The Importance Of The White Album

The Beatles, or the White Album, is turning 50th. There's is going to be a 6 CD deluxe pack with remastered versions, a lot of demos, sessions, never before released songs, etc. A treasure for Beatles fans.

I see The White Album a little bit different from what i actually read in the news.
By this time, the band had reached the climax of their psychedelic transformation with the release of Sgt. Peppers just after the lunatic Magical Mystery Tour. Their transformation really begun with the release of Rubber Soul. They become a more complex band, and left a side their "shaking" tunes. However, their success never fell, and they continued to be the world's most famous band.

As I said, this album just after their climax, and after a climax the only way is down. Which can be a very good thing actually. Did we really wanted The Beatles to become stranger and stranger? I don't think it would sound that good so, in my opinion, they did well when they tried to conciliate their new sound with their rock n' roll roots.

The result was a very long, funny, enjoyable album.
Back In The USSR brings some California vibes, Ob-La-Di is a masterful pop song with one of the best bass lines ever and there some comic great and a little forgotten songs like "Bungalow Bill", "Piggies", "Rocky Raccoon" or "Cry Baby Cry".

Then, there is space for typical McCartney ballads. "Martha My Dear", "I Will", "Honey Pie" and, probably, one of the most important Beatles songs "Blackbird" stand among those genious little "granny" songs from Paul. However, the songwriter also let his wild persona take over when he wrote authentic adrenaline songs like the superb "Helter Skelter" or "Why Don't We Do It In The Road". Mainly, the influence of "Helter Skelter" on most of the modern music is undeniable. You can hear its influence on Metal, Hard-Rock, Pop, Rock, Punk, almost every listenable style of music today. The song is incredible, a starting point for anyone who has ever picked a guitar.


Also, I think that during this time, Lennon started to become the revolutionary artist that would define his solo career. "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "Revolution I" and "I'm So Tired" are songs on the same lines of his Imagine album. The, both of the albums end with cheesy ballads from John and, more amazingly, one of them "Good Night" is sung by Ringo, and it gives it a very paternal feeling.

After writing marvellous things about the songwriting of John and Paul, I choose my favourite song from the album the mythical "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from George (and Eric, of course). This is a very inner song. I think that you can listen the sadness of Harrison during this time on the song. It's a dark melody, with ramping guitar riff, from a man who wanted his songs to be taken more seriously. Fucking brilliant, a moment of history. Actually, I think that it is because of this that George is my favourite Beatle. He was standing there, waiting for his time to come, on the shadow of John and Paul and, in the end, he wrote a lot of my favourite Beatles songs and my favourite solo album by any of them.

Well, 50 years after, The White Album is still a modern very well balanced rock album, made by the most important band of the world. An essential listen to any music fan.

The Beatles Reunited

The Beatles, the world's biggest band ever, never reunited after their break up in 1970, however, during the following years, we saw some very happy collaboration between them. Over the years we say Ringo playing drums in a lot of George's albums, or Lennon giving some songs and participating on Starr's album.

Well, looks like there is going to be a new collaboration with the 2 remaing Beatles alive.

According to Ringo Starr official Twitter, Paul McCartney was with him in studio recording some bass lines to his next solo album.

They look good and happy on the shared photo. Good to see old mates still caring with each other.

George Martin Has Passed Away

George Martin, the legendary Beatles producer, that signed the band back in the 60's and that was involved in mostly of the band's discography and their corresponding solo careers has passed away two days ago, aged 90.
Martin was described as a very good man and soul and a real gentleman and nice human being, that was very calm, wise and professional.
A lot of tribute circulated through the internet, being the most sentimental ones by Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, who called him the fifth Beatle and his second father.
Death comes to everyone, and George had, for sure, a happy and a successful life.
He will be deeply missed and sweetly remembered.

"I read the news today, oh boy, about a lucky man who made the grade, and though the news was rather sad"

George Fest To Be Released In CD

George Fest was a tribute concert in the memory of George Harrison held on the 28th of September 2014.
Many famous artists like George's son, Dhani Harrison, Norah Jones, Ben Harper, Brandon Flowers, Brian Wilson among others, performed classic songs of the ex-Beatle to celebrate is artistic influence in modern music.
Now, actually, tomorrow, the concert will be released in 5 configurations including 2xCD/DVD, 2xCD/Blu-Ray, 3xLP (180 gram), digital, and a store exclusive bundle.

George Harrison is my favourite Beatle. He had a lifestyle truly amazing, and he was a very very very wise person with a fantastic personality. His thoughts and words are a true inspiration for my everyday life. And of course, his fantastic songs as well.


