Friday, February 13, 2026

La Fin de La Semaine Essay Question: Special "Beatles Selfies" Edition

Yeah, yeah, it's gimmicky. But it's also terrific.

That's the work of a British musical comedian/impressionist named Stevie Riks, who grew up Liverpool adjacent, and who's apparently been doing this kind of thing for a while now (you can find out more about him at his official website over HERE).

And I should add that if the actual Beatles had the same technology available to them back then, we can say with some certainty that they would have taken advantage of it.

In any event, this leads us inexorably to the subject of the weekend's business. To wit:

...and the best (or worst) single song or album by a post-1964 artist (solo or group) making obviously deliberate attempts to ape elements of the Fab Four's style/sound is...?

Discuss.

No arbitrary rules here, but let's just say that if you attempt to nominate an actual Beatles tribute band or the original cast album of Broadway's Beatlemania ("Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation") I will come to your house very late on a weeknight and give you a severe tongue-lashing.

Anyway -- for my choice? Album-wise, I don't really have a dog in this hunt, sad to say. But an indivdual song? Well, this won't be a surprise to anybody who knows me, but IMHO this one is the ne plus ultra.

C'mon -- nobody but nobody has ever done it better. And the fact that it's by a bar band from down the street from my childhood digs in Teaneck, New Jersey makes it even more fun.

Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be?

And have a great weekend, everybody!

[h/t Ida Langsam]

44 comments:

  1. Buddy Randell is about to poke that mouthpiece into his eye.

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  2. Their Satanic Majesties Request - The Rolling Stones

    Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

    Captain Al

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  3. Tell us more about The Knickerbockers being from the Teaneck area. I thought they were a midwest band. What do I know?

    Captain Al

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    Replies
    1. They were all from Bergenfield, and the band name derives from Knickerbocker Avenue in Tenafly.

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  4. The Wonders in That Thing You Do. Cleveland Jeff

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    Replies
    1. Wow -- that completely slipped my mind, but yeah. 😎

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  5. Not sure it quite meets the criteria, but Big Daddy's re-imagining(?) of the entire Sgt Pepper's album is ...something.

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  6. I dunno, steve, I found that video super creepy and unpleasant.

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    Replies
    1. Matter of taste, obviously, but I got chills when the cover photo from "Beatles for Sale" started to come to life.

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  7. Emmitt Rhodes's first two albums and, of course, the Zombies' Oracle and Oddesey.

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    Replies
    1. And Rhodes' previous band The Merry-Go-Round.

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  8. And everything Jeff Lynne has ever touched...

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  9. How about Big star

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  10. The Spongetones (especially the album "Beat Music" and EP "Torn Apart"). And Utopia’s “Deface the Music."

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  11. Badfinger - Come and Get It. How many folks think that's the Beatles?

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    Replies
    1. I think we've discussed it before, but I remember Beatles bootlegs that included Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's "LS Bumblebee" as a lost Beatles cut. I'm sure many people believed it really was the Beatles.

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  12. The Monkees Pleasant Valley Sunday is obviously paying tribute to / emulating Penny Lane imo. Interestingly, the song was in fact written by Goffin- King.
    rs

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  13. I meant The Stones' 'Satanic' emulating The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper" if that was unclear.

    Captain Al

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  14. Some of the Guided By Voices' stuff is clearly derivative of the Beatles, in a very good way - the songs "As We Go Up, We Go Down" and "Chicken Blows" on ALIEN LANES, or "Mincer Ray" and "Echos Myron" on BEE THOUSAND.

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  15. Rob B Mullen2/13/2026 2:01 PM

    Klaatu - debut album in 1976 "3:47 EST" had everybody talking way back in 1976

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  16. Rob B Mullen2/13/2026 2:07 PM

    Just one more, while not an attempt to emulate the Beatles sound -
    The album cover of We're Only In It For The Money parody of the Fab 4s SPLHCB costumes - Zappa & The Mothers ...

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  17. And while we're talking about hometown bands ... the Outsiders, from Cleveland, beyoches

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    1. Rob B Mullen2/13/2026 3:20 PM

      Pete, when I go into my minds
      Wayback Machine could their song have been " Time Won't Let Me" ?

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    2. Yes it's Time Won't Let Me

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  18. Deface The Music - Utopia

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    Replies
    1. Okay, I've been waiting for that one. 😎

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  19. Rob B Mullen2/13/2026 4:07 PM

    Easy Star Stars Reggae version of SPLHCB
    Flaming Lips and...
    With A Little Help From My Fwends

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  20. The Vinyl Kings - A Little Trip Seriously the best "Beatles emulation" this side of Liverpool

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  21. Also, anything by Los Shakers and let's not forget to give love to - The Fraternal Order of The All: Greetings from Planet Love by Andrew Gold

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    Replies
    1. Saw Andrew when he opened and later was in Linda Ronstadts band that night. A photo lurks somewhere from that night 50 years ago 😉

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    2. Los Shakers -- The Beatles of Uruguay!!!!

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  22. Cream’s “Badge”, written by Clapton and George Harrison, is definitely in that area, especially the guitar-through-a-Leslie during the bridge. And Clapton’s solo is very melodic and more composed-not-improvised than is typical for EC; I can picture this on Revolver or the White Album.

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    Replies
    1. A very savvy choice and dead on the money.

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  23. Hmm. As I recall, the Raspberries (I'm thinking of their wonderful 'I Wanna Be With You') were put down in the pages of Stereo Review for being derivative of the Fabs.

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    1. I was a fan, so I don't think so. But that was a long time ago....😎

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    2. April 1973, p. 92, Joel Vance. Looking that up, I realize I'd forgotten that Charles Rodriguez was a contributing cartoonist!

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  24. Rob B Mullen2/13/2026 7:39 PM

    Sergio Mendes, for you old guys 😉,
    Fool On The Hill

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  25. Rob B Mullen2/14/2026 6:10 PM

    Steve, did a Knickerbockers deep dive
    Lloyd Thaxton produced their first album -
    (lol) You had to be a kid growing up in the Metro region not to know that name - he was our Dick Clark.
    No need wonder that guitar player was smiling - he was so happy that the band made enough money that he could go to Manny's and buy that Rickenbacker 😉

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    Replies
    1. Rob B Mullen2/15/2026 4:25 PM

      Scratch Lloyd Thaxton insert
      Clay Cole - hey it was the 60's 😉

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  26. I didn't know Joe Pesci was their lead singer :)

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