REVIEW-ALL THINGS BEATLES

Two reviews of all things Beatles ( my favorite band)

EIGHT DAYS A WEEK- Movie

**** (out of 4)

Eight Days A Week is a recent documentary by Ron Howard about the Beatles touring years- circa 1963-1966. It goes beyond however, starting from the early days in Liverpool at the Cavern Club to their gigs in Germany to their fame all over the world, starting with the Ed Sullivan show in 1964.

If you know anything about the Beatles history or have seen the Beatles Anthology, you probably won't learn anything new from Eight Days A Week. What you will see is more behind-the scenes footage of the band traveling. Even better, there are tons of musical performances, and unlike most concert documentaries which may only give you snippets of songs, Eight Days A Week features plenty of full performances.

Whereas Anthology was a succinct 10 hours in length, this movie sums up their career and legacy in under two hours, mainly focusing on their tours.

Ron Howard did a great job in keeping everything flowing. There really wasn't a lagging spot in the entire film. It almost flew by too fast, with so much to cover.

It seems like the Beatles weren't around very long, and cut their touring years short when they grew tired of the screams, the craziness and politic red tape, instead preferring to make music in their Abbey Road studio. However, the group was together for a long time. They knew each other as teens. And after they choose not to mail it in, take lots of money, and keep playing then listless shows, they choose to remain true to their music and forego the live performances.

Remembering the hysterical crowds and the pure fun of Beatlemania, the film is bittersweet in the fact there will never be another Beatles. But we will always have their music, and excellent documentaries like this to help us cherish the memories.

This documentary had a limited release, which I cannot understand. You really had to search to find it in a theater, which is a shame.I was happy my local theater, the Colonial in Phoenixville, showed the film three times in a week. Kudos to the Colonial!

After Eight Days A Week was a 30 minute concert film called The Beatles at Shea Stadium. Simply music, from start to finish, the film details the famous concert at the old New York stadium on a hot August night in 1965.

After seeing the documentary about their touring days, it was cool to see an actual full-length concert-all 20 minutes of songs. That was the typical length of a Beatles show. The music was great, mostly from their "latest" album, "Help!". Again, there are screaming, fainting girls, and the concert film is also an excellent example of what it was like to be in the midst of Beatlemania in it's prime.

Eight Days A Week will be released on blu-ray and dvd on November 18.


1964-The Tribute- live concert

**** ( out of 4)

I recently saw 1964-The Tribute, again at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville. It was like seeing a real Beatles concert 50 years ago.

1964 has been touring for 33 years, and you can tell. The Four guys are dressed like the Fab Four back in 1964- they sound and look like them. But this show is much more then a Beatle cover band.

First, the show is a full two hours. The set list was at least 25 songs, from the hits ("I Wanna Hold Your Hand".to "She Loves You") to great album cuts  ("Michele" to "Whatcha Doing?").Some highlights were the raucous "Twist and Shout", which got the Colonial crowd up and dancing in the aisles; hit after early hit, which reminded you just how fantastic the Beatles were as songwriters, "Please,Please Me", "All My Loving" and "From Me To You"; and the terrific, rollicking encore of "Rock and Roll Music".

The cheeky banter between the four lads was funny all night. The band had a real personal connection with the audience. Seeing the Beatles as they were in 1964, in an old-time theater like the Colonial, which the Beatles often played in their early days of touring in England, gave the evening an even more realistic feel.



I saw another Beatles show early in the year. "Rain" also plays around the world and features a more Broadway-type show, with videos and costume changes. Rain played songs, not exclusively form 1964, but form all through the Beatles career, into the Sgt. Pepper days and beyond. Rain also did an acoustic set, which was nice after the rock m' roll.

I loved Rain, and plan to see it again next march in Lancaster, PA, but there was a simple charm to 1964-The Tribute. A concert show rather than a stage show. Nothing flashy. No costume changes. No glitz and glamour. Simply music, which, beyond the haircuts, fashion, and personalities, was the everlasting core of the band.

1964 tours the world, playing 100 shows a year. Beatle fan or not, do yourself a favor and check it out if it comes near you for a really fun evening.