My Beatle weekend...
Feb. 9th, 2004 07:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hippie_chickThe weekend was spent for the most part vegging and not doing anything. Nice for a change. I commemorated the 40th anniversary of Beatlemania in my own way by watching Beatles stuff like crazy. Watch out. Beatle! intense reviews below...
Ed Sullivan Presents The Beatles
This was a must of course. The Beatles four appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. These are shown *exactly* like you'd have seen them then, with the commercials and the acts that appeared on the same show as the Beatles. Two disc set. But it's conveniently cut into chapter sections so you can go right to the Beatles stuff if you like and aren't into puppet acts, acrobats, Soupy Sales, and Cab Calloway. But I think it's charming to watch the entire thing, even though some of the other acts were mediocre. Ed was impressed with the boys, and very complimentary. And they look a little overwhelmed by it all but still simply wonderful.
The Beatles At Shea Stadium
The video I have linked here is not I don't think what I watched, though it might be since it says 'filmed as it happened'. What I have is the August 1965 concert done documentary style, with comments by the Beatles interspersed that we taped off PBS a few years ago. They even showed glimpses of the other acts that appeared before the Beatles.
This is Beatlemania. Crazy, exciting, incredible. John screaming out Twist And Shout and Dizzy Miss Lizzie and his funny antics at the organ during I'm Down... I watched it all thinking to myself wow... I was only just over a month old when this was happening! Great stuff. And the way the boys were helicoptered in and out of the stadium reminded me of the end of A Hard Day's Night! Haha!
A Hard Day's Night
Classic, classic, classic! I was a little disappointed in the DVD release however for a couple of reasons. The extras aren't that special, it was matted in widescreen (tsk, tsk, tsk... you don't see the entire frame!) and there is no Running, Jumping, Standing Still that we'd been promised. But still, it's AHDN! And now, thanks to DVD, I can see with better clarity what that naughty boy John wrote on the lady reporter's pad.... ::leans in and whispers:: "tits"! Heehee! And my favorite portion always, always always is when Ringo goes out "parading" , talking with the little boy, taking pictures, getting himself in trouble...
Help!
My favorite. I love this film! So much great stuff! Fiendish thingies! Sacrificial rings! And singing "Ode To Joy"... to a lion! Among other things. There are great songs in this too, my favorite musical sequence being "Hide Your Love Away". After the song, Ahme pulls out the needle with the shrinking stuff, George faints... Paul gets it in the thigh and has his "Amazing Adventure Of Paul On The Floor"...
I love their flat, John's bed, sunk into the floor, copies of Spaniard In The Works strewn about...
I've heard it said how the Beatles in these films could easily be compared to the Marx Brothers... John as Groucho, Paul as Chico, George as Zeppo, and Ringo as Harpo. I see it easily but their true personalities lend themselves naturally to the comparison.
Magical Mystery Tour
Not everyone's favorite. Call it self indulgent, call it weird, but you have to give it credit for the wonderful 'music video' pieces in there ...I Am The Walrus, Fool On The Hill and Blue Jay Way to name three. And we wouldn't have the Monkees' trippy Head if it weren't for this film, which I also love. But then again, I enjoy quirky strange pieces like this. Haha!
I was disappointed that the DVD release wasn't remastered... the picture quality could have been far better and I'd have loved for them to remaster the audio track as well.
I am the walrus! 'No you're not!' said little Nicola.'
And of course I put in The Beatles Anthology... which goes without saying. The Free As A Bird and Real Love videos alone are so great.
We did also go into West Palm to see the exhibit of John's drawings at City Place. Was lovely. He was just so amazing in his talents.
Well there you have it, that was my weekend. Beatle bliss, my friends.
Edit:
Forgot to mention Grammy stuff. The "tribute" seemed thrown together and sucked. I loved what Olivia, Yoko, Paul, and Ringo had to say, was happy that Marwa Blues got best instrumental, but really... Justin got best album? George should have. Seriously. And that's all I have to say about that. Oh, Dave and Sting? Telegram, fellas... it's "I saw her standing there" , not "I saw her dancing there" !
