With A Little Help From My Friends
BeatleSongs attributes authorship mostly to Paul, and the instrumentation noted is the most “traditional” rock band of the whole “Sgt. Pepper” album. Tell Me Why makes the case for Paul’s bass work, which is rather prominent, to be “an essential part of the song…” and I sort of agree.
Joe Cocker famously performed a cover of this song, and in a way that version has taken on a life of its own, overshadowing the original. Amidst the opulent arrangements throughout the album, this song stands out, not only for Ringo’s only vocal turn on the album, but as the most like any song the band had recorded previously. It stands in stark contrast to the whole album, a standard rock song on the most groundbreaking album, perhaps of all time, an album which defies what a rock album can be.
I’m going to Boston.
For a concert.
Alright, so it’s a little more involved than that, but essentially, that’s what I’m doing. My good friend Stephen is from the Boston area. Kingston, actually. He has family back there and visits regularly.
Anyway, there’s a band from Boston, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. He’s seen them a couple of times, I’ve seen them a couple of times, and we’ve even seen them together a couple of times. The band broke up, and got back together a few years ago, and they renewed a tradition of the “Hometown Throwdown” a concert for its hometown fans around Christmastime. It has expanded over the years to a three night event.
Stephen and I have talked about how fun it would be to go. This is the year we finally get to. Tickets were purchased. Plane reservations were another matter, however. Last year we hesitated too long, and the show was sold out. This year, we decided to purchase tickets for the concert and then work out the details. That was the right thing to do.
As for the plane ticket, it took a while but we were able to cash in airline miles and spend $10 each on the plane ticket. What a bargain. So what if I’m flying through airports at an inconvenient time? This is kind of like a free trip. And as for a place to stay, I found a hotel right next to the airport, after quite a bit of searching for a good deal. Split between the two of us, that’s an even better deal. A cheap trip to Boston? Heck yeah!
Sweetening the deal even further is another good friend. Marianne, essentially my wife’s best friend and a very good friend of mine live just outside of Boston. No, I’m not staying with her, as she live with her 80 year old mother and the last thing that woman needs is me dropping in disrupting her routine. Stephen and I bought a ticket for Marianne to the Hometown Throwdown, and the three of us are going to go together.
By the time you read this, I should be on the ground and enjoying some sightseeing.