Post by valis on Dec 17, 2004 7:57:05 GMT
I already introduced another part of Billy's shady past in the following thread:
60if.proboards21.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=faul&thread=1059172670&start=45
And here I'll post his writings, starting of with his last work for The Beatles Monthly Book No.62 September 1968
enjoy
------------------------------------------------------------------
BEHIND THE SPOTLIGHT
Two years ago
By Billy Shepherd and Johnny Dean
Go back two years , to september 1966, and the Beatles were topping the charts with "Yellow Submarine", backed with the wondrous "Eleanor Rigby". Controversy still raged over them recording what was described as a "kiddies'tune", but it sold ridiculously fast all over the world.
And take today, september 1968, when "Yellow Submarine", in full-length movie cartoon form , is busting box-office records. Which gives a nice coincidental touch to what has to be the last in our "Behind the Spotlight" series. Why MUST it be the last?
Well, in the last couple of years there has been a drastic change in how the Beatles have managed their incredible career as a group.
Touring has gone by the board, almost entirely. Television appearances have been few and far between. Instead, they've followed individual courses, coming together, however, for long spells in the recording studios. It's been a natural progression and the millions of fans understand what has been going on.
Maybe the change is best summed up in what John Lennon said, two years ago this month: "We're human beings and we're not trying to pass ourselves off as teenagers. Whether we look our full age or not, the fact is that we often feel years and years older than we really are".
STRAIN
In other words , the Beatles were feeling the strain of non-stop and history-making activity through the years of stardom that went before. So there would be too many gaps, too many spells of comparative inactivity, too little nostalgic news, if we continued digging back to what they were doing, behind the spotlight, two years ago.
But we can still round it off neatly. As September 1966 came in, the boys were rounding off another fantastically succesful trip to America. Ironically, several of the local stations had got hold of what they regarded as a scoop over there in the States. It was, complete with details, that Jane Asher was flying into the States and that THE marriage was about to take place.
Funny how these rumours start in the first place-probably through one person meeting the Beatles and deciding to tell the world how the boys "let me into their confidence"-but it wasn't true, despite the wealth of fact that certain broadcasters put into it.
HAVEN OF REST
In the States, the boys rented a massive house in Hollywood's Carson Terrace. This was a sort of haven of rest between engagements and if anybody needed the break it was John Lennon. For soon after getting back to Britain, the others were off on holidays...while John was due to have his hair shorn ready for his starring role in "How I Won The War". During these off-duty spells in their temporary home, lots of stars came around...the Byrds, for instance, and Joan Baez and many others.
In an interview John and Paul dropped hints that they were finding the strain and the repetition of constant touring was getting a bit too much. Some writers wanted to know if they were thinking of going into the stage-musical sort of composing work-a sort of Rodgers and Hammerstein team of the 1960s. That was smartly put down by Mr. Lennon and Mr. McCartney. They said:"Music is our world, not musical comedy. The show-business scene really isn't us. We don't feel that way, or think that way. We've seen some very good musicals, but we can't see us sitting down and doing something similar
"We're impressed by a lot of the pop music we heard in America and it's made us realise that you can never stop learning, or experimenting. People who put down pop music are stupid and thick, because it's obvious that there are no limits to stick inside. If enough thought goes into it, it's always possible to come up with something creative and different."
FOREMOST
But as we've seen in the past couple of years, it takes an awful lot of time in the studios to come up with material in that category. The Beatles have always regarded themselves as musicians, first and foremost. Not that all-round entertainer bit....
One trade paper story gave the boys a bit of a giggle. It concerned a young singer who met up with a bass-guitarist in Germany back in 1961. The bassist said he had a few songs that might interest the singer- and that he'd be prepared to pass them over as he didn't see much chance for his own group making records. The bassist was Paul McCartney- you guessed! The singer was Wayne Gibson, who later did "cover" a couple of Beatle songs. Story was that Wayne turned down the songs and returned to London to try and find fame for himself with, for example "She Loves You"!
