James Henry

The Beatles were always ‘around’ as I grew up, even though the memory of them together is fuzzy. There they were, from my family’s record boxes to a grainy recollection of seeing them perform “Hey Jude” on The David Frost Show. Or, to drawing pictures of them from the “Let It Be” book of stills that my brother-in-law brought round to the house, when I was still in junior school…..To queueing up for a Wings ticket (unsuccessfully), in the fierce rain with my brother, outside the Royal Court Theatre in late 70′s Liverpool, and raving about The Rutles with schoolfriends after “All You Need Is Cash” was first broadcast on BBC2…..To hearing about John Lennon’s death from a note my Mum left downstairs for me on THAT morning, before she went to work…….[I'm not finished yet]. To the release of “The Anthology” series in the mid-90′s and The Rutles releasing “Archaelogy” around the same time. To George’s death in 2001 right up to finally seeing Paul McCartney perform in London two years later…..[I'm finished now].

The Beatles have been a constant in my life and my ears have never tired of listening to them. I’m not sure if there’s anyone out there as unfamiliar with The Beatles’ repertoire as many may be with Zappa’s, but for those who haven’t had that much exposure to the lads (where have you been living???), may I recommend the albums “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Revolver” and “Abbey Road” and the songs “It Won’t Be Long”, “I’ll Be Back”, “The Night Before”, “Rain”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”, “Within You Without You”, “I Am The Walrus”, “Blackbird”, “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”, “Don’t Let Me Down” and “You Never Give Me Your Money” alongside their more well-documented hits. No question – they were the best.

These days, I don’t do that much recreational listening. I’d rather write something of my own, even if it never sees the light of day, than trawl TV or radio stations, via wireless or internet, hoping to hear up-to-the-minute splendour. Writing is much more fun. Occasionally, I have stumbled on pleasant surprises, such as Scritti Politti (Green Gartside is a hero of mine), Elliott Smith, Brendan Benson, Alison Krauss, Gary Clark (formerly of the band Danny Wilson, an extremely talented man) or The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players – a strange ‘band’ I first saw at The Sidewalk Cafe in New York in Summer 2002. Perhaps you, the reader, can direct me to other musical offerings that may turn my ears inside out for a change. Is that a challenge you can take on?

I can’t think of anything else, so this might be a good time to stop. Thank you and have a pleasant evening.

- James Henry

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