The Weekly FAQ for r.m.b.
saki
Last-modified: 4 December 1995
The Ten Most Popular Frequently Asked Questions in Rec.Music.Beatles
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1. What's being said at the end of "Free As A Bird"?
It's the George Formby catchphrase (backwards, spoken by John Lennon)
"Turned out nice again, i'n't it?" Formby was a British comic and
ukelele musician in the 1930s and 1940s, and was apparently much
beloved by George Harrison and John Lennon.
2. Are "Let It Be" or "Yellow Submarine" available on video?
Not at the moment. Both films are currently out of print but are
expected to be reissued, reportedly in 1996. If the "Anthology"
footage is any indication, there's been some sterling remastering done
on "Let It Be".
Despite being out of print, both videos may be found occasionally for
rent or even purchase in "speciality" stores.
3. What's the significance of the LP title "Revolver"?
It revolves. :-)
4. Can anyone tell me where to buy bootlegs?
Not in public! Bootlegs are illegal. Do not reveal names of sources
on the net. Ask any apparently-knowledgeable soul by email.
5. Who owns publishing rights to the Beatles' songs?
The Beatles and EMI control their *recordings* (CDs, LPs, singles).
EMI leases the *publishing* rights (words & music) from owner Michael
Jackson, until 1999. Jackson just agreed to merge his holdings with
Sony after that date.
Several songs (not originally a part of Northern Songs, such as "Love
Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You", plus many George Harrison songs) remain
the property of their authors.
6. What words are spoken at the end of "I Am The Walrus"?
It's an excerpt from a BBC radio broadcast of Shakespeare's "King
Lear", Act IV Scene VI. See Lewisohn's "Recording Sessions", p. 128-129,
for details.
7. Could someone post the Beatles' email addresses?
The Beatles do not have Internet accounts (so far as we know) nor
email addresses. Any reference to apparently legitimate routes (such
as ma...@thrillington.com or fabs@apple_corps.edu) are entirely bogus.
Mark Lewisohn, Beatles scholar extraordinaire, also does not have an
Internet computer account, though he does recieve occasional interesting
r.m.b. debates, forwarded to him via other methods.
8. I heard a story about [various common Beatles-related rumors]....
Some of the more persistent urban legends include the following:
"The Beatles made up all the Paul Is Dead clues".
-- No evidence for this whatsoever. See Andru Reeve's
book "Turn Me On, Dead Man" for details or ask for
the PID note from saki (sa...@evolution.bchs.uh.edu).
"Norwegian Wood was originally titled Knowing She Would".
-- There's no available evidence for this argument. In fact,
the song's working title was "This Bird Has Flown".
"Ringo didn't perform the drum solo on Abbey Road".
-- He did; studio documentation proves it.
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds refers to LSD".
-- The song's title derives from a painting done by John's
son Julian. John claimed the lyrics referred to Lewis
Carroll's "Alice" books.
"If you listen to the end of Strawberry Fields Forever, you
can hear John say 'I buried Paul'."
-- Sorry. He doesn't. He says 'cranberry sauce.' You can hear
this clearly for yourself on outtakes of the recording session
(try Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 3 on the Yellow Dog lable, track
seven).
"The Beatles used the 'butcher' cover on 'Yesterday and Today'
to protest Capitol's butchery of their British LPs."
-- The photo was actually part of an art-piece quite separate
from promotional requirements. Ask for the "Butcher" FAQ.
9. What was the first chord played in the song "A Hard Day's Night"?
According to New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn (and he
should know), it was "different voicings of a G suspended fourth
chord---G major with an added C---while McCartney played a D on
his bass" (from "The Beatles", Phaidon Press, 1995, p. 96).
10. What's a good book to read about Beatles history/recordings/etc.?
The short version: Any of Mark Lewisohn's books are good ("The Beatles
Recording Sessions", "The Complete Beatles Chronicle"); Allan Kozinn's
"The Beatles" is an excellent musical/historical primer; William
Dowlding's "Beatlesongs" has recording dates, details, and quotes
from the Fabs and others about their works.
AVOID at all costs books by: Albert Goldman, Fred Seaman, Geoff
Guiliano, Peter Brown-Steven Gaines, all of which are flawed due
to poor research, outright lies, and/or misplaced agendas.
For a long list (ALLBOOKS) or a short list (QUICKBOOKS), request
either FAQ from sa...@evolution.bchs.uh.edu.
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Is your question not answered here?
For a more detailed list of available information notes, email
sa...@evolution.bchs.uh.edu. An expanded welcome note also
appears once a month in rec.music.beatles. These offerings
include:
Frequently Asked Questions: A list of available notes
-"The Beatles Anthology" (ANTH): up-to-date information
-Introduction to rec.music.beatles (INTRO): Basics of Usenet posting
-A graduate-level Frequently Asked Questions (NEMS)
-A Beatles Bibliography (ALLBOOKS)
-A Smaller Beatles Booklist (QUICKBOOKS)
-The Official r.m.b. "Paul Is Dead" FAQ (PID)
-A Guide to Bootlegs (RARE)
-Beatles Songs Covered by Others (COVERS)
-Britishisms in the Beatles' Songs (BRITGUIDE)
-Britishisms in Beatles Films (FILMS)
-How They Got Their Name (NAME)
-A traveler's guide to Beatles sites in the UK (TRIP)
-Beatles Novelty Records (NOVELTY)
-Video Beatles: as a group (VIDEO I), as solo artists (VIDEAO II)
-A History of Pre-Beatles Pop and British Invasion Artists (BRITPOP)
-Oddities, curiosities, and such in Beatles music (ANOMALIES)
-Groups Who Sound Like Them: Beatles-esque groups (ESQUE)
-Variations in the Fabs' Records and Releases (VARIATIONS)
-Things We *Think* They Said (SAID)
-A History of the Butcher Cover (BUTCHER)
-Paul's Bass-Guitar Technique (BASS)
You can request any of these notes from sa...@evolution.bchs.uh.edu or
use the new "faqserv"!
How it works:
mail do...@domo.imgen.bcm.tmc.edu
Commands:
get rmb-faqs [faqname here]
Example:
get rmb-faqs PID
returns the FAQ "PID" to your mailbox.
Multiple FAQS may be requested in a single mail message, but only
one command may be on each line.
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Happy Beatling!
--
"If you tried to imagine the world as it would be if the
Beatles had not existed, you wouldn't know where to start."
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** sa...@evolution.bchs.uh.edu * sa...@seltaeb.ghgcorp.com **