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Post by John S. Damm on Nov 26, 2014 14:28:01 GMT -5
In the U.S. it is Thanksgiving eve and other holidays await us in December and January 1. Some will get time off from work because of the holidays. Besides partying like wild tonight and pursuing females, I plan both this Thanksgiving holiday(four day weekend for me) and other time I take off at Xmas and NYD to listen to and dig into the McCartney re-issues I have purchased. I am ashamed to say that I have not opened yet the V&M and SOS boxsets sitting on my dining room table now for over two weeks nor have I opened the Ram box I obtained last year! I opened the boxes for BOTR, Macca 1 and WOA but I have not played all of the Discs or looked at the books. The WOA box could take a fan weeks to get through. I know, I am lame. I also want to find time to play the Beatles Mono CDs I purchased back in 2009 and only played once. Finally, I bought that deluxe Lewisohn Volume I and it has been an amazing doorstop thus far. I need to start it in the December holidays. Does anyone else have plans to catch-up on listening, reading or watching Beatles or related product? I am sure we all have holiday gift suggestions for our family and friends that involve Beatles stuff but I need to circle the wagons and just go through what I have and not enjoyed yet.
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Post by Panther on Nov 26, 2014 17:55:54 GMT -5
I recently ordered 'The Unreleased Beatles' by Richie Unterberger, which should arrive soon. I've read it before, and it's a great book, but I'll probably read it again soon.
(No Thanksgiving in Japan, though!... and Canada's was last month.)
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Post by Joe Karlosi on Nov 27, 2014 8:54:18 GMT -5
In the U.S. it is Thanksgiving eve and other holidays await us in December and January 1. Some will get time off from work because of the holidays. Does anyone else have plans to catch-up on listening, reading or watching Beatles or related product? I am sure we all have holiday gift suggestions for our family and friends that involve Beatles stuff but I need to circle the wagons and just go through what I have and not enjoyed yet. For Thanksgiving I am going to eat an extra helping of turkey, just for Paul.
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Post by joeyself on Nov 27, 2014 9:12:29 GMT -5
Does anyone else have plans to catch-up on listening, reading or watching Beatles or related product? I am sure we all have holiday gift suggestions for our family and friends that involve Beatles stuff but I need to circle the wagons and just go through what I have and not enjoyed yet. I don't have plans specifically to do it because it is a holiday weekend, but I do need to get back to a couple of Beatles books I have started but put aside for Lewisohn's opus. I have REVOLVER and RECORDING THE BEATLES. The latter is so big, it's cumbersome to read in bed or in the recliner. As for listening, I'm running a Weakest Link series on Hoffman's board on the US ALBUMS, so I'll be playing all of those again over the coming weeks (except THE BEATLES STORY--that one won't be played again anytime soon!). JcS
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Post by stavros on Nov 27, 2014 16:21:07 GMT -5
We do not have a Thanksgiving as such in the UK, although major retailers are pushing Black Friday down our throats like there's no tomorrow. Actually it is tomorrow! And we have live NFL on all night. If only it didn't clash with proper European footie So I wish all our American friends best wishes from across the Atlantic. Anyway I receive Beatle books from members of the family each Christmas and often pick up cheap 'out of print' ones from a few bargain bookstores not far from me. Here's a few of those selections. Some of which I still haven't got round to reading. The "Beatles"'FAQ 2.0 - Solo Years: 1970 - 1980 This covers the solo years when all four Beatles were still with us. TV show appearances, personal relationships and of course the music is covered. Not as detailed with minutiae as the Badman book !After the Break Up' but more readable. I didn't like this book because it was far from being definitive. Not only that it paints John as the only Beatle with any real talent. Imagine if we had a member on here called "Return to Strawberry Fields". The author Ray Coleman would be that member. I have read bits of it but put it back on the shelf. I picked this up cheap expecting it to be all about that rather odd period in John's life when he seemed to be embracing radical politics and his early years in New York. Whilst it does cover that period it is also padded out with John's recollection of who wrote what on every Beatles song which has been produced elsewhere and relies heavily on quotes from interviews conducted by others. But I can't complain for a couple of quid. I have decided that at some point between now and the New Year I will give the Anthology DVDs a thorough re-run as well.
