For me it was a Monday night like any other, on which I vividly recall being home watching a football game (of the American variety) on ABC’s Monday Night Football between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots and though I do not remember the exact time I know it must have been close to midnight on the 8th of December, 1980. This given the fact that the game was late in to the 4th quarter with the Patriots winning by seven points though the Dolphins, lead by their young quarterback Woodley were heading for what would be a touchdown to send the game in to overtime. It was while the Dolphins were driving up field late in the 4th quarter that Howard Cossell, announced that John Lennon, a name which in all frankness I had never even heard of till that moment; me being 13 at time had been shot while leaving his apartment building, “The Dakota”. The Dakota being a building located on the Westside of Central Park on 72nd Street in Manhattan and not far from where I was living at the time with my mother between 81st and 82nd street on Lexington avenue.

I at the time had no idea who John Lennon was though it was announced that he had been a member of a band which had been known as “The Beatles”. This a name which I had often heard but never taken any particular interest in along with many other names such as “The Rolling Stones” or “The Who” or “Led Zeppelin”. I Naturally at the time wished that this man’s life could be saved as I would have done so concerning anybody’s life regardless of weather they were famous or otherwise.

I however checked with my grandmother, who was in New York and staying with us at the time if she knew who Lennon was, for above all I knew my grandmother to be a classical music fan and not much of one when it came to pop music or rock music or however one wishes to classify it as. My grandmother, who at the time was 76 actually surprised me by telling me she not only knew who he was, but that she had been to a Beatles concert back in 65 when they played in “Shea Stadium” (then home of the NY Jets and Mets and the place where I saw “The Rolling Stones” in concert in 1989) located in Queens in front of 66,000 people; this being the biggest rock concert at the time. After hearing about my grandmother’s experience if one could call it such with not only Lennon but “The Beatles”, I told her that John Lennon, had been shot though nothing else was known about it at the time.

I can’t say that my grandmother was particularly grief stricken to hear the news though like myself, she never desired to hear that hurt had been caused to anybody so with her words of “I hope he does not die” I left her to go back to my room to continue watching Monday Night Football. As for the game, it actually ended in a draw, which given the rules of American football meant there would have to be sudden death overtime; and this was precisely what I was watching when Cossell announced that Lennon unfortunately had died from gunshot wounds received earlier that evening. It was then that I ran back to tell my grandmother, who I could see was saddened much in the way she had been when Elvis Presley died as her statement “It’s a shame, that people feel they have to do such things to one another” indicated.

As for myself, I naturally was saddened by this news but I must say not in a way that was different from any other time when I had heard of tragedy occurring; such as a plane crash or earthquake or something which had been responsible for the loss of life. Regarding the game itself; it finished with the Miami Dolphins winning in overtime. This making me feel just a little better since they were the team I was actually pulling for.

I can not say the death of Lennon personally meant much to me at the time since I practically knew nothing about him; not that it would have made any difference to me if I had since I am not one to mourn the deaths of those whom I do not know personally. As I had for instance the death of my own grandfather, who incidentally had also died in the month of December in the year of 1975. Lennon’s death however did help to augment my curiosity in learning about him much in the way Mercury’s death 11 years later increased my nephews curiosity to find out as much as he could about Queen.

I however will never forget the week that followed which in many ways reminded me of the time following Elvis Presley’s death; this given the fact that John Lennon’s demise was also all over the media, from the newspapers to the TV stations (though not CNN or MTV, as neither had gone on air yet) to the radio stations. It being a case where the last of these could not seem to get enough of playing his songs, weather as a solo artist or while still a member of “The Beatles”. It was songs such as “Imagine”, “Come Together”, “Starting Over” and many others which were among those played but I mention these in particular, given the reason that they were the only ones I knew even if I had been previously unaware that they were Lennon’s. “Starting Over” however stuck in my mind for another reason apart from it being the one that had been receiving heavy radio play in the time leading up to Lennon’s death, as it was the one my brother-in-law used to wake me one morning when I was sleeping over at his apartment. This I will never forget, it was early Saturday morning and I had spent the night sleeping on the sofa in my sister’s living room when all of a sudden I hear, the sound of bells. These bells literally blasting out of the stereo next to me, in what was the introduction to the song “Starting Over”.

Actually during the months that lead up to Lennon’s death, I had been listening to the radio, just about everyday as I did my homework and found out that I actually enjoyed not only some of the songs, (some only after having heard them many times over) but even the commercials and general atmosphere of radio stations such as ABC and NBC. Regarding radio stations however I particularly recall two DJs by the names of Don Imus and Howard Stern, who caught my attention, specially since they did a morning show which was also promoted by a TV commercial showing people saying “I love “Imus in the morning” “. It was also during this time that I for the first time in my life become familiar with some of the popular songs of the day such as “Another One Bites The Dust” (Queen), “I Love A Rainy Night” (Eddie Rabbit), “Emotional Rescue” (The Rolling Stones), “I Love You More Then I Can I Say” (Leo Sawyer) and many others. Therefore by the time of Lennon’s death I had become more familiar with pop music than I ever had which perhaps lead to me taking a bigger interest then I would have if it had happened before the fall of 1980 in which I received my first radio with a built in cassette player.

