Juanjo Diego: The Beatles by other artists

First of all, I must admit that I’m a very fond of The Beatles. I have played and sung their songs since I was a child, even when I didn’t have any English, as the sole sentences I was able to speak were “yesterday” “All you need is love”, “Yellow Submarine” and similar expressions. I don’t know what a rare confluence of time and people happened in that moment, but four young musicians, not specially gifted to play an instrument, changed the evolution of pop music and left us some of the best songs ever written. Actually, I strongly believe that the "Fab Four" are rigthfully into the history of modern music.  

However, in this entry for our blog I don’t want to talk about the Beatles themselves, but the deserved tribute that other artists have dedicated to them, including their best songs in their albums and concerts. The Beatles’ songs have lingered beyond the band, because (incidentally the title of an incredible less known song!) of the unsurpassable quality of their melodies, the beauty of the chord progressions, the lovely and sometimes naive arrangements, and the capacity of being accepted by any kind of listeners, so much so that their music has become the first multigenerational musical deal. To sum up, this is a little entry about Beatles songs covered by others. 

Let’s start! The Beatles’ songs are the most covered of all (led by “Yesterday”, with thousands of new versions) and it is indeed the band with the most “tribute bands” all over the short history of modern music (a tribute band is one that only performs songs by just one famous group, trying to imitate its sound, style, even clothing or movements on stage. Pink Floyd, Genesis, Queen or Aerosmith, among others, have tribute bands you can find frequently on tour):

Needless to say, I prefer the original act, of course. Nevertheless, there are other performers, great well-known artists in many cases, who have sung the Beatles’ songs in their own style, achieving excellent results, and showing that these unforgettable tunes are good by themselves and probably  going to be sung for years. I’ll try to show you here some highly personal recordings which connect the song to each singer’s style, giving them something special and distinctive. Some examples I particularly love (surely you can add more) are: 

1) The Beatles by the queen and the king of soul, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles no less. They are superb because they were singing as they used to do - no attempt to imitate the original at all - but simply to transform the songs into their own. The way they internalize and personalize the lyrics and melodies is incredible and perfectly matches song and singer. In fact, some people prefer these covers to the Beatles’ originals. Listen, enjoy and judge by yourselves. I just think each of them is a different performance but still one incredible song!

 

2) Ray Charles recorded other Beatles songs like Eleanor Rigby or Imagine, always with an accomplished approach. Another great multi-instrumentalist and singer, Stevie Wonder, recorded in his own funky way We can work it out, even changing the internal rhythm and musical accents of the song, in order to make it his own. Listen carefully to the singular chorus rhythm, which is awesome, isn’t it? Years later, he dared to perform it live in front of Sir Paul McCartney. Unbeatable! I can assure you that this blind musician is almost perfect, both as a singer and as a keyboard and harmonica player.

 

3) An American soul singer and a lively Welsh youngster got together to cover Hey Jude in an inviting manner. The "original version" of this cover was recorded only by Tom Jones and succeeded almost immediately. It’s full of energy and brightness and retains the strength of the original, specially the long end. Jones’s ease with any style suits Wilson Pickett’s phrasing perfectly. They are enjoying themselves and proving yet again, like in the other examples, that what is really important is the quality of the composition:

   

 Maybe you prefer Tom Jones’s solo recording (a bit longer) ...

4) I could cite many more examples, but I’ll be content with two more. First, a well-known country singer (also appreciated as an actress, though not by me!). In this case I like the traditional sound of country guitars and voices, with this special percussion, so characteristic of this kind of bluegrass music. I don’t usually enjoy this excessively dyed blonde, but I have to admit that she has many recordings that deserve recognition: Coat of many colors, Trio (with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstandt) etc. as well as at least another two (or “two other”) cover versions that I know: Peace train, originally sung by Cat Stevens, and Stairway to heaven (can you believe it?), by the one-off Led Zeppelin. Anyway, this is Dolly Parton’s rendition of Help:

 

Finally, the only cover version of a Beatles song that is probably better known than the original: With a little help from my friends, by Joe Cocker. It was first performed in the famous Woodstock festival in 1969 and quickly became #1. From then on, this fantastic artist was forced to sing this song in almost every concert, and even it was the only “original" cover version included in a musical named after The Beatles called Across the Universe. Again, this is a totally different way to sing this song, both rhythmically and stylistically, from The Beatles’. It’s for this reason that I love it:

 

Enough from me for the moment, but if you want more Beatles covers try to search for and listen to these songs: Something, by Tony Bennet, Come Together by Michael Jackson, Ticket to ride by The Carpenters, Can’t buy me love by Ella Fitzgerald, A hard day’s night by Diana Ross and The Supremes, or even Michelle by Will Downing.

My Advanced students' favourite films (part 1)

Elena Herrero says:
Yes, who doesn´t remember the famous words "I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills ..." at the beginning of this magic movie? 

