Give My Regards To Broad Street, Yesterday, Here There and Everywhere, Wanderlust

Posted in Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Beatles, Youtube Favs on August 20th, 2011 by Willie

I’m not ready to say goodbye to Paul’s terrible movie, in fact watching this makes me want to see the whole thing.  I might have seen the whole thing laid out on youtube, and if it is, expect the entire film posted on my website soon with humorous remarks dashed about.  Anyway, despite the movie being supposedly being godawful, this is a gorgeous piece of film and music making.  It’s Paul, Ringo, and George Martin hanging out in the studio as Paul beautifully weaves through Yesterday, Here There and Everywhere, and Wanderlust.  The first two songs are classics of Zeus-like stature, but Wanderlust isn’t as great.  It’s a very nice song and from one of my personal favorite solo McCartney albums, Tug of War.  The problem is that it doesn’t hold a candle to the two songs he sings previously.  Perhaps in Paul’s mind it does, but he does sing it beautifully.  Speaking of which, I’d like to state also that this is one video where you will probably never hear Paul sing more perfectly, so enjoy the sonic loveliness while you can.  Until tomorrow…

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The Beatles, All You Need is Love

Posted in The Beatles, Youtube Favs on June 26th, 2011 by Willie

At last we’ve arrived at part 100 of my youtube favorites countdown.  This is the final part of the countdown, and boy has it been a magical journey through some of my favorite songs and videos of all time.  I had to end the countdown on the Beatles because it hurts my eyes when they don’t fall on #1 in any list predominantly about rock and roll.  “All You Need is Love,” is a mysterious song.  It was written specifically for the historic first worldwide satellite TV broadcast, “Our World,” and was watched by over 400 million people globally.  The song is a mystery because there aren’t too many quotes from John Lennon about the inspiration and writing of the song, and the other Beatles and George Martin can’t seem to remember exactly where the song came from.  The song wasn’t made for any album, and the recording of the track (save some overdubs) was mostly done in the live recording you see below.  So you don’t have a bunch of takes and jam sessions in the vault that might give further insight into its creation.  I have yet to hear a demo of John on his guitar or piano plunking out the song for the first time, which would simply be a marvelous thing if it exists somewhere.  Anyway, this song is a Masterpiece, (note the capital M.)  It’s one of the greatest slogans ever set to music and fantastic slice of artistic genius.  It’s also just further evidence of the insane alien amount of productivity the Beatles were capable of.  They had just finished Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, their timeless masterwork, and then a few weeks later, they unleash this masterstroke.  They were an unstoppable force of magic, churning out record after record, with smash #1 singles (that weren’t on the LPs) dotting those releases.  What’s further amazing is that nothing in their tumultuous personal lives slowed them down a bit.  In 1967, John was a full blown drug addict; snorting cocaine, dropping acid every weekend, smoking pot everyday, and probably drinking heavily.  His marriage was falling apart, he was having a massive identity crisis, he was jealous of Paul McCartney, and he was suffering a dark depression.  None of that seemed to stop him from writing a song like, “All You Need is Love,” and then following it up with another track like the brilliant “I am the Walrus,” a few weeks after.  No force, personal or global, could really stop the momentum the Beatles had built for themselves, and it all culminated in them being considered the greatest musicians of the 20th century.  So the countdown ends, but the website doesn’t of course.  From here on out, I’ll be focusing on writing more ambitious “proper essays” and articles on everything from music, politics, culture, and philosophy.  So keep checking back, as I intend to make this one of the best websites you’ll ever read.  Thank you so much.

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Joy Division, Love Will Tear Us Apart

Posted in Joy Division, Youtube Favs on June 16th, 2011 by Willie

The final countdown is underway with part 91!  It’s the immortal Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” one of the greatest singles of all time.  Joy Division were pioneers of the flashy dark kind of rock and roll known as post punk, a genre known for its angular introverted style.  The band was fronted by clinically epileptic and depressed crooner Ian Curtis, who tragically hung himself in 1980.  Right around the time of his death, his band and his single took off and cemented his rock legend status.  The rest of the blokes in the band went on to form the successful New Order.  “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” is an iconic early 80s pop song.  It’s completely sad and morose, but very danceable as the bright snyth counteracts Curtis’s dark delivery.  It’s also one of the catchiest songs you’ve ever heard.  I can’t embed the original video on my site, so I found a remixed video performance which is just as good, enjoy!

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The Kinks, Waterloo Sunset

Posted in The Kinks, Youtube Favs on May 23rd, 2011 by Willie

Part 70 of my youtube countdown continues with more Kinks.  The Kinks are the most underrated group of gods from the 60s British Invasion era, and this song, “Waterloo Sunset,” is their overrated masterpiece.  First of all, let me praise it.  From their LP Something Else, “Waterloo Sunset” is a work of genius.  It’s just a simply gorgeous rock ballad with brilliant chords and beautiful background vocals.  So, I just called it genius, how could it be overrated?  Well, its not the Kinks fault.  For whatever reason, rock critics have painted this song as “the most beautiful song of the rock and roll era” according to allmusic journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine, and Robert Christgau called it “the most beautiful song in the English language.”  Ummm…no.  It’s a fantastic song, but I don’t even think its the best song the Kinks ever made.  I’m not gonna get into which songs are better, because its a matter of subjectivity, but its too easy to knock this song from its pedestal of lofty praise.  Anyway, give this live performance a play, and let me know what you think.  Is it the prettiest song of all time, or is it just an ordinary rock classic, you decide.

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