Hello all;
Another week with some big name casualties to report, I’m afraid, so let’s get them out of the way now…
I was never particularly a fan of Kiss. Never owned an album for sure, and really could count on one hand the number of tunes that even slightly interested me (one being that brazen re-write of Rod Stewart’s “You Wear it Well,” “Hard Luck Woman”). Still, they were a phenomenon in the ‘70s, and with the passing of Ace Frehley, lead guitarist, this past week, I learned a few things that make him worth a nod, mainly that many guitarists that followed counted him as an influence. Ace was a huge fan of British Invasion music during his formative years, and I’m certain he would have had an Ed Sullivan Show story like so many of his place and time. Perhaps it’s fitting then to honor his memory thusly.
And then there’s Diane Keaton…❤️
Other News
The Anthology book has arrived in paperback. The initial disappointment people may have is that the apparent new cover image is actually a sleeve that can be removed to reveal the original Klaus Voormann/Alfons Kiefer artwork. Personally, I was hoping for a tweaking of the layout: as you may recall, it’s graphics-heavy, which sometimes made it hard to decipher the print. This issue was not addressed as part of the remastering.
Sean Speaks!
So in an interview for Mojo, Sean at last addressed the absence of that song that we’ve discussed here and elsewhere.
It does beg the question: since his parents were pioneers in workarounds in the face of corporate resistance (issuing Two Virgins via Track and Tetragrammaton after EMI balked), why not honor that legacy by being creative in the 21st century? Doesn’t being the curator of their work mean presenting their vision intact to the world? At least Universal Music is consistent with their renowned curation of their artists’ work.
Remember Eight Arms To Hold You? What about Lennonology Volume 1 - Strange Days Indeed: A Scrapbook of Madness? Both volumes were co-authored by past and future SATB guest Chip Madinger and are rock solid deep dives into the ex-Beatles recordings and John and Yoko’s lives respectively. Meticulously researched, these books are 25 and 10 years old respectively this month. As a commemoration, both hard-to-find books are now available as fully searchable PDFs, while the softbound Lennonology book is on sale for 25% off. You can get your copies now at www.lennonology.com/order
History
October 17, 1974 was one of the most photographed days in John Lennon’s life that people nowadays know very little about. It came during the so-called “Lost Weekend™,” which pretty much makes it whitewashed out of the present day narrative, but much footage was shot and tons of pictures. The occasion was for producing a promo film for “Whatever Gets You Through The Night,” specifically for the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test. (Unlike nowadays, when a video is expected to be ready to go before or simultaneously with a record’s release, in the 60s and 70s, promo films were used to sustain a record’s momentum, not launch it; and were often produced after the product was already out in the world; in this case, since September 26.) A 1:58 cut was produced (see here), illustrating the intent that it was strictly promotional - like a commercial for the record - rather than to serve as a performance for it. (Produced at around the same time, George’s “Dark Horse” film ALSO does not feature the entire song.)
Locations included the Naumburg Bandshell in the park, as well as Tiffany's. This was also the occasion where John was photographed extensively at the Beacon Theatre, where Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road was slated to open a month later on November 17. (The theatre is about a 20 minute walk from the bandshell, while 5th avenue Tiffany's is closer to a 30 minute walk from the bandshell. This makes one wonder if the party was cabbing it around or actually traveling on foot.)
Once John, May Pang, and the small crew (possibly a single camera, since live sound wasn’t required) gathered enough footage and it was developed, they convened at the editing suite of a local community college to assemble all that was needed, discarding the rest of the film. It was scooped up by a student, who auctioned it years later, with Yoko the winning bidder. She in turn used it to produce a video for “Mind Games,” as part of the video accompaniment for the Lennon Collection album, released on Geffen in 1982. (Thus, “Mind Games” is visually represented by footage of John shot a year later and for another purpose entirely; maybe akin to using the “A Day in the Life” images to accompany “Eleanor Rigby.”)
Other footage shot on this day was apparently used and brought back to the BBC for use as a promo for “#9 Dream.” It is believed to have aired once in early 1975 and was either discarded or misfiled, as it has not turned up.
Broadway’s Tom O’Horgan and Robie Wagner were the masterminds behind the Pepper stage show. Of the two Beatle-themed theatrical productions in play that year (the other being Willy Russell’s John, Paul, George, Ringo…and Bert; the one staged in the UK where George Harrison walked out in disgust halfway through), O’Horgan’s was judged to be the lesser, and maybe the point was proved convincingly when Robert Stigwood adapted it into the 1978 film starring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees.
One of the many poses of Bruce Scott with John
As part of the proceedings, John posed outside the Beacon Street Theatre with the show’s lead, actor Bruce Scott. The thespian was lucky enough to get his face plastered everywhere next to the former Beatle every time photos from this heavily-reported event were published (usually not identified though), but unfortunate enough to be injured before the opening night, relinquishing the role of Billy Shears to the once and always JC Superstar himself, Ted Neeley.
Another note about this production: initially cast as an understudy (and also, apparently, as “Polythene Pam”) was actor David Patrick Kelly, who landed in the title role. If his name isn’t familiar, his face surely might be. He was memorably cast in Twin Peaks and plenty of films that I never saw but at least one that I did, 1982’s 48 Hours, the cop-buddy film with Nick Nolte that was Eddie Murphy’s film debut. In this work, Kelly was in the key role of Luther, which is funny because probably his best-known part was also as a guy named Luther, in The Warriors. You can read about his work here, but in any event, this was something I only just learned.
Last: John and May attended the show when it opened (as well as the after party); Yoko too was in attendance but situated in a lesser seat. The Elton John show was less than two weeks away…
(Lest anyone wonder, Paul also attended the show - just not that the same night.)
To sum up this October 17, 1974 event: Adambound collated all the extant footage shot: you can see 20+ minutes of it here.
SATB
As you may know by now, the latest episode, 312, was released this weekend. It’s Contentious Credits 2: This Time It’s Personal featuring the return of Marcus Phelan and Andrew Shakespeare. It was a fun, spirited discussion of nine songs that we believed were subject to misinformation from people who should know better regarding the specific instrumental credits. A video version will go live later this week.
In the can: a discussion of the shortcomings of Anthology 4, plus my conversation with Ron Griffiths. Badfinger’s story is bookended between The Iveys and the post-Molland iteration that recorded Head First in 1974; the last survivor of that band, Bob Jackson, was on the show earlier this year. Griffiths is the last survivor of the pre-Molland foursome that signed to Apple as The Iveys in 1968, recorded the “Maybe Tomorrow” single and album, and then was shoved out of the group after performing on the McCartney-penned “Come and Get It,” just as they were transitioning into Badfinger. He witnessed an incredible history, including being produced by Ray Davies (pre-Apple) and had some wonderful memories and stories to share.
Till next time…
All best,
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