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Post by Panther on Nov 27, 2014 18:22:45 GMT -5
I think there's a thread (I may have started it) in the Beatle-books part about the Coleman Lennon bio. It's actually rather good in the main, with good info about John's forebears and early years. But, as you say, Coleman is always crippled by his ridiculous opinion that John was the only person of serious importance in The Beatles. His continual denigration of George Harrison is unforgivable.
That Fab Four 2.0 FAQ one looks interesting. I may keep an eye out for that...
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Post by John S. Damm on Nov 27, 2014 21:44:05 GMT -5
Besides partying like wild tonight and pursuing females, I plan both this Thanksgiving holiday(four day weekend for me) ....... to listen to and dig into the McCartney re-issues I have purchased. Mission accomplished on my first goal: party like it was 1999 Wednesday night and chase females! I almost didn't make it to the family dinner today 95 miles away. Now, on to the McCartney re-issues! And maybe Mono Beatles, or some of them. Hey, I am glad to read that others have catching up to do. LOL, I tried to start the Coleman book again two weeks ago as I read it when it first came out but I couldn't get past the Introduction or Preface!
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Post by John S. Damm on Nov 28, 2014 14:30:06 GMT -5
Hmm. I wasted the stay-at-home Thanksgiving Thursday night by not listening to re-issued McCartney. I looked at the unopened UPS box containing the boxes of V&M and SOS and glanced at the huge Ram box sitting majestically on my shelf still with its shrink-wrap protecting it along side other opened CD boxsets and I thought, "Nah, I need to watch last Monday's Sleepy Hollow on "On Demand" and there were some good history documentaries on AHC.
Shit, one night wasted, just two more left this long weekend where I can stay up late and crank the music. I am starting to feel the pressure.
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kc
Beatle Freak
Posts: 1,085
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Post by kc on Nov 28, 2014 17:28:04 GMT -5
I looked at the unopened UPS box containing the boxes of V&M and SOS and glanced at the huge Ram box sitting majestically on my shelf still with its shrink-wrap protecting it I normally can’t wait to open any package that arrives, even if I don’t immediately read or play the item(s) within. I bought the two disc issues of VAM and WATSOS about a week ago and have played the bonus audio discs of each. Regarding the previously non-released content, I have to say I am a bit disappointed. I liked the studio version of Soily, but I don’t think the arrangement is as good as the live WOA track. That’s about it from VAM, though I suppose the single edit of Letting Go is nice to have. I was looking forward to hearing the “John Bonham version” of Beware My Love from WATSOS. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by that as well. I just don’t think Paul’s vocals are as good as on the version we all know. So, I don’t think I will be revisiting these discs very often over the summer (summer for us!). One recent release I will be returning to is the collectors edition of New. I really enjoy Hell To Pay and consider it one of Paul’s better hard rock songs of recent years (maybe his solo career). I don’t mind Demon’s Dance as well. I too bought the deluxe edition of Lewisohn’s opus and it remains unread. I have at least flicked through the pages and examined a few short passages here and there. Maybe I will attend to this book, although I am constantly buying and reading new titles, mainly non-Beatles’ related, so it will not be easy to fit in such a large work. Like the U.K., we do not mark Thanksgiving here either. Maybe it’s because so many of us are not believers, including myself. I acknowledge it is not a bad concept though, to give thanks for what we have, rather than bitch about what we have not. In recent years Halloween has caught on here, under the influence of the supermarket chains. They now make plenty of money from confectionary sales in the weeks leading up to the event. Previously, we really only knew about Halloween from American movies and TV shows. Now I feel compelled to have the house stocked in a minor way, since I know the children who live next door will come knocking on our door. I must admit I like giving them their treat.
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Post by winstonoboogie on Nov 28, 2014 19:41:25 GMT -5
Hmmmm! That's the first time I ever heard anything negative about the Coleman Lennon bio! I always understood that it was fairly well-balanced (or just in comparison to Goldman's book, but granted that was a low bar to overcome).