In fact, Paul couldn't remember exactly what songs he had in mind- but it's interesting to see how little quirks and niggles of fate can have so much effect.
But it IS a point that had he accepted the songs, he could perhaps have had a hit for himself.
September 1966 was Pop Poll time again- and in Melody Maker, for a start, the Beatles tended to tighten their grip on things rather than show any sign of slipping. British section: top group;John Lennon fifth top solo singer; Paul McCartney seventh; George Harrison second in musicians'sector- and Paul tenth; top vocal record: "Paperback Writer".
Top group in the World Section, holding off the Beach Boys; John eighth best singer (solo section); George third best musician- and "Paperback Writer"again the best vocal record of the year... beating, incidentally, Elvi Presley's "Frankie and Johnny"into second place.
Another funny thing was that as these results were announced, George was in Bombay carrying on his enthusiasm for the sitar as a possible pop-music instrument.
Meditation and the other things were to come later, but at this time he was taking a serious interest in Yoga. He said: "I used to be a pretty wiry fellow with a fair amount of strength, but there are signs, I'm afraid, that I'm getting a bit flabby. Must be all that hanging around in hotel lounges. I'm told that Yoga poses would help tone up my muscles...and from what I've read it must be a most interesting subject."
It was from this trip, and from this interest in Yoga, that George eventually got deeper and deeper into other religions and theories.
And so we come to the summing up of this whole series- a series which has been most interesting to write, incidentally, specially for the memories it has brought back of how the Beatles rose to an unheard of position in pop music. We were privileged to be with them on most of the major moments and we got to know them as individuals as well as in their performing group image.
Inevitably, they have had to slow down. They cannot be mentioned in any ordinary pop-music category, because they long ago rose above it. We leave them split up temporarily in that September of two years ago. We leave them with no hint into what direction they will be heading in two years'time.
It's when you realise how fast some groups come and go that you realise just how great has been Beatle Achievement. And we all know there is much, much more to come.
We're replacing this series with some super new ideas. But more about that next month.
60if.proboards21.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=faul&thread=1059172670&start=45
And here I'll post his writings, starting of with his last work for The Beatles Monthly Book No.62 September 1968
enjoy
------------------------------------------------------------------
BEHIND THE SPOTLIGHT
Two years ago
By Billy Shepherd and Johnny Dean
Go back two years , to september 1966, and the Beatles were topping the charts with "Yellow Submarine", backed with the wondrous "Eleanor Rigby". Controversy still raged over them recording what was described as a "kiddies'tune", but it sold ridiculously fast all over the world.
And take today, september 1968, when "Yellow Submarine", in full-length movie cartoon form , is busting box-office records. Which gives a nice coincidental touch to what has to be the last in our "Behind the Spotlight" series. Why MUST it be the last?
Well, in the last couple of years there has been a drastic change in how the Beatles have managed their incredible career as a group.
Touring has gone by the board, almost entirely. Television appearances have been few and far between. Instead, they've followed individual courses, coming together, however, for long spells in the recording studios. It's been a natural progression and the millions of fans understand what has been going on.
Maybe the change is best summed up in what John Lennon said, two years ago this month: "We're human beings and we're not trying to pass ourselves off as teenagers. Whether we look our full age or not, the fact is that we often feel years and years older than we really are".
STRAIN
In other words , the Beatles were feeling the strain of non-stop and history-making activity through the years of stardom that went before. So there would be too many gaps, too many spells of comparative inactivity, too little nostalgic news, if we continued digging back to what they were doing, behind the spotlight, two years ago.
But we can still round it off neatly. As September 1966 came in, the boys were rounding off another fantastically succesful trip to America. Ironically, several of the local stations had got hold of what they regarded as a scoop over there in the States. It was, complete with details, that Jane Asher was flying into the States and that THE marriage was about to take place.
