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Post by berkley on Sept 2, 2016 20:40:13 GMT -5
Heard about an upcoming movie called 8 Days a Week that is going to splice together different unseen concert footage, re-color, re-engineer, and release. This sounds cool. The wife and I will probably see it. I missed your post earlier but I just found out about this a few days ago in the Guardian online - they had a list of 40 movies coming out this fall to look out for. This was one of a handful that I'm pretty sure I'll try to see at the theatre. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Post by Confessor on Sept 3, 2016 5:35:50 GMT -5
Heard about an upcoming movie called 8 Days a Week that is going to splice together different unseen concert footage, re-color, re-engineer, and release. This sounds cool. The wife and I will probably see it. I have my tickets booked already. Our local small town cinema is showing the film for one night only on 15th September. I'll no doubt pick up the DVD of it too. I'd just love it if Paul McCartney finally OKs the release of Let It Be on Blu-Ray/DVD already. Whats the story here? It's all been shown in the theaters, TV and videotape already I agree that it's ridiculous that Let It Be isn't available on DVD. The film was taken out of circulation in the late '70s and early '80s. Certainly, the videotape release, which I think I'm right in saying was only released in Australia, was deleted in the early '80s. The rationale behind withdrawing the film from TV, video etc was that all the petty squabbling and sub-standard jamming in it cast the band in a poor light and was damaging to their legacy. However, given that pretty much everyone knows the story of how the band fell apart during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions and that all the "juiciest" bits of arguing were included in the Beatles' Anthology documentary, which is still available on DVD, there really is no reason for the band not to release the film in its complete form, as far as I can see. Within Beatles fandom we talk about the six core books, which are basically the books about the band that every other Beatles author draws from. These are... - The Beatles by Hunter Davis (1968) - The only authorised biography of the band and a fascinating glimpse into the internal workings of the group, written before they'd broken up and become canonised in the minds of the public at large. This is the only book among the "core six" that was written while the band still existed.
- Shout! by Philip Norman (1981) - Has an annoying anti-McCartney undercurrent running through it, but it's a thoroughly researched and well written account of the band's career nonetheless. For many years this was the pinnacle of Beatles literature.
- The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn (1988) - A treasure trove of previously undocumented information about the Beatles' EMI recording sessions from 1962 to 1970. May be a bit too in-depth and obsessed with minutia for more casual fans though.
- The Complete Beatles Chronicle by Mark Lewisohn (1992) - A day-by-day account of the band's entire career together. Something of a companion piece to The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions and, similarly, might be a bit too in-depth for casual fans.
- Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties by Ian MacDonald (1994) - Looks at every song the Beatles released through EMI Records and attempts to not only review them from a musicologist's viewpoint, but also within the historical, political and social context of the times. By viewing the Beatles as a product of their time and not simply looking at the band in a vacuum, as so many authors had done previously, MacDonald uncovers some incredible insights into their career and music. You may not agree with all of his conclusions, but you can't argue with the accuracy and intelligence of MacDonald's research. The book also includes the most accurate breakdown of exactly who played which instruments on every Beatles' song. This is one you can read and re-read endlessly.
- The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles and George Martin (2000) - A companion to The Beatles' Anthology TV series and the official story, as told by the band themselves and their producer. Tells the Beatles' story using excerpts from hours of interviews with the surviving band members and vintage John Lennon interviews. An essential read in terms of understanding just what it was like for the band members themselves, but also a somewhat airbrushed account of their career as you might expect from an official book like this.