With regards to TV stations, many took to playing films in which The Beatles had stared in such as “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help” along with many a documentary about not only John Lennon’s music (both as a solo artist and a member of “The Beatles”) but his personal life. Much of it I noticed concentrated on his personal life, politics and what had been his marriage to Yoko Ono. There is one moment however in all the week that followed the death of John Lennon which will never leave my memory and it came on the first Saturday after his murder; when during the half time of a football game I was watching, the city of New York held a ten minute silence in Lennon’s honor. This being even more amazing when one takes in to consideration how when John Paul I died only 1 minute of silence was kept and not even by the whole city of New York. After all Popes, their will be many, even if one rather shaky theory says the world will end after a couple have died, but Lennon in his branch of music like Wagner in his will only be but once.

Looking back it is really incredible to think how John Lennon’s death in a way helped bring back popularity not only to The Beatles but that whole era that had been the first British invasion that brought along such bands as The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and many others. It was as if rock and roll were being given a boost, as many people like myself who had not been either Lennon or Beatles fans suddenly become more interested in this sort of music. I for my part can imagine this is what occurred last year when Pavarotti died; that many people who unlike me were not opera fans for the short time that followed Pavarotti’s death became interested in opera. Perhaps even going out and getting a Pavarotti CD or DVD much like people did with Lennon, shortly after his death. Naturally at the time of Lennon’s death, there was neither of which as only albums and cassettes were available but I think most people who read this get my general meaning.

By the time of Lennon’s death, Rock and Roll however had had many death’s in its family which had gained publicity such as Brian Jones 69, Jimi Hendrix 70, Janis Joplin 70, Jim Morrison 71, Keith Moon 78 (who died in the same hotel room as Mama Cass), John Bonham 80, Bon Scot 80, Ellen Naomi Cohen 74 (a.k.a. Cass Eliot) but baring Elvis’s death none had received any where near the same amount of media attention. All of which making it clear what had been Lennon’s contribution to his gender of music which I must admit is not my favorite as I am one to follow classical music and opera though not to the extent that I am blinded to the quality of other different genders of music. This being the case though I am reminded of something I once heard some one say to Edward Van Halen (guitar player for the group that bears his last name) on MTV which was “music isn’t Rock and Roll or Heavy Metal or this kind or that kind but good or bad” only to have Van Halen reply “No, music isn’t good or bad, it’s something you like or don’t like”. This comment by Edward Van Halen being the way I see music as opposed to being good or bad, though I must say that I do like some of the music I heard in the field that is rock music that includes many others apart from The Beatles and Elvis Presley.

With regards to John Lennon’s death it really was not till Farrokh Bulsara (a.k.a. Freddie Mercury) died on November, 24 that any death in or out of music received so much of the media’s attention. This being the case with regards to media attention though perhaps a lot of the coverage received by Mercury was due to the fact that his death was caused by AIDS, which was an even bigger worry at the time then it is today. I for my own do remember feeling some sadness over the death of the “quiet Beatle” George Harrison, who died of Cancer on November 29, 2001, though news of his death was in part drowned out by the events of September. 11 which were still in the media.

The aftermath of Lennon’s death I would say brought about a return to rock music which had in recent years been cast aside perhaps by the “disco fever” that erupted after the film “Saturday Night Fever”. It was as if Lennon’s demise did for Rock and Roll what The Beatles had done for it so many years back in 1964, when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Rock and Roll was fashionable again and as for me? I can not in all honesty claim to have found in it what I have in classical music and opera (I, being the author of the book “New York’s Opera Society”) though I did find something of value in it as I have with many other kinds of music. I could even say that it was that time period which followed Lennon’s death that inspired me to listen to many a variety of rock band and even attend concerts by Styx, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Rod Steward, Iron Maiden (on two occasions), Pearl Jam, David Lee Roth, Ian Gillan and The Rolling Stones.

My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. As for the details regarding my life I would say that there is nothing that lifts them above the ordinary. I was born in New York City in 1967 on May 21st and am presently living in Warsaw, Poland where I wrote my first book “New York’s Opera Society” now Available on Amazon.

Between 1966’s Revolver and 1969’s Abbey Road (the last album The Beatles recorded) there was Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, Yellow Submarine, & Let It Be (although it wasn’t released until 1970, it had already been recorded.) It’s truly incredible how much great music The Beatles recorded in such a short period of time.

This article compares Revolver and Abbey Road. Both are truly great albums. For me, neither is quite as great as The White Album & Sgt. Pepper but that doesn’t make me appreciate either of these albums less, as they are truly remarkable even 40 years later.

I think Revolver is a more consistant album mostly because “Yellow Submarine” is a better track than “Octopus’s Garden.” The songwriting on Revolver is at an incredibly high level. Songs like “Eleanor Rigby,” “Here, There And Everywhere,” “I’m Only Sleeping,” & “For No One” show The Beatles to be at the peak of their game.

