The Beatles from Ed Sullivan to iTunes

The other day I was driving out of Playa Del Rey on the 90 freeway when I saw a billboard depicting a lovely black and white photo of The Beatles, trumpeting their arrival on iTunes and the internet. With Christmas just three weeks away I felt it was perfect timing. Beatle albums were popular holiday gifts when I was growing up and always at the top of my wish list. The Fab Four had an uncanny knack for releasing new material at the end of the year and their joyous music fit perfectly with our family get-togethers. It still does.

Life before the Beatles is a vague memory. If you lived in the USA in 1963, you remember a year that began with high hopes and endless possibilities. The Cuban Missile Crisis had come and gone, the Civil Rights movement was underway, and for a brief moment in history America was at peace. The bullets that killed President Kennedy on November 22 changed everything. Suddenly the USA became a very scary place. All of the ideals we grew up with seemed to expire with the young president’s final breath.

Three and a half months after that dark day, America finally had something to smile about. On a cold winter’s night, 73 million people basked in the warm glow of their television sets while watching the Ed Sullivan show. When the host appeared on screen and said “Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!” everything changed again. Not only in America but throughout the world. In February of 1964 I was a six-year old kid whose father was battling hemophilia. I was old enough to cry when JFK was shot and old enough to know my father was living on borrowed time. My mother and three older sisters took care of me and took care of my ailing father. Times were hard and we needed something to lift our spirits. That something was called Beatlemania.
Thank goodness for The Beatles. When my father passed away later that year I had their music to fall back on. In the past four decades Paul McCartney specifically has been my muse, my inspiration and my hero. Last March at the Hollywood Bowl he sounded better than ever and I can’t describe how I feel when I see him in concert.

I think the Beatles Christmas tradition in the USA kicked off in December 1965
with the release of one of their greatest singles: “We Can Work It Out” and “Day Tripper.” The picture sleeve (remember them?) of the 45rpm single depicted the boys looking cold and winter weary in their black coats but the music was both raucous and reflective. Perfectly capturing the essence of the band. Then came “Rubber Soul, “ an album so good each of my sisters insisted on having their own copy. So did I. The music was more acoustic than electric, the title was mysterious and the songs absolutely gorgeous. Especially John Lennon’s poignant “In My Life” and Paul’s lovely “Michelle” which won a Grammy for Song of the Year. My sister Marti named her daughter after it!

At the end of 1967 The Beatles released “Magical Mystery Tour,” and of course it sounded nothing like their previous records. I remember looking through the album’s picture book by the lights of the Christmas tree, trying to make sense of the strange photos taken from the movie of the same name. This is a record I’ve grown to appreciate, especially side two. “Hello Goodbye,”
“Strawberry Fields,””Penny Lane””Baby You’re A Rich Man” and “All You Need Is Love.” On one side of an album! That’s a career for most bands.

The ultimate Beatles Christmas present had to be “The Beatles,” the two-record opus commonly known as “The White Album.” Ironically released exactly five years after the day Kennedy was shot, this was the kind of gift that had kids calling each other on Christmas day with a million questions. Why was the cover blank? Why had The Beatles stopped shaving? Was that Yoko Ono on the poster that came with the album? What the heck was “Revolution #9” about? How come “Back In The USSR” sounded like The Beach Boys? Years later people still have questions about the album Bono of U2 called “the complete encyclopedia of rock and roll.” He’s right. There’s just about every style of music, from the country of Ringo’s “Don’t Pass Me By” to the acid rock of Paul’s “Helter Skelter.” “Dear Prudence” might be the prettiest melody John Lennon ever wrote while George’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” left no doubt of his songwriting strength.

“The White Album” was the hot topic when I returned in January 1969 to Raymond Elementary School in Fullerton. The Beatles were at the top of their game but something seemed off. We heard about their surprise rooftop concert in London and later the rumors of their impending breakup. When “Abbey Road” came out in September everyone agreed it was their best album ever. I personally think it’s the greatest album of all time. It was also the last one they recorded together and a few months later the band imploded.

Although it broke my heart, I knew deep inside they were doing the right thing by splitting up in 1970. The Beatles as a band belonged to the sixties and the sixties belonged to the Beatles. Their music, however, remains timeless. As evidenced by their success on iTunes: 450,000 albums sold with over 2 million individual songs in the first week available. No surprise the best selling Beatles album on iTunes is “Abbey Road” and the most popular song “Here Comes The Sun” hails from the same record. It really is their masterpiece.

