Today, 2nd October, marks the launch of the latest remastered Beatles album, Rubber Soul. Do you buy the remastered editions? And there are so many on offer too, so which do you choose? Or do you prefer the original?
Of course, the original UK edition is different to the Capitol US album, and for quite a significant difference too. The whole concept was that The Beatles were drawing on their love of R&B and Soul music, yet the US edition seemed to take the Soul out of the album and make it a folk/rock album instead.
This album marked a significant change in The Beatles songwriting. Under the influence of their recent friendship with Bob Dylan, you can see his style of songwriting reflected in The Beatles lyrics, especially for John. Gone were the standard love songs of “I love her”, “She loves you” and clear love stories, we now had John’s affair in “Norwegian Wood”, Paul writing about his troubled relationship with Jane Asher in three of his songs, and, for the first time, John writing personally about his childhood in Liverpool in “In My Life”. This would spark an idea about writing about their childhoods, which brought us “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” in 1967.
What an album!
Of course, we also get a previously little-known unreleased John Lennon song, “Little Girl” – which you can hear on my Instagram feed if you don’t have the album yet! What do you think of it? Obviously it is only a demo, but it is a previously unreleased song, provided by Sean Lennon, but it dates to 1965, and could have ended up on Rubber Soul.
In other news:
Have you joined my Instagram feed yet or my Facebook page? Both are @liddypooldave
Yesterday I was on Groove Radio for my monthly chat with my good friend Nigel Pearce, talking all about Rubber Soul – that was a fun hour! And then I was on Times Radio discussing how popular The Beatles had become and that each of The Beatles estates had received a £900 million pound dividend! Not bad for a band that broke up in 1970!!
Then yesterday evening I was honoured to be invited onto the maiden voyage of the brand new Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey, the Royal Daffodil! What an incredible ship, and always a pleasure to take a trip on the ferry. (Photos again on the Instagram and Facebook pages)
The past week has seen so many vehicles and personnel in Liverpool for filming the new Beatles Biopics. Woolton Village has been overrun by the production, and Menlove Avenue, outside Mendips, had over 30 vehicles and hundreds of people to film a simple scene at John’s Aunt Mimi’s house! Not sure why they needed so many people! There has been a lot of criticism about the actors chosen to play The Beatles, as well as how they look, which is nothing like The Beatles. Again, to see the many photos I have taken recently, check out my Instagram and Facebook pages. Let me know what you think?
Apart from that, not much happening!!
Oh yes, I have just started work on my next book and continuing to work on the TV series for German Television about The Beatles in Hamburg!
David
