Bruce's Journal

Sunday, October 9, 2011

71 If

John Lennon would have been 71 years old today had he lived. It is a good time to think about the music that he left behind. One of my favorites is Beautiful Boy which he wrote for Sean. Back when Lee was a little boy I would always sing it to him. It was also played at his Bar Mitzvah. This morning when we were in the car Ken Dashow played it on his Breakfast with the Beatles show on Q-104.3.

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Darling,
Darling,
Darling Sean.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

George Harrison - Living in the Material World Part 2

George's career certainly skyrocketed after the breakup of the Beatles in 1970. Part 2 of this documentary started at that time with George's recording of the 3 album box set of All Things Must Pass. It continues to cover his solo career until his passing in 2001. It includes interviews with Phil Spector, Ravi Shankar, Olivia Harrison, Dhani Harrison, Jim Keltner, Jackie Stewart and others. Some footage of the historic Concert for Bangla Desh was shown. Of course, I was pleased to see the Traveling Wilburys which included Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. I understand that a documentary can't cover anything, but I wish Scorcese had included a little time on the Concert for George in 2002 exactly a year after his passing.

All Things Must Pass is my favorite George Song.

Sunrise doesnt't't last all morning
A cloudburst doesnt't't last all day
Seems my love is up and has left you with no warning
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away

Sunset doesnt't't last all evening
A mind can blow those clouds away
After all this, my love is up and must be leaving
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
None of lifes strings can last
So, I must be on my way
And face another day

Now the darkness only stays the night-time
In the morning it will fade away
Daylight is good at arriving at the right time
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
All things must pass away

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Yom Kippur

To readers of Bruce's Journal who observe the Day of Atonement I wish you an easy fast. A happy and healthy new year to all.

George Harrison - Living in the Material World Part 1

Part 1 of this documentary focused on the Beatles years in the career of George Harrison. It was obvious that George did not get the recognition he deserved playing behind Lennon and McCartney arguably the best song writing team in the history of popular music. During those years, very few Harrison compositions were on Beatles albums.

There were interviews with Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Patti Boyd, George Martin and other figures involved with the Fab Four. I believe much of the footage with George was taken from the Anthology which was released in the mid 1990s. This special is really aimed at people who grew up with the Beatles and have followed them from the 1960s till today. Certainly, the Beatles appeal spans the generations, but in my opinion the casual fan would not appreciate the details of this documentary. Don’t expect a concert from this documentary. Martin Scorcese certainly did an excellent job.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Web Site of the Day - J! Archive

Regular reader of Bruce's Journal know that I regularly feature an oldie of the day. Starting today, I would like to feature a web site of the day. The first one is J!Archive which is devoted to the history of Jeopardy since 1984. It documents every show since the Alex Trebek version of the show began. It lists the contestants for each day and even gives the answers and questions. Beautiful!