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Post by pbirdchat on Jul 17, 2008 14:03:23 GMT -5
Hello Beatles fans. My name is Darren D'Rito and I play guitar in the acoustic trio, The Flying D'Rito Brothers. I've followed this board for several years and have enjoyed the bits of information that I didn't know. I hope to contribute some of my insight once and a while. I've had the sickness (Beatlemania) since 1971 when I first saw the Shea Stadium show re rerun on Ed Sullivan and of course loved the Beatles cartoons as a kid. First Album was The Beatles Second Album for Christmas 1971.
One of my fondness memories as a Beatles fan was in the fall of 1972. A new kid had moved to our neighborhood in Peoria, IL and all our girl friends thought he was pretty cool. I was invited over to his house one day and found that he had two older brothers who were probably 16 and 18 and bona fide HIPPIES! Just like the ones you saw on TV! Long hair, no shirt, bell bottom jeans, smoking' pot and listening to a ton of great vinyl. They lived in the basement and had the cover of King Crimson's first album painted on the wall.
I was just getting into the Beatles and these guys were turning me on to Live Peace In Toronto, John and Yoko's Wedding Album and finally The White Album.
I loved the White Album and had to have it. But....it was a double album and they were more expensive than a single album. My parents didn't just buy me everything I wanted like parents do today. I had to save my $2.50 weekly grass mowing pay until I had enough to pay for it.
After a few weeks, we went back to school to begin our 8th grade year. I was on the school baseball team and managed to break my leg trying to score from first to home. Now I couldn't mow the grass anymore to save the last few dollars needed to buy the White Album. I made a sign that asked for donations so I could raise the additional funds and posted it in my bedroom. Not much money came in.
Then one afternoon after school, I called the local CO-OP record store to ask if they had The White Album in stock and what was the cost. It happened to be on sale for $7.99! I had enough money after all. I talked my dad into driving me to Main Street and he went in for me to purchase the album. There were two long haired guys behind he counter and a German Shepard and a bottled of strawberry hill wine on the floor. My dad thought it was an unusual place but kind of laughed it off.
Over the next few months, TWA brought me much happiness and even scared me a bit with things like Long, Long, Long and Revolution number 9. I still have that album and you can still see the $7.99 etched into the cover. Darren D'Rito
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Post by John S. Damm on Jul 17, 2008 14:47:42 GMT -5
Great anecdotes, pbirdchat!
A 1971 fan? Where does that put you in terms of First Generation Fan, Second Generation, etc.? I say a rather early Second Generation fan(I became a fan in Sept. 1975) so I was in the middle wave of Second Generation.
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Post by revolver66 on Jul 17, 2008 15:10:26 GMT -5
Hello Beatles fans. My name is Darren D'Rito and I play guitar in the acoustic trio, The Flying D'Rito Brothers. I've followed this board for several years and have enjoyed the bits of information that I didn't know. I hope to contribute some of my insight once and a while. I've had the sickness (Beatlemania) since 1971 when I first saw the Shea Stadium show re rerun on Ed Sullivan and of course loved the Beatles cartoons as a kid. First Album was The Beatles Second Album for Christmas 1971. One of my fondness memories as a Beatles fan was in the fall of 1972. A new kid had moved to our neighborhood in Peoria, IL and all our girl friends thought he was pretty cool. I was invited over to his house one day and found that he had two older brothers who were probably 16 and 18 and bona fide HIPPIES! Just like the ones you saw on TV! Long hair, no shirt, bell bottom jeans, smoking' pot and listening to a ton of great vinyl. They lived in the basement and had the cover of King Crimson's first album painted on the wall. I was just getting into the Beatles and these guys were turning me on to Live Peace In Toronto, John and Yoko's Wedding Album and finally The White Album. I loved the White Album and had to have it. But....it was a double album and they were more expensive than a single album. My parents didn't just buy me everything I wanted like parents do today. I had to save my $2.50 weekly grass mowing pay until I had enough to pay for it. After a few weeks, we went back to school to begin our 8th grade year. I was on the school baseball team and managed to break my leg trying to score from first to home. Now I couldn't mow the grass anymore to save the last few dollars needed to buy the White Album. I made a sign that asked for donations so I could raise the additional funds and posted it in my bedroom. Not much money came in. Then one afternoon after school, I called the local CO-OP record store to ask if they had The White Album in stock and what was the cost. It happened to be on sale for $7.99! I had enough money after all. I talked my dad into driving me to Main Street and he went in for me to purchase the album. There were two long haired guys behind he counter and a German Shepard and a bottled of strawberry hill wine on the floor. My dad thought it was an unusual place but kind of laughed it off. Over the next few months, TWA brought me much happiness and even scared me a bit with things like Long, Long, Long and Revolution number 9. I still have that album and you can still see the $7.99 etched into the cover. Darren D'Rito That's a great story. I probably got into the Beatles around 1975/1976. What's funny is I loved the early Beatles but wanted no part of those long haired Hippies on the Hey Jude Or Let It Be Lp covers!! ;D Of course that would change but for me the White Album was a latter LP in the collection(as it cost more). I really liked it but it was too much to take in when I was young(those days I would listen to the whole 2 record set basically uninterupted). It will always be a special LP as it is so unique!! Great to have you on the board Darren!!
