HEART OF AFRICA: New film to be set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A new film titled Heart of Africa is in development.  Based on real events taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it will be directed by Sterling Van Wagenen, co-founder of the Sundance Film Festival and producer of Academy-Award winning film Trip to Bountiful,  The film's script has been written by novelist and documentary-maker Margaret Blair Young.  With some B-roll shot, funds for the next stage of production are currently be raised through Kickstarter.  According to the film's Kickstarter page:

"Heart of Africa" is a feature film set in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country consistently misrepresented. We will show it in its dignity and beauty.  The film is based on experiences of  missionaries there, both African and Anglo. One of the missionaries is a Congolese former revolutionary and another a young man from Idaho who has heretofore not seen black people. Aime Mbuyi, who was a revolutionary before he became a missionary, has provided the screenwriter with full descriptions of the revolutionary meetings, including the songs sung at the boarding school where the revolutionaries lived.
The film will be bi-continental, much of it filmed in South Africa using the "Out of Africa" production team, with portions shot in Kinshasa, DR-Congo.

For more information on Heart of Africa, see https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/868807300/heart-of-africa and https://www.facebook.com/HeartOfAfricaFilm.

*********************************

If you are interested in supporting the project, you can go to the Kickstarter page here:

(Note: Fundraising on Kickstarter ends on March 16.  For details, see http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2015/02/heart-of-africa-kickstarter-campaign.html.)


For background on the events represented in the film, see the following series on Meridian Magazine:

http://ldsmag.com/the-revolutionary-takes-a-bride/

http://ldsmag.com/the-problem-with-an-eight-cow-wife/

http://ldsmag.com/divine-orchestration-in-africa/

http://ldsmag.com/monuments-to-a-dark-past-and-a-bright-future-in-africa/

The film is also discussed in a blog post by renowned biologist Steve Peck reporting on his travels in Africa:

http://bycommonconsent.com/2015/02/18/margarets-heart-of-africa/#more-54638 

More information on the director, Sterling Van Wagenen:

In  addition to co-founding the Sundance Film Festival, Van Wagenen was the founding executive director of the Sundance Institute in association with Robert Redford, He has directed four feature films as well as several documentaries and television episodes, and has produced over fourteen feature films, documentaries, and television series, including The Trip to Bountiful, co-produced with playwright Horton Foote and starring Geraldine Page and John Heard. He collaborated again with Foote on Convicts, starring Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones. In 1986 he and Foote were nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as producers of The Trip to Bountiful, and in 1987 they won a Wise Owl Award for the film. In 1992 he won a Crystal Heart Award as director of Alan and Naomi.

HEART OF AFRICA: Co-founder of Sundance Film Festival (Sterling Van Wagenen) to direct new film set in the Congo

Sterling Van Wagenen, co-founder of the Sundance Film Festival and producer of Academy-Award winning film Trip to Bountiful, is scheduled to direct a new independent film titled Heart of Africa.  The film, with a script written by novelist and documentary-maker Margaret Blair Young, is set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is based on real events.  With some B-roll shot, funds for the next stage of production are currently be raised through Kickstarter.  According to the film's Kickstarter page:

"Heart of Africa" is a feature film set in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country consistently misrepresented. We will show it in its dignity and beauty.  The film is based on experiences of  missionaries there, both African and Anglo. One of the missionaries is a Congolese former revolutionary and another a young man from Idaho who has heretofore not seen black people. Aime Mbuyi, who was a revolutionary before he became a missionary, has provided the screenwriter with full descriptions of the revolutionary meetings, including the songs sung at the boarding school where the revolutionaries lived.
The film will be bi-continental, much of it filmed in South Africa using the "Out of Africa" production team, with portions shot in Kinshasa, DR-Congo.

In  addition to co-founding the Sundance Film Festival, Van Wagenen was the founding executive director of the Sundance Institute in association with Robert Redford, He has directed four feature films as well as several documentaries and television episodes, and has produced over fourteen feature films, documentaries, and television series, including The Trip to Bountiful, co-produced with playwright Horton Foote and starring Geraldine Page and John Heard. He collaborated again with Foote on Convicts, starring Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones. In 1986 he and Foote were nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as producers of The Trip to Bountiful, and in 1987 they won a Wise Owl Award for the film. In 1992 he won a Crystal Heart Award as director of Alan and Naomi.

For more information on Heart of Africa, see https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/868807300/heart-of-africa and https://www.facebook.com/HeartOfAfricaFilm.

Heart of Africa: The Kickstarter campaign (February 7 to March 17, 2015)

Margaret Blair Young (my brilliant and beautiful wife) is working on a feature film titled Heart of Africa, focusing on struggles to overcome prejudice and build relationships across racial and cultural lines. The film's director will be Sterling Van Wagenen--one of the industry's best. (See https://www.kickstarter.com/profiles/868807300/bio, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Van_Wagenen, and IMDB.com.)

Margaret Blair Young and Bruce Young

Margaret is currently raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign that ends on March 17--meaning midnight at the end of the day on March 16.  The goal is $30,000, which will allow filming to begin.  But far more is needed to complete the filming.  She is also seeking funding from foundation grants and is hoping either that the Kickstarter campaign will lead to two or three (or more) times the goal she has set, or that she will secure investors after the end of the Kickstarter campaign.

