“… it wasn’t a happy time. It said(on the back of the sleeve) it was a ‘new-phase Beatles album’ and there was nothing further from the truth. That was the last Beatles album and everybody knew it.” Paul McCartney, November 1971 I thought it would be good to go out, the shitty version, because it…
Tag: The Beatles
The Phenomenon of Donovan: Part 1 – Introduction and Acoustic Troubadour.
“Bob Dylan is the poor man’s Donovan.” John Peel. “I’ll never forget hearing Donovan say “wanker” backstage at the Albert Hall about somebody. I mean, I was absolutely…I almost dropped to my knees…it was like being punched in the face. A terrible, upsetting shock.” John Peel. “If I can wend my way through the flowers…
Reasons To Be Cheerless Parts 1, 2 & 3. Or, It’s The Hope That Kills You: Why Britpop Dated So Badly.
“The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little.”—Mark Twain. “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” Johnny Rotten, announcing the break up of The Sex Pistols. My name’s Middlerabbit, I’m 48 and I’m a pessimist. Not because Mark Twain told me…
Ill-Advised Rocking Out #3: Does Your Mother Know? ABBA.
Sometimes it seems like the world can’t make up its mind about what to do with ABBA. At least, there’s no consensus. From kitsch, Scandinavian eurotrash to teutonic laser guided Stormtroopers of melancholy, the opinions differ widely. I appreciate that even with things like The Beatles, you get some attention seekers who pretend that they’re…
How Much Is That Dogma In The Window? Or, Altruism & Why Being Right Might Not Be As Important As You Think.
In one of these post/rants/whatever they are, ramblings, mainly – I wrote about how, when I used to teach Biology, I’d ask kids whether they believed in evolution or creationism and how practically every one of the thousands of kids I’ve been in classrooms with said that they believed in evolution but, when questioned about…
The Flaws Of Perception. Or, On The Cis Pension Of Reality.
This post came about after hearing a transgendered person stating in a television interview that, “I want to be perceived as female.” I’d been thinking about perception and reality for some time and this person made me realise something I’d not previously considered. I’d been contemplating the different ways that different people perceive reality and,…
Robinson Muso. Or, What All Musicians Want and How Most Of Them Have No Idea How To Go About Getting It.
“Most people think most pop stars are idiots don’t they? And I agree with them.” Ian Brown, The Stone Roses, 1989. My name is Middlerabbit and, apart from other things, I’m a guitar player. Before I get the bit too comfy between my teeth, I’d like to add one or two things that, as a…
Finger Pointing Songs: part 5. The Beatles. Or, A Twist (And Shout) Of Lennon.
“I’m really glad that most of our songs were about love, peace and understanding.” Paul McCartney, 1995. Credit where it’s due: when I think about nasty, finger pointing songs, The Beatles aren’t the first band that comes to mind. The earlier stuff was primarily ‘I love you, you love me’ stuff. It wasn’t really until Help!…
Finger Pointing Songs: part 3. The Rolling Stones. Or, Wife Beating Man.
The shadow that Bob Dylan cast over the sixties wasn’t only long and broad, it was dark and cold. Once he’d broken through, any number of scruffy young ‘poets’ came out of the woodwork and started telling it like it was. Social justice songs were back on the agenda but that was before his performance…
Finger Pointing Songs: part 2. The Kinks. Or, A Respecter Calls. Or, It’s A Shame About Ray.
“Pity is easy, but it’s difficult to care,” Ray Davies. I like things to make sense and generally, to me at least, they don’t. I look for logic and I look for rationality in everyday life and, when I can’t find much, I can get a bit maudlin. So, what I’m doing here – realistically…
MiddleRabbiting 