Sgt Pepper Back At Number One

Fifty years after its first release,the Beatles' seminal concept album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band went back to the number one spot wherein the expanded edition was released including remixed material and unreleased session tapes.Other countries are set to follow where there were revivals of events such as the Summer Of Love in San Francisco that was held upon the album's first release.

The album has been hailed as the best selling album in the UK and was held at the number one spot by Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list.

Sgt Pepper is likely to reach number one in other countries as well as it climbs the charts of Amazon on its online sales.
The Beatles were once again competing with new artists and proved of their timeless appeal as Billboard sums up the album sales according to headline planet:

 This week’s leaders in pure sales, per BuzzAngle:
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (~61,521 pure US sales)
Bryson Tiller – True To Self (~47,209 pure US sales)
Chris Stapleton’s From A Room, Volume 1 (~31,209 pure US sales)
Guardians Of The Galaxy – Awesome Mix, Vol. 2 (~28,906 pure US sales)
Shakira – El Dorado (~20,251 pure US sales)

Throughout until June 16,the Beatles' hometown of Liverpool is celebrating the album's 50th anniversary highlighted on this website.

(c) 2017 Keith Vernon Adagio

PEPPER AT 50

Sgt Pepper mark its 50th anniversary June 2nd making its North American release coinciding with the Summer Of  Love social event in San Francisco that was followed by similar events in London and some other parts of the world.

The band is set to release the album in four different formats: a single CD, a double CD,double vinyl and a six disc super deluxe edition comprising of all the aforementioned recordings plus a 144 page hard book with new introductions from Paul McCartney and Giles Martin.

With an expanded track and several packages in different formats,Sgt Pepper proved to be one of the most significant albums that ever came out half a century later.

The concept for the album dates back with Paul McCartney having a thought of an imaginary band as an alter ego to the Beatles. The band went through rough times touring around the world and decided to retire from touring and concentrate more on the music they were making in the studio.Making such decisions gave them more time to experiment and be more adventurous on their approach.

Though not really the first concept album to ever come into existence[ a lot of people consider Frank Zappa's 1966 release Freak Out! as the first],George Martin was obviously the man behind the console and did all those magic and up until then the Beatles have created an album at least at that time that is quite impossible to replicate in concert.

Looking back,how much influence does this album had on other musicians in the past fifty years? Not too many? Well,considering other artists who have followed the Beatles' footsteps on creating such a concept masterpiece.We begin with the Rolling Stones on their flower power output Their Satanic Majesties Request in which funny enough,has garnered much hatred from John Lennon's sharp tongue,describing on how the Stones wanted to copy his band first hand.There's Prince with his concept album Around The World In A Day in which he wholeheartedly admitted that was influenced by Pepper,considering the manner in which he delivered the master tapes to his record label wherein he sat on the floor surrounded by flowers while the record execs examine what would be his 1987 masterpiece.There's Red Hot Chilli Peppers dressed in Pepper clothings for a rock magazine,Green Day having a concept album American Idiot,Phil Collins praising Ringo's drumming on "A Day In The Life" and the list just goes on...

Considering the importance of how significant this album is on changing not only the lives of people who sat and listened,but on how it changed the whole procedure of how music is recorded and an amazing feat perhaps that the album has crossed generations and time space.The album just went to number one in the charts as I am writing this and its just overwhelming.

We can only wonder in awe as we think what will happen for another fifty years. Time,people changes but the Beatles were always there for us.


(c) 2017 Keith Vernon Adagio

THE BEATLES' LAST GIG MARKS 50

The Beatles Candlestick Park,San Francisco 8/29/66

Marking off another Golden anniversary of the fab four's is their final gig at Candlestick Park,San Francisco which was held August 29th,1966. The band had concluded their touring duties with this memorable gig wherein it was said that  they took selfies  after they bid adieu to the crowd.Something that would never ever happen again for the rest of their lives as musicians.

The Beatles has stopped touring amid the problems they began facing since Beatlemania took off two years earlier.The band was noted at first for being frustrated of not hearing themselves with all the uproar that has been going on as fans started to pack their venues and they were forced to take on stadiums to accomodate more people.Not to mention the political and religious involvement the band has faced in which touring became a little more dangerous in the wake of John Lennon's comment "We're more popular than Jesus" wherein the band had received numerous death threats and protests left and right from religious sects.Adding up to their burden is the disastrous tour of the Philippines wherein they nearly jeopardized their own existence over Ferdinand Marcos who was back then gearing up to be a dictator of the island nation.

Celebrating the last ever gig is an audio recording of the band playing at Candlestick Park.Though the audio clip's quality is relatively poor, it gives one Beatles fan(most of whom were not even born yet when the band first came to fame) an insight of what its like to be in that touring finale.

One gig which eventually turned up to be released as a live album later on was the 1964 concert at Hollywood Bowl where George Martin had to clean the noise meticulously using the current available technology.The album made it to the top 10 in the late seventies and will also be re-issued this year.With more technological advancements,who knows,some of these gigs would one day be issued as another official live album.


(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

50 YEARS OF REVOLVER

Fifty years yet again had passed since another Beatles album has been released. Fifty years of looking back to the greatest music that ever came out and how it has brought huge impact to our lives and what we are today.We all know that the Beatles is very much the most influential rock band of the 20th Century and perhaps even today where no other rock group[even in this time period] has ever achieved nor surpassed what they have done as a recording unit,not to mention the chart performances.But even then, there were other artists who have somewhat did the same performance regarding chart positions(let alone having the top 5 positions from one artist in which we all know that can never happen again),it was never the same and the quality of music today is somewhat inferior despite the technological advances that we have(et al autotunes-in which doesn't show pure talent).Back in the days when you don't have electronic drum sounds and you have to play everything to express one's self.

