Listening to “Let it Be” and “Please Please Me” Lp’s , so I figure that gives me some prompt or so for more Beatles jabber. Yeah yeah yeah.First up- early v late Beatles in my life.
These Lp’s are the last and the first Beatles Lp’s, and they represent that polar opposite in my appreciation history of the group. Their first LP, “Please Please Me”, was recorded in 12h, I think- it was one long session. “Let it Be” wasn’t even finished and the Beatles junked it- it was released only after they had recorded another Lp (“Abbey Road“) and then broke up. The American version of “Please Please Me” was called “The Early Beatles”, and it was one of the first three records I ever bought (One purchase on a Feb nite in 1980-- but that’s a story I tell later.) I listened the shit out of that Lp, and I loved that era Beatles. I have the American version of all their early LP’s and “Sgt. Peppers”. What I never had growing up was everything after- “White Album”, “Let it Be” , and “Abbey road”. I bought the Blue greatest hits Lp that summer, but that was it after Beatles/1967.
I remember listening to “The White Album” one summer - had to be 1988 or 1989 in Rogers Park- when Jackson and I went to visit his old lady Patchouli Girl and we spent the afternoon giggling and glocking that LP on the turntable. And I though “ Hey, this is great!!”. BUT: White Album, “in my hands finally“, came in the scandalously late date of………..2006. Burned copy. And only the last 2m, w/ the reading of Emerick, am I finally listening to it a lot-studying it. Pretty good. Emericks opinion? He has bad memories of the “White Album” because the Beats were in such a state of disarray and fighting all the time. It seems it should be true for all three last LP’s they did.
And what I wrote for “The White Album” is true for the last two LP’s. My only connexion to “Abbey Road” was that Straw’s old 6240 South had a copy of it, and when it was played, I always though along the lines of “………… ‘Mean Mr. Mustard. ?…………..”. I got wind that this Lp mite actually be good through Gallo- over the years, he’d play that second side, and I began to crave it and bug him to play it when I was over. Yesterday I got Gf to order it from CPLibries so I can finally have that. But it’s funny- NEVER did I get into anything after 1967 until quite recently. Just always loved that very lively exciting alive early period, which for me extended up to “Sgt. Pepper” but did not include it. I always felt the later stuff……………..whatever, nevermind.
And now, to Yoko.
The animosity of the three towards John having Yoko in the recording sessions. Emerick, a Paul man, makes a point of writing about Linda also being in the studio, but only for a quick and respectful bit. I wondered as I read if Linda’s showups were to really meant to be a showup of John and Yoko’s behaviour. But then again, it’s only natural that she would show up from time to time. John and Yoko in my opinion were way out there. I know plenty of way out there people, and they fit the bill. They were feeling it @ the time, and just ran with it. They were both young, and I too was once young and wearing that crazyfirstlove blinders on life.
Ultimo: George.
Guess what? Slept with Ringo’s wife. I read this in a NYT book review (not Sunday’s) of Patty Harrison’s new book* (name/pw = securityout/hilts). George is a special case. A lot is written/said about his moodiness. Patty says George came back a changed man from India. She couldn’t find him in the 25 room house they lived in , and when she did she never knew what mood he’d be in. Emerick also writes a bit on George’s moods. What am I saying? They all do!! One strain of his discontent was that he was resentful of his songs being over looked by Lennon/Macartney songs. But eve before that: In the Anthology Film Series George, kinda laughingly, says that in the beginning (before they met John) he was a very junior partner to Paul because he was 10m younger. George goes “He still treats me as I’m 10m younger”.
The Anthology Film Series, by the way, is fantastic. Long cool takes of all sorts of live and studio stuff, tv apparances, promom vidoes, etc. I’ve lived with it plenty in these last two years of the Beatles of my discontent. Here’s a beyond perfect example.
*=if this doesn't work, it was in Monday, 27 Aug.'s NYT
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