September 2009

There were 19 posts published in September 2009 (this is page 2 of 3).

Get Back to where we once belonged

Is Beatles week over yet? I keep coming here hoping to see some kind of closure but nothing has happened since last Thursday. So I guess I’ll start posting other no-Beatle related stuff. I really enjoyed our Beatle top ten lists so hopefully we can do some other kind of theme week sometime.

Coming up I’ll review Taking Woodstock, which I saw over a week ago and unless Sean wants to there’s a new Muse album out worth reviewing. Jim James, Connor Oberst, Mike Mogis and M. Ward aka Monsters of Folk have an album due out next week so I’ll definitely check that out and I’m starting to get excited for some fall music releases. There’ll be a whole slew of intriguing movies coming soon and who knows what else is on the horizon.

Well just thought I’d make a quick comment and see what was going on, Otteni out.

Beatlemania: At the Movies

I really didn’t have anytime to do this on thursday but since nothing else happened here’s my “Beatles’ movie post”. So The Beatles were bigger than curly fries back in the late 60s and with such charming and hip personalities (not to mention such incredible musical talent) it was really a no brainer to put them in movies. Appearing in five motion pictures (though Yellow Submarine was more or less a cameo) The Beatles had their fare share of success and failure up on the silver screen.


A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

Directed by up and comer Richard Lester (who would go on to direct Superman II) and written by playwright Alun Owen (although it was a loose script) The Beatles film debut was a smash; from it’s chic black and white cinematography, to it’s loose comedic rhythm, to it’s amazing soundtrack, A Hard Day’s Night not only captured these funny four Liverpudlian chaps at their best but captured an era.

Opening with an iconic sequence of the fab four running from a pack of screaming fans, A Hard Day’s Night follows several days in the life of John, Paul, George and Ringo (Who especially seems to capture the spotlight) as they prepare for a London TV show. Showcasing the bands goofiness, not to mention musical talent through a handful of highly entertaining musical interludes, A Hard Day’s Night was quite unlike anything at the time and was a highly influential work.

At times it almost feels as if you’re watching a documentary as opposed to a straightforward feature. Who would of thought that the lack of a distinct narrative could work in a film’s favor? Sandwich that in between a collection of almost every visual gag in the book and you got yourself a pop culture phenomenon.


Help (1965)

A year later the Fab Four and Richard Lester teamed up once again to make the entertaining although less mature film Help. Filmed in color with a larger budget and exotic locations, Help was inspired by the Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup and although it has some nice gags and good tunes it definitely lacks in the story department.

So this time round there’s this evil cult after a sacrificial ring that has fallen into Ringo’s possession. (Ringo and rings get it? Ha that’s kind of funny.) Though after the essential setup the film basically becomes an hour or so of happy nonsense and although it has it’s moments, it pales in comparison to the brilliant A Hard Day’s Night. I used to love this movie as a kid (though not as much anymore); silly segments like “The Exciting Adventures of Paul on the Floor” after Paul is shrunk, or the 30 second intermission is good for a laugh, not to mention all the cult’s amusing attempts at retrieving Ringo’s ring.

Basically it’s good for laugh and good entertainment for the little ones but not much of a movie. If anything check it out for the tunes and slick visuals, it’s a bit pants but worth a bit of a peak.


Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Hit with that filmmaking bug once again, The Beatles along with director Bernard Knowles decided to hit the road for their next film, if you can call it a film. Made for television and released in December 1967, Magical Mystery Tour was widely panned but still manages to have a few memorable scenes.

The whole idea here was take a bunch of unusual people, rent a bus and then see what happened. Unfortunately nothing happened and if it wasn’t for some of the musical numbers, this would just be 52 minutes of amateur stoner filmmaking.

I don’t have a lot to say about this one but personally I’ve always found that the musical sequences make this film worth watching. I enjoyed watching the band jam along to “I Am the Walrus” and the ending number “Your Mother Should Know” including a nice little dance by the band themselves. So I’d really only recommend this one for the die-hard fans.


Yellow Submarine (1968)

In 1968 The Beatles hit to the sea with the psychedelic animated film Yellow Submarine. While they didn’t have much involvement with the project (though I used to be convinced that they did) aside from five new songs and a live-action cameo appearance, Yellow Submarine would prove to be another triumph.

Set in the magical land of “Pepperland” after a surprise attack from “The Blue Meanies”, the mayor sends a captain by the name of Old Fred to go find help in his flying yellow submarine. So who else does Old Fred seek help from but Liverpool’s very own fab four? Which is followed by a quite magical journey.