Revolver is one Beatles album that clearly defines the cutting edge of a rock band that began experimenting with a harder sound.Most of the tracks as you all can see is filled with cool electric guitar riffings,Indian flavor,jazz rock and awesome string arrangements.Its the mid sixties and the Beatles are somewhat tired of the teeny bopperish that has been going that its time to upgrade and move forward.Sick with the yeah yeah yeahs from the band's early phase,the band began experimenting with drop D tunings,distortions,feedbacks as well as backmasked guitar solos-something that has never been done before in that time period.And of course,something that has been followed and continues to be observed on rock music today.

The album is somewhat the opposite of its predecessor Rubber Soul where the latter was filled with songs done on acoustic guitars and having that slight folk feel. Revolver opens with the upbeat and politically rebellious "Taxman" penned by George Harrison who wrote the song as a protest to the British government on how much are they taking on his earnings as a rock star.On the other hand,their friends the Rolling Stones would soon embark on a tax exile and has been followed by other bands such as the Who and Led Zeppelin in the intervening years.Some people might not know that it was Paul McCartney who came up with the guitar solo for that song and not George.Story goes that Paul was hanging around with Jimi Hendrix at the time and we all know that when two geniuses come together all the influences would be shared to one another.So in one interview,McCartney then told that time when he got that idea and was suggesting George on how good it is to have that Hendrix influenced guitar solo would sound cool to the song- "feedbacky" and "crazy" as Paul had later described it. And Harrison agreed on Paul's suggestion that he let McCartney do the solo on his Gibson Epiphone Casino-the result was absolute perfection with that guitar solo that we hear on the album and would later be played live by George on his solo concerts and would also be played by Mike Campbell as a tribute to Harrison on Concert For George.With two more songs penned by him,Revolver is the second album(next to the White Album) with the most George Harrison compositions on the track listings than any other Beatles LP.

Paul McCartney playing bass,Revolver sessions(Getty Images)

The band never played any instruments on the album's second track "Eleanor Rigby" wherein the string arrangements was mixed later on with the vocals.Tracks like "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" were filled with tape loops and backmasking.John Lennon was known to be unhappy with his voice that he wanted to do something about it. George Martin already added effects to his voice by doubling the vocals on the previous album and he continued to practice the same thing[with much more improvements] on Revolver.A practice that has been maintained by other rock bands such as Nirvana and Scorpions in the decades that followed.Engineer Geoff Emerick even joked about having Lennon tied up to his feet and have him hanged upside down from the ceiling then spin to obtain the same vocal effect.Of course it was never done!

Tracks like "Got To Get You Into My Life" was the precursor of jazz rock wherein a horn section has been combined with electric guitars as well as pulsating drums and bass.The said track has been the inspiration for rock groups such as Chicago, Earth,Wind & Fire and the Buckinghams who became famous by fusing a horn section with an average rock group lineup.And of course,the mix won't be complete without a ballad or two such as "Here,There And Everywhere" and "For No One".The former was said to be inspired by McCartney's then girlfriend Jane Asher.

Upon its worldwide release August 5 and US release three days later.The album topped the US charts for three weeks though the then US release was somewhat short handed with Capitol removing three tracks from the album and adding it up("Doctor Robert","I'm Only Sleeping" and "And Your Bird Can Sing") to the butchered album Yesterday And Today.Nevertheless,the original 14 track lineup has been the official worldwide arrangement since 1987.The album was ranked number three by Rolling Stone magazine on their 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list.In 2000,it was ranked by British magazine Q at number one on the Greatest British Albums Of All Time.It was inducted as well at the Grammy Hall Of  Fame and was also included on the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

The Beatles.Revolver sessions 1966 (Getty Images)

Fifty years have passed since we were given a unique gift from a band with immense songwriting talent.Revolver will always be remembered as one rock n' roll treasure,a hard act to follow to many musicians yet an inspiration for budding rock bands for years or perhaps decades to come.


(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

Beatles Documentary Set For US Theatrical Release September 16th

Ron Howard and Paul McCartney (credit: McCartney website)

Ron Howard,famed for his work with such films such as Apollo 13 and Cocoon has directed a new Beatles documentary set to be released on US theatres September 16th,2016 with a streaming on Hulu the following day.A world premiere will be held in London September 15.

Nearly two years ago Howard made an announcement online for people who had special clips and memories that he can somehow add up to the new documentary that he'll be directing.The new film will focus on the band's touring years from 1962 to their very last in 1966 which is by then titled The Beatles:Eight Days A Week-The Touring Years.The film includes new and archive footages of Paul McCartney,Ringo Starr as well as interviews with Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono,John and George's widows.

The trailer for the upcoming film can be viewed below as well as the theatrical poster.

Theatrical release poster

(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl To Be Re-Issued September 9

The live album The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl will be re-issued on CD and Digital Copy September 9th,2016 with a follow up vinyl re-issue set on November 18th.

