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.