On the other hand, Abbey Road is a more cohesive album. It does, after all, have the medley on side two where the songs all blend together. It’s also The Beatles most “modern” sounding album (mostly because it was their only album recorded on the new 8 track studio at Abbey Road.)

And it’s not like Abbey Road doesn’t have great songs too. How about “Something,” “Come Together,” “Here Comes The Sun,” & “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” just for starters.

So, in the end, what would be my choice if I had to choose just one or the other? I think I would have to go for Revolver because of it’s slightly higher level of songwriting and that it’s just a more adventerous album (see: “Tomorrow Never Knows.”) This decision is in no way a put down of Abbey Road, it’s just that Revolver is that good!

CLICK HERE: Music Blog.

Rocket Piano Lessons Review.

Elvis is the #2 biggest selling music artist of all time (U.S.). He is second only to the Beatles, having sold over 118 million units (albums, singles, tapes, cds) and is now the biggest selling solo artist in U.S. history.

There is so much, TOO MUCH, that could be and has already been written about this American music icon, Elvis Presley. So I’m going to write about the cultural impact Elvis had on music and on society at large.

I was discussing the history of rock n’ roll with a guitartist friend of mine and the subject of Elvis came up. I mentioned that John Lennon had once purportedly remarked, “Before Elvis, there was nothing.”

My friend immediately bristled at the notion. “No way,” he replied, “he didn’t invent anything…Chuck Berry and Little Richard were playing rock n’ roll before Elvis…he got it from them. Chuck Berry kicks Elvis’ ass!”

I told my friend I thought he had missed the point. John Lennon and everybody else, including Elvis, knew where the roots of rock n’ roll lay — in African-American music.

Elvis said it himself. “‘The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like I’m doing now, man, for more years than I know,’ Elvis told reporters in 1956. ‘I got it from them. Down in Tupelo, Mississippi, I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place where I could feel all old Arthur felt, I’d be a music man like nobody ever saw.’” –Time Magazine

(Some have claimed that Elvis’ 1954 cover of bluesman Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s All Right” is the definitive first rock and roll recording. While this assertion may be widely accepted by Elvis fans - and Elvis WAS among the very first to make rock and roll records - most historians trace the “first” R&R record back to 1951 and a song entitled “Rocket 88,” recorded at Sam Phillips’ studio in Memphis, where Elvis also later recorded.

“March 1, 1951 - Sam Phillips records ‘Rocket 88′ with singer Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner’s band for Chess records. This recording is widely considered the first rock and roll record.” –Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Elvis did not invent rock and roll. But he was an innovator, nonetheless, transfusing the popular music of the fifties (then dominated by white “crooners” such as Frank Sinatra, Pat Boone, Eddie Fisher and others of that ilk) with black music, gospel music…SOUL music.

And that transfusion was an important component of the anti-segregation sentiment that was brewing at the time and that led ultimately to the Civil Rights Movement…and desegregation.

While Elvis’ contribution to rock and roll was enormous, his contribution to his GENERATION was even greater.

DA Jack Hayford is the editor of the popular music reference website, Events-in-Music.com. Mr. Hayford is also the Program Director and co-founder of the online home of the ten-plus-year old Durango Songwriters Expo, a premier annual educational and inspirational event for aspiring songwriters.

Sure, it’s their job to look good and they have plenty of help achieving their beauty goals but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t look as good as our favorite celebrities.

One tip celebrities learn early on is that beauty is achieved from the inside out and prevention is key. Going under the knife these days draws as much scrutiny as a bad beach photo showing dimpled thighs and belly fat. Celebrities are simply supposed to look fabulous but without showing the obvious signs of how they achieved the results. But we all know that nothing happens by magic.

We’ve asked celebrity makeup artists, skincare specialists, nutritionists, doctors and other professionals that work with today’s hottest celebrities to share some of the secrets to treating common skin complaints and achieving younger looking, radiant skin at any age.

Protect Skin from the Environment

Stars like Kate Hudson know that protecting their skin from harsh UV rays and environmental irritants helps to preserve the skin’s precious collagen reserves. Kate is a fan of Juice Beauty Green Apple Antioxidant Serum.

Actress Cate Blanchett turns to N.V. Perricone Olive Oil Polyphenols Nutrient Face Fortifier (Whew! What a name!) to keep her skin protected with antioxidant packed polyphenols, which also reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Super Hydration

It’s all about the dewy complexion in Hollywood. So if you’re skin is as dry as sandpaper, you’d better get to hydrating (dry skin is more prone to fine lines, making you look older). Debra Messing always seems to pull off the quenched look. Try a dollop of Kate Somerville Quench Hydrating Serum to lock in moisture (plus the Vitamin A fights the signs of aging).

Ivanka Trump gets her Springtime glow from SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Masque. Sure, she’s already young but infusing her skin with youth-boosting hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 can keep her looking as young as she feels. Model-turned-actress Molly Sims moisturizes with Dr. Brandt contour effect moisturizing cream, which plumps up the skin by drenching it with moisture-and moisture is our friend.

Dark Circles

Katherine Heigl relies on Hylexin to stop undereye circles and puffiness in their tracks. The ingredients in Hylexin reinforce capillaries that deposit blood in the undereye area creating those persistent dark circles. So say goodbye to raccoon eyes and hello sexy!