The album was first released in 1977 and went to number 2 on the charts though the recording is by then 12 and 13 years old,meticulously cleansed by the late George Martin to remove unnecessary noises from the master tapes,noises that made the Beatles a little difficult to hear themselves.Now his son Giles Martin is proud to have an updated technology to capture that moment in 1964. “Trust me,” Martin added, "it doesn’t sound like Steely Dan. It’s still the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl. But I think now it really captures the energy of the band at those shows” as Martin talked to an LA Times reporter.The album has been out of print since the late 1980s.

The album now comprises of 17 tracks,four of which were previously unreleased.A new 24-page booklet, with an essay by music journalist David Fricke, will accompany the album.


(c)2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

Henry McCullough,rock guitar player passes away

Henry McCullough,circa Wings 1973(photo: Linda McCartney)

As much as I hated the fact that my blog this year has become a bit of an obituary for rock stars who are passing away at an incredible high rate,you cannot avoid on having the senses of how short life is.Now its Henry McCullough's turn.

McCullough had a massive heart attack in 2012 and was by then mistakenly reported to have died.He was in critical condition.The former guitar player for Paul McCartney's rock band in the seventies Wings once played with Joe Cocker and the Grease band and first came into prominence for being the latter's lead guitarist when he performed in Woodstock in 1969.The guitar player then met Paul McCartney upon the recommendation of his friend,drummer Denny Seiwell who also played as a session musician on Paul's second solo album Ram.He and Seiwell,along with Denny Laine,were the ones who completed the first line up of Wings with Paul and Linda McCartney as the core members.

However,his career with Wings was cut short when he and Denny Seiwell decided to leave the band over an argument with Paul regarding money.Paul,Linda,along with Denny Laine had to record Band On The Run without them.McCullough was then known to be critical of Paul post-Wings in which he described on past interviews about his clash with McCartney hereby having the music press to label Paul as somewhat autocratic or simply the Don,even going far as having with the pretenses of a democratic little band in which he himself actually has total control.The hurt by then healed through time with recent interviews wherein McCullough were saying positive comments this time about Wings in 2011.

After a brief stint with Wings where he played on only one album Red Rose Speedway,McCullough signed with Dark Horse records which was owned by former Beatle George Harrison and released a solo album Mind Your Own Business in 1975.He then went back to being a session and touring musician and worked with bands like Pink Floyd,Frankie Miller Band as well as solo artists like Eric Burdon,Marianne Faithfull and Donovan.

Henry McCullough(left) with Wings

 McCullough was said to have never fully recovered from his 2012 attack and has been ill for several years before passing away at his home in Ireland in the early morning of June 14,2016. Among the people who led tributes after his passing is none other than Paul McCartney who described him as a super talented musician with a lovely sense of humor. A benefit concert for him was even held in 2015 to aid on his finances during his years of  illness.His most famous trademark was that guitar solo on the Wings song "My Love" wherein it was said that he made up the solo on the spot.

(Above:Paul McCartney's tribute on his facebook page after hearing of McCullough's passing,describing him as a "super talented musician")

(c)2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

Beatles press agent Tony Barrow passes away

The man who had christened the Beatles as the "fab four" has passed away at the age of 80 around two months after producer George Martin died of natural causes.

British tabloid The Mirror first reported of Barrow's passing as well as former friends and neighbors from Liverpool through social media.Sir Paul McCartney was said to have expressed his reaction via twitter though his facebook page had remained untouched regarding the said topic.

Only a few was known about Barrow who worked with the Beatles from 1962 to 1968.He had actually met both Lennon and McCartney back in the days when the band was still playing with various skiffle groups.Barrow had first worked with Decca who infamously rejected the Beatles and then signed the Rolling Stones.He was then hired as a press agent by Brian Epstein for his company NEMS.After the Beatles broke up he worked for different groups on both sides of the Atlantic until quitting his job in 1980 to become a freelance journalist.Barrow passed away at his home in Morecambe, Lancashire May 14,2016


(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

SOUND MAN: Remembering George Martin

Sir George Martin (photo credit:unknown)

2016 hasn't been so good about rock music with a lot of musicians passing away beginning from the latter part of the previous year with artists ranging from Scott Weiland to Lemmy and Glenn Frey.And the entertainment world was appalled once again with the passing of another rock icon,Sir George Martin who was the Beatles' producer at age 90.

The Beatles have always been known as the most popular and influential rock band of all time and space.They invented and revolutionized everything-from modern rock, hairstyle,band setting,recording and the way people listened.Considering those 13 albums which were known by everyone young and old to be one of the great rock n' roll treasures.But the fab four couldn't have done it all by themselves without the help of their producer who made their ideas into reality.Engineer Geoff Emerick has always said that John Lennon had a good imagination but it was George Martin who made life to those thoughts,considering the incredible sound the band has made in the studio particularly during the period when the band retired from touring and was at the highest peak of creativity in the latter part of the 60s.

George Martin produced almost all of the Beatles' albums except Let It Be in which he was only given a thanks credit.The said album was actually produced by Phil Spector who is currently serving a life sentence in prison with second degree murder charges of actress Lana Clarkson.Martin,on the other hand,have been considered by many as the fifth Beatle and is the subject of much dispute because some  Beatle experts are also considering Brian Epstein for that title.When the Beatles were rejected by Decca Records back in 1962,it was George Martin who decided to give the band a break when the group auditioned for Parlophone right after.Having trained in classical music and conducting,Martin knew that the band had a unique gift when he signed them up for a record contract and had concentrated first on the band's vocal harmonies,thus,hereby enhancing their own sound.He would later do arrangements on the band's albums as we have known them today.