Now it may sound wacky but this is a surprisingly entertaining film with some fun vibrant visuals and great music. Although it’s animation may seem limited by today’s standards, it almost works in the film’s favor going along well with the unique drawings.

I hear Robert Zemeckis is trying to put together a motion capture remake for 2012 and I actually think that could be pretty cool.


Let it Be (1970)

Last but not least was the entertaining if not somewhat ill-fated documentary Let It Be, which followed The Beatles over a four-week period trying to record an album. What was supposed to be a project chronicling the band’s creation of an album and possible return to live shows, it unwittingly became a document of the beginning of the band’s break-up.

Though there is an underlying tenseness here (mostly just between George and Paul) Let It Be is still an entertaining film with excellent music. Released after the announcement of the band’s breakup, it was officially the final original Beatles release. I can only dream that it will someday make it’s way to dvd.

And that’s I’ll she wrote, aside from the countless film’s made about the bad without their involvement. Most of the ones I’ve seen have been pretty mediocre but if you must watch one, I suggest the 1979 made-for-TV movie Birth of the Beatles directed by Richard Marquand (Return of the Jedi). It’s a little cheesy but it does a great job of chronicling the band’s early years, unfortunately it’s not available on dvd, though you can easily find it online. So that’s all folks, now I’m so tired, I haven’t slept a wink.

Beatlemania: Nancy’s Fav Beatles Songs

This was ridiculously hard and extremely fun. When you can say the ones that just barely missed the cut were…well…the rest of the damn songs, you’ve got a pretty good band on your hands.

Probably the hardest part of this next to picking the songs was putting them in order. And while typing these I had the catalog on shuffle which was probably a bad idea because I was frequently thinking ‘Oh I forgot about that one-OOO! This ones great!” etc. Bad idea.
“Ah man, there goes John rippin’ me off again.”
-George Harrison

10. Do You Want To Know A Secret
I feel like George always took a lot of shit in the early years and I’m glad they threw him a bone every once in a while.

9. Penny Lane
 I always loved the orchestration of Penny Lane. Lyrically it’s one of my favorite songs because it puts you literally right on the street. I always liked to picture there’s this really annoying orchestra that is always playing. I mean its cool if your just visiting but these guys are probably always playing.

8. She’s Leaving Home
As of late I’d probably have to say Sgt. Peppers is my least favorite album, but saying that is like saying reduced fat is my least favorite kind of Wheat Thins. I’m a sucker for strings and this song has plenty of it.

7. Dig A Pony
Let it Be was the last Beatles album I attained and I never really got into it until very recently. I’ve been listening to it a lot lately and this song is just really fun to listen to. I learned it on guitar the other day and I just can’t stop listening to it.

6. In My Life
This was one of the first Beatles songs I learned on Drums and I was like “wtf is up with this beat man?” and my teacher was like “yo yo Ringo’s left handed, but he plays a right handed set.”
Now I know. And some of the stuff Colin said.

5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
George is the man. I was kind of disappointed when a first learned that it was Clapton playing lead on this song, I don’t know why. I still don’t and I don’t think I ever will. I just wish it was George.

4. If I Fell
Definitely my favorite song of the early stuff. I’ve always been blown away by how easily these guys harmonize. It blows my mind. Maybe I’m just easily impressed by vocal harmony. The way the Beatles do it is different to me though. It’s like I get lost listening to one of the parts and then the second time I listen to it I hear the other part and its like a whole new song. I wish I could do that.

3. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
I originally wanted to just put “second side of abbey road” but thought that might be cheating. I guess I narrowed it down to this song. I don’t particularly have any reasons. I really like the guitar part and John’s “lookout!” at the beginning. I imagine that’s what I would say to someone if some one suddenly came in through the bathroom window. I don’t know why I’m in the bathroom with somebody though.

2. The Long and Winding Road (Spectrofied version)
Ya know Paul McCartney has just been straight up pissin me off lately. First off, I dunno why everybody’s hatin’ on Phil Spector. He straight up murders some chick and now everyone’s trying to take his stamp off their music. What’s the deal? Secondly, I saw the Let it Be movie and I did not see what the big deal is. There’s one scene where it gets kind of tense. So what, people argue, Ringo’s wasted, and there’s a lot of great music. If anything Paul doesn’t want it to come out because he just looks like a douche the whole time. Stupid beard.

1. And Your Bird Can Sing
Surprise, surprise.

And now I will conform to the Corporate F**K and say my favorite album. I always bounced around between Abbey Road and Revolver. I’m gonna have to say Abbey Road because its just got so many sweet songs including my all time favorite “Something”. Oh wait, DAMNIT!