Unforgettable, moving, awesome … this masterpiece is a beautiful song to Africa through human feelings. In the film you´re transported to wonderful landscapes through its soundtrack, delightful I daresay, and the breathtaking light and photography, as if you´re were taking part in the scene. There is no doubt that this is my favourite film of all time, or at least the one that has made the deepest impression on me, since I´m so fond of Africa.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Con la muerte en los talones) by A. HITCHCOCK (1959)

Hitchcock is always the master of suspense, in the way in which he develops tension, and this MGM film is not an exception. With music scored by Bernard Herrmann again, Cary Grant is faced with various memorable situations, punctuated by the magnitude of the images: The pursuit by a light aircraft across a sowed field to kill Thornhill, the protagonist, or the scene filmed on Mount Rushmore, are fine examples of how Hitchock keeps the audience in suspense in nearly every scene.

Easily one of Hitchcock's most engaging films and, in my humble opinion, a must-see for everyone.

By the way, Elena also wants to include this link to the extraordinary performance by the famous “Cirque du Soleil” during the ceremony of the 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood this year, where, among other films, “NBNW” is recreated.

Juanjo Diego says:
I have been browsing through the Universal Web quickly, and soon I have found two films that I want to highlight (apart from Hitchcock’s, of course): The Blues Brothers and Back to the future (only the first one, really)
The Blues Brothers (ridiculously translated into Spanish as "Granujas a todo Ritmo") is a little carefree “thug movie”, with a lot of hilarious gags and unforgettable moments  (Do you remember the impossible car chase?), starring two brilliant, irreverent rogues. But I specially love the fantastic American soundtrack (above all, soul and rhythm and blues) with cameo appearances by Aretha Franklin or Ray Charles, among others. The song "Everybody needs somebody" is one of my favourite to start a party since it's full of energy and makes people feel better and willing to have fun (Actually, I always play this song in our family parties)

Then Zemeckis's comedy is probably less interesting, but I think the idea which the witty plot is based on is great and very intelligent (to meet the protagonist’s parents in the past and the mother falling in love with her own son!!!) and the way that the story is developed is truly successful, with characters perfectly drawn and inserted into an amazing story. This movie shows a different vision about time travel that, until it was released, had always been either a horror story or a thriller. The history of cinema would probably be the same without “Back to the Future”, but watching it, even today, is to ensure we are going to have a good time.

Besides these two fun films and Hitchcock's masterpieces, I could mention a lot of extraordinary movies produced by Universal Estudios. My own list could be this one (within the website's selection, of course, because on this site not all Universal films are featured): Foolish Wives (Stroheim), The Phantom of the Opera (Julian and Chaney), All Quiet on the Western Front (Milestone), Dracula (Browning), Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (Whale), My Man Godfrey (La Cava), The Wolf Man (Waggner), Sullivan's Travel (Sturges), Double Indemnity and The Lost Weekend (Wilder), Winchester 73 (Mann), The Incredible Shrinking Man (Arnold), Touch of Evil (Welles), Spartacus (Kubrick), American Graffiti (Lucas), Jaws, E.T. and Schindler's List (Spielberg), The Jerk (Reiner), Scarface (De Palma), Babe (Noonan), Casino (Scorsese) and United 93 (Greengrass).

Mercedes Martin says:

When we were asked to write about our favourite films, I was afraid because somebody had already “slipped in” first with my favourite ones. I mean, the first title which always comes to my mind is “Out of Africa” and after that “To Kill a Mockingbird”. So, when Jose Luis told us it was not necessary to write a review but simply show our feelings, I saw my chance and felt relieved because I have treasured up, at the back of my mind, some films that might not be masterpieces but I will love forever.

First of all, I must mention “Hatari”, which is a romantic adventure film. It was shot in 1962 and it is set in Africa. Now, thinking about both its atmosphere and its plot, I have just realized that there is a strong resemblance between this film and “Out of Africa”: a love triangle, the game hunting, a wonderful soundtrack - in this case by Henry Mancini – and, furthermore, my favourite scene, which in this film is Elsa Martinelli showering the baby elephants (the one in “Out of Africa” Robert Redford washing Meryl Streep`s hair). All this proves that, over the years, people usually change but their early memories and tastes remain throughout their lives deep inside. 

Another film which is in my memory is “Trapeze”. Who could forget the stunning physical appearance of Burst Lancaster! How gorgeous Tony Curtis was, and indeed the beauty of Gina Lollobrigida, all of them in the middle of the glamorous atmosphere of the circus world. By the way, this reminds me of our dear classmate, Cuchi, whose dream was to become a trapeze artist.

I do not want to bore you. I am eager to know about your favourite films!

Juanjo Diego: Bernard Herrmann, my favourite film score composer

Last week we were talking in our English class about cinema and plot devices, and we mentioned several times one of my favourite directors, Alfred Hitchcock. Then, I thought that in class we hadn’t had enough time to talk about one important issue in some of his best-known thrillers: their soundtracks. In fact, even before films became “talkies”, music was the main instrument to move the spectators’ emotions. Some films are remembered because of their music rather than the story which they tell us (The Bridge over the River Kwai, Zorba the Greek, Flashdance). Others are perfectly and inseparably associated with their music (Doctor Zhivago, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Psycho, Jaws, etc.) 