 One of Martin's "special tricks" involves the mixing of these great albums in the studio.By the time Sgt Pepper was in its production phase Lennon was said to have approached him citing his song Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite,wherein he said he wanted to "smell the saw dust from the floor"-wanted to smell the atmosphere of the circus.The said song has been known to had had the most sonic manipulations in the legendary album wherein Martin had used calliope music mixed with tape loops and hammond organ.Other songs of that caliber was the piano solo of  In My Life from Rubber Soul,wherein he had slowed down his recording of the said piece and mixed it on the master tape-making the solo sound like it came from a mellotron.Many sound experts have been deceived for years believing it was a mellotron until Martin himself revealed his little 'secret'.

George Martin with Paul McCartney,1964(Getty Images)

When the Beatles broke up Martin busied himself in mixing the band's compilation albums in the seventies and has worked with several bands like the Jeff Beck Group,America and Cheap Trick.He got to work with Paul again when he produced the Wings' song "Live And Let Die" and had worked again with McCartney on his 1982 album Tug Of War as producer and arranger.Paul McCartney once mentioned in an interview that he would love to work with him forever and being spoiled by George Martin's generosity when it comes to creativity in the studio.One wouldn't forget the fact that it was Martin who had the idea to add the string arrangements to Paul's song Yesterday in which McCartney was reluctant at first.Martin convinced him to try it,promising that he would remove it if Paul doesn't like it and the result was perfect.Yesterday went on to become one of the Beatles' most beloved ballads and was in fact awarded by the Guiness Book Of World Records as the most covered song of all time.Going back to his work relationship and being a friend of McCartney's,Paul mentioned him several times during an interview 2005 when he compared him to producer Nigel Godrich who worked with him on his album Chaos And Creation In The Backyard.McCartney even described his small rift with Godrich citing that he was spoiled by Martin or perhaps missed his presence in the studio.Martin retired in 1998 due to hearing loss.Nevertheless,he still got himself involved in later Beatles projects with his son Giles taking over his duties.Having worked with other artists like the one mentioned above,one singer outside rock music's inner circle has her own story to tell on how George Martin made an impact to her career.The artist is none other than Celine Dion whom Martin has produced an album with as well.She later described in an interview on how she was honored and overwhelmed by Martin's presence considering his astounding resume and having worked with the Beatles.

George Martin passed away under natural causes and his death was mourned by rock musicians and Beatles fans across the globe.One heartfelt message came from none other than Paul McCartney himself who wrote this message on his facebook page:

I’m so sad to hear the news of the passing of dear George Martin. I have so many wonderful memories of this great man that will be with me forever. He was a true gentleman and like a second father to me. He guided the career of The Beatles with such skill and good humour that he became a true friend to me and my family. If anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle it was George. From the day that he gave The Beatles our first recording contract, to the last time I saw him, he was the most generous, intelligent and musical person I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.

It’s hard to choose favourite memories of my time with George, there are so many but one that comes to mind was the time I brought the song 'Yesterday’ to a recording session and the guys in the band suggested that I sang it solo and accompany myself on guitar. After I had done this George Martin said to me, "Paul I have an idea of putting a string quartet on the record". I said, “Oh no George, we are a rock and roll band and I don’t think it’s a good idea”. With the gentle bedside manner of a great producer he said to me, "Let us try it and if it doesn’t work we won’t use it and we’ll go with your solo version". I agreed to this and went round to his house the next day to work on the arrangement.
He took my chords that I showed him and spread the notes out across the piano, putting the cello in the low octave and the first violin in a high octave and gave me my first lesson in how strings were voiced for a quartet. When we recorded the string quartet at Abbey Road, it was so thrilling to know his idea was so correct that I went round telling people about it for weeks. His idea obviously worked because the song subsequently became one of the most recorded songs ever with versions by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and thousands more.
This is just one of the many memories I have of George who went on to help me with arrangements on 'Eleanor Rigby', 'Live and Let Die' and many other songs of mine.
I am proud to have known such a fine gentleman with such a keen sense of humour, who had the ability to poke fun at himself. Even when he was Knighted by the Queen there was never the slightest trace of snobbery about him.
My family and I, to whom he was a dear friend, will miss him greatly and send our love to his wife Judy and their kids Giles and Lucy, and the grandkids.
The world has lost a truly great man who left an indelible mark on my soul and the history of British music.
God bless you George and all who sail in you!
Paul




Sleep well Sir George Martin  3rd January 1926-8th March 2016

(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio


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Robert Stigwood Dead at 81

Robert Stigwood,manager,producer(credit: Getty Images)

Robert Stigwood the man who managed bands like Cream and the Bee Gees has died January 4th,2016 in London at age 81.His godson Spencer Gibb,son of the late Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb has first broke the news on his Facebook page.

Born Robert Colin Stigwood in Australia in 1934,he became prominent in the late sixties managing bands like Cream,the Bee Gees and the Who with the two former in partnership with Brian Epstein who is also the manager of the Beatles.He went on to become a producer in the 1970s with his involvement in films and musicals.His film involvements include Jesus Christ Superstar,Tommy,Grease and Saturday Night Fever.He had his own recording company RSO[stands for Robert Stigwood Organisation] which launched the careers of Eric Clapton(being a solo artist),Andy Gibb and the later career of the Bee Gees as a disco trio.

