Category: Beatles

The Place Where Nothing is Real

Glass Onion the movie is, of course, a reference to the song “Glass Onion” on the Beatles’ so-called White Album. The movie is a lot of fun, with Daniel Craig reprising his role from Knives Out. A parallel between Craig’s character, consulting detective Benoit Blanc, and Sherlock Holmes, is revealed in a cameo appearance by another British actor.

The premise of the movie borrows from Agatha Christie’s famous story “Ten Little Indians,” which was retitled “And There Were None” in the United States. The reference to “Indians” was itself changed from something else, as explained in the Wikipedia entry for the story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_Then_There_Were_None

The movie also borrows from the video game Myst, which is coming up on its 30th anniversary. The comparison is made explicit in a 3D tour of Glass Onion Island.

The island doesn’t exist, but the special effects making it seem like a real place are utterly convincing.

Taking the virtual island tour doesn’t require a Netflix account.
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/glass-onion-knives-out-island

Spector’s Christmas Spectacle

On this Christmas Day I have posted something about Phil Spector, and something about Joe Sinnott. Now for the kicker.

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector was released on the day that JFK was assassinated, November 22, 1963 (two days before my family appeared in Parade magazine).

Fifty years ago, Apple Records re-released the album, retitled as Phil Spector’s Christmas Album. Spector posed for the cover photos wearing “Back To MONO” buttons, as seen in the enlarged scan I made for the previous post.

The following year, 1973, John Lennon was photographed wearing a Back To MONO button. It’s probably safe to assume that he got it from Spector.

https://sfae.com/Artists/Tom-Zimberoff/John-Lennon-Back-to-Mono-Pin-Los-Angeles-1973

The origin of the button is uncertain. An account I read in an audio magazine many years ago credited the creation of the buttons to a well-known name in Hi-Fi at the time, whose name I don’t remember. He attended a music industry event and allegedly handed out the buttons, that were circulated from there. Even today, true mono mixing has an advantage over stereo that’s been “folded down” into mono. I’ll try to explain that later.

So what does this have to do with Joe Sinnott? Take a look at the back cover of the Apple album.

What does “Santa” have there? It’s a comic book!

Fantastic Four #127, October 1972 cover date, with art by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott.
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Fantastic_Four_Vol_1_127

Well, there you have it. Joe’s work hiding in plain sight, with one of the most notorious names in the history of popular music.

Ten years later, forty years ago in 1982, a CBS Records subsidiary, Pavilion, released Spector’s Christmas album in stereo. It wasn’t actually mixed in stereo, however. It’s a twin-track master, like the first two (according to George Martin three) UK stereo Beatles albums are. The sound is nonetheless, like those early Beatles albums, jaw-dropping revealing of studio ambiance and wonderful to hear.

Brideshead Revisited Revisited

I greatly admire the superb television production of Brideshead Revisited, that I first watched on a 19-inch black & white TV when it originally aired in 1981. Brideshead is as far from British Kitchen Sink Realism as it gets, this side of Shakespeare.

The series was co-directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, whose name was heard often a year ago when Disney released The Beatles: Get Back. Lindsay-Hogg directed Let It Be, and his original reels of film were used by Peter Jackson for his project.

The complete Brideshead series is here, although the playlist has the eleven episodes out of order. I’ll leave it to you to sort them out from the drop-down menu.

They Said They Said

Click the pic to hear an interview with John and Paul from August ’66, upon the release of Revolver, although the album is not even mentioned by name. You’ll hear some cover versions of Beatles songs you probably haven’t heard before. The BBC will expire this link in one week.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon during rehearsal for “Saturday Club” on 21st December 1963.

P.S. The sound on this tape is in pristine condition. With headphones, even a clock ticking in the background at Paul’s house is clearly heard.