Listening to the Beatles...my wife gets it now

zybar · « **on:** 23 Mar 2008, 04:43 pm »

After catching parts of the Beatles debacle on American Idol, I felt obligated to ask my wife to listen to how the Beatles are supposed to sound.

I flipped between various songs on "Abbey Road", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" , "Revolver", and "Let It Be" in my main system and had my wife sit in the sweet spot.

After listening for about 20 minutes (probably the longest she has listened to my system), she stood up and said "You're right, this is much better than what was on American Idol."

While I wouldn't expect anybody on American Idol to be picked over the Beatles, it was still good to have my wife acknowledge that the original was superior.

For me, I just need to make sure I don't expose myself to American Idol going forward. aa

George

PhilNYC · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 05:02 pm »

Your wife had never heard the Beatles before...?

zybar · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 05:30 pm »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 23 Mar 2008, 05:02 pm

Your wife had never heard the Beatles before...?

Yes, she has heard the Beatles before.

However, she was trying to tell me that the American idol contestants did a good job in covering the Beatles' songs. Based on my limited exposure to the show, I disagreed vehemently.

So I asked her to sit down and listen to the Beatles in my main setup.

George

maxwalrath · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 05:41 pm »

Quote from: zybar on 23 Mar 2008, 04:43 pm

For me, I just need to make sure I don't expose myself to American Idol going forward. aa

I'd say this is great advice for everyone

PhilNYC · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 05:47 pm »

What do you think of this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK7P3fEnDZs&NR=1

ted_b · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 06:48 pm »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 23 Mar 2008, 05:47 pm

What do you think of this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK7P3fEnDZs&NR=1

I think he should have stayed with the early verse, with fiddles, etc. Kinda cool, frankly. It's a bluesy song.

Overall, I'm not an AI fan, but even more, I cringe every time Beatle covers are attempted. Maybe cuz the originals are so ingrained in our psyches, so perfectly positioned as classics...dunno. It's seems unfair, but yet historically the same thing happens....it comes nowhere close.

ctviggen · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 06:52 pm »

Anyone hear the story on NPR (National Public Radio) about the Japanese band that sounds just like the Beatles? They played one of the songs, and I couldn't tell it wasn't the Beatles. (Personally, I can't stand the Beatles, but that's for another thread.)

ted_b · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 07:13 pm »

Quote from: ctviggen on 23 Mar 2008, 06:52 pm

Anyone hear the story on NPR (National Public Radio) about the Japanese band that sounds just like the Beatles? They played one of the songs, and I couldn't tell it wasn't the Beatles. (Personally, I can't stand the Beatles, but that's for another thread.)

Yes, The Silver Beats and The Parrots are two popular Japanese tribute bands, the former making their way into the US. They sound pretty good.......for Japanese Beatle tribute bands. They add extra syllables to words "close your eyes and I a-kiss-a you, tomorrow I a-miss-a you" (a hell of a lot better than the converse; we'd likely botch Japanese to the point of insulting the original intent) , and sound only occasionally as tight as their UK and US tribute counterparts, but it's a nice tribute. To say they sound anything close to "uncanny" or "eerily like the Beatles", or are indistinguishable says only one thing Bob (sorry to say, but you don't care, you don't like them anyway....

)...you don't know The Beatles.

ajzepp · « **Reply #8 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 08:19 pm »

Zybar: You're missing the beauty of the whole thing...As you pointed out, to expect AI contestants to properly cover some of the best songs in history is ridiculous. But at the same time, the show DOES have you and your wife talking about a band that you obviously are quite fond of, and it's done the same thing for me and for many other people in this country. I've expanded my music collection in large part because of AI. I'll hear a song performed that either I'm not familiar with, or have heard before but wasn't sure of the artist who recorded it. I realize how much I enjoy it, buy the CD, and my music collection has grown.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #9 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 08:56 pm »

Quote from: ajzepp on 23 Mar 2008, 08:19 pm

Zybar: You're missing the beauty of the whole thing...As you pointed out, to expect AI contestants to properly cover some of the best songs in history is ridiculous. But at the same time, the show DOES have you and your wife talking about a band that you obviously are quite fond of, and it's done the same thing for me and for many other people in this country. I've expanded my music collection in large part because of AI. I'll hear a song performed that either I'm not familiar with, or have heard before but wasn't sure of the artist who recorded it. I realize how much I enjoy it, buy the CD, and my music collection has grown.

As I've said in other AI threads here on AC, I find it hard not to support a show that encourages the mass audience to actually listen to a live musical performance and judge whether the performance was good or not. Yes, there are some really lousy performances...there are also some really knock-out memorable performances as well (I still can't forget Melinda Doolittle's "W.O.M.A.N." last season!)....

