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bedsitter23Remember when you saw Paul and Ringo perform together at the Grammies, and you wondered (or perhaps your friends posted on Social Media)'Why didn't they perform any Beatles songs?'.
Perhaps it's because Paul McCartney released a critically acclaimed album last year and the Grammies are all about the best of the present and the future.
Ha ha. Of course not. Grammy isn't far removed from the Beatles active years, where the Fab Four routinely got beat out by Streisand and Sinatra, Petula Clark and "Winchester Cathedral".
No, CBS was holding the footage of the four hour Beatles Grammy tribute for a special all of its own.
Tributes are an uphll battle, of course, and the whole show was a run up to what we really wanted to see- the Fab Two taking the stage.
Instead of showing what today's current artists can do with classic tracks, it seemed to serve the opposite (which is okay) that the Beatles were truly special.
Case in point, Katy Perry's "Yesterday". It was terrible. What makes the original so great is that it is a plaintive lament. Katy over-emoted every word and extended every syllable like she was performing on Broadway. The Beatles were a rock band, and what made that song great was the simplicity, not trying to force it.
Even as exciting as it was to see the Eurythmics reunite, they suffered the same issue. The classic Eurythmics would have made "Penny Lane" proud, but instead we got Diva-ish Lennox giving it the "Walking on Broken Glass" treatment. Not terrible, but not a song that people are looking to download.
The best moments might actually be the country guys. Brad Paisley (with Pharrel) and Keith Urban (with John Mayer) at least played Beatles songs like they were meant for guitar, not for Vegas.
The exception being Imagine Dragons whose cover of "Revolution" reminded me of the many terrible bands in the late 80s glam era who performed unispired bar versions of better songs.
So, Rock won the night. By now, "Hey Bulldog" has gained a reputation as a hidden neo-alt-rock Beatles 'hit', but Dave Grohl and Jeff Lynne tore it up. As did Grohl, Gary Clark Jr, and Joe Walsh on the bar band standard "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." This generation knows Walsh as a punchline (He was a Drew Carey regular) but he tears it up here.
Of course, even the bigger winner were the Beatles themselves. I actually do love Ringo's solo work, but his performances are so 'sing-alongy' that I don't enjoy them (as experienced at the Grammies when he performed 'Photograph' and here on 50's early rock classic 'Matchbox'). I don't blame him. He's probably having more fun than anyone on the planet.
McCartney was great, of course. He's been doing it for years, and it was good to see George Harrison's son join them. I wonder if they could have done more with Yoko and Sean.
I really enjoyed seeing Eric Idle and unfortunately, Idle and Jeff Bridges and the Beatles themselves were the biggest victim of the editor's cut.
I also really enjoyed the conversation (I will use that term instead of 'interview') with David Letterman and the two Beatles. It's appropriate to the Ed Sullivan Theater (where Letterman stands every night now) and someone who was an appropriately aged fan.
Overall, it was worth it, despite no song downloads that I would take away.
I also want to share this NPR piece on the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan. It's an interesting story to hear, including facts like Jack Paar almost scooped Sullivan, how the Christmas season worked to the Beatles advantage, and the first 'street team' in the record industry.
Perhaps it's because Paul McCartney released a critically acclaimed album last year and the Grammies are all about the best of the present and the future.
Ha ha. Of course not. Grammy isn't far removed from the Beatles active years, where the Fab Four routinely got beat out by Streisand and Sinatra, Petula Clark and "Winchester Cathedral".
No, CBS was holding the footage of the four hour Beatles Grammy tribute for a special all of its own.
Tributes are an uphll battle, of course, and the whole show was a run up to what we really wanted to see- the Fab Two taking the stage.
Instead of showing what today's current artists can do with classic tracks, it seemed to serve the opposite (which is okay) that the Beatles were truly special.
Case in point, Katy Perry's "Yesterday". It was terrible. What makes the original so great is that it is a plaintive lament. Katy over-emoted every word and extended every syllable like she was performing on Broadway. The Beatles were a rock band, and what made that song great was the simplicity, not trying to force it.
Even as exciting as it was to see the Eurythmics reunite, they suffered the same issue. The classic Eurythmics would have made "Penny Lane" proud, but instead we got Diva-ish Lennox giving it the "Walking on Broken Glass" treatment. Not terrible, but not a song that people are looking to download.
The best moments might actually be the country guys. Brad Paisley (with Pharrel) and Keith Urban (with John Mayer) at least played Beatles songs like they were meant for guitar, not for Vegas.
The exception being Imagine Dragons whose cover of "Revolution" reminded me of the many terrible bands in the late 80s glam era who performed unispired bar versions of better songs.
So, Rock won the night. By now, "Hey Bulldog" has gained a reputation as a hidden neo-alt-rock Beatles 'hit', but Dave Grohl and Jeff Lynne tore it up. As did Grohl, Gary Clark Jr, and Joe Walsh on the bar band standard "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." This generation knows Walsh as a punchline (He was a Drew Carey regular) but he tears it up here.
Of course, even the bigger winner were the Beatles themselves. I actually do love Ringo's solo work, but his performances are so 'sing-alongy' that I don't enjoy them (as experienced at the Grammies when he performed 'Photograph' and here on 50's early rock classic 'Matchbox'). I don't blame him. He's probably having more fun than anyone on the planet.
McCartney was great, of course. He's been doing it for years, and it was good to see George Harrison's son join them. I wonder if they could have done more with Yoko and Sean.
I really enjoyed seeing Eric Idle and unfortunately, Idle and Jeff Bridges and the Beatles themselves were the biggest victim of the editor's cut.
I also really enjoyed the conversation (I will use that term instead of 'interview') with David Letterman and the two Beatles. It's appropriate to the Ed Sullivan Theater (where Letterman stands every night now) and someone who was an appropriately aged fan.
Overall, it was worth it, despite no song downloads that I would take away.
I also want to share this NPR piece on the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan. It's an interesting story to hear, including facts like Jack Paar almost scooped Sullivan, how the Christmas season worked to the Beatles advantage, and the first 'street team' in the record industry.