So that was really fun. I’m happy to gain a little credibility on the blog with this post of my favorite band. And with that I’ll leave you In My Yard, I Don’t Care.

Beatlemania: Colin’s Fav Beatles Songs

Compiling a list of just 10 of my favorite Beatles songs seemed like a pretty daunting task, but it actually took me shorter than I expected. I guess there are just some of their songs that I’ve always gravitated towards and have kept me coming back. The songs that barely missed the cut were “Norwegian Wood”, “She’s Leaving Home”, and “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”, I also felt like “Hey Jude” should’ve been somewhere on the list but took it off at the last minute.

10. Please Please Me
The Beatles’ first big hit in the UK and it already shows their ability to write a perfect 2-minute pop single. Too bad The Defenestrators could never do it justice when we attempted to cover it.
9. I Feel Fine
Besides being able to come up with really catchy vocal melodies, The Beatles were also great at coming up with awesome guitar riffs. This song has both, plus it’s supposedly the first recording to feature feedback.
8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Just a really beautiful, moody song with some great guest guitar work by Eric Clapton. It’s seems that by this point George had pretty much reached the same level of songwriter as John and Paul, and this song demonstrates it fabulously.
7. Tomorrow Never Knows
Without a doubt the most radical song The Beatles had recorded up to this point. All those crazy tape loops combined with that constant drum pattern and John’s heavy philosophical lyrics make for a real trip.
6. Ticket To Ride
This song definitely has grown on me more over the years, at first I kind of lumped it in with the rest of their mid-60s singles. However, there’s just something about that chiming guitar and Ringo’s drum pattern, as well as that world-weary vocal delivery.
5. Let It Be
Another gorgeous ballad from McCartney that has that great anthemic quality with a bit of a gospel sound to it. Billy Preston’s work on organ doesn’t hurt either.
4. In My Life
This song definitely showed The Beatles starting to grow lyrically as well as musically. A great song for when you’re in a sentimental mood.
3. For No One
A simple but really beautiful song with a little bit more mature take on the love song. Also, I absolutely love that french horn solo.
2. A Day In The Life
Truly one of the most mind-blowingly unique songs I’ve ever heard. A great finale to an unprecedented album, and it really shows how fearless The Beatles were in their exploration of taking their music into uncharted areas.
1. Strawberry Fields Forever
This song certainly showed that The Beatles had already come a long way from their early pop records in a matter of years. And besides that, I just love the sound of this song; the driving strings, the distant horns, the pounding drums, the extensive use of the mellotron, all topped off by Lennon’s surreal lyrics.
As for the albums, Revolver has always been my favorite with either Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper coming second, but you’ll get to see my opinion on those later, since it seems I’ve been chosen to do the album retrospecticus. As for now, it’s been a hard day’s night, and I should be sleeping like a log.

Beatlemania: Sean’s Fav Beatles Songs

Oh man, with the Beatles catalog I would have trouble doing a top 25. But a top 10? Forget about it. There are so many songs I love that just missed the list, from rockers like “Paperback Writer” to the greatness that is Ringo’s “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Surely the moment after I post this I’ll realize I’ve done it all wrong. I’ll probably regret it later, but here’s my top 10.


10. “Eight Days a Week”
I find it funny that the Fab Four didn’t really like this song that much. I don’t understand why, it’s really good.

9. “Here Comes the Sun”
George was responsible for a number of killer tunes with the band; it’s hard to beat that brilliant solo in “Something” or the sheer beauty of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” This song does. Everything works, the gentle guitar, that awesome synthesizer, the joyous vocals. Wonderful.

8. “In My Life”
John and Paul were just a little older than me when they authored this gem. That really makes me respect the almost profound observations they make about life and love. On top of that the guitar part and the piano solo are really good.

7. “Come Together”
What I love about this song is that you might not even think it was a Beatles song if you hadn’t heard it before. It’s dark, it’s groovy, it’s my number eight.

6. “Let It Be”
I am, and probably will always be, a sucker for the ballads, and this is one of the best. It’s always a joy to hear this song build from that lone piano at the beginning all the way to its triumphant finish.

5. “Can’t Buy Me Love”
But you can buy me a spot on this list.

4. “Getting Better”
This is the earliest Beatles song I can remember loving, something that has always stuck with me. There’s some great McCartney/Lennon juxtaposition here, with Paul singing, “it’s getting better all the time,” to which John answers, “it can’t get no worse.” Also, does Paul say he used to beat his woman? That’s messed up.

