Macca set to rock Bonnaroo in June

Paul is coming to Manchester

I have lived in Manchester for most of my 48 years, and I have seen several things occur that I thought I never would as a boy.

As a music lover, one of those things is the remarkable array of musicians that have visited our community as part of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. I know this event can polarize some of us because it brings both good and bad elements of our culture to our town in a mighty way.

However, when it comes strictly to music, a tremendous list of artists has come here. Of course, the definition of the word “tremendous” can vary depending on who a person is talking to. For people of my generation, identifying a tremendous artist might be a totally different process compared to how somebody half my age might do the defining.

My definition of “tremendous” includes artists like Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, and Bruce Springsteen who have all played at Bonnaroo. Seriously, if anybody had told me when I was a teenager that Bob Dylan would someday play three miles from my house, I would have told that person to seek professional help.

The latest list of performers for Bonnaroo was recently announced, and the first artist to catch my eye was Paul McCartney. A Beatle is coming to Coffee County? Chalk this up as something else I thought I would never see.

Even if McCartney’s career had ended in 1970 when The Beatles broke up, his status in modern popular music would have been secure. The Beatles’ influence on music and our culture cannot be overstated. The band took what Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, and Fats Domino started and took it to a whole different level.

The Beatles growth as artists over just an eight-year period is startling. When “Love Me Do” was released in 1962, it was a quaint love song most significant for its use of a harmonica as a lead instrument.

Compare that song to songs like “A Day In The Life” only five years later, and the growth of the songwriting team of McCartney and John Lennon was obvious.

Though McCartney and Lennon wrote less and less together as The Beatles progressed, it is interesting how the perception of them as artists got so rigid. Often, Lennon was designated as the genius with words while McCartney was noted for his melodic flair.

This is not entirely true, and it does McCartney a disservice because he could also come up with fine sets of lyrics. For example, “Hey Jude” is a fine set of words, and the song is almost entirely McCartney’s.

In the final couple of years of The Beatles career, McCartney got on a hot streak that would be a career for most musicians. Songs like “Get Back,” “Let It Be,” and “The Long and Winding Road” all hit the top of the charts and were his babies despite sharing songwriting credit with Lennon. Sometimes the fog of time can dull memories and cause us to miss how much quality product he produced in such a brief period.

Now, McCartney will be visiting Manchester, and he will have a rich catalogue of songs to choose from when entertaining the crowd. Now that he is 70 years old, it is fair to wonder just how many more times he will tour America.

Hopefully, he will visit many more times, and this June he will being playing songs that he has not often brought to our area.  A couple of years ago he played in Nashville, but that was a very rare visit.

This will be a great opportunity to see a legendary artist.

Justice still preserved: John Lennon's killer denied parole again

Lennon sometime in the 1970s

Late last month, New York officials denied Mark David Chapman's seventh request for parole, and he will remain imprisoned for murdering musician and former Beatle John Lennon back in 1980.

He has been imprisoned since he pled guilty to the crime back then and was sentenced to a 20-years-to-life term.  Looking back through the haze of almost 32 years, it is amazing that his sentence was that light.

The circumstances in which he murdered Lennon were horrible. The musician was returning to his home after an evening in a recording studio. Chapman stepped out of the shadows and shot him four times in the back. Lennon received massive injuries and was pronounced dead soon after at a local hospital.

Murder is a cowardly act, but Chapman’s execution of Lennon was especially cowardly. What kind of a person lurks in the darkness and then shoots an unarmed man in the back? There has been much written about Chapman's mental state at the time, and maybe this helps explain his deeds.

Still, it is hard to imagine why a man who committed such a grisly crime would even have the option to apply for parole. I believe in rehabilitation, and I hope Chapman has experienced that in prison. Despite this, his crime was so heinous that he should spend the rest of his life in prison.

However, in a few years, I am sure we will hear another report about another parole hearing regarding Chapman. I suppose there is a chance he could get out someday, but given the nature of his crime and who he killed, I think those chances are slim.

Even after all these years, I would not rule out the possibility of another misguided person lurking in the shadows waiting to kill Chapman if he got out. Let us face it – we are a violent society, and people are becoming more and more uninhibited when it comes to administering what they feel is true justice. Vigilantism is not the way to go, especially in a case like this because Lennon advocated concepts of love and peace so much.

Based on what I have read, Lennon was a man of many faces. Though he advocated peace, he was deeply complicated, and even he admitted he had aspects of his personality that were not so pretty. Despite this, there can be no denying the impact he and The Beatles had on contemporary society.

