Vincent Eugene Craddock, better known as Gene Vincent, is one of the greatest rock and roll singers, up there with Elvis Presley. I think that, along with his sense of swing and dramatic timing, it was his natural quality, the sense that what he was singing about was actually happening to him, that made him so great. Like Presley, he was equally convincing on ballads and rockers, and like John Lennon, the greatest rock and roll singer of the following decade, he had the gift of always making the listener feel like part of the action (and fun). You can clearly hear how much Lennon learned from him by comparing their versions of "Be-Bop-a-Lula". Vincent's was recorded in 1956 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7trV_-mSyE), and Lennon's in 1975. It's the first and best track on his Rock 'n' Roll album of that year (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKQB0ezWGOE).

The multi-instrumentalist Toots Thielemans, one of the greatest artists in jazz, is eighty-eight years of age and continues to record and concertize. He began his career as a guitarist, and in 1959 Hamburg, the young John Lennon and George Harrison often went to hear his noon-time shows with the George Shearing Quintet, but he's perhaps better known for his harmonica playing and whistling. In fact, he is usually considered to be the greatest harmonica player in jazz. He's also a great composer, and one of his songs, "Bluesette", has reached iconic status as one of the most creative and challenging blues-based pieces in the jazz standard repertoire. Here's a really fine version of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKnG_9q4crA. By the way, Thielemans is performing tonight in Sint-Niklaas, in his native Belgium.

John Lennon's first solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) is usually considered to be his best. I'm not entirely sure about that, but it is a very powerful record. On the musical side, Ringo Starr's drumming is a big reason. His listening ability is what sets him apart from the pack. Like the r&b guitarist Steve Cropper, his technical prowess is not based on velocity or the number of notes, but rather feel and placement. Only great listeners can do it. An analogy could be drawn to the world of team sports, where there are certain players who are concerned with personal statistics and getting attention, and there are others who play only to benefit the team and who have the ability to make those around them perform better. If Starr were an athlete, he would be of the latter type. I'll be writing about some of his solo work tomorrow.

Lennon's instrumental contributions are equally brilliant. It's very interesting to hear him away from the other Beatles, and to be able to clearly distinguish his style and touch. For example, his guitar sound contains a very cool fifties reference through the use of tremolo. A good tune on which to hear it is "Hold On": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLOTD7wrbtQ&feature=related. (Note the Sesame Street reference.)

One aspect of his writing that has always interested me is how much he gets out of chords. Many of his most beautiful melodies come from very spare harmonic settings. He doesn't change chords just for the sake of it, in other words. His melodies, therefore, have the quality of being necessary, called for. This also is the result of advanced listening. Lyrically, the album was at the beginning of a long run of ultra-honest writing. In fact it could be argued that the most telling characteristic of his solo career was its honesty, which some found off-putting at times with its renderings of emotional and marital intimacy as well as his uncompromising political views. Fair enough, he wasn't asking for our permission anyway. But I remember something one of my teachers said once. An artist must do two things: 1. Be honest. 2. Develop the technical means to communicate that honesty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkybcZ_stAk&feature=related

Seeing Nowhere Boy and re-listening to some of Lennon's work with the Beatles has gotten me wanting to check out some of his solo work again, as well. So I'll be writing about some of it in the days ahead. I'm also going to give another spin to the solo stuff of the other three chaps. Today, I'll recommend McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard from 2005, which coincidentally features a cover photo called Our Kid through Mom's Net Curtains that was taken at roughly the same time as the events portrayed in the movie mentioned above. Virtually all of the instrumental work was done by McCartney, and it's impressive. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, sometimes referred to as the sixth member of Radiohead for his work with them. The album is rich and resonant in sound, beautifully sung and played by an astonishing musician capable of matching his very best work right into his sixties. Here's a link for "English Tea": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa3D1OrZZpo

As I mentioned Wednesday, I was planning to see the John Lennon movie - Nowhere Boy, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood - as soon as I could. So I did; I saw it today, and it was terrific. The acting, the settings (it was shot in Liverpool), the directing, I thought they were all convincing. As for the music, I think they did well there too. Because Aaron Johnson was himself learning to play the guitar and sing to do the role, we get to witness some of the process as it may have actually sounded at the time. McCartney came from a more musical background than Lennon - his father was a professional musician - and was therefore more advanced in skills at the time. But the film shows, correctly, that Lennon was the group's spiritual leader; he had a heart full of soul (as I'm sure the Yardbirds would agree). Of course, he would catch up musically as well, and go on to become one of the greatest musicians of the century. The movie helps to clarify how this happened, and to dispel some of the mythologizing around the Beatles. In this age of instant gratification and televised talent shows, it's important to be reminded that the Beatles' brilliance came from their work ethic. As the song says: a working class hero is something to be, and it has nothing to do with the part of town in which one's born.

