Category: Uncategorized
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How many Beatles albums are there? That ought to be an easy question to the answer. But it depends on (a) who’s counting, (b) when you were introduced to the band, and (c) which side of the Atlantic you lived. I grew up a Beatles fan outside Philadelphia in the ’70s. When I was a…
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One reason I find Geoff Emerick’s memoir Here, There and Everywhere so interesting is that we don’t have many examples of members of The Beatles’ inner circle speaking critically, even negatively, about “the boys.”* Emerick questioned not only George’s guitar-playing, but also, as I mentioned in part 1, his character. “It seemed to me as…
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Geoff Emerick’s memoir, Here, There and Everywhere was published in 2006. Emerick began his career as the assistant to the assistant of Beatles’ engineer Norman Smith,* then took over as the Beatles’ engineer in 1966.** If you’ve read, or even heard of, Emerick’s book, you’re likely aware that he admired Paul a great deal. George,…
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John wrote Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! based on a 1843 circus poster (a reproduction of which you should be able to find pretty easily online).* I always interpreted “for the benefit of Mr. Kite” to mean that the show was staged to raise money for Mr. Kite. In modern usage, benefits are…
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I became a Beatles fan in the summer of 1976, when I was 12. I’ve tried to piece together the chain of events that led to my fandom, and here’s what I’ve determined: I must have heard Hey Jude on the radio and decided that I liked it. It was probably among the first songs…
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The super deluxe edition of Revolver was released in 2022 (and we haven’t had another super deluxe edition since). Among the highlights was John’s Yellow Submarine songwriting tape, in which he sang, “In the place where I was born/No one cared, no one cared,” and “In the town where I came from/No one cared, no…
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When Paul walked out of the studio during the Revolver sessions (reportedly during the recording of She Said She Said), The Beatles didn’t break up. When Ringo left during the White Album sessions, and George did likewise during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions, the remaining Beatles continued recording. But when John announced “I want…
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Near as I can figure, The Beatles have released three official versions of the Larry Williams song Dizzy Miss Lizzy, all recorded in 1965. On the Help! version, John sang this verse: Run and tell your mamaI want you to be my bride.Run and tell your brotherBaby, don’t run and hide.You make me dizzy, Miss…
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Wings isn’t in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but they should be. So if you have a vote, or know someone or does, let’s get Wings inducted soon. Musically, I can’t conceive of a rational argument why they shouldn’t be inducted. I don’t know enough about the various music charts to discern precisely…
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I didn’t plan on making my retirement year all about The Beatles, but it turned out that way: in 2025, I saw both Ringo (for the first time) and Paul (for the sixth) in concert, and I visited Liverpool (also for the first time). Ringo We had tickets for Ringo’s 2024 Philadelphia show, but as…
Off The Beatle Track 