Ashunta Sheriff, exclusive makeup artist to Alicia Keys, offers this advice for making tired eyes look brighter and more rested, “Concealer will definitely take away the appearance of dark circles. Also, even though this skincare line is targeted for men, I’ve used Morning After Rescue Remedy Gel by Nickel. With caffeine, cucumber and other vital ingredients for under eye skin, it perks eyes up quickly and makes them look refreshed.”

Adult Acne

Yes, even supermodels get pimples. Earlier this year supermodel Gisele Bundchen was asked what beauty tricks she’s picked up over the years and responded by saying, “I had a really horrible pimple on my nose, and a makeup artist gave me Nelsons Acne Gel. I kept putting it on, and my pimple went away. I was like, this is great. It doesn’t burn your skin.”

Statistics suggest that roughly 85% of the American population have a problem with acne. The Nelsons homeopathic acne gel actually works and contains no artificial colors, artificial fragrances, or animal products and it is not tested on animals. It’s made from natural ingredients like extracts of organically grown hypericum perforatum, calendula, and arnica.

Now that you are armed with all of this beauty advice, your favorite celebrity will have some new competition!

A. Covington is a beauty writer who loves anything that smells great and makes her skin, nails, and hair look and feel amazing. She lends her beauty IQ to her beauty blog. Her readers get a daily dose of beauty tips and cosmetics product reviews, plus articles on makeup, skincare, hair products, and fragrances for the body and home. Amy maintains three blogs for Belisi Fashions, a luxury accessories brand, specializing in silk ties and silk scarves.

The Beatles released 12 albums during their active career including Magical Mystery Tour (which was actually first released as an EP) but not including Yellow Submarine (which only had 4 new songs) or any of the mangled US versions of their albums.

This is my ranking of those 12 albums from best to worst.

1. The Beatles (The White Album)

The White Album was released in 1968 following the release of Sgt. Pepper & Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. The White Album was a big departure from the sound of those albums.

While the songs on Sgt. Pepper & Magical Mystery Tour are bursting at the seems with layers of musical ideas, many of the songs on The White Album are stripped down in comparison. While the Sgt Pepper album seemed to loosely tie the songs together into a theme, the only theme on The White Album appears to be that there is no theme.

Many detractors of The White Album say it has too many weak songs (by Beatles standards anyway) to be considered The Beatles greatest work. While I agree there’s certainly no song as weak as “Don’t Pass Me By” on Sgt. Pepper, I still disagree with that conclusion.

To my ears the drastic variation in style (and quality) of The White Album’s songs are what keeps it so interesting. It’s an album I’ve listened to countless times over the years yet I still hear something new and enchanting in it with each new listen.

And yes, I love that “Revolution #9″ was included on the album. While I often stop the album at “Cry Baby Cry,” I like having the option of taking that trip if I want to. I’ve listened to “Revolution #9″ many times and it’s always a different trip. Certainly it’s not a track for everyone but that makes it all the more special to those of us who appreciate it.

Highlights: Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I’m So Tired, Blackbird, I Will, Helter Skelter, Cry Baby Cry.

2. Sgt. Pepper

It’s become hip to say that Sgt. Pepper is overrated. Of course what’s hip is often BS and this is certainly such a case. Sgt. Pepper is a great album that deserves all of the accolades it has received over the years.

And while The White Album has long been my favorite Beatles album, Pepper is actually getting closer to overtaking that spot as the years pass by.

I feel it’s close to being a perfect album. There’s not a single weak track on it. The album is like a carnival and every song is a different ride at that carnival. Even over 40 years later it’s incredible that one band (a quite young band too, if you think about it) was able to write such incredibly different songs all in one short period and record them for one album.

Plus, I feel it’s impossible for any album that ends with “A Day In The Life” to be overrated. To this day it is the greatest album closer of all time.

Highlights: With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing A Hole, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite, Within You Without You, A Day In The Life.

3. Revolver

Conversely, it’s become quite hip to say that Revolver is in fact The Beatles best album. That somehow everyone missed it at the time and it was the real ground breaker a whole year before Sgt. Pepper came out. Hearing “Tomorrow Never Knows” it’s understandable how someone could take such a view.

But while the songs on Revolver are nearly as forward looking as Sgt. Pepper’s (although I’d say not quite with the obvious exception of “Tomorrow Never Knows”), there is no theme that holds the songs together. The album plays like a collection of amazing songs, while in comparison Sgt. Pepper has a feeling of cohesiveness. The loose theme of Sgt. Pepper is what made people take notice of the idea of an album as “art form” at the time. While looking back that may not make as much sense today, I do still think there’s some merit to that idea when comparing the two albums.

My main reason for liking Sgt. Pepper more than Revolver is simple, “Yellow Submarine.” I’ve grown quite tired of that song over the years and I think it really sticks out like a sore thumb in the sequencing of the album. It would have worked much better as a single.

