So about this new Beatles tune...
Wanna know what I think? Read my pal Steve Simels piece over at his place, Power Pop. I agree with every word, right down to the last punctuation mark.
I will add this, though.
If you are a fan of rock and roll music, and yet you show no interest at all in either "Now & Then" or "Hackney Diamonds," I suggest seeing a stick removal specialist and bending over toot sweet. The indifference to these releases is quite frankly, hilarious. It's like watching a terrible, self-conscious actor trying to play nonchalant. You love music, yet you aren't curious about either of these releases? I don't believe you. The criticism on social media is even funnier. People are actually angry over both, disappointed they didn't get "Rubber Soul" or "Beggars Banquet."
Here's an idea: stop trying so hard!
Don't be the "last good album by (insert artist) was 1972" guy. It's boring and unconvincing.
Both the Stones record and The Beatles single total approximately 56 minutes, and yet fans of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones just "don't have the time" to listen. They only have the time to criticize. As Mr. Simels said in his post, get over yourself. Go ahead and rave about the new Samoan Nose Flute Orchestra's recent release on the "I'm So Fucking Cool, I Think I Broke My Clavicle" label, that's fine. But guess what? You can listen to and maybe even enjoy all three releases and you'll still be you. I promise.
33 comments:
I really like the new single by The Beatles. And, the accompanying music video def put a lump in my throat.
Wardo,
Both are excellent. Great job.
Spot on. Give me new music by the greats anytime.
Could be your greatest Headline Ever.
I like both. The Beatles song is good, always nice to hear John. The video is a must watch. I think the Stones album is excellent. They sound great; and if they tour, i just may have to see them
The last good Beatles album was Let It Be! There. I said it.
The new Beatles song is of course a trifle, but it's sweet and quite moving to hear all of their voices together again. The video I'm less thrilled by. The dorky image of John goofing around looked so poorly Photoshopped it bothered me. But by the end having earlier versions of all of them around the later versions made it ok by me. And yes, quite moving. I just love that it's 2023 and we're hearing new music by the Beatles and the Stones.
I dunno...all those reaction videos to Now and Then on YouTube suggest the interest is pretty high, across age, race, gender and nationality....are very high.
The song gets better with each listen, to me.
@daudder
That's fair. I guess I am addressing those I personally see on Instagram and Threads, as well as people I've spoken to. If anyone is listening with interest because they are fans, than I am clearly not singling them out.
A lot of other old favorites have put out worthy music this year: Peter Gabriel, Ian Hunter, Van Morrison (2 albums), Cruzados, The Church, Iggy Pop, The Zombies, Jethro Tull, and Brian Eno. Hell, even Neil Young finally released the excellent Chrome Dreams (sadly 40+ years late). I enjoy the albums from Peter, Van, and Iggy so much that I went to see them when they came through town. Each show was outstanding.
I'm with Steve Simels on the new Beatles song. It's alright, but not essential.
The new Stones was better than expected. I've listened to it twice through. I can do without hearing Angry again, and I'd prefer a different mastering from the brick wall, but much of it will get more spins. Only time will tell if it gets as many spins here as some of their back catalog.
- Paul in DK
excellent ' all the young dudes' reference. going to listen to mott the hoople immediately. rs
I don't think the response to Hackney Diamonds has been indifferent. The band did a ton of press and the album has sold quite well (maybe a loose definition in 2023). And the reviews have been very positive (Pitchfork excluded). Even radio stations are playing HD songs which hasn't happened since Mixed Emotions. My fingers are crossed that I will enjoy HD in a few years as much as I'm enjoying it now.
With the Beatles song, it seemed to have dropped out of nowhere. Upon first (and frankly only listen) I was underwhelmed. Between work, etc, I haven't gone out of my way to really give the song a few spins. Now I feel guilty. Add to my weekend chores.
Again, just to be clear:
There clearly isn't a media "indifference." Both are all over the place, with many raves.
I am talking specifically about my experience with social media and people I know, as I said in the comments.
"I doubt I'll listen. I have so much other stuff to listen to," was one comment about the Stones.
"New fake Beatles? Pass." Another comments.
Plus all the "mehs," as if at 80 years old, either of these artists should be delivering "Revolver" or "Exile."
I don't care if anyone finds these releases to be subpar. But you need to want to hear them first, otherwise, I think you're full of shit.
Color me a fan of all, especially the Stones record.
But here's why I think some have reservations about these new pieces of music - it's the slight creepiness of using recordings by dead people to make new music.
Now, this has happened too many times to count ... half of Hendrix's extant LPs are posthumous releases; etc.
