When I am 64

Music is a very captivating hobby, for it can take you back in your memory lane and flash your life in fast forward. Or it can take you into the future. My post today is about one such song that took me into my future almost four decades ago. 

It was early 1972, when I, in my very teens, walked up to a nearby market, called Hall Road in Lahore, one day to buy a prized double jacketed freshly arrived LP of the Beatles: The Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band. Although, the album had been released somewhere in 1966 or 1967, but it was made available in market in Pakistan in 1972. 

The glistering and glowing double jacket of the album was fascinating with inner side containing portrait of the Beatles clad in the uniform, lyrics on the reverse and the band standing amid famous celebrities of the time. There was someone who was hovering his hand on Paul McCartney's head which later caused a rumor that Paul had died. Well nothing of that sort happened as Paul is still alive along with Ringo Starr, while John Lennon and George Harrison are no more.

Now coming back to the album. All the songs were really musical and entertaining. One of the song that I heard and I just shrugged off at the tender age of 17 was "When I am Sixty Four," by Paul McCartney. I just laughed at myself looking into the future when I would really be 64, for I was young, enterprising, with a full life ahead.

Well I was mistaken !!

The time and tide did not wait for me to be frozen to let me continue enjoying my carefree teenage and years started to roll by and there came 2019 when on 7 August I turn 64. Frankly speaking I had waited all these years since 1972 to be 64, which God willing I am today, and thought of writing this post. 

And I do it with a tinge of melancholy for my youth has just gone so quickly, in fact earlier than I thought when I was seventeen. Incidentally, although the theme is ageing, it was one of the first songs McCartney wrote, when he was 16, and included it in the album Sgt. Pepper in December 1966 because his father turned 64 earlier that year.

Join me in listening to the original score "When I'm 64" sung by Beatles' Paul McCartney - for it will take me back four decades before, while if some teen is reading this post will shrug off this post and song as rubbish and too early to be worried about:

But let me , timtell youe flies faster than we think !!

Photo Header | References : Wikipedia |
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Remembering Demis Roussos - whose voice swam with the rhythm of music

Teen age is the age when one loves to listen to hard, thrilling and fast moving music as was the mood in my teenage in the late sixties and early seventies. I was then avid listener of The Beatles, Abba, The Iron Butterfly, Tom Jones and many top artists of the time and I still do listen to them from my saved collection of LPs and CDs.

But then someday a new voice went by me - the voice was so melodious, enchanting and absorbing that I fast re winded the cassette I was listening to and played it again: It was Forever and Ever by  an unknown singer to me - Demis Roussos.  But from that day onward, Demis became one of my top of the chart singer. Since then, there hasn't been any song by this legendary singer that I have missed listen to.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt in a Greek family, Demis came and captured the hearts of millions, just like the Egyptian born Omar Sharif did as an actor,  and his albums sold like hot cakes. His Forever and Ever was his debut to take him directly to the hall of fame and his melodious voice changed moods of people engrossed in depression and boosted their spirits.

His family moved to Greece after they lost all their possessions in the Suez Canal conflict of the 50s and he went into the music. He joined many bands, but it was his We shall dance in the early 70s that sent ripples in the music industry and music lovers. But 1973's Forever and Ever was the breakthrough and from then on there was no turning back.

It was too sad when we lost Demis in 2015 - but his melodies stay behind - still as  fresh as these were sung for the first time and heard across the globe. He had some 60 millions albums sold. In 2016, Demis' children Emily and Cyril opened the Demis Roussos Museum in Nijkerk, The Netherlands. The museum is a run down of Demis' life, his photos, awards and music. The Netherlands was chosen because of the connection Roussos had from 1986 onwards with Dutch-based label BR Music.

This post will be incomplete if his most sung song is not shared - one of his most melodious and famous song that still echoes in my memory lane since I first listened to it in my teenage:

Demis Roussos will always be missed - forever and ever !!

Photo Demis Roussos Courtesy Old Time Religion Radio Hour
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The Beatles: (Would They) Get Back

Those who were in their teens or should I say early teens in the first half of the 60s would be familiar with an emerging band, The Beatles, comprising of four young men hailing from the Liverpool. Within years, this band rose to the heights of glory and dominated all previous charts on major listings and  gave a new meaning to music - a cue to emulate by many groups following.

I and my siblings bought many of the LPs, an area of vinyl records and turntables, and enjoyed listening to their songs. Unfortunately there were no videos at that time and we have to wait many years later in the 80s when the VCR technology came to our country and we saw for the first time these four young men performing. The last LP that I bought was that of the Sgt Pepper and Lonely Hearts Club Band, a double jacketed album with entire songs written on its back and a huge centre page photo of the Beatles in their military uniforms.

It was a sad day in a cold winter December, when while listening to the BBC, I came to the dreadful news of murder of John Lennon. This left the three Beatles, but before murder of Lennon, the gorup had already dissolved with all singing solo.