With so much holiday cheer in their history its surprising to note The Beatles never recorded any Christmas music. Unless one digs a bit deeper into their catalogue and discovers the existence of “The Beatles Christmas Album.” This LP was made available exclusively to members of The Beatles fan clubs in the UK and USA in 1970. It compiled the Flexi-disc holiday messages they sent to their fan club members from 1963-1969. These quirky bits comprise song parodies and musical skits and show the band at their most unguarded. Its not available on iTunes. Thankfully, practically everything else you could want by the Beatles is on the internet. That makes for a Happy New Year!

Happy 70th Birthday John Lennon!

Last night I watched a fun movie called “Monday Night Mayhem” about the initial years of Monday Night Football. It’s a rollicking tale featuring the antics of Howard Cosell, Don Meredith and the rest of the crew that put the NFL on primetime TV. Right in the middle of it there’s a somber scene when Cosell breaks the news about the murder of John Lennon. I remember that night-30 years ago-as clearly as if it happened yesterday. I was watching football with my buddy Chris and both of us could not believe what we heard. We immediately left his house and joined up with other friends and headed out to Isla Vista park, where hundreds gathered to sing songs and cry on each other shoulders. It was a tragic evening with a strange Lennon-like twist. Up in the sky we saw a bright light streaking toward the heavens before bursting into a supernova of bright light. We all knew it was John’s spirit and it somehow made us smile amid all the grief.

The next day we found out it was an errant rocket fired from nearby Vandenberg Air Force base. It didn’t change our view of the matter. John Lennon was gone. It took a long time to get over it.

In the passing years the strangest observation is that Lennon's death actually preserved the legacy of The Beatles. Imagine the pressure the band would have felt to reunite and the money that would have been thrown at them. It would have been nearly impossible to say "no" and of course there would be no way they could meet the incredibly high expectations of a Beatles reunion. In 2000 the three surviving members were offered $100 million for one show!

Anyone who knows me knows I am a Paul McCartney fan. His music and its influence on my life cannot be measured. The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 is one of my earliest memories and Paul became my hero overnight. As I grew older I knew that Paul and John had a complicated relationship, especially after the Beatles broke up. Accepting John meant accepting Yoko and that wasn’t the easiest thing to do especially since she was the one who broke up the Beatles.

Now I know that isn’t true. Yes, Yoko was a divisive figure in the band’s final days. Just watch the film “Let It Be” and you can feel the tension she created by never leaving John’s side, even during recording sessions. She was just part of a bigger problem. The Beatles were losing money and the controversial Allen Klein was brought in to restore order to their finances. This did not sit well with Paul. George was frustrated in his attempts to get his songs on the group’s albums and Ringo’s presence faded with each argument. The greatest music group of all time imploded and John and Yoko were easy scapegoats.

I just finished reading “John Lennon: The Life” by Philip Norman. Its an excellent biography which explains the troubled soul who ended up writing such classics as “Imagine” and “In My Life.” Lennon was born during an air raid on October 9, 1940. His father was absent for most of his life and his mother was hit by a car when he was seventeen. His best friend-Stu Sutcliffe-died a few years later. No wonder the adult Lennon was a paradox of cruelty and humor, cynicism and hope. At first, Yoko was just another enabler, never saying “no” to John’s heroin addiction when they became a couple.

Yet even Yoko had enough of John’s bizarre behavior and kicked him out of their New York apartment in 1973. When he returned he got his act together and lived a peaceful domestic life until his untimely death in 1980. Every year it seems like I learn something else about John Winston Lennon. He was on Nixon’s enemies list and had to fight for years to become a US citizen. He once stayed at the infamous Peter Lawford beach house in Santa Monica where he entertained guests like Keith Moon and Harry Nilsson, and even McCartney. The recording of his “Rock and Roll” album was marred by lawsuits filed by gun wielding music publisher Morris Levy. While sailing he took over the helm during a fierce storm in the Bermuda triangle and guided the boat to safety. Even in 1980 he was still insecure and insisted on enhancing his vocals for the “Double Fantasy” comeback album even though he had one of the greatest voices in rock and roll.