Either way, a successful Kickstarter campaign is critical.  As you may know, the way Kickstarter works is that we must reach our goal or else we'll get nothing.  In other words, none of the contributions end up being charged to those who have contributed unless the goal of $30,000 is reached by midnight on March 16.  Then on March 17, the contributions are charged to the contributors' accounts.  If the goal isn't reached, nothing happens.

We are currently on track but must sustain this activity for another couple of weeks in order to attain the goal.  (When I first wrote this post--on February 14--we had a little over a month left.  We're now down to a little over two weeks.)  Of the many who are interested in what Margaret is doing, we need a couple of hundred more to contribute for the Kickstarter campaign to be successful.  In a nutshell, we need--and deeply appreciate--your help and support.

Margaret's Kickstarter page-- https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/868807300/heart-of-africa --includes a brief video and a description that will tell you more about the project.  You'll also find a list of rewards for contributions at various levels.  Here I want to share some thoughts about what it will take to attain the goal.  I'll also provide links to other material related to the project.

How much should you contribute?

The short answer, of course, is however much you'd like. Any amount is helpful and is appreciated. We understand that people's circumstances vary. And besides people's ability to contribute, their excitement about and commitment to the project may motivate them to stretch further than they would otherwise.  (As you become familiar with the project, I believe you will in fact be excited about it and want to help support it.)

Given all the variables, I thought it might be helpful for you to know where we're at right now and how much it will take for the campaign to be successful.

As of this moment¹--early morning on Friday, February 27--279 people have contributed, and the total contributed is $22,582.  The average contribution is about $81, but contributions range from several at $5 to six $1000 contributions.  17 days remain to reach the goal of $30,000.  (As I noted above, if the goal is not reached, we get nothing.)

We hope for additional contributions at the $1000 level or even higher.  But obviously the bulk of contributions will be smaller than that.  If we can sustain an average contribution of $75 to $100, we are very likely to make our goal.  If the average drops below that, we will simply need more people to contribute.

Here's what the math says.  To attain the remaining $7418, we would need one of the following:
*1484 people contributing $5 each
*297 people contributing $25 each
*149 people contributing $50 each
*99 contributing $75 each
or
*75 people contributing $100 each

I'm sure there are another 100 people or more out there willing to contribute, so if we average $75 for each contribution, I think we're safe.  But to really be safe, I think we're going to need to increase the average contribution or persuade a couple of hundred people or more to contribute.  So consider this an invitation to contribute.

Here's what I recommend:

If you can only give a little, I hope you can contribute at least $25--though een less than that will help, and will be appreciated.  If you have the means to do so, I would recommend contributing $50 or $100 or more, depending on how strongly you feel about Margaret's project.

For those of you who genuinely have enough and to spare in abundance, contributions of several hundred dollars or even a thousand or more would be greatly appreciated and would not only help guarantee the campaign's success but would help ensure adequate funding for the beginning stages of the project.  (And if you've looked at the list of reward, you'll know that a contribution of $5000 means you'll be invited to the premiere in Africa or the later premiere in the U.S.)

Aimé and Steffy Mbuyi
 just after their sealing in the Accra Ghana Temple
 (Aimé is the former Congolese revolutionary on whose experiences Margaret's film is based)

Why contribute?

I realize that even those of you who are blessed with great abundance have many competing projects to which you might lend your support.  All I can say is that Margaret's film is among the projects worthy of your support.  This is more than just your everyday feature film.  The plan is for it to premiere in Africa and help launch an almost non-existent film industry in the Congo.  The film will help change perceptions of Africa--especially central Africa, about which many terribly inaccurate misconceptions remain.  Margaret has visited the Congo and spent time with families there.  We knows that these are beautiful, gifted, intelligent, peace-loving people with the potential to accomplish wonderful things.

The film also will convey a powerful message about building relationships and understanding across cultural and racial divides.  It is based on real experiences of Mormon missionaries in central Africa and helps portray the struggles and miracles experienced by people we have come to know and love.

Other items of interest

I'll be adding more material here over time.  But I'll start will a link to the "teaser" or more accurately a sort of mock up trailer for the film.  This was intended to give some idea of what the film would be about--but not necessarily using the actors or locations that will end up in the finished film.  (For one thing, I have my screen debut here--but I don't plan to be in the finished film.)

HEART OF AFRICA trailer: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3sanbsefr5btx16/Heart%20of%20Africa%206-22.mp4

(See additional links below.)

