JL BOX BONUS DISC NOT MUCH FOR THE BUCKS!

"Howdy suckers,?"





Look, to me-and many other hard-core fans-just about any "new John Lennon recordings are welcome.

But, the upcoming John Lennon Signature Box set which will retail for close to $200 is also close to throttling the golden goose.

Especially, when the individual LPs-of which all of JL's solo ones are here-have been remastered and released several times on CD.

But most of all, the completists among us must swallow the hefty price to get the "bonus" disc which only has 13 tracks, and appears to contain some material from the Lost Lennon Tapes, which were broadcast over 20 years ago.







Whichever way you feel though, you can click on the image above to get a look at the tracks, which are all listed as "demo."

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK, er, LISTEN

Gave some, hope...
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Of course it goes without saying, but not without writing, that many pop music critics are total dicks. or, to be technical, micro-penises.
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And many of those snotty critque shortcomings shone through way back in time around the summer of '73, when George Harrison released his much anticipated follow-up to the smash All Things Must Pass.
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Now if we stop right there, we see that following ATMP was like
"will there ever be another Beatles?"
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The answer, besides, I 'ope not, is NO.
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So George had an impossible task with Living In The Material World, but he gave it the old Krishna try.
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Legitimately, many critics found the album too preachy, a downer, etc., etc.
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And yes, several of the tunes on LITMW were a little too dirge.
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But, we must also consider that not everyone buying or listening to the album wanted their socks rocked off. Many I have discussed the LP with say that songs like Be Here Now, Who Can See It and That Is All held great personal signifacance due to some trial and tribulation they were going through at the time.
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Certainly not tunes to have a wedding reception to, but nonetheless spiritual to some people.
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And don't forget, the album did contain a number one smash in Give Me Love, two great rollicking rockers in Sue Me, Sue You Blues and the title track, as well as the hopeful, Don't Let Me Wait Too Long.
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Besides, if you click on the scan above, you will see that LITMW sold quite nicely thank-you, despite what the dopes at Rolling Stone and others wrote.
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And so, that is all.

ROLLING STONE IS AT IT AGAIN

Oi Beatle vey!

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What's a slow news month to be without (another) Rolling Stone mag Beatles special?
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I'll tell you: just another boring August.

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Of course these sorts of "best of" things are rubbish, but they are fun.

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An there is some pretty good writing by RS editors on each of the Top 100 Fab Ones, yet somehow-like all daft lists-I'd reckon many of you won't agree with the order of selection, or for that matter, even those selected.

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MIA songs might be, I Call Your Name, Savoy Truffle, Baby's In Black, All Too Much, One After 909( one of the first songs of Lennon/McCartney) What You're Doing, and many, many other worthy contenders among 217 total songs. I'm sure you'll have yer own list, as well.

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Yet there are some interesting tidbits of info, here in this special RS ish.

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For instance, did you know that Yesterday, rated at #4 has been covered by Daffy Duck?

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George Harrison would-in a big turn-a-bout-instruct Paul McCartney how to play the bass line on Something, #8.

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Or that there was an invasion of girls into Abbey Road studio whilst #14, She Loves You was being recorded which apparently charged up the lads to do a rollicking take.

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How about the claim that Ringo Starr was responsible for the line, "darning his socks in the night," for #22, Eleanor Rigby.

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There is also some real crapola, such as referring to #74, Yellow Submarine as a "gateway drug" to turn on adolescent Beatle fans to the group.

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Now that, is some bloody rubbish.

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But the good well out-weighs the bad, with a ton of excellent B&W and colour pics of our heroes through all those years ago.

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And even a "Numbers" page-at left-which tables the stats of the mag's picks.

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Although it lists the "main writer" of 40 of the top 100 as being from the pen and mind of John Lennon, of the 17 tracks attributed jointly to Lennon/McCartney, 9 get a Lennon/McCartney first, while the other 8 get McCartney/Lennon as the chief writer, despite some quarreling among the songwriters right up to Lennon's death as to who was more responsible for a given tune.

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Anyways, I urge you to pick up this Rolling Stone special., warts and all.