Robert Stigwood(center) with John Lennon(left)

Bee Gees,1967

The Bee Gees(left),one of the first rock groups in the sixties managed by Stigwood along with Cream in partnership with Brian Epstein.The band was then a quintet releasing four albums until 1969 before disintegrating temporarily and then bouncing back later as a trio.






RELATED LINKS:

Daily Mail News Link

Spencer Gibb Facebook page

CREAM

The Manager

(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

Fifty Years Of Rubber Soul

Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album of the Beatles.It is one of the first albums[along with A Hard Day's Night] wherein the band didn't include any covers and thus considered to be at the certain point the band had started to have a sound of their own.

We all know that older rockers from the fifties particularly the Everly Brothers have influenced the fab four that was evident on the vocal harmonies on the early singles and the debut album.But as the Beatles started to grow as musicians,they began experimenting on their sound,band set up and drop D tunings even before they became a standard.

Rubber Soul is also a breakthrough album wherein the band had started experimenting with their sound by featuring exotic instruments like the sitar featured on the song "Norwegian Wood",played by George Harrison,the instrument added a lot of flavor to the song by blending perfectly with John's acoustic guitar and Paul's bass.It is also the LP wherein Harrison is starting to emerge as a songwriting rival to both Lennon and McCartney,though previous albums like With The Beatles and  Help!  already featured songs written by George,it is in this album wherein he started putting out his more finer output-a thing that will eventually start the rift between him and the Lennon-McCartney team.As John would later said post-breakup "George was a fine songwriter but Paul and I were tougher" referring to the rivalry that was in a way being pointed out as one of the reasons behind the band's dissolution-though one would argue that it is in fact done by so many people around bad business deals and bad management the band had to endure.

Released on December 3rd 1965,the album was recorded in merely a month between tour breaks.It is astonishing for a rock band to release an average of two to three albums a year-this is a feat which is undefeated and no other rock group has done such even today.The album's genre is primarily folk rock which was obviously influenced by Bob Dylan though there are fast and catchy pop rock tunes along with it like  "Drive My Car","The Word" and "You Won't See Me".

Vinyl back cover,1965

The album's fine contrasts became the subject of controversy and its also one of the seven albums altered by Capitol in the sixties-"Drive My Car", "Nowhere Man"."What Goes On" and "If I Needed Someone" were removed and was instead compiled in a non-significant but often disputed album called Yesterday And Today which also featured songs taken from Help! and Revolver.The album became controversial over the fact that the Beatles had their photo taken in butcher suits and decapitated dolls expressing their feelings toward Capitol for 'butchering' their albums.The band's American label would alter one last album Revolver in which Target's  store website best describes the Capitol LPs as 'bastardized American albums'.

The original 14 track album was finally released in the US in 1987 with the unification effort made by EMI and deleted the US albums since.Though the 12 track US version with songs from side two of Help! was included in the Beatles US albums box set and was also reissued in 2014 as a separate album sold exclusively by Walmart.Oddly enough,Goldmine mag was praising the 12 track butchered version saying that no one would get used to "Drive My Car" as an opening track but "I've Just Seen A Face"-the said article was published in the early 2000s so I made a reply to it writing my own article challenging it by defending the standard albums which were the original 13 LPs.
The only significance the said periodical was praising was the 'false start' of the song "I'm Looking Through You" and a different mix of "The Word" wherein Lennon had double his vocals on the mix.But then,why would you want those versions on a butchered album that took other songs from an older album.A butchered album that didn't have the approval of the band themselves nor created according to their own artistic vision in which the way they conceived the original EMI releases.


Rubber Soul is dominated mostly by acoustic guitar songs and was branded among the best with the folk rock genre.It was succeeded with a more electric guitar themed album which is the total opposite of the former.The follow-up album was christened Revolver which became one of the biggest albums of 1966 and went on to be one of the most influential albums in rock music fusing hard rock and psychedelia.

TRACK LISTING

1.Drive My Car (Lennon-McCartney)
2.Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Lennon-McCartney)
3.You Won't See Me (Lennon-McCartney)
4.Nowhere Man (Lennon-McCartney)
5.Think For Yourself (Harrison)
6.The Word (Lennon-McCartney)
7.Michelle (Lennon-McCartney)
8.What Goes On (Lennon-McCartney-Starkey)
9.Girl (Lennon-McCartney)
10.I'm Looking Through You (Lennon-McCartney)
11.In My Life (Lennon-McCartney)
12.Wait (Lennon-McCartney)
13.If I Needed Someone (Harrison)
14.Run For Your Life (Lennon-McCartney)

With the album ranked number five by Rolling Stone magazine on its 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list[The Beatles' Sgt Pepper was actually ranked by the rock periodical at number 1],Rubber Soul remains one of the most enduring albums of rock music fifty years later and no other band has ever done like what the Beatles did in terms of release patterns and creativity.Thus,making the Beatles the greatest rock group of all time and space.


(c) 2015 Keith Vernon Adagio

credits: Rubber Soul album cover,EMI Parlophone

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THE ALBUM FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE

There's been a new buzz that's been spreading around the internet lately which made it the talk of the town not only among Beatles fans but of netizens alike.A man who hid his real name under the pseudonym James Richards claims that he traveled into another dimension parallel to our own world and discovered that the Beatles never broke up[at least in that realm] and are all alive and well.Richards even claimed that the fab four continued to release new albums the way the Stones did in our world.