Highlights: Eleanor Rigby, I’m Only Sleeping, Here There & Everywhere, She Said She Said, Good Day Sunshine, And Your Bird Can Sing, For No One, Tomorrow Never Knows

4. Abbey Road

Abbey Road is the #1 ranked album of all time over at RateYourMusic.com and while it’s certainly an excellent album I do obviously disagree with that ranking. For me it’s just a bit too slick sounding and not quite as bursting at the seems with ideas as the three albums I’ve ranked above it.

That being said, the side 2 suite is incredible and I think I rank Abbey Road’s side 2 as my most enjoyable listen of any album side The Beatles recorded. Does that mean I hate side 1? No. It’s got some of my favorite Beatles songs including “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and “Oh! Darling” along with the classic hits “Come Together” & “Something.” But I could do without “Octopus’s Garden” which like “Yellow Submarine” I’ve grown quite tired of over the years and I now feel it mucks up the flow of the album.

Highlights: Come Together, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), All Of Side 2.

5. Magical Mystery Tour

While Magical Mystery Tour was not technically an album release at the time (it was officially an EP), I’m considering it as one for the purposes of this list and since it included quite a few new songs (along with older singles like “Penny Lane” & “Strawberry Fields Forever”) I think it makes sense to think of it as an album at this point.

It includes many of The Beatles greatest psychedelic songs. “I Am The Walrus” & “Strawberry Fields Forever” in particular. If one really wants to get an idea of what The Beatles sounded like at their most purposely “psychedelic” then they should get this album.

I also quite enjoy the wonderfully bizarre film by the same name.

Highlights: I Am The Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane

6. Rubber Soul

1965’s Rubber Soul was the album where The Beatles really started expanding their sound and it includes some of the greatest songs they ever recorded. The album showcased The Beatles expanding musically such as with “Norwegian Wood” which was the first song most people ever heard a sitar in, and lyrically such as in “Nowhere Man” which was the first Beatles song to not have any lyrics pertaining to romantic love.

But the album did have a few clunkers too. “What Goes On,” “Wait,” and the awful album closer “Run For Your Life” are all quite weak tracks by Beatles standards.

Highlights: Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, Michelle, Girl, I’m Looking Through You, In My Life, If I Needed Someone.

7. Let It Be

Let It Be was the final Beatles album released but not the last one they recorded. It was actually mostly recorded prior to Abbey Road in January of ‘69 but released after it in 1970.

The album is inconsistent and sloppy sounding and probably mostly because of that (more so than because of the songs) has received more poor reviews than any other Beatles album.

But there are many great songs on the album and I do feel it is somewhat underrated. The album opener “Two Of Us” is one of my favorites. It also includes the classic piano ballads “The Long And Winding Road” and “Let It Be” along with the great rockers “Get Back” and “I”ve Got A Feeling.”

“Across The Universe” feels very out of place in the sequencing of the album and it should as it was recorded in 1967. But it’s still a great song. Which really goes to the heart of Let It Be’s problem. It’s got a lot of great songs (and a few clunkers, admittedly) but they just don’t seem to quite go together in sound or in style.

Highlights: Two Of Us, Across The Universe, Let It Be, I’ve Got A Feeling, The Long And Winding Road, For You Blue, Get Back

8. A Hard Day’s Night

A Hard Day’s Night was released in 1964 and it was The Beatles 3rd album. It was their first album to feature all original songs and actually is the only Beatles album to feature only Lennon/McCartney originals (as it was before Harrison was a frequent songwriting contributer.)

While I don’t like the individual songs as much as those on Let It Be, it does flow much better as an album and for that reason is sometimes more enjoyable to listen to.

The album is the peak of their early pure pop days before they began to experiment with more complex songs and recording techniques.

Highlights: A Hard Day’s Night, If I Fell, And I Love Her, Can’t Buy Me Love, I’ll Cry Instead, Things We Said Today

9. Help!

I find the best songs on Help! to be better than the best songs on A Hard Day’s Night but yet as a whole the album doesn’t hold together quite as well.

Unlike A Hard Day’s Night, the album includes a couple of covers (”Act Naturally” & “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”) neither of which do I care for at all. The album would be better if they were removed as they are quite out of place and mess up the flow of the album.

But the album does include some of their best pop songs including the classic “Yesterday.” While “Ticket To Ride,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” & “Help!” show that John Lennon was at an early songwriting peak.

Highlights: Help!, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, I Need You, Ticket To Ride, I’ve Just Seen A Face, Yesterday

10. Beatles For Sale

Sandwiched between the superior A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, Beatles For Sale is often overlooked. And when you see that 6 of the 14 songs were covers it’s easy to see why.

But there were some Lennon/McCartney gems on the album as well including “No Reply,” “I’m A Loser,” “I’ll follow the Sun” and “Every Little Thing.” The Beatles originals make the album worth getting. But I find myself quite disinterested in the covers on this one and since that makes up a large portion of the songs on the album, I don’t listen to it often.

Highlights: No Reply, I’m A Loser, I’ll Follow The sun, Every Little Thing, What You’re Doing

11. Please Please Me

The Beatles first album is mostly interesting to me as an historical artifact at this point as I don’t particularly enjoy listening to it. But the opening (”I Saw Her Standing There”) & closing (”Twist & Shout”) tracks are great.

