Everybody had a good time...
You know what you should do if you want to have a good time?
No.
Well, I’ll tell you. You should come to OM Fest on Saturday in Oakland Mills to celebrate the village’s 40th birthday and, of course, to hear what could either be a pretty good set of Beatles music or an outright embarrassment for yours truly. Either way, it’s a win for you!
Can I market or what?
Seriously, after our first practice late last month, I was a little nervous about the set. But after practicing to the point of exhaustion many nights in the past few weeks, I really think (or at least hope) it’s going to sound good.
Despite all the time spent practicing, I think the hardest part of this whole thing was picking an hour’s worth of music from the vast Beatles collection. Complicating this process is trying to balance what songs I want to play, what songs the audience will want to hear and what songs a band with two guitars, a bass and drums can actually pull off in a live setting. It was not easy, but I think we’ve got a pretty good set.
That said, I won’t try to claim that my taste in Beatles songs in any way resemble mainstream tastes.
You see, I’m a huge Beatles fan. There was a phase in my life when my fandom probably crossed many lines of normalcy and decency. But, whatever. The Beatles rock, and were it not for them, music today would suck. On this I will not compromise.
But unlike the vast majority of other diehard Beatles fans, I never lived the Beatles. Sure, I share Beatles experiences with many of my friends – a few of whom are playing in this band with me – but we weren’t there for Beatlemania or Sgt. Pepper or the break-up or really any of it (though one of my earliest memories as a child is seeing news of John Lennon’s murder on television, if that counts for anything).
I’ve listened to the Beatles in a different context than those who heard them when their songs were still new (ahem, mom, dad, other Boomers), and this, in turn, has led to my somewhat off-the-wall list of favorite Beatles songs. For instance, the title of this post is a line from “I’ve Got A Feeling” – a solid rock tune off of Let It Be that’s on my short list but probably few others. What’s more, if forced to pick an all-time favorite, I’d have to choose “Don’t Let Me Down,” the B-side of the “Get Back” single.
I mean, who picks a B-side as their favorite?
Anyway, let me hear from you. What are your favorite Beatles songs, or what would you like to hear on Saturday?
Also, for sociology’s sake, share whether you’ve been a Beatles fan since the beginning or since you were old enough to appreciate them.
14 comments:
Hayduke,
My favorites are I Want to Hold Your Hand and She Loves You. If I recall correctly, I Want to Hold Your Hand was one of their first big hits, around late 1963 or early 1964 and She Loves You came right after that, both as singles. I still remember the exact moment I saw someone in my H.S. hallway carrying a copy of Meet The Beatles and the excitement and envy that I felt.
I have no doubt that your gig will entertaining. See you there!
I like all the mainstream Beatles tunes. Day Tripper is one of my favorites, if for no other reason than it is one of the few riffs I can play on my gee-tar.
paperback writer is a true classic. Two of us my be my favorite. Although I also was too young to be an original Beatles fan I was lucky to come of age prior to the napster era. To gain an appreciation of the Beatles I had to paistakingly copy their entire catelog by checking it out a cassette tape at a time from the HoCo library and copy them tape to tape--thank you county government.
I hope you pass the audition IK!
There are no "B" sides.
Your aunt (the crazy one) was mad for George.
I was always partial to "When I'm Sixty-Four", "Obladi Oblada," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Among many, many others. Anything you choose will be fine with me.
When are you playing, Hayduke? What time range? I'd love to come by and see you, but I have to make sure I leave plenty of time to doll up for the OM Disco Night party. I just got my mirrorball-style strapless heels and a hot-mama disco-era dress, so I'm super-excited to be going. And at $5 a person, what can top that?
My sister and brother, in town for a week or so and each from distant parts of America, are coming, too! "Wouldn't miss it!" says my sis.
The whole shebang begins at noon, but we go on around 1:45.
My husband is partial to "Across the Universe." For me, it's "Girl, Girl..."
Can't wait until tomorrow.
Eleanor Rigby is a good one
Do some Elvis
If you do, remember it is pivot, point, gyrate, karate chop. Not thrust, point, kick, turn, gyrate, karate chop, pivot!
If your'e gonna impersonate me, do it right, man!
Hey it was way cool! A few slips here and there, and you needed wigs for the shaved heads (they were the mop tops after all) and the old folks woulda thought they were back in the groove!
Ian you and your band were FANTASTIC. I thought, hey this will be cool to have Ian's band play, regardless of how good they are, but you guys were GOOD.
What an awesome day in OM. So much vibe. So much happiness. This whole weekend was something that just couldn't have happened in the same way 4 years ago. I so appreciate all the energy, care, and passion that folks both OM and non-OM have brought to our village.
And I truly hope that we'll have the pleasure of hosting the Fab Five again some time.
I bailed early due to threat of rain, but I did catch the first 5 or 6 songs. You guys really did do a good job. Give peace a chance!
Don’t Let Me Down is def. one of my faves. As is Oh Darling. You guys rocked. Really, I a not biased either. I am the first to let people know when they suck. Well maybe your wife would be the first - but I would be her cheerleader.
In a word - FABulous! Thanks Ian and group, you guys were awesome. Also thanks to everyone who attended OMFest! Those who did not make it missed one fun event! Stay tuned to OM for the return of the FAB FIVE!
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