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AND, to read this, a review of a new Beatles book and DVD:

www.boomermediareview.com/BeatlesFiftyFabYearsBookDVD.html

MAD ON BP

Brilliantly cynical, as usual

All those who would like to give the finger to the collective corporate criminality, et al, should pick up the new MAD issue.
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The cover, satirizing the hideous BP Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophic oil blow-out, is deliciously, and
sadly, right on.
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Then, as MAD is wont to do, the pile on some more.
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In a scene that will most likely give the Vatican and religious right an irritated bowel, Jesus His-self takes a walk on the wild side of the greasy water.
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Of course, the rest of the ish is just as anarchic, and good.
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Betty White, now enjoying a late-life career magnificent, is given a send-up that will I'm sure bring a smile to your face.

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And who else but MAD would make fun of a beloved 88 year old woman?
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Think about it: MAD is the only mainstream publication since National
Lampoon mag flamed out there that dares tweak the parochial sensibilities

of this anal retentive North America.

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Plus, MAD's influence helped R. Crumb become what he is, whatever you may believe that to be.

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Speaking of RC, I will have some news on the new Criterion edition of the 1994 Crumb movie, shortly.

HE STILL SHINES ON!

Instant Uncut Lennon

Beginning with the August issue, UNCUT will devote 4 covers to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr-and probably in that order.
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In addition to a very cool cover shot, the multi-page spread on JL has some seldom mentioned stuff on John's tumultuous year of 1970.
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Without spoiling too much of the piece-which you really should seek out and purchase-
UNCUT reveals that Primal Scream "therapy" guru Dr. Arthur Janov has hours of footage of Lennon's PS sessions.

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Janov also says he has an agreement with Yoko Ono only to speak in general about Lennon's treatment, but does say that he never hear John say, "mama don't go, daddy come home."

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Also of note is discussion of the 10 hours of video tape shot by Tony Cox mad into a film entitled 3 Days In The Life, which has been the subject of much legal wanking, and has never been released.
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However, a person quoted in the UNCUT article says that most of the video is
unwatchable because Cox could not even hold the camera steady.
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Also interesting is John's brief dalliance with a Black Panther leader, as well as
his association with the radical Red Mole underground paper.

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The thing I find most intriguing about John's solo career is that if one is being
objective-and honest-Lennon put out two outstanding albums, and a handful
of very good singles during 1970 and 1971, but after that, the pickings got a

lot slimmer. (Sometime In New York City immediately comes to mind.)

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If you click on the scan above from the UNCUT article, you will read John's

reaction to McCartney's first solo effort, which is, to be kind, un-supportive. -
However, one can hardly argue that Macca's combined output from 1970 to
1975-the year John "retired"-is, on balance, not at least equal to, or perhaps even surpasses the Lennon releases of the same period.
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However, in my opinion, while Plastic Ono Band and Imagine are superb, the single "best" Beatle solo album is Harrison's All Things Must Pass, which will be featured heavily in the October UNCUT.

APPLE, SAUCE

Oh, PM's ears must still burn...

Sort of before it was really fashionable to regard the Beatles as anything but

earthly Gods, there was this book, Apple To The Core.

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Penned in 1972 by former Rolling Stone editor Peter McCabe, and Robert D. Schonfeld, a poly-sci and economist guy-to help sort out the dollars and no sense, presumably-this 200 page Pocket Books paperback gets down and dirty in the Fabs' break-up wankings, with Paul McCartney
seeming to get the worst pranging.

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There is great intrigue centering around the Concert For Bangladesh wherein just (court) deposed Beatle manager Ron Klein

is scheming to have the NYC show prep for a full Beatles reunion
later at Wembley Stadium. "I'll roast his fuckin' ass," Klein is quoted

about McCartney.

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According to the book, Klein plans to offer a few Beatle bust-up legal bon-bons to Macca if he will show up for a real reunion.

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However, as the authors point out, the dream reunion may never have been in play such was McCartney's displeasure at Klein stalling
the release of Macca's first solo album.

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Apparently, Ringo Starr was sent to Paul's house to sort things out, but Macca would hear none of it.

According to Ringo, Paul "went completely out of control, shouting at me, prodding his finger toward my face saying, 'I'll finish you all now..you'll pay,' and then Starr says Macca threw him out of his house.
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Yikes! Poor little Ringo.

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Or, as John Lennon sung a bit more metaphorically, "the dream, is/(was) over."

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I'd urge hard-core Beatle-freaks to seek out this book via e-bay, where

it is generally available for well south of $20.