A Night To Celebrate George Fest 

Disc one

1. "Introduction"  
2. "Old Brown Shoe" - Conan O'Brien
3. "I Me Mine" - Britt Daniel
4. "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" - Jonathan Bates, Dhani Harrison
5. "Something" - Norah Jones
6. "Got My Mind Set on You" - Brandon Flowers
7. "If Not for You" - Heartless Bastards
8. "Be Here Now" - Ian Astbury
9. "Wah-Wah"  - Nick Valensi
10. "If I Needed Someone" - Jamestown Revival  
11. "Art of Dying" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
12. "Savoy Truffle" - Dhani Harrison
13. "For You Blue" - Chase Cohl, Brian Bell
14. "Beware of Darkness" - Ann Wilson

Disc two

1. "Let It Down" - Dhani Harrison
2. "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" - Ben Harper
3. "Here Comes the Sun" - Perry Farrell
4. "What Is Life" - "Weird Al" Yankovic  
5. "Behind That Locked Door" - Norah Jones  
6. "My Sweet Lord" - Brian Wilson, Al Jardine  
7. "Isn't It a Pity" - The Black Ryder  
8. "Any Road" - Butch Walker  
9. "I'd Have You Anytime" - Karen Elson  
10. "Taxman" - Cold War Kids
11. "It's All Too Much" - The Flaming Lips  
12. "Handle with Care" - Brandon Flowers, Dhani Harrison, Jonathan Bates, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Britt Daniel, Wayne Coyne.
13. "All Things Must Pass" - Ann Wilson, Dhani Harrison, Karen Elson, Norah Jones  

Watch the trailer of the album here:

Living In George Harrison's World

Lately I've been listening to a lot of the ex-Beatles solo career, especially from Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
The album "Living In The Material World" from George is passing in repeat mode in my iPod during the last week, it is really amazing.
As I was listening to a lot of Harrison's music I decided to watch the Martin Scorsese documentary "Living In The Material World". It is really touching and, if someone liked George for his music they will love him and gain a giant respect for him after watching it.
The way he faced spirituality and the way he faced the questions of life, like if there's a God or not, and what the hell we are doing in this world is a lesson for our own life.
And of course, the way he made the Concert for Bangladesh, the first Rock concert for humanitarian reasons, they should had given him a Peace Nobel Price.
And his legacy is completely unreachable. Every single person that talks on the documentary (including names like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Jackie Stewart, Eric Idle, Ravi Shankar, Tom Petty, Jeff Lyne and so on) talks about they have lost one of his best ever friends, and one of the most adorable and passionate person on Earth.
Most emotional moments, I would say at the beginning, Dhani Harrison talking about a dream, and at the end, Jackie Stewart describing how he feel about his passing, McCartney telling us what he miss more in Harrison, Olivia Harrison talking about the moment of his passing and, the most emotional moment of all is Ringo Starr talking about his last conversation with George, complete the high moment of the all movie (you can see that part at the end of this article). You really can see how special Harrison was to his friends by their testimonies.
If anyone likes the music of The Beatles, and George's solo career it is a complete must seen film.
Another great experience is to watch some moments of the "Concert For George", where you can feel a really magic sensation on the stage, just looking in the videos on Youtube.
Stay here with Ringo's moment.

The Ultimate Band

On last week, NME made several interviews to several artists asking them witch artists would they pick for the Ultimate Band. One of them was Brett Anderson from Suede and you can see in the picture is choices. I decided to make the same exercise and choose my super group (I'll only choose one person per band, otherwise we could have many Suede members):

Vocals: Patrick Duff (Strangelove)

With artists like Brett Anderson, Dave Gahan, Morrissey or Jeff Buckley it was really complicated to decide who should be on the band as main vocals. Well, Patrick Duff, during Strangelove, was like an animal in terms of singing. He was a completely passionate guy with a non stop energy. His lyrics are very deep. On his solo career he is more mature and soft but with magical melodies and lyrics. He would be the best option for this place.

Guitars: Richard Oakes (Suede, Artmagic)

Oakes is my guitar hero. For all that he represents. He entered Suede with 17 years old and was, in my opinion, the greatest responsible in Suede biggest come back in 1996 with my all time favourite album Coming Up. Butler left Suede and no one in the press believed that they could come back to the spotlight but, with songs like Beautiful Ones, Trash or Filmstar they did it, and came back even better than they were before. Richard is a natural talented guitarist that can make millions of catchy and beautiful riffs. During last years he was gone but he came back with Artmagic and made an excellent album full of nice guitars and beautiful keyboards. 