The advent of internet and YouTube made it even better to listen to their songs - something that I still do when relaxing. One of the famous videos of the Beatles, which some say was the last appearance of the four Beatles, will remain a memorable video of Beatles times. I recently came across this video and would like to share it with my friend who love music and the Beatles.

Watch this full blown video of the Beatles on the Apple Recording Company's rooftop - something that became a history for Beatles were seen performing live for the last time:

The Beatles- Get Back Rooftop Performance Original from A.R.P on Vimeo.

May I add here that since the performance was live from a rooftop, the traffic below almost came to a halt and police had to interfere to stop this last Beatles performance to allow the traffic to resume.

Beatles have become a living history in the field of music for they moved hearts of millions of the time and thereafter. I too am one of their fans for my childhood coincided with their early days till their tragic demise as a band. I wish someday Paul and Ringo, the remaining Beatles, get together and play Get Back in memory of their two deceased Beatles John and Harrison.

Read my many previous posts on Beatles Here
Video courtesy Joe Graves

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Strangers in the night: A song to remember

For music lovers all across the globe, there are some melodies and songs that are ever living, fresh and pleasing to the ears. And one of these songs has been ‘Strangers in the night’ by none other than the legendary singer Frank Sinatra.

Like many others, this song takes me back to me younger years when I heard the song for the first time on a 78 RPM vinyl record played on my father’s His Master’s Voice (HMV) gramophone. And since then, whenever this song is heard, a strange nostalgia sets in me and takes me back to years when I was young.

The song was first recorded on April 11 - May 16, 1966, Hollywood and instantly ranked among  number 1 on the music albums and as awarded a Grammy in 1967. The song became so popular that it has been certified platinum for one million copies sold in the US. And many may have known that famous country singer Glen Campbell was on guitar when the song was recorded.

The song was based on the song “Broken Guitar” by Avo Uvezian and rewritten by Bert Kaemphert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. It was the title track for Sinatra’s most commercially successful album, Strangers in the Night which garnered three Grammy Awards in 1967 (Source).

Here are the lyrics of this immortal song:

Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wondering in the night, what were the chances?
We'd be sharing love before the night was through

Something in your eyes was so exciting
Something in your smile was so inviting
Something in my heart told me I must have you

Strangers in the night
Two lonely people, we were strangers in the night
Up to the moment when we said our first hello, little did we know
Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away and

Ever since that night we've been together
Lovers at first sight, in love forever
It turned out so right for strangers in the night

[Instrumental-first three lines of Chorus]
Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away

Ever since that night we've been together
Lovers at first sight, in love forever
It turned out so right for strangers in the night

Dooby-doooby-doo and other scat to end

And now you may hear a short video of the song – sung by Frank Sinatra – the song was sung much later in Sinatra’s old age but one can still enjoy his strong voice that made this song so popular and compelling to listen:

Frank Sinatra Strangers in the Night
Posted by Romanticando on Facebook

I am sure those who are listening the song for the first time, will listen to it time and again for it always leaves a long lasting impression on its listeners.

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Google takes Beatles' fans inside Abbey Road Studios

Remember the famous walk of the Beatles on the Abbey Road? Well I do as it was in my early teens that this 'great' cross over happened, photographed and immortalized as the four Beatles crossed over.

Now Google has come up with an innovative idea - Google's new interactive tour of the studio.

The Abbey Road studio (above) was not only home to the Beatles singing and dancing to their melodious tunes, but also  other great singers like Stevie Wonder and Radiohead.

With this new interactive tour innovated by Google using the Street View technology, the Beatles' fans will have a rare opportunity to peep inside the famous Studio One - where many super hit songs and film scores were recorded.

Narrated by Giles Martin, the son of Beatles producer George Martin, each room's tour is chock full of timelines, photographs, YouTube clips, and time-lapse videos.

Take the tour Here

Source

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Listening my teenage songs

Teenage is the best age one lives in one's life - it is carefree, memorable and full of 'first' experiences of every kind. Listening to music is one of the hallmark of teenage and the songs and singers heard and listened to in the teenage become one's lifelong memories.

Even at 60 today, the songs I listened to in my teenage are still my all time favourite - although much to the disgust of my teenage children who think these quite outdated and out of tune compared to their standards and likes. I do not blame them as I also did not like to listen to songs that my father listened to - though I cherish the memories of him playing his 78-RPM vinyl records on his HMS' Gramophone. 

Coming back to my teenage songs, here are some of the best songs of my 'life' when I was young and which I still frequently listen to:

• Not a second time (The Beatles)
• You've gotta friend (James Last)
• Play me (Neil Diamond)
• You're my world (Tom Jones)
• Yesterday (The Beatles)
• Yesterday once more (The Carpenters)
• Annie's Song (John Denver)
• Have you ever been mellow (Olivia Newton John) 
• There's kind of hush (The Carpenters)
• Faster Than the Speed of Night (Bonnie Tyler)
• When I'm 64 (The Beatles) - just four more years to go for me!!