Strangely enough, as I don’t like listening to most of their covers, I do enjoy some the covers on this one (”Anna,” “Baby It’s You,” and of course “Twist & Shout.”)

Highlights: I Saw Her Standing There, Please Please Me, There’s A Place, Twist And Shout.

12. With The Beatles

Their second album is much like their first without as much of the whole “historical significance” thing which means I listen to it very rarely indeed.

Highlights: All My Loving, You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me

I recommend obtaining at least the first 9 albums on this list and supplementing that collection with the Past Masters 1 & Past Masters 2 collections which include all of their singles that are not on these albums (and that includes many of their greatest songs.)

You should then get the Yellow Submarine Songtrack which isn’t really an album but does include some great songs you can’t get elsewhere (particularly “It’s All Too Much.”) and interesting alternate mixes of some of their biggest hits.

Then if you still need more Beatles (and if you’re like me, you will) get the Anthology series, particularly Anthology 2 & Anthology 3.

Johnny Moon is a contributer to the MusicByDay.com Music Blog. He recommends that you start downloading the Beatles music immediately if you do not already have all of their albums. Robotic Mushroom is also keen on the idea that people should be playing their own music. He suggests learning to play piano with Mr. Ron Worthy.

Last night I was sitting on a patio, having a conversation that I find myself having over and over again these days. This conversation is about eventually, one of the major movie studios is going to make a movie about hip hop that is going to be every bit as epic and high-concept as Ray or was, or any major biopic that got it right. Hip Hop is the most dominant force in pop culture since The Beatles. With so many people who have been so influential all packed into a relatively small area (the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn) at one time (the 80s and early 90s), it is inevitable that someone is going to make a movie about that place at that time. The question becomes which rapper is this movie going to be about?

It has just come to my attention that Fox Searchlight Pictures is, right now, making a Notorious B.I.G. movie. It is set for a 2009 release. It’s called Notorious and it is being directed by George Tillman Jr. I’ve watched a couple of the production’s video blogs and the people involved seem really determined to get it right. I’m excited, but trepidatious.

When Walk The Line came out, one of the failings of that movie, according to Johnny Cash fans I know, was the whole thing about Johnny Cash was his voice. Joaquin Phoenix doing Johnny’s voice just didn’t play with the true fans. It’s the same thing with Christopher Wallace. A big part of his appeal was his voice, especially in his manner of speaking. Can Jamal Woolard pull off B.I.G.’s distinctive timbre? I’m not even talking about the rapping, I just mean conversational speech.

As for the rest of the casting, it looks like they’ve got a bunch of people who can at least pull off the physical demands of their portrayals. I am especially intrigued with Antonique Smith as Faith Evans (and even just intrigued with the woman generally after seeing her in a Beatles t-shirt. Zowie!) Getting Angela Bassett for Biggie’s mom was a nice boon. Speaking of Ms. Bassett, whatever happened to the talk of Shakespeare’s Macbeth starring her and Laurence Fishburne?

New York Magazine has posted a review of the Notorious script and they are not hopeful. They think that the scope of the movie is too big. With Biggie’s managers and mother all involved, it might be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Christopher Wallace means something very profound but different to each of them, and there’s no way to please everyone. I remember reading Spike Lee’s production journal for Malcolm X, and the trouble he had with all of the various interested parties who each had their own interest in how Malcolm was portrayed. But at the end of the day, Spike had to take all of their opinions under advisement but then go off and do his own thing. There is the potential for Notorious to play like Man In the Moon where it wasn’t a story so much as a re-enactment of a series of moments from the man’s life.

But I hope New York Magazine is wrong. I am a huge Biggie fan. I mean, HUGE. This is just about as exciting for me as it would be if they were making a Beatles movie. So now we wait, and we watch. We watch the production video blogs, we watch the press, and we watch to see if this movie lives up to B.I.G.’s legacy.

The Sean Ward Show - new video every week, with news and opinion on the weekend.

http://www.seanward.net

In the fall of 1964 when I was thirteen years old I was invited to my first teenage boy/girl party in Los Angeles, California. Kenneth, a boy I had known since grade school, was giving it. Since our families had been good friends, I had grown up with Kenneth. Because he had always been crazy about me, I assumed I was his date for the party. When he told me to bring along anyone I wanted, I invited my friend Lois to join me.

Nervous about my first big party, I dressed in my finest outfit, black shirt and pants with ankle length black boots that had a gold chain wrapped around the heel. With my shoulder length brown hair flipped in the current style I felt I looked very grown-up, even though I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup.

My father drove Lois and me to Kenneth’s house. When we got inside, Mr. Finley, Kenneth’s father greeted us from his hospital bed set up in the living room. “Come on in girls. Glad you could make it.” Mr. Finley was in his early 40’s, but was terminal with cancer. He had always been a very slim man, but now he looked emaciated. His dark hair exaggerated the paleness of his skin, and his eyes seemed larger than before.

