YESTERDAY!

Saw “Yesterday” yesterday, a film whose core idea is so compelling it had to be made, had to create soaring expectations, and ultimately had to disappoint.

What if The Beatles, as a band, never existed, but one man only, an unsuccessful, mediocre singer-songwriter, knew their catalogue of songs (“One Man Only” is the tongue in cheek title of his ultimate album of pilfered Beatles tunes that he records), and as a result becomes the most famous singer songwriter on the planet? Amazing idea, right?

Yet, the very idea is challenged, unintentionally it seems, by the musical performances themselves, and by the unequivocal reality that The Beatles’ catalogue of 200+ tunes are nowhere near as remarkable and timeless without The Beatles themselves. (Think “Something,” as sung by Frank Sinatra! Ugh!) Classics like “Let It Be,” without Paul’s plaintive, angelic vocals, or “In My Life,” without John’s sonorous, yet tender nostalgia pouring through him, or “Nowhere Man,” “Because,” or even “This Boy” without the perfect blend of stratospheric harmonies that transcend anything in pop music, or any genre of music, for that matter, these would be merely good-to-really-good compositions. Add to the mix, The Beatles’ continuously explorative and experimental arrangements and ever-changing productions, their insistence on not having “a sound,” but rather to reinvent themselves on every album.

I mean, it does happen, occasionally, that someone’s cover of another’s hit song is equal to or even better than the original (Perhaps, “I Shot the Sheriff” by Eric Clapton, originally by Bob Marley, for example), but really, has anyone ever covered a Beatles song that tops the vibrancy and synergy and crackling originality of the Fab Four’s rendition? Elton John’s “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My friends,” U2’s “Helter Skelter,” all good, worthy as recordings, but...

Likewise, Himesh Patel’s covers, while sincere and sometimes passionate, fall way short of making it believable that the songs alone could create a globe-changing cultural phenomenon, similar to that created when The Beatles thrust those indelible tunes into the collective consciousness in just 10 mind-blowing years, 5 decades ago.

The Beatles were unique. Uniquely unique. For me, from age 9 on until today, they were and still are the soundtrack to this lifetime’s journey. And oh, the movie is worth seeing!






HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER! (PEAK EXPERIENCES! FREE SAMPLES! GOT YOURS?)

During the 1950's, Psychologist Abraham Maslow, who developed the concept of "peak human potential," did years of research on what he called "peak experiences. 

"Almost all people have or can have peak experiences," Maslow said. (These are what I have referred to as "free samples from the Universe.")

Psychologist Stella Resnik, in her book, The Pleasure Zone, wrote: "Peak experiences are intensely pleasurable times that can last for just a minute or for several weeks or more. They are periods of complete happiness and fulfillment. . . perceived as great moments, as very fine times in a person's life."

Maslow found that certain individuals - people he called "self-actualized", enjoyed a much higher frequency of peak experiences than did individuals in the general population. They felt fulfilled in their lives, motivated "not by need, but by the desire to grow."

Maslow's findings may not surprise most FPL readers who've actually done some serious self-work. The free sample I often speak of isn't meant to be a tease, folks, but an enticement to move oneself, whatever it takes, towards self-actualization, the place where peak experiences become part of everyday life i.e. - Full Permission Living!

Summer is here, and soon... If you're doing your self-work, it's gonna be a great summer! Get your peak experiences planned in!





REPOST: TODAY'S FIRST DAY OF SUMMER QUOTES


"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."
Russel Baker

“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”
Albert Camus

“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language”
Henry James

“Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.”
Ada Louise Huxtable
 

blogger templates 3 columns | Make Money Online