Weekend reading #1

Some older links and some newer ones:

- "A shit hole - but with soul." Among the bevy of half-centennials we hit this year was that of The Beatles' final show at the Cavern Club.

- Read about the connection between George's maiden trip to America and his smash cover of "Got My Mind Set on You."

- Was "Beatlemania" born on the afternoon of October 13, 1963?

- More reading on that topic here.

- "Rattle your jewelry" = probably my favorite Lennon one-liner. Money quote: "The band’s twin attitudes toward authority—angry rebel and reassuring showman—were at the heart of their all-encompassing appeal. But loath as Lennon may have been to admit it, there was still nothing bigger to a British boy than playing for the Queen."

- "But Beatles vs. Stones tells a more nuanced story; it exposes the rivalry between the two bands as part myth, part publicity stunt, part invention of the press, and mostly an extension of their managers’ personalities." (Book review)

Note: Even if the Stones were viewed as a raised fist in counterpoint to The Beatles' peace sign, the two bands shared this in common: any political impact they might have had was merely symbolic in nature. Gestures and overtures usually don't amount to much. When rock stars embraced left-wing causes in the late '60s and early '70s, the whiff of radical chic was often overwhelming.

- "Thinking of visiting the Macs in New Orleans." What might have been.