[kj] OT: Beatle Appreciation ad nauseum

[Alex Smith]

As long as I'm throwing caution to the four winds -- count me among the Beatle fans. Here's a post I wrote on my stupid blog (http://vassifer.blogs.com) a few months ago addressing the very topic:

Inspired by the cover story in the latest issue of endearingly rockist Brit music mag, Mojo (which I picked up not least for its interview with Lemmy, but also a completely ass-whuppin' feature on Killing Joke), I dialed up a scrambled selection of Beatles `choons for my walk to work on Friday morning. Now, granted,the world needs another cover story about the Beatles like it needs another cover story about Britney Spears' shoddy parenting, but at least Mojo provided an interesting take. Along with an in-depth examination of the band circa their hotly-debated best album, Revolver, the issue features a wide array of musicians opining on their favorite Beatles tracks, and some of the answers are surprising and insightful, or at least enough to have made me want to listen to the Fabs again.


While it may be a hip, punky, iconoclastic thing to allign oneself with, I've never been a member of the "I Hate the Beatles" contingent. Sure, there are precious few demographics more worthy of strenuous ridicule than obsessive Beatles fans (apart from maybe Trekkies and/or people who insist on repeating dialogue from Monty Python at parties), but as far as I'm concerned, if you don’t enjoy the Beatles, then you probably don't enjoy rock'n'roll. I can sympathize with someone feeling maybe hype-fatigue over them, but honestly, if you can't find something to appreciate in the band's vast catalog, then you should probably hock your stereo and take up macramé or bass fishing or quantity-surveying. Or heroin.

So even though Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke claims to hate the Beatles and Glen Matlock was purportedly booted from the Sex Pistols for liking them, I still stand in reasonably respectable company in declaring my fandom for them (Siouxsie Sioux, Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy all count themselves as fans). In terms of narrowing it down to a single Beatles tune, I don't think I could do it. Certainly there are loads that could be permanently retired (does anyone really need to hear "Hey Jude" or"All You Need is Love" ever again?), but then I was always a fan of their darker stuff like "Run For Your Life" (a bitter death threat dressed up as a jauntily harmony-laden pop tune) and, of course, "Helter Skelter" -- the somewhat obvious go-to track whenever someone laments the saccharine tweeness of Paul McCartney. That this screamy, proto-punk guitar blitzkrieg which inspired a gang of murderous faux-hippies to carve up a gaggle of unsuspecting Californians was penned and performed by the 
 same man who wrote "Martha My Dear" (let alone that both tracks appear on the same album) continues to amaze me. And for all their peerless musical chops, knack for instantly affecting melody and effortless gift for lyrics, the Beatles managed to sound weird, trippy, sinister, scary and even evil in ways that their contemporaries in the Rolling Stones could never touch. For all of the Satanic bluster in much of the Stones' work, there isn't a single song in their catalog that can give me the unsettling creeps like "Only a Northern Song," "Cry, Baby, Cry," "Long, Long, Long," "Revolution #9," "A Day in the Life" and that discordant flute freakout at the end of "Strawberry Fields" still can. That's what defines them for me. There is just something so timelessly familiar yet so indefinably other about much of the Beatles' music, that they simply are without peers. 

That all said, in no discernible order, herewith Alex in NYC's....
Top Ten Favorite Beatles Songs:
1. "I Am the Walrus"
2. "Hey Bulldog"
3. "I'm Down"
4. "She's Leaving Home"
5. "You Know My Name, Look Up the Number"
6. "I'm Only Sleeping"
7. "Martha My Dear"
8. "And I Love Her"
9. "You Won't See Me"
10. "Tomorrow Never Knows"

oh fuck it...

11. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
12. "Everybody's Got Something To Hide (`cept For Me and My Monkey)"






-----Original Message-----

>From: Leigh Newton <angrytomhanks at yahoo.com>

>Sent: Dec 11, 2006 1:31 PM

>To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)" <gathering at misera.net>

>Subject: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>

>Beatles were great. Some amazing songs. Some sucky. Lots of mediocre. Revolver and Rubber Soul are both wicked. Sgt. Peppers is crap. Totally overrated. Piper at the Gates of Dawn usurps it in every way.

>

>Leigh

>

>

>----- Original Message ----

>From: Robert Mallett <robert at jrcardwell.fsnet.co.uk>

>To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!) <gathering at misera.net>

>Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 12:13:27 PM

>Subject: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>

>

>Hooray!!

>

>Come on vote - people died for the right

>

>

>----- Original Message ----- 

>From: "Daniel Corvo" <danielcorvo at hotmail.co.uk>

>To: <gathering at misera.net>

>Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 4:47 PM

>Subject: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>

>

>> Here's my vote= shite

>>

>>

>>>From: "Robert Mallett" <robert at jrcardwell.fsnet.co.uk>

>>>Reply-To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the

>>>band!)"<gathering at misera.net>

>>>To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)"

>>><gathering at misera.net>

>>>Subject: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>>>Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:22:35 -0000

>>>

>>>why the hell are you sorry for me? the Beatles were shite. take a vote in

>>>here and see for yourself. prefab 4 is a fekkin understatement, not to

>>>mention wife beating dickheads. get real girl, for fekk's sake

>>>

>>>

>>>----- Original Message -----

>>>From: "Lennonka" <svoje.ja at centrum.cz>

>>>To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)"

>>><gathering at misera.net>

>>>Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 3:11 PM

>>>Subject: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>>>

>>>

>>> > I'm so sorry for you.

>>> > But I'm very grateful for your explanation.

>>> > Have a good day.