I am sure some people could have quite a discussion regarding whether that impact was totally good, but the fact there was an impact is a matter of historical fact. A generation was changed primarily because of The Beatles. Not many other musicians can say that or many other people period for that matter.

Though December 8 will mark the thirty-second anniversary of Lennon's death, it is a memory that remains as vivid as yesterday. I am not old enough to remember The Beatles before they disbanded, but I was aware of the four members when I was growing up in the 1970s.

Like with so many other prominent people, I can remember where I was when Lennon died. I was 15 years old and laying in my bed watching Monday Night Football.  The New England Patriots were playing the Miami Dolphins. Commentator Howard Cosell announced Lennon’s death and I was aware enough of his importance that the game lost its significance to me.

Though Chapman's crime was horrible and is still remembered, Lennon is the one who will be remembered as we go through time. A hundred years from now, Lennon will still be played on the radio. As for Chapman, I do not think we will give him a second thought.

This is not here

Didn't you read the headline? This is not here. Stop trying to read something that isn't here.

Is 'Revolver' The Beatles best album?

Perhaps the most intriguing characteristic of the Beatles entire body of work is how rapidly they grew as artists in a relatively short amount of time. From when they began recording in 1962 through early 1965, almost all their songs dealt with love. Boy and girl meet. Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back. Boy wishes he had a different girl. All the songs were simple variations of the same theme.

By early 1965, subtle influences began changing the band. Lyrically, John Lennon, George Harrison, and to a lesser extent Paul McCartney, each began following Bob Dylan's lead and started exploring deeper subject matter. Songs that followed like "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," "Nowhere Man," and "In My Life" still dealt with relationships. However, their lyrics now probed the subject matter in ways that more accurately reflected the complexity of those relationships. Simple love songs were now gone for good. Those three songs appeared on their late 1965 album Rubber Soul, which acted as the vessel that delivered the Beatles into the most creative phase of their career.

In 1966, the Beatles remained the unquestioned leaders of rock and roll. With their album Revolver, they decided to use that power to break the conventional boundaries of the current musical scene. As the subject matter of the album's songs reveals, band members sometime had different ideas about what it meant to break boundaries.

For Lennon, his excursion to new places led him into citizenship in Alice's Wonderland. Surrealism saturated his songs in such a complete way that the songs retain their original freshness and vitality more than 40 years later. Whether it was his boredom with making albums or his tendency to sometimes incorporate drugs into the creative process, Lennon's work on this album repeatedly travels into the cosmos in ways that are often bewildering. To the casual listener, a common response to these songs might be, "What the heck is this?"

Nowhere is this more obvious than on "Tomorrow Never Knows." With lyrics taken almost directly from the book The Psychedelic Experience, the song's musical arrangement mostly features guitars that were recorded and then played backward, accompanied by thumping that sounds like tribal drum beats. The result sounds like waves of electronic sound pounding a beach, while accompanied by Lennon's vocals that resemble a spiritual chant.

"I'm Only Sleeping" is an ode to dreaming the day away in bed, and "Dr. Robert" is a tribute of sorts to various Dr. Feelgoods who fulfilled the special needs of cultural icons. Though neither song is drenched in psychedelics like "Tomorrow Never Knows," they both represent a clear departure from Lennon's early songwriting. In both songs, it is like the listener can pull back his skull and peer deeply into his subconscious and ego. "And Your Bird Can Sing" is less successful than the other songs, but the surrealistic lyrics are a direct nod to the work of Dylan in the mid-1960s.

For McCartney, breaking boundaries did not necessarily include experimental studio wizardry. At that time, rock and roll still maintained second class status in the musical establishment's eyes. The establishment often maintained an attitude of unbridled condescension toward rock and roll. Cleverly, McCartney began integrating elements of the 'old world' and showed they could be used in a rock and roll context.

The previous year, McCartney began this musical migration when his song "Yesterday" included only him on acoustic guitar and a stringed quartet. No other Beatle played on it, and in a sense, it was the first Beatles solo recording. The song is one of the most recorded and commercially successful songs of all time. However, the song's big breakthrough was that McCartney showed how to use a classical musical approach in a rock and roll context.

On Revolver, he did it again. On "Eleanor Rigby" he was again accompanied by a classical group, which spun a somber musical arrangement around lyrics bemoaning the growing isolation of people. The result is chilling. Forty years after the fact, this may seem like a minor achievement, but this type of musical fusion was highly unusual for that time.

