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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 18:47 - Dec 9 by Sadoldgit
They both wrote amazing songs both together and separately. They had very different styles which complemented each other so well. What were the odds of having two exceptional writers living so close and getting together to form the biggest band on the planet?
Apart from Lennon & McCartney, the greatest song writers in pop music, for the sheer quality and volume of their work, were probably Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, and those three did appear on stage together on a few occasions. but never really collaborated.
I'm currently listening to the very early works of Joni Mitchell, which have just been released as Volume 1 of the Joni Mitchell Archives, with 119 songs from 1963 to 1967.
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 17:38 - Dec 10 by Sadoldgit
Are you saying that only a musician is able to assess the quality of another musician? Apart from forming my own opinion by listening to music for many, many years I have also read thousands of written articles written by musicians about other musicians. Paul McCartney is clearly held in high regard but I doubt very much if you will find him in any top 5 bass players, top 5 5 guitarists or top 5 keyboard players. Read articles about bass players by other bass players and maybe you will get what I am saying. McCartney came 9th in the Rolling Stone best bass players top 50, so perhaps take it up with them?
[Post edited 10 Dec 2020 17:44]
Yes that’s exactly what I’m saying. If you haven’t picked up a golf club you have no idea how hard it can be.
Other games are easier to asses a d fortunately most of us have actually played football or at least kicked a ball so can appreciate the game.
And as for those grade 1 gimps who play ‘air guitar’ - what a bunch of cvnts.
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 18:22 - Dec 10 by Chesham_Saint
Yes that’s exactly what I’m saying. If you haven’t picked up a golf club you have no idea how hard it can be.
Other games are easier to asses a d fortunately most of us have actually played football or at least kicked a ball so can appreciate the game.
And as for those grade 1 gimps who play ‘air guitar’ - what a bunch of cvnts.
I have tried to learn the guitar several times over the years and failed miserably which is why I know exactly how difficult mastering an instrument is. I have the utmost respect for those who reach the top of their respective professions.
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 08:52 - Dec 11 with 791 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 10:42 - Dec 8 by Sadoldgit
My kids are millennials and all 3 love The Beatles. Music is timeless. I don’t think he was a genius but he and McCartney were certainly able to mine a very rich vein of songs together. When The Beatles split up both their outputs seems to suffer as a result. He was certainly a fascinating character. When people talk about the likes of Bowie being a genius, compare him to Lennon and McCartney and he pales by comparison. Lennon/McCartney are the Mozart and Beethoven of the modern era and will go down in history as such. The Beatles defined the 60’s in a way that no other band has done before or since. Would Lennon have done that on his own? I doubt it.
I was forced to watch 'the legend that is Gary Barlow' (quote) the other night. I haven't felt right since....
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 08:56 - Dec 11 with 791 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 10:18 - Dec 9 by dirk_doone
My favourite Beatles song, Norwegian Wood, was written by Lennon but, to be fair, most of the songs on Sgt Pepper's, including She's Leaving Home, Fixing a Hole & Getting Better, were written by McCartney as well as many other of the Beatles' finest songs like Eleanor Rigby, Blackbird, Penny Lane, Paperback Writer, Hey Jude, Let It Be, Back in the USSR, All My Loving & Can't Buy Me Love. It would be hard for any song writer in the history of pop music, even John Lennon, to compete with that.
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 08:52 - Dec 11 by Ron11
I was forced to watch 'the legend that is Gary Barlow' (quote) the other night. I haven't felt right since....
I share your lack of enthusiasm Ron. I have managed to mostly avoid “boy bands” over the years but Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams still keep cropping up on TV recently which is the last thing you want in lockdown!
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 09:22 - Dec 11 with 779 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 19:54 - Dec 9 by Sadoldgit
No I haven’t Dirk. I will give them a listen. My kids are very critical about my old vinyl collection, mind you, it didn’t stop them nicking most of them! I think we all have a “golden era” which is generally the point at where we start to listen to music seriously. I feel lucky to have had there era in the 60’s and early 70’s. For Mrs SOG it was the 80’s. I think also, with so much easy access to music from any generation, there is a wider appreciation of music across the eras. I am on some chat sites for Prog Rock bans like ELP, Yes and Genesis. Whilst most of the people are old fits like me, there are a number of younger people who have picked up on 70’s album classics via their parents.
