George Harrison--All Those Years Ago (1981)

     Over the years there has been many songs written either referencing or directly dealing with John Lennon. After his shocking death in December of 1980, the musical world attempted to come to grips with his legacy. There are several song that stand out, the first (and in my mind the best) was Elton John's "Empty Garden" off of the 1982 album, "Jump Up". Paul McCartney came in with "Here Today" from his album, "Tug of War", and this song by George Harrison.
     Of the three songs mentioned, this was the first one released ("Here Today" was never released as a single). George had written a song for Ringo, but Starr never cared much for it because it was a bit high in pitch for the drummer. Harrison took the song back and in the meantime, when Lennon died, he put new lyrics to song. He took Ringo's voice off of the song, but kept his drumming track, then invited Paul and Linda McCartney with former Wings member Denny Lane to come and provide backing vocals.
     At the time the single was released, some critics found it a bit trite because of the bouncy music, but lyrically it spoke of George's loss. With it's release in May of 1981 it was the first of many tributes to the fallen Beatle. It was the third of four top five hits for Harrison who would not be heard from on the American charts again until 1987's, "Got My Mind Set On You"

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Donovan--Jennifer Juniper (1968)

     Jenny Boyd was the younger sister of Patti Boyd who was the first wife of George Harrison. She lived the life of a swinging London single. She began an on again/off again with drummer Mick Fleetwood beginning in 1965 when she was only 18, it would eventually lead to them being married, divorced and married again during the 1970's. But in 1967 she was a successful model and business woman owning a boutique called, "Juniper" in downtown London.
     Despite her success however, she felt a restlessness spiritually which had been heightened further by her experimentation with  LSD. She followed along with sister Patti and George to India to study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was there she met a guy who had a secret crush on her.
     Donovan Leitch had become one of England's most popular folk singer who had been riding on a wave of popularity which had lasted over two years at the time he came along this trip to India. It was this trip that had substantial consequences for many. Harrison and Love began a lifelong devotion to Eastern religion. Donovan taught Paul McCartney and John Lennon several different finger picking style which included the clawhammer style which showed up in five songs on the the White Album.
Then there was, "Jennifer Juniper".
     In his autobiography, "The Hurdy Gurdy Man", Donovan denied any romance between him and Boyd, although it had been rumored for years. Either way...it made for a great song which reached number 28 on the charts in the late winter/early spring of 1968.

 

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Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group--Rock Island Line (1956)

     Over the years, all four of the Beatles had discussed their influences. Elvis, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and so on. One name however that comes up that most in the US have never heard of was Lonnie Donegan.
     Skiffle was a type of music that drew from traditional jazz, blues and folk, and generally performed with homemade instruments. It's roots are disputed, but began to show up in recorded form in Chicago during the 1920's. It popped up from time to time over the next 20 years, but was a rural genre that never saw a lot of popularity until Lonnie Donegan led a revival of the style in the UK during the 50's.
      Donegan spent much of the 40's and early 50's playing guitar in various traditional jazz bands throughout Britain. While playing with Ken Colyer's Jazzmen, he would play a guitar and banjo during a dixieland set. This led him to join with a couple of other members to play what they called a "skiffle" break which included a washboard, a tea-chest bass and Spanish guitar. 
     This proved to be so popular that the combo recorded a version of Leadbelly's, "Rock Island Line" in the summer of 1954, which became a hit in 1956. He recorded much of the rest of the 50's, with a great deal of success. His real influence however was how, in bringing skiffle to England, he inspired many a poor and middle class boys to pick up homemade (or very low rate) instruments and start banging out, "Rock Island Line".

     

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Listen Here!! -#1 Sgt. Pepper (1967) Part 1

    I'm starting something new for the Omnibus this year. We are a people who love to make lists, and those who love music do the same. The Billboard top 40 has been a part of the landscape as long as Elvis as been shaking his hips. Since the blog and radio show deals with the music of our past, I thought it be a cool idea to write about the albums that have influenced modern music, and the albums that should have done so. There will also be a opportunity for me to stretch out a bit beyond the confines of where the Omnibus usually goes in the way of content. Hope you like it, and if you have any suggestions...I'm all ears.
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      It's easy to pick this one as the first album to write about. For someone who was not familiar with music before 1990, I'd hand them this one, because much of what happened in rock music after 1967, for better or worse came because of Sgt. Pepper. Personally, it's not my favorite (that usually flips between 'Revolver' and 'Abbey Road' depending on my mood), but it is not arguable of it's influence in it's day, and in the decades since.

      There are many places where you can read the whole story of the album's conception, but the real beginning of the album came at the end of the group's last tour in 1966. Unencumbered by the rigors of touring the world, they could focus on the experimentation begun with the 'Revolver' album.

      The original concept was Paul's, that the group had become pigeon-holed and that a way they go beyond what the fans expected was to create an alter ego, which would have different names which would allow them to go in whichever direction musically they wanted to go. It seems like a bit of a silly proposition now, and the other members were not crazy about the idea per se, but all were interested in pursuing a different sound in the studio. As it turned out, other than the the opening song (and it's reprise), any of songs, as John Lennon later said, "could have been on any other album".

       The first song lays out that initial concept of Sgt. Pepper, and then leads into a song written especially for Ringo. "With a Little Help From My Friends" was sung in the character of Billy Shears, and looking back at it, was a perfect vehicle for the drummer. Starr rejected an original line in the song, "What you do if you sang out a tune/Would you stand and throw and throw tomatoes at me?" Ringo remembered a comment that George had made in the early days of Beatlemaina about liking jelly beans, and spending the rest of his touring days as a Beatle dodging the little missiles being throw at him from a distance. He begged the boys to change the lyrics....which they did....

