DAY 30: 30-DAY BEATLES TRIBUTE Imagine - John, solo artist “Imagine,” the song and the album, was co-produced by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Phil Spector. Recording began at Lennons home studio at Tittenhurst Park, England, in May 1971 and was completed at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July 1971. The public memorial to John, Strawberry Fields, is in Central Park, New York City. It was open to the public on October 9, 1985, which would have been Lennons 45th birthday. The centerpiece of Strawberry Fields is a mandala-like circular work of art with the word “Imagine” at the center. In 30 days we’ve tried to re-experience the Beatles. Due to the vastness of the Beatles creative output as well as their global impact, any tribute is filtered to some degree through the eyes of the person putting together the tribute. I made some plans, and set out with some direction in the beginning on February 9th, but felt the need to open things up and let the creative spirit guide me during the last 10 days or so. It was only 5 days ago that I knew that “Imagine” would conclude this tribute. There are still a lot of things I want to say, but I’ll focus on one. The Beatles wrote at the level of “magic.” As a songwriter/composer of a large number of songs, every now and then I write something that is magical. A few times I’ve written something and have recognized something of the Beatles in that composition. But EVERY song the Beatles wrote was “magic,” which is a term I use to indicate that the Whole is greater than the sums of the parts. The parts being: four amazing musicians, three super great songwriters, one drummer whose personality helped unify the group, one great producer (George Martin), great melodies, great lyrics, and ultimately a level of consciousness that helped shift the world in positive, countless ways. There is no other group or individual whose music was at the level of magic ALWAYS. Most good pop/rock, soul, or country groups are lucky if they record one or two super great songs in their career. The Beatles left a legacy. Concluding with a Beatle as a solo artist is a natural progression. Without the Beatles there would not have been extraordinary solo careers of all four Beatles. The tragedy of John’s untimely death is that his creative output was at a very high level and I think he had a great deal more creativity to share. And the other part of the tragedy is that John’s personal life was probably the happiest it had been, and his role as husband and father (of Sean) was front and center for him. There are many amazing things about the Beatles, not the least of which is that they recorded music that became part of the soundtrack of our lives. Lennon and McCartney did not need much time to turn into great writers. From their first album they were writing smash hits. Their last album as Beatles, “Let It Be,” is full of hits. A very little known fact is that Paul wrote a hit song for “Peter and Gordon,” a song called “Woman.” Paul was already established as part of the writing team Lennon/McCartney when he wrote at least two songs for another group. At times people wondered if Lennon/McCartney was a real team, or if John was the true creative genius. So, Paul wrote “Woman,” which became a big hit, and did not attach his name to the song. Paul also wrote “A World Without Love” for Peter and Gordon. Obviously, Lennon and McCartney were both musical geniuses. Together, they created a musical force unlike anything we’ve heard before or after. George wrote great songs while he was a Beatle, but he was limited to one song per album (Here Comes the Sun, Something, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps come to mind). When the Beatles broke up, George had something to prove, and had a great deal of creative juice that was ready to flow, so his first solo album was a triple-album. John also wrote a great song, titled “Woman.” Woman was chosen by Lennon to be the second single released from the Double Fantasy album, and it was the first Lennon single that was released after his death on December 8, 1980. There is something interesting about Paul, as a solo artist, writing his first great song as a solo artist, named “Woman” at the beginning of his career, and John did the same at the end of his career – as a solo artist. May the Beatles inspiration, creativity, and dedication to love and unity remain with all of us.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 08:18:46 +0000