ELP.... I played drums for years at pub band level, then work got in the way - I got back into it when I moved to this area in 2001. No matter what anybody might say, lessons do help, nobody knows everything. Until I had a spinal cord injury I was having lessons and practice sessions at a studio in Shedfield near Wickham. The teacher would go through a certain piece with drum music and then leave me to get on with it in a drum room. Then the last part would be playing along to a track of his or my choice - on this particular day I was playing the Stones track 'Brown Sugar' when I was aware of the door opening behind me. When I had finished I turned round to find Carl Palmer standing behind me (he was a mate of the studio owner)...he was quite complimentary about the playing, offered some advice, and was a generally all round nice bloke. I had seen and his band at Broadlands previous to that, he's a fkn amazing drummer...
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 09:22 - Dec 11 by Ron11
ELP.... I played drums for years at pub band level, then work got in the way - I got back into it when I moved to this area in 2001. No matter what anybody might say, lessons do help, nobody knows everything. Until I had a spinal cord injury I was having lessons and practice sessions at a studio in Shedfield near Wickham. The teacher would go through a certain piece with drum music and then leave me to get on with it in a drum room. Then the last part would be playing along to a track of his or my choice - on this particular day I was playing the Stones track 'Brown Sugar' when I was aware of the door opening behind me. When I had finished I turned round to find Carl Palmer standing behind me (he was a mate of the studio owner)...he was quite complimentary about the playing, offered some advice, and was a generally all round nice bloke. I had seen and his band at Broadlands previous to that, he's a fkn amazing drummer...
I was a big fan of ELP in the 70’s Ron. I too met Carl Palmer after one of his bands gigs. It was a small venue called Trading Boundaries Near East Grinstead and I was sat just a few feet away from the drum kit. I chatted to him after the gig. He was getting on but still an amazing and very fast drummer! I also met Greg Lake after one of his solo gigs. Sadly I never got to meet Keith Emerson but did walk past him at Brands Hatch once but was too shy to say hi. He was the most incredible keyboard player and showman. I am not knocking McCartney, Lennon or The Beatles, but when you see and hear people like Emerson and Rick Wakeman play keyboards you realise the difference in musicianship. I saw Yes many times and Chris Squire was an amazing bass player, as was John Entwhistle. I am sure McCartney paved the way but they took it to another level. Ringo was a good drummer but compare him to Carl Palmer, Keith Moon, Bill Bruford, Ginger Baker and it puts things into context. George Harrison himself would have been the first to agree that Clapton, Peter Green, Beck etc were better guitarists. The Beatles were a great band, probably the best ever, but I wouldn’t describe them as virtuosos, but that really doesn’t matter. If they all went off on extended solos every 5 minutes they would have been the same band.
[Post edited 11 Dec 2020 14:29]
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 13:32 - Dec 11 with 761 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 17:53 - Dec 10 by dirk_doone
Apart from Lennon & McCartney, the greatest song writers in pop music, for the sheer quality and volume of their work, were probably Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, and those three did appear on stage together on a few occasions. but never really collaborated.
I'm currently listening to the very early works of Joni Mitchell, which have just been released as Volume 1 of the Joni Mitchell Archives, with 119 songs from 1963 to 1967.
It is great to watch some of the "Old Grey Whistle Test" programmes that are re-broadcast from time to time.
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 09:11 - Dec 9 by Bison
As Lennon sung to McCartney ' the only thing you done was Yesterday'
Lennon was quite bitchy about Paul’s output. He referred to a lot of it as Granny music. They both wrote many great songs both together and apart but if anyone can be hypercritical I guess Lennon can. He was also very critical of his own songs. It is a shame that didn’t extend to the awful Revolution no9 on the White Album. What a waste of a track that was.