The filming of the trailer was directed by Mallory Everton (well known as a member of BYU Television's Studio C).  Here are some photos of the filming:

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

Heart of Africa Q&A (at "Wheat & Tares")

"Coming Soon: Heart of Africa (and more!)" (at LDS Cinema Online) 

"Mormon Woman, Artist, Filmmaker on Heart of Africa" (Margaret's Interview with Lisa Torcasso Downing)

"Will Mormon missionaries lead the way out of racism?" (Margaret's guest post on Jana Riess's "Flunking Sainthood")

"Heart of Africa with Margaret Blair Young" (podcast with Brian Kissell at "Rational Faiths")

"Studio C and Heart of Africa" (the story of the involvement two Studio C members--Mallory Everton and Stacey Harkey--have had with the project)

The provisional trailer (directed by Mallory Everton)

also a series of articles at Meridian Magazine:
(1) http://ldsmag.com/the-revolutionary-takes-a-bride/
(2) http://ldsmag.com/the-problem-with-an-eight-cow-wife/
(3) http://ldsmag.com/divine-orchestration-in-africa/
(4) http://ldsmag.com/monuments-to-a-dark-past-and-a-bright-future-in-africa/

********************************

¹What I originally wrote when I published this post was this: "As of this moment--Saturday morning, February 14--76 people have contributed, and the total contributed is $7601.  The average contribution is about $100, but contributions range from several at $5 to three $1000 contributions.  30 days remain to reach the goal of $30,000.  (As I noted above, if the goal is not reached, we get nothing.)"  Obviously, we have continued doing well since then.  My next revision of the post read: "As of Wednesday, February 18, at 3:30 p.m.--168 people have contributed, and the total contributed is $12, 858." The average contribution had dropped to a little over $75.  My estimate of what remained to do on February 14 was this:
   "To attain the remaining $22,400, we would need one of the following:
    *4480 people contributing $5 each
    *896 people contributing $25 each
    *448 people contributing $50 each
    or
    *224 people contributing $100 each"
The revised version of the post (above) gives my current estimate.

When I turned 64: Secret Ballot Results

First of all, the results in summary chart form (click on the chart and you'll see a larger version of it):



(You'll find more detail below, along with learning how I voted!)

 The story behind the vote

As noted in "When I Turned 64: The Great Beatles Party," as people came to our home, we asked them to identify Beatles themed food items (see http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2014/11/when-i-turned-64-beatles-themed-food.html) and also to cast a "secret ballot" for their favorite Beatles favorite Beatles songs (I allowed up to 5), favorite album, least favorite Beatles song, and least favorite album.  A few people refused to pick a least favorite album, or said they didn't have one.

Only 25 of the 52 people who attended cast a ballot.  (Sounds like a regular election, huh?)  About the only thing everyone had in common is that they had come to my party.  The voters included Beatles experts and emphatically non-Beatles experts.  The youngest voter was 8 years old; the oldest was 64, I believe.  (That would be me.)  I'll reveal my personal preferences after I've given the full results, first with explanations and commentary and then in chart form.

Here are the results:

(1) Favorite Beatle: Paul won by a landslide (13 out of 25 votes)

The others in order were Ringo (5), George (4) and John (2).  A bit surprising.

(2) Favorite Beatles songs: The winner was "Eleanor Rigby" (7 votes), followed by "Here Comes the Sun" (6) "Let It Be" (5),  "Hey Jude" and "Blackbird" (4 each) and five other songs that tied for 6th place with 3 votes each: "Penny Lane," "Something," "A Hard Day's Night," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "I Will."

Those with 2 votes were "She Loves You," "Help!," "Yesterday," "Norwegian Wood," "In My Life," "Yellow Submarine," "A Day in the Life," "Rocky Raccoon" (interesting), "Octopus's Garden," and "Across the Universe."

(3) Favorite Beatles albums: The winner was Abbey Road (with 5 votes), followed by Revolver (4) and three others that tied with 3 votes each (Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper's, and Let It Be).  Interesting results.

I mentioned in an earlier post that the results may be distorted a bit by some voters' lack of thorough knowledge of all the albums.  I say that partly because one of the voters told me he didn't really know which was the best album: he voted for Abbey Road because it was the only one he could think of (or picture the cover of).

I also thought it was odd that Let It Be ranked as high as it did when it's overall one of my less favorite albums.  But I realized that its title coincides with that of one of the most popular of the Beatles' songs and that the album includes at least three other celebrated tracks: "Across the Universe," "The Long and Winding Road," and "Get Back."  So either others don't share my indifference toward, or in some cases active disliking of, four or five of the other tracks, or else they like the more popular tracks enough to overcome any less than enthusiastic feelings about the others.

The popularity of particular tracks may also help explain the popularity of Abbey Road ("Here Comes the Sun" was the second favorite Beatles song in this poll) and Revolver ("Eleanor Rigby" was the favorite).  When I tried ranking albums by the number of "favorite" votes the songs had received (and subtracted the votes for least favorite), I ended up with almost exactly the same results, except for the intervention of two albums with lots of popular songs: Abbey Road and Revolver tied for first place and were followed by Let It Be, then by Magical Mystery Tour and Hard Day's Night, and then by Rubber Soul, and Sgt. Pepper's.  (Using this method, the next albums were Help! and The Beatles, then Beatles for Sale, then With the Beatles and Yellow Submarine, and finally Please Please Me.)

(4) Least favorite Beatles song: The clear winner was "Revolution 9" (on the "White Album")--which, as someone pointed out, is not really a song.  There was no clear consensus for second place, though one odd result was that some songs had votes as both favorite and least favorite.  (The songs with the most mixed results were "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (+3, -2); "Love Me Do" (+1, -1), "Yellow Submarine" (+2, -2), "Strawberry Fields Forever" (+1, -1), "While My Guitar" (+1, -1), "Everybody's Got Something to Hide" (+1, -1), and "Octopus's Garden" (+2, -1).  Also, "Here Comes the Sun" (ranking 2nd in positive votes) got one negative vote.