John Lennon would have turned 70 on Oct. 9, 2010 and celebrations are being planned all over the world. All of his albums are being re-issued with plenty of rarities as well as a new movie about his early years called “Nowhere Boy.” His legacy as an artist and peace activist is secure. Will we ever truly understand this conflicted genius from Liverpool? I don’t think so but I do know he will never be forgotten.

John Lennon Is Alive In NoHo!

I never saw the Beatles in concert. I've seen Paul many times and Ringo a couple. I missed George's only US tour in the 70s and of course, John never played a show on the west coast. Very few people who are alive today ever saw John Lennon perform on stage. That's what makes Tim Piper's performance in "Just Imagine" so special, and a must-see for anyone who loves his music.

This is not a tribute concert. "Just Imagine" is a living autobiography of one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived. Piper, who's portrayed Lennon in various TV movies, grabs the audience's attention from the opening guitar riff of "Revolution" and holds it until the closing "All You Need Is Love." In between is an emotional performance that's never over the top but wholly authentic. For two hours, Tim Piper IS John Lennon.

The elephant in the room is quickly discarded with the opening video images of weeping fans in New York city the day after Lennon was murdered in December 1980. A smart way to deal with the tragedy that could follow this performance like a dark cloud. Suddenly, Piper appears in the audience, looking bewildered as he stumbles on stage to find himself surrounded by four amazing musicians.

With little fanfare the band plunges into "Revolution" followed by a clever White Album medley of "Glass Onion" and "Dear Prudence." The sound is perfect and so is Piper's voice as he moves from rocker to ballad, dark to light, harsh to sweet. In just three songs Piper captures the essence of John Lennon, a man known for his wit as well as his temper. Sitting at the piano, Piper begins to tell the Lennon story. How he was abandoned by both his father and his mother and her shocking death when he was a teenager.

In the audience I found it hard to hold back my emotions as Piper sang the gut-wrenching "Mother" followed by the sweetly acoustic "Julia." The anger and gentleness of this complex artist is a running theme throughout the performance. Its all about attention to detail and hard core fans will recognize the instrumental "Cry For A Shadow" performed by the band as Piper explains how the Beatles came together. He has a simple explanation for the decision to sack Pete Best for Ringo Starr. "Ringo wasn't a better drummer than Pete, but he was a better Beatle."

This segment is especially lively with a rocking version of "Money" as Piper explains how the Beatles "were raised in Liverpool but grew up in Hamburg." Then its on to America and the beginning of Beatlemania. Most of the songs are performed faithful to the originals but Piper knows when to throw in a twist or two. "A Hard Days Night" is played without the middle 8 because "that was Paul's part." Piper as Lennon calls his song writing partner a "talented bastard", explaining how songs like "We Can Work It Out" and "I've Got A Feeling" were true examples of their different personalities. Paul was the sweet olive oil and John was the vinegar and together they made a beautiful salad, drinking scotch and cokes while writing some of the greatest songs in pop music history.

The band behind Piper is called "Working Class Hero" and they really shine as the music gets more complex. Drummer Don Poncher makes one appreciate Ringo's stylings on "Strawberry Fields" while Greg Piper showcases McCartney's fluid bass lines on "Don't Let Me Down." Guitarist Don Butler and keyboardist Morely Bartnoff get a nice workout on "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" which is one of the show's musical highlights. Throughout the music the video screen behind the stage flashes images from each segment of Lennon's life, but this show is all about the music and the story of the man behind it.

After a brief intermission, Piper roams the crowd with acoustic guitar while taking requests. When he brings up Yoko Ono there are scattered hisses from the audience and Piper remarks: "I get a lot of that" and everyone laughs. The solo years are marked by a wrenching "Cold Turkey" and an uplifting "Instant Karma" as Piper explains Lennon's difficult transition from rock star to house husband. The LA Times review of the show complained that this "overwritten confessional can sap the momentum" of the show but I totally disagree. Piper keeps the stories short and they are what makes this performance completely different from the usual Beatle tribute shows. This one ends with a touching medley from Lennon's last album "Double Fantasy" which leaves the crowd wanting more.

And they get it with the song everyone is waiting for: "Imagine." For two hours I did not have to imagine that John Lennon was still alive. As the talented Tim Piper constantly reminded us, he lives on through his music, which will live forever.