… in which I pass judgment on The Beatles.
6 November 2009
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Current Mood:
You inspired me to listen to “I Want You” and it reminded me how much I love that song.
Emma! Long time no talk! How are you?
Well, I can’t say you didn’t try, that’s for sure. One thing to remember when listening to the group, is that this was the beginning of an era. From “Bubblegum” to “Psychadelic”, we were just beginning to “trip” on music. Many of us didn’t even own a stereo, and the only “stereo” sound we got was from the local garage bands or, if we were fortunate enough, a live concert. I know this sounds very much like the “I walked ten miles to school in the snow, barefoot>>>” etc. etc.” tal <TRUNCATED>
I hear you… it’s probably impossible for me to appreciate their music now the same way you did when it was new and it was what was happening. Outside of that cultural context, it certainly must be colored for me in some way.
Yes, excellent point. I really have never listened to the Beatles with that difference in mind, and it makes perfect sense. I guess it’s like when I listen to Morrisey, I love it, but I can’t possibly experience the way that you did in the 80’s, or like it is for you now. Thanks for making that clear for me.
This was the music that I was forbidden to listen to by my conservative father, therefore this was the music I craved. Funny that when The Monkees reruns started airing on MTV in the 80’s, that was family television. When I was introduced to The Beatles by my best friend, we embarrassingly argued over which songs were better: The Monkees or The Beatles. Little did I know, Neil Diamond wrote the majority of The Monkees hits. HA! Little by little, my friends & I explored to <TRUNCATED>
Thanks for the back story! It all makes more sense to me now. 🙂 What are your thoughts about exploring their solo work (as that question was mainly aimed at you)?
I definitely went into this thing viewing as an educational experience because they are so significant culturally. But again, outside of that here and now context… I mean, I have just always known and taken for granted that they were culturally significant because of the time and place I happened to discover them, but <TRUNCATED>
I would say Lennon has the best scattering of post-Beatles songs, but like I said, they are scattered on a bunch of albums. The Lennon Legend compilation is allright, but leaves some key songs out. We had our discussion a few years ago about Lennon’s solo work, so you already know I wasn’t a big fan of the wife’s presence in those recordings. But hey, if you love John, you gotta love Yoko too. Favorite solo-Lennon tunes include “Oh My Love”, “Out of the Blue”, “Watchin’ the Wheels” and <TRUNCATED>