Someone also pointed out that most of the votes (for least favorite) were for well-known songs that people didn't care for.  Only those who know all 211 songs that were listed on the ballot might be aware of how bad a few of the more obscure songs are.  (I'm thinking, for instance, of my personal least favorite: "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)."  Of course, this isn't a real song either--at least not an attempt at a good one.)

(5) Least favorite Beatles albums: Again there was a clear "winner"--Yellow Submarine.  The only problem is that it's not really an album in the sense the others are.  It has only four new songs, repeats two from other albums, and then has orchestral music by George Martin.  I should probably have asked what your least favorite album is other than Yellow Submarine.

The others with negative votes included Help! (2 negative votes, but also 2 positive ones), three that had two negative votes each (Please Please Me, With the Beatles, and The Beatles), and three that had one negative vote, along with several positive ones (Abbey Road, Rubber Soul, and Sgt. Pepper's).


**********************************
My personal favorites and non-favorites

My votes don't match those of the 25 voters very well--though there's some overlap.  Like 12 of the others, I voted for Paul as my favorite Beatle.  I admire John, but it's harder to like him.

My favorite songs were "Penny Lane," "Here Comes the Sun," "We Can Work It Out," "In My Life," "Yesterday," and "If I Fell."  (Oops!  That's six--I guess we'll maybe put "If I Fell" at the top of my next 5.)  Two of these were among the voters' top 10; "In My Life" and "Yesterday" also got a vote each from other voters.  I am also quite fond of others the voters ranked high, such as "Eleanor Rigby," "Hey Jude," "Let It Be," "Blackbird," and "Help!"

My favorite album is Rubber Soul, closely followed by Revolver and Beatles for Sale.  I clearly like the Beatles as superb songwriters and am happy to see them exploring styles and moods.  But I don't enjoy them as much when they're being experimental and self-consciously artsy.  I think Sgt. Pepper's is a great album, a brilliant one, and it has some great songs.  But as a whole I don't enjoy it as much as some of the others.  I also quite enjoy Help!, Abbey Road, Magical Mystery Tour, and With the Beatles, and there's lots of good stuff on A Hard Day's Night and Please Please Me as well.

My least favorite song as noted above is "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)."  Others I don't care for include "The Ballad of John and Yoko," "Mr. Moonlight," "Flying," "Wild Honey Pie" (OK--not really a song), "Don't Pass Me By" (someone said this one is so bad it's almost good), "Why Don't We Do It in the Road," "Yer Blues," "Sexy Sadie," "Long, Long, Long," "Revolution 9," "Sun King," "Dig It," "Maggie Mae," and the Let It Be version of "One After 909."  And there are others I don't especially like.

My least favorite album is Yellow Submarine--but, as with many others, that's mostly because it's not much of an album.  The others I don't care for are Let It Be (despite 5 or 6 songs I quite like) and the "White Album" (The Beatles)--long, uneven, and self-indulgent; yet it has some of my favorites: "Back in the USSR"; "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"; "While My Guitar"; "Blackbird"; "Rocky Raccoon"; "Julia"; "Birthday"; "Mother Nature's Son"; and "Cry Baby Cry."  "Savoy Truffle," "Piggies," and "Good Night" are fun too.  So if it were reduced to one album, with at least 12 of the 30 songs eliminated, it might rank much higher.

When I turned 64: Beatles Quiz

Elsewhere you'll find the quiz questions related to food items (plus "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane") (see

Here's the rest of the quiz, first the questions, then the answers.

Can you name the four Beatles in order of age, oldest to youngest?  (If you can, do it!)

What was the name of John's musical group that Paul joined after meeting John in 1957?

Which people have been referred to as "the fifth Beatle"?

When there actually were five members of the group, who were the five and what was the group called?  (And what happened to them?)

The name Beatles puns on "beat"; but why an insect name?

Name four Beatles movies and say something interesting about each of them.

What is the name of the villains in the movie Yellow Submarine?

Name the classical composer or composition that helped inspire Paul's use of brass in "Penny Lane."

Who plays lead guitar on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"?

Can you name the songs on which Billy Preston plays and what instruments he plays?

What instruments did each of the Beatles normally play (especially in the early singles and albums)?

Which Beatles song begins with an electric guitar feedback note, the first rock song to use guitar feedback?

The Baroque style piano bridge in the song "In My Life" sounds kind of like a harpsichord. Who played the bridge, and what technique was used to make the piano sound like a harpsichord?

What record label rejected the Beatles, commenting that "Guitar groups are on their way out"?

What was the Beatles first single, and what year was it released?

What was the Beatles first number one single (in the UK)?

What was the first Beatles single to sell a million copies in the UK?

Three US record labels released early Beatles records (late 1963-early 1964). What are they?

What was the main US record label for Beatles recordings from 1964-66 (or from late 1963 until 1967 when they released records under the Apple label)? What was the first single this label released in the US?

What was the date of the first Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show?

Can you remember either the reported number of viewers or what per cent of the US population watched the show? 

What record label released the US version of A Hard Day's Night (the album)?

What award did Queen Elizabeth give the Beatles in 1965?

What is the first Beatles album to include only original material?

