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Category Archives: VOW

(Beatles) Video Of The Week

Feb 03 0 comments
VOW

It’s So Hard – John Lennon visits Mike Douglas Show, 1972

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Some Time In New York City LP

On February 14-18, 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono did a one week co-host stint on US television’s Mike Douglas Show. This performance aired on the Feb. 14th show and was actually taped two weeks earlier on Jan. 31st. John and Yoko are joined onstage by the Elephants Memory Band to perform a song from John’s most recent Imagine album called “It’s So Hard”. Later in the year, Elephants Memory would record with the Lennons again on John and Yoko’s next album, the double LP Some Time In New York City. This first show with the Lennons also included musical guests The Chambers Brothers, attorney/political activist Ralph Nader and comedian Louie Nye. The show opens up with Mike himself singing his own interpretation of the Beatles’ Rubber Soul classic “Michelle”.

For “It’s So Hard”, John sings and plays rhythm guitar while Yoko hits a bongo drum. The Elephants Memory lineup included Stan Bronstein on sax, Richard Frank Jr. on drums, Wayne “Tex” Gabriel on lead guitar, Adam Ippolito on piano and Gary Von Scyoc on bass.

Click the image above to play the video.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Some Time In New York City (remaster) – 2010 remaster of original 1972 double LP with Plastic Ono Band & Elephants Memory.

2) Imagine (remaster) – 2010 remaster of original 1971 LP with Plastic Ono Band & Flux Fiddlers. Includes classic version of title track.

3) Rubber Soul (remastered) – 2009 remaster of original 1965 stereo U.K. LP by The Beatles. Includes “Michelle”.

4) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

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Jan 27 2 comments
VOW

You’re Going To Lose That Girl (clip from Help!, 1965)

US Help! Soundtrack LP

On February 19, 1965, The Beatles did an afternoon recording session to record John Lennon’s new song, “You’re Going To Lose That Girl.” The 4-track mix consisted of John’s Gretsch rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney’s bass and Ringo Starr’s drums on track 1, George Harrison’s guitar solo and electric piano on track 2, backing vocals from John, Paul & George on track 3, and John’s lead vocal on track 4. After doing more filming for their upcoming film Help!, they returned to the song on March 30 to add overdubs that included a new track 2 with a better guitar solo by George, bongos and an acoustic piano.

“You’re Going To Lose That Girl” was the last of the songs recorded for the Help! film, from which this clip originates. At the end of the scene, one of the great swami Clang’s thugs uses a chainsaw to saw a hole in the floor around the drum kit. The producer reports that they will have to re-record the song due to a buzzing noise, and The Beatles begin asking one another who was buzzing. As they look to Ringo, he and the drums fall through the floor.

Click the image above to play the video.

Extra info: “You’re Going To Lose That Girl” was re-titled “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” in the U.S.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Help! (Remastered) 2009 remastered stereo CD of original 1965 UK LP, including “You’re Going To Lose That Girl”.

2) Help! 2007 remastered 5.1 surround DVD of original 1965 film Help! starring The Beatles and with bonus features. Includes the clip of “You’re Going To Lose That Girl” seen here.

3) Ringo 2012 – Ringo Starr’s new album.

4) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

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Jan 20 2 comments
VOW

Penny Lane (original 1967 promo video)

Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane US picture sleeve

Back on November 11th, 2011, I featured the promo video for one side of the double A-sided Strawberry Fields Forever c/w Penny Lane single. I decided to follow that up this week with the other side.

The promo clip for Paul McCartney’s “Penny Lane” was shot at a few locations on the 5th and 7th of February, 1967, in preparation for the upcoming mid-February single release (specifically the 13th in the U.S. and 17th in the U.K.).