As I'm sure you know, it would have been John Lennon's seventieth birthday on Saturday. So I thought I'd write about him today, for that reason, and because I'm looking forward to the release of Nowhere Boy this Friday (in Montreal, anyway). First, as a guitarist, Lennon rarely got the respect he deserved, but his contributions to the Beatles' sound was immense. Like Pete Townshend, the bulk of his instrumental innovation can be found in his rhythm guitar playing. One of the greatest examples is the triplet-feel part that he plays on "All My Loving" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuVVs30gIb8&feature=related). He plays a very difficult feel with great touch and swing. Very hard to do and completely original.

As a performer, he had some of the Elvis Presley quality of being both in the middle of, as well as above, the frenzy. There was always a sense of humour involved, and he used it wisely. On the early records, and in the early videos, it's clear that he's the leader of the band. He was the oldest member, and at that point the most assured performer and vocalist. Over time, that changed somewhat, as the others caught up, but they only did so with his example to follow. As a singer, well, I've written about it before, but for me, he's in the top five all-time. Here is a list of some of his great vocal performances: "Twist and Shout", "Baby, It's You", "It Won't Be Long", "Money (That's What I Want)", "Rain", "Any Time at All", "Run For Your Life", "In My Life", "No Reply", "Mr. Moonlight", "Help!", "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", "Norwegian Wood", "Girl", "I'm Only Sleeping" - and that's only up to 1966. There are many others from before and after that date. I'd recommend listening to all of the above (and the others as well), but if I had to pick only one performance to exemplify the passion and the fun that his voice conveys, it would be this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXOdAgLZQPs.

Paul McCartney once told a story about his relationship as a songwriter with John Lennon. If I remember it correctly, it concerned listening to a recording of the just-finished "Here, There and Everywhere" on a small tape deck in a hotel room during a tour of England. McCartney explained that they were both "northern lads" and therefore quite reserved (I guess you could say) in their words of praise for each other - not that there wasn't a great deal of appreciation and respect between them. Anyway, McCartney remembers Lennon saying, after listening to the song, "That's a good one, that one", which McCartney remembers as the biggest compliment Lennon ever paid one of his compositions.
Well, Lennon was right: it is a good one. The song features The Beatles in fine voice, with a splendid lead vocal from McCartney and inspired vocal backing from all of them. The introduction, marvelous and original, leads us into a tune that features both the keys of G major and G minor. The opening section is built on chords derived from the first steps (i.e. do, re, mi, fa) of the G major scale. With the lyric "wave of her hand" there is a shift to a minor sound (E minor). We are still essentially in the key of G, but a different chord within that key has become "tonicized" (i.e. become the new "do" of the moment - tonic is another word for do). This concept is crucial for a songwriter or listener to understand: basically, any chord can be of a passing nature or of a resting nature, and this song is an excellent one for hearing the difference. Then we have a shift to G minor (from G major) with the lyric "I want her everywhere" - which is known as a parallel shift, because the type of the chord has changed, but not the chord root. (The earlier change from G major to E minor is called a relative shift.) At the end of this G minor section the melody returns to major with the words, "But to love her is to need her everywhere", which I've always felt is one of the most sublime moments in all of popular music. No wonder John liked it.

It seems that one way that I'll be working in this space is to mention something in passing and then to revisit it later. Today, that's exactly what I'll be doing. 1. I mentioned John Lennon's remark regarding Ringo, and it certainly fits right in with the many baffling statements that he made, but I want to also mention that Lennon is among the very greatest singers that rock and roll ever produced. He sang in tune, with tremendous power and emotion, and no affectation. Not many singers can have that said about them. The Beatles were primarily a vocal group. They wanted to be singers, not instrumentalists looking for settings upon which to improvise. And singers they were. There's not a group to this day that can sing with them. Certain versions of Rubber Soul can be listened to without the backing instrumentation (by panning to one side) - highly recommended. Also, listen to the backup vocal entry on "Hey Jude". Right on the laces (sorry, been watching too much World Cup).
One way of seeing the Beatles' story is to consider the way the group evolved from being John's band to Paul's. Evidence: Beatles for Sale vs. Abbey Road. Then of course, there was the emergence of George, and the fact that he wrote and sang some of the greatest Beatles songs. But that's for another day. All in all, a very interesting group. There is much to be learned from thoughtfully listening to them.
2. At another point, I mentioned pop music being played by machines these days. And most of it is. But that is not to say that technology and machinery can't be used to create incredibly interesting music. One group that has held my attention for a long time is Autechre. This duo proves that with technology, very original music (which could not be made any other way, and perhaps that's the difference between pre-fabricated pop and serious electronic music) can be produced. The influence that they have had on Radiohead (and other groups) is easy to hear ("Myxomatosis" is a good example, cf. "Eutow" from Tri Repetae). The machinery allows them to set up very complex rhythms and then to "play" over them. You can clearly hear that the music is being played by a duo and not a solitary composer, as well. Listening: Amber (1994) and Quaristice (2008).