What was the last album (not counting Let It Be, with its version of "Maggie Mae") to include covers of songs by other composers?

Which Beatles song has had more covers by other artists than any other copyrighted song in history?

What was the Beatles last live public performance?

When and where was Beatles last commercial concert?

On what date was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band released?

In what European city is there a wall called the "Lennon wall" with Beatles and especially Lennon-themed graffiti?
On that wall, someone has written "All You Need Is Love"; what is written in small writing sideways between the letters "V" and "E"?
(Who wrote it?)

An excerpt (played by brass) from what national anthem begins the song "All You Need Is Love"?

Which album did President Clinton say was his favorite Beatles album?

What is the official title of the album commonly known as "The White Album"?

What Beatle broke the understanding that girlfriends were not to be brought to recording sessions, and who did he bring?

What album was mostly recorded before Abbey Road but released after it?

What film features a teen-age girl's anguish over the breakup of the Beatles (publicly announced in 1970)?

What George Harrison song was the only one featured as the A-side of a Beatles single and was a favorite of Frank Sinatra's (who sometimes referred to it as his favorite Lennon-McCartney song)?

What two songs, based on Lennon demos, were released in the mid-1990s as new Beatles singles?

Which two album titles pun on the nature of vinyl records (on which, of course, they were originally released)?

Which albums have songs that are linked (without breaks between them)? Give details please.

Mystery: How did I manage to hear "Let It Be" on the radio before my mission--therefore, sometime maybe in January 1970, when it was not released until March?

Which Beatles song features a French horn solo?

Which Beatles song uses lyrics from Thomas Dekker's play from the early 1600s Patient Grissel?

Which Beatles song has the longest title?

Which Beatles song(s) have the shortest title? (OK, there are more than one.)

Can you name where the Beatles were listed as the only Rock 'n Roll entry for recommended teen listening, with the added comment "That's all--the rest are shirttailers!"?

*******************************

AND NOW FOR THE ANSWERS:

Can you name the four Beatles in order of age, oldest to youngest?

Answer: Ringo (born 7 July 1940); John (born 9 Oct. 1940); Paul (born 18 Jun 1942); George (born 25 Feb 1943)

What was the name of John's musical group that Paul joined after meeting John in 1957?

Answer: The Quarreymen

Which people have been referred to as "the fifth Beatle"?

Answer: Lots of different people, some more commonly than others.  There's a whole Wikipedia article on the subject.  Here's a brief list: 

Brian Epstein

Derek Taylor and Neil Aspinall (according to George Harrison)

George Martin

Some of those who were once members of the group or of its predecessors or who played with the group at some point: Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe, Andy White, Billy Preston, Tony Sheridan, Eric Clapton, Jimmie Nichol, and others  . . .

When there actually were five members of the group, who were the five and what was the group called?

Answer: Silver Beatles, Beatles, or (briefly) Beat Brothers: John, Paul, George, Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe

What happened to them? Answer: John, Paul, and George, of course, remained with the group.  Pete Best (drummer) was replaced by Ringo.  Stuart Sutcliffe (bass player), who had left the group, died soon after.

The name Beatles puns on "beat"; but why an insect name?

Answer: After the pattern set by Buddy Holly & the Crickets (a favorite group of the Beatles)

Name four Beatles movies and say something interesting about each of them?

Answer: 

A Hard Day's Night (their first film; black and white; highly acclaimed; a pseudo-documentary; shows off their witty and engaging personalities; etc.).

Help! (in color; not as highly acclaimed but fun in my opinion; set partly in India--there were thoughts of calling it Eight Arms to Hold You--and so we hear some of the first Indian or pseudo-Indian music to be associated with the Beatles; partly a parody of James Bond films; ends with some music by Rossini)

Magical Mystery Tour (made for TV; rather bizarre; a strange bus trip; . . .)

The Yellow Submarine (animated--but with a brief non-animated appearance by the band, singing "All Together Now," as I remember; about a conflict between the forces of good--e.g., the Beatles--and evil--glum, colorless, controlling, joyless forces)

Let It Be (a "fly-on-the-wall" style film of Beatles rehearsals revealing tensions in the group; Yoko Ono is hanging around, as at some points is Heather, daughter of Linda Eastman; the film ends with the famous rooftop concert--see below)

What is the name of the villains in the movie Yellow Submarine?

Answer: The Blue Meanies

Name the classical composer or composition that helped inspire Paul's use of brass in "Penny Lane."

Answer: Bach; Brandenburg Concerti (I'm not sure which one)

Who plays lead guitar on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"?

Answer: Eric Clapton

Can you name the songs on which Billy Preston plays and what instruments he plays?

Answer: He plays the organ on "Let It Be" and "I Want You"; electric piano (Fender Rhoades) on "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down."

What instruments did each of the Beatles normally play (especially in the early singles and albums)?

Answer: Ringo: drums; George: lead guitar; John: rhythm guitar; Paul: bass guitar.  But they also played lots of other instruments, including other percussion instruments, other-than-their-usual guitars, and keyboard (especially John and Paul).

Which Beatles song begins with an electric guitar feedback note, the first rock song to use guitar feedback?

