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ROCKOLLECTIONS: BEATLE JOHN LENNON ON THE BBC, AND MORE

We move on to John Lennon in our annual remembrance of the lives of two men who were a part of something that probably will never happen again, the phenomenon that was the Beatles.
Dec.8th is the 30th anniversary of John’s death, just astonishing to me, where has the time gone?
I won’t bore you again with my personal memories of that night, but it was a shocker.
John is 30 years gone…for most of us, that’s almost twice as long as he was an active, significant part of our lives!
And he would have turned 70 on Oct.9th, same birthday as his son, Sean.
I’ll cherry pick some more from those delightful 1963 BBC Sessions, highlighting John, from Pop Go The Beatles.
There is a real fun moment in here regarding George Martin’s non-appearance on the show, and the Beatles need for the piano part Martin played on A Hard Day’s Night.
I’ll take you back for some more Roots Rock too.
Then some dialogue simply between a father and a son, but with a cute surprise in its content.
Followed by a Lennon song that for me, always makes me think how unprepared I was for their losses.
I’ll end with a seasonal song, but more intimate with just John and Yoko- not the version with the children’s chorus you are used to hearing.
What can I say? I miss those two guys and wish they were still around.
But when you think about it, it’s all perspective.
Including their solo careers, they left us with a vast library of great music.
So, are the Beatles now half empty or half full?
And given the joy they provided in my life and so many others lives, does it even matter?

Mike

Tags: 1963 BBC Sessions, 30th Anniversary Of John's Death, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles, Dec.8th, George Martin, Oct.9th, Pop Go The Beatles, Roots Rock, Sean Lennon, yoko ono

ROCKOLLECTIONS: REMEMBERING JOHN LENNON PT.1

Last week we did George Harrison, this week it is John Lennon’s turn.
As you should know, he was shot and killed on Dec.8, 1980.
I was looking for a way to open this show, when those “You Are Here” signs occured to me.
Everybody has to be somewhere, so you are here!
I have some rare and unusual Lennon things, in this chapter going back to his Beatle days.
Included is a version of his Norwegian Wood, in which George first unveiled his sitar playing to us.
You’ll hear John and Paul, but George is playing those SITAR chords on GUITAR.
We’ll have some older Beatle things as well.
I’ll tell you about what some of John’s last day was like.
And you’ll hear a very interesting story from George Martin about the animal sound effects on Good Morning Good Morning from Sgt. Pepper, and what the order of succession of them was supposed to represent.
Then I will play you just the isolated animal effects!
Speaking of animals, a Walrus counts, right?
We will close this one out with another isolated bit, this time that radio broadcast of Shakespeare’s King Lear that John used in…well, you know!
Hope you enjoy this one- it was a lot of fun for me to get to play these things for more than just the people who come over to my house.
There will be another episode on Mr. Lennon shortly.

Mike

Tags: Beatles, December 8th 1980, George Harrison, George Martin, Good Morning Good Morning, I Am The Walrus, King Lear, Norwegian Wood, Paul McCartney, Sgt. Pepper, Shakespeare, Sitar