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Beatlemaniacs!!! The World of Beatles Novelty Records CD - Import
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$ 19.39
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An enormous number of Beatles novelty records were generated during the '60s, especially in the immediate aftermath of the group's first visit to the United States in early 1964. In fact, according to the liner notes of this compilation, more than 200 novelties were produced in 1964 alone. This particular anthology has a mere 24 of them, most of them from that brief window of opportunity after the Beatles' initial American invasion, though some are from as early as 1963 and others as late as 1969 (and some, such as those 1963 sides, are even from the U.K., not the U.S.). While Beatlemaniacs!!! The World of Beatles Novelty Records by no means rounds up all the best, most amusing, or worst Beatles novelties, it's a good cross-section of this subgenre of Beatlemania, even including a few chart records (though just one, the Carefrees' "We Love You Beatles," that made the U.S. Top 40). Even Beatlemaniacs (perhaps especially Beatlemaniacs) would have to admit that most of these records were mediocre-to-horrible exploitation discs, from a time when -- as hard as it might be to imagine from our 21st century vantage, when the Beatles are viewed as artists on par with the likes of William Shakespeare -- the Beatles themselves were often thought of as a novelty, and a passing craze. Still, the cuts do exert a strange if somewhat uncomfortable fascination, if only as evidence of just how much Beatlemania pervaded both popular culture and the less savory corners of the record business.
The most dispiriting aspect of these cash-ins is how many groups apparently thought that all you needed to do to simulate the Beatles' sound was throw in a few "yeah, yeah, yeahs," some head-shaking "oohs," and some "Twist and Shout"-like chord progressions. The irony, of course, is that while these records were trying to make fun of the Beatles as a passing craze, ultimately they embodied the very American trends the Beatles were making obsolete, often sounding like nothing so much as second-rate twist and frat rock bands desperately clutching a straw. There are certainly other (and sometimes, though not necessarily, better) styles used to honor the Beatles phenomenon on display here, though. The Bootles' "I'll Let You Hold My Hand," the Fondettes' "The Beatles Are in Town" (recorded for, of all labels, Arhoolie Records), Gigi Parker & the Lonelies' "Beatles, Please Come Back," and the Beattle-ettes' "Only Seventeen" verge on raw girl group rock with a crude appeal. Link Wray offers a satisfyingly twangy instrumental version of "Please Please Me" (here presented in an alternate take). There's doo wop and a record inspired by the widespread rumor of Paul McCartney's death in 1969, the Mystery Tour's creepy "The Ballad of Paul." And there's even a Beatles homage here with genuine artistic credibility, Nilsson's "You Can't Do That," which wove snatches of more than a dozen Beatles songs into a cover of an early Lennon-McCartney classic.
There are some other pretty well-known names lurking in the shadows, though they were probably never too proud of the discs collected here. Bluegrass musician Bill Clifton's none-too-funny "Beatle Crazy" (in which he unsuccessfully tries to exterminate the Beatles with DDT) was written by Geoff Stephens, the British songwriter involved in penning several '60s hits, most notably the New Vaudeville Band's "Winchester Cathedral" and Dave Berry's "The Crying Game." Sonny Curtis of the Crickets co-wrote "A Beatle I Want to Be" with major Los Angeles pop/rock producer Lou Adler. The Four Preps had a minor hit entry with "A Letter to the Beatles," which they claim was pulled under pressure from their fellow Capitol Records act, the Beatles themselves. The Beattle-ettes' "Only Seventeen" was produced by Shangri-Las producer Shadow Morton; "Saint Paul" was cut by Terry Knight, more famous for managing Grand Funk Railroad; Gigi Parker & the Lonelies' "Beatles, Please Come Back" was co-written by Chip Taylor of "Wild Thing" and "Angel iUncut (p.125) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here are some oddly great moments....The Mystery Tour's '68 psych-out 'The Ballad Of Paul' gets compellingly weird over the 'Paul Is Dead' rumour."
Beatlemaniacs!!! The World of Beatles Novelty Records Music
Beatlemaniacs!!! The World of Beatles Novelty Records Songs
| 1 | John, Paul, George & Ringo | | | |
| 2 | I'll Let You Hold My Hand | | | |
| 3 | Like Ringo | | | |
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4 | We Love the Beatles See All 2 | | | |
| 5 | Beatle Crazy | | | |
| 6 | Beatle I Want To Be See All 2 | | | |
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7 | Beatles Are In Town See All 2 | | | |
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8 | My Beatle Haircut See All 3 | | | |
| 9 | Letter to the Beatles | | | |
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10 | You Can'T Do That See All 21 ![[UNKNOWN ARTIST] YOU CANT DO THAT Lyrics](http://i.cduniverse.ws/images/icon-lyrics.gif "[UNKNOWN ARTIST] YOU CANT DO THAT Lyrics") | | | |
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11 | Please Please Me See All 23 | | | |
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12 | Only Seventeen See All 2 | | | |
| 13 | John, You Went to Far This Time | | | |
| 14 | I Dreamed I Was A Beatle | | | |
| 15 | Beatle Bounce | | | |
| 16 | What's Wrong With Ringo? | | | |
| 17 | Saint Paul | | | |
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18 | Beatles, Please Come Back See All 2 | | | |
| 19 | Stamp Out The Beatles | | | |
| 20 | Beatlemania | | | |
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21 | We Love You Beatles * See All 2 | | $0.99 | (From different album) |
| 22 | Beatle Fever | | | |
| 23 | I Want To Be A Beatle | | | |
| 24 | Ballad Of Paul | | | |
| (*) | MP3 for this song is from a different CD. Listen to the sound sample to be sure this is the version you're looking for. |
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Beatlemaniacs!!! The World of Beatles Novelty Records Music Review
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Beatle Memories...
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