1968 – Think Bensonium

Day 445: Back in the USSR, The Beatles

Roderick Benson — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 23:00:27 +0000

So on Sunday I cited my first Beach Boys song California Girls. That song stimulated the Beatles to include a little bit of beachboy-style musing over lovely Russian woman.

Day 376: Everybody’s talking at me, The Beautiful South

Roderick Benson — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 23:00:49 +0000

One thing about getting old is you begin to recognise song covers. This song by the Beautiful South which was released in 1994 but is actually a cover from a much older hit from by Harry Nilsson which has a lot of more a country cowboy feel. I have put the original song below The Beautiful South remake because if you are over 45 you will remember the original song as it dominated the radio waves in the 70s. Interestingly enough, the lady who introduces the song (in Spanish) says something about Paul McCartney

The Beautiful South Cover of Everybody’s talking about me

Harry Nilsson original classic live performance (1968)

Day 262: Daydream Believer, The Monkees

Roderick Benson — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

For a band that was created for a television series this song certainly deserves to be included in Covid Island Discs. A really pretty song and probably the Monkees at their best.

Day 257: Revolution, The Beatles

Roderick Benson — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This is the grunge version of the famous song that appears on the White album. Actually there is a surprising number of Beatles videos on the internet given they really didn’t do many public appearances post about 1965. Truly I never get tired of this band that is arguably the greatest rock band of all time.

And here is the original version from the White Album (no video included)

Day 179: I just got a get a message to you, Bee Gees

Roderick Benson — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 23:00:00 +0000

I’ll admit I am not a great fan of the Bee Gees which is why they are yet to be included in Covid Island Discs. However this is one song of theirs I do like. Again the song captures an interesting theme of a guy on death row who is about to be executed and desperately wants to get a message to his lover before the hour is out when “his life will be through”.

Day 177: Hey Jude, The Beatles

Roderick Benson — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 23:00:51 +0000

From John Lennon back to the Beatles. I guess only a band is great as them could get away with such a long lead out in a rock song. The blurb under this Youtube video clip is an interesting read and reproduced below.

“Hey Jude topped the charts in Britain for two weeks and for 9 weeks in America, where it became The Beatles longest-running No.1 in the US singles chart as well as the single with the longest running time.

The Beatles did not record their promotional film until Hey Jude had been on sale in America for a week. They returned to Twickenham Film Studio, using director Michael Lindsay-Hogg who had worked with them on Paperback Writer and Rain. Earlier still, Lindsay-Hogg had directed episodes of Ready Steady Go! And a few months after the film for Hey Jude he made The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus TV special that featured John and Yoko but wouldn’t be shown until 1996.

To help with the filming an audience of around 300 local people, as well as some of the fans that gathered regularly outside Abbey Road Studios were brought in for the song’s finale. Their presence had an unlikely upside for The Beatles in their long-running saga with the Musicians’ Union in that the MU were fooled into believing the band were playing live, when in fact they were miming for the vast majority of the song. Paul, however, sang live throughout the song.

The video was first broadcast on David Frost’s Frost On Sunday show, four days after it was filmed. At that point transmission was in black and white although the promo was originally shot in colour. It was first aired in America a month later on 6 October 1968, on The Smotheres Brothers Comedy Hour.”