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Post by barbara on Jul 17, 2008 15:39:41 GMT -5
Welcome. I am a fan from late 1968. Got there just in time to watch them breakup. My thought was "oh that stinks" then "great now there will be four albums instead of just one". My first album purchase was Abbey Road as I did not have enough money to buy anything before then. After that I got Beatle stuff for every gift type holiday.
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Post by pbirdchat on Jul 17, 2008 15:56:35 GMT -5
Now this is kind of surreal. I'm actually in the conversation with all the posters I've been viewing for the past few years. It's wonderful to be here.....It's certainly a thrill. Darren D'Rito
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Todd
Very Clean
Posts: 14
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Post by Todd on Jul 17, 2008 16:52:08 GMT -5
Now this is kind of surreal. I'm actually in the conversation with all the posters I've been viewing for the past few years. It's wonderful to be here.....It's certainly a thrill. Darren D'Rito Conversations with John S. Damm will always feel surreal, even after you've participated in thousands of them!
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Post by winstonoboogie on Jul 17, 2008 20:06:24 GMT -5
Now this is kind of surreal. I'm actually in the conversation with all the posters I've been viewing for the past few years. It's wonderful to be here.....It's certainly a thrill. Darren D'Rito Conversations with John S. Damm will always feel surreal, even after you've participated in thousands of them! ;D But yes, welcome, Darren!
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Post by johnpaulharstar on Jul 17, 2008 21:31:54 GMT -5
The White Album is probably the only Beatles album that I didn't absolutely love the first time I heard it. I definitely preferred the first two sides. I really liked most of Pauls stuff, especially "Back To USSR", "Martha My Dear", "Blackbird, and "I Will". I liked "Obladi Oblada" more than most people do. George's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Piggies" were also early favorites. The only song of John's I really liked a lot was "Bungalow Bill", (I thought "Julia' and "I'm So Tired" were good, but not as good as the others I've listed above) I came to like some of the more "rock' type stuff on side 3 ("Birthday", "Helter Skelter", and "Me And My Monkey", plus a nice folky ballad ("Mother Nature's Son") and I found "Cry Baby Cry" a hidden gem on side 4, but there was lots of stuff I actually DISliked (Revolution 1, Revolution 9, Wild Honey Pie) and other stuff that was pretty mediocre: (Don't Pass Me By, Why Don't We Do It In The Road, Yer Blues, Long Long Long, Rocky Racoon, Sexy Sadie, Hapiness Is A Warm Gun) so I rated this album pretty low. Now I like it more than I used to. "Dear Prudence" has become one of my favorite album tracks and some of the songs I thought mediocre I appreciate more. Still, I prefer Revolver, Pepper, Abbey Road, and Rubber Soul. The White Album ranks with Magical Mystery Tour just behind those four albums to me.
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Post by Cosmos on Jul 18, 2008 0:13:09 GMT -5
Welcome pbirdchat! Great story; I also saved every dime from lawn-mowing to buy records. Paid "retail" for quite some time before I realized...oh my God; people are actually selling this stuff for a dollar at yard sales! The rest is music-room history.