Other songs of his on the album are less adventurous but no less successful. "Good Day Sunshine" embraces the pleasure of spending a beautiful day sitting under a tree with your woman. The title of "Got To Get You Into My Life" is pretty self explanatory, but the chewy horn section that propels the song is outstanding. "Here, There and Everywhere" may be the prettiest ballad McCartney has ever written.

Though George Harrison often stood in the shadows of his two more heralded band mates, he continued to mold the band's sound on this album. The previous year he introduced the sitar to his band members, and it was included on the song "Norwegian Wood." Primarily associated with Indian music, the instrument was largely unknown to American and European audiences when the Beatles used it. The instrument made another appearance on this album on Harrison’s "Love You To."

Harrison's "Taxman" became one of his most well-known songs in which he lamented the impact that England's severe tax code had on his bank account. Ah, the problems of wealth. "I Want To Tell You" is a steady and straightforward rocker that delves into relationship problems.

The only top 10 hit from the album was the Lennon/McCartney composition "Yellow Submarine" with Ringo Starr on lead vocals. The song would be the springboard for an animated film three years later. The song is pretty silly in some respects, but it has the charm of a nursery rhyme.

The Beatles body of work is eclectic, and its impact on the world can not be overstated. Whatever musical limitations each member had, the four of them made up for it by perfectly complementing each other. Plus, they had the good sense to break up before they had a chance to fail. The audience was spared seeing them decline over time like the Rolling Stones and the Who did. This was one of the few times when the sum of all the parts added up to a whole.

The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' is an overrated album

Let me begin by writing that I believe The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is an excellent album. If I have a long drive facing me, I have no problem sticking it in the CD player as I hit the road. However, sometimes the legend of an album can overwhelm its actual quality.

This album is more important for its cultural impact than its alleged greatness. Released in the summer of 1967, it was the next step in the maturation of the band. The Beatles were striving to be artists that expanded what rock and roll could be. They were tired of being the objects of screams at concerts.

They had already abandoned tours because their 1966 concert tour was the last they ever did. Artistically, they were growing as the remarkable Revolver album showed that same year. If 'Tomorrow Never Knows' is not their greatest song, then it is definitely in the top five. It was the triumphant finale to Revolver.

After that, they entered the studio to begin recording what would become Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. However, they spent such a long time in the studio that there became a need to release a single to maintain their visibility. They released what could easily be considered the greatest two-sided single of all time. 'Penny Lane' backed with 'Strawberry Fields Forever' presented John Lennon and Paul McCartney at their absolute best. 'Penny Lane' was Paul's and it was shimmering. It's a wonderful example of what a pop single should be. John's 'Strawberry Fields Forever' seems like a logical extension of his 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' Dreamlike in its presentation, it succeeds more as an image than a typical pop song.

However, by choosing these two songs for the single, it cost them the opportunity to make their greatest album. Sgt. Pepper's... has some truly great songs: 'With a Little Help from My Friends,' 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,' 'A Day in the Life' and the title song are all top flight. The problem is that some of the deep album cuts are not quite up to snuff.

'She's Leaving Home' sounds like a remake of 'Eleanor Rigby' from the year before but less successful. 'For the Benefit of Mr. Kite' has lyrics literally taken from a carnival poster. 'Within You Without You' was one of George Harrison's less successful attempts to incorporate Indian music into The Beatles' sound. 'When I'm Sixty-four' is cute but inconsequential.

Drop two of those songs and replace them with 'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and Sgt. Pepper's... becomes a monster. There would be no doubting that it deserved the mythic status it has received. The bottom line is that this album is revered because the album is the result of great timing. The so-called 'Summer of Love' was unfolding in 1967, and the people wanted something to rally around. Since The Beatles were not touring anymore, this album became the object of their desire.

In reviewing The Beatles body of work, I consider this their fourth best album. It ranks behind The Beatles (The White Album), Revolver, and Abbey Road. It's true. Each of these three albums is more diverse than Sgt. Pepper's..., and Harrison's blooming songwriting talents almost put him on equal status with Lennon and McCartney.

Like I wrote at the beginning, Sgt. Pepper's... is an excellent album. However, does it deserve to be ranked ahead of the other three albums I just listed? An objective mind would reply: 'No.'

