Last night to celebrate Forty Years Ago Today, Derek Guille had two hours of Beatles competitions, quizzes, memorabilia and music.
As per the Guille style, it was a genial if tepid affair with one glaring exception - instead of playing authentic Beatles tracks, Derek had a local act live in the studio, the Rubber Soul Beatles Show.
RSBS aren't, as their initials might suggest, a rat shit bull shit cover band - "The arrangements have been painstakingly reproduced. Every note and harmony is faithful to the original. This is not a cover band playing Beatles songs. It is the music of The Beatles sung and played like The Beatles played them, 100 per cent and full of energy." - they just played like one. In fact, they were absolutely bloody dreadful.
Run for your life.
Derek was manful in his reluctance to criticize RSBS. Or he has cloth ears. One of the two.
Posted by: Tony.T | 20 June 2007 at 10:33
Later on they played Love Me Do which was great, probably because it was allowed to stray from the template. Sounded fresh. Simpler and almost better - like that Rain on a uke I heard once.
Posted by: boynton | 20 June 2007 at 12:24
Perhaps they were just having an off night, with the earlier songs serving as rehearsal.
Posted by: Tony T. | 20 June 2007 at 13:13
Pity I missed it, mind, it must have been the One After 9:09.
Posted by: Tony T. | 20 June 2007 at 13:30
I suspect if we heard the Beatles play their stuff (assuming they were all still alive) they would also sound pretty crappy. They were definitely a hot live band, but 40 years of their stuff on the radio has killed the thrill. Did the R. Soul guys happen to do Revolution #9 live -- now that would be worth hearing.
I can't stand that album of Beatles covers which comes from Son of Sam, with its exact copies of Two of us and Blackbird, with an insipid vocal over the top. Shocking.
Posted by: Professor Rosseforp | 20 June 2007 at 16:06
"I suspect if we heard the Beatles play their stuff (assuming they were all still alive) they would also sound pretty crappy."
Not sure I agree with that, Prof. I've got no reason to suspect they wouldn't be just as capable now, as they were back then.
And while I do agree their musical impact has waned over the journey for me, anyone else hearing their gear for the first time would probably find them just as impressive as I did when I first heard them. The big difference now is that someone hearing them now has probably heard their influence in a 1000 other imitations.
As it happens, my first introduction to the Beatles was Something by Cranky Franky and Fool On The Hill by Sergio Mendez.
Here is a site dedicated to Beatles covers.
Posted by: Tony T. | 20 June 2007 at 18:35
Pity I missed it, mind, it must have been the One After 9:09.
I'll pay that. 9.08.59 being your bedtime I assume.
I can send you a cd of their Melbourne concert live. If you are keen to hear what they did actually sound like in a big tin shed (The House of Stoush)with lots of screaming and small amps and speakers that a lounge room band would be embarassed to be seen with dragging out of their bedrooms these days.
Posted by: Francis Xavier Holden | 20 June 2007 at 22:32
You mean someone actually got a clear recording of them at FestHall sans shrieks? Surely that must be worth a few bob.
Posted by: Tony T. | 21 June 2007 at 15:45
On the subject of covers - usually uninspired and dull but sometimes surprisingly engaging (and occasionally rip-roaring and WOW) - I recently found and downloaded a version of the fabulous Graham Parker acoustically covering Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" (from the album "A Fair Forgery Of Pink Floyd: US").
Nothing earth-shattering mind you, but I thought it was a pretty left-of-centre pairing... and if you like acoustic GP (1989's "Live! Alone In America" is great) then you may also enjoy it.
I saw him solo at the old Central Club in the 90s (I think??) and he was fantastic.
P.S. I must confess I hadn't heard of any of the other artists performing songs on the album... has anyone??
Posted by: The Green Man | 21 June 2007 at 16:20
hey I was at the Central Club too to see GP that night. I got him to sign my Pink Parker. And had big rambling chat to him.
Unfortunately that night someone must have spiked my drink, or something, so that to an uninformed outsider and casual observer I may have appeared to be a sloppy drunk fawning fan overcome by excessive inarticulatness as opposed to the sauve hep cat and thoughtful GP aficionado that is the real me.
Posted by: Francis Xavier Holden | 21 June 2007 at 23:29
You mean someone actually got a clear recording of them at FestHall sans shrieks?
ha didn't you notice I cunningly didn't mention the screams. Somewhere in the background if you strain hard - you can hear something like the Beatles.
If I remember my arcania well it was actually filmed for tv and the sound is off that.
Posted by: Francis Xavier Holden | 21 June 2007 at 23:32
Greeny: GP the ten hit wonder. (Sorry, folks. In joke.)
FX: I missed that gig, but back in around 92, 93 or 94, I was sitting in my car in the Swinburne car-park, having a gasper before an exam, when GP was interviewed by one of the afternoon hosts on either 3AW or 3LO. Buggered if I can remember who the interviewer was, but it was certainly one of those times you wonder what the hell someone like Parker is doing being interviewed by someone like Ernie Sigley of Elaine Canty. (I lean towards 94.)
As a fellow suave hep cat, I can only stand and applaud the finely crafted gag that is "inarticulatness".
Posted by: Tony.T | 23 June 2007 at 00:19
aah tones - the swinny carpark.evening classes.hopes.dreams.tombstones.
In case some are wondering, GP is /was one of the unsung heros.
The Howlin'Wind and Heat Treatment albums stand as some of the canon down at the hard end of popular rockin' music. Not that his subsequent output has been anything to be ashamed of.
Especially noteworthy in it's impact on me was Sqeezing Out Sparks containing the best song ever about abortion in Sydney (possibly a smallish genre)- "You Can't Be Too Strong"
GP's 1978 Australian tour, supported by Sports, still rates as one of the best ever live gigs I have attended. (It goes without saying that I like to think I know what I'm talking about)
Posted by: Francis Xavier Holden | 23 June 2007 at 18:53
Nice one FX!!
I was there at The Central Club ostensibly for taking photos for that classy street mag "Beat" (in reality getting in for free to see one of my fave artists as was my wont back then)...
He didn't sign anything for me but somewhere I do have a photo of myself (the awestruck fan) posing with him (the big rock star in large dark glasses).
Memories.
P.S. So YOU were the sloppy fawning mumbling drunk?!?! Thank you for clearing that up as I have been wondering who that was for for 13-odd years.
Posted by: The Green Man | 24 June 2007 at 03:58
The glasses and guitar were huge. Bigger than he was.
Posted by: Francis Xavier Holden | 24 June 2007 at 14:59
I know this is an old line, but where are the Mark Chapman tribute killers when Beatles tribute bands are playing?
Posted by: Professor Rosseforp | 03 July 2007 at 22:13
Hanging out with the Brian Jones' builder tribute bands.
Posted by: Tony.T | 04 July 2007 at 13:26
Was that the band Not Waving, Drowning?
Posted by: Professor Rosseforp | 05 July 2007 at 21:06