The art of writing scores for films has given the history of the great music some of the best composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Probably, the most famous soundtrack composer nowadays is John Williams (remember his fantastic collaborations with another genius, Steven Spielberg) but we could name many others with master works in this special and difficult genre, who are already in the history of modern western music: Danny Elfman, Elmer Bernstein, Lalo Schiffrin, Maurice Jarre, André Previn, Jerry Goldsmith, etc. (or, in Europe Morricone, Alberto Iglesias or Nino Rota). For me, the “Holy trinity” in this business is formed, together with Williams, by Henry Mancini and Bernard Herrmann.

Williams is more commercial, more “pop” if you want, but very adequate to accomplish his purpose.  He has a recognizable language (Are you able to distinguish by heart between the melodies of Superman, Stars War or The Adventures of Indiana Jones?) and his music has the capacity of being easily remembered. It is very “cantabile”, as musicians say, and absolutely tonal (the more traditional language in music composition). Nowadays, more than a composer is hardly ever like a company.

Mancini was a jazz master and he had an incredible creativity to write unforgettable melodic lines. The main theme of The Pink Panter is still performed by the best big-bands all over the world, and some of his best songs are included in “The Real Book” for jazz musicians and have been recorded hundreds of times, like Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) Charade, Peter Gunn (The Blues Brothers) etc.

But if I had to choose one of them, I would pick, without any doubt, Bernard Herrmann. His style is more classical and he used an elaborate musical language, closer to the academic norm than both Williams and Mancini, but he was able to create for films a particular and inimitable atmosphere that, in most cases, transforms films making them better. You could imagine in “Taxi Driver” the yellow cab moving slowly through the streets of New York, and watch the freak night of the Big Apple, but it is not the same night or the same city if an alto sax is being played along.

Perhaps the most perfect example of this is the murder scene in “Psycho”. Hitchcock originally conceived it without any music, but Herrmann persuaded him to watch it once to the sound of his astonishing score. The British director changed his mind immediately. Herrmann had managed, only with a masterfully conducted string orchestra, to improve the horror and anguish of this disturbing scene to unimaginable limits.

Herrmann (1911-1975) started his career working for radio programmes with Orson Wells and finished it on December 23rd 1975 with the recording of his music for Taxi Driver. The next day, on the midnight of Christmas Eve, Herrmann died and Scorsese dedicated his film to the maestro.

His first film was Orson Well’s “Citizen Kane”. Besides Wells, he wrote music for the films of many great directors such as Joseph Mankiewicz, Robert Stevenson, Nicholas Ray, Robert Wise, Henry Hathaway, Michael Curtiz,  Burt Lancaster, Fred Zinnemann, Francois Truffaut, Brian de Palma or Martin Scorsese; but of course his most fertile and best known collaboration was in Hitchcock’s "golden age" films. 

The truth was that Bernard Herrmann seemed the perfect musical expression of Hitchcock’s “benign malevolence”. He composed the soundtrack for The Trouble With Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wrong Man, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie and Torn Curtain. This last music score was rejected by the director and this decision meant the end of their fruitful relationship.   

Because of his training (Herrmann had studied at the prestigious Juilliard School with Aaron Copland, an excellent American composer) he knew and handled the possibilities of an orchestra like any of his colleagues. However, he was practically the first to use effects and electronic sounds in order to get his purposes. For instance, the soundtrack of “The Birds” is apparently nonexistent, but all the flappings of the birds’ wings and the ghostly cries we can listen to, are made artificially with the help of synthesizers and recording effects. He also used electronic musical instruments in his fantastic music for The Day the earth Stood Still (Ultimatum a la tierra, in Spanish translation) and in It’s Alive.

Bernard Herrmann was nominated four times for the Academy Awards, but he won just one in 1941 for The Devil and Daniel Webster. In my opinion, together with Vertigo, North by Northwest and Psycho, his best scores are Citizen Kane (Wells), The ghost and Mr. Muir (Mankiewicz), Herrmann’s favourite score, Jane Eyre (Stevenson) Cape Fear (Thompson), Fahrenheit 451 (Truffaut), Sister (De Palma), Obsessions (De Palma) and Taxi Driver (Scorsese) 

Bernard Herrmann was not only a soundtrack composer, but, above all, a whole musician, as well as a gifted conductor, and he wrote and recorded many concert works of excellent quality. Sadly, his scores for films may have overshadowed his magnificent pieces in this field, and his works aren’t performed frequently.

I could write pages and pages about Herrmann’s music, but you’d better listen to his scores. Finally let me tell a curiosity. Do you remember the “whistling theme” from Kill Bill? It was composed by Bernard Herrmann for Twisted Nerve (1968) and reused by Tarantino in his gory film.

Fantastic post, Juanjo, beautifully documented and so enlightening. Congrats! 

I've really enjoyed reading the stories behind Herrmann's music and, above all, listening to his awesome music. Thanks a lot for the hard work.