From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V9 #153 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Friday, August 20 2010 Volume 09 : Number 153 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [loud-fans] A Scott and The Beatles Mystery [Andrew Hamlin ] Re: [loud-fans] A Scott and The Beatles Mystery [Gil Ray Subject: Re: [loud-fans] A Scott and The Beatles Mystery I took the liberty of emailing Scott; he responds below. Anybody else read "Growing Up With The Beatles"? Andy > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Michael Mitton > Date: Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 12:37 PM > Subject: [loud-fans] A Scott and The Beatles Mystery > To: Loudfans > > > I was looking over Scott's Best-Of lists from 1965 to 2000, and I'm > confused by the fact that The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour is not on > his list. I go through periods of not considering it a regular album because the Beatles conceived it as just an e.p., or maybe just singles plus T.V. show ballast. I think people get the general point that I approve of the Beatles. Yellow Submarine is not on his list (understandable), but he > puts every other Beatles album at #1, except for Rubber Soul, which is > #2 behind Help! Is there some technicality that would keep MMT off > Scott's list, like "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields" being released > previously as a single? Or differences between the British and > American versions? Or is it an oversight? Or does he really think The > Kaleidescope's Side Trips is better than Magical Mystery Tour? Not the stronger half anyway, but certainly "If the Night" is better than "Your Mother Should Know." "Penny Lane," "I Am the Walrus," and "Strawberry Fields Forever" are of course all superb. > One other Beatles question: Is Tell Me Why a good read? I think it was okay--I kind of don't remember too vividly. I'm sure I didn't read it cover to cover. The Beatles books that made the most lasting impressions on me: Growing Up with the Beatles. The author portrayed himself as incredibly nebbishy and just described how the Beatles fit into his adolescence. I didn't parse it as particularly riveting at the time but it's had real resonance over time--I strive to write that transparently. The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics I and II. Alan Aldridge, who led the project, did a lot of somewhat cartoony (though imaginitive) airbrush illustrations, but the many guest artists consistently added depth and intrigue to the juxtaposed lyric sets. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:56:39 -0700 From: Andrew Hamlin Subject: [loud-fans] Beatles Books! I second Scott on Ron Schaumburg's "Growing Up With The Beatles," provided you can find a copy (out of print for years, but try Amazon, eBay, or your local used book shop). My personal favorites: "Revolution In The Head" by the late Ian MacDonald (covering much the same territory, it would seem, as the Riley book) and oddly enough, the authorized biography by Hunter Davies (published in at least two editions, pre- and post-breakup). I'm also fond of Alan W. Pollack's web-only "Notes on..." series, which I'm sure makes more sense the more you understand about music theory. I understand just enough to follow along, though: of http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/awp-notes_on.shtml Still wondering why the mono version of "Helter Skelter" deletes the fade-back-in, Andy "Macca's masquerade here reminds me of someone I went to high school with. This fellow liked to mimic and impersonate; friends, teachers, characters from movies and TV, even some very strange ones he made up all by himself. He was almost too good at this sort of thing; often very amusing, but at other times a bit tiresome and unrelenting. Once in a while, in fact, he'd come up with someone or something that was just too strange and in pathetically bad taste, and for a moment you'd worry that maybe this time he'd gone insane and would not be able to ever snap out of it. Anybody else out there go to school with this guy?" - --Alan W. Pollack, from his notes on "Helter Skelter," http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/hs.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:00:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Gil Ray Subject: Re: [loud-fans] A Scott and The Beatles Mystery Thanks for that, Andy! - --- On Thu, 8/19/10, Andrew Hamlin wrote: > From: Andrew Hamlin > Subject: Re: [loud-fans] A Scott and The Beatles Mystery > To: loud-fans@smoe.org > Date: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 11:49 AM > I took the liberty of emailing Scott; > he responds below. > > Anybody else read "Growing Up With The Beatles"? > > Andy > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > > From: Michael Mitton > > Date: Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 12:37 PM > > Subject: [loud-fans] A Scott and The Beatles Mystery > > To: Loudfans > > > > > > I was looking over Scott's Best-Of lists from 1965 to > 2000, and I'm > > confused by the fact that The Beatles' Magical > Mystery Tour is not on > > his list. > > I go through periods of not considering it a regular album > because the > Beatles conceived it as just an e.p., or maybe just singles > plus > T.V. show ballast. I think people get the general > point that I > approve of the Beatles. > > Yellow Submarine is not on his list (understandable), but > he > > puts every other Beatles album at #1, except for > Rubber Soul, which is > > #2 behind Help! Is there some technicality that would > keep MMT off > > Scott's list, like "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry > Fields" being released > > previously as a single? Or differences between the > British and > > American versions? Or is it an oversight? Or does he > really think The > > Kaleidescope's Side Trips is better than Magical > Mystery Tour? > > Not the stronger half anyway, but certainly "If the Night" > is better > than "Your Mother Should Know." "Penny Lane," "I Am > the Walrus," > and "Strawberry Fields Forever" are of course all superb. > > > One other Beatles question: Is Tell Me Why a good > read? > > I think it was okay--I kind of don't remember too > vividly. I'm sure I > didn't read it cover to cover. The Beatles books that > made the most > lasting impressions on me: > > Growing Up with the Beatles. The author portrayed > himself as incredibly > nebbishy and just described how the Beatles fit into his > adolescence. > I didn't parse it as particularly riveting at the time but > it's had > real resonance over time--I strive to write that > transparently. > > The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics I and II. Alan > Aldridge, who led the > project, did a lot of somewhat cartoony (though > imaginitive) airbrush > illustrations, but the many guest artists consistently > added depth and > intrigue to the juxtaposed lyric sets. ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V9 #153 *******************************