>>> >

>>> > Lennonka

>>> > ______________________________________________________________

>>> >> Od: robert at jrcardwell.fsnet.co.uk

>>> >> Komu: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)"

>>> >> <gathering at misera.net>

>>> >> Datum: 11.12.2006 15:43

>>> >> Pøedmìt: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>>> >>

>>> >>OK

>>> >>

>>> >>in blunt language - I can imagine Coleman thought Lennon was a

>>> > pretentious

>>> >>tosser who's 'songs' had no bearing on reality. Driving around in

>>>flowery

>>> >

>>> >>Rolls Royce's is hardly a sign of being tuned in. And I have to say I

>>> > would

>>> >>agree because I think it's very healthy to absolutely hate the Beatles.

>>> >>

>>> >>Bob

>>> >>----- Original Message -----

>>> >>From: "Lennonka" <svoje.ja at centrum.cz>

>>> >>To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)"

>>> >><gathering at misera.net>

>>> >>Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 1:56 PM

>>> >>Subject: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>>> >>

>>> >>

>>> >>> Ehm... ?

>>> >>> I'm probably not getting this.

>>> >>> But I will ask his majesty for explanation one day.

>>> >>> Thanks for inspiration.

>>> >>>

>>> >>> Have good time!

>>> >>> Lennonka

>>> >>> ______________________________________________________________

>>> >>>> Od: robert at jrcardwell.fsnet.co.uk

>>> >>>> Komu: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)"

>>> >>>> <gathering at misera.net>

>>> >>>> Datum: 11.12.2006 14:47

>>> >>>> Pøedmìt: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>>> >>>>

>>> >>>>Lennonika

>>> >>>>

>>> >>>>I think what the guys are trying to say is that it's very hard to

>>> >>> reconcile

>>> >>>>Lennon's millionaire hippy status, and the radio friendly platitudes

>>>he

>>> >>>>produced with the edgy, fury driven sound of the Joke. The music, the

>>> >>>>lyrics, the way of life of the Joke simply don't work alongside stuff

>>> >>> like

>>> >>>>that. If you don't believe me, ask Coleman, I'm sure he'd have plenty

>>> > to

>>> >>>>say.

>>> >>>>

>>> >>>>Bob

>>> >>>>----- Original Message -----

>>> >>>>From: "Lennonka" <svoje.ja at centrum.cz>

>>> >>>>To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)"

>>> >>>><gathering at misera.net>

>>> >>>>Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 1:28 PM

>>> >>>>Subject: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>>> >>>>

>>> >>>>

>>> >>>>> Look at your own limits, sins and errors, you poor thing! ; D

>>> >>>>>

>>> >>>>> With best wishes

>>> >>>>> Lennonka

>>> >>>>> ______________________________________________________________

>>> >>>>>> Od: b.s.crack at generalmail.de

>>> >>>>>> Komu: gathering at misera.net

>>> >>>>>> Datum: 09.12.2006 11:21

>>> >>>>>> Pøedmìt: [kj]  Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>>> >>>>>>

>>> >>>>>>Lennons solo music was even worse . His last few albums before he

>>> >>>>>>dies were dire , getting shot was a great career move for him . He

>>> > was

>>> >>>>>>heading into oblivion .

>>> >>>>>>   I always felt that he was one dimensional , his spheres of 

>>> >>>>>> topics

>>> >>>>>>were very limited . He could write a song about a Religion, about

>>>his

>>> >>>>>>women, about his Baby and about his Mum and that's about it . Do 

>>> >>>>>>you

>>> >>>>>>see a patten emerging? He could only write songs about things that

>>> >>>>>>directly affected him, so his song topics were extremely limited .

>>> >>>>>>There were no depth to his songs , NOT in the same e ;league as a

>>>Bob

>>> >>>>>>Dylan or Lenard Cohen, who could write songs about a variety of

>>> >>>>>>different subjects .

>>> >>>>>>   If Lennon would have survived, his next album would have been 

>>> >>>>>> all

>>> >>>>>>about the unpleasantness of getting shop, such was his limits of 

>>> >>>>>>his

>>> >>>>>>spheres of projectory

>>> >>>>>>

>>> >>>>>>

>>> >>>>>>

>>> >>>>>>

>>> >>>>>>From: "folk devil" <folkdevil_23 at hotmail.com>

>>> >>>>>>> Reply-To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the

>>> >>>>>>> band!)"<gathering at misera.net>

>>> >>>>>>> To: gathering at misera.net

>>> >>>>>>> Subject: Re: [kj] Pleasure/Pain , One Word.............

>>> >>>>>>> Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2006 12:10:18 -0800

>>> >>>>>>>

>>> >>>>>>> and Lennon's solo music is the same?

>>> >>>>>>

>>> >>>>>>

>>> >>>>>>_______________________________________________

>>> >>>>>>Gathering mailing list

>>> >>>>>>Gathering at misera.net

>>> >>>>>>http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

>>> >>>>>>

>>> >>>>>

>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________

>>> >>>>> Gathering mailing list

>>> >>>>> Gathering at misera.net

>>> >>>>> http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

>>> >>>>>

>>> >>>>

>>> >>>>

>>> >>>>_______________________________________________

>>> >>>>Gathering mailing list

>>> >>>>Gathering at misera.net

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>>> >>>>

>>> >>>

>>> >>> _______________________________________________

>>> >>> Gathering mailing list

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>>> >>>

>>> >>

>>> >>

>>> >>_______________________________________________

>>> >>Gathering mailing list

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>>> >>

>>> >

>>> > _______________________________________________

>>> > Gathering mailing list

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>>>

>>>

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>>

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