British Comedy Guide

The Beatles...wot you rek? Page 4

Quote: Matthew Stott @ September 6 2008, 5:05 PM BST

Id even throw in '.. . By Numbers' and stretch the golden run a little longer. The album they had out a year or two ago was surprisingly great as well, I thought.

Yeah, By Numbers has some fantastic songs as well. It was the beginning of Townshend's introspective and self-doubting period.

One of the highlights of my life was getting to meet Pete and shake his hand backstage at a gig in Tampa about 10 years ago. Last year I flew over to catch my friends' bands' shows in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, but I made a quick detour up to Birmingham to catch Pete and Roger in their homeland. I had a fabulous time.

The Stones were awesome but least we not forget...everything they did in those grand days of their youth were complete rip offs of more talented Blues artists in the deep south of the US.
Besides that point....I do love old Stones music as I love old Blues. But I'm also someone who likes Punk Rock cover songs.

Quote: Curt @ September 6 2008, 5:13 PM BST

The Stones were awesome but least we not forget...everything they did in those grand days of their youth were complete rip offs of more talented Blues artists in the deep south of the US.

Most of the British Invasion bands started off as competent blues cover bands for the most part, but they all underwent a magnificent evolution.

The Beatles became an exquisitely produced studio wonder.

The Stones stuck with the blues, but made them even dirtier, scarier and druggier.

The Who turned into a mammoth live act with earthshaking rock tunes.

Quote: Curt @ September 6 2008, 5:13 PM BST

The Stones were awesome but least we not forget...everything they did in those grand days of their youth were complete rip offs of more talented Blues artists in the deep south of the US.

There is some truth in that but then that led them to 'Satisfaction', 'Get off my cloud', 'Paint it Black', 'Sympathy for the devil' and a whole host of great songs including, perhaps ironically (?), 'Brown Sugar'.

...and what DaButt said! :)

yes I agree completely. Although many of those albums that you listed still had cover songs. Or cover songs that had the lyrics changed without credit to the originators.

Who could have imagined that this band would evolve into the monster in the Isle of Wight video in only 5 years?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxZy3SvCdDI

I'm surprised Daltrey wasn't wearing blackface. Cool

Quote: Curt @ September 6 2008, 5:22 PM BST

yes I agree completely. Although many of those albums that you listed still had cover songs. Or cover songs that had the lyrics changed without credit to the originators.

I seem to recall that many (most?) of the covers they did had the original writers credited. They were already very famous songs before The Stones got hold of them, so they could hardly nick them!

But really they weren't famous songs. The Blues may have been shot into the mainstream in Britain but it wasn't in the UK. I heard a lot of them weren't credited in a documentary done by the BBC earlier this year. I'm pretty sure it was already a famous documentary that I had been seeing for the first time.

Quote: Curt @ September 6 2008, 6:01 PM BST

But really they weren't famous songs. The Blues may have been shot into the mainstream in Britain but it wasn't in the UK. I heard a lot of them weren't credited in a documentary done by the BBC earlier this year. I'm pretty sure it was already a famous documentary that I had been seeing for the first time.

Could be, but which songs do you mean? All the non-Stones written songs (most of the tracks) on the first two Stones albums 'Rolling Stones' and 'Rolling Stones No. 2' were credited to writers other than Jagger/Richard, so Jagger/Richard didn't nick them!

Are you saying the writers who were credited on those albums didn't write the songs?

Led Zeppelin's second album resulted in a slew of lawsuits by old blues artists. I think they're properly credited these days.

Quote: DaButt @ September 6 2008, 6:18 PM BST

Led Zeppelin's second album resulted in a slew of lawsuits by old blues artists. I think they're properly credited these days.

Glad to hear it! :)

White men can sing the blues but can blue men sing the whites?

Quote: Frankie Rage @ September 6 2008, 6:20 PM BST

White men can sing the blues but can blue men sing the whites?

Blue Man Group have covered "White Rabbit." Is that close enough?

My friend played what he described as a guitar freakout version of the violin solo in "Baba O'Riley" during a Blue Man Group recording session, but it didn't wind up on the album. I keep hoping I'll find a recording of it somewhere.

Correct. And it's not the lyrics that were nicked it was the music behind it. Or so the documentary told. I tried to find an interview I saw on The Hour with the film maker talking about visiting some of these Blues Legends in dirty old night clubs in the 90's (with hardly anyone there to watch them play) who were so thankful for someone to be interested in their story. It was really sad to hear but I couldn't find the video. If I do find it I'll post it for you.

Never been that big on the Who, though curiously I am a huge Small Faces fan.

I think it is because Townsend is such a tosser. And yes, I know, Lennon, Jagger et al were also tossers, but at least they never accepted editorial posts at Faber & Faber. (I can forgive paedophilia, but poetry...)

And if we are name checking sixties bands, I would like to stand up and be counted for Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Quote: Timbo @ September 6 2008, 6:38 PM BST

And if we are name checking sixties bands, I would like to stand up and be counted for Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Good one.

Share this page