K.C. · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 09:08 pm »

Quote from: zybar on 23 Mar 2008, 04:43 pm

For me, I just need to make sure I don't expose myself to American Idol going forward.

Viewer discretion should be advised; If you have a clue about anything meaningful in our music culture turn off the TV.

ajzepp · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 09:11 pm »

I couldn't agree more, Phil.

zybar · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 09:16 pm »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 23 Mar 2008, 08:56 pm

Quote from: ajzepp on 23 Mar 2008, 08:19 pm
Zybar: You're missing the beauty of the whole thing...As you pointed out, to expect AI contestants to properly cover some of the best songs in history is ridiculous. But at the same time, the show DOES have you and your wife talking about a band that you obviously are quite fond of, and it's done the same thing for me and for many other people in this country. I've expanded my music collection in large part because of AI. I'll hear a song performed that either I'm not familiar with, or have heard before but wasn't sure of the artist who recorded it. I realize how much I enjoy it, buy the CD, and my music collection has grown.

As I've said in other AI threads here on AC, I find it hard not to support a show that encourages the mass audience to actually listen to a live musical performance and judge whether the performance was good or not. Yes, there are some really lousy performances...there are also some really knock-out memorable performances as well (I still can't forget Melinda Doolittle's "W.O.M.A.N." last season!)....

Ok, so just don't have them cover the Beatles and probably a few other groups.

I agree that everybody can't be terrible, but in my limited "pop in's" they usually haven't been too good.

I'll just have to take your word for it Phil.

BTW, the youtube you referenced in a previous post was ok. I agree with Ted...if he stayed with a single approach it would have been better - the combination didn't do it for me.

George

ajzepp · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 09:18 pm »

Quote from: K.C. on 23 Mar 2008, 09:08 pm

Viewer discretion should be advised; If you have a clue about anything meaningful in our music culture turn off the TV.

And who exactly defines what is meaningful in our music culture? You? "Popular Music" has been a part of our lives for decades, and that's exactly what AI taps in to. If you don't care for it, that's fine...but there is a place for "pop" in our music culture, whether you acknowledge it or not, and whether it's your kind of music or not.

ajzepp · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 09:34 pm »

Zybar: There's no doubt that they're hit or miss week in and week out...

Here, for example, is a "hit"...by whom I consider to be the most talented person ever to be on AI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wN4wGxPvpw

soundbitten1 · « **Reply #15 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 09:46 pm »

Speaking of Beatle cover bands these guys sing Beatle songs Ramone-style .

http://www.punkles.com/album.html

zybar · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 10:13 pm »

Quote from: ajzepp on 23 Mar 2008, 09:34 pm

Zybar: There's no doubt that they're hit or miss week in and week out...

Here, for example, is a "hit"...by whom I consider to be the most talented person ever to be on AI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wN4wGxPvpw

Must admit it was pretty darn good!

Is she a current contestant?

George

PhilNYC · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 10:17 pm »

Quote from: zybar on 23 Mar 2008, 09:16 pm

Ok, so just don't have them cover the Beatles and probably a few other groups.

I agree that everybody can't be terrible, but in my limited "pop in's" they usually haven't been too good.

I'll just have to take your word for it Phil.

BTW, the youtube you referenced in a previous post was ok. I agree with Ted...if he stayed with a single approach it would have been better - the combination didn't do it for me.

George

One of those groups that I would have thought about "not covering" was Queen, but the Aussie on the show this season absolutely killed on "Bohemian Rhapsody"...!

And btw - here's the Melinda Doolittle clip I was talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JUBSaWnms4

PhilNYC · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 10:48 pm »

I'll throw one more out there. This one has been talked about as one of the better performances this season. A 17-year old kid singing "Imagine"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUffD7IFAXQ

ajzepp · « **Reply #19 on:** 23 Mar 2008, 10:56 pm »

Quote from: zybar on 23 Mar 2008, 10:13 pm

Quote from: ajzepp on 23 Mar 2008, 09:34 pm
Zybar: There's no doubt that they're hit or miss week in and week out...

Here, for example, is a "hit"...by whom I consider to be the most talented person ever to be on AI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wN4wGxPvpw

Must admit it was pretty darn good!

Is she a current contestant?

George

I wish she were a current contestant, cause she got a raw deal in Season 1. She's amazing...she can write, act, and sing. She's just my favorite example of how once in a while someone will have a really special moment on the show. I admit they don't happen often, but when they do it's pretty cool