It's wonderful to be here, it's certainly a thrill...
So, I have decided that I am going to shift a few gears in my life, and reintegrate more recreational/relaxing activities back into my lifestyle. This means I am going to get back into playing the guitar, sketching, and writing here (I bet you're all immensely glad to see me again). :)
How do you all feel about this first getting-back-into-the-groove-of-LiveJournaling being a wherethehelldidthatcomefrom entry? All in favor? Excellent!
Okay, so if you know me in person, it's no great secret that I was terribly behind in "discovering" the Beatles. The truth is, I was anti-Beatles for years, functioning under the impression they were overrated based on the handful of songs I had actually listened to. I know that is a pretty ignorant modus operandi, dismissing the band's entire catalog based on a several pieces, but I didn't give it too much thought at the time.
About three years ago, I made friends with a bloke named Brett, who has been mentioned in this journal several times. It so happened that Brett was over the moon for the Beatles (specifically, "Blackbird"), and his enthusiasm for their music piqued my curiosity to examine their works further. The rest, as they say in a hackneyed manner, is history!
Long story short, my absolute favorite album by the Beatles is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, followed closely by The White Album. This past summer marked the 40th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which made me smile with glee.
Apparently, the anniversary also garnered its own special on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom, wherein several popular bands and artists covered various tracks from the album with their own flare. I brilliantly discovered this special eons past the original release date since I am an ignorant American, and cannot be bothered to keep track of the juicy Beatles specials released by Mother England.
WOE unto me!
Anyway, I found all of the clips on YouTube, and I thought I would repost a couple of the really smart ones here! :)
The first one is a cover of the self-titled track, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by Bryan Adams. Yes, I said Bryan "everything-I-do-I-do-for-you" Adams. Now, don't get me wrong; Bryan has kept me company many a time on the soft rock listening stations they pipe in to EVERY SINGLE dental hygienist's work station. Bryan Adams no doubt has a pleasant singing voice. However, soft rock ballads have their times and places, and I initially seriously doubted that Mr. Adams was going to be able to pull off the title track of the SPLHCB album.
Boy howdy, was I wrong... Not only does Bryan Adams rock the arse off the song, he also outshines SEVERAL of the other bands that attempted to cover other Sgt. Pepper's tracks (and fail miserably, I'm looking at you, The Fray).
Bryan Adams - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The second band that I thought did an outstanding job covering one of the album's tracks was Travis. The only experience I've had with this band comes from their album The Invisible Band, which I bought specifically for the track "Side". Other than that, I am largely unfamiliar with their catalog. However, that doesn't stop me from enjoying their ridiculously adorable cover of "Lovely Rita", which makes me smile every time I listen to it. :)
Travis - Lovely Rita
And finally, the honorable mention goes to Razorlight's cover of "With A Little Help From My Friends". I do own one of their albums, but I can't be bothered to look it up since it was in my opinion, unremarkable, and got mixed up with the Snow Patrol, Fray, Keane, Franz Ferdinand, Jet and the Kaiser Chiefs grouping...
Razorlight - With a Little Help From My Friends
That's it, faithful listeners! Tune in for more wacky Beatles postings in the future, including Kelly wants to go as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for Halloween, and had better get started on the costumes and conning some of her friends into being the other three members ASAP!
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agentfriday) wrote,