And maybe it shouldn't matter that John Lennon and Charlie Watts are not here to approve, or join in on, or whatever, this Beatles song or the 2 Stones songs; but, maybe it does.
I remember when there was a mini-trend to create duets with dead people, and they made one of Nat King Cole and daughter Natalie singing "Unforgettable." I may be misremembering this, but wasn't there a hologram onstage that sung it with her?
Regardless, I get juuuu-u-u-u-ust the tiniest bit of that creepiness here.
But then again ..... you can poke holes in this easily - for instance, who doesn't love Billy Bragg 'n Wilco's "Mermaid Avenue"?
So, it's a tough line to draw. I think seeing what appears to be AI-aided footage of John in the video, dancing almost absurdly every other minute, that got to me a bit .....
All that said: I'm buyin' both. Life's too short to deny a good tune made at least mostly by my heroes.
I've been using the Timmy Sean version referenced above to inform my geezer cohort about what the song actually sounds like, since none of us really got a handle on the Jackson production on release. Got a group Zoom coming up in 10 minutes to discuss this very topic!
Apparently in the minority on this one, as I quite like "Now And Then". While I couldn't begin to remember how the other two post-Beatles songs went, the initial four notes, followed by JL singing the haunting four-note intro ("I know it's true"), and thereafter, are hauntingly pretty and has been stuck in my head since I first heard it. I generally favor melancholia in music, so maybe that's the break with others who find it "meh", "underwhelm(ing)", "a trifle", just "alright", "weakest", "a disappointment", "sappy", and other terms I've gleaned from this blog and PowerPop. Timmy Sean's version is fine, too -- still has that wistful vibe -- but I like hearing that melancholia slowed down, like those half-speed versions of Dolly's "Jolene" that were a thing years ago.
Is it a Beatles song? No more than any other post-Beatles song with more than one of the band contributing. But I didn't approach it as a Beatles song. I approached it as a song that some of my favorite artists contributed to, and I really like the results.
T'each his own, I reckon.
C in California
Whoa, Sal. It ain't worth blowing a fuse. You don't want to wind up sitting on a cornflake waiting for the van to come. All I can say is let the chickens cluck. It's what they live for. Cock-A-Doodle-Doo. Let 'em keep that stick up their ass. Makes 'em easier to rotisserie.
I like the new Stones. Best one in a long time.
Played it through a few times. Only thing I could quibble about is song order. Since Simels brought up the Burritos I've been listening to Chris Hillman's first solo album, Slippin' Away. I love it and think it's underrated. First time I heard it was at a Bob Marley concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl. It came over the PA during set change after Little Anthony. We had pit seats and I started dancing around to Step On Out. It was chillier than I expected and all I had on was cut-offs and a halter top. They played the entire side one. A great bunch of tunes. Next day I went to Salzer's to buy the album. I couldn't find it in the racks. The girl at the counter said they had them in back but release date was Friday. It was Wednesday. I asked if Kyle was there. He was the somewhat crooked manager of the store that we dealt with. He sold Ken's bootlegs out of the back room. Sometimes Sandy and I would run them up from Long Beach. He let us have the album early. That night we saw Shakti at the Roxy. Finals were over and we ramped up the concerts.
In the past few weeks I've been listening to alternates, rough mixes and outtakes from A Bigger Bang and I think they are much better than what's on the album. The hated Dirty Work has alts, mixes and outtakes that are superior to what was released as well, which wouldn't take too much. Bottom line is I love the Stones.
I also love the Beatles. I listened to the new product and never expected Rubber Soul. I didn't expect it to be very good. It lived up to my expectations. I didn't expect it to be a real Beatles song and it isn't. I've got nothing to complain about. I honestly don't care for any of the three and you know how I feel about their legitimacy. I think they'd be more suited as bonus tracks with Special Guests on Double Fantasy.
I love the Beatles. John's solo career less and less with each passing year. Even his "good" albums are not anything I crave to hear. They're just not that interesting to me anymore.
When it comes to Beatles vs Stones turntable time at my house, the Stones win by a longshot. A long, long, long shot. But mostly its other stuff.
VR
I love reading all the comments over at Power Pop and the ones over here. Steve pretty much articulated my thoughts and feelings. I unabashedly dig this season of all things Beatles and Stones. I don't know if anyone else gets a bit of a James Bond vibe in Now and Then, but I do. I also really like the Timmy Sean take on this tune. It's groovy. I think the only misstep was the cover art. It's rather pedestrian. I much prefer the cassette teaser graphic. Being 73 years old, the bottom line for me is that the Beatles continue to make me feel good and bring a smile to my face. There's nothing wrong in bringing joy and happiness to millions of people throughout the world.
NO fuses blown, VR.
This is comedy, damn it!