There were many teenagers, a few years older than I, roaming throughout the house laughing and talking. I didn’t know anyone except Kenneth and his family as all of the teenagers went to the same high school as Kenneth. I was still in junior high school. His two younger brothers, Wayne and Jerry, were busy chasing after the girls at the party.

Lois and I went into the dining room to get some Cokes, potato chips, and dip. Kenneth leaned his long lanky frame against the doorway arch in the dining room. When he saw me he said, “Hi, help yourselves to whatever you want. I need to mingle with my other guests.” Kenneth continued his conversation with an Asian girl he had been talking to when I first entered, leaving me feeling abandoned.

Lois was very shy and stayed by my side. I sat down next to Mr. Finley’s bed and started talking with him about my love of music. He was very kind and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. He lit a cigarette, lay back in bed, and smoked, as I told him about seeing the Beatles, for the first time, a few months earlier at the Hollywood Bowl.

“Man, you wouldn’t believe how the girls never stopped screaming. I saw girls faint when the Beatles appeared on stage. I couldn’t believe all the chaos. I couldn’t hear a single note of music. Our seats were so far in the back up on the hill that even with binoculars the Beatles looked the size of beetle insects.” Mr. Finley couldn’t stop laughing. “It took me three days to be able to hear normally after all of that screaming.” I certainly didn’t want to talk about his health, as I knew it would be very painful emotionally for him, so I kept chatting about the Beatles. I sensed he was lonely lying in that hospital bed in the living room while a party was going on in the dining room and kitchen.

Even though there was rock-and-roll music playing I noticed, after a while, the chatter that had filled the house was gone. As I looked around I saw there was no one left in the house except Mr. Finley, Lois, and me. Curiosity got the best of me, and I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I took a look around the house and saw there was not one single teenager anywhere inside. I slipped out the back door, and I saw all the teenagers in the garage behind the house making out. Kenneth was busy shoving his tongue down the Asian girl’s throat. That was it for me.

I came back into the house and telephoned my father from the kitchen telephone and asked him to pick us up. I returned to the living room and told Mr. Finley, “My father’s on his way over so we’ll be leaving now. I think we’ll wait outside. It was nice visiting with you this evening.”

I could see the sadness in Mr. Finley’s big eyes knowing that his son had been such a lout, but there was really no point in staying. I felt totally humiliated being ignored by Kenneth. Here I was at my first teenage party, and I felt like a hindrance to the obvious make out action.

Once outside Lois and I stood by the curb in the cool evening air, and I kept singing out loud the Beatles song, “I Don’t Wanna Spoil the Party.” “I don’t wanna spoil the party, so I’ll go. I would hate my disappointment to show. There’s nothing for me here so I will disappear.”

After the party Mr. Finley really chewed out Kenneth for being so rude to me, my mother told me a few days later. Mr. Finley died a few months later. When I sat in the church pew at his funeral I kept thinking of his kindness to a young girl who felt alone at her first grown up party. Even when he was close to death he showed great compassion. This is a great lesson of how to live even under the direst circumstances.

Forty four years later when I hear that Beatles song I remember that party and the gentle spirit of Mr. Finley. I’m sure his spirit stays with me just like the memory of him stays with me.

Cherokee Billie http://www.cherokeebillie.com

Designed In 1954

The Fender Stratocaster (Strat) electric guitar was first designed and manufactured in 1954. It’s been manufactured continuously ever since it was originally designed. It has become one of the (if not the) most famous guitars in the world. It’s been played by countless guitar legends man of whom will be listed below.

Great Guitarists Who Play (Or Played) The Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar

• Jeff Beck - Played guitar for The Yardbirds among many other projects. Beck played a Les Paul up until 1975 when he switched tot he Fender Strat.
• Ritchie Blackmore - A founding member of Deep Purple.
• Eric Clapton - Clapton switched from Gibson guitars to Stratocasters in 1970 and has been playing them ever since.
• The Edge - The lead guitarist of U2.
• John Frusciante - The lead guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• David Gilmour - The lead guitarist of Pink Floyd. Gilmour is considered by many (including myself) to be one of the greatest guitar soloists of all time.
• George Harrison - The lead guitarist of The Beatles. He started using a strat for The Beatles 1965 album Rubber Soul.
• Jimi Hendrix - Perhaps the most legendary guitarist of all time. Hendrix’s explanation of why he sometimes burned his Fender Stratocaster guitar during his performances was “The time I burned my guitar it was like a sacrifice. You sacrifice the things you love. I love my guitar.”
• John Lennon - The rhyhthm guitarist for The Beatles. Like George Harrison, Lennon began using a Strat during the recording of Rubber Soul.
• Bonnie Raitt - One of the few females known for her guitar playing abilities, Raitt plays a 1969 Stratocaster.
• Robbie Robertson - Lead guitarist for The Band.
• Pete Townshend - Guitarist for The Who (they had just one, so he played all guitar parts on their albums and live.)
• Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Texas blues legend played a Strat.
• Frank Zappa - Zappa was a truly incredible guitarist.

Buy Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitars. Huge selection. Discount prices. Buy online right now.

Learn Guitar With Jamorama Lessons.