Answer: "I Feel Fine"

The Baroque style piano bridge in the song "In My Life" sounds kind of like a harpsichord. Who played the bridge, and what technique was used to make the piano sound like a harpsichord?

Answer: George Martin composed and played the bridge.  Apparently the tempo was too fast for him to play it, so the tape was slowed to half the speed as he recorded the bridge on the piano.  When the speed is returned to normal (and therefore the bridge is twice as fast), it has a bright, almost harpsichord-like sound--appropriate, given its Baroque style.

What record label rejected the Beatles, commenting that "Guitar groups are on their way out"?

Answer: Decca

What was the Beatles first single, and what year was it released?

Answer: "Love Me Do"; 1962 (Oct)

What was the Beatles first number one single (in the UK)?

Answer: "Please Please Me"

What was the first Beatles single to sell a million copies in the UK?

Answer: "She Loves You" (By the way, this happened in 1963.)

Three US record labels released early Beatles records (late 1963-early 1964). What are they?

Answer: Vee Jay, Swan, Capitol (there's a story to this, which I won't get into . . .)

What was the main US record label for Beatles recordings from 1964-66 (late 1963 until 1967 when they released records under the Apple label)? What was the first single this label released in the US?

Answer: Capitol Records; "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"

What was the date of the first Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show?

Answer: February 9, 1964

Can you remember either the reported number of viewers or what per cent of the US population watched the show?

Answer:  73 million viewers; 34% of the US population

What record label released the US version of A Hard Day's Night (the album)?

Answer: United Artists (who also released the film, I believe)

What award did Queen Elizabeth give the Beatles in 1965?

Answer: MBE (Member of the British Empire) (note that some previous recipients returned their medallions in protest)

What is the first Beatles album to include only original material?

Answer: Hard Day's Night

What was the last album (not counting Let It Be, with its version of "Maggie Mae") to include covers of songs by other composers?

Answer: Help!

Which Beatles song has had more covers by other artists than any other copyrighted song in history?

Answer: "Yesterday"

What was the Beatles last live public performance?

Answer: "'the Beatles Rooftop Performance' which took place on the roof of Apple Studios in Savile Row, London on 30 January 1969" (Wikipedia)

When and where was Beatles last commercial concert?

Answer: 29 Aug. 1966; Candlestick Park in San Francisco

On what date was Sgt. Pepper released?

Answer: June 1, 1967 (I believe it was released simultaneously in the US and the UK, the first of their albums to be so released--and also to be exactly the same in both nations)

In what European city is there a wall called the "Lennon wall" with Beatles and especially Lennon-themed graffiti?

Answer: Prague, Czech Republic

On that wall, someone has written "All You Need Is Love"; what is written in small writing sideways between the letters "V" and "E"?

Answer: "depending on what you mean by love"

(Who wrote it?  Answer: I did.)

An excerpt (played by brass) from what national anthem begins the song "All You Need Is Love"?

Answer: "The Marseillaise" ("Allons, enfants de la patrie . . .")

Which album did President Clinton say was his favorite Beatles album?

Answer: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

What is the official title of the album commonly known as "The White Album"?

Answer: The Beatles

What Beatle broke the understanding that girlfriends were not to be brought to recording sessions, and who did he bring?

Answer: John; Yoko Ono.

What album was mostly recorded before Abbey Road but released after it?

Answer: Let It Be

What film features a teen-age girl's anguish over the breakup of the Beatles (publicly announced in 1970)?

Answer: Apollo 13

What George Harrison song was the only one featured as the A-side of a Beatles single and was a favorite of Frank Sinatra's (who sometimes referred to it as his favorite Lennon-McCartney song)?

Answer: "Something"

What two songs, based on Lennon demos, were released in the mid-1990s as new Beatles singles?

Answer: "Free as a Bird"; "Real Love"

Which two album titles pun on the nature of vinyl records (on which, of course, they were originally released)?

Answer: Rubber Soul; Revolver (think about it)

Which albums have songs that are linked (without breaks between them)? Give details please.

Answer: Sgt. Pepper's: The first song, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" goes directly into "With a Little Help from My Friends"; also there are some links on the second side (for instance, "Good Morning, Good Morning" connects with the reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's").

Also, Abbey Road: much of the 2nd side is a medley.

Mystery: How did I manage to hear "Let It Be" on the radio before my mission--therefore, sometime maybe in January 1970, when it was not released until March?

Answer: I don't know.  Maybe it was a demo sent to radio stations.  The song was recorded in January 1969 (though George Harrison later recorded two different guitar solos that were added to the recording, one to the single, the other to the album version).  But I'm not aware the recording was made public until March 1970--or perhaps shortly before, since somehow I heard it.

Which Beatles song features a French horn solo?

Answer: "For No One" (played by Alan Civil)

Which Beatles song uses lyrics from Thomas Dekker's play from the early 1600s Patient Grissel?

Answer: "Golden Slumbers" (on Abbey Road)

Which Beatles song has the longest title?
Answer: "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey"

Which Beatles song(s) have the shortest title? (OK, there are more than one.)
Answer: Several have just four letters: "Boys"; "Girl"; "Wait"; "Rain"; "Help!" (if you don't count the exclamation point).