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Post by John S. Damm on Jul 18, 2008 9:49:05 GMT -5
Now this is kind of surreal. I'm actually in the conversation with all the posters I've been viewing for the past few years. It's wonderful to be here.....It's certainly a thrill. Darren D'Rito Conversations with John S. Damm will always feel surreal, even after you've participated in thousands of them! Well, I am grateful at least, Todd, that you didn't write that conversations with me will leave one feeling dirty(or slimey) or wanting to with violent projectiles. I can live with surreal.
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Todd
Very Clean
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Post by Todd on Jul 18, 2008 11:23:54 GMT -5
Conversations with John S. Damm will always feel surreal, even after you've participated in thousands of them! Well, I am grateful at least, Todd, that you didn't write that conversations with me will leave one feeling dirty(or slimey) or wanting to with violent projectiles. I can live with surreal. I can't say that I've never walked away from a conversation with you feeling dirty. And seeing that smiley is kinda grossing me out, so now I'm not sure I can say I've never walked away from a conversation with you wanting to projectile vomit. ;D
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ChuckE
Very Clean
AlexE & RachelE, May '08
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Post by ChuckE on Jul 18, 2008 11:58:44 GMT -5
It could be argued that the MORE conversations you have with Mr. Damm, the more surreal they get. (Especially if you've also had any with him in person!) But that's why we all love him... My fave side of the "White Album" is actually Side 3. It's the hardest rockin' of 'em all! Welcome, Darren! NP: the Wiggles, "Kookaburra Choir," Wiggly Safari (my daughter's music strikes again!)
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JCV
Very Clean
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Post by JCV on Jul 18, 2008 12:08:57 GMT -5
Conversations with John S. Damm will always feel surreal, even after you've participated in thousands of them! ;D But yes, welcome, Darren! What he said! JCV
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Post by barbara on Jul 18, 2008 12:20:41 GMT -5
Conversations with John S. Damm will always feel surreal, even after you've participated in thousands of them! Well, I am grateful at least, Todd, that you didn't write that conversations with me will leave one feeling dirty(or slimey) or wanting to with violent projectiles. I can live with surreal. JSD - you are one of the people who makes this board an interesting read - don't change. Have you met your lovely Pattie yet?
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Post by John S. Damm on Jul 18, 2008 13:34:51 GMT -5
Well, I am grateful at least, Todd, that you didn't write that conversations with me will leave one feeling dirty(or slimey) or wanting to with violent projectiles. I can live with surreal. JSD - you are one of the people who makes this board an interesting read - don't change. Have you met your lovely Pattie yet? Ah, thank you barb. No not yet. It will be the first week or so of August at Fest for Beatle People. I have been losing weight, pumping iron, getting hair plugs(for fuller hair, I still have much of my own) and learning how to play the guitar in crash courses. I want to make a good impression. Oh yeah, I am also going to rob a bank right before so I can flash big roles of cash to Pattie. Good looks, an ability to play a mean guitar and lots of money seem like common factors with the men in Pattie's life!
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Post by Cosmos on Jul 18, 2008 17:14:03 GMT -5
I have been losing weight, pumping iron, getting hair plugs(for fuller hair, I still have much of my own) and learning how to play the guitar in crash courses.
I want to make a good impression. Oh yeah, I am also going to rob a bank right before so I can flash big roles of cash to Pattie. Good looks, an ability to play a mean guitar and lots of money seem like common factors with the men in Pattie's life![/quote]
Go, GO...Go Johnny go...Go, GO Johnny Go! Johnny S. Damm.
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Post by ChokingSmoker on Jul 18, 2008 18:52:11 GMT -5
JSD - you are one of the people who makes this board an interesting read - don't change. Have you met your lovely Pattie yet? Ah, thank you barb. No not yet. It will be the first week or so of August at Fest for Beatle People. I have been losing weight, pumping iron, getting hair plugs(for fuller hair, I still have much of my own) and learning how to play the guitar in crash courses. I want to make a good impression. Oh yeah, I am also going to rob a bank right before so I can flash big roles of cash to Pattie. Good looks, an ability to play a mean guitar and lots of money seem like common factors with the men in Pattie's life! As long as you can come up with that water she bathes in. Anything less, would be a major disappointment.
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JMG
Very Clean
Posts: 412
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Post by JMG on Jul 19, 2008 11:59:56 GMT -5
Welcome aboard Darren!
Grab a chair and join in the conversation.
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