it was 35 years ago today...

[Nearly Sane]

That one of Sergeant Pepper's was stopped from playing.


I remember being astounded, much more than upset at Lennon's murder. It seemed so odd. The decade of shootings seemed to be the 60s and they were political not a pop star. At 16 I was ambivalent about Lennon, much of the more unpleasant stuff was only hinted at, I hated Imagine (still do), but I liked his books.

The same day the BBC showed one of my favourite 'plays' in Play for Today, The Flipside of Dominic Hyde. As a time traveller, he came back from a future where the classical music, played by holograms was The Beatles. Then seemed fitting, now I see that time has odd unfathomable effects and it moves faster, not just because of my ageing.

As with all times, it always feels to me that Dickens got it right in the opening to A Tale of Two Cities.

[Aruntraveller]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Aye.

[Gordon]

I remember it well - I was getting ready to go to work when the news came through. I think it was before the advent of Breakfast TV so there were only radio reports at first.

Having been a teenager during the heyday of The Beatles, although I wasn't a massive fan, but Lennon was certainly charismatic without being as twee as McCartney. I remember being disappointed in him when he was forced to apologise for his 'Beatles are more popular than Jesus' remark: I though he'd tell them where to go, but I suppose times were different back then.

I liked some of his later stuff better than his Beatles stuff, and although 'Imagine' is, ironically, as twee as McCartney's stuff I do have a soft-spot for his Christmas song.

Hard to believe it was 35 years ago!

 

[Hope]

I remember being disappointed in him when he was forced to apologise for his 'Beatles are more popular than Jesus' remark: I though he'd tell them where to go, ...

Likewise; not sure that history so far has borne out the claim, mind!!   

[Shaker]

Likewise; not sure that history so far has borne out the claim, mind!!   

Given the disparity between forty-three years and two thousand, I'd say that it's an unequal comparison.

[BashfulAnthony]

Given the disparity between forty-three years and two thousand, I'd say that it's an unequal comparison.

I loved, love, the Beatles; but I doubt that they will still be as prominent in 2,000 years as Jesus is after 2,000 years, as your, and all the other atheists and their posts, testify.

[Shaker]

I loved, love, the Beatles; but I doubt that they will still be as prominent in 2,000 years as Jesus is after 2,000 years, as your, and all the other atheists and their posts, testify.

But neither you, nor anyone else, will be in any position to confirm or disconfirm the prediction and so it's empty blather - it's just as probable that in 2000 years from now Jesus will have gone the way of Hera and Apollo.

[BashfulAnthony]

But neither you, nor anyone else, will be in any position to confirm or disconfirm the prediction and so it's empty blather - it's just as probable that in 2000 years from now Jesus will have gone the way of Hera and Apollo.

 
Just to rearrange your post: 1) "...it's just as probable that in 2000 years from now Jesus will have gone the way of Hera and Apollo."  2) "But neither you, nor anyone else, will be in any position to confirm or disconfirm the prediction and so it's empty blather. "     

[ad_orientem]

I love the Beatles but I never really liked Lennon. Of course being born in the mid 70's I only started listening to their music secondhand. I hate Imagine too and Lennon was a wife beater. Bit of a git. If he was still alive today he'd be well sad.

[BashfulAnthony]

I love the Beatles but I never really liked Lennon. Of course being born in the mid 70's I only started listening to their music secondhand. I hate Imagine too and Lennon was a wife beater. Bit of a git. If he was still alive today he'd be well sad.

I was Beatle "fan" from the early days of "Love Me Do."   They were part of my youth, and I have only good memories. They were fresh and exciting and just ordinary lads in those days.

[Aruntraveller]

In addition (and I know there will be howls of protest from some) McCartney was by far the better songwriter in musical terms. OK Lennon could turn a good tune and add a pungent lyric - but he had nowhere near the musical range that Macca has in songwriting terms.

Others on here have accused him of being twee - yes on occasions - but nothing twee about "Give Ireland back to the Irish" or the whole of the Band on the Run album or Maybe I'm Amazed. I'll stop now - only to balance it by mentioning the Frog Chorus and Mull of Kintyre.

The one thing he perhaps lacks is quality control - but when your output is so prolific that's maybe not as important as it would be for other artists.

[Shaker]

Agree with trent wholeheartedly. Anybody that talented - touched with genius, some might say - who has had a career of over half a century and has been amazingly prolific in a way that many artists can only dream about can be allowed the odd clunker here and there.

Lennon had his great strengths in many respects and in many regards meant well, but was not by all accounts I've read the easiest or the nicest human being. His musical legacy is assured and it's better to concentrate on that.

[jeremyp]

Likewise; not sure that history so far has borne out the claim, mind!!   

Measured in album sales, The Beatles win hands down.

[Maeght]

Likewise; not sure that history so far has borne out the claim, mind!!   

Were they more popular at that time than Jesus - that was his claim, not that they would be more popular than Jesus 35 years later?

I remember my Mum waking me for school and telling me the news and I was shocked. I wasn't a great fan but it was just the absurdity of a song writer being assassinated.

[jeremyp]

Were they more popular at that time than Jesus

It depends on how you measure popularity.

Were there more Beatles fans than practising Christians? Almost certainly not.

Do more people know the words to a Beatles song than any chapter in the Bible? I expect so.