One reason the Beatles hold such a special place in the heart of pop culture is that they accomplished so very much in so little time. In 10 years – essentially a day in the life of pop-music history -- they took us from Chuck Berry to “Strawberry Fields,” and beyond. Compare that to the Rolling Stones, who have been together for about 48 years, gathering little-to-no moss even as they went over the hill. (And they still haven’t been put out to pasture.) Since the last of the Stones’ essential recordings came out in the ‘70s – and you could say much the same about the Who and the Kinks – it makes one consider the likelihood that seminal bands are destined to outlive their artistic usefulness. Since we’ll never know if a prolonged Beatles would have continued to evolve at what seemed an unsustainable pace, we can only assume the hypothetical music might resemble the members’ solo careers. Just imagine an album that begins with “Cold Turkey,” and continues on with “Band on the Run,” “My Sweet Lord” and “Photograph.” Although this fantasy takes liberties with chronology, it would be like having a Beatles kit – a way of putting the band back together. As the ’70s plodded on, however, the work took a dive – and without a yellow submarine to provide a common vehicle, it’s difficult to homogenize the solo careers. If the group hadn’t called it a day, might they have devolved into the Drab Four?
This line of conjecture doesn’t really matter, of course, because people have been buying 10 years' worth of Beatles music for about 48 years (or, if you look at it another way, 38 years, since there wasn’t a full 10 years worth of recordings to buy until they broke up). The group’s albums have once again been reissued, in emphatically “remastered” versions; and, to be certain, a particular breed of Beatles fan – the kind with extra money -- will buy them all over again. Still, there are other ways to celebrate the band’s undying influence. An odd project, Sgt. Pepper Live, features recognized Beatles disciples Cheap Trick covering the 1967 masterpiece from head to toe –in front of an audience, no less. The event has been released in both CD and DVD versions, and although the music-only format is ideal for those who like to use only one sense at a time, it ultimately seems pointless. The trick is the way the band not only magically clones every harmony, horn part and string flourish from one of rock’s most ornate pop records – they actually do it live. Since the Beatles stopped touring at least a year before Sgt. Pepper’s, you can’t help but wonder if this is what the record might have sounded like played for a live audience. Still, considering Cheap Trick’s fastidiousness, it’s unlikely the Beatles would have been able to replicate their own record with such accuracy. The reason they stopped touring, of course, was to work in the studio – the idea being that they couldn’t play their increasingly ambitious music for a live audience. For that reason, I recommend the DVD – so you can see what Sgt. Pepper’s would sound like. And you have to give Cheap Trick credit for finishing the album with a seamless coda from Abbey Road. It’s a typical curve ball that almost justifies the audacity of the project.
Jordan Oakes is a local journalist who has written for publications such as St. Louis Magazine and the Christian Science Monitor. He has strong opinions that begin to atrophy if he doesn't exercise his right to express them. Tune in every Wednesday at 9 a.m. for another installment of Mediatribe - and if you missed last week's post, click here.
