Let take you down, cause I'm going too . .

5.02.2007

Plugs.
Sunshine 34 is up starring SKELETOR! 8 1/2 by Eleven has also updated with strip 527. I am also, almost finally done with the Wraith.

Also some stuff to check out at the WoW. First you got to check out today's Hump Day Jokes, more specifically joke number 2. Tainted~Love posts Hump Day Jokes every Wednesday. This one is great, Malach loves to poke fun at the Irish. Also an incident happened today at work where I thought another one of my clients had died. That got me thinking to the 6 that have died over my career in human services, and decided to post a bit of a tribute to them. Read it, comment if you like.

You are listening too . . .
One of The Beatles best songs of all time, by consesus, Strawberry Fields Forever. And if this song don't make you feel trippy, I don't know what will. A double A side with Penny Lane, as stated in previous post, the two songs are a very interesting juxtapostion. Strawberry Fields is perhaps the defining song of psychedelic rock.

Both Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane are actual locations in Liverpool. Both songs address childhood memories, and landmarks of the city. Penny Lane, mostly written by McCartney is a happier version, while Strawberry Fields written by Lennon is much more morose. Both songs were recorded for Sgt. Pepper, but left off to make singles, which George Martin still regrets to this day (how much more amazing would Sgt. Pepper be with these two songs added).

Again the song express an nostalgic view of childhood, but with surrealistic tones. Strawberry Field is an orphanage down the block from where Lennon grew up with his aunt. Lennon used to play behind the building in the woods with his childhood friends. Strawberry Field had a garden party every summer which the neighborhood was invited too, and Lennon loved.

This song was written during a period of change for Lennon. The bigger than Jesus controversy, his failing marriage to Cynthia Lennon, the disastorous last year of touring. Lennon became more introspective, and some of the pain of his childhood resurfaced (his mother died when he was young and you will see his future albums explore these feelings). Lennon was getting heavy into drugs, especially LSD. The song itself has no drug references, but is highly influenced by those mind altering experiences.

One of the nice parts of this recording is the myriad of demos, and outakes saved from the recording of the song. You can see the creation of the lyrics, and the sound through that. The song, over most of the songs of that period (sans perhaps Tomorrow Never Knows, and a Day in the Life), is a masterwork of sound engineering and recording. There is extensive overdubbing, looping, reverse recording, and compression through the song. The arrangement includes a piano, a Mellotron (played by McCartney), trumpets, cellos, and an Indian swarmandel.

One of the most amazing parts of the song and something many people notice, is that the song is two different version melded together. The were two distinct versions of the song, a acid rock style in the vein of Jefferson Airplane, and a more complex orchestral musical arrangement.

Lennon decide he liked parts of both, so he told George Martin to mix them. Problem. Each version is played in both a different key, and a different tempo. Luckily, the faster version was in a higher key this allowed them to slow down faster version and speed up the slower one and match the tempo. Lennon was amazed, and pitch and slight speed differences in the song, give it that otherworldly sound. Lennon always described it as a "swimming quality".

The flute like sound at the beginning is a Mellotron, which Lennon had purchased, but McCartney soon discovered it's potential. Strawberry Fields is the first rock song to use it, and it was quickly picked up by a number of other bands.

Strawberry Fields also had a very groundbreaking conceptual music video. Both (Penny Lane video) were originally broadcast in 1968 on The Hollywood Palace.

Brian Wilson claims Strawberry Fields ruined the anticipated Beach Boys concept album SMiLE. He says The Beatles achieved the sound he was going for and then he shelved the album. Of course Brian Wilson went a even a bit more nuts after that.

The Mood of Red Sox Nation.
Well Papelbon proved he was human, or at least Mariano Rivera. It is currently 5 - 3 Sox in the eighth. Mood: Disbelief.

KFC.
Uh, Doc, don't eat there. Have you even seen their disgusting Flavor Bowls?

Some more good news.
"Global Warming is all in your head".

Malach's Quote/Video of the Day.

I am Malach and you gotta love YouTube.