Can you name where the Beatles were listed as the only Rock 'n Roll entry for recommended teen listening, with the added comment "That's all--the rest are shirttailers!"?
Answer: The Improvement Era (magazine of the LDS Church), February 1966. (The rest of the list included classical, jazz, pop, Broadway, and folk music.)

****************

Of course, I could have asked hundreds of other questions.  But these were ones that I thought especially interesting and (at least in some cases) significant.

When I Turned 64: Beatles themed food items

As noted in my post "When I turned 64: The Great Beatles Party," as people came to our home, we asked them to identify the food items in the dining room, living room, and kitchen by Beatles song and album or otherwise guess why they were relevant.

I already revealed the answer to the question "Why do we have 64 candles on a pie instead of a cake?"  The answer is found in an interview John Lennon did in 1961, in which he explained where the name "Beatles" had come from:

It came in a vision--a man appeared on a flaming pie and said unto them, "from this day on you are Beatles with an A."

So how about the other items:

What does "scrambled eggs" have to do with anything?  Answer: "Scrambled Eggs" was the working title of "Yesterday."  Paul woke up with the tune in his head and wondered for a while whether he had really written the song.  He didn't have words yet, so for a while the song started "Scrambled eggs, oh my baby, how I love your legs . . . ."  You can hear Paul (and Jimmie Fallon) sing the whole thing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btC2_t8HZP4

Which song mentions lemonade?  Answer: "Rain"

Five songs mention tea; can you name them?  Answer: "Lovely Rita"; "Good Morning, Good Morning"; "A Day in the Life" (implied in "take a cup"); "All Together Now"; "It's All Too Much."

Which song mentions peanuts?  Answer: "Drive My Car" (working for peanuts is all very fine)

Which song mentions rice?  Answer: "Eleanor Rigby," of course.

Which two songs have a connection with Kellogg's Cornflakes?  Answer: (1) "I Am the Walrus" ("sitting on a cornflake"); (2) "Good Morning, Good Morning" (a little less obvious--but more specifically connected with Kellogg's Cornflakes, which has a rooster on the box and which had a commercial back in the day with the jingle "Good morning, good morning, the best to you each morning . . .).

And how about marshmallow pie? Answer: "Lucy in the Sky"

Marmalade? Answer: "Lucy in the Sky"

Tangerines (connected with two songs)?  Answer: "Lucy in the Sky" (tangerine trees) and "Savoy Truffle" (creme tangerine)

Strawberries?  Answer: "Strawberry Fields Forever"

(Bonus question: What does "Strawberry Fields Forever" refer to.  Answer, according to Wikipedia: "Lennon's memories of playing in the garden [i.e., the wooded area behind the building] of 'Strawberry Field', a Salvation Army children's home near where he lived."

And while we're at it, what does "Penny Lane" refer to?  Answer, from Wikipedia again: "the name of a street near Lennon's childhood home for his first 5 years (Newcastle Road, just off Church Road), in the band's hometown, Liverpool, England. McCartney and Lennon would meet at Penny Lane junction in the Princes Park area to catch a bus into the centre of the city." Lots of buses had "Penny Lane" listed as part of their route.)

Apples?  Answer: Two connections, really. One is "Savoy Truffle," where "apple tart" is mentioned.  The other is Apple Records, the label of Beatles records starting in 1967 (and part of their company, Apple Corp).

Which songs mention honey?  Answer: "A Taste of Honey"; "Honey Pie"; "Wild Honey Pie."  Anything else?  I'm not sure.

And can you think of anything spaghetti would have to do with the Beatles?  (How about a movie?)  Answer: Well, a made for TV movie, Magical Mystery Tour, which I've never seen.  But I'm aware of the scene (pictured I think in materials accompanying the original vinyl record) in which John Lennon shovels spaghetti onto the plate or the table where a large woman is seated.

Here are a few more questions (and answers):

George Harrison wrote the song "Savoy Truffle" in honor of what person's sweet tooth? Answer: Eric Clapton.

Can you think of any alcoholic beverages named in Beatles songs?

Wine: "Norwegian Wood"; "Her Majesty"; "A Taste of Honey"; "When I'm Sixty-Four."  (Am I missing anything?)
Gin: "Rocky Racoon"
Coca-Cola (OK, it's not alcoholic): "Come Together"

And there could be others I can't remember.

Why did we not have any of them for dinner tonight?  Answer: It's a Monday night (and Latter-day Saints need to be extra good).  (Note tongue firmly in cheek--of course, we need to be good every day; or just to be safe, let's say "any time at all" or even "eight days a week.")

Finally, note the various other items we had at various spots in the house:

A red pepper in the shape of an octopus in a bed of humus and parsley?  "Octopus's Garden," of course.  And maybe an allusion to Pepperland (from the Yellow Submarine movie)?

We had a container of black pepper with a picture of the Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper's costumes.

And we had a container of mustard labeled "Mean Mr. Mustard" (from Abbey Road).

We had a can of dog food on the table to suggest "Hey Bulldog" and maybe the dogs barking at the end of "Good Morning, Good Morning."

Margaret set the book Magic Eye on the table to suggest the kaleidoscope reference in "Lucy in the Sky."

One of our desserts was marshmallow pie! (with a chocolate crust, vanilla pudding, and chocolate bars, topped by marshmallows--aka 'Smores pie)  Of course, another allusion to "Lucy in the Sky."

