Julian Lennon - 'Valotte'

My keen preoccupation with piano ballads continues to dominate the conversation with a spotlight on a 1984 single by Beatles offspring, Julian Lennon.  

'Valotte' was the opening track of the eponymous debut album of John Lennon's eldest son.  And while the album may be lazily remembered by armchair musicologists for the much poppier 'Too Late For Goodbyes,' 'Valotte' is the stronger composition in my opinion.  

Released only a few years after the elder Lennon's murder, the track is haunting on multiple levels:  for its lyrical depiction of a romantic relationship in its waning days; and perhaps more so for its vocals and stylings that sound nearly identical to a beloved man who was no longer alive.  

While I am sure many Beatles fans clamored for Julian's  musical offerings in the wake of his father's death, I am just as sure its fruition nevertheless served as an unfortunate reminder that the biological impersonation can rarely fill the void left by the loss of its progenitor.  

This is not to say that Julian's music is bad or subpar---far from it.  Instead, I merely point out that, while he may have been privileged to have a mythic musician for a father, he was likewise disadvantaged by the same's inescapable shadow.  No matter how immensely talented Julian could ever be, the wound of his father's death was too fresh for fans to move on from and to separate from the son.

(Don't believe me?  Take note of the career trajectory of Julian's half-brother--and John's son with Yoko Ono--Sean Lennon, a likewise talented and brilliant artist in his own right).  

Nevertheless, I believe enough time has passed for 'Valotte,' the song, to be given an independent look and listen.  Structurally, the track is full of infectious hooks and plaintive verses.  

Sitting on a pebble by the river playing guitar 

Wondering if we're really ever gonna get that far 

Do you know there's something wrong 

'Cause I've felt it all along

And its measured march toward the rewarding choral climax is splendidly tender.  Had Billy Joel or Elton John penned this song, it would have been canonized.  Think about that, and keep an open mind, when you take a look at the video for Julian Lennon's 'Valotte' below:

The New Beatles-Themed Hotel

The Hard Day's Night Hotel recently opened in Liverpool. Undoubtedly, it is a Beatles lover's dream. There is a Lennon suite and a McCartney suite. Commissioned artwork by local artist Shannon adorns the interior of each room as well. The hotel, albeit expensive, looks to provide quite the vivid experience.

You can read more about this hip new lodge by clicking here.

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Lennon's Locks Up For Sale

Wednesday will mark the day when die-hard Beatles fans get their first chance to bid on a lock of John Lennon's hair during an auction in southern England. The Walrus included the hair within a copy of his book A Spaniard in the Works and gave it to his hairdresser, Betty Glasow, as a gift.

Glasow has donated the book and hair to be auctioned off so that real Beatle's enthusiasts could appreciate and take care of the rare collectibles. The book/hair combo is reputed to fetch as much as $6200 at auction.

Click here to read the full story.

'Across the Universe' Movie Review

There has been enough said about The Beatles since their mythical domination of Anglo-American pop four decades ago that, to add anything more in their honor, would be overkill. Accordingly, I went to a showing of the Beatles-themed Across the Universe as a skeptic.

The film's story, in its skimpiest form, screams cheesy: a Liverpudlian named Jude leaves England during the sixties for America in search of his GI father who retreated back to the States before Jude was ever born. Jude's paternity search leads to encounters with other characters who bear Beatles-inspired names. There's a Maxwell, a Prudence, a Sadie, a Lucy, and a doctor named Robert among others. And because the time period is 1960s America, the narrative inevitably centers around Vietnam, drug usage, and the Counterculture in general.

However, unlike many movies that take place during those 'Boom years, Across the Universe takes a very underhanded approach at dealing with the 60s' staple issues of war and drugs. While the drugs are very much available, and the characters experience their fair share of acid trips (manifested as psychedelic visuals to the viewer), the marijuana and LSD are presented to the audience in a much more subversive way. The characters don't talk about it, and they don't glamorize it. They just do it.

In similar fashion, the story does not immortalize the war protester like so many other films do. Instead, it seems to depict the student protesters of that era as children of privilege, indulging in protest perhaps only for the sake of rebellion against the establishment, rather than for the stated purpose of bringing American troops home. While Across the Universe certainly does not endorse the Vietnam conflict, it brings a grounded, post-WWII British perspective to the narrative through the lens of protagonist Jude.

Finally, the film does a pretty good job of sticking to its goal of focusing on the Beatles' robust catalog. From the sugary Mersey sounds of their early albums, to their heavier-handed material released toward the end of their legendary run, a healthy cross-section of the band's repertoire is represented. In the beginning, songs like 'It Won't Be Long' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' are used to compliment the story during times of teenage lust and longing. As the story unfolds, heartfelt performances of songs like 'Something' by the characters are presented to emit more sophisticated feelings of reluctant love and lucidity. This transition mirrors not just the intellectual and emotional growth of the film's characters, but also that of the band's real life songwriting evolution as well.

In all, Across the Universe did a good job of surpassing my expectations. Although a little long in parts, the movie illustrated the universality of the Beatles' songs, helping to explain why people are still obsessed with them to this very day.

Here is the Beatles version of a song contained in the film. It's 'If I Fell:'

The Beatles - 'If I Fell'

Across the Universe

Across the Universe is a Beatles-inspired musical about a dock worker from Liverpool who travels to America during the sixties. The film centers around the anti-war movement of that time, with the actors expressing themselves via verse of the Beatles.

Below is actor Jim Sturgess' renditon of 'All My Loving.' In stark contrast to the original Merseybeat production of the song, this film's version is more down-beat and low-fi. But it easily fits into the contemporary corpus that is rock music today.

Stream it and compare it to the original version below:

Jim Sturgess - 'All My Loving'

The Beatles - 'All My Loving'

Peter & Gordon - 'Lady Godiva'

Although one of the more obscure bands to come out of the British Invasion, Peter & Gordon are notable if only for being the first British act, after The Beatles, to take the number one spot in America. Incidentally, it was the duo's performance of the previously unrecorded Lennon/McCartney composition, 'A World Without Love,' that garnered the much coveted top slot on the American charts.

When the group formed in 1963, duo member Peter Asher's sister, Jane Asher, was dating McCartney at the time. Such a connection would provide much of the artistic capital necessary to launch Peter & Gordon across the Atlantic and onto regular radio airplay. However, in light of such a powerful association with The Beatles, Peter & Gordon were unique in their own right, often employing a more acoustic approach to the popular Merseybeat songs of their time.

In 1967, as the band's popularity was surely waning, Peter & Gordon released 'Lady Godiva,' a carefree bubblegum single featuring brass, horns and most importantly, a sense of humor. Set in a style similar to 'Yellow Submarine', the band continued to maintain their deliberate closeness to the sound of The Beatles. But a year later, even that tactic grew stale as the two members split up in 1968.


Listen to 'Lady Godiva' below:

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