beans-on-toast]

.
My thanks to @bobyoung53 for posting the Billy J. Kramer recording, with the Dakotas, of this 1963 Beatles song by John Lennon. That post includes some interesting comments about it from Billy J., too. But it was neither The Beatles nor Kramer who released it, but The Fourmost who took it to No. 17 in the U.K.

Here is John's demo recording. I've never heard it before just now! What do you think? Should The Beatles have recorded and released it?

.​

I see it as a throwaway, not for the Beatles. John always hated “silly love songs”. Years later he was jealous that Paul did so well with those type of songs and his music didn’t sell as well.

In the early days, John wrote in the style of Roy Orbison. I think that Jeff Lynne could have done something with this song and Roy singling. It sounds in the style of ELO.

 

[Jeff K]

Thanks for this. I thought I do a decent job when I play along with this album/CD; but apparently I take WAY to many shortcuts...

 

[nixdad]

Fabbies -
I'm currently looking for a b/w Beatles studio image to use as a centerpiece for my renovated music room. I'm not sure if this photo has ever been posted before, but I came across this photo by chance yesterday of George with a Gibson EB-2 (this is not one that I'm considering, but I thought it very interesting.)

Has anyone else seen this before, and do you know the backstory?

 

[beans-on-toast]

Fabbies -
I'm currently looking for a b/w Beatles studio image to use as a centerpiece for my renovated music room. I'm not sure if this photo has ever been posted before, but I came across this photo by chance yesterday of George with a Gibson EB-2 (this is not one that I'm considering, but I thought it very interesting.)
View attachment 4926201
Has anyone else seen this before, and do you know the backstory?

No info on George and the EB-2 other than I’ve seen the image on an EB2 site. Chas Chandler used one, so did Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds so people he knew had them.

One of these drum heads is always nice to hang on the wall. Saw them on amazon.

 

[13bass]

Beatles as kids...

 

[G-Dog]

Fabbies -
I'm currently looking for a b/w Beatles studio image to use as a centerpiece for my renovated music room. I'm not sure if this photo has ever been posted before, but I came across this photo by chance yesterday of George with a Gibson EB-2 (this is not one that I'm considering, but I thought it very interesting.)
Has anyone else seen this before, and do you know the backstory?

I don't recall ever seeing this bass with a Beatle before. But, with the current state of my memory, that's not saying much. And my most thorough and exhaustive 5-minute research into this subject didn't find much, either. The other pix I found below indicated that it was just "tried out backstage" once and had no mention of it actually being used for anything. Indeed, Andy Babiuk's authoritative "Beatles Gear" doesn't mention it at all. And, although Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass has a few pages on some EB-2 examples in different years and finishes, it never mentions a Beatle with it. Sorry.

.​

 

[Michael Favata]

The black nylon tape wounds. Cool.
I always thought he started using them during the Let It Be sessions. But even earlier. Cool. I have them on my short scale now.

 

[Geogio]

I was thinking about which Beatle songs were under-rated and wondered which three tunes would be on your list?

I think I would go with:
1) Bad Boy
2) It's Only Love
3) What You're Doing

Any thoughts from the bass thumping brethren?

In retrospect I think the older Beatles dance music is probably held the test of time. Sergeant Pepper sounds dated though Abby Road is still a great album and Let It Be is one of my favorites.

There is one song that I consider is the epitome of an early Beatle tune and that includes the vocal harmonies and for me that song is "Yes It Is"

 

[nixdad]

No info on George and the EB-2 other than I’ve seen the image on an EB2 site. Chas Chandler used one, so did Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds so people he knew had them.

One of these drum heads is always nice to hang on the wall. Saw them on amazon.

View attachment 4926329

Nice suggestion, BOT. In a room that will no doubt be filled with rectangles on the walls, besides being attractive, a circle would certainly be a welcome addition. Food for thought.

I don't recall ever seeing this bass with a Beatle before. But, with the current state of my memory, that's not saying much. And my most thorough and exhaustive 5-minute research into this subject didn't find much, either. The other pix I found below indicated that it was just "tried out backstage" once and had no mention of it actually being used for anything. Indeed, Andy Babiuk's authoritative "Beatles Gear" doesn't mention it at all. And, although Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass has a few pages on some EB-2 examples in different years and finishes, it never mentions a Beatle with it. Sorry.

View attachment 4926394

View attachment 4926393

View attachment 4926382
.​

G-Dog...thanks for researching and posting the addition photos of Paul with the same bass. Your "backstage" comment is very observant, as the sink in the background in one of the Paul photos makes it very clear that these photos were not taken in the studio.

 

[bobyoung53]

I don't recall ever seeing this bass with a Beatle before. But, with the current state of my memory, that's not saying much. And my most thorough and exhaustive 5-minute research into this subject didn't find much, either. The other pix I found below indicated that it was just "tried out backstage" once and had no mention of it actually being used for anything. Indeed, Andy Babiuk's authoritative "Beatles Gear" doesn't mention it at all. And, although Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass has a few pages on some EB-2 examples in different years and finishes, it never mentions a Beatle with it. Sorry.

View attachment 4926394

View attachment 4926393

View attachment 4926382
.​

Funny, because I've always wondered why Paul didn't use a Gibson bass.

 

[RedVee]

No info on George and the EB-2 other than I’ve seen the image on an EB2 site. Chas Chandler used one, so did Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds so people he knew had them.

One of these drum heads is always nice to hang on the wall. Saw them on amazon.

View attachment 4926329

They had Epi Raviolis didn’t they?
I have read that Epiphone was more readily available in the UK in those days

 

[bobyoung53]

I see it as a throwaway, not for the Beatles. John always hated “silly love songs”. Years later he was jealous that Paul did so well with those type of songs and his music didn’t sell as well.

In the early days, John wrote in the style of Roy Orbison. I think that Jeff Lynne could have done something with this song and Roy singling. It sounds in the style of ELO.

Check out Billy J Kramer's version, it's stellar, course The Dakotas were a very good band and really improved it. It was a throwaway but they did it so well it sounds on par with their other stuff. I think Billy's version is a distinct improvement on The Fourmost's.

This is the one I posted the other day, it would be hard to improve on this IMHO.

 

[bobyoung53]

They had Epi Raviolis didn’t they?
I have read that Epiphone was more readily available in the UK in those days

That's almost all you saw back then in British Invasion bands, very common. The Animals, The Nashville Teens, Gerry & The Pacemakers, and The Searchers are four off the top of my head.

 

[RedVee]

Check out Billy J Kramer's version, it's stellar, course The Dakotas were a very good band and really improved it. It was a throwaway but they did it so well it sounds on par with their other stuff. I think Billy's version is a distinct improvement on The Fourmost's.

This is the one I posted the other day, it would be hard to improve on this IMHO.

That’s pretty good!