BennyD
08-05-2009, 02:59 PM
Beatles White Album Concert Series.
By 1968 The Beatles had moved away from the catchy pop aesthetic that had characterised the band’s rise to worldwide popularity. In 1967 they released Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, subsequently to become the poster album for the confluence of psychedelia and mainstream pop. In late 1968 the Beatles released an eponymous double LP (known colloquially as The White Album) that’s regarded by many as the peak of The Beatles’ artistic output. Conceived against a backdrop of the band members’ interest in eastern religion and the increasingly fractious internal band politics, The White Album is a masterpiece of creativity and diversity, from the hard rocking opener ‘Back in theUSSR’, to the self referential ‘Glass Onion’, the ballad ‘Dear Prudence’to George Harrison’s timeless ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’to the psychedelic confusion of ‘Revolution #9’, The White Album remains a measure of artistic brilliance that few - if any - bands have managed to emulate.
Living End guitarist Chris Cheney wasn’t born when The Beatles released The White Album. Despite his contemporary reverence for The Beatles, Cheney admits to "not taking much interest" in The Beatles when he was first exposed to the band’s music on commercial radio. "I was into obscure ‘50s rockabilly," Cheney says. "I got into The Beatles more after high school. I did a jazz music course, and a guy there showed me a Beatles tape, and it was like ‘oh, I get it now’," Cheney says. Prior to his teenage epiphany, Cheney remembers listening to the album at family friend’s house. "He was English, and he played us Queen, and also The White Album, so maybe he’s to blame," Cheney laughs. "But I think ‘Ob La Di’ makes more sense to a kid than ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun’!"
To celebrate the 40th - or should that be 41st - anniversary of the release of The White Album, Cheney is joining fellow Australian musicians Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke and Phil Jamieson to performer The White Album in original track order. "When I was approached it sounded like such a good idea," Cheney enthuses. "And it’s a real challenge - it’s really out of my comfort zone. I think as an artist it’s really important to immerse yourself in something different and give yourself a challenge," Cheney says.
Cheney is unsure (or contractually prohibited from revealing) which musician will be responsible for which track - including the vexed issue of ‘Revolution #9’. "I’m not sure what’s happening with ‘Revolution #9’," he admits. "There hasn’t been a lot of contact between the four of us - it’s similar to The Beatles at the time," he notes wryly. Despite the apparently remote preparation, Cheney is happy with the line-up for the show. "We’re all good mates and we get along, so I was happy when I found out who else was on the bill."
Notwithstanding the solid fraternal artistic relationship between himself, Rogers, Pyke and Jamieson, Cheney agrees that the difficult relationships within The Beatles at the time The White Album was recorded probably contributed to the strength of the record. "You only have to be in a creative environment to understand that," he says. "Even in our own band there’s competition. So with The Beatles you had so much talent - but it has to break eventually. It’s one of the wonders of the world that you had those two guys [Lennon and McCartney] in the same band - though I don’t want to denigrate the contribution of the other two guys," says Cheney.
The choice of one’s favourite Beatles remains always a vexed topic. Cheney admits to being a fan of the oft-maligned Paul McCartney. "I’ve always bucked the trend and had a soft spot for Paul," he says. "I think he gets an unfair rap. He’s got an amazing voice - he can belt out a song like ‘Helter Skelter’like Little Richard and then turn around do a ballad like ‘Dear Prudence’."
What about the regularly underappreciated Ringo Starr (whose compositions ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ and ‘Goodnight’ are included on the album)? "Everyone loves Ringo," Cheney says. "He’s a bit like the family pet. He’s often overlooked, but at the same time he’s probably had more fans than everyone else. Ringo’s the bloke you’d like to have around the dinner party - he’s responsible for a lot of the wit," Cheney smiles. "But I also think George’s guitar playing is really good, and it’s overlooked because of the quality of the songs".
Beyond the objective assessment of The White Album and its creators, there’s the hypothetical matter of what the Beatles would have done, had the band not been struck down by band politics and eventual tragedy. "Yes, the ‘what if?’," Cheney says. "Would they have done Live Aid and Live Earth? My guess is that they’d still be active. Lennon still probably would’ve been pretty out there," says Cheney. "All reports suggest there might have been a reconciliation eventually. As bitter as they were to each other, I reckon they knew that was something special," Cheney says.
The White Album Concert is on at QPAC Concert Hall 6 August.
