Sunday, July 4, 2010

“Beatles fans pick favorite songs” plus 1

“Beatles fans pick favorite songs” plus 1

Beatles fans pick favorite songs

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 01:21 AM PDT

From The Ashland Gazette

 Whether you love the Beatles or have little liking for them, their musical library is extensive. Readers tell us their favorite choice from the Beatles genre.

 I love the Beatles. So many songs from so many genres to choose from. "Back In the USSR," "Get Back," "Something," "Black Bird," "Let It Be," "Fool on the Hill" are all great. When I am forced to narrow it down, I have to pick "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison.

 The words, the drums and guitar solo are tough to beat. Check out the U-tube version with Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo, Phil Collins and Elton John amongst others, purty dang good!

 - Kim Cooper

 Sacrilege, I know…I don't like the Beatles. But I'll play along and say "Rocky Raccoon."

 - Chantelle Jackson

 "Yesterday."

 - Mark Adel

 Any they don't play on the radio! Let's hear it for Waylon Jennings!

 - Shorty Christiansen

 How could any true Beatles fan pick just one song? I like "Let It Be," "Hey Jude," "Yesterday," "Yellow Submarine," "Hello Goodbye," etc…see? You really can't pick just one.

 - Taylor Sherman

 "Hey Jude." My wife's name is Judy…do I have a choice?

 - Neal Brower

 Well, being the HUGE Beatles fan that I am, I have a very hard time choosing. But I used to sing "In My Life" to my girls when they were babies, until they got old enough to tell me to stop (ha ha). So I love that song for multiple reasons. Now that my daughters and I have bonded (again) over the Beatles with the release of Beatles Rock Band, I realize I have many, many favorites. Included are "Hello, Goodbye," "Let it Be," "Something" and just about anything from the "Help" soundtrack, especially "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." I could go on and on….

 - Suzi Nelson

 Favorite Beatles song – Shake it up baby now! "Twist and Shout." Oh, and "Let It Be."

- Lisa Book

 The Beatles had many great songs that would be in my list of top songs. "She Loves You" and "Obla Di Obla Da." But, "Here Comes the Sun" was the first song on my mind after reading the week's question. This one hits me as relevant with all the rain we've been having. "Here comes the sun dootin' doo doo; here comes the sun and I say, it's alright…"

 - Joan Hall

Next question: If tonight were your last meal and you could have anything you wanted, what would you choose?


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Classical Mystery Tour: The Beatles Invade the Kennedy Center

Posted: 03 Jul 2010 12:27 PM PDT

The show began with a medley from the National Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Martin Herman (who wrote the original orchestral transcriptions heard throughout this show). The medley danced through the two dozen or so songs the band was about to play, and made for a fun appetizer to the show. (My dad, who was my date for the evening, was getting a huge kick out of recognizing the songs and singing along.) It was a great reminder of the scope and the depth of the Beatles' catalog. The tone changed significantly when the band took the stage, sporting the suits and mop tops that the band favored during the British Invasion period. The crowd fell into peels of giggles, because these guys have mastered their inspirations' looks, sounds and mannerisms, making that first glance -- after having been moved by an orchestral introduction -- funny and jarring.

Now, these guys certainly know the work and play well, and they're great performers. But musically, they're no Beatles. Luckily, though, they were accompanied by an astounding group of musicians, who did the heavy lifting on their behalf. From the horn section's starring role on opener "Got to Get You into My Life," to "Eleanor Rigby," during which the "band" doesn't touch their instruments at all, the orchestra proved that the quintessential four-piece rock band is perfectly suited to a symphonic translation.

The band switched into Sgt. Pepper's suits, and upped the stage banter ante. "George" said, "If you remember the '60s, you must be in your 60's...it's funny because it's true." To which "John" replied, "It's true, but it's not funny." Some songs lent themselves better to the orchestral treatment than others did. While "A Day in the Life" and "I Am the Walrus" soared, "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" and "Penny Lane" lost some of their original punch. It should come as no surprise that the crowd seemed to appreciate the Ringo songs the least. "Something" was the most moving, goosebump-inducing number of the night, and surprisingly, "Dear Prudence," a song I've never tremendously cared for, was wonderful in this setting. As you can imagine, a full drum section brought "Live and Let Die" to booming new heights.

All in all, it was a tremendously fun evening, that led into a week of listening to my Beatles records even more than I do normally. As you've probably gathered, I spend more time darkening the Black Cat's door than I do the Kennedy Center's, so this was a nice change of pace. The NSO Pops program actually features quite a few shows that are somewhat out of the box and a little more symphony-novice-friendly. On July 30, video game fans should head to Wolf Trap to hear Arnie Roth lead the NSO through music from Final Fantasy while crazy visuals play in the background. If you're like just about every person I know, at some point in college, one of your friends turned you on to Holst's The Planets, and you all talked about what planet you were. The NSO, lead by Emil de Cou, will play The Planets to accompany a film produced by Ph.Ds and planetarium directors on July 31 (also at Wolf Trap). It's a gentle way to ease in to the world of classical music, and a fun one at that.

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