Letters to the Editor
-
SP
...was all about possibilities, as were the Beatles. The Beatles were getting better all the time, and every new album was like a revolution. And if Sargent Pepper was such a incredible and magical album, and it sure seemed like it was at the time, then what incredible album might the boys come up with next?
Well, after SP, the Beatles sort of fell back and then eventually broke up. So did the 60s; bright promises segued into a dreary run of assassinations, riots, drug abuse, Charlie Manson, Patty Hearst. Disco came in and then the yuppies and then Nixon, Reagan, and now Bush. So SP stands in memory as the highwater mark of the failed promise of the 60s as well as of the Beatles themselves.
Personally, I still enjoy the Beatles but I could live without them. The Beatles were for happy, optimistic people, and I'm not like that anymore. I'd rather listen to Hank Williams or the Carter family these days. That's the stuff I understand now.
-
salon music critics v. salon letter writters
And the winner is...letter writers.
-
Hey, Hype this. How old are you?
First of all, unless you are somewhat close to having lived through that era in musical history, please exit the stage and keep any snooty, negative comments to yourself. Sgt. P. is a moody, and hauntingly beautiful piece of work. And it still holds up for anyone who's opinion I value.
I can remember exactly where I was at the moment I first heard it. On my best friend Rob's brother Craig's stereo -- purchased cheap in Saigon. Craig was on leave from a 3 year tour in the Marines. He survived it by-the-way. Truly life changing. There is huge emotion linked to this particular Beatles album and other works during that magical 2 or 3 year period; Cream, Hendrix, King Crimson, The Moody Blues and a few others. The Doors are not in the same league, my young friend. Next time write about something in your own league.
Peace, Love.
-
@kenwolman
You write: "The rest is cute or embarrassingly dated ("I've Got to Admit It's Getting Better" today is sickening)."
Only if viewed through a modern lens. The fact is that women have been abused by their husbands with impunity until relatively recently. I doubt it was autobiographical in any way. Rather, I have a metaphor for you.
When Huck Finn is asked if anyone was harmed in the explosion of the steamboat, he says, "Nope. Killed two niggers." It's not a direct quote, it's been many years since I read it, but I think it's close.
We're laughing at Huck, and his attitude towards slaves. We're laughing at the insane society that produced a boy who could say such a thing. Folks have called it racist, school boards have called for banning the book. In fact, it is the opposite of racist. It is a masterful treatise against racism, from start to finish; indeed, that is its purpose.
I think your interpretation of It's Getting Better All the Time is similarly incorrect. I suspect you are referring to the line: "I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved."
From my point of view, that's a profound statement. In one sentence, it captures the essence of an abusive relationship. The abuser doesn't want the abused to have outside interests, because he sees them as endangering his territory. He sees his spouse as a thing, and keeping her apart from the things that she loved is a symptom of that.
Then we get an immediate message of hope. "Man I was mean," etc. Okay, maybe it didn't heal the world. Maybe it wasn't a big anti-war protest song. But maybe some jerk heard it on the radio, and tears came to his eyes, and he turned over a new leaf. Maybe she never even knew why. Songs can affect people that profoundly.
-
Fanatics
Why the offended outrage? The writers expressed their opinion. The measure of offensive and hateful letters smell of fanaticism of the same kind that makes Apple users rise in arms any time Apple is criticized.
My opinion is that most of the letter writers wouldn't say s***t if Paul McCartney had defecated in their mouths.
-
Beethoven is SO overrated
Do you remember in Annie Hall, or maybe it was Manhattan (Manhattan, I think-- anyway, Woody Aallen and Diane Keaton), the Woody Allen character is with some Very Sophisticated Types who have a game they call "Who is overrated?" And they get a big kick out of declaring Shakespeare etc overrated. Woody Allen stands there with this struck look on his face and exclaims, "Beethoven is overrated?"
It was a true moment, because we've all been there, with people who think they're too cool to be impressed by anyone that ever impressed anyone else, who think it's sophisticated to reject the notion of acclaimed genius. And they're never geniuses themselves--- their only claim to cool is that they can dismiss Beethoven as overrated, so they are so much cooler than Beethoven.
No one has to like Sgt. Pepper. But to decided it's overhyped because you personally don't like it-- or more likely, because you just don't like things that are hyped-- is pretty juvenile. It is not overhyped just because you think it is, especially when you say silly things like Kurt Cobain was lying when he called the Beatles a profound influence-- when the rest of us can sure hear the Beatles influence, and so presumably could he, since why would he lie? And when you say silly thing like it's not emotional. Emotion doesn't come from crying into the microphone, you know. (Of course, you're probably think that was lachrymose or something... how can anyone win, huh?) She's Leaving Home is rendingly emotional, in a quiet, understated way. If you can't hear the emotion in that, then I really wonder if you can listen.
Not that you have to hear it-- but if you don't like an album, it doesn't hurt to consider that you just don't like it. An album that so many have loved for so long, that children and teenagers still love, that musicians still admire, is not overhyped. You don't have to like it. But you're not earning cool points by pretending that your likes and dislikes trump history, music, and our opinions. That's just the same arrogance Woody Allen was skewering, and frankly, it leads to a parched and unjoyful life. Be wary.