These days you can also add The Beatles: All These Years, Volume One – Tune In (2013) by Mark Lewisohn to that list. Hope that helps, berkley. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 3, 2016 6:19:23 GMT -5
Let It Be was commercially released on videotape in the U.S. I don't recall for how long it was available but I did obtain it from my local video store back then and immediately made a VHS copy. I believe it was also available on laser disc too
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,199
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Post by Confessor on Sept 3, 2016 8:40:05 GMT -5
Let It Be was commercially released on videotape in the U.S. I don't recall for how long it was available but I did obtain it from my local video store back then and immediately made a VHS copy. I believe it was also available on laser disc too Is that right? I always thought the only home media release was an Australian VHS back in the early '80s, as I say. I stand corrected. I'm positive that it's never been released on any kind of home media here in the UK though. Really, the ideal time to release it on DVD would've been back when they were doing the Let It Be...Naked waste of time...err, I mean...re-imagining.  Releasing the original movie on DVD would've at least given the whole Let It Be...Naked project some level of worthiness or legitimacy. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 3, 2016 9:02:33 GMT -5
Let It Be was commercially released on videotape in the U.S. I don't recall for how long it was available but I did obtain it from my local video store back then and immediately made a VHS copy. I believe it was also available on laser disc too Is that right? I always thought the only home media release was an Australian VHS back in the early '80s, as I say. I stand corrected. I'm positive that it's never been released on any kind of home media here in the UK though. Really, the ideal time to release it on DVD would've been back when they were doing the Let It Be...Naked waste of time...err, I mean...re-imagining. Releasing the original movie on DVD would've at least given the whole Let It Be...Naked project some level of worthiness or legitimacy. Yes indeedy, it came out in the states. here's a link with info www.rarebeatles.com/photopg5/letitbe.htmBack in the 80s, I would rent movies and make VHS copies. Built a whole library that way, had a copyguard eliminator as well. Then when DVDs started, I'd purchase those and threw the VHS version into the trash. Hung on to the VHS Let It Be for years and years. One of the few VHS tapes I had left. Finally had ti say bye-bye to it when I no longer had a working VHS playback machine. Fortunately I obtained a bootleg DVD of Let It Be, or maybe it's real but from Japan, it's in my closet somewhere. Anyway, it's Paul from what I understand that's holding it up and I can just image when it does finally appear on Blu-ray it could have a bunch of awesome extras, especially deleted scenes. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 3, 2016 9:21:38 GMT -5
Here's something disappointingly strange. On this link you'll find the info on the videotape release of the Beatles Complete Concert from Tokyo 1966. I had a Tower Video Store in the neighborhood back in 1985 that did rentals. So instead of paying $80, I just made a copy of the rental. The quality was gorgeous, the picture was pristine and bright. The Japanese audience was much more polite and less frantic then any other country and so you can hear the Beatles in live performance unlike any other example Then about 10 years ago I happened upon a DVD version at a store. Don't know if it's a bootleg or an import. The video quality is terrible, muddy and dark. Have no idea what source material was used for the conversion This is one of those rare occasions when the VHS version is far superior than the DVD www.rarebeatles.com/photopg5/tokyo.htm |
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Post by berkley on Sept 3, 2016 11:21:36 GMT -5
I saw a cd at a local 2nd-hand cd/record shop the other day called "The Alternative Sergeant Pepper" - anyone know if this is worth picking up? The track listing looked good to me - a lot of alternate takes and out-takes - but I have no idea of the sound quality or authenticity.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 3, 2016 11:52:41 GMT -5
I saw a cd at a local 2nd-hand cd/record shop the other day called "The Alternative Sergeant Pepper" - anyone know if this is worth picking up? The track listing looked good to me - a lot of alternate takes and out-takes - but I have no idea of the sound quality or authenticity. Never heard it but a quick web search shows it's a bootleg cd, much of it coming from a radio broadcast with lots of interview material. Amazon reviewers mostly enjoyed it but there were exceptions. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 3, 2016 14:25:38 GMT -5
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Post by berkley on Sept 3, 2016 22:04:29 GMT -5
I saw a cd at a local 2nd-hand cd/record shop the other day called "The Alternative Sergeant Pepper" - anyone know if this is worth picking up? The track listing looked good to me - a lot of alternate takes and out-takes - but I have no idea of the sound quality or authenticity. Never heard it but a quick web search shows it's a bootleg cd, much of it coming from a radio broadcast with lots of interview material. Amazon reviewers mostly enjoyed it but there were exceptions. It was sold by the time I went back. Should have taken a chance and bought it when I saw it the first time. |
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Post by berkley on Sept 5, 2016 20:23:41 GMT -5
Heard about an upcoming movie called 8 Days a Week that is going to splice together different unseen concert footage, re-color, re-engineer, and release. This sounds cool. The wife and I will probably see it. I have my tickets booked already. Our local small town cinema is showing the film for one night only on 15th September. I'll no doubt pick up the DVD of it too. I'd just love it if Paul McCartney finally OKs the release of Let It Be on Blu-Ray/DVD already. Whats the story here? It's all been shown in the theaters, TV and videotape already I agree that it's ridiculous that Let It Be isn't available on DVD. The film was taken out of circulation in the late '70s and early '80s. Certainly, the videotape release, which I think I'm right in saying was only released in Australia, was deleted in the early '80s. The rationale behind withdrawing the film from TV, video etc was that all the petty squabbling and sub-standard jamming in it cast the band in a poor light and was damaging to their legacy. However, given that pretty much everyone knows the story of how the band fell apart during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions and that all the "juiciest" bits of arguing were included in the Beatles' Anthology documentary, which is still available on DVD, there really is no reason for the band not to release the film in its complete form, as far as I can see. Within Beatles fandom we talk about the six core books, which are basically the books about the band that every other Beatles author draws from. These are... - The Beatles by Hunter Davis (1968) - The only authorised biography of the band and a fascinating glimpse into the internal workings of the group, written before they'd broken up and become canonised in the minds of the public at large. This is the only book among the "core six" that was written while the band still existed.
