Tuesday, January 23, 2018

The Fab Four

Beatles photo from 1963 Life.
Most of you know who I mean when I say the Fab Four. And if you are of a certain age you will definitely know that I'm talking about the Beatles. I was pretty young when they hit the scene in the US, but I remember the first time I heard of them. My oldest sister and her friend, Sandy, were very excited over the most recent issue of Life magazine. When I asked what they were looking at, they told me that it was the Beatles, and then went on with their excited conversation, ignoring me completely. However, talk of the Beatles was everywhere and it didn't take me long to figure out who they were. As I got a little older, I joined the frenzy and declared I was a Ringo person. I would walk around with my friends singing, "I love you (Ringo, John, Paul, George), oh yes I do. When you're not near to me, I'm blue, Oh, Ringo I love you."


Mind you I only knew a couple of their songs, "She Loves You, and "Hard Days Night" but that didn't mean that I didn't imitate my older sisters and go ga-ga over them. Several years later, I got to know their music and loved much of it. However, I never went to a Beatles concert. Even if I had been old enough, it seems their US tours didn't include rural West Virginia. But recently, I went to the next best thing.

During the concert, 1964 members wore long hair wigs.
Ward and I went to see the Beatles tribute band, 1964, last week.  According to the Rolling Stone, they are the best Beatles tribute band in the world. I don't know if that's true, but they did put on a very good show.  I had a fun evening singing along to the very familiar Beatles' songs. (Ward is not a sing-along type of guy. His job is to poke me when I get too loud.)

For a few days after the concert, we watched old Youtube videos of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan Show and other places. As it turns out, the members of 1964 had the stances, movements, and speech patterns down to a T.  And somehow, I think the current band members are probably better musicians that the Fab Four, but somehow still sounded just like them. That's talent.

Anyway, I thought later about how this was the perfect concert experience. I got to hear great songs. I mean, I actually got to hear them. As you may remember during the original concerts, there were so many screaming girls around, you couldn't hear much. Well, those screaming girls are all grown up now and would rather sing along than scream. So, I figure it may have been worth the 50 year wait to go to a "Beatles" concert.  I wonder if my sister is jealous? 🙂



18 comments:

  1. I'm glad you and Ward had a fun night! I laughed when you said that Ward isn't a sing-along kind of a guy. My husband isn't, either. I love to sing and I sometimes jokingly tell my husband that I don't know how the two of us hit it off, as we are so different in that area.

    I'm too young for the Beatles, but if Abba got back together and did a nostalgic concert, you can bet I'd be there! And yes, I do own Mamma Mia (the movie).

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    1. Ward sang in singing groups in college and has sung in church choirs since then, but he still doesn't sing just for fun like I do. In fact, it seems everything reminds me of a song and there's using one song or another bouncing around in my head.

      I like ABBA also, but I don't own the movie. Do you think they'll ever get back together?

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    2. Hard to say if they will get back together. But they are fun. :)

      I've sung in different groups as well as church choir, so I enjoy more serious singing (just got back from choir practice, actually) but I also love singing just for fun. My kids roll their eyes because I think there is a song for every occasion (and I'm not afraid to sing it!). I have a completely useless skill--I know every word to every song in several different musicals. I love finding kindred souls who can also do this. Sound Of Music, anyone???

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    3. My husband's your guy. Sounds of Music, The Music Man, 1776, and probably a slew more... he doesn't sing in a choir or anything, but he sings in the car, with our son when they go on camping trips together, and when he watches musicals :)

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    4. I don't know all the words to many musicals (just the ones I was in in high school/college), but I do enjoy them. I'm a know some of the words to a lot of songs person. Not a know all the words to a lot of songs. Most of the songs I know are not mainstream.

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    5. Back, oh about 20 years ago or so, my best friend and I were waiting to cross the border into Canada. We had the Sound of Music soundtrack playing and were doing hand motions while we waited in the car. The border folks had us pull over and our vehicle was searched--apparently we looked suspiciously like we were on a mind-altering substance--I guess we were, but it was the power of music! ;) We have laughed about that ever since.

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  2. What a fun night out. I am not a big fan of cover bands, but will make exceptions for TheBeatles and a really good Elvis impersonator. Recently we saw Rain, a Beatles tribute and loved it. If it comes to your area it is worth seeing.

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    1. I'll keep my eye out for Rain. One of the members with this band did a world tour with Rain.

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  3. I always wondered who went to concerts by cover bands. It never occurred to me it could be people who wished they could have gone to see the original acts but couldn't, for some reason! It sounds like you had a great time. I laughed at the idea of your husband nudging you because he thought you were singing too loud, LOL.

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    1. I don't know if everyone defines them in the same way, but I learned at this concert that there is a difference between a cover band and a tribute band. A cover band sings other peoples songs and a tribute band takes it one step further to actually not only sing the songs but act and imitate them. Tribute bands are often for bands or singers that have disbanded or died. I don't go to concerts very often, but this one was worth it--especially since I got a great Black Friday deal on the tickets.

      The music was pretty loud, so I don't think anyone noticed me singing along. Where I have to careful is at a play. I have been nudged there before.

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  4. Thanks for dropping in to read my second edition of "Get to Know Me". During the Beatles Invasion, I was a wee girl of 3, so my memories are very vague. I grew up listening to their mewsic, mostly on the radio or the older girls in school. I never owed any of their mewsic until after adulthood. I think about how our parents or grandparents fussed about the Beatles moppy top hair and laugh. At least they looked sharp in their suits unlike a lot of kids do today. I didn't go crazy over them but I did like their sound. I'm not sure if I had a favorite band member but seemed a little drawn to Ringo because he was shorter than the others. I reckon I felt bad for the dude. Isn't that silly? Oh well...thanks for sharing your memories with us. It would've been cool had you included some of your favorite Beatles' mewsic with us, too. ;) Have a funtastic day and God bless!

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    1. I was going to include some of my favorite songs, but ran out of time. My posts are infrequent these days, so I just wanted to get something posted. I'm not sure why I chose Ringo. Maybe he was enough different from the others, that I could always pick him out. You know, with that "long" hair, they all looked the same. :)

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  5. That had to be so much fun! I've been to a few tribute bands. The best one I went to was a tribute band for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

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    1. It was a fun evening and it's good to get out sometimes. If left to my druthers, I wouldn't leave the house except to go to work. Especially when it's cold outside.

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  6. I definitely knew who you meant right off and like you never got to see them live but also like you I saw a tribute band but my concert took place in 1981. It was probably as good an experience for me as your concert was for you

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    1. While we didn't see the originals, I think the music was just as good. And a lot quieter. :)

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  7. June - Have you seen that Ron Howard movie, "8 Days a Week?" It's really cool to see some of the good color films of the Beatles early live performances. I remember hearing the Beatles first when I was 9. All the adults around were poo-pooing them, so I think I parroted their thoughts. But, then my 21-yr old uncle gave me a ride in his new car and we went fast, and "I want to hold your hand" was on the hit radio station (with "Boom-Boom Brannigan"). Then I thought they were cool, and my mind was changed. Big fan afterwards.

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    1. I have not seen that movie. I'll have to look it up. I think that I was more into the Beatles music later. I was just under the cusp of appreciating it at the time. The Monkees were my thing. Although they are about the same time frame; maybe it was because they were on TV.

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