News, Views and Music Issue 70 (Intros)

August 6:

♫ Hello again my faithful uploaders and welcome to a time capsule edition of everybody’s favourite Monkeynuts website. Yes as well as going back to 1977 for our review, we’ll be studying the Yoko-authorised John Lennon time capsule being planted for opening on the Beatle’s 100^th birthday in 2040 and making a little time capsule of our own. More on that later. And in case that wasn’t enough, the AAA team have actually caught up with the present by making their own video for showing on Youtube take your pick between a straightforward clip-art vision and a group of teddy bears debating the sheer brilliance of the site. More on both of those later...And finally, as of today we are on 1690 views (or – near enough – 10 views for every review on the site so far). Cracking stuff, keep those visits coming!

                                                     

♫ Beatles News: As mentioned, Yoko Ono has commissioned a ‘time capsule’ full of sketches and writing by her husband John Lennon and tributes by some of his many fans, to be dug up on Lennon’s 100^th birthday on October 9^th 2040 (when, if Yoko is still with us, his widow will be 107). We’ve always loved time capsules here at the AAA (even if my primary school one – planted during our first term and opened during our last six years later – was, literally, a damp squib after water somehow worked its way into our airtight box). So read on below for our own AAA version...

In other news, Lennon was the first famous figure profiled in the Radio 4 ‘Great Lives’ series which started this week (on Tuesday to be exact). The programme was built around a lengthy new interview with Yoko and includes a few titbits for Beatles collectors along the way. Oh and in slightly less important news for Beatlenuts, Paul McCartney has written to the producers of the ‘Glee’ series about a school choir and asked if they could cover one of his songs in the new series (youngest daughter Beatrice is a big fan we’re led to believe!) Now there’s a sign of the times when ex-Beatles are asking for work...

♫ Byrds/CSNY/Monkees News: A programme about the many musicians who hung out in California’s ‘Laurel Canyon’, presented by former resident and Monkee Micky Dolenz, rather caught us on the hop. There wasn’t much of an announcement about this two-part series, simply titled ‘Laurel Canyon’, despite the presence of many AAA legends including Byrd Chris Hillman, Micky Dolenz himself and, erm, the ‘groupie’ who became Graham Nash’s babysitter. The first part of the show, heard on Monday August 2^nd, is probably available on I-player somewhere (we wouldn’t know) and the second is on next Monday, August 9^th, at 10pm on Radio Two. The trail for the second part says there’ll be more about CSNY in the next episode so all fans look out for that!

♫ ANNIVERSARIES (August 2^nd-8^th): For only the third time ever in the history of this site there are no AAA birthdays this week (and before anyone points it out, yes the dates themselves don’t change but the time period we cover – Monday to Sunday, which fall on a different day each year – does). Anniversaries of events include: The Beatles headline their first gig at Liverpool’s Cavern Club (August 2^nd 1961); The Who rescue the film premises Shepperton Studios from demolition, buying the venue for use in their ‘Kids Are Alright’ documentary and ‘Quadrophenia’ film (they still own it too; August 2^nd 1977); Just two years, one day and 293 appearances after their first headlining gig, the Beatles play their last show at The Cavern Club (August 3^rd 1963); Beatles record are banned in South Africa following John Lennon’s statements about the band being ‘bigger than Jesus’ (August 3^rd 1966) – a day later six South American states follow suit; Wings are officially formed on August 3^rd 1971, with Dennys Laine and Seiwell as well as Paul and Linda McCartney; The Small Faces release perhaps their most famous single ‘Itchycoo Park’ (August 4^th 1967); Pink Floyd stage The Wall for the first time at London’s Earl’s Court (due to costs they only ever stage the show four times – August 4^th 1980); Two 1960s milestones are released on August 5^th: The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ in 1966 and Pink Floyd’s debut ‘Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ in 1967; The Small Faces release their debut single, the wonderfully ungrammatical ‘What’cha Gonna Do ‘Bout It?’ (August 6^th 1965); Pink Floyd’s film version of ‘The Wall’ premieres in America (August 6^th 1982); Time Magazine becomes the first magazine to review the Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ released the previous month and – you’ve guessed it, they absolutely hate it, with a headline ‘avoid at all costs’! (August 7^th 1964) and finally, August 8^th 1964 saw the release of perhaps the greatest AAA spin-off single of all time: ‘Ringo For President’ by the Young World Singers’. ‘It would be nice but I don’t have the time right now’ quipped Ringo when asked it!