Thanks to some digital hocus pocus, John Lennon is back and helping promote One Laptop Per Child, a charity working to bring cheap computers and internet access to children in developing countries. Done with the approval of Yoko Ono, the commercial stitches together old recordings of Lennon’s voice and adds at least a couple of new words (did Lennon ever say “laptop”?). In the end, it all comes out fairly seamlessly. If you want to give a laptop (starting at $199) and change the world, go here. Otherwise, here’s John:
This weekend’s New York Times ran a piece detailing how the record industry has dithered and continually failed to release several long-awaited Beatles’ projects. It also mentioned how fans and collectors have forged ahead and put together unauthorized bootleg projects, some of which the Times calls “curatorial masterpieces.” In particular, the article highlights the Purple Chick label, which “has assembled deluxe editions of each commercially released [Beatles] album, offering the original discs in their mono and stereo mixes, along with the singles (also in mono and stereo) released at the time, as well as every known demo, studio outtake and alternative mix.” Some of Purple Chick’s include “Beatles Deluxe” (which covers 10 CDs); “A/B Road” (which gives you 96 hours of the “Let It Be” sessions); and a series of BBC radio performances.
So how do you get this stuff? It’s a question that Rolling Stone asked rhetorically when it recently gave another positive review to Purple Chick recordings. And it answered the question with this: “Google is your friend: Try searching ‘purple chick and megaupload’ to get started.”
World War I was a relentlessly grinding and brutal war. Europe had never experienced anything like it. But there was one notable moment of respite, a brief moment when humanity showed back through. Christmas Eve, 1914. The moving story of what happened that night gets recounted in John McCutcheon’s touching song, Christmas in the Trenches. The video below includes the backstory and the song itself. You can also watch a live performance here, and get the lyrics here. Happy holidays to all. And thanks Sheryl for the tip.
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A couple of big blogs recently highlighted a clip of the Muppets doing Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Ninth. It’s cute, and I was hardly surprised that the video logged 3.6 million views on YouTube.
Not far behind, at 3.2 million views, is a long video showing Herbert Von Karajan leading a live performance of Beethoven’s Ninth. The fact that Karajan, one of the world’s best-known conductors, lags behind a bunch of puppets is unfortunate, no doubt. But it’s also heartening in some ways. It tells me that high culture is still competing for an audience. So here it goes. Karajan in action:
Let me indulge in a brief bit of nostalgia for a sec. Somehow my once wayward friends and I scored tickets to Live Aid back in 1985, which meant that we got to spend a scorching day at Philly’s JFK Stadium, watching live acts that included Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (leaving aside a campy Bowie and Jagger video). But somehow what still stands out for me are two acts piped in from London’s Wembley Stadium — U2’s 12 minute version of “Bad” (below), which launched the band into international stardom, and, yes, Queens’ set: Bohemian Rhapsody & Radio Gaga, Hammer To Fall & Crazy Little Thing Called Love (also below), and We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions.
Hat tip to Bob for tipping us off to this collection put together by The Mirror in the UK. They take Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah” (listen below) and then bring you the ten best cover versions. On the list, you’ll find versions by Bob Dylan, John Cale (founder of The Velvet Underground), Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Buckley, among others.
YouTube has had the mass market locked up for some time. But, during the past year, it has been giving a little nod to more “highbrow” viewers. We’ve seen channels sprouting up on YouTube that feature content produced by universities and other high-value content providers. (See our collection Intelligent Life at YouTube: 80 Video Collections.) We’ve also watched the launch of The YouTube Screening Room, which brings short independent films to the viewing public. Now we have The YouTube Symphony Orchestra.
This project brings classical music into the world of Web 2.0. As The New York Times explains it, the initiative will produce a mashup of orchestral pieces contributed by users. And, it will also feature a contest in which musicians can upload samples of their work, and, à la American Idol, winners will be chosen by a panel of judges and brought to perform at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of the San Francisco Symphony. (Get more from the video below.) Some purists will find this highly gimmicky, no doubt. Others may see it as a good way to keep classical music relevant. Have an opinion? Let us know in the comments.
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