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 15:04 - Dec 11 with 745 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 12:13 - Dec 11 by Sadoldgit
I was a big fan of ELP in the 70’s Ron. I too met Carl Palmer after one of his bands gigs. It was a small venue called Trading Boundaries Near East Grinstead and I was sat just a few feet away from the drum kit. I chatted to him after the gig. He was getting on but still an amazing and very fast drummer! I also met Greg Lake after one of his solo gigs. Sadly I never got to meet Keith Emerson but did walk past him at Brands Hatch once but was too shy to say hi. He was the most incredible keyboard player and showman. I am not knocking McCartney, Lennon or The Beatles, but when you see and hear people like Emerson and Rick Wakeman play keyboards you realise the difference in musicianship. I saw Yes many times and Chris Squire was an amazing bass player, as was John Entwhistle. I am sure McCartney paved the way but they took it to another level. Ringo was a good drummer but compare him to Carl Palmer, Keith Moon, Bill Bruford, Ginger Baker and it puts things into context. George Harrison himself would have been the first to agree that Clapton, Peter Green, Beck etc were better guitarists. The Beatles were a great band, probably the best ever, but I wouldn’t describe them as virtuosos, but that really doesn’t matter. If they all went off on extended solos every 5 minutes they would have been the same band.
[Post edited 11 Dec 2020 14:29]
Brands Hatch...cars or bikes?
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 15:35 - Dec 11 with 741 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 15:04 - Dec 11 by Ron11
Brands Hatch...cars or bikes?
Emerson was a keen biker but on this particular day it was cars. I didn’t live that far from Brands and used to go to the Grand Prix and Formula 5000 races there back in the 60’s and early 70’s. Radio 1 arranged a race meeting for pop stars and, strangely, all three of ELP got involved. Jazzman Ronnie Scott won the race. Greg Lake came second. Carl Palmer was fifth I think. Emerson spun off going too fast around a bend. I am surprised that their insurance companies let them race! They were in suped up saloon cars. This would have been 1973 I think. I walked past Emerson as he was wondering about. No one seemed to recognise him which wasn’t surprising given that it was a “pop” event. I saw him again a bit later driving out in his Renault Scimiter.
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 16:33 - Dec 11 with 728 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 08:56 - Dec 11 by Ron11
Norwegian Wood has always been one of my best Beatles songs, apart from the o slo intro...
You know there’s a second even slower version don’t you? It’s the version they were going to originally put out but opted for the take most people are familiar with that’s on Rubber Soul.
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 15:35 - Dec 11 by Sadoldgit
Emerson was a keen biker but on this particular day it was cars. I didn’t live that far from Brands and used to go to the Grand Prix and Formula 5000 races there back in the 60’s and early 70’s. Radio 1 arranged a race meeting for pop stars and, strangely, all three of ELP got involved. Jazzman Ronnie Scott won the race. Greg Lake came second. Carl Palmer was fifth I think. Emerson spun off going too fast around a bend. I am surprised that their insurance companies let them race! They were in suped up saloon cars. This would have been 1973 I think. I walked past Emerson as he was wondering about. No one seemed to recognise him which wasn’t surprising given that it was a “pop” event. I saw him again a bit later driving out in his Renault Scimiter.
I lived in Medway, and was there at Brands that day.
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 09:31 - Dec 12 with 667 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 21:36 - Dec 11 by Ron11
I lived in Medway, and was there at Brands that day.
Small world Ron! I used to live in West Wickham and got the train from Bromley. Whereabouts did you live? I spent a couple of years working in Medway police station when I worked for the CPS so know that part of the world quite well.
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 12:31 - Dec 12 with 653 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 10:42 - Dec 8 by Sadoldgit
My kids are millennials and all 3 love The Beatles. Music is timeless. I don’t think he was a genius but he and McCartney were certainly able to mine a very rich vein of songs together. When The Beatles split up both their outputs seems to suffer as a result. He was certainly a fascinating character. When people talk about the likes of Bowie being a genius, compare him to Lennon and McCartney and he pales by comparison. Lennon/McCartney are the Mozart and Beethoven of the modern era and will go down in history as such. The Beatles defined the 60’s in a way that no other band has done before or since. Would Lennon have done that on his own? I doubt it.
They were innovative and prolific, and not bad all round musicians. But the dynamic world of youth popular music left them behind really as R&B influences increased into Rock. The Who made the shift, and the Stones were there all along. There are not many groups that we can look back on and reel off a whole long string of hits apart from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Queen, Elton John probably. I'm not sure you could include Dylan in that category. There are loads where we could list a few, but not lots. How a genius is defined is highly subjective. So often, reputation is based on key defining albums rather than prolonged influence.
