And from 1972, please enjoy Brinsley Schwarz, featuring the genius of Nick Lowe on bass, vocals and songwriting, and their equally exqusite (if perhaps less original) "Unknown Number."
That little guitar figure at the beginning of both songs certainly is versatile...
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The Beatles on that cover always looked seriously tired, cold and wiped out. And this was only their 4th album. George's onion/turnip hair was a hoot.
Always loved the Brinsley Schwarz stuff. Did you ever hear the CD Hen's Teeth. Rare and very good also.
It's also similar to the melody from "The Tide Is High" by Blondie...
That cover shot is actually my favorite picture of the Beatles ever.
Allow me to offer some props for my boys Shoes' version of Words of Love, too. This was by far the best cut off the 1998 tribute album Every Day is a Holly Day
(at least, that's what the contemporary reviews said), and I particularly like the way they round-robin the verses, something they did less often than one might think.
Umm, 1988. Simels regrets the error....
That Shoes version is really nice, NYMary.
Beatles For Sale is one of my fave Beatles albums, the transitional piece between their 'early' and 'middle' periods. It doesn't hurt that I was able to find a copy way back when import records were rare beasts, indeed. But after Philip Norman's authorized Beatles biography taught me the difference between the American albums and the original English records, I was determined to track'em down (a feat made easier by our local Alexander's department store, which for some weird reason, had a VERY cool record department and very reasonable prices).
I always thought that the Rebel Rebel riff owed a bit to the Fabs' version of Words of Love.
This is my favorite Beatles photo, too, and their stunned, wary expressions are a big part of it. They seem on the cusp of something. Maybe the significance of what they've done is beginning to sink in. Maybe each is considering, in his own way, the changes to come. Maybe they're just moving off speed and on to other drugs. That would explain why they look so tired, so suddenly old.
I don't think they look old, or tired, for that matter ... I think they look serious.
Actually I think the cover could be a bit of a piss take. I can just about hear John saying, "Be serious now, chaps. The first one who corpses buys the pints." All trying desperately not to crack up.
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