More questions from western New York’s finest blogger, Jaquandor:
If Lennon hadn’t been shot in 1980, do you think there would eventually have been a Beatles reunion? If so, what form? A one-shot performance at something like Live-Aid? A new album?
John and Yoko’s album Double Fantasy comes out in the fall of 1980. It does all right [not as well as it did in response to Lennon’s death]. They put out Milk and Honey a year later; ditto. They tour for a few months.
Around 1982, George, whose career was in a bit of a downturn – no All Those Years Ago hit single – plays on a John and Yoko album. John and George play on Ringo’s comeback album.
Live Aid in 1985 becomes the venue in which the Beatles get together for a one-off reunion. But they enjoy it so much, they put together an album a year later. They get together periodically but primarily continue with their solo careers.
Whose post-Beatles material do you prefer, Lennon’s or McCartney’s? (Wow, I just wrote that as “McCarthy”. I have GOT to get politics out of my brain.)
Difficult to say. I liked the first two Lennon albums a lot, then parts of most of the rest, though the New York City album was a bit too pedantic, and Rock ‘N’ Roll totally unnecessary. It’s impossible for me to judge the two albums with Yoko because they are so tied to John’s death, but I do love most of John’s songs.
I liked Paul’s first two albums, less enamored by the next two, thought Band on the Run was a classic, but pretty much think that his output since then, including the period with Wings, was terribly uneven – a good album, followed by one had a few good songs or might even be an outright dud.
I’d say that Paul’s stuff in this century has been better more frequently, though I didn’t “get” his Firemen album, and HATED his post 9-11 song. And Paul has the luxury of owning his Beatles roots and not needing to run away from it. His 2009 live album, a solid mix of Beatles, Wings, and solo material, was tremendous.
So I’d say it was about a tie, percentage-wise. But, of course, Paul has had a far greater output.
I’m sure you HAVE to have done this in the past, as prolific as your blogging is, but how about a tour of your Christmas tree? Favorite ornaments and such? (If you have a tree, that is.)
Actually, I never have done a tree tour. Yes, we have a tree. It’s artificial, green. We had a real one until three or four years ago, when…actually, I don’t recall the conversation anymore.
Most of the decorations were my wife’s, from years before I knew her. The angel on top, bulbs, Santas, and, notably, various Biblical characters that she hand-painted when she was a child.
A couple of moves ago, my favorite decorations got lost; I loved some of them. Then the red sneakers ornament got lost or broken more recently. So, there are very few that were originally mine: a Pez snowman, and, of all things, a Barry Bonds Hallmark piece one of my sisters gave me a number of years ago. There are also pictures of The Daughter inside ornaments.
This year I felt particularly distanced from the process. The Wife was sick on the Friday before Christmas, the Daughter on Saturday. I slept most of that Sunday, with various ailments, during which time, the tree got put up.
It’s become obvious: I need to buy some ornaments. For ME. Or maybe my baby sister has something from my childhood…