3. “Don’t Let Me Down”
A damn good love song. Lennon brings such a power to the tune that I can’t help but be drawn in.

2. “Hey Jude”
Remember what I said about ballads before? I meant it. This is simply one of the greatest songs ever, with a simple message about getting over your fears and embracing love. Probably the best singalong of all time.

1. “I’ve Got a Feeling”
This song is so cool. John and Paul both wrote separate songs and then the combined them into this one nifty masterwork. Once again, Paul brings the optimism, while John “had a hard year.” I love it.

Picking a favorite album is even harder. I guess, song-for-song, it might come out ahead for Abbey Road and Let It Be, but I kind of feel bad for liking the band most when they were falling apart. At different times I’ve said my favorite was The White Album and Rubber Soul too. Honestly, besides maybe Yellow Submarine, I could justify any of them as my favorite. In my life, I’ve loved them all.

Beatlemania: Intro/John’s Fav Beatles Songs

In honor of the upcoming Beatles: Rock Band video game, we here at DaMorgue wanted to do a Beatles themed week. Though this week seemed to creep on us, so it’s hard to say if this will all come together…. Hey I said “Come Together” that’s funny, it’s like the song. Anyways here’s how I envisioned the week, hopefully the whole crew will be willing to participate.

Sunday – Intro/John’s favorite Beatles songs
Monday – Sean’s favorite Beatles songs
Tuesday – Colin’s favorite Beatles songs
Wednesday – Nancy’s favorite Beatles songs
Thursday – Beatles Album Retrospective or Beatles Filmography Retrospective
Friday – Beatles Album Retrospective or Beatles Filmography Retrospective
Saturday – Comments about the game (if no one has it by then we’ll just have to phone that one in.)

It seems like everyone has been pretty busy around here so I’m not sure how this will turn out. I’ll start things of with my favorite Beatles tunes (complete with Beatles related pictures). “Something” was originally my number ten until I realized I had too many songs, damn what a great catalog.


10. Julia – A bare arrangement that’s both beautiful and hauntingly sad, Lennon’s unaccompanied ode to his mother is in my opinion one of the most emotional Beatle songs out there. Lennon weaves poetic lyrics swimming in pleasant imagery and the bittersweet guitar part, based upon a style of picking known as “Travis picking” completes the experience.


9. I Should Have Known Better – One of my favorite scenes from A Hard Day’s Night is when the fab four play this while playing cards on a train. You just got to love that blend of Lennon’s bluesy harmonica along with the acoustic guitars, not to mention George’s quaint little solo. It seems like such a simple song but it’s probably my favorite from that album and film.


8. Across the Universe – Wow, a lot of Lennon on here so far. (perhaps I should rethink my choice for favorite Beatle) I’ve been a big fan of this introspective ballad ever since I heard Fiona Apple cover it for the movie Pleasantville. And it’ll always hold a place in my heart after playing it with the gang A.K.A “Big Bill and the Sexybacks” at our high school graduation. I love how it grows into such an optimistic and joyous song on the choruses… If only I could decide which version was my favorite.


7. With a Little Help From My Friends – Ringo’s friendly vocals along with a jaunty piano and nice little drum shuffle is always a recipe for fun. Songs featuring Ringo as vocalist often put me in a good mood and with such an innocent lyrical hook I’ve really grown to love this upbeat pop tune.


6. There’s a Place – Had to go back and add in this early, short but somehow beautiful song. I don’t know why this one reaches me on a deeper level but you got to love the harmonies and that sweet harmonica part, awesome.


5. You Never Give Me Your Money – Perhaps my favorite track on Abbey Road this song is epic. Shifting from part to part, I’m amazed by the masterful complexity of this McCartney tune. I love how it builds from a laid back classical intro, to an almost big band section, to rock perfection ending with a nursery rhyme like vocal pattern. Plus all those guitars just sound amazing (thank all the heavy use of Leslie speakers.)


4. I Am the Walrus – Trippy hippie nirvana, just try and wrap your mind around some of those lyrics (my favorite lyrics in a Beatles song as a matter of fact.) There’s something mysteriously dark about the the heavy strings and that freaky electric piano. All the strange sound effects only add to the atmosphere. There’s so many layers here I feel like I hear something new every time I hear it.


3. Hello, Goodbye – John didn’t think much of it but that didn’t stop it from being another number one hit. McCartney’s peppy little romp is a catchy and joyous pop masterpiece. The pianos, guitars, drums… It’s all perfect, a great melody and a great song.