As for the instrumentals, I loved and liked The Ventures, Herb Alpert, James Last and of course Paul Mauriat. Some of the my favourite instrumentals are:

• Love is Blue (Paul Mauriat) - perhaps the best instrumental ever
• It was a very good year (Herb Alpert)
• Walk don't run (The Ventures)

Quite old you would say - well yes as old as my youth and teenage. But I treasure these for I grew up listening such songs and many more by these singers. Who do you listen too of your teenage life?

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Composing two of the Masterpieces by Beethoven

Those of us who love music in its true sense would be very familiar with one of the greatest composers and musicians of all times – Ludwig Van Beethoven. Long time ago, I had happened to listen to the 5th of Beethoven – a symphony that’s one of his greatest work of music.

Then one day, I watched a programme on TV on Beethoven and there I came to know how the 5th of Beethoven was composed. In his later days, Beethoven had become deaf and could not hear properly. One day he was sitting on a ridge in an overcast day. Suddenly the lightening started flashing and the clouds start to thunder. The deaf Beethoven saw the flashlights bolting across the sky and his mind raced with the nature. He then ran back to his place and translated the flashing lights across an overcast sky into one of his classics and greatest – the 5th of Beethoven.

Those who haven’t listened to this symphony may click on the link below and when the music plays, just imagine sitting on a ridge all alone, with ears plugged so that no outside sound is heard and then imagine lightening flashing across the sky and rain falling on you. This is exactly what happened to Beethoven.

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As for the Moonlight Sonata, this was composed for a blind girl he knew. She had listened to her family talking about nature – the blue waters of the river, the beautiful aromatic flowers in the garden, the moving of the clouds and the shimmering moonlight that fascinated everyone. Beethoven thought of composing a composition that could make the blind girl feel as she was sitting in a moonlit night. And thus he created his one of the very best Moonlight Sonata.

This is how great people please those who are not gifted wholly by the Nature. Try helping out someone someday who is not as gifted as you.

Related Links to Beethoven’s Music:

Moonlight Sonata

5th of Beethoven

Ludwig Van Beethoven (Wikipedia)

via Jaho Jalal

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Swedish gets disability benefits for addiction to heavy metal

Listening to music is always amusing - a hobby that most of the people have around the world.

Hobbies, do become passion for many, but more often than not these turn into addiction. And this what happened to a heavy metal lover Swedish Roger Tullgran who attended over 300 gigs last year and now he thinks that is the addiction to the heavy metal that is devastating him.

Photo: PA

The 42 years old Tullgran has told Global Post that  he consulted three psychologists to testify his addiction to the Devil's Rock, which led to him attending over 300 concerts last year, leaving him seemingly unable to hold down a job.

He adds:

"I have been trying for 10 years to get this classified as a handicap and I spoke to three psychologists and they finally agreed that I needed this to avoid being discriminated against."

And this addiction has earned him state disability benefits.

-->

According to the report, he now has a part-time job as a dishwasher at a restaurant in Hassleholm, which will be supplemented by disability benefits. Tullgren's new boss has agreed to let him rock out to Slayer as loud as he wants while scrubbing dishes, so long as it doesn't disturb guests. He has even agreed to grant Tullgren time off to go to gigs.

Well, Tullgran was lucky to have his addiction recognized as addiction - but not everyone will.

So let the hobbies remain hobbies - pastimes to keep one light and ready for life and not like the Swedish who will remain addicted to his heavy metal and become slave to it forever.

via NME
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Download iTunes 10.5.2 Update For Windows and Mac, Comes With iTunes Match and Audio Distortion Fixes

[ via Chip Hazard ]

Just now, Apple has released the updated version of iTunes with version 10.5.2 which bring iTunes Match improvements and fixes for audio distortion issues encountered with certain CDs.

Apple today also released the second beta version of iOS 5.1 along with the iTunes update and following is the official statement :-

iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs.

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Download “Yellow Submarine” Animated e-book For Free, Apple Posts Beatles iTunes TV Ad

[ Chip Hazard ] 10 Dec

The Beatles announced their debut of  free animated version of the band’s ” Yellow Submarine ” animated e-book exclusively available on Apple’s iBookstore on the occasion of their anniversary on the iTunes Store.

The Beatles have sold over 10 million songs and 1.8 million albums through iTunes since their debut on the iTunes store.

Apple has posted a new TV ad on their Youtube page, promoting The Beatles on iTunes. The as is called :Covers” and shows of many different album covers and stuff. Take a look: 

Download Yellow Submarine Animated E-book Free  [ iTunes Store ]

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Instrument-less music!!

Video: Dobrodošla nazaj / T-Mobile / nenavadno presenečenje na letališču na GenSpot.com

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