And we had two boxes of See's Chocolates, which Margaret had carefully chosen to replicate some of the contents of the British product called Mackintosh's Good News.  George Harrison used the names of several of the "Good News" chocolates in "Savoy Truffle," the song honoring Eric Clapton's sweet tooth.  Here are the lyrics:

Creme tangerine and Montélimar

A ginger sling with a pineapple heart

A coffee dessert--yes you know it's good news

But you'll have to have them all pulled out

After the Savoy truffle.

 

Cool cherry cream, nice apple tart

I feel your taste all the time we're apart

Coconut fudge--really blows down those blues

But you'll have to have them all pulled out

After the Savoy truffle.

I'm pretty sure we didn't have all the items named in the song.  But we had several.  Plus I had set out bowls of generic truffles and some very tasty dark chocolate coconut almond candies (see "coconut fudge" in the song).

When I turned 64: Playlist

In preparation for my 64th birthday, I created a playlist of 64 of my favorite Beatles songs.  You can listen to them at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4_TXuU9ars&list=PLJzJSEuDBz7qxCpAYHo-LHsQOTz3k0f9r&index=1

These are not exactly my 64 favorites--though most of them would make it on such a list.  But for special reasons I added a few that are not among my top 64: "Strawberry Fields Forever" because it's paired with "Penny Lane" (which is one of my very favorites); "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" because it leads into "With a Little Help from My Friends" (also among my favorites); "Her Majesty" because it finishes off the closing medley of Abbey Road.  And there are a few others that snuck in for such reasons.  Also, there are at least a half dozen that could easily have made it into the top 64 if I'd left out some of the extras or been in a different mood when I made the list.  But I had to make it come out to 64--so I had to draw the line somewhere.

After listing the songs, I'll explain why they're in the order they are.

Magical Mystery Tour
I'll Follow the Sun
You're Going to Lose That Girl
Good Day Sunshine
For No One
Doctor Robert
If I Fell
It Won't Be Long
Day Tripper
We Can Work It Out
Here Comes the Sun
Eight Days a Week
Any Time at All
In My Life
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
P. S. I Love You
Eleanor Rigby
Help! (with James Bond intro)
I'll Be Back
I'm Looking Through You (Anthology Version)
Please Mr. Postman
Not a Second Time
Little Child
Paperback WRiter
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help from My Friends
Yesterday
Got to Get You into My Life
Penny Lane (promo version with trumpet fanfare at the end)
Strawberry Fields Forever
Your Mother Should Know
You Won't See Me
Thank You Girl
She Loves You
Wait
I'll Get You
Every Little Thing
Baby's in Black
From Me to You
Hello Goodbye
Things We Said Today
No Reply
I'm a Loser
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Drive My Car
Girl
Let It Be (single version)
Lovely Rita
Think for Yourself
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
What You're Doing
Here, There, and Everywhere
Please Please Me
One After 909 (Anthology version)
Ticket to Ride
Blackbird
The Fool on the Hill
When I'm Sixty-Four
Twist and Shout (live)
Hey Jude
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
Her Majesty

Notice that there are some special entries: a live performance of "Twist and Shout" (with John's famous line about "rattl[ing] your jewelry"); "I'll Get You" as presented on a teen TV show; "Hello Goodbye" on Ed Sullivan; "Penny Lane" in my favorite version (with trumpet fanfare at the end) that you won't find on any of the CDs or vinyl albums; the Anthology version of "I'm Looking Through You" (which I quite like, though I like the Rubber Soul version as well); and "One After 909" in the only version I really like (and I like it a lot in this version)--the Anthology mix that makes a full song of what were incomplete parts.

As for the order, it is neither in order of how much I like the songs nor in chronological order.  It's an order that I quickly and intuitively put together on the basis of organic connections.  "Magical Mystery Tour" begins the adventure, and the adventure ends appropriately with the closing medley from Abbey Road.  Just before that is "Hey Jude," which (if I'm not mistaken) often comes near the end of McCartney's concerts, with audience participation.  And I put a couple of other numbers before "Hey Jude" as part of the final suite: "When I'm Sixty-Four" (the title track for my birthday celebration) and "Twist and Shout" (to add a reminder of the excitement that got the Beatles phenomenon started).  Just before "When I'm Sixty-Four" is "The Fool on the Hill," which I'm NOT saying is a reference to me . . . but take it as you will.

Some of the connections among other groups of songs are obvious; some are not.  Sometimes it's just a matter of contrast or continuity.  Note, for instance, the subtle links between "Here Comes the Sun," "Eight Days a Week," "Any Time at All," and "In My Life" (the theme of time being one of the links).  And note the theme of communication in "From Me to You," "Hello Goodbye," "Things We Said Today," and "No Reply."  Transportation (by train) links "One After 909" and "Ticket to Ride."

Having made my list, I can affirm with confidence that I could easily add another 90 or so songs to the list.  In fact, I'm sure I've left many people's very favorite songs off my list (for instance, "A Day in the Life," which might be in my top 100, but not in my top 64).  But my list of 64 songs is already roughly 3 hours long, and my longer list of favorites would be almost three times as long.  So I'm happy to have had a reason to try to trim things to 64.