Richards proceeded with the story about him chasing his dog around September 9.2009 when he tripped into a rabbit hole and hit his head on a rock that knocked him unconscious.He then claimed that he woke up in a room with a machine he had never seen before and  a man who introduced himself as Jonas said that he had brought him to his world to help him.Richards claimed that he had a fine conversation with the strange man that they started talking about the things that they both like and that includes the Beatles which astonishingly mentioned here before never broke up and carried on in the decades releasing more albums.

Richards claimed that he saw all the albums including Sgt Pepper which,according to him,has a slightly different cover.It was never mentioned how he got back to our dimension but he managed to bring a 'proof' of the said album to our world.According to the claim,the strange man Jonas told him that he would bring nothing from that world when he goes back.So Richards managed to steal a small cassette tape with the claimed 'album' which he brought back to our world.He even uploaded the strange album to his own website for people to hear.

SKEPTICISM

Well we can't really argue the fact that a lot of strange things do happen including several phenomena that just cannot be explained even by science itself.But still we cannot remove the possibility of it being a hoax considering that he had managed to bring back a cassette of the said album with the songs handwritten on the sleeve.Shouldn't it be an album cover itself with at least a photo of the fab four on what they might have looked like in the present day,considering that John Lennon was never shot and George Harrison didn't die of cancer.Or perhaps he could've brought back a vinyl or a CD which is more likely if that other world was more technically advance than ours.Anyway, a cassette is still more practical over the fact that it is easy to hide in one's pocket but shouldn't be an album cover be present instead of a recorded cassette? A lot of questions still lies on the credibility of the said claim though but we still can't argue that it could have happened after all.

The said album has also been uploaded on youtube which I included here for you guys to listen.You be the judge,is a parallel universe with our own doppelgangers ever existed? Or is this another hoax by a person who is seeking attention?

TRACK LISTING:

The Beatles 

"Everyday Chemistry"

1. Four Guys
2. Talking To Myself
3. Anybody Else
4. Sick To Death
5. Jenn
6.  I'm Just Sitting Here
7. Soldier Boy
8. Over The Ocean
9.  Days Like These
10. Saturday Night
11. Mr Gator's Swamp Jamboree

credits: single sleeve of "Free As A Bird" courtesy of EMI Records

(c) 2015  Keith Vernon Adagio

MY TOP 10 JOHN LENNON SONGS

John circa 1965(photo credit:Robert Whitaker)

In celebration of what would have been John Lennon's 75th birthday I neatly compiled what I think are the top 10 of John's finest work both with the Beatles and as a solo artist alike.
I first wrote and published this on my facebook page three years ago and I just decided to put the top 10s over here my website as well.

MY TOP 10 JOHN LENNON SONGS

With the Beatles:



1.ITS ONLY LOVE--written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney;from the album Help!

2.IN MY LIFE--(Lennon-McCartney);from the album Rubber Soul










3.SHE SAID SHE SAID--(Lennon-McCartney);from the album Revolver

4.ANNA (GO TO HIM)--written by Arthur Alexander;covered by the Beatles with lead vocals by John Lennon;from the album Please Please Me

5.ACROSS THE UNIVERSE--(Lennon-McCartney);from the album Let It Be

6.EVERY LITTLE THING--(Lennon-McCartney);from the album Beatles For Sale

7.LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS--(Lennon-McCartney);from the album Sgt Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band

8.STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER--(Lennon-McCartney);from the album Magical Mystery Tour

9.ALL I'VE GOT TO DO--(Lennon-McCartney);from the album With The Beatles



10.YOU CAN'T DO THAT--(Lennon-McCartney);from the album A Hard Day's Night

 AS A SOLO ARTIST


All songs written by John Lennon,except noted:

1.WOMAN

2.OH MY LOVE











3.NOBODY TOLD ME

4.MOTHER













5.IMAGINE
















6.WHATEVER GETS YOU THROUGH THE NIGHT--written by John Lennon with arrangements by Elton John

7.LOVE















8.COLD TURKEY

9.HOW DO YOU SLEEP
















10.GIVE PEACE A CHANCE--written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Photo credits: AP,Getty Images,Bob Whitaker,Bob Gruen

(c) 2015 Keith Vernon Adagio

IMAGINE JOHN AT 75

John Lennon 1971 (photo credit:M.Putland/Hulton Archive)

2015 is actually the year John Lennon would've been 75 years old and one can hardly picture what would've been like for him if he didn't die after being gunned down by a deranged fan on that night of December 8th 1980.

Lennon as we all knew it is the founding member of the Beatles and was even responsible for giving the band its name-when asked he replied with all his magical prowess with the famous lines "A man on flaming pie appeared and said 'from this day on you are the Beatles with an A'".Such prophetic words from the man who is considered to be an icon,or perhaps a saint of the rock n roll industry.And thus,the Beatles,being the rock band who are actually responsible for the world's introduction to Modern Rock and remains the yardstick on which how modern rock music is measured.

As tributes pour down from every rock musician,writers and people from all walks of life-there's been an endless forums of "what ifs" on how it might have looked like if he didn't left us too soon.Some graphic designers even tried to progress his age digitally by trying to see him on how he would've looked like today.Several musicians like Sinead O' Connor to name a few actually pictured him somehow appreciating the rap movement or something like that.While we're on the subject I actually had an argument over with a friend who's stressing the fact that John might have liked rap at all in which Im very much not convinced.There's been a lot of different opinions on how he might have liked the music that came along after he died so this would be a matter of different conjectures with different writers but to be frank with everyone I dont think he would've liked today's music.But then,we dont really know how he would've reacted to it all.

