THE MOST AMAZING THING ABOUT "THE BEATLES" IS THAT THEY ARE ONE OF FEW INSTANCES IN POP MUSIC HISTORY WHERE THE "BAND" "ARTIST" "ACT" -USE WHAT EVER DESCRIPTIVE TERM YOU PREFER-THAT WAS/IS THE MOST TALENTED AND CREATIVE WERE/ARE ALSO THE MOST POPULAR-IE. THE MOST COMMERCIALLY SUCCSESSFUL.
ALL SUBSEQUINT ARTISTS WITH ABILITIES AND SONG CATOLOGS CLOSEST TO
THE MT. EVEREST HIGH STANDARDS OF "THE BEATLES" HAVE NOT FARED AS WELL.
THE FIRST AND MOST OBVIOUS EXAMPLE I CAN THINK OF IS "THE REPLACEMENTS",
WITH PAUL WESTERBERG AS THE MAIN SONGWRITER.HIS CATOLOG OF SONGS MAY
BE THE ONLY ONE-POST BEATLES-THAT COMES ANYWHERE NEAR THE CREATIVE
STANDARDS AND SHEAR AMOUNT OF QUALITY OUTPUT THAT "THE BEATLES"
ACHIEVED.YET "THE MAT'S" GOT NOWHERE FAST AND THE FRUSTATION AND OTHER FACTORS KILLED ONE MEMBER AND NEARLY DID WESTERBURG HIMSELF
IN.WHILE VASTLY INFERIOR BANDS WERE PRAISED FAR
BEYOND WHAT THEY COULD AND ACTUALLY DID ACHIVE-THE MAT'S-WERE
RELIGATED TO THE FOOTNOTES OF POP HISTORY.
SOMEDAY HISTORY WILL LOOK BACK AND SEE THE FOLLY OF THIS MIS-
APPROPRIATTED GLORY.IT WILL BE NOTED THAT THE BEST BAND DIDN'T WIN-
AND PONTIFICATERS WILL PONTIFICATE WHY-SOME ALLREADY HAVE.
BUT TO THE PEOPLE WHO DID RECOGNIZE "THE REPLACEMENTS" AMAZING
ARTISTIC ACHIEVMENT-NONE OF THIS MATTERS.WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE FELT
WHEN THE CHIMING ATHEMIC CHORDS OF THE MAT'S BRILLIANT-"BASTARDS OF YOUNG" CAME BLASTING OUT OUR STEREO SPEAKERS.SHEAR ROCK JOY AND EXUBERANCE ON A LEVEL THAT NO OTHER BAND HAD BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE .
SOMEONE WHO FELT OUR LONGINGS AND FRUSTRATIONS WITH A SOCIETY
THAT HAD BECOME SO CORUPT THAT THE MORE HONEST YOU WERE AND BETTER
YOU WERE AT EXPRESING THAT FRUSTRATION-THE MORE YOU WERE PUNISHED.
A WIERD SORT OF FASIST BACKLASH HAD SHOWED THE FIRST SIGNS OF THE SORT
OF TERRIBLE EFFECTS IT COULD HAVE ON A SOCIETY,AN AMERICAN SOCIETY,WHERE
WE ALWAYS ASUMED THE BEST WOULD COME OUT ON TOP-GOOD WOULD WIN OVER EVIL-EVEN IF ONLY IN THE END.HARD WORK WOULD BE REWARDED.
THE TRUTH WOULD SET US FREE.BUT WE FOUND OUT DIFFERANT.WE TRUELLY WERE-IT SEEMED- "THE SON'S OF NO-ONE-BASTARDS OF YOUNG".WHEN WESTERBURG SANG THAT LYRIC-WE KNEW ONE THING-WE WEREN'T ALONE.
THE VALUE OF THAT KNOWLEDGE IS BEYOND MEASURE.FOR SURELY AT THAT TIME BEFORE HEARING PAUL'S WORDS-THE MAJORITY OF US "BASTARDS" FELT POSITIVE THAT WE WERE.SOME WILL NEVER KNOW HOW HARD "THE REPLACEMENTS","STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES","TOM VERLAINE" AND "TELEVISION",AND YES EVEN MY BAND;"PETE HOLLY AND THE LOOK'S" TRIED
TO KEEP OUR TRUE VISION OF THE REDEPTIVE POWER OF GREAT ROCK 'N ROLL" ALIVE.THEY MAY NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY MISSED AND IN THE GREAT SCHEME OF THINGS -PERHAPS IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER ALL THAT MUCH.
BUT WHEN YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.WHEN IT HAS SAVED YOUR LIFE-
AND REKINDLED A FAITH THAT YOU WERE SURE HAD DIED FOREVER.
THEN YOU WILL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT.WE STILL MAY LOSE
IN THE LONG RUN-BUT IT DOESNT MATTER.BECAUSE JUST BY CONTINUING TO FIGHT-TO CREATE-WE WIN.IF WE GATHER ANY OTHER SOULS ALONG THE WAY AND THEY SEE A ROCK 'N ROLL LIGHT-A "GUIDING LIGHT"-THEN IT IS JUST MORE ICING ON THE CAKE.BUT NOTHING CAN CHANGE WHAT IS CONTAINED IN AN ARTISTS SONG CATOLOG AND SOMEDAY THE WORLD WILL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE MEN WILL BE SEPAREATED FROM THE BOY'S.JUST REMEMBER,YOUR MUSIC IS YOUR GOLD.STAY GOLD.-P.HOLLY