Bass: Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings)

Paul McCartney is a living legend. The work he made on Beatles, Wings and on his solo albums are simply amazing and they are the best tunes ever. The Beatles were and still are the most influential band of all time and McCartney was the big brain behind it. The medley on Abbey Road or the first classic Beatles songs, passing thought his amazing solo album Ram or Band On The Run with the wings are little examples of a complete genius. His way of playing bass was incredible too. Very rhythmic, very enjoyable, very natural. Songs like Come Together or Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da have great bass lines. And of course he could borrow his giant creativity in the other instruments to all of the other band members (as we can see on his first solo album where he plays all the instruments)

Keyboards: Martin L. Gore (Depeche Mode)

Martin Gore is the synthesizer master. He was the main brain over Depeche Mode's 80's career and the responsible in their fantastic change of sound during Violator, Songs Of Faith And Devotion and Ultra. Although nowadays he plays more guitar than Keyboards in live gigs he still does it on studio (during last album he had an "obsessions" of buying a lot of keyboards from Ebay and made a huge collection). He is a really creative musician always exploring samples and new songs and, in my opinion is that what I would like to see in a keyboard player. As an example of his abilities in synthesizers I could remember songs like Walking In My Shoes, It's No Good or In Your Room (album version, is a complete climax).

Drums: Paul Thomson (Franz Ferdinand)

There are so much typical drum players that could make this list, like Dave Grohl or several hard rock guys but what I look in drum players is not for them to be protagonists or for them to try to evidence from the band. I look for them to really fit well on the rest of the band and I think Paul Thomson has the perfect style for that. When I listen to Franz Ferdinand, the drum sounds is really characteristic, and it is always in the right position with the right changes between verses and chorus and solos. As for examples, the classic Take Me Out is marvellous or the super great live version of Outsiders is brilliant too. I saw them live 2 times in the last years and was completely amazed by their great liver performance.

Band Name: Strange Sound

50 Years Of Love Me Do

50 years ago the legend started. The Beatles released their first single "Love Me Do" with the b-side "P. S. I Love You".
This song is completely timeless, is a perfect song, simple, just the way of The Beatles.
At that time it was number 17 on the charts but one year later it was number 1 in the USA.
Listen here the original version of the song (with Ringo on drums instead of the most common one with Andy White on the drums and Starr on the tambourine)
Congratulations to  this historic single!

Bang Bang

It's been a while since I wrote for Strange Sound the last time but I do have a good explanation for that. Between summer holidays with friends and family I came to live to Slovakia for 5 months.
So, I don't want to write for something special, you all might had seen the marvellous performances on the Olympics Games and the great concert of Ornatos Violeta in Paredes de Coura, so I'll just leave you with, probably, the song that passed more times through my ears during the last times,
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles with Maxwell's Silver Hammer 

New Beatles Compilation Released Today

Tomorrow Never Knows, the new Beatles compilation is released today.
The album features 14 of the the most influential Beatles rock songs.
It is only available by iTunes and it has also a text about the band written by Dave Grohl.
Nothing new, but the Beatles are, and will always be, alive.
Tracklist:

1. "Revolution"

1. "Paperback Writer"

1. "And Your Bird Can Sing"

1. "Helter Skelter" 

1. "Savoy Truffle"

1. "I'm Down"

1. "I've Got a Feeling" (Let It Be... Naked version)

1. "Back in the U.S.S.R." 

1. "You Can't Do That" – 2:35

1. "It's All Too Much" 

1. "She Said She Said" 

1. "Hey Bulldog" 

1. "Tomorrow Never Knows"

1. "The End" (Anthology 3 version)

Grohl's words:

"If it weren't for The Beatles, I would not be a musician. It’s as simple as that. From a very young age I became fascinated with their songs, and over the years have drowned myself in the depth of their catalogue. Their groove and their swagger. Their grace and their beauty. Their dark and their light. The Beatles seemed to be capable of anything. They knew no boundaries, and in that freedom they seemed to define what we now know today as 'Rock and Roll.'

"Recently I showed my 6-year-old daughter, Violet, the brilliant Yellow Submarine movie. It was her introduction to The Beatles, and she instantly shared the same fascination I felt when I was her age discovering The Beatles for the first time. She wanted to know their names, which instruments they played, who sang what song, etc etc etc....it made me so incredibly happy (and proud!). Within days she knew the verses and choruses to every song on the album. But, there was one song that stood out for her....