There is a much bigger pool to fish from now and most newcomers are just derivative of what has come before. Rock and roll kicked off in the 50’s and The Beatles pinched a great deal from the American’s who in turned had pinched the Blues from the South. Psychedelia opened up a whole new avenue in the late 60’s which eventually led to Progressive Rock in the 70’s. We then had a whole progression of genres and sub genres such as a punk, new wave, New Romantics, Brit Pop (which was just a 60’s revival) etc. Somehow heavy metal survived and has split into many different sub sections. Prog rock still exists but not in the same way that it did in the 70’s. There is no explosion of new ideas any more though, just a revisiting of old that have pretty much been done to death. Music doesn’t seem to have the same cultural importance it did back in the 20th century, maybe because it can no longer reinvent itself and all of the rich seams have been mined? There will always be a place for popular music and for new artists to break through, but the conditions have changed so that it is highly unlikely that 4 young lads from poor backgrounds can ever change the world again through their music.
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 13:41 - Dec 12 with 639 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 13:00 - Dec 12 by Sadoldgit
There is a much bigger pool to fish from now and most newcomers are just derivative of what has come before. Rock and roll kicked off in the 50’s and The Beatles pinched a great deal from the American’s who in turned had pinched the Blues from the South. Psychedelia opened up a whole new avenue in the late 60’s which eventually led to Progressive Rock in the 70’s. We then had a whole progression of genres and sub genres such as a punk, new wave, New Romantics, Brit Pop (which was just a 60’s revival) etc. Somehow heavy metal survived and has split into many different sub sections. Prog rock still exists but not in the same way that it did in the 70’s. There is no explosion of new ideas any more though, just a revisiting of old that have pretty much been done to death. Music doesn’t seem to have the same cultural importance it did back in the 20th century, maybe because it can no longer reinvent itself and all of the rich seams have been mined? There will always be a place for popular music and for new artists to break through, but the conditions have changed so that it is highly unlikely that 4 young lads from poor backgrounds can ever change the world again through their music.
Poor backgrounds? Try telling that to Auntie Mimi.
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 13:41 - Dec 12 by Chesham_Saint
Poor backgrounds? Try telling that to Auntie Mimi.
Born at the beginning of the war in Liverpool. Father away at sea for long stretches then went awol so no pay cheques sent home. Not a great start to life was it Chesh? No mean feat to turn that around and become one of the most famous people on the planet though.
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 20:12 - Dec 12 with 606 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 18:22 - Dec 12 by Sadoldgit
Born at the beginning of the war in Liverpool. Father away at sea for long stretches then went awol so no pay cheques sent home. Not a great start to life was it Chesh? No mean feat to turn that around and become one of the most famous people on the planet though.
Do your research and you’ll know that his Aunt (who he went to live with) did not regard herself as poor or working class and Lennon’s strong scouse accent was a little bit of an affectation. Starkey and Harrison certainly came from poorer backgrounds.
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 20:12 - Dec 12 by Chesham_Saint
Do your research and you’ll know that his Aunt (who he went to live with) did not regard herself as poor or working class and Lennon’s strong scouse accent was a little bit of an affectation. Starkey and Harrison certainly came from poorer backgrounds.
I did my research. He certainly didn’t have the best start at life. If you think his life started with his aunt then perhaps you should do your research. But you are just looking for an argument as usual aren’t you Chesham.
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John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 10:47 - Dec 13 with 570 views
John Lennon 40th Anniversary on 10:14 - Dec 13 by Sadoldgit
I did my research. He certainly didn’t have the best start at life. If you think his life started with his aunt then perhaps you should do your research. But you are just looking for an argument as usual aren’t you Chesham.
Nope, not looking for an argument Sogs (not least in that you normally seem to avoid answering a straight question from me). I know people from all walks of life who’ve lost parents young or been adopted. It didn’t make them all poor. Or working class. It just seemed your research was gleaned from Wiki.....
In any event, in the words of his partner, it’s probably time to say “Let it Be”.
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