    " I like rock n' roll. I don't like much else"
                                                                     -John Lennon,Rolling Stone magazine interview 1971

So I'm gonna base it on what he has said on the above quote.Though it was actually known that John admired Bob Marley and the Wailers through reggae music but then that is actually a lot different than rap.His one time songwriting partner Paul McCartney was also fond of reggae where his wife Linda actually recorded a reggae track under the pseudonym Suzy And The Red Stripes which was actually their rock group Wings. To be honest, a lot of ex-Beatles were finding it hard to deal with the rave that has came out after the breakup.We all know that John spent much of the seventies in a lazy haze and had actually retired from the business.And when he did wanted to come back he did it by playing with several rock groups at the time with musicians like Jim Keltner,Cheap Trick and several members of REO Speedwagon who played on what supposed to be his last album.

From this writer's point of view which is yours truly I don't think John would have appreciated rap for I honestly based it all on that quote that actually came straight from the horse's mouth,from the man himself,the certified genius,guru and grandmaster of rock music which we all know today.There's not even a hint of recorded material whether in writing or video form that John liked the disco genre as a whole which had actually been budding back in the late seventies,so what more with rap? And to let you guys know the fact that Michael Jackson actually befriended all three other ex-Beatles beginning with George Harrison,then Paul McCartney(which he later collaborated with musically) and Ringo-all of them except John,so what made him different from the rest of the group then? Is it like John is mean back then that MJ got so scared of getting near him? Or was it just like they just didn't have that chemistry at all? Unfortunately,the guy who would've answered that question is gone too.Basing on all those facts,I picture John of hating the Kanye-Paul collaboration as well and all the feud they had in the early seventies would've been ignited again by such collaboration. Like I said,a lot of different writers may vary from each other's opinion and being a blogger for 13 years I would just like to see it that way.

Fifty years have passed since the Beatles changed the course of music forever.And with such amazement,its actually fascinating to know that a lot of us were still under the mania.something that actually has passed down through generations.A lot of us will always have that "what ifs"  and wonder what really could've happened if  John Lennon wasn't taken away from us too soon.We may not know what will really happen by then and what would be on his mind.All we have to do right now is just IMAGINE.

 (c) 2015 Keith Vernon Adagio

 

The Missing Scene From Help!

English actress Wendy Richard

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of both the album and film Help! we remember one deleted scene that was actually featured on the 2007 digitally remastered DVD of the said film.Added on the second disc as a 'bonus feature',English actress Wendy Richard remembers as she describes on how thrilled she was working with the world's greatest rock band.

Story goes that Wendy portrays a student at a drama school wittily christened Sam Ahab's School Of Transcendental Elocution. Sam Ahab,was actually an anagram of Bahamas spelled backwards.The said fictionized character was played by comedian Frank Howerd who director Richard Lester describes as being kind of nervous working with the band.Lady Macbeth which was the character Richard was portraying was practicing her drama skills which Beatle George find it very irritating that he took some earplugs so he wont be able to hear it.Happens that Clang,portrayed by Australian actor Leo McKern has plotted his army of thugs to play some kind of a hypnotic music that actually put everyone spellbound.Enter Clang and the thugs they eventually got a hold of Ringo and tried to pull out the ring from his finger.When that option failed they eventually switched to plan B which is to cut Ringo's hand using a hatchet.Unknown to everyone,George wasn't affected by the hypnotic chant for wearing those earplugs earlier that he actually confronted Clang and his minions.Took them a while and then the spell started to wear off that others soon woke up from such hypnosis.Clang soon saw the failure in his plan that he decided to abort and fled along with Ahme(portrayed by Eleanor Bron) and his two other thugs.

In an interview included in the bonus feature,Richard described on how heartbroken she was when she was told that the whole scene was removed but was glad anyway that she was given a copy of the photos that was taken from the scene.Lester later pointed out that the scene didn't actually turned out to suit the movie itself that they decided to remove it in the editing blade.Sadly,Wendy Richard passed away two years later in 2009 at age 65.Frank Howerd,however, passed away in 1992.

Frank Howerd(center) with the Beatles

Three of us:Howerd and Richard with Paul McCartney  

(c)Keith Vernon Adagio 

The Beatles' best selling "1" Compilation Album Reissued

Beatles "1" album cover

The Beatles' best selling compilation album,titled 1 is to be reissued on a 5.1 digital surround stereo most of which were the first for the said album.

Due November 6,Apple Corps remastered 27 songs that all went to number one on both Billboard and UK charts,it will be available on different configurations such as single disc CD,DVD,Blu ray versions as well as CD/DVD,CD/Blu ray combo packs and a two disc vinyl edition.There will also be a deluxe package that will include DVD and Blu ray bonuses which contains music videos,some of which were never before seen and released in such format.