Ed Sullivan Presents The Beatles
This was a must of course. The Beatles four appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. These are shown *exactly* like you'd have seen them then, with the commercials and the acts that appeared on the same show as the Beatles. Two disc set. But it's conveniently cut into chapter sections so you can go right to the Beatles stuff if you like and aren't into puppet acts, acrobats, Soupy Sales, and Cab Calloway. But I think it's charming to watch the entire thing, even though some of the other acts were mediocre. Ed was impressed with the boys, and very complimentary. And they look a little overwhelmed by it all but still simply wonderful.
The Beatles At Shea Stadium
The video I have linked here is not I don't think what I watched, though it might be since it says 'filmed as it happened'. What I have is the August 1965 concert done documentary style, with comments by the Beatles interspersed that we taped off PBS a few years ago. They even showed glimpses of the other acts that appeared before the Beatles.
This is Beatlemania. Crazy, exciting, incredible. John screaming out Twist And Shout and Dizzy Miss Lizzie and his funny antics at the organ during I'm Down... I watched it all thinking to myself wow... I was only just over a month old when this was happening! Great stuff. And the way the boys were helicoptered in and out of the stadium reminded me of the end of A Hard Day's Night! Haha!
A Hard Day's Night
Classic, classic, classic! I was a little disappointed in the DVD release however for a couple of reasons. The extras aren't that special, it was matted in widescreen (tsk, tsk, tsk... you don't see the entire frame!) and there is no Running, Jumping, Standing Still that we'd been promised. But still, it's AHDN! And now, thanks to DVD, I can see with better clarity what that naughty boy John wrote on the lady reporter's pad.... ::leans in and whispers:: "tits"! Heehee! And my favorite portion always, always always is when Ringo goes out "parading" , talking with the little boy, taking pictures, getting himself in trouble...
Help!
My favorite. I love this film! So much great stuff! Fiendish thingies! Sacrificial rings! And singing "Ode To Joy"... to a lion! Among other things. There are great songs in this too, my favorite musical sequence being "Hide Your Love Away". After the song, Ahme pulls out the needle with the shrinking stuff, George faints... Paul gets it in the thigh and has his "Amazing Adventure Of Paul On The Floor"...
I love their flat, John's bed, sunk into the floor, copies of Spaniard In The Works strewn about...
I've heard it said how the Beatles in these films could easily be compared to the Marx Brothers... John as Groucho, Paul as Chico, George as Zeppo, and Ringo as Harpo. I see it easily but their true personalities lend themselves naturally to the comparison.
Magical Mystery Tour
Not everyone's favorite. Call it self indulgent, call it weird, but you have to give it credit for the wonderful 'music video' pieces in there ...I Am The Walrus, Fool On The Hill and Blue Jay Way to name three. And we wouldn't have the Monkees' trippy Head if it weren't for this film, which I also love. But then again, I enjoy quirky strange pieces like this. Haha!
I was disappointed that the DVD release wasn't remastered... the picture quality could have been far better and I'd have loved for them to remaster the audio track as well.
I am the walrus! 'No you're not!' said little Nicola.'
And of course I put in The Beatles Anthology... which goes without saying. The Free As A Bird and Real Love videos alone are so great.
We did also go into West Palm to see the exhibit of John's drawings at City Place. Was lovely. He was just so amazing in his talents.
Well there you have it, that was my weekend. Beatle bliss, my friends.
Edit:
Forgot to mention Grammy stuff. The "tribute" seemed thrown together and sucked. I loved what Olivia, Yoko, Paul, and Ringo had to say, was happy that Marwa Blues got best instrumental, but really... Justin got best album? George should have. Seriously. And that's all I have to say about that. Oh, Dave and Sting? Telegram, fellas... it's "I saw her standing there" , not "I saw her dancing there" !
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-09 09:22 pm (UTC)I love A Hard Day's Night and Help! with a passion. :D Anytime I need a movie to cheer me up, I pop in Help!. Anytime I feel like singing along with Beatles songs in movie format, A Hard Day's Night or Help! are there for me. Love them both so much.
I haven't found Magical Mystery Tour DVDs anywhere... where did you get yours?? I really want to see that film. I adore trippy films. :)
Re:
Date: 2004-02-09 09:28 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-09 11:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-01 04:29 am (UTC)i'm a mocker.