Beatles

[Reeltarded]

Buddies status update says it all.

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Tom Mulhern, the former editor of Bass Player magazine said, "Trying to wash that Beatles show out of my brain today. Mostly mediocre, some bordering on horrifying.”

Jeff answered: I heard this same negative report all over the place. I am not surprised that most comments were negative. I've said it for years and people argued about it for years. Here is the legacy to everyone that believed that all playing has value, and who also believe in a broad, non specific manner of learning; a TV program dedicated to the greatest band in history and end up with trash sounding musicians.

Congratulations to the Grammy Organization, American Idol, Jay Leno, David Letterman and every other supporter of musical garbage. Congratulations to every broad minded music teacher, to every music school that put business before music, to every magazine transcribing rock solos and calling it academic. Congratulations to inept teachers that teach instrument without music first, who focus on hand exercises with no musical reason. Congratulations to teachers that advise you to cut off your vision for the sake of musical growth. Congratulations to teachers that include groove in academic lessons and content. Congratulations to the internet debaters with little or no musical experience who believe that their opinions count even without musical experience to back it up. Congratulations to musicians everywhere who run this industry but who don't about music while they make policy.

People often threaten to boycott me, to stop buying my CD's because of my hard comments about music education. (Imagine that! Being boycotted for telling people to learn music!) But if these same people would boycott the music industry and not buy musical trash but demand a higher quality of music from record companies, then the next Jimi Hendrix might get his shot instead of poor-quality Hendrix bootlegs or offering a poor substitute such as Lenny Kravitz and calling him a player of the level of Jimi.

It just goes on and on, and I, for one and sick of this shit.

[Phil_S]

Well, talent they had. Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUAvmgSi4T4
No stage monitors. They couldn't hear a blessed thing, yet what they do is near perfect.
Stage monitors came into use in R&R just as the fab 4 quit touring. A factor in their decision was that they couldn't hear on stage what they were doing. Monitors were just a little bit late for them.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Stage monitors came into use in R&R just as the fab 4 quit touring. A factor in their decision was that they couldn't hear on stage what they were doing. Monitors were just a little bit late for them.

Not being able to get quality sound is the excuse the Beatles gave for leaving the live stage. @ 6 years later, same story from Steely Dan after being the Eagles' opening act for about half a dozen shows. (Lucky for us the Dan decided to return @ 20 years later.) Last show at Candlestick Park, Ringo sang his verses into a mic on a big boom stand. Then he pushed the mic out of the way while the band continued to play, and when it was vocal time again, he sang into the boom stand counterweight instead of the mic. Didn't make much difference. That's how bad things were.

Seeing photographs of the Beatles at Shea Stadium, it was no contest. A set of Atlas PA horns was set around the perimeter of the stage, and mics run into a rudimentary Shure PA mixer, likely an M67. Cheap transistor mix with no EQ, just a little box with 5 knobs. Maybe a second M67 for the instruments and a third for the drums and another to mix the outputs of #1, 2 and 3. When the girls started screaming there was nothing else to be heard. Hi Fi it wasn't. Hell, it was a flea fart in a hurricane. Things have improved since then thank hevvins, most of the time.

I did see 'em on the Sullivan show but I was an old fan by then because I'd been listening on a Boy Scout project crystal radio to WABC 770AM, the only station the crystal set would pick up, and they were playing the Beatles about a song per hour. Well I didn't have to wear out a battery but the headphones pinched my ears somethin' awful. It was worth it, because nothing else sounded like them.

Turns out Walter Cronkite was instrumental in helping break the Beatles in the USA. He was sent to England shortly after the JFK assassination and saw a crowd going bazerko at a regional airport as their music heros got off a plane. Saint Walt sent back a message to CBS that something sensational was going on here and they picked up the ball at CBS HQ. Hence the initial appearance on CBS's Ed Sullivan show. It was an excellent spirit lifter as the USA was still in shock and depression during the months following the JFK assassination.

[Structo]

We watched the recorded show last night.

Sad it took 50 years to get to this point.

Was there such a rift between the boys that they could never set aside their differences and give us one more time All Together Now?

I won't say what I think about Yoko.

Love them or hate them, they definitely had a huge influence on all pop music after them.

I loved seeing Dahni Harrison, he looks a lot like his dad.

Sean Lennon, not so much.

And McCartney's kid? Fogettaboutit.

[jaysg]

I haven't slogged through it all. While enjoyable, I wish the Grammy idiots hadn't produced this. For example, I'm sure PM would have rather heard The Bangles and Barenaked Ladies doing his tunes, not the likes of Katy Perry or Adam Levine...not that they're bad. In fact, they're very good, but where were: Eric Clapton, George Martin, Julian Lennon, et al? (if they're on the part I haven't seen, I will edit this later)

[JoeCon]

jaysg

Don't forget this is done with people hanging around from the grammy show the day before.
Nowhere close to The Concert for George show where everyone involved with George showed up.

And about Paul: tough crowd here! He's a 72 year old man!! Still rocking out best he can. Come on a little love for the guy...I'd love to be doing that at 72 if I make it!! LOL....

[sliberty]

but where were: Eric Clapton, George Martin, Julian Lennon, et al? (if they're on the part I haven't seen, I will edit this later)

They are not ;(

[David Root]

John Mayer's playing was over the top for the song, but it was at least a nice sounding Dumble.

[Reeltarded]

You slutty whores..

lol

[skyboltone]

I couldn't hear Lukather. Walsh did pretty good imitating Harrison. I liked it....in spite of it all.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Walsh did pretty good imitating Harrison.

Apocryphal Walsh - Harrison story. On first meeting, Joe showed George how he figured out the intro to "And Your Bird Can Sing." George watched & listened & said "I double tracked that." Poor Joe, his fingers all in knots... Well, Joe COULD do it, heckuva feat!

[Structo]

Hahahaha!

[skyboltone]

That's a great story Leo. I believe it.

[Phil_S]

Wouldn't you know it, I was channel surfing, trying to find anything but the Olympics to watch. and I stumble on a re-run of this Beatles 50 show. I managed to catch the exact moment of Brad P's solo. I wished I had averted my eyes and closed my ears. It was even worse than I remembered.

[M Fowler]

I missed the show or maybe not

Is this out on youtube yet I didn't find it on my search.