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Remember though, all things must pass.

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And HEY, Dig this: www.boomermediareview.com

A QUICK ONE:LIVE AT LEEDS, SEVERAL WAYS

If you love the Who, get this!





Record Collector is usually always a good monthly read, but sometimes they come up with a must read issue that should not be missed.
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And the July issue is such a keeper.
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Even though it may make first-and my-generation Who fans feels like dying old, it is 40 years since what many consider to be the greatest rock and roll live recording ever released, the Who Live at Leeds was released.
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So RC salutes it, and rightly so.
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Not to be boring, but I'll never forget the day that I brought this original vinyl LP home.
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I was 15 and I had heard the Who before, but not THIS kind of Who!
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This, was amazing. Loud, frantic, angry, and most likely capturing
the Who at the height of their powers. At least live-wise.
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And even though we have had three different CD versions of Leeds-the original vinyl mix, the expanded single CD, and the deluxe twofer-some Who fans still prefer the original single LP and CD as its (edited) 40 odd minutes was tighter than a chicken's arse.
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The 10 page RC article points out all the many Byzantine machinations the Leeds recordings have taken through the years, including a Canada-specific variation in the medley contained in My Generation, as well as the sad fact that in 40 years, the complete, unedited Leeds show has never been legitimately released.
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But, as you can see at left courtesy of the Bootleg Zone, the Leeds
show in its rough 2 hour+ entirely, is, or was, available for a time.
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Of course there are many warts in that unedited recording, and it
is easy to see why Pete Townshend and crew sought to excise them.
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See, in the studio, one can do sonic wonders, although learning from the RC article that a fabulous echo/reverb effect was added
to a segment of My Generation kind of blew some myths to smithereens for me.
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Yet regardless sweating the details, Live at Leeds in any form
remains the preeminent example of live rock, at least in the 20th
century. (Click on image at upper left.)
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And hopefully, at least one other show from the era-many of which were recorded- will be legitimately released in the near future.
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Oi!

8 TRACKED, NOISY RUBBERED SOUL

Yech!

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A friend of mine in Burlington, Ontario has operated an independent record/music store for over 25 years.

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I don't think he ever sold an 8-track, but sometimes he sees them when people are cleaning out

their basements, or trash.

So when he told me someone brought in Rubber Soul, Rock and Roll Music and Something New on 8T, I asked to borrow one-forever-to display here.

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Man, is this plastic abomination a relic. Although it had its days in the 70s, the format has recently been judged to be the WORST EVER in terms of fidelity by online audio experts.

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About the only thing that was good about the tapes was easy portability, and if you were too wasted to get up, it was a continuous player. And besides, if one was that loaded, who would notice the incredible tape hiss and playing speed variations. (Check the "warranty" fine print, at upper left. And the Capitol office listed no longer exsists.)

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Sometimes, there were slight labelling and cover variations-and mixes-within these 8 trackers, and you will note that the cover of this Rubber
Soul chops off part of Paul's coif, and uses clunky title script, unlike the original vinyl, and all subsequent domestic versions.
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Finally, who can forget seeing these dubious cartridges lying smashed by the side of the road, with their guts slithering along the byway.

THE LENNON LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS or JUST LIKE STARTING OVER

"Lennon's on sale again..."

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Far be it from me-a genuine John Lennon believer since the age of 8, circa 1964- to call a turn on the House of Lennon, but how many times can one (re)release the same JL stuff?

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Apparently, the answer is ad infinite.

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Or at least until Mz. Yoko Ono is no longer with us.
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Yes, of course, we Lennonites knew that October 2010 would be a
big year for JL product, and as usual, we have to take the good with the not so good.

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The best news is that we will be getting a disc of "rarities"

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The bad news is that we will have to purchase a box set of all the remastered Lennon albums to get the good stuff. And at this point, don't even know what the "good stuff" is.

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Hardly the Lennon Anthology 2.0.
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The not-bad news is the re-issue of Double Fantasy in a deluxe 2 disc format, with a stripped down mix of the album, and the regular one, remastered. But, evidently, none of the Cheap
Trick assisted sessions or other possible worthies.

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We also could have used a double of Live in New York City with both the aft and eve shows, but will get the single, regular (aft) version instead.

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(After all, YO has to leave goodies for the future.)