By Patrick Emery
http://www.tommagazine.com.au/index.php?area=Interviews&pg=38&subarea=10151&sel=10151
By 1968 The Beatles had moved away from the catchy pop aesthetic that had characterised the band’s rise to worldwide popularity. In 1967 they released Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, subsequently to become the poster album for the confluence of psychedelia and mainstream pop. In late 1968 the Beatles released an eponymous double LP (known colloquially as The White Album) that’s regarded by many as the peak of The Beatles’ artistic output. Conceived against a backdrop of the band members’ interest in eastern religion and the increasingly fractious internal band politics, The White Album is a masterpiece of creativity and diversity, from the hard rocking opener ‘Back in theUSSR’, to the self referential ‘Glass Onion’, the ballad ‘Dear Prudence’to George Harrison’s timeless ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’to the psychedelic confusion of ‘Revolution #9’, The White Album remains a measure of artistic brilliance that few - if any - bands have managed to emulate.
Living End guitarist Chris Cheney wasn’t born when The Beatles released The White Album. Despite his contemporary reverence for The Beatles, Cheney admits to "not taking much interest" in The Beatles when he was first exposed to the band’s music on commercial radio. "I was into obscure ‘50s rockabilly," Cheney says. "I got into The Beatles more after high school. I did a jazz music course, and a guy there showed me a Beatles tape, and it was like ‘oh, I get it now’," Cheney says. Prior to his teenage epiphany, Cheney remembers listening to the album at family friend’s house. "He was English, and he played us Queen, and also The White Album, so maybe he’s to blame," Cheney laughs. "But I think ‘Ob La Di’ makes more sense to a kid than ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun’!"
To celebrate the 40th - or should that be 41st - anniversary of the release of The White Album, Cheney is joining fellow Australian musicians Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke and Phil Jamieson to performer The White Album in original track order. "When I was approached it sounded like such a good idea," Cheney enthuses. "And it’s a real challenge - it’s really out of my comfort zone. I think as an artist it’s really important to immerse yourself in something different and give yourself a challenge," Cheney says.
Cheney is unsure (or contractually prohibited from revealing) which musician will be responsible for which track - including the vexed issue of ‘Revolution #9’. "I’m not sure what’s happening with ‘Revolution #9’," he admits. "There hasn’t been a lot of contact between the four of us - it’s similar to The Beatles at the time," he notes wryly. Despite the apparently remote preparation, Cheney is happy with the line-up for the show. "We’re all good mates and we get along, so I was happy when I found out who else was on the bill."
Notwithstanding the solid fraternal artistic relationship between himself, Rogers, Pyke and Jamieson, Cheney agrees that the difficult relationships within The Beatles at the time The White Album was recorded probably contributed to the strength of the record. "You only have to be in a creative environment to understand that," he says. "Even in our own band there’s competition. So with The Beatles you had so much talent - but it has to break eventually. It’s one of the wonders of the world that you had those two guys [Lennon and McCartney] in the same band - though I don’t want to denigrate the contribution of the other two guys," says Cheney.
The choice of one’s favourite Beatles remains always a vexed topic. Cheney admits to being a fan of the oft-maligned Paul McCartney. "I’ve always bucked the trend and had a soft spot for Paul," he says. "I think he gets an unfair rap. He’s got an amazing voice - he can belt out a song like ‘Helter Skelter’like Little Richard and then turn around do a ballad like ‘Dear Prudence’."
What about the regularly underappreciated Ringo Starr (whose compositions ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ and ‘Goodnight’ are included on the album)? "Everyone loves Ringo," Cheney says. "He’s a bit like the family pet. He’s often overlooked, but at the same time he’s probably had more fans than everyone else. Ringo’s the bloke you’d like to have around the dinner party - he’s responsible for a lot of the wit," Cheney smiles. "But I also think George’s guitar playing is really good, and it’s overlooked because of the quality of the songs".
Beyond the objective assessment of The White Album and its creators, there’s the hypothetical matter of what the Beatles would have done, had the band not been struck down by band politics and eventual tragedy. "Yes, the ‘what if?’," Cheney says. "Would they have done Live Aid and Live Earth? My guess is that they’d still be active. Lennon still probably would’ve been pretty out there," says Cheney. "All reports suggest there might have been a reconciliation eventually. As bitter as they were to each other, I reckon they knew that was something special," Cheney says.
The White Album Concert is on at QPAC Concert Hall 6 August.
By Patrick Emery
http://www.tommagazine.com.au/index.php?area=Interviews&pg=38&subarea=10151&sel=10151