- Shout! by Philip Norman (1981) - Has an annoying anti-McCartney undercurrent running through it, but it's a thoroughly researched and well written account of the band's career nonetheless. For many years this was the pinnacle of Beatles literature.
- The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn (1988) - A treasure trove of previously undocumented information about the Beatles' EMI recording sessions from 1962 to 1970. May be a bit too in-depth and obsessed with minutia for more casual fans though.
- The Complete Beatles Chronicle by Mark Lewisohn (1992) - A day-by-day account of the band's entire career together. Something of a companion piece to The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions and, similarly, might be a bit too in-depth for casual fans.
- Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties by Ian MacDonald (1994) - Looks at every song the Beatles released through EMI Records and attempts to not only review them from a musicologist's viewpoint, but also within the historical, political and social context of the times. By viewing the Beatles as a product of their time and not simply looking at the band in a vacuum, as so many authors had done previously, MacDonald uncovers some incredible insights into their career and music. You may not agree with all of his conclusions, but you can't argue with the accuracy and intelligence of MacDonald's research. The book also includes the most accurate breakdown of exactly who played which instruments on every Beatles' song. This is one you can read and re-read endlessly.
- The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles and George Martin (2000) - A companion to The Beatles' Anthology TV series and the official story, as told by the band themselves and their producer. Tells the Beatles' story using excerpts from hours of interviews with the surviving band members and vintage John Lennon interviews. An essential read in terms of understanding just what it was like for the band members themselves, but also a somewhat airbrushed account of their career as you might expect from an official book like this.
These days you can also add The Beatles: All These Years, Volume One – Tune In (2013) by Mark Lewisohn to that list. Hope that helps, berkley . Very helpful, indeed - thanks Confessor. I'll almost certainly try to read some of those one of these days. We could do a whole thread for music books, to my mind, as there are a lot I'm curious about. Or I suppose questions could be added to the What are you reading thread. |
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Post by chadwilliam on Sept 6, 2016 19:10:17 GMT -5
- Shout! by Philip Norman (1981) - Has an annoying anti-McCartney undercurrent running through it, but it's a thoroughly researched and well written account of the band's career nonetheless. For many years this was the pinnacle of Beatles literature.
"anti-McCartney undercurrent" is right.
John Lennon was "three quarters" of The Beatles wrote Norman, meaning in his estimation, Paul, George, and Ringo combined were responsible for only one-quarter of The Beatles output. Norman later admitted that he had grown up resenting McCartney for his success and took it out on him by way of slander (He now confesses that ‘If I’m honest, all those years I’d spent wishing to be him had left me feeling in some obscure way that I needed to get my own back’ www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-3586833/Paul-McCartney-Biography-reviewed-Craig-Brown-Love-love-lifetime-rude-Paul-McCartney-praising-John-Lennon-Beatles-prolific-biographer-does-volte-face.html#ixzz4JWYPjK9c).
Not the only book to deify John Lennon following his assassination (though the publication was in progress when Lennon was killed) but possibly the most effective in the way that it managed to malign Paul McCartney in equal measures. It really captures that whole "Lennon was the brains behind The Beatles and McCartney just a pretty face who wrote meaningless drivel" myth.
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Post by berkley on Sept 6, 2016 22:19:59 GMT -5
Yeah, that pretty much moves the Norman book to the bottom of the list for me, especially now that there's an alternative in Lewisohn's Tune In. That one, the Hunter Davies book, Revolution in the Head, and maybe The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions are probably the ones that I'll look for first.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 15, 2016 9:34:37 GMT -5
The only book on The Beatles that I've read is A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles by Mark Hertsgaard. It covered each Beatles recording chronologically and offered up insights into the specifics of each recording, with a focus on the "art" side of things as opposed to the biographic or technical. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Sept 15, 2016 10:10:36 GMT -5
Saw in the current Rolling Stone magazine a review on the upcoming CD The Beatles Live At The Hollywood Bowl. I remember buying that LP in the mid 1970s. It was a fine example of the Beatles in concert albeit the usual thunderous screaming teens. Always wondered why it didn't come out in CD. Now it will in expanded form with a few songs left off the original album
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Releasing the original movie on DVD would've at least given the whole Let It Be...Naked project some level of worthiness or legitimacy.
