Beatles 4 - The Hip Quotient

The Beatles’ White Album – In Need of a Damn Good Whacking?

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Beatles
Post comments:2 Comments
Post published:November 25, 2014

If you could whittle down The Beatles' double "White Album" to a single-disc LP, which songs would you include (or toss)? Today, this album is considered iconic among fans and critics. Yet, upon its release, many critics considered the songs somewhat mediocre and purposeless. I played this album till it was nearly grooveless, but when it comes to critical analysis, I believe its content could have used "a damn good whacking," to borrow a line from George Harrison's song "Piggies" (a tune I'd cut, by the way).

Private Johnny and the Spectacles of War

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Beatles John Lennon: One Spinal Cracker
Post comments:2 Comments
Post published:October 9, 2014

It's ironic that a tireless war protester like John Lennon would have ever accepted a film role as a soldier. But that's just what he did back in 1966 when he appeared as Private Gripweed in Richard Lester's movie "How I Won the War." The film was an absurd black comedy about the misadventures of an army troop led by…

Ognir Rrats: They’re Gonna Put Me in the Movies

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Beatles Film, TV, Stage, Media
Post comments:3 Comments
Post published:July 7, 2014

When Ringo sang the words of Buck Owens' hit "Act Naturally" on the B side of the 1965 Beatles' single "Yesterday," little did he know that acting would become a second career of sorts. "Well, I'll bet you I'm gonna be a big star. Might win an Oscar, you can never tell," he wailed in his no-frills voice. Well, the plucky drummer may not have lasted a day in the acting workshops of Lee Strasberg or Stella Adler, but he managed to put his kooky stamp on a number of independently-made films through the years, sharing credits with acting giants like Peter Sellers and Richard Burton. And then there was that TV movie of his. Hmmm, does anybody out there remember Ognir Rrats (Ringo Starr spelled backwards)? Allow me to refresh your memory.

She Loves You — The Beatles’ One and Only Swan Song

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Beatles
Post comments:2 Comments
Post published:July 1, 2014

"Swan song" is a term that refers to a final effort or performance. But, when I think of swan song as it relates to The Beatles, their early hit "She Loves You" comes to mind. By September 1963, the band was fast becoming a phenomenon in England, but couldn't manage to grab the attention of a major record label in the U.S. Beatles' manager Brian Epstein finally turned to the small Philadelphia-based Swan Records to release the single that was flying off the shelves in the U.K.

Happy Birthday, Julian Lennon: Beautiful Boy #1

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Beatles
Post comments:2 Comments
Post published:April 8, 2014

The first baby born to a Beatle inspired two of the band's most famous songs before he turned five years old. As the legend goes, his drawing of classmate Lucy (in the sky, with diamonds) Vodden spurred John to write THE defining psychedelic song of the 1960s. He was also the inspiration behind the Beatles' biggest hit of all time, "Hey Jude." Paul McCartney has long maintained that he began writing the song as "Hey Jules," in an effort to comfort young Julian during the divorce of his father and Cynthia Powell in 1968. It's tough being the son of a rock legend, but Julian - with a voice hauntingly like John's - has proven that he has talent and character in his own right.