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And some fans are even questioning whether the original Lennon catalogue-which has seen copious "greatest hits" and themed reissued released over the past 5 years needs a remastering.

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Will have to hold judgement on that until we hear the new ones, but there has been some significant improvements in analogue to digital transfer in the past 10 years and many original analogue recordings are sounding better on the CD format.

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But also Remember, that remastering involves fiddling with balances, tone, and sound stage, something that John no longer has a say in.

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So the new remasters may sound "better," but are they really faithful?

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Finally, as one Beatle freek I know complained, why not a box set of Lost Lennon Tapes?

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It seems that much of what ran on the radio 20 years ago appeared in truncated form, so a complete rendering would be excellent.

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Perhaps the next time, Lennon's on sale again...

HEY JUDESKI, COMARADES!

(Another)ONE OF THE MISSING

Man, these Rooskie Beatle CD original album knock-offs just keep
getting better-and better.
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This version of Hey Jude, obtained from Somethingorotherstan, is the

finest repro of an Apple product that I have seen, so far.
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The makers have even adapted the oversize digipak which is
common in the Land of the Rising Sun.

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This, along with an attractive OBI, makes the thing almost suitable
for framing.

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The colour reproduction of the front and back cover is spot on, and
the inserts-all scanned here-have the obligatory Japanese lyric

sheet, which can be a gas in and of itself, with its lost translations.
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And the needle-drop from the original Japan vinyl, is a good one.
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In fact, if you are a completist, this disc is the place you will find a Beatles CD with some exclusive mixes.
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When Hey Jude was originally released in 1970, it contained newly constructed stereo mixes of Paperback Writer, Rain, and Lady Madonna, which had been released as singles, and never appeared

on an album, in stereo.
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And if one compares these Hey Jude mixes with last years remasters, you will note some differences.
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Most notable is the hard left placement of John Lennon's lead vocal on Rain.
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The overall sound of the entire disc is excellent.
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In fact, compare the bass runs of Old Brown Shoe and Ballad of John and Yoko on this disc to other versions and you may find this one has special charms.
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Come on Apple for real; release this!

FROM RUSSIA, WITH ILLICIT LOVE

Something borrowed...

Found yet another superbly reproduced Russian knock-off of a Japanese vinyl album, this time, it's Something New.

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Regular readers will know that I have come across about 10 of
these "releases," in the past couple years which obviously all come from a competent CD manufacturing plant, and all of the same high caliber, with packaging and audio quality rivalling legitimate releases. They usually range in price from $15 to $25.
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And I just love the little cheeky, "Remastered From The Original Vinyl" sticker on the front cover! To say nothing of the Apple logo.

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Sometimes these CDs show up on e-bay and other on-line emporiums, and some time they are removed due to the tried and true, "cease and desist" from Apple/EMI. I got mine in a second-hand CD shoppe in southern Ontario.
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In any event, I'd reckon that even with the Capitol Albums sets
out there for some time, the rep and allure of Japanese imports-with the all-important OBI-even fake ones, are too much for real Fabs' fans to pass up.

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And besides, the legit release of Something New-an LP that John Lennon commands, with 8 of the 11 songs featuring his lead vocals- did not come with a unique gate-fold sleeve, nor the sometimes baffling and hilarious lost in translation lyric sheets that accompany this series.
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Plus considering that if you are looking to find this title on LP-and

that's if you can find it-expect to pay about $30 for the record which come from a Japanese collection entitled The Beatles 18, which were all expertly mastered.

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In addition, this series of Russian digital bonbons include LP transfers that Capitol/Apple/EMI have so far in their finite wisdom not bothered to release. Yet.

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They are: Beatles Story (Oh alright, we can do without this one),

Yesterday and Today, Rock and Roll Music, Love Songs, and perhaps the most blatant missing title, Hollywood Bowl.

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For a country that did not even allow Beatles records into their
country until 1990, the comrades are certainly making up for

lost time, and most importantly, rubles.

