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Hello folks and welcome to Monday! (Though I acknowledge that it’s already Tuesday in some places this is being read…)
Not a ton of new news to report but a couple of things warrant attention. First, buried in the shock of Clem Burke’s passing was news about another drummer: Pete Best. On Sunday April 6, a statement was issued through his brother (Neil Aspinall’s son) Roag that effective immediately, Pete was retired from performing. No specifics were given, beyond a vague “personal circumstances,” which of course is a jarring enough declaration. The Pete Best Band had just finished their stint on the Flower Power Cruise, alongside other luminaries of the ’60s, a week before. The band had been gigging fairly regularly of late, including in the US (Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, NY) and had an upcoming Liverpool gig in August (now canceled). To anyone who saw them, good on you, because it all appears to be a thing of the past. To anyone who hasn’t, check this out: I put together an mp3 file containing 1) two sides of a 1965 single by the Pete Best Combo, featuring a pair of tunes well known by their Beatles covers, followed by a 2024 gig in Liverpool by his most recent iteration. (Access it here).
(The interesting thing about the 1965 single: first, it claims on the sleeve that he sings: maybe he did somewhere but not here. Second: the label, Cameo, later merged with Parkway and in 1967 was purchased by a certain Alan Klein, who renamed it ABKCO. Third: this PBC release came out the same year as another oddball US release from his former bandmates, pairing the same songs. Someone will need quite the argument to assure me this was a total coincidence.)
I did try to get him on the show once but he didn’t bite. Nonetheless, interviews with him are plentiful on YouTube, including this one which is fairly typical (and brutal: did the interviewer really just make him watch a cinematic reenactment of the worst moment of his life?). He did pen a couple of books: a memoir (which can be found far cheaper than this if you look for it) and another that I recommend more highly. Pete Best is a guy who, while clearly not on a Beatles level of talent and vision (but who else is?), was dealt a bad hand in life. That he endured and was willing to share his story, presence and music with fans all over the world speaks well of him. Others would have suffered his fate with far less grace (and on that thought, why wouldn’t it be a good idea for he and Paul to share a drink and a talk some time?), and if only for enduring a lifetime of having a terrible blow thrown in your face over and over again, maybe there’s something admirable there. For anyone who hasn’t already seen it, this is a nice encapsulation of his story.
Onward! The other big news is the stateside release of One To One: John and Yoko. Whatever else you may think/expect about this film, it is absolutely worth checking out on the big screen if you can, preferably IMAX. You’ll thank me, I am confident in saying. I’d reached out to the director, Kevin Macdonald, months ago for a conversation but never heard back and now I am certain he’s up to his eyeballs. Maybe someone connected with the film will manifest later, but in the meantime, here’s my quick-and-dirty YouTube reaction conversation with Gary Wenstrup to offer our take (and spoilers abound – be forewarned!). You can read more about what Mcdonald has to say about the film here.
As I write this, I am reminded of the historic nature of April 14: Lincoln, Titanic, and in 1969, Katherine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand tied for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. But over in London on that last date, two Beatles convened to track an A-side for a new single, despite the fact of their latest such release, “Get Back”/”Don’t Let Me Down” having only been issued three days before. (It came as relief within the longest drought between singles: over seven months since “Hey Jude“/”Revolution.”) Nonetheless, just back from his honeymoon, John was raring to go with a newly-penned “journalistic” account of the experience, and therefore, like a newspaper account, wanted it out ASAP, notwithstanding the absence of two bandmates.
The session went well, with Paul eager to facilitate John’s wishes, availing himself on bass, piano, maracas and drums. A holy grail of the day was described in print as the evocation of the two absent Beatles by the two present ones (“Go a bit faster, Ringo!” “Okay, George!”) but the 2019 Abbey Road set reveals something slightly diminished: John’s light-hearted critique of the drummer (Paul) – “It got a bit fast there, Ringo!” – followed by Paul’s apparent call out to their producer… In any event, someone once took the trouble of doing a random remix of the song, showcasing the censorship of the word “Christ” and various elements. Here it is, married to the official promo film, which was shown in the UK on Top of the Pops and in the US on Music Scene. (Yes, the synch between music and visual was always a bit loose.) The clip was notable for 1) being an early glimpse into the footage shot in January 1969 and 2) offering the illusion that the song was a full band performance (see 1). As has been noted elsewhere, it would be John’s last song issued as a Beatles A-side (though not the last one offered…) One year to the day later, the atmosphere was considerably chillier.
To circle back to One To One: it would appear that the difficult decision of what to do with the remastered Some Time in New York City set, on the shelf since it occured to the powers that be that it could be problematic in the 21st century, seems to have found resolution by way of folding it into the “soundtrack” of current film (the entirety of the remastered/remixed concert audio, titled Power To The People), come October. A spoonful of sugar, as it were. A clip of “Well Well Well” from the shows was dropped recently (the song is not in the film), and now, “Mother” (which is). Sean spoke to Variety about it, and then some.
My conversation with Ian Leslie, as noted, will be up next, hopefully by this weekend. I enjoyed reading his book, and can without reservation recommend that interested fans check it out (literally if possible, from a library), but will withhold further comment until it arrives. Reactions have run the gamut from A to B. I will be very interested in what you all will have to say, and Ian told me this week that he would be open to a return visit to respond to listener reaction. So there’s that!
In Ribbons of Rust news, we have more interviews scheduled, including one with our friend Richard Courtney this week. This one, with Michael Croaker, was particularly fun.
As noted last time, all past newsletters are now archived on the SATB site – just create a sign-in. Thanks for being here – all reviews are welcomed and encouraged – and tell your friends!