Although there were a few sequences shot in Liverpool’s Penny Lane (the subject of the song), The Beatles never traveled there to make the video. The footage, where The Beatles are in the city, was shot at a district of London called Angel Lane. This includes the scene where they are riding horseback through the streets (I’ve always wondered if it was a coincidence that George Harrison rode the “dark horse”). These scenes are interspersed with footage of the “real” Penny Lane in Liverpool, which show the #46 bus, the “shelter in the middle of the roundabout,” the barber’s pole, the fireman on the white horse, etc. Get the whole story »

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Jan 13 1 comments
VOW

The Fool On The Hill (1967 Magical Mystery Tour film sequence)

Magical Mystery Tour, 1967 double EP set, cover art

“The Fool On The Hill” was a Lennon/McCartney original, used in the Magical Mystery Tour film and accompanying LP/EP set. It was actually conceived by Paul McCartney, who stated in an interview that he wrote the song with someone like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in mind. He claims that he looked at the Maharishi as someone that was considered a fool to his detractors. However, the earliest memories of the song occur around the time of the sessions for the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, a few months before The Beatles first met with the Maharishi. Paul had actually played the song for John Lennon on piano during a writing session for the “Pepper” track, “With A Little Help From My Friends.” The Beatles Anthology 2 CD set has the first recorded demo of the song, taped on September 6th, 1967, along with an account of take 4, made on September 25th, by which time the recording of the song in earnest had begun. The basic track for the master was completed by September 27th, and the flutes were added on October 20th as the finishing touch. Get the whole story »

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Jan 06 2 comments
VOW

Follow Me (Live at the Glastonbury Fesival, 2004)

Chaos And Creation In The Backyard album art

For over forty years the Glastonbury Festival, held each year in the southwest of England, has been a great source of good rock and roll entertainment. In the 1970′s you may have seen T.Rex or David Bowie there. In the 1980′s, there was The Cure, Elvis Costello and Jackson Browne. In the 1990′s it got even louder with Radiohead, Primal Scream, Sinead O’Connor and R.E.M.

On June 26, 2004, Paul McCartney showed up and introduced a song that he stated was written specifically for “Glasto.” “Follow Me” had never appeared on a McCartney release or been performed in public before this night. Paul performs it on acoustic guitar accompanied with his touring band of Rusty Anderson (guitar), Brian Ray (bass), Abe Laboriel Jr. (drums, percussion), and Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (keyboards). A studio version was released 15 months later on his September 2005 album Chaos And Creation In The Backyard, and he also included it in the setlist of his 2005 “US” tour.

Click the image above to play the video.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Chaos And Creation In The Backyard 2005 CD release containing the studio version of “Follow Me”.

2) Paul McCartney – The Space Within US 2006 DVD featuring live performances from Paul McCartney’s 2005 “US” tour, including a nice live version of “Follow Me”.

3) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

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Dec 30 7 comments
VOW

Ding Dong Ding Dong (George Harrison original promo video, 1974)

Dark Horse album art

Welcome to the last offering from The Beatles Rarity in 2011.

Two years ago on Dec. 28, 2009, I featured George Harrison’s “Ding Dong, Ding Dong” in demo form as a BROW (Beatles Rarity of the Week), which you can catch here. I also mentioned it on last week’s VOW (Video of the Week), and that got me thinking about it. Since it is George Harrison’s only anthem for the new year, I thought I’d feature the finalized version and promo video for today’s VOW.

This festive track was released on an Apple single in time for the New Years’ festivities on Dec. 6, 1974, and also hails from George’s Dark Horse album released three days later. The lyrics have George telling us to “ring out the old, ring in the new” and we see him doing this in the video as he appears in various Beatle-garb, such as his gray collarless suit and Sgt. Pepper uniform. Since his former bandmate, Ringo Starr, plays drums on the track, we can see him in the video too. There are lots of other musicians, including keyboardist Gary Wright on piano, Ron Wood on guitar (credited as “Ron Would If You Let Him” on the Dark Horse liner notes), Mick Jones on guitar, Alvin Lee on guitar, and old friend Klaus Voormann on bass. Additional drums were on the record from long time friend and session man Jim Keltner. The horns you hear are played by Tom Scott. The spirit of Sir Frank Crisp is also credited.
Get the whole story »

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