'"Hey Bulldog" is not one of The Beatles’ greatest hits. It's what most people would consider a 'deep cut.' But it is a quintessential Beatles rocker. The rolling bass line, the trademark Ringo drum fills, the gritty distorted guitar, and that sound that only the back of Lennon's throat could produce. It stomps. It grooves. It makes your head bob. It makes your hips shake. When Lennon sings, 'If you're lonely you can talk to me!' it soothes your heart, like you've finally found something to believe in. It's so raw and real. It is 100% timeless Rock and Roll...

From one generation to the next, The Beatles will remain the most important rock band of all time.

Just ask Violet."

Documentário de George Harrison Estreia Hoje

George Harrison: Living In The Material World estreia hoje na cidade Natal do músico, Liverpool.
O filme/documentário retrata toda a vida de Harrison desde a sua juventude, passando pela "Beatlemania" e indo também às suas viagens à Índia. Realizado por Martin Scorsese, com a benção de Olivia Harrison, o filme contém novas entrevistas de Mccartney, Starr, Clapton ou Ono e ainda imagens nunca antes vistas da própria "Videoteca" do ex-Beatle.
Não posso perder isto.

Parabéns John Lennon

Se John Lennon, um dos músicos mais influentes de sempre, fosse vivo completaria hoje 70 anos.
Muita falta faz ele cá!
Vamos lembrar com alegria toda a grande música que este artista dispôs em todos os seus projectos.
Parabéns!

Hoje Comprei...

Viva a feira do livro!

Sinopse da Assírio e Alvim:

Sabe quem são “Os 4 Cabeleiras do Após-Calypso”, “Cabeludos!... Desgrenhados!... Mas com um ritmo dos diabos!!!?” Conhece a aguarela de Vieira da Silva e o guache de Cesariny, incluídos no Imagine — Strawberry Fields, Un Hommage à John Lennon? Conhece as capas dos discos dos Beatles, editados em Portugal, quase todas diferentes das utilizadas no resto do mundo? Beatles em Portugal, de Luís Pinheiro de Almeida e Teresa Lage, acrescenta mais um título à colecção "Rei Lagarto".

Hoje Comprei...

Franz "Beatles" Ferdinand

Não gosto de fazer este tipo de comparações e não acho os Franz Ferdinand uma cópia ou algo do género dos Beatles, longe disso.
Mas, ao ouvir esta música, lembrou-me mesmo os Beatles, desde há muito tempo que não ouvia algo a soar tanto à banda inglesa!
E soube bastante bem!
Franz Ferdinand com Twilight Omens.

Abbey Road À Venda

O mítico Abbey Road Studios está à venda.
A casa, inaugurada a Novembro de 1931 pela EMI será, em principio, vendida para a editora pagar as suas dívidas. A sua venda disponibilizará mais de 10 milhões de libras.
Paul Mccartney já veio a público lamentar a venda mas alimenta uma esperança que um conjunto de pessoas possa salvar o estúdio.
Relembro que um dos últimos discos dos Beatles tem mesmo o nome da rua em que a capa são os "Fab Four" a atravessar o cruzamento da Abbey Road.

Grandes clássicos foram lá gravados, entre eles destaco:
- Apache dos The Shadows
- Please Please Me dos The Beatles (e grande parte da sua completa discografia)
- Dark Side Of The Moon dos Pink Floyd
- The Bends dos Radiohead
- Be Here Now dos Oasis

Stand By Me

Ultimamente quando me sento à frente do computador só me dá para ouvir Beatles e relacionado.
John Lennon, Stand By Me

Menino Bonito

Então era este o menino bonito que deixava as miúdas desmaiadas só ao passar?
Paul McCartney tinha e tem um grande talento para escrever músicas. "Yesterday" é a música que já teve mais "covers" de sempre e a minha preferida dos Beatles a par de "Across The Universe".

Jai Guru Deva Om

A passear no Youtube deparo-me com esta belíssima versão de "Across The Universe" dos Beatles por Rufus Wainwirght, Moby e Sean Lennon (filho mais novo de Sean Lennon).
Arrisco-me a dizer que é a música que mais aprecio dos Beatles.

09.09.09

Hoje foi lançado o "Stereo Boxset" dos Beatles.
Esta brilhante caixa contém os 13 CD's da banda mais a compilação "Past Masters" e ainda um DVD com documentários. Todos os álbuns foram remasterizados num processo que durou 4 anos.
Uma grande peça de colecção para qualquer fã da banda de Liverpool.
O preço está perto dos 225€