IT WAS 44 YEARS AGO TODAY...

January 30th, 1969

The Beatles were at the tail end of the "Get Back" project, which was originally envisioned as a return to the format that produced their first LP. The difference here would be that the group would be filmed bringing in new material, shaping the songs through rehearsal and then playing the new album live.

There are entire books devoted to this episode, which ultimately helped to decide their fate as a functioning unit.

It wasn't all bad

Setting up on the rooftop of 3 Savile Row (Apple headquarters in London) the four most famous faces in the world at that time gave a little lunchtime concert for the business district.

Just how loud did the Beatles play?

Ken Mansfield, who was there amongst the chimney pots, provides his recollection of the set.

"It was loud. I’ve heard recordings of what it sounded like down on the street and I was surprised. Somebody ... that worked at Apple and got there late that day and got locked out ... said they came down the street and they turned onto Savile Row and they said it was like a wall of sound. It was really loud on the street. ... probably about as loud as they could get."

It was the last public performance that the quartet would ever give. When the Let It Be movie was finally released nearly a year and a half after the fact, this segment would close the film.

Rumor has it that we might finally see an official DVD release of Let It Be in 2013. I have been hearing this since 2003, so I'm not holding my breath...

The full monty (audio)



Video for you perverts who like to watch...

THE RETURN OF THE THIN WHITE DUKE

Never one to shy away from surprises, David Bowie is marking his 66th birthday by releasing his first new music since 2003. "Where Are We Now?", produced by Tony Visconti, harks back to the time that he had spent in Berlin in the 1970s with an accompanying video featuring black-and-white footage of the city when it was still divided.

His new album, “The Next Day”, will be released in March.

Bowie has been out of the spotlight for the last decade, save for one live appearance in 2006. His musical incarnations during the seventies were always challenging, sometimes confounding but rarely disappointing. When he is on, there are few that rank with him, though his output from the mid 80s onward has been hit and miss. You must hand the man a cigar for continuing to evolve as a musician and writer, rather than sliding comfortably into “greatest hits” territory in the twilight of his career.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Jones! Your return to business is welcome, considering the appalling state of mainstream music.

LIVING COLOR 2013 TOUR

Living Color plan to mark the 25th anniversary of their hit debut album Vivid with a new reissue and a tour centered around the 1988 album, with initial European dates in the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany slated for mid=March.

March 10: ECI Cultuurfabriek, Roermond, NL
March 11: Melkweg, Amsterdam, NL
March 13: New Morning, Paris, France
March 15: Z7, Pratteln, Switzerland
March 17: Komma, Innsbruck, Austria
March 20: Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin, Germany

I'm hoping for announcements concerning North American dates very soon!

Of the original quartet, Corey Glover, Vernon Reid and Will Calhoun are all onboaard with Doug Wimbish taking up bass duties. Their set plan is to play Vivid in its entirety.

Could be that a new record will be forthcoming, as well. All real, new music is quite welcome from where I sit.