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Post by Panther on Nov 28, 2014 22:07:41 GMT -5
I think there's a thread (I may have started it) in the Beatle-books part about the Coleman Lennon bio. It's actually rather good in the main, with good info about John's forebears and early years. But, as you say, Coleman is always crippled by his ridiculous opinion that John was the only person of serious importance in The Beatles. His continual denigration of George Harrison is unforgivable. Sorry guys. When I wrote about the Coleman bio, I was thinking of the Philip Norman one. I sometimes get my old white British Beatle biographers mixed up...
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Post by coachbk on Nov 29, 2014 22:27:54 GMT -5
I think there's a thread (I may have started it) in the Beatle-books part about the Coleman Lennon bio. It's actually rather good in the main, with good info about John's forebears and early years. But, as you say, Coleman is always crippled by his ridiculous opinion that John was the only person of serious importance in The Beatles. His continual denigration of George Harrison is unforgivable. Sorry guys. When I wrote about the Coleman bio, I was thinking of the Philip Norman one. I sometimes get my old white British Beatle biographers mixed up... Panther, finally found something we agree on! The Norman book is a joke. Anyone claiming Lennon was 75% of the Beatles just doesn't get it (and the same would be true for anyone who said McCartney was 75% of the Beatles as well). The unique mix of Lennon and McCartney (with a nice heap of Harrison and a touch of Starr) is one of the most important things in making the Beatles special.
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Post by coachbk on Nov 29, 2014 22:30:30 GMT -5
And I am finishing up THE BEATLES: AN ORAL HISTORY. Excellent stuff on the early days-much of which I had only ever heard about in the Lewisohn book. Not as strong in the later years, but still a very good book that somehow got lost in the mix (my theory because it came out in 98 when all things ANTHOLOGY dominated the Beatles landscape).
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Post by John S. Damm on Nov 30, 2014 0:55:13 GMT -5
Finally! I am playing the re-issued Venus And Mars and sonically it is good. The photos in the book are pretty cool but there are some mistakes in the text I have been warned and I saw the most blatant: that Michael McCartney is Paul's older brother! How did that mistake get by the editors! The bonus CD is okay, I agree with KC that "Soily" might be the highlight. I next will watch the DVD. Well, this has been fun and the book, despite some mistakes, transports us back to that era of 1974/1975. Next is Speed Of Sound! I am finally catching up!
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Post by John S. Damm on Nov 30, 2014 1:04:57 GMT -5
The bonus CD is okay, I agree with KC that "Soily" might be the highlight. I stand corrected, the V&M Bonus CD track "Rock Show(Old Version)" absolutely kicks major ass! It rocks hard, no nonsense. Damn, I wish this was the released version, the official RS has too many bells and whistles but this version slays! What is the difference between this "Old Version" on the Bonus CD versus the download only "New Version?"
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kc
Beatle Freak
Posts: 1,085
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Post by kc on Nov 30, 2014 6:51:50 GMT -5
I'll re-listen to that.
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Post by debjorgo on Nov 30, 2014 8:18:27 GMT -5
The bonus CD is okay, I agree with KC that "Soily" might be the highlight. I stand corrected, the V&M Bonus CD track "Rock Show(Old Version)" absolutely kicks major ass! It rocks hard, no nonsense. Damn, I wish this was the released version, the official RS has too many bells and whistles but this version slays! What is the difference between this "Old Version" on the Bonus CD versus the download only "New Version?" The vocals sound pretty close. The new version must be from the same session. The new version is faster and has a completely different mix. I don't hear the piano early on in the old version. I like the electric guitar in the old version. It has kind of a bursting kind of sound. Both have the different "...wheeling cross the stage" line.
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Post by Panther on Nov 30, 2014 17:51:51 GMT -5
I got my 'The Unreleased Beatles' last night (love how they deliver to your door in Japan). Wonderful book. I wonder how many hours Richie Unterberger put into it, listening to, re-listening to, and watching bootleg material? Must have been many years of research.
The best 'Beatle'-books I've yet seen are probably 'Tune In' (All Those Years), 'The Unreleased Beatles', and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'. Those three set a very high standard that others should aspire to.