     I remember reading about "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" for the first time. Even as a teenager it was hard for me to believe it when Lennon said it wasn't about acid. Was it really about a picture Julian drew and brought home for his dad to see? Well....sure. I don't have a doubt that the picture was the first inspiration for his song. It also wouldn't be the first time a Beatle would write a song that had layered meaning. All of that aside, it is a great song that has had a great cover as well. Lennon provided background vocals and guitar to Elton John's cover of the song in 1974. It became the only Beatle cover to reach #1 on the charts.

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David Bowie--Fame (1975)

     Madonna has been lauded for her ability to reinvent herself and her character, and rightly so. She used the video age to position herself in a way no woman has done before or since, and that very few artists have been able to do and I have always been a fan. Having said that, her music is still for the dance floor and has matured over the years, but a decade before "Like a Virgin", David Bowie was redefining himself musically EACH ALBUM.
      With each release in the 70's, Bowie was not only changing who he was, but the music changed along with it. From Aladden Sane to Ziggy Stardust, through the pop and soul of "Diamond Dogs" and "Young Americans", the thin white Duke morphing into his (in my opinion) most interesting years as a minimalist. Bowie never let anyone pigeonhole him into any one style. For the now strong underground FM movement, he became a superstar and early 70's rock hero. For top 40, he was maddeningly hard to slot, which is why many of his songs that are considered "hits" were either not released stateside, or never made the charts.
     "Fame" was born from a day spent with John Lennon. Bowie had met the star in New York, and after a long conversation which included the pros and cons of being stars, they went to a studio and jammed a bit. David, who was in a row with his management, poured his anger and resentment into a song developed from the earlier chat with Lennon.
     It was the only top 10 single he had in the US during the 70's reaching #1 in the spring of 1975. He was to go on to have much bigger chart success in the early 80s...

 
      

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The Beatles--A Hard Days Night (1964)

     As those who know me well would attest, I'm not much of a movie watcher, and it seems as if the older I get, the less likely it is that the time will be spent watching one. However, there was a time that movies held a bit more of an allure and just like with my writing subjects, movies about music were a must watch....

     Rock stars have always had a thing for being in movies (the opposite is true as well), with very mixed success, especially when real acting is going on.  More common, if not more interesting is the actual rock film where we follow around the musician(s) to see how they live life on the road, or in the studio. Every once in a while they go beyond and truly give a snapshot of the person, such as Madonna in "Truth or Dare". However, they are mostly vanity films that are little more than collector items for fans.

     Except for the rare occurrence when some real acting chops are shown, musicians are under the best light when either asked to play themselves in a movie, or a character that mimics their real persona. The blueprint of this kind of  movie was "A Hard Days' Night". The movie not only stands as a musical, but as one of the best films, period. Part of the reason belonged to Alun Owen who wrote the dialogue. The Beatles were familiar with his work and showed an ability to capture the dialect of a common Liverpool resident. Because the result was so natural for the boys, it put them at ease and allowed for their personalities to peek beyond the words themselves.

     Richard Lester who directed the film got along so well with the group that he was asked to film their second film, "Help". He also asked John Lennon to act in a comedy several years later, "How I Won the War". There were several cameos of note as well. Patti Boyd was an extra as a schoolgirl riding on the train with the boys. She would rebuff George Harrison's advances for a date, saying that she had a boyfriend, but they would soon be a couple and marry less than 2 years later.  There was also a sighting during a concert scene of a young Phil Collins....who I'm sure we will write about in a later blog.

     The soundtrack in my opinion began the transformation of The Beatles into something more than the sum of their influences. The whole package was a charming glimpse of four boys from a northern town who was still marveling at what success was bringing them. Although marketing attempted to keep them pigeon-holed in the same personalities seen here....but we would also never see them like this again. 

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Valentine's Day: The Beatles--All You Need Is Love (1968)

Nothing much else to say today....but do something for the special someone today....Happy Valentine's Day.

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Today in History: I Want To Hold Your Hand (1964)

Like many things in my early childhood, the time is foggy and the circumstances surrounding it murky. All I remember for sure is somewhere between 1966 and 67, my mom presented me with a 45rpm record of my very own. Am supposing upon reflection it was a gift to christen my new box record player. For those of you way to young to remember, it was truly in the shape of a box with the front having a mesh cover that hid the one tinny speaker. You could also close the lid and latch it for easy carrying, and the needles had a habit of breaking all of the time (probably from carrying it around..)

It's funny now to think of it because my mom's idea of Rock and Roll was Elvis and she really didn't like him all that much. We won't discuss what she (or my dad) thought of Little Richard or Chuck Berry. Anyway, someone had to have tipped her off to not only the Beatles, but to get me this specific record (I don't know who you are, but am eternally grateful). Carefully placing the record on the turntable and plopping the needle on the record (probably another reason for so many needles), the most beautiful music to my ears came out. The guitars!! The voices!! The falsettos!!

I had to play it again and again and again. The record was "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and although it had been a hit for several years and they had matured far beyond that particular recording, the fascination and love for The Beatles was born. Also instilled as time went on was a deep and abiding love for music in general as not only a hobby, but as a profession as well.

On this day, January 18, 1964, This song made it's US chart debut just 10 days after it's release opening at #45. It went on to spend 7 weeks at #1 and began the revolution of Rock music.

 

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