Ladies and Gentlemen..."The Beatles: Eight Days A Week-The Touring Years"

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week-The Touring Years (2016)

Not Rated

Starring John, Paul, George & Ringo

Directed by Ron Howard

The Story:

It's 1963 and some British band called The Beatles is about to take off on the greatest meteoric rise in music history.

This is their story.

Ron Howard's engaging documentary compiles footage of the band from 1963-1966.

At that point, the band stopped the breakneck pace of touring and simply released albums after that.

The movie concludes with footage of their final rooftop concert in 1969.

There is archival footage from the Beatles discussing these crazy years on the road, as well as current takes from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Along with that, there are some celebrity fans who discuss what life was like growing up during the height of Beatlemania.

Definitely worth a viewing if you're a fan.

And possibly if you're not a fan (tsk tsk) you might see what all the fuss was about.

 Final Grade: A-

There's Gonna Be Some Heartache Tonight... R.I.P. Glenn Frey 1948-2016

If you can say that you wrote Desperado or Hotel California, well, you can pretty much do a mic drop when it comes to musical accomplishments in life.

That's where Glenn Frey and The Eagles belong, game-changers in the music industry.

If you've listened to just about any radio station since the 1970s, odds are good that you've heard their music. Pop music. Classic Rock. Even Country.

Eagles songs, or covers by other artists, are played on those stations every day.

And that's a nice comforting thing to hear on the radio.

Once upon a time I was asked who my favorite band of all-time was, and I answered The Eagles.

There were some snickering as typical answers are supposed to be The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, blah blah blah

Apparently if you didn't start in the 60s, you aren't eligible to be a greatest of all-time.

Well, I disagree with that assessment. The Eagles were an amazing band, and after they broke up, they all went on to varying degrees of solo success.

I'm sure if we counted the hits from some of those bands to those of The Eagles, the tally would be closer than you might think at first glance.

Which brings us to the 80s, and I began listening to Top 40 music and was hearing classic Eagles songs while Don Henley and Glenn Frey were bringing their solo efforts to the airwaves.

With hits in Beverly Hills Cop and Miami Vice, Frey proved he was more than just the Garfunkel of the Don Henley/Glenn Frey collaboration.

Imagine the surprise when the Eagles reunited nearly 15 years later and buried their creative hatchets. Embarking on worldwide farewell tours that seemingly never ended, the guys sounded just as good decades removed from the 70s as they did in their prime.

And while they could have easily just played their greatest hits, Frey and Henley sat down and continued to write new Eagles songs.

Their last radio hit, Hole In The World, was their response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

It is as moving and beautiful of a song as the songs they had penned together decades earlier. 

And now with the passing of Glenn Frey, the music industry has lost another musical genius.

For the fans, we are left with a "hole in the world tonight..."

Farewell and Rest in Peace, Glenn. Thank you for all the musical memories.

Legend Doesn't Begin To Describe Him... R.I.P. David Bowie 1947-2016

Well, I can imagine that it's safe to say that if you're a fan of pop/rock music, you've woken up and are reacting to the gut-punch of losing David Bowie with shock, anger, sadness, and the whole range of emotions.

Musical legends don't come along every day, and I would say that Bowie's career rivals him to be in the same ballpark as The Beatles and Stones when discussing his career and influence.

Not bad for a guy who had to change his name from Davy Jones so as to not be confused with the lead singer of The Monkees!

My first memory of the music of David Bowie was an appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1979 where he performed "Boys Keep Swinging" with a puppet body.

It creeped me out! I just re-watched the video, and it's still a little bizarre, and the child inside of me trembled just a little bit.

:)

Fast forward to the 80s, and I finally moved the dial on my FM radio to Top 40 music.

Needless to say, when asked for the best decade of music, I am a firm believer in the 80s.

And that's where I met David Bowie again for the first time.

"Let's Dance"

"China Girl"

"Modern Love"

Those 3 songs alone are a great testament to the man's musical legacy, and it would be joined on the radio for me with a past classic "Under Pressure" with Queen.

Needless to say, I was a fan.

As time moved forward, so did Bowie, continually releasing new music and changing his style. Bowie continued releasing music into the next millennium, including the release of his latest album which came out just days before he passed away. All recorded while he battled cancer.
I actually went backward and learned most of Bowie's hits because my wife was a big fan and she introduced me to much of his back catalog.  That knowledge served me well because after joining the military, at my first duty section we played classic rock while rigging parachutes all day. Guess who was a staple with his 70s hits?  Yep, David Bowie.

Amusingly, many of my favorite 80s bands were influenced by the very same David Bowie who was releasing music right alongside them.

For that, and for all of his music, I will forever be grateful.



 

The Best of 2014: The TV Shows

As 2014 draws to a close, it's time to take a look back at my favorite TV that I had the chance to view during the last 12 months.


While some of these shows might have been around for a season or two, they were all new to me, whether through finding them on cable or streaming through Netflix or Amazon.


So here's the 10 shows that rocked my world over the last year, in no real order, except for # 1.

:)

10) The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles

A Grammy special that highlighted the 50th Anniversary of the Fab Four. While I would have preferred an uncut performance from Paul and Ringo, overall, it was a night of great music and fond memories that paid respect to the band that changed the world forever.

9) Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse


Seriously?
Yes.
Barbie is one of the funniest shows going today. Well written, hilarious, and voiced by some of the most perfectly cast voice actors, this show never fails to make me laugh.

Does it help to have young daughters that enjoy this show?
Sure.
Was I secretly excited when new episodes loaded to Netflix?
You betcha!!!


: )
 

8) Melissa and Joey
Formulaic romantic comedy family sitcom that you can figure out what's going to happen long before it actually happens.

