Monday, July 30

Music

I have another story posted at Ronni's today. I hope you'll read, enjoy and comment!





Can-Can was a 1960 movie celebrating the music of Cole Porter. I had forgotten how many great songs were in this movie until I watched it Friday night. I am so glad that a lot of the good movies from the 40's, 50's and 60's are being brought out on DVD! The movie takes place in 1896 in Montmartre, in a cafe known for the can-can, a dance thought by many to be vile and unchaste, which had been banned from public viewing. The cafe proprietor is Shirley McLaine (Simone) and Frank Sinatra is her lawyer/suitor. Maurice Chevalier is a judge, as is Louis Jourdan. We are treated to all of them singing at some point. If you haven't heard Maurice Chevalier or Frank Sinatra singing C'est Magnifique, you should rent this DVD. Juliet Prowse appears as a cafe dancer, and at a fancy dress ball held in the cafe, she and Shirley perform a ballet of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where Juliet is the serpent. It is a wonderfully choreographed dance!

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In the last 3-4 days, I have been listening to the Beatles Anthology. Soon after the set came out, I got it for Christmas. "The Long and Winding Road" is playing now, and Shake Rattle and Roll and Blue Suede Shoes just finished. It is funny to me that Blue Suede Shoes sounded more countrified when the Beatles sang it than when Elvis did. Many of the songs on this CD were recorded under casual circumstances; they might have been rehearsing or just playing around. The songs are punctuated by laughs, un-planned riffs and the voices of the four guys can be heard as well. You could almost imagine that you were there in the room with them.

I was 22 when I heard the Beatles for the first time. I was hooked from the first five minutes of "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Paul was my favorite and while I didn't scream like the teeny-boppers back then, I did fantasize about him. I quit that a long time ago, but I still love their music and for me it has only gotten better with time.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember the day. I think I was fourteen and the song was I Wanna Hold Your Hand. I was a Paul girl who later changed to John.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

I really disliked the Beatles at first....I just didn't understand what all the screaming was about and I found it difficult to hear them from the sound of the screaming...BUT...But....but....Within a short space of time, When I finally heard some recordings I truly appreciated them and understood the lyrics, bigtime. "YESTERDAY" was the first of their songs that moved me to tears....
Loved Paul and later became a really big fan of John....

"CAN CAN" and so very many other great Musical Films....such treasures....Cole Porter, GENIUS!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Paul was so cute back then. Lucky you. I grew up in the age of Michael Jackson and had to fantasize about him.

The King said...

I had all the Beatles albums, but nothing on CD until last month. I forgot how good it all was and really like the stuff you described from the Anthology.

utenzi said...

Can-can sounds interesting, Judy. I'll give it a try next time I'm around some older DVDs.

LZ Blogger said...

I remember both "Can-Can" and the Early Beatles songs. And then of course the big deal when they came to the states and went on Ed Sullivan's Show. I guess I must be showing my AGE? ~ jb///

Beverly said...

Kenju, Babette is signing off on blogging again. It makes me cry.

Tabor said...

I also was a big Beatles fan and I kept changing my crush on the guys. Fickle then almost fickle now. My college roommate was a music major and they were actually studying the Beatles music so that enforced my crush.

Kay Dennison said...

I was about 16 when Beatlemania hit and I wasn't impressed. My sister was however and had her side of our room wallpapers with pictures. I think I decided that I preferred the Stones out of spite! lol Later, in college I came to like them a lot but Mick, the King of Geezer Rock, and his guys still get me rockin'!

michelle said...

i grew up on the beatles and i still love the beatles. I'm now introducing my sons to them. I have the Beatles #1's but I think I may have to get this.

Diane Mandy said...

I came along after the Beatles broke up, but still feel as though I grew up with their music (like everyone else). And the best thing about the Beatles' music is that it still sounds fresh today. How many current artists or groups could we really say this about?

rosemary said...

I have always liked Rubber Soul by the Beatles. I was never a huge fan, but did like most of their work. I remember telling myself...this is just another fad!

Anonymous said...

Judy,

My sister and I had a great day a few years ago. We went to the movies in the morning and saw Kevin Kline in "DeLovely" the story of Cole Porter. Then we went to Blockbuster and rented " Night and Day" also the story of Cole Porter starring Cary Grant.
DeLovely was made in 2004 and Night and Day in 1946. What a difference 58 years makes. You would never know the "BIO" was about the same person.
The music was wonderful in both films. Just the story was completely changed. We really enjoyed them both and had a lot of laughs at the changes that were made to satisfy the censors in 1946 and the "hip" viewers of 2004.

Bobkat said...

Cole Porter is certainly a genius of musical theatre. I have worked on many shows that featured his songs adn they are all pretty memorable :)

Anonymous said...

Unlike you, it took me sometime to warm up to the Beatles. I was such a huge early, early rock fan and no one could knock Elvis off his pedestal. But funny that you would mention ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ because it is the one song that Elvis recorded that I felt just didn’t measure up to the original version by Carl Perkins. Elvis’ cover version is quite good – but just not quite up to par with Carl’s. I remember being a little disappointed in Elvis at the time. Especially given the fact that he didn’t need to be standing on someone else’s shoulders. And you know….I’m sitting here writing this but I am not really sure I have ever heard the Beatles’ version. I don’t have it in my collection for sure.

As far as the Beatles themselves, well of course I did eventually warm up to them and although there are many of their songs that I like, all my true favorites with the exception of “Yes It Is” originate from their “Help” album.

Oh….you know who had a fairly good version of “Blue Suede Shoes” later on down the road – Johnny Rivers believe it or not!

BreadBox said...

It sounds like you and I have very similar tastes in music, Judy --- I love Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, and up through the Beatles, and ... but don't get me started -- I love music!

Thanks for visiting: Michele sent me to visit you back!
N.