Cynthia Lennon starts her autobiographical tale reflecting on the death of her famous ex-husband, John Lennon and within the first chapter reveals two insights into John’s personality that haven’t really been discussed before in books about the Beatles. It’s a catchy start to a heartwarming, sweet, yet tragic tale.

As the book starts, Cynthia is a teenager beginning art college. Shortly thereafter she encounters John Lennon. The two make an unlikely couple. She was raised in a nice neighborhood to be a “good” girl and John Lennon is a teenager rebel with only one cause - rock and roll.

Cynthia points out they had several things in common in the book - they were both short sighted and bonded over losing their parents when they were seventeen. (Cynthia lost her father when she was seventeen and John lost his mother.) Soon, Cynthia and John embark on a relationship. Her love is what John needs. She’s a steady constant in his life which is filled with uncertainty.

Cynthia is there before John and the Beatles make it famous. She talks of their humble beginnings and John’s family. We learn John’s Aunt Mimi, the woman who raised him, is a very totalitarian matriarch who very rarely showed John small, simple, loving gestures. John also has two younger sisters who adore him, Jacqui and Julia. There are so many sides to John. He’s in love, yet has a ferocious jealous side to him. He can be kind and tender, yet John dislikes confrontation. An example of this is how Pete Best is told to leave the band. Brian Epstein breaks the news to Pete and John never sees him again.

Cynthia and John had been with each other four years before their son Julian is conceived. John marries her right before the Beatles begin to take off. As the Beatles ride the wave of fame, Cynthia is by John’s side. It isn’t easy for the couple, but their love gets them through.

The book shifts when Cynthia begins to talk of John’s drug use. It’s his use of drugs that drives a wedge between them. John’s decline and destruction is sad to read about in such a personal way. The way he cuts Cynthia and Julian out of his life is quick, deliberate, precise, and very hurtful. Cynthia must find her own way with little financial support from John.

It’s hard to put this book down. The beginning draws you in and the reader barely has a chance to catch their breath. Happiness quickly turns to misery, pain, and despair much in the same manner as the Beatles overwhelming success turns sour at the end of the sixties.

Cynthia offers fresh insights on a musical history that has been practically hashed to death by the number of books written by the Beatles. Her thoughts and impression on Yoko are not put out there in a mean-spirited way - instead Cynthia presents the facts as is and lets the reader come to their conclusions. This is a wonderful read for those who are true fans of the Beatles and John Lennon.

Written by: Cynthia Lennon
Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 0-340-89511-X
404 Pages
20 pounds
5 Stars

StephB is an author who can be found at http://sgcardin.tripod.com In her spare time she likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. Steph B is an author at http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing.

Elvis is the #2 biggest selling music artist of all time (U.S.). He is second only to the Beatles, having sold over 118 million units (albums, singles, tapes, cds) and is now the biggest selling solo artist in U.S. history.

There is so much, TOO MUCH, that could be and has already been written about this American music icon, Elvis Presley. So I’m going to write about the cultural impact Elvis had on music and on society at large.

I was discussing the history of rock n’ roll with a guitartist friend of mine and the subject of Elvis came up. I mentioned that John Lennon had once purportedly remarked, “Before Elvis, there was nothing.”

My friend immediately bristled at the notion. “No way,” he replied, “he didn’t invent anything…Chuck Berry and Little Richard were playing rock n’ roll before Elvis…he got it from them. Chuck Berry kicks Elvis’ ass!”

I told my friend I thought he had missed the point. John Lennon and everybody else, including Elvis, knew where the roots of rock n’ roll lay — in African-American music.

Elvis said it himself. “‘The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like I’m doing now, man, for more years than I know,’ Elvis told reporters in 1956. ‘I got it from them. Down in Tupelo, Mississippi, I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place where I could feel all old Arthur felt, I’d be a music man like nobody ever saw.’” –Time Magazine

(Some have claimed that Elvis’ 1954 cover of bluesman Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s All Right” is the definitive first rock and roll recording. While this assertion may be widely accepted by Elvis fans - and Elvis WAS among the very first to make rock and roll records - most historians trace the “first” R&R record back to 1951 and a song entitled “Rocket 88,” recorded at Sam Phillips’ studio in Memphis, where Elvis also later recorded.

“March 1, 1951 - Sam Phillips records ‘Rocket 88′ with singer Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner’s band for Chess records. This recording is widely considered the first rock and roll record.” –Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Elvis did not invent rock and roll. But he was an innovator, nonetheless, transfusing the popular music of the fifties (then dominated by white “crooners” such as Frank Sinatra, Pat Boone, Eddie Fisher and others of that ilk) with black music, gospel music…SOUL music.

And that transfusion was an important component of the anti-segregation sentiment that was brewing at the time and that led ultimately to the Civil Rights Movement…and desegregation.

While Elvis’ contribution to rock and roll was enormous, his contribution to his GENERATION was even greater.

DA Jack Hayford is the editor of the popular music reference website, Events-in-Music.com. Mr. Hayford is also the Program Director and co-founder of the online home of the ten-plus-year old Durango Songwriters Expo, a premier annual educational and inspirational event for aspiring songwriters.