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Post by John S. Damm on Nov 30, 2014 19:14:22 GMT -5
I also caught up with the newly re-issued Wings At The Speed Of Sound late last night/early morning and while the bonus material in the box isn't amazing, the remastering job on the regular album is stupendous, one of the best I have ever heard.
SOS has just risen in my ranking of McCartney albums. I would recommend all here buy the re-issued SOS and you don'ty need the box, the DVD is nothing. But the remastering is amazing!
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Post by Panther on Dec 1, 2014 2:16:37 GMT -5
I also caught up with the newly re-issued Wings At The Speed Of Sound late last night/early morning and while the bonus material in the box isn't amazing, the remastering job on the regular album is stupendous, one of the best I have ever heard. Yeah, but it still has "Let 'Em In".
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Post by Joe Karlosi on Dec 1, 2014 7:46:42 GMT -5
I also caught up with the newly re-issued Wings At The Speed Of Sound late last night/early morning and while the bonus material in the box isn't amazing, the remastering job on the regular album is stupendous, one of the best I have ever heard. Yeah, but it still has "Let 'Em In". Yes, it sure does! A very popular 1976 song, that was a wonderful summertime hit! Great to be 14 back then and loving it while returning to the beach blanket and hearing it on the radio, after splashing in the ocean waves! No, of course the song was not profound art. But did I/do I care?
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Post by dcshark on Dec 1, 2014 9:37:34 GMT -5
My to do list isn't to bad: GH Apple Years box set. I've listened to Living in the Material World. And that sounds great remastered. It's one of my favorite Harrison solo LPs. Overall this is a nice boxset.
Anyone know if the Dark Horse Years will be remastered?
Still have to read Lewisohn's Tune In. I have the abridged version. I'm holding back because I think I want to read the deluxe version instead.
Still have to read a stack of 50th anniversary Beatle magazines.
NEW; Collector Edition. I still have the DVD to watch.
I did go through the Deluxe versions of Venus and Mars and Wings at the Speed of Sound. This archive series is very detailed. A great set.
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Post by coachbk on Dec 1, 2014 11:14:57 GMT -5
Yeah, but it still has "Let 'Em In". Yes, it sure does! A very popular 1976 song, that was a wonderful summertime hit! Great to be 14 back then and loving it while returning to the beach blanket and hearing it on the radio, after splashing in the ocean waves! No, of course the song was not profound art. But did I/do I care? And it did have the very patriotic sounding drumming perfect for the US bicentennial! Now if Panther had said "Yeah, but it still has Cook Of The House" I would get his point!
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Post by John S. Damm on Dec 1, 2014 12:12:43 GMT -5
I got my 'The Unreleased Beatles' last night (love how they deliver to your door in Japan). Wonderful book. I wonder how many hours Richie Unterberger put into it, listening to, re-listening to, and watching bootleg material? Must have been many years of research. The best 'Beatle'-books I've yet seen are probably 'Tune In' (All Those Years), 'The Unreleased Beatles', and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'. Those three set a very high standard that others should aspire to. I need this book, Mr. Unterberger's. And you know Panther that you and I should be on Simon Leng's Christmas card list as we both love his book WMGGW: TMOGH. It was one of the game changing books that I have read on The Beatles or about one of the Beatles. It showed me that George's seemingly odd choices and decisions in his solo music career were not driven by the need for further fame and fortune like Paul, and even John and Ringo, but to either help him pursue his spiritual quest or just to satisfy himself and a few others if not the masses. Yet, as I dusted the White Box containing the deluxe Lewisohn Volume I in two books Sunday(really Mark, a white box that shows all the dust, nicks and tears!), I realized I better lay low on buying more books until I read that opus.
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Post by Panther on Dec 1, 2014 19:02:32 GMT -5
I really don't want to get the deluxe version of 'Tune In' because it's sort of get-a-life, but I have a feeling I probably will at some point during the next few years...
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lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on Dec 1, 2014 20:00:55 GMT -5
I really don't want to get the deluxe version of 'Tune In' because it's sort of get-a-life, but I have a feeling I probably will at some point during the next few years... And being on this board day in and day out isn't "get-a-life"? Tell my wife that......
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