Non-Beatles Beatles
One of my favorite types of rock and roll is the "Beatles song not done by the Beatles."
Here are a couple of examples, one obvious (since it's a parody, really, but is also a simply great pop song) and one not so...
What are yours?
Peace.
Lazy Smoke--There Was a Time (1968)
The Rutles-I Must Be in Love (1977)
posted by Stuart Shea at 2:22 PM
11 Comments:
Of course "I Must Be In Love" is one of my favorites... I will have to add "Dance With Me" by the Wonders to this list, only because yesterday, my 23-month-old daughter heard about 10 seconds of it and said, "Beatles?"
6:52 AM, August 04, 2008
The Mamas & the Papas: I Call Your Name
The Buzzcocks: No Reply
Stars of '45: "The 1's" condensed to a single.
12:05 PM, August 04, 2008
"Lies," by the Knickerbockers, no question. There have been a ton of convincing Pepper-era knock-offs over the years (most of which I also love), but for a buncha greasers from NJ to perfectly nail the sound and energy of '64-'65 era Beatles is a wonderfully freakish thing, indeed. Plus, I sincerely thought it WAS the Beatles until I was about 16 or so...
12:07 PM, August 04, 2008
The fab WFMU blog has a series of posts called "Fake Beatles": http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/fake_beatles/index.html
Please to enjoy.
1:27 PM, August 04, 2008
I see I missed the point! (I can't play tunes at work, in my semi-defense...)
3:29 PM, August 04, 2008
Oops, forgot to add:
Klaatu (entire recorded works are an attempt to pass themselves off as the real Bealtes)
3:31 PM, August 04, 2008
The Redcoats CD that came out on Bacchus Archives a few years ago is a good one. I especially like "You Had No Right".
10:36 AM, August 05, 2008
Magic by Pilot.
9:39 PM, August 05, 2008
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10:54 AM, August 10, 2008
There's so many good ones, but I think my number one has to be "Listen Listen" by the Merry Go Round. Also "Name Of The Game" by Badfinger is a close second. AND, since you mentioned the Rutles, "Let's Be Natural' captures the Lennon White Album vibe so well its almost unbelievable! OK, I gotta add "I wanna Be With You" by Bonzo Dog Band, too. I'm sure as soon as I click send I'll think of others!
10:56 AM, August 10, 2008
Well, sir, as I said at the fest, aside from the obvious "World Without Love", which has a head start, I'd also second the vote for Lies, and would also suggest "Something In the Air" by Thunderclap Newman.
In addition, there's "Itchycoo Park" by Small Faces and "Sunny Afternoon" by the Kinks, which share some of their 1967 vibes with the Beatles output from the same year.
I never really "got" the Rutles. They always struck me as parody and mimicry, and not very funny at that, rather than homage or inspired by. Utopia's '60's homage album (the title of which I've forgotten) was much more effective and less gimmicky.
Sowing the Seeds of Love by Tears for Fears was good (in addition to be infinitely better than their maudlin, weepy earlier hits), and there's a new one along the same lines by Panic at the Disco, but I don't know the name of it.
Finally, there's Jim Dandy and the Sugar Beets with "Dust to Dust", which is either the most incompetent successful Beatles ripoff ever, or the most amazingly perfect failed Beatles ripoff ever.
You can hear it, and read more about it than you ever wanted to know (the post has been greatly expanded, and includes a picture of Jim Dandy), here:
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/04/365_days_115_ji.html#comments
Bob
3:30 PM, August 11, 2008
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