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James Taylor, Something in the Way She Moves
I don’t know too much about James Taylor, but perhaps its time I start. I’m just gonna rattle off what I know off the top of my head. He was a recovering heroin addict, suffering from severe depression, when at some point he finally put his life together and allowed his incredible talent to flourish. …
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The Beatles, A Look Inside the Recording of Think For Yourself
You’d think by reading this website, that I’ve probably heard everything the Beatles have ever done. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Beatles left a treasure trove of outtakes, missing songs, and precious studio banter; all serving as glorious honey for Beatle fans starving for fresh material. Last night, I stumbled upon the…
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Yellow Submarine Week, It's All Too Much, All Together Now
A wise Beatle once said, all things must pass, and so must Yellow Submarine week. The end of the movie, one of my favorite sequences, features the stunning George Harrison masterpiece, “It’s All Too Much.” Following that brain scrambling skillet of wonderment are the Beatles themselves, appearing in an overly good mood (especially for 1968),…
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Yellow Submarine Week, It's Only a Northern Song
Most people point to John Lennon as the group’s most rebellious member, but the title really belongs to George. He had no problem writing songs about telling girls, the media, and his fans to sod off. Some people say he was preachy, especially when he started incorporating Eastern Mysticism in his songs, but I always…
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Yellow Submarine Week, Eleanor Rigby
When the Yellow Submarine movie came out in 1968, the Beatles were already edging away from the psychedelic movement they helped flower across the world. In 68, the Beatles were recording the “White Album,” a record more psychedelic in the abstract than the literal. All and all they were inching back towards their rock and…
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Yellow Submarine Week, Part 1!
Ahh, Yellow Submarine, the movie responsible for injecting coolness in every child that comes across it at just the right age. I personally believe that any age is the right age for Yellow Submarine, and that is why, naturally, Yellow Submarine Week is commencing today on this very website. Yellow Submarine is infamous for not…
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Stu Sutcliffe, Love Me Tender
There is a lot of conjecture as to who the fifth Beatle is, or was. Some think it was George Martin, their famed producer, others Brian Epstein, their cavalier manager. Others think it was Pete Best, the drummer ousted on the precipice of the Beatles massive fame. The real answer is the departed Stuart Sutcliffe. …
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The Kinks, Rats
I was wandering around New York City feeling depressed as hell last week when “Rats” by the Kinks popped on my iPod. It was the kind of song just randomly on my music player without my knowledge, and without me ever hearing it before. It immediately altered my mood from depressed and sad, to something…
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Battle of the Bands, Part 5, Stones Surrender to the Beatles in Cleveland, perform "I Saw Her Standing There," as Pennance
As the battle raged for decades, with both bands suffering unspeakable tragedy (Brian Jones, John Lennon), the bloodshed just HAD to end. And end it did with Mick Jagger’s historic concession in Cleveland, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mick, clearly disgusted at being forced to admit bitter defeat, inducted the Beatles, minus…