THE HYPE FOR THE RECORD NEW BOOK LOOKS AT INNER WORKINGS OF BEATLES' MUSIC.Yeah, yeah, yeah ... the Beatles are here, there and everywhere these days. In theaters, there's ``A Hard Day's Night,'' and Friday is the 20th anniversary of John Lennon's death. The Fab Four are also in the top of the music charts with ``1,'' a collection of their No. 1 hits, and bookstores seem to be overflowing with new works on them. One of these - ``The Beatles on Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI, located in Hollywood, California. Its headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine. ,'' a two-volume set (``The Singles'' and ``The Albums'') by Bruce Spizer (498 Productions; each volume is $50) - is interesting in terms of the new CD, which gives a rather incomplete picture of the group. Part of the reason for this can be found in Spizer's books. For instance, ``In My Life,'' which many consider one of the greatest Beatles songs, was never released as a single, but neither were any of the other songs on ``Rubber Soul,'' including such popular numbers as ``Michelle.'' Capitol, as Spizer writes, decided that the American version of the album, which was released in America 35 years ago last Sunday, ``should not be dissected dis·sect·ed adj. 1. Botany Divided into many deep, narrow segments: dissected leaves. 2. Geology Cut by irregular valleys and hills. Adj. 1. beyond recognition.'' The decision undoubtedly changed buying habits in America, because the only way fans could get the songs on ``Rubber Soul'' was to buy the whole album. Another large omission on ``1'' are songs from ``Sgt. Pepper.'' Both ``Penny Lane'' (which is on ``1'') and ``Strawberry Fields Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army children's home in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool, England. The earliest reference to 'Strawberry Field' dates to 1870. In 1912 it was transferred to a wealthy merchant whose widow sold the estate to The Salvation Army in 1934. Forever'' (which is not) were recorded for the album but were released as singles before it came out. Again, fans had to buy the album if they wanted a copy of ``A Day in the Life'' or ``A Little Help From My Friends.'' And this helped reinforce the idea of buying albums rather than CDs. Spizer, who is a collector of Beatles memorabilia (much of which is pictured in the books), spent a great deal of time talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to Alan Livingston, the president of Capitol Records, throughout the Beatles years. Livingston, who wrote an introduction to the book, explains a lot of the record company's strategy on releasing Beatle singles and albums. The band often had recorded more material for its British albums, and Capitol would decide how to milk it for the most sales. For instance, the Beatles wanted to release ``Magical Mystery Tour'' as a double album and include ``Penny Lane'' and ``Strawberry Fields Forever,'' but Livingston vetoed the idea, knowing double albums didn't sell as well. The songs ended up on a later disc. This pattern goes a long way toward explaining which songs ended up on ``1.'' Spizer's books - which are filled with enough trivia and obscure photos to delight any Beatles fan - also tells of how the boys had been rejected three times by Capitol before their manager, Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (IPA: /ˈbraɪən ˈepstaɪn/) (born in Liverpool, England; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was the manager of The Beatles. , prevailed upon Livingston to listen to them in November 1963. Less than three months later (Feb. 9, 1964), the Beatles were already on top of the charts in America and were driving teens crazy on ``The Ed Sullivan Show.'' Where would today's pop music and culture be if the Beatles never made it? Nowhere, man. - Rob Lowman THE GIFT OF SONGS PLEDGE TO TUNE IN: It's beginning to look a lot like sweeps month on PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, . The noncommercial network is bringing on its most appealing programming, not so much to grab ratings as to induce viewer generosity during its current pledge drive A pledge drive is an extended period of fundraising activities, generally used by public broadcasting stations to increase contributions. The term "pledge" originates from the promise a contributor makes to send in funding at regular intervals for a certain amount of time. . The concert weekend kicks off at 10:30 p.m. Friday when KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology presents ``Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born August 14, 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano, actress and dancer. Brightman debuted as a dancer in troupes such as Hot Gossip and later released a string of disco singles. : La Luna in Concert,'' with the ``Phantom of the Opera'' star lending her ethereal ethereal /ethe·re·al/ (e-ther´e-il) 1. pertaining to, prepared with, containing, or resembling ether. 2. evanescent; delicate. e·the·re·al adj. 1. soprano soprano [Ital.,=above], female voice of highest pitch. The three basic types of solo soprano are coloratura, lyric, and dramatic. The coloratura has a great range and impressive vocal agility; the lyric soprano has a light, pretty voice; and the dramatic soprano has to classical (Puccini's ``Nessun dorma'') and classic (``Whiter Shade of Pale'') melodies. ``The Three Tenors Christmas Concert'' airs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and Paul Simon's Paris concert will be shown at 8 p.m. Sunday. So settle in for some great TV concerts, and keep your charge card handy. Operators are standing by. - Valerie Kuklenski CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- 4) no caption (record covers) (5) SARAH BRIGHTMAN |
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