h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, I've heard tell of a new Beatles fanatic on H2G2, and here you are! If you're interested, I've written an article (and submitted it for approval) on the Fab Four at http://www.h2g2.com/A193646

I'm also an ACE (Assistant Community Editor) and as you appear fairly new, I'd like to welcome you to the Earth Edition of the HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy! If you're in need of a sense of direction, or any sort of aid at all, why not check out the ACEs homepage at http://www.h2g2.com/A214796 . Or you could link to it from the front page

As I see you've already made yourself at home here, I'll stop babbling... but I hope to see you around often

~Irving

"Give me your hand,
I'd like to shake it,
I'd like to show you I'm your friend.
You'll understand,
If I can make it clear,
That's all that matters in the end."
(Put it there - Flowers In The Dirt)

And a very good day, sunshine to you!

~Irving

I get by with a little help from my friends
(With A Little Help From My Friends - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)

You need not reference every quote when I'm the only one in the forum unless it's *really* obscure. I've got all the original albums (minus "Yellow Submarine") and all of the singles, plus all the Anthology albums.

~Irving

"O-wow I Should have known better..."

Hi, Pie!
Have you visited my Music Website Jukebox lately? I've recently added lots more links, and it now has links for all four Beatles individually as well as one for their work as a band. There's a Yoko link too! http://www.h2g2.com/A242245 is the place to look.

A YOKO link???

Yes, a YOKO link!!!
Now, Irving, I suspect rather strongly that you and I are not going to agree on this one, but please hear me out.
I never really listened to any of Yoko's music until "Double Fantasy". I lazily accepted the consensus view that it was all screching nonsense.
I revised my opinion drastically when I heard "Kiss Kiss Kiss" on the radio and thought that (a) it was sexy and brilliant; and (b) that, from a British perspective, it sounded amazingly contemporary. 1980 was post-punk time in Britain, and I remember Lennon saying in one of his last interviews that he thought that, with punk, rock music had finally caught up with Yoko.
I agreed.
Later, I heard her "Plastic Ono Band" album and again, it sounded to me much like what had been accepted as avant-garde in Britain 10 years after Yoko got there. I've heard a lot more of her solo stuff since, and appreciated much of it. And a couple of years ago, I saw her play live in London (with Sean Lennon in her backing band) and thought she was excellent - more vital and vibrant at 60-odd than most artists a third of her age.
I make no apologies. I am firmly pro-Yoko, and regard her as very much misunderstood and underrated.

I will admit that I do not understand her, at the very least. I'll also admit that I haven't heard much of her work. Most of my opinion of her musical talent comes from watching the video of the Rolling Stone's Rock and Roll Circus wherein, for the Dirty Mac's (Lennon's Band's) second song they were joined by a blues violinist (he was awesome) and Yoko on vocals. It was entirely screaching and wailing on her part, no melody, no tone quality, no lyrics, no anything but high pitched, deliberately grating voice. I understand that she's got this whole primal scream thing going on, and if it helps her get in touch with herself, with nature, with John, or with whatever then more power to her, but I always fast forward that song, no matter how good the band sounds. I think I've heard her on a few other things -- interviews and such, but I don't have much of a memory of her. I suppose that I'd rather hear entertainment than art (though I'm a big Dylan fan -- but I guess that's poetry and therefore on a different level). If she's got a good voice -- and again, I wouldn't know -- then that's great, too. Of course... punk's not exactly my thing, either. Unlike many Beatle's fans, I no longer hate her for breaking up the band, as I'm sure that she filled in John a hole that the band no longer could, and that without her, he would not have been happy. Apart from her performance ability, the only thing I DISlike about her is that she seems to have been a very shrewed buisnesswoman after John died -- almost calously so. It somewhat irks me that she has a copyright on his face and name -- litterally. I just bought a Lennon poster for my dorm room wall and it says at the bottom "Copyright 1998 Yoko Ono Lennon/ Lennon and John Lennon are trademarks of Yoko Ono Lennon". I guess this is what happens when you die, but still, it seems a tad.. strange to get royalties on your dead lover's face and name.

Actually, I was more puzzled than horrified by your inclusion of a Yoko link. Most the Beatles fans I know talk as if they'd be willing to kill her on sight. The words that comes up most when fans at the Rolling Stone's website (that's the mag, not the group) mention her name are "Stupid C**t"...

...A choice of words which, frankly, just goes to show how many supposedly "hip" rock'n'rollers are really just little boys with a nasty case of misogyny. But then that's always been obvious from rather too much of heavy metal and hip-hop culture.
I've never seen the "Rock'n'Roll Circus" film, but certainly around that time both the Lennons were putting out records that were more theraputic for them than enjoyable for others (e.g "Two Virgins", "The Wedding Album"). In other words, I'm quite prepared to believe that some of Yoko's early stuff wasn't much fun to listen to, but I stand firmly by my endorsement of her more recent releases. "Rising", her collaboration with her son Sean's band IMA a couple of years back, was critically-lauded and deservedly so. Again, though, I do think that it it's much easier to see where Yoko's coming from if you have a grounding in punk and post-punk music, since you're then used to hearing people being deliberately confrontational and pushing their voices to the limit. Yoko sounds positively sweet when you're used to Johnny Rotten (and some of the music on "Yoko Ono: Plastic Ono Band" sounds uncannily like the stuff
he did with Public Image Ltd. after the Sex Pistols split).
I can see what you mean about the poster, but I do think that Yoko has done a good job as custodian of the Lennon legacy. I really like the fact that she hasn't tried to sanitise his image - so, for instance, that documentary on the BBC the other night had to be preceded with a warning about the strong language it contained. The strong language all came from John when things were going wrong in the studio.
Come on, would you really be happier if Allen Klein owned the name and image - or if your poster was copyright Michael Jackson, as The Beatles' songs now effectively are?

I believe I've expressed my feelings on Jackson's ownership of the Lennon/McCartney tunes elsewhere. Actually, someone told me that MJ sold them to Sony? I think that between Paul and Yoko it should be possible to buy back the rights of the songs, but why would Sony sell? ::sigh:: I'm not going to go into an agrument on Yoko's career where I don't know anything about it, it's a sure way to lose an argument -- and look darn silly doing so. You may like "Rock'n'Roll Circus". The Who give a great performance (so great that Jagger wouldn't release the film for decades because he thought that the Stones had been out performed!), Lennon's Band does "Yer Blues" off the White Album (The band consists of Eric Clapton on Lead Guitar, Keith Richards on Bass, and the drummer from the Jimi Hendrix Experience). Taj Mahal does a nice peice and Jethro Tull really blew my socks off. Oh, and there are about 6 songs by the Stones themselves, most of which are pretty good, though I agree, they shouldn't have chosen the Who to be their opening act It wasn't so much musical talent as raw energy that the Stones lacked...

~Irving

I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink,
I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink,
I wonder should I get up, and fix myself a drink?

(I'm So Tired - The White Album)

No no no!

"The Watusi... The Twist... Eldorado!"

???

That is an authentic Beatles quote, from one of their biggest-selling albums! It's from the number that opens with Paul McCartney singing "Can you take me back where I've been...".

I recognize that last quote... from the White Album... but the song *ends* that way... are you talking about the next song on the album?

~Irving

You sure? I reckon that's the beginning of "Revolution 9". Which is the track from which my obscure quote was taken.

Short of the standard,
Was it the sum?
What was rehearsal,
Conventional drum?
Not quite a hundred,
Less than a ton,
Clearly the time came,
The plan has begun.

(Talk - Press To Play)