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Normally at Christmastime I get excited to hear "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" every time it comes on. For some reason, though, this year, it only makes me sad every time I hear it. I wonder why? Instead of touching me and making me think all it's doing is reminding me that John isn't here.
Yes, I do know what day it is. And I'm trying not to think about it too much. I have not had a great week, as it is, and if I let the dam break I'm afraid I may never pull it together again.
I miss you, John.
I have something to say to all those who are bitching and moaning about "Love" and what a travesty it is and how the songs shouldn't have been touched -- and I say this with all the love and respect in the world, from one Beatles fan to another: Shut up. Seriously. You are making yourselves look like complete asses. Look -- Paul likes it. Ringo likes it. Yoko and Olivia like it. That's the end of the argument right there. Now, you don't have to like the finished product. But the whining about the treatment of the songs? QUIT. It is no longer your business. The Beatles have said it's okay.....so IT'S OKAY. You do not have to defend the original recordings when the people who made the original recordings have given their blessing for this. You are defending Paul from.....himself. Now THAT'S productive!
And it's not like this is some young, upstart, hotshot producer who's come along and thought he could improve upon the Beatles. It's George Martin. Yeah, you know, George Martin? In case you have been asleep for the past forty years you ought to know that George is THE fifth Beatle. All that good stuff you hear when you listen to a Beatles album? It wouldn't sound anywhere close to the same if Sir George hadn't been a part of it. So if anybody has the right to tweak these songs; to take a new look at them, it is he. And it's sure as hell not your place to question him. Like I said, you don't have to like it. If you want to keep your original Beatles albums up on that pedestal and sit in the corner with your love beads on, rocking back and forth and pretending it's still 1968, that's your prerogative. But shut up all the boo-hooing about they shouldn't have done this and how could they do that. If they had added a bunch of newly-recorded material furnished by non-Beatles I'd be up in arms, too. But this album is pure, 100% Beatle material. Where's the harm in that? Why are you so afraid to look at the songs from a different perspective? Are you afraid you might actually like it? No one is trying to replace the originals; only to see them in a different light. Liking a new version of these songs does not make you disloyal to John, Paul, George or Ringo. They don't place their own work on an altar and worship it. Have you ever read John's remarks about his various Beatle songs? He was just as likely, if not more likely, to rip something he'd written as any music critic. While he appreciated many of the songs he did not hold them in such high esteem that he'd have been mortally offended that someone, least of all George Martin, wanted to try to alter them a little. John doesn't need you to stick up for him on this one, and neither do the other boys.
In closing I want to register my own opinion: this album is brilliant. Strawberry Fields progressing from the demo version to the end result all in the space of a few minutes is fab. The a capella Because is positively gorgeous and makes me want to cry every time I hear it. And Within You Without You set to the music of Tomorrow Never Knows? Genius! If George and Giles Martin don't win a Grammy for producing this then I will begin a campaign to have complete idiocy made a felony and have every last Music Academy voter imprisoned for a considerable amount of time.
Madalyn was dictating her Christmas list to me earlier today and one of the things she asked for was a Beatles CD! Hooray! I was thinking of getting her a new boom box, anyway, since the one she's had since she was a baby is just about destroyed, so a new CD or two to go with it would be perfect.
Now I just have to think about which ones to get her. She's got Yellow Submarine already. Maybe I can find some used at Hastings. I'd like to get her at least one early album, one mid-period and one later.