Or, it's Who's The Boss? for a whole new generation!

And that's okay, because I enjoyed that show too.

Shouldered by the great chemistry between Lawrence and Hart, the show has been a pleasant addition to the streaming library of Netflix.

Naturally, the will they or won't they relationship plays out, amazingly quicker than I expected, but you know going in that these two will wind up together.

Again, that's okay, and they don't waste extra seasons stringing the show along, audience included.

7) Good Eats

Another late arrival for me, it was added to Netflix this fall, and I've enjoyed the 25 episodes I've seen.

The problem?

Apparently host Alton Brown has been offering this show for a decade, and I've only got a small handful of episodes to watch.

Frankly, I want more!

It's education, cooking, and fun all in one quick episode. 

What could be better?

How about more Alton Brown?

6) Cutthroat Kitchen

Brown returns as a host for a reality game show where 4 chefs are given 30 minutes to make a meal, and money to spend sabotaging each other to make sure that they win while their opponents lose.

It's genius, and it's evil.

I love to see some of the things they attempt to make to eat and under some of the worst conditions you could ever imagine having to deal with in the kitchen. 

Again, just a handful of episodes on Netflix, and I'm hoping for more.

Otherwise, I may have to start hunting down the Food Network to keep up.

5) Justified

Dear Amazon-

Please stream season 4 so I can watch it before the final season begins airing in January.

Thank you.

Seriously, decided to watch this one this year on Amazon, and was immediately sucked in.

Brilliant casting, great story and characters from Elmore Leonard.

Looking forward to the final season, but will be sad to see it go.

4) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

For the first time since Johnny Carson retired, I can watch the Tonight Show again.

Sorry, just never got the appeal of Jay Leno, so I stayed away and happily watched Letterman.

Fallon brings an energy and sense of fun to the show.

His games and skits with the guests is a breath of fresh air, and brings an extra layer to the show other than just celebrities shilling their latest movie/song or whatever.

Not bad.

Here's to at least as long of a run as Carson enjoyed!

3) Chuck

 

Add this to the list of shows that you'd think I would have watched during their course on tv, but no, it wasn't until it became available to stream on Netflix that I gave this one a whirl.

Loved it. 

I've only made it partway through the 2nd season, so I've still got time for the show to lose its appeal, but so far, so good!

 

2) Pushing Daisies

Wow, I would have really liked to see what else they had in store for this series, but alas, the writer's strike and apparently continued shuffling by the network quickly caused the demise of this show. 

Amazon had it streaming briefly this year, but has since pulled it.

I may actually spring for the complete series to be able to revisit this quirky and fun show whenever the mood strikes.

1) Psych

 

Okay, so maybe this is  cheat as I had seen Psych before this year.

However, I don't care.

This is my review blog, so I can make and change the rules as I see fit! 

:)

Psych goes out on top, a show that in my opinion, never jumped the shark.

8 seasons, and only a handful of episodes that we don't go "yes, let's watch that one again!!!" *Dual Spires, you are at the top of the list*

However, even the *worst* Psych episode was often better than the best episode of nearly any other show out there.

Well written, a superb cast and more fun packed into 43 minutes than should be legal for a television show.

Still waiting for Season 8 to be streamable, but until then, it's on my DVR and I own season 8 already. 

The final episode?

That's how tv shows like this should end.

By not ending.

Shawn and Gus are still out there, solving crimes...

We just don't get the luxury of seeing them do it.

For now....

 

 

Time to reset the clocks for next year, and see what 2015 has in store!

 

(I think I've already found my first choice!) 

 

Springtime In New York... "The Last Play At Shea"

The Last Play at Shea (2010)

Not Rated

Starring Billy Joel

Directed by  Paul Crowder

The Story:

This documentary chronicles the life and career of Billy Joel.
This documentary chronicles the history of Shea stadium from creation to destruction.
This documentary chronicles the fall, rise, fall, rise, fall, rise... of the New York Mets.

It does all of this in 90 minutes, and it does it spectacularly.

It is a concert film...without a lot of the concert.
It's a baseball film...with rock and roll.
It's a rock and roll film...with baseball.

It's unique, and very enjoyable.

Not a lot of the 2 night finale actually makes the 90 minute performance.

However, over the 90 minute running time, you'll learn a lot about Joel, New York, Shea Stadium, The Beatles and much more.

Example:  Sting realized that performing at Shea was the pinnacle of their career, so while on stage, he decided he would leave The Police when their tour was over.

Crazy, right?

A musical history lesson, perfectly encapsulated in film.

I just wish that the 2 night concert performance was available as extras or released on its own as well.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't see a need to own it, and a viewing is good.  But it could be a nice historical piece to pull out every so often to remember what life was like back in the days of Shea.

You Say You Want A (Musical) Revolution Weekend..."Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust-TheBridge To Russia"

Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust- The Bridge to Russia (2014)

Starring Billy Joel, Russia :)

Directed by Jim Brown

The Story:

In the summer of 1987, Billy Joel was the first western act to bring Rock & Roll to Russia  to tour behind the Iron Curtain.

Within 2 years, the Berlin Wall was knocked down.

Coincidence?

I think not.

Joel's six concerts in Moscow and Leningrad were filmed, and some footage was shown on HBO back in 87.

Now, a new special with additional footage and new interviews reflecting on that tour are shown, currently playing on Showtime.




It's a great time capsule of a time in transition, captured perfectly by Joel's energetic performance.

The songs are wonderful, and the atmosphere of the entire production is infectious.

This is what Americans felt when the Beatles came on Ed Sullivan.

That's pretty cool to witness in retrospect.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I wouldn't have any problem watching it again, always been a huge Billy Joel fan.