On Completely Nerdy Knowledge

On Friday I mentioned how Snoopy made his annual report to the Head Beagle in a Peanuts strip that ran on Sunday the 4th of January, 1970. That date, it nagged me in the back of my mind yesterday and today. And then, this morning, I realized what’s so important about that date. I justContinue reading “On Completely Nerdy Knowledge”

On “Beautiful Dreamer”

Sometimes, the depths of my ignorance surprise me. In this instance, the song “Beautiful Dreamer” by Stephen Foster. Like, doubtless, a good many people, I knew it from Danny Elfman’s Batman score; he used the melody as the Joker’s “love theme” for Vicki Vale. And I’ve been known to whistle it or hum it inContinue reading “On “Beautiful Dreamer””

On “Carnival of Light”

There are a couple of unreleased Beatles tracks that fans have been wanting to hear for forty-plus years. Holy Grails, basically. Tracks like the 27-minute “Helter Skelter.” Or tracks worked on during the “reunion” sessions in 1994 and 1995 like “All For Love” and “Now and Then.” And then there’s “Carnival of Light.” It’s aContinue reading “On “Carnival of Light””

On Getting in that Christmas Mood

I realized yesterday, with some surprise, that Christmas is merely five weeks away. I’d say it snuck up on me, but it didn’t. Not really. Four months ago I was writing about Christmas products — ornaments, nutcrackers, even calendars. Last month, I wrote about Valentine’s Day stuff. Pretty soon, I’ll be thinking about the summerContinue reading “On Getting in that Christmas Mood”

On Sgt. Obama’s Hopeful Hearts Club

This is really quite neat. Artist Michael Cuffe has taken Peter Blake’s famous cover art for The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and reworked it into a nifty Obama/Biden poster. Here’s a large version of it. Some personages on the poster are a little mystifying to me. Why Robert Downey, Jr.? Why J.K.Continue reading “On Sgt. Obama’s Hopeful Hearts Club”

On the Beatles Remasters and Compilations

Long rumored, it appears that the Beatles back catalogue is finally being released in a remastered form. The next issue of MOJO says sometime in 2009. I’ve long been a proponent of a remastered Beatles catalog. The original albums — from Please Please Me to Let It Be — on CD were done in 1987,Continue reading “On the Beatles Remasters and Compilations”

On a Strange Beatles Experience

And now, for something completely different… I’ve made a bizarre musical discovery. As long-time Allynologists know, I love The Beatles. As soon as I have a frame for my poster of A Hard Day’s Night, that’s going up in the stairwell. I have over sixty hours of Beatles music on my hard drive. (To putContinue reading “On a Strange Beatles Experience”