The Beatles 1 reissue track listings:

"Love Me Do"
"From Me To You"
"She Loves You"
"I Want To Hold Your Hand"
"Can't Buy Me Love"
"A Hard Day's Night"
"I Feel Fine"
"Eight Days A Week"
"Ticket To Ride"
"Help!"
"Yesterday"
"Day Tripper"
"We Can Work It Out"
"Paperback Writer"
"Yellow Submarine"
" Eleanor Rigby"
"Penny Lane"
"All You Need Is Love"
"Hello Goodbye"
"Lady Madonna"
"Hey Jude"
"Get Back"
"The Ballad Of John And Yoko"
"Something"
"Come Together"
"Let It Be"
"The Long And Winding Road"

Bonus material DVD/Blu ray deluxe edition

Music videos:

"Twist And Shout"
"Baby Its You"
"Words Of Love"
"Please Please Me"
"I Feel Fine"
"Day Tripper"
"Day Tripper" (alternate version)
"We Can Work It Out" (alternate version)
"Paperback Writer" (alternate version)
"Rain"
"Rain" (alternate version)
"Strawberry Fields Forever" (with Paul McCartney audio commentary)
"Within You Without You"/"Tomorrow Never Knows"
"A Day In The Life"
"Hello Goodbye"
"Hello Goodbye" (alternate version)
"Hey Bulldog"
"Hey Jude" (alternate version)
"Revolution"
"Get Back" (alternate version)
"Free As A Bird"
"Real Love"

The compilation,originally released in November 13,2000 went to number one in 22 countries,it was also the number one album in the US in 2001 according to Billboard,breaking records and bringing new generations of Beatles fans.


(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

‘The Beatles 1′ Reissue Track Listing
Disc 1:
“Love Me Do”
“From Me to You”
“She Loves You”
“I Want to Hold Your Hand”
“Can’t Buy Me Love”
“A Hard Day’s Night”
“I Feel Fine”
“Eight Days a Week”
“Ticket to Ride”
“Help!”
“Yesterday”
“Day Tripper”
“We Can Work It Out”
“Paperback Writer”
“Yellow Submarine”
“Eleanor Rigby”
“Penny Lane”
“All You Need Is Love”
“Hello, Goodbye”
“Lady Madonna”
“Hey Jude”
“Get Back”
“The Ballad of John and Yoko”
“Something”
“Come Together”
“Let It Be”
“The Long and Winding Road”

Read More: 'The Beatles 1' to Receive Deluxe Reissue | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beatles-1-reissue/?trackback=tsmclip

‘The Beatles 1′ Reissue Track Listing
Disc 1:
“Love Me Do”
“From Me to You”
“She Loves You”
“I Want to Hold Your Hand”
“Can’t Buy Me Love”
“A Hard Day’s Night”
“I Feel Fine”
“Eight Days a Week”
“Ticket to Ride”
“Help!”
“Yesterday”
“Day Tripper”
“We Can Work It Out”
“Paperback Writer”
“Yellow Submarine”
“Eleanor Rigby”
“Penny Lane”
“All You Need Is Love”
“Hello, Goodbye”
“Lady Madonna”
“Hey Jude”
“Get Back”
“The Ballad of John and Yoko”
“Something”
“Come Together”
“Let It Be”
“The Long and Winding Road”

Read More: 'The Beatles 1' to Receive Deluxe Reissue | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beatles-1-reissue/?trackback=tsmclip

A Word From The Author

I would like to say to everyone that I will be back on releasing posts in a while as my hectic schedule and busy day job is keeping me from posting newer articles.

As to the lady who had been attacking my other article about the Stones can you provide proof that you are a producer of one program or another for the cyber world is full of scams as well.And who do you think you are to tell me what to do on my webpage? You attacked my post and want it to be taken down is it because Im still a nobody compared to Bob Spitz who had a lot of inaccuracies in his book about the Beatles? And he definitely got away with it coz his book went into circulation despite of all the inaccuracies, Anyway,in the meantime Im disabling the comments on my other articles to avoid destructive people like you and I hope you are reading this.You can message me if you like but I do want proof that you are really a producer and not some cyber asshole.

Turns out that you are just the latter.Putting this site down? Ain't gonna happen.

More blogs to come.

"Another Girl" PLAYED LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME

Sir Paul in action(photo credit:Getty Images)

Its been almost fifty years since the Beatles played at the Budokan in Tokyo and Sir Paul McCartney is somewhat sentimental for playing there again.And one fact that Sir Paul made another first in the past 49 years by playing "Another Girl" onstage.The track which was on the band's fifth album Help! was never sung live until today.

Here are some other fun facts regarding the song:

1.On the album version it was Paul McCartney and not George Harrison who played lead guitar throughout the song.

2.The song was recorded in one take,and George Harrison's supposed to be guitar solo and lead guitar was said to have been mysteriously removed when McCartney remixed the song in the studio.

3.The song's music video which was actually a scene/song number on the Beatles' second feature film Help! was shot in Balmoral Island,Bahamas where McCartney was standing on a coral reef with a female model standing in as his "human guitar".Each of the Beatles had traded each others instruments on the video,with John Lennon playing drums,Ringo playing acoustic guitar and George Harrison playing bass.

4.Paul McCartney wrote the song himself while on a 10 day holiday in Tunisia though the track has been credited as "Lennon-McCartney" as their contract had stated.

While on his sentimental and historical performance in the Budokan,McCartney was said to have quipped
"It was sensational and quite emotional remembering the first time and then experiencing this fantastic audience tonight"

This serves as an awesome treat from Sir Paul to his Japanese fans considering that his tour of the country was cancelled last year due to illness.

Ticket to Paul's Japan concert 2015(photo credit:Karin Tokyo)

(c) Keith Vernon Adagio