Comedy!
I'm lukewarm on The Beatles single but I really, really like "Hackney Diamonds"! It's just a question of if I will like it even more as time rolls by. 18 years on I absolutely love "A Bigger Bang"!
Captain Al
Plastic Ono Band is still one of my all-time favorite albums, and Working Class Hero still vies with A Day In The Life for the number one spot on my list of all-time favorite songs. So I still love what I love by solo (and Beatle) JL.
Agreed on the cover art for Now And Then. When I first saw it, I thought it was some autogenerated image. I like the vid lots, tho I share some hesitation of the AI JL doing his spastic (Can we still use that term? It's so hard to keep up...) dancing.
C in California
I was lukewarm to both on first listen but find they have both grown on me with repeat listens. Pretty sure neither are great, but both are worthy efforts considering the ages of the performers. As for those "not interested or don't have the time", I'm not interested in and don't have the time to discuss music with those unwilling or "unable" to check out new music by two of our most important artists, even near the ends of their careers. Go ahead and crank Start Me Up again. I'll be checking out Hackney Diamonds again.
For the record, I liked a Bigger Bang from the jump and still do.
Man, I just don't get the "...for their age" qualifiers. In the same way that I didn't approach Now And Then as a Beatles record, but as a record with folks on it that I like, I didn't listen to Hackney Diamonds with a skewed eye (one way or t'other) towards their age; I don't think it's good for some 80-year-olds, I think it's good, period. The Stones were younger (including some of their first ones!) when they put out what to me are subpar records, and I didn't think about their age then. I just judged 'em in comparison to their other output. Same here. It's a surprisingly good record to me, not because of their age, but because the run since Some Girls (the last of their albums I liked enough to buy) was so long that I figured they'd run out of music that I cared for.
C in California
When "Stop Making Sense" first opened in 1984, I saw it on opening weekend with a bunch of coworkers. We had a great time. On Monday, we all talked about it with each other and with customers. One coworker said, "I want a big suit!" Everyone laughed. That coworker said "I want a big suit" 50 more times over the course of two weeks, whenever the movie came up. I haven't seen her in 40 years, but if we happen to cross paths and start discussing the new reissue of "Stop Making Sense," I'd wager a limb that she'd say "I want a big suit." I'd also bet that she hadn't listened to a single Talking Heads record in her life.
"The Stones haven't made a good record since..."
"Led Zeppelin sucks."
"David Bowie hasn't made a good record since..."
"Silly Love Songs" means all McCartney solo records suck.
"Silly Love Songs" doesn't suck, by the way. YOU write that horn arrangement!
It's all really tiresome. It's the same shit over and over and over, and none of it is true.
It's lazy.
Not a lot to add to the discussion except that I like Hackney and Im working on the Beatles!
the "no time to listen trope is a load of balls.
Bang on, enough said.
"It's the same shit over and over and over, and none of it is true." One of many reasons to stay away from (corporate) social media. Leave that to the trolls and haters.
- Paul in DK
It's been weeks, and I still think "Hackney Diamonds" is the best Stones album since "Exile On Main St".
I commented this about "Now And Then" over at Power Pop:
I like it better than "Real Love", but not as much as "Free As A Bird", which I love. "Now And Then" is a mediocre Lennon solo song that doesn't sound like anything The Beatles would have given a green light to back in the day.
Re: Now and Then. Repeated listens keep me enjoying the song and its wistful air. I like the argument that it's a John love letter to Paul as mates. Timmy Sean's version is fun -- speeding it up does keep the lachrymose vibe at bay in a very Beatles way. Is any of his other stuff good?
VR: this was very funny. "Let 'em keep that stick up their ass. Makes 'em easier to rotisserie."
David Bowie hasn't made a good record since Blackstar. There. I said it.
This is why Mojo and Q and Rolling Stone et al are always happy to put the Beatles or the Stones on their cover. We love talking about them!
Anyone who can't appreciate the new Stones album is not a fan. It's just simply a very good album done by one of the most important bands ever to grace this pale blue dot.
I don't care for "Now and Then" but I've listened over and over because it is the last vestige of the most important band ever. IO bought the overpriced single, the 12" and the Red and Blue box set. You know why. It's the freaking BEATLES!@ You can't dismiss it. Just as an historical document it's important.
The Timmy Sean version of "Now and Then", that Steve posted over on Power Pop, is an infinitely better version. If you haven't heard it, check it out. Heck, buy it.
It's funny I've been reading this blog for over 10 years (as well as Simels' one) and agree with tons of stuff on here. Yet I post something "against the grain" of this post and it's removed by the author.
I don't mind "against the grain." I don't like anonymous "against the grain."
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