The recent release of the remastered Beatles CDs and Beatles: Rock Band has helped fuel Ruben Padilla’s vintage Beatles business. At the September Rose Bowl, only 72 hours after the release of the mono and stereo boxed sets, Padilla brought 1,500 Beatles items to the outdoor show. He has been selling Beatles items since 1975, but has been collecting since the foursome appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. ”I started setting up at The Beatles Festival in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s,” he said at the September Rose Bowl. Most recently, he set up at a three-day Beatles Festival at the Queen Mary. ”I grew up with the Beatles,” said Padilla. He was 10 in 1964, when the Beatles made their television debut. His favorite album is their first album “Meet the Beatles” and his favorite song, “I Saw Her Standing There.” ”Every time the Beatles put an album out it was something incredible,” he said. “It was a major event. The whole music industry followed suit.” Padilla is a former police officer in the Coachella Valley, who spent the last five years if his career as a detective in the homicide department, The long hours and gruesome sights pressed him into retirement. He will be in San Francisco October 9th-11 for Beatles Fest West.
Category Archives: Music
Lash attended five Beatles concerts
Carrie Lash saw the Beatles five times in Los Angeles: Three times at the Hollywood Bowl, once at Dodger’s Stadium, and once at Candlestick Park.George Harrison was her favorite Beatle and she loved when he sang “Old Brown Shoe” she announced at the September Rose Bowl. She purchased the remastered stereo CDs individually at Costco for a grand total of around $119. She remembers when the Beatles died twice. The first time was when they broke in February of 1970; and then again, in December of 1980. Lash remembers where she was when John Lennon was killed. ”I was pregnant with my daughter Erica and I was in my living room when the news came on that he had been shot,” she recalled. It was a devestating moment because that meant it would be impossible for the Beatles to have a reunion. John Lennon’s murder marked the end of the assasination era. It started with John F. Kennedy on November 22nd, 1963, followed by Malcolm X on February 21st, 1965, Martin Luther King on April 4th, 1968; and then there was Robert Kennedy only a couple of months later on June 5, 1968.
Mary of Peter, Paul and Mary dies
Mary Travers of the folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary lost her battle with Leukemia on Wednesday, September 16th at the age of 72 years old.Best known for their fairytale song, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” the group was formed in 1961 and managed by Albert Grossman in New York City. The group, consisting of Mary Travers, Noel Paul Stookey, and Peter Yarrow, was launched in The Bitter End coffee house in New York City’s Greenwich Village as “Mary and the Boys.” Although the group enjoyed commercial success thanks to the immortal fairytale song, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” they really hoped to make a political statement with their songs. Puff was on the group’s second album, “Moving” and reached number 2 on the charts. Rumors still circulate that that the song was an ode to marijuana, but that has been widely discounted, since that drug didn’t become a major cultural phenomenon until five years after the song was released. Peter, Paul and Mary were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War and hoped to make political statements with their songs. The trio mingled their music with liberal politics. Their version of “If I Had a Hammer” became an anthem for racial equality. The link between Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan wad undeniable. Their manager, Grossman, also managed Dylan. The folk group made famous several of Dylan’s songs including “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” These songs were featured on the group’s third album and both reached the top 10, bringing Dylan’s material to a massive audience. In 1963, three of PPM’s albums were in the top six Billboard best-selling LPs and they became the biggest stars of the folk revival movement. They were riding high the wave of success, but by the middle of 1963, a new wave all but wiped them out
Audiofiles buy up Mono box set