'All Things Must Pass' gave George Harrison the spotlight alone

In 1969, George Harrison had to have been one of the most frustrated musicians in the world. He had the good fortune of being in The Beatles. However, he had the misfortune of being a good songwriter in a band with two great ones (John Lennon and Paul McCartney). By the end of the 1960s, Harrison had a large stack of songs he had written but knew most would not see the light of day with The Beatles.

In April 1970, the band officially broke up (though the real break up happened late in '69). Despite being overshadowed by his former bandmates, Harrison had a distinct advantage over Lennon and McCartney as their solo careers began. He had a pile of songs ready to go, and he immediately went to work. Working with producer Phil Spector, Harrison created one of the first triple albums of the modern rock era. Though one of the records was just a jam session, the other discs were crammed with great music.

Titled All Things Must Pass, the album's name seemed to put The Beatles passing in a proper philosophical and spiritual perspective. It served well as the title song of the album, but it had actually been written while The Beatles were still together and was among the songs rehearsed for the Let It Be album.

Of course, the big hit from this set was 'My Sweet Lord.' It went to number one, meaning Harrison had a chart topping single before Lennon and McCartney did. A second single, the excellent 'What Is Life' also made the top ten.

The standout song of this set is likely 'Isn't It A Pity.' It's a seven-minute song, and its arrangement is reminiscent of 'Hey Jude.' The song begins softly, builds to a crescendo, and has a long, slow fade out. In the song, Harrison lamented how people break each others hearts and cause so much pain when it comes to love. That theme is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.

Unfortunately, this album was the high point of Harrison's solo career. Though he had other successful albums, All Things Must Pass was the top when it comes to creativity. Though he became uneven as an artist, he left a musical legacy that dwarfs most musicians.

Quote of the day: 'Bigger than Jesus'

"When they started burning our records...that was a real shock, the physical burning. I couldn't go away knowing I'd created another little piece of hate in the world so I apologized." -- John Lennon commenting on when people starting burning Beatles' records in reaction to his comment about the band being more influential with young people than Jesus.

It was 38-years ago today...almost

When we are younger it seems like we have all the time in the world, but as we get older, we understand that time flies by.

I was reminded of how fast time moves a few days ago when I realized it was the 38th anniversary of when the Beatles officially disbanded.

Paul McCartney announced on April 10, 1970, that he was done with the group, and it was one of those moments that truly ended an era. Of course, McCartney's announcement was only a formality.

Those familiar with the band's history knows that John Lennon had told McCartney several months earlier that he wanted out of the group. In fact, McCartney worked the hardest to keep the band together.

It was only when he became fed up with the lack of interest of the other three that he shocked the world with his announcement.

Of course, the Beatles are still a bit of a lightning rod to some people. While there can be no denying they were musical revolutionaries, some point their fingers at the band as having been a corruptive influence on youth culture.

Their hairstyles caused countless young men to abandon their crew cuts and begin growing their hair long. While there is nothing wrong with that, their appearance on American shores in February 1964 seemed to snap the nation's youth out of a trance.

Remember, this was only about 10 weeks after President Kennedy's assassination, and the country was still coping with that loss. The country needed something to get excited about and the Beatles were just that for a lot of the youth.

Of course, some who criticized the group did have good points. The Beatles all used drugs and were correctly criticized for it. Because of their status as role models, their use influenced others to give drugs a try.

In fact, society in general got a lot more permissive during that time, and we are still seeing today some of the bitter fruits from that era.

However, I believe some of the criticism given to the band was too extreme.

Could the Beatles have been better role models? Of course. But the same could be said about every one of us. We are all lucky that our mistakes and indiscretions have never been on a world stage for all to see.

I tend to agree with George Harrison's assessment of the criticism the band received. In the documentary The Beatles Anthology, he said the world used the Beatles as an excuse to go crazy and then blamed them when they didn't like the result.

He's right. There is something about our human nature that doesn't like to take responsibility for our actions. We want to blame others for the decisions we make.

In the Beatles' case, they were the most famous representatives of their generation and became the natural targets of blame when the so-called bliss of the Summer of Love began creating a lot of casualties.

Harrison saw these casualties first hand. In 1967, he traveled to San Francisco, which was the self-proclaimed capital of the counterculture.

As he stated in that documentary, he had expected to find an enlightened place. However, he said he found a lot of drop-out kids who were over indulging in drugs.

He said what he found there was like visiting a "bowery."

Those don't sound like the words of somebody who was trying to lead the youth of America astray.

Those words sound like somebody who was trying to be a good role model.