2. Hey Jude – One of the band’s most heralded numbers, McCartney’s piano driven number paved the way for longer songs on the radio. Written about John’s son Julian, “Hey Jude” is an incredible piece ending with a great sing-along chrous.


1. A Day In the Life – I’ve used “epic” in a lot my descriptions but this song takes the cake. Definitely one of George Martin’s greatest feats as a producer, built around a great Lennon song and part of fun McCartney tune. It was tough to narrow down my number one but I’m completely satisfied with this pick for my top spot.

That was tiring, let’s see what else… My favorite Beatles album is tough one I’ve always been torn between Abbey Road and The White Album. I think that’s all the energy I have for now, see you on that long and winding road.

The Vault: Batman, Blades of Vengeance, Fatal Rewind

Moving a segment from my own blog (with Sean’s consent) which really is more of a blog for current events in my own life, “The Vault” as I’ve renamed it for now will be a segment for rating older games, good or bad for your and my amusement. For this week I’ve picked the three latest games I purchased at the Totem Lake store “Amazing Heroes”. So without further ado let’s get our game faces on and jump in.


Batman (1990)

The Scoop: Based off of the 1989 film, Batman is your typical beat em’ up side-scroller. It’s essentially a remake of the NES version but with a handful of changes.

Why?: I’d regretted not buying this game earlier this summer after hearing it wasn’t half bad. So I had to go back and buy it on my next visit.

Pros: It’s not too tricky and it’s always satisfying to play as the Dark Knight himself. I enjoyed reliving parts of the movie, like when the Joker falls into a vat of acid and the graphics are fairly respectable.

Cons: Apparently all the changes made for the Genesis version (aside from the graphics and sound) were for the worst. Where in the NES version you have three different weapons and unlimited continues, the Genesis only has the batarang (with limited ammo) and limited continues. Cut scenes have been removed and the gameplay isn’t really anything special. This game isn’t necessarily bad, but it desperately lacks in originality.


Blades of Vengeance (1993)

The Scoop: A two-player fantasy platform game much in the vein of Golden Axe. You must choose between The Hunter, The Huntress or The Sorcerer and lead them to victory against “The Dark Lady”.

Why?: With a tagline stating “Intense Battle with Unspeakable Evil” how could I resist? I mean not just evil but “Unspeakable Evil”? That sounds awesome! Plus I’ve always been a pretty big Golden Axe fan so I figured “How hard could this concept be to mess up?”

Pros: Very colorful graphics and pleasing visuals, the characters and enemies are well designed and there’s definitely a fair bit of detail. Playing as the Sorcerer ain’t half bad either, he sticks his staff into the ground and shoots little energy balls, not too shabby.

Cons: The two player here is definitely flawed. Often we’d be playing when all of a sudden a character would fall off a cliff, constantly getting us separated. Strangely enough the first character who falls doesn’t get injured but when you jump down to reunite with them you get hurt, well depending on the height. Jumping across moving platforms over lava never goes smoothly and if one character picks the sorcerer (who can shoot magic from a distance) the other character will basically just be watching as their partner gets all the kills. Not to mention it’s incredibly easy to lose all of your health in a matter of seconds and all of the magic you receive from items is totally lame.


Fatal Rewind (1990)

The Scoop: A mixture between a platformer and a shooter, I guess you’re a guy in a robot suit on like a game show? Who has to make it from the bottom to the top of the level before it fills up with acid. Along the way you must unlock doors while blasting away deadly enemies (like robots and flying shapes) while getting all sorts of sweet power-ups along the way.

Why?: Paul bought this one for the sole purpose of how vague the cartridge artwork was. It just had yellow letters on a red background, we really had no idea what it was and with a name like “Fatal Rewind” we just had to have it.

Pros: This kind of has an old school arcade charm to it. It’s simple but entertaining with lots of fun power-ups and never a dull moment. I also love that every level opens with text that says” Get ready to die!” It has it’s imperfections but at least it’s fun and it definitely keeps you on your toes.

Cons: This game can be pretty frustrating at times due to it’s difficulty. I couldn’t even pass the first level until AJ figured out how to beat it and get fairly far. It’s pretty hard to not take damage from basically everything and it’s shame that you’re continually starting from the beginning of every level.

So there you have it, I kind of rushed through that but hopefully my grammatical errors and typos aren’t too annoying. I was talking to Sean and we were thinking this might be a fun monthly segment. I mean it would definitely spice up those painfully slow and uneventful weeks we often have, Otteni out.