The Beatles are back bigger than ever thanks to the early September release of the long-awaited remastered editions of the Beatles studio albums on CD. On the same day, Harmonix released the “Beatles: Rock Band” game further adding excitement about the band that was to music what Shakespeare was to the english language.Not only has vinyl been outpacing the sale of CDs for years now, mono is making a comeback for purists and it has always been considered the inferior mode. This is the first time fans have been able to get the Beatles albums, from 1965 onwards, in mono on CD. The true audiofile is clamoring to get the mono box set because this is the way the albums came out originally and they want to capture the original sound. Since mono was the industry standard in Beatles’ day, more attention was paid to the mono mixes, which were done independently (and not just single-channel versions of the stereo mixes, as people might assume). These are the “mixes of record” which the Beatles signed off on. Fans are especially excited about the mono “Sgt. Pepper,” considered superior to the stereo version. The mono “The Beatles” (a.k.a the “White Album”) never even got a U.S. vinyl release and will make its first stateside appearance ever on CD. Finally, the mono box will mark the debut of “true mono” mixes of five songs once planned for an unissued 1969 “Yellow Submarine” EP: “Only a Northern Song,” “All Together Now,” “Hey Bulldog,” “It’s All Too Much,” and “Across the Universe.” The limited edition “Beatles in Mono” box set sold out its pre-order copies at Amazon. The Beatles stereo box set will compile the remasters of the original albums along with the “Past Masters” set plus a DVD featuring all 13 mini-documentaries. The remasters will mark the debut of the stereo versions of the Beatles’ first four U.K. albums, “Please Please Me,” “With the Beatles,” “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Beatles for Sale.” What’s missing is the availability of the Beatles recordings for digital downloading. A statement from Apple said discussions about this “are continuing.” Beatles: Rock Band Unlike other games where the objective is to hunt down monsters, go on a carjacking spree and shooting gangsters, with “Beatles: Rock Band” kids get to play instruments with virtual renditions of the Beatles. They even get to play instruments patterned after the trademark Beatles gear: John Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 guitar, George Harrison’s Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, Paul McCartney’s Hofner violin bass and Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drums. Players can recreate the Beatles’ legendary vocal blends, and there is even support for three mics so that a player can recreate the Beatles’ three-part harmonies with their buddies. However, the greatest Beatles song of all time, Eleanor Rigby from the Revolver Album, is missing from the line-up. It is a tragedy that a whole generation of game-playing teens won’t be able to sing along with this Beatles’ great. This was the track that announced to the world that they were not just capable of teeny bopper bubble gum pop, but should be taken much more seriously by a much larger audience. All the lonely players, what will they play now that Eleanor Rigby is not on the playlist? They will have 45 other songs to choose from, including “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Day Tripper,” “Yellow Submarine,” “Here Comes the Sun,” and “Twist and Shout.” With the obvious omission of some of their best songs, it is certain that there will be a second edition of Beatles: Rock Band. Prices range from $50 for software only to $277 for the Nintendo Wii Limited Edition Premium Bundle.
Dimock claims The Monkees were musicians before the show started
Duane Dimock of San Diego came to the defense of The Monkees at the Long Beach Show where he offered 1960s memorabilia of the made-for-TV band for as little as $4. He has been following the band since the 1960s and even wrote “The Monkees Scrapbook” dedicated to Monkees trivia in the 1990s. He feels they are one of the greatest bands of the time, despite harsh criticism. This is evidenced by their appeal in the 1980s to a whole new generation of music lovers. ”In the 1980s, when the Monkees came back on because of MTV, that was a crazy time,” he said, adding that he used to attend Monkees conventions all over the country. His favorite song is “The Door Into Summer,” which was written by Michael Nesmith. He feels that the band got a bad rap for not being a real band, since their genesis occurred on the TV show. Admittedly, other artists wrote the songs on their first couple of albums. ”Carol King and Neil Diamond were among the songwriters,” he said. Despite this, he explained, most of the band members were musicians before becoming The Monkees. Micky (Dolenz) was a drummer for “The Missing Link,” but hadn’t taken on singing until joining the show. Englishman Davy Jones had achieved some initial success on the musical stage, appearing with the cast of “Oliver!” on The Ed Sullivan Show the night of the Beatles’ live American debut. ”Michael Nesmith was already a singer and guitarist,” he said. “And Peter Tork was a master musician with a really awful voice. So all of them were really talented. They really stand out as a great group.” The Monkees’ first single, “Last Train to Clarksville” was released in August 1966, just weeks prior to the broadcast and, in conjunction with the first broadcast of the television show on September 12, 1966, NBC and Columbia had a major hit on their hands. The first long-playing album, The Monkees, was released in October and shot to the top of the charts. By their third, fourth, and fifth albums, they were writing most of their own songs.
