ES-Say #18 Let's Go See The Stars...

The 1st week of July was a time of celebration, not only was it America's Birthday, but the place where they broke away from (Britain) had to acknowledge the anniversary of one of their very own greatest films(directed by an American). That's right, it's officially fifty years since A Hard Day's Night was released and I can't begin to express how happy it was to see this re-released to UK Cinemas. I was able to break the self-imposed, subconscious refusal to watch the film since the late 1990s.  The British Film Institute had announced a few months ago they would screen the film. Not being a BFI member, I could not get tickets for the Richard Lester introduced screening. The general public(ie. myself) had 2nd dibs to these tickets which had sold out by the time I had tried to get them in June.

I attended a non-Lester introduced BFI screening a few days ago and this was my fourth of July. First one in the theatre, I plopped my rear in my reserved center row, center seat. Wearing a Union Jack t-shirt with Hey Jude on it, I threw all my bags under my seat and relaxed as the cinema played early Beatles hits. Oddly, I started to get annoyed at minor things. Why was the theatre playing Beatles songs that might also be in the movie about to start? Why is there so many empty seats? I didn't even like the people that were there in my closest view- a hippie and a quiet old couple.

All of my initial grumbling got thrown out the window the minute a faceless couple sat directly behind me. If I could sue them for "Peanut Gallery Offences", I would. The movie ads started, they didn't stop talking. The movie started, as the familiar guitar opening of the title song began, John Lennon and 1/2 of the couple behind me are the only two singing lead vocals. The movie gets to the first "Who's That Little Old Man?" and the couple begin to chuckle at everything said in this first train car scene. I can't be for certain, but it felt like they had both be drinking and never seen this film. However, with the rest of the audience dead silent, I was able to block out any further exchanges between the two whom eventually quieted down.

Is that to say this movie isn't funny, no it's screamingly funny and witty. the little decision to film the movie in black and white was the most daring and successful move director Richard Lester made. If you want to be transported back to 1964, this movie sticks you right there. Seeing Paul McCartney on the big screen singing "And I Love Her" makes me want to plead with Jane Asher. Ms. Asher can you strongly suggest to your boyfriend that you want him to go out with me instead? The restoration of 4K Digital Screen Remastering may have had something to do with the fact I was eventually able to feel gripped into awe with the film.

The first half of the movie, I remembered almost everything and enjoyed it. Then it felt like there were completely new bits to make me feel that the old PBS VHS copy I had watched over a decade ago had edited parts out completely. I will try and make these spoilers as general as possible.

1. Right before the press interview scene, sitting in the lobby seats
2. Ringo's solo excursion (much longer than I remember, especially the pub scene)
3. Let's Split up and find Ringo(don't follow me)
4. Paul's Batman Sound Effects(and most of the whole scene involving playing around with costume hair in the crowded dressing room)

I'm not really talking about forgetting as I did that Lesley Jackson was the name of the Magician character that Grandad encounters. I was honestly thinking "what did I just see?!??!?!?"

Walking around the lobby, I had seen a display of Richard Lester donated items from his films to the BFI. To me, to see a shooting script entitled for "Beatles Two" and original A Hard Day's Night posters were the highlights. Here's a tiny film I made of the area.

After the screening, I went to find out when I could view it again, but I couldn't attend the next available screenings. If I was honest, what will stay with me from the big screen until another 50 years have passed is the fire escape scene as it's about The Beatles how I always want to remember them- as a pure joy.

Es-Say #17 What Exactly Is A "Mull Of Kintyre"? ...and the answer is...

  One day in the late 1990s, I probably found a US copy of Wings Greatest Hits and noticed that the last song listed was "Mull of Kintyre". All I did next was scratch my head.

Many of the songs on this album do repeat on the US version of Paul's solo greatest hits album All The Best, but "Mull of Kintyre" did not. At the time, I did some research and found out that it was a huge hit for Wings, so it made sense it would be included, but I couldn't figure out why I had no ability to hum it or why I never heard it on the radio.

In a nutshell, it was not a success in the USA compared to the international chart explosion the song caused in the winter of 1977. Wikipedia notes that it did chart in the lower end of the top 40 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart but nothing more. Being at nine weeks at number one in the UK charts, it's no surprise it got the distinction of being the first UK single to go double platinum.

The song was not in rotation on music stations that I would listen to, so eventually I got either the cassette or cd of Wings Greatest Hits and gave "Mull of Kintyre" a whirl. I think I might have just went back to the other songs on the CD a bit dumbstruck to how this song did better than all the rest of the songs on the album. It was in a class by itself, not good, not bad, just something else!

Time has passed and I would say I'm more knowledgeable with Paul's solo work, but this top song of a beloved place in Scotland still doesn't interest me. Breaking down the lyrics reveals it to be rather nice and the bagpipes are memorable. However, the vocals are melancholy and the chorus repeated over and over is actually saved by the use of the bagpipes. Throwing another log on the fire, I think the version shown on Top Of The Pops completely makes me have the opinion that the original video was possibly given more favouritism. This version really does ruin both this song and The Muppet Show in the same breath. I'm not even going to link the video.

What I will do is link the original video(or what I am assuming is the original video) because it's so much the image I do want to have of the song. Outdoors, natural, unforced, respectable...it's lovely. I ran into the living room yesterday and jumped around when I saw it was the "correct version."



I don't want to get into a whole detailed rant about the second version(ie. I can't look at a smoke machine ever again) but it wasn't like some of the other studio sound stage Wings videos done at the time. The song "London Town", in fact, is boosted up by the clever video using a sound stage.  "With A Little Luck" screams Top Of The Tops but it is just so 70s and personally dear to me that I can happily watch it. No one said you have to love everything Paul and chums has ever done, right?