Foreshadowing of my complete lack of interest in Flashdance

I may have mentioned this once before, as a 15-year-old boy watching The Last Waltz in a theater when it came out, the image of Joni Mitchell in all her silken, dewy womanhood in that long skirt and leotard terrified me. For some reason it was more woman on a stage with rock musicians than I could handle. Around the same time I saw Kate Bush for the first time, on Saturday Night Live. If memory serves she was wearing a leotard and those floppy socks that you see ballet dancers wear when they’re working out. Or was she wearing that Where the Wild Things Are lion suit from one of her early albums? I think she was lounging on a piano. Because this is a visual-based thread, I won’t get into that voice, but again, too much woman – or more likely, since I later woud find both Mitchell and Bush kind of hot, too much leotard or Cats costuming.

Anyhow, to this day, those are the scariest images I’ve seen in rock. What frightening rock image has been stuck in your mind all these years?

Coincidence? That’s Ray Cooper in the back, on spoons, with Harry Nilsson at piano, George on guitar, and Ringo.

Shortly after their release a friend burned me the entire mono and stereo box set reissues of The Beatles’ catalog. It was an incredibly generous and thoughtful gesture, but I’m sorry to say I’ve yet to hunker down with them.

Part of the reason is because I’m leery about “cheating” on my vinyl albums that I’ve had since I was a boy. Part of the reason is because I’ve been so damn busy. Finally, as always, I’m simply leery about hearing what a modern-day remastering will do to the mix of records that are essential to my being. For instance, I’m sure some of you have heard my rant against the ’90s remaster of “Satisfaction,” the one that uncovered an acoustic guitar!

Last week I was hanging with Townsman andyr, and he’d bought a couple of the stereo remasters. He played me Rubber Soul, and a week later what most stands out for me is the tambourine on “Wait.” As is so often the case with modern-day remastering, the process gives space to and brings to light background instruments that were meant to be felt more than heard. It’s as if Ray Cooper is doing the remastering of these ’60s records.

The other things that stood out for me were the clarity around Ringo’s drum fills, which I found almost as distracting as the tambourine on “Wait” and which often pointed out Ringo’s technical deficiencies, and the clarity around the vocals, which highlighted just how strong The Beatles were at singing. Not all singers could stand up to that aural scrutiny!

Whether you own these Beatles reissues or not, if you’ve heard even a song or two from them, what stands out for you?