Schoonover's guitar would have sold for double after les paul's death
You would think that if you picked up something for $100 and turned around a couple of weeks later and sold it for $12,000, your friends would call you up and congratulate you
Jones celebrates anniversary of beatles' drum skin sale
A the Long Beach Show, Pat Jones was celebrating the first anniversary of the record breaking sale of the iconic, hand painted bass drum skin used on the front cover of the Beatles’ 1967 album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” It sold for $1.1 million at Christie’s Auction in London last July, earning four times it estimate. Since the original drum skin was unavailable he simulated his own one-man-band using an equally rare piece of Petroleana. He pounded on a circa 1927 Penzbest Kendall Motor Oil drum that he bought in Grain Valley, Missouri. The $300 piece of Petroleana might appeal to an automobile collector who is reconstructing a 1920s filling station in their garage. Jones is owner of Jones Mercantile in Fullerton. Call (949) 689-7407 for more information. Bilked as the “world’s most famous drum skin,” the Beatles drum skin was the start lot of Christie’s rock and pop memorabilia sale, and eclipsed other highlights, including John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for his hit song, “Give Peace a Chance.” The manuscript still fetched $834,000, well above pre-sale expectations of around $500,000. It was sold by comedy writer and presenter Gail Renard who was 16 when Lennon and Yoko Ono staged their famous “Bed-In” at a hotel in Montreal in 1969. Renard and friend sneaked into the Queen Elizabeth Hotel where the recently married Lennon and Ono were holding a protest for peace, and became friendly with the couple. According to Christie’s Lennon gave Renard some momentos, including the lyrics, telling her: “One day they will be worth something.” Renard said that the price fetched for the manuscript had left her speechless. Aside from the tangible mementos, Lennon helped launch her career as writer. He called Beatles Monthly magazine at the time and instructed them to pay for a piece she was writing on the star.
West plays Boogie woogie and jazz for a growing crowd
Will West, antique collector, Rose Bowl security guard and member of the Screen Actors Guild, is also a talented musician. In only five short minutes of playing, West drew a considerable crowd with his Boogie Woogie and upbeat Jazz tunes and made almost enough money in tips to buy the piano. He started learning how to play when he started collecting Boogie Woogie records. ”I listened to all the old guys going back to Clarence Pinetop Smith who invented it in 1926,” he said. “I listened to all the guys in the ’30s and ’40s who reinvented it.” He is also a fan of the later Boogie-Woogie by artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Marcia Ball. ”He must have $50 in the jar up there,” said the dealer, who was asking only $150 for the vintage piano. This was not his first Long Beach concert. Every other month he brings his electric piano and plays for an audience. He has played about 50 concerts going all the way back to Don Henry, founder of the “West Coast Peddler” who started the show back in the 1970s. Those who haven’t seen him around the outdoor antique shows, may remember him from some cameo appearances in movies including “E.T.”
Orchestra Grade banjo
A Majestic Masterpiece orchestra professional banjo was one of the most impressive pieces appraised at the January Rose Bowl. Due to the intricate inlaid marquetry handwork, the appraiser estimated that it was made before 1920. The resonator was designed to broadcast the sound out to better compete with trumpets and other loud instruments in the orchestra. He estimated it to be worth $5,000. Its current owner, Elisia Farmer, didn’t pay a penny for the instrument. She inherited it from her great aunt, who probably paid only a few dollars for it during the Great Depression. ”She was affluent and she entertained a lot,” said Farmer. “A musician came to her needing money so she gave him money in exchange for the banjo and he never came back to pay the loan and reclaim the banjo.” Although it comes in its own deluxe carrying case, she carries it in an additional bag
Cicely says no to joplin Sleepover
A Paolo Martinez floor length 1950s wool jacket with a dyed sheep collar and hand embellished lapel looks straight out of the wardrobe of 1960s rocker, Janis Joplin. And its current owner, Cicely Ann Hansen, would know about the musician’s taste. She not only grew up in the epicenter of Free Love, Haight Ashbury, she met Joplin on several occasions. She first met her in 1965 in Palo Alto. “She used to come out to our house in North Beach,” said Hansen. On one occasion, Hansen’s friend conveyed that Joplin wanted to spend the night at the blonde fashionista’s house for something more than just a sleepover. The gold tapestry coat with bright purple collar, which came from the Los Angeles designer’s personal collection, was priced at $695. NEW STORE The grand opening of Hansen’s newest Decades of Fashion store on Sacramento Street in San Francisco on November 1st was a virtual rain out. ”It rained cats and dogs,” she said. “It’s never rained that hard in San Francisco.” Eight fashion-loving souls braved the harsh weather, including Sarah Aguilar, a pianist and Art Deco enthusiast. There was plenty of food to go around, since Hansen had prepared for better weather and larger crowds. She had four $500 trays of fancy Mediterranean food, including stuffed grape leaves and baklava…and plenty of leftovers. Despite the wet grand opening, the store has been doing gangbusters. DIGITAL THERAPY On the “goldfinger” front, Hansen has been exercising her semi-amputated finger to try and get it to bend with the rest of her fingers. But, to no avail. ”It is only bending about 10%,” she said. admittedly disappointed with the progress she has made with physical therapy. She is now going to try a more offbeat form of therapy