ROLLING STONE "GREATEST SONGS" MAG JUST STONED

Lottsa ka ka





Of course these "greatest" lists are mostly bullocks, but Rolling Stone may have hit a new balls, low.
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Because according to the new "Collector's Edition Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time," the Beatles do not place until #8, and then with Hey Jude!
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Hey Jude is a great tune but I'd say in most Beatle fans' opinion, it is not their "best" work.
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Then, the list makes another bad decision placing Yesterday at #15, a song no other Beatle but Paul McCartney wrote and played on!
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I Want To Hold Your Hand at #16 and Let it Be at #20 rounds out the Top Twenty.
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And if you can believe it, A Day in the Life makes just #28, whilst some Nirvana noise hits #9!
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The index of the "Greatest" issue states that the Top 500 was compiled from several reader polls, as well as the RS editorial staff.
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Although the Beatles place the most songs on the list with 23, RS figgers that
Abba's Dancing Queen should be #174, and the Beatles' Something, #278!!!!!
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That, my friends, is a huge load of sheit.
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And while it's true that you can't make everyone happy with these lists, this one is just fundamentally, wrong.
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I mean only one song from perhaps the Fabs' finest effort, Revolver, and
then that is perceived by RS to be Eleanor Rigby, when many other
tunes from that platter were more worthy.
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Or Strawberry Fields coming in at #76???
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Are they bloody nutters?
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But in any event, the mag is worth picking up if for nothing else to see that living is easy with eyes-and ears-closed.

ALI IS GOAT!

An amazing volume...

It is almost 50 years now, since a young Cassius Clay returned to Louisville, Kentucky as the 1960 Olympic Gold Medal winner in light heavyweight boxing.
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Clay would quickly turn pro, and compile an undefeated record,
regularly fighting in the US and even over in England, against so-so to good opponents.
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Yet young Cassius was still considered by the boxing "experts" to be nothing more than a showman with a big mouth and small punch, Clay was not taken seriously when he met Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title in Miami on Feb. 25, 1964, and Rocky Marciano actually said before the fight that, "Clay should see a good psychiatrist."

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But "crazy" Clay beat up the fearsome Liston, shortly thereafter became known as Muhammad Ali, and the rest, as they like to say, is h-i-s-t-o-r-y.
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And the book, Ringside Ali, compiled and edited by John Miller and Aron Kenedi has some absolutely delicious words and eye-candy in it to further the legend.

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Such as, an interview with Ali conducted by Alex Haley in which Ali describes
in intimate detail his victory over Liston, an insightful essay by Norman Mailer

on the Rumble In The Jungle, and an introduction by James Earl Jones.
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As someone who was fortunate enough to have watched many mid 1960s Ali fights live on television, and then beginning with the first Joe Frazier fight on
closed circuit, I'd have to describe this book as beyond a stroll down memory lane.
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Ali was the archetype hero to the counterculture and Baby Boomers.
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My father and his friends hated Ali, and dearly wanted to see him punched
out and vanquished.
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Hell, Ali was so far from a Joe Louis "credit to his race" figure as to make
him from another planet.
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So of course my friends and I all loved Ali, first for his skills and second for

his ability to piss off our parents.
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Oh, how "The Greatest Generation" hated his guts for not going to 'Nam!

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Man, those were the days.
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But perhaps Malcolm X summed up Ali the best:
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"Not many people know the quality of the mind he's got in there.
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He fools them.
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One forgets that though a clown never imitates a wise man, a wise man can
imitate a clown.

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He is sensitive, very humble, yet shrewd-with as much untapped mental
energy as he has physical power."

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IN THE 'HOOD WITH FLYNN & CROWE & LOAF

"Robin Hood, was an English fag."
-Archie Bunker



So, the very estimable Russell Crowe shall open his interpretation of Robin Hood at Cannes this weekend.
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And I think Crowe is the perfect fit for Robin H, seeing that Russell seems to channel Errol Flynn from time to time, be it drink, or trouble with the gendarmes et al.
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But the thing is, sacrilegious re-make or not, I think the 2010 Hood will do very well, indeed.
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Why? Because the themes that made the Flynn version in the 1930s a hit-a depressed economy wherein criminal bankers (still) make out like concrete cavern bandits whilst main street peeps get not even crumbs-is surely upon us this dark day.
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Hopefully, the theme of taking righteously from the rich to give to the cornholed poor will catch on.
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FINALLY, and in other, other-worldly thinking, Meat Loaf has a new album out.
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You recall Mr. Loaf, don't you?
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The Bat Out Of Hell, produced by Todd Rundgren in 1977 was, as
they say, big time.
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See for yourself what Meat is up to now:
http://www.boomermediareview.com/MeatLoafHangCoolTBSpecial.html