Funny how these rumours start in the first place-probably through one person meeting the Beatles and deciding to tell the world how the boys "let me into their confidence"-but it wasn't true, despite the wealth of fact that certain broadcasters put into it.
HAVEN OF REST
In the States, the boys rented a massive house in Hollywood's Carson Terrace. This was a sort of haven of rest between engagements and if anybody needed the break it was John Lennon. For soon after getting back to Britain, the others were off on holidays...while John was due to have his hair shorn ready for his starring role in "How I Won The War". During these off-duty spells in their temporary home, lots of stars came around...the Byrds, for instance, and Joan Baez and many others.
In an interview John and Paul dropped hints that they were finding the strain and the repetition of constant touring was getting a bit too much. Some writers wanted to know if they were thinking of going into the stage-musical sort of composing work-a sort of Rodgers and Hammerstein team of the 1960s. That was smartly put down by Mr. Lennon and Mr. McCartney. They said:"Music is our world, not musical comedy. The show-business scene really isn't us. We don't feel that way, or think that way. We've seen some very good musicals, but we can't see us sitting down and doing something similar
"We're impressed by a lot of the pop music we heard in America and it's made us realise that you can never stop learning, or experimenting. People who put down pop music are stupid and thick, because it's obvious that there are no limits to stick inside. If enough thought goes into it, it's always possible to come up with something creative and different."
FOREMOST
But as we've seen in the past couple of years, it takes an awful lot of time in the studios to come up with material in that category. The Beatles have always regarded themselves as musicians, first and foremost. Not that all-round entertainer bit....
One trade paper story gave the boys a bit of a giggle. It concerned a young singer who met up with a bass-guitarist in Germany back in 1961. The bassist said he had a few songs that might interest the singer- and that he'd be prepared to pass them over as he didn't see much chance for his own group making records. The bassist was Paul McCartney- you guessed! The singer was Wayne Gibson, who later did "cover" a couple of Beatle songs. Story was that Wayne turned down the songs and returned to London to try and find fame for himself with, for example "She Loves You"!
In fact, Paul couldn't remember exactly what songs he had in mind- but it's interesting to see how little quirks and niggles of fate can have so much effect.
But it IS a point that had he accepted the songs, he could perhaps have had a hit for himself.
September 1966 was Pop Poll time again- and in Melody Maker, for a start, the Beatles tended to tighten their grip on things rather than show any sign of slipping. British section: top group;John Lennon fifth top solo singer; Paul McCartney seventh; George Harrison second in musicians'sector- and Paul tenth; top vocal record: "Paperback Writer".
Top group in the World Section, holding off the Beach Boys; John eighth best singer (solo section); George third best musician- and "Paperback Writer"again the best vocal record of the year... beating, incidentally, Elvi Presley's "Frankie and Johnny"into second place.
Another funny thing was that as these results were announced, George was in Bombay carrying on his enthusiasm for the sitar as a possible pop-music instrument.
Meditation and the other things were to come later, but at this time he was taking a serious interest in Yoga. He said: "I used to be a pretty wiry fellow with a fair amount of strength, but there are signs, I'm afraid, that I'm getting a bit flabby. Must be all that hanging around in hotel lounges. I'm told that Yoga poses would help tone up my muscles...and from what I've read it must be a most interesting subject."
It was from this trip, and from this interest in Yoga, that George eventually got deeper and deeper into other religions and theories.
And so we come to the summing up of this whole series- a series which has been most interesting to write, incidentally, specially for the memories it has brought back of how the Beatles rose to an unheard of position in pop music. We were privileged to be with them on most of the major moments and we got to know them as individuals as well as in their performing group image.
Inevitably, they have had to slow down. They cannot be mentioned in any ordinary pop-music category, because they long ago rose above it. We leave them split up temporarily in that September of two years ago. We leave them with no hint into what direction they will be heading in two years'time.
It's when you realise how fast some groups come and go that you realise just how great has been Beatle Achievement. And we all know there is much, much more to come.
We're replacing this series with some super new ideas. But more about that next month.
