Welcome to rec.music.beatles
Post: 4875 of 4876 From: dmac@math.ucla.edu (saki) Newsgroups: rec.music.beatles Subject: Welcome to rec.music.beatles Date: 30 Sep 1993 16:22:22 GMT Organization: UCLA Mathematics Department Lines: 230 Distribution: world Reply-To: dmac@math.ucla.edu NNTP-Posting-Host: risc.agsm.ucla.edu Summary: A guide to available FAQs You're here---the most intense collection of Beatlemaniacs anywhere in Usenet-land. You don't have to be rabid yourself to enjoy the proceedings. An elementary interest will do. For newcomers and others, we offer a few guidelines, explanations, and suggestions. WHAT WE DISCUSS Simple---the Beatles, also known as the Fab Four, the Fabs (to use George Harrison's sardonic phraseology), and the Boys (used by some particularly besotted fans. :-) But any group relating to the Beatles is also fair game. You're welcome to bring into the discussion any British Invasion band (Rolling Stones, Animals, etc.) or any contemporary American band (Beach Boys, Turtles, etc.); and especially any of the Beatles' antecedents (Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly et al), as long as there's some reasonable or perfunctory Beatles connection. For modern rock *only* (anything post-1970), try rec.music.misc. For fifties or sixties rock, try alt.rock-n-roll.oldies. Rec.music.beatles is a forum for exchange of information and opinions. You'll find that it's easy to get around without a map...but some background information will serve you well. Knowing the basic album releases (now available on CD) will help; so will a passing familiarity with the Beatles' film output. "A Hard Day's Night", "Help!", "Magical Mystery Tour" are all recommended; "Let It Be" is currently out of print but may be available in some video parlors; and the documentary "The Compleat Beatles" is well worth the time. R.m.b tends to be rather text- and sourcebook-based. You'll see people refer to various references to settle discussions. A book list is also available for your perusal but a brief list would include prime Beatles scholar Mark Lewisohn's "The Beatles: A Recording History" (called The Book by many r.m.b. regulars), and his new release, "The Complete Beatles Chronicle", William Dowlding's "Beatlessongs", a compendium of knowledge about each official musical release, and any of the reasonably well researched biographies of the Fabs (all have their flaws but the most dependable are Ray Coleman's "Lennon", Philip Norman's "Shout!" and Hunter Davies' "The Beatles".) It's recommended that you avoid reference works written by people whose scholarship is suspect or who are out mainly for gossip and innuendo (Fred Seamans, Albert Goldman), unless you're prepared to keep it in perspective. Very commonly-asked questions may already have been covered in the frequently-asked-questions-and-topics note (called NEMS): -How did the Beatles get their name? -Who was the fifth Beatle? -Are the remaining Beatles getting back together? -...and so on. Ask for this note (or any other from the list below) if you wonder whether your query is appropriate for the net. You may also be well served by reading r.m.b. for several weeks before sailing in with your question. Some topics never seem to die. :-) (The "Paul Is Dead" myth, for instance...ask for the CLUES or PID note to find out all about this.) If you have a question about lyrics, go ahead and ask, but there are several good lyric books out, notably Campbell and Murphy's "Things We Said Today" and Alan Aldridge's "Illustrated Lyrics". In recent years, some unauthorized Beatles recordings have emerged on the bootleg market, and these often receive much attention on the net. Please remember that these are illegal recordings; U.S. law prohibits selling, trading, broadcasting, and possibly purchase of these items. Discussion goes on nevertheless, but it's considered a breach of net etiquette to ask someone publicly to reveal where they purchase bootlegs, if they admit to doing so. Likewise you may work for a government agency or an institution/university which may disapprove of your discussing contraband in public. Please keep this in mind and act accordingly, with utmost tact, before plunging into the bootleg discussion yourself. We are a polite bunch of people; flame wars are almost unknown in rec.music.beatles, and we ask your cooperation in keeping it that way. If you must get antagonistic with someone, please do it via email. Many books about the Beatles are available through an organization in New Jersey called Beatlefest. They sponsor yearly Beatles conventions in Newark, NJ (March), Chicago (August) and Los Angeles (November). For information or a catalogue, call 1-800-BEATLES. Don't be surprised, but your local university or public library may also have a good collection of sourcebooks. Check the on-line or card catalog. -------- AVAILABLE NOTES: - Are you new to this newsgroup, or new to the entire Usenet world? Ask for "Introduction to rec.music.beatles", wherein you can learn how this newsgroup works, guidelines on how to post, etc. (INTRO). Last update: 1 October 1993. - Where's your area of interest? New or old releases? Collectibles? Current availability of books, music, videos? Ask for the FAQs to see if your question has been asked. These Frequently-Asked- Questions may answer your query. Nems I is for starters. And if you're ready for the graduate-level Frequently Asked Questions, ask for Nems II. (Specify NEMS I or NEMS II). Last update: 1 September 1993. - The Compleat Book List...well, as complete as we can get it. Updates and emmendations welcome. Compiled by Steve Carter and saki. Ask for ALLBOOKS. Last update: 1 July 1993. - A smaller booklist for those just starting out, or those wishing to peruse a few titles at a time (ask for SOMEBOOKS). Last update: 1 January 1993. - 25 succinct and relevant "Paul is Dead" clues (ask for CLUES). Last Update: N/A (the clues don't change with time! :-) - A considerably longer treatise on the "Paul Is Dead" myth (PID), with new information on possible origins of the hoax! Last update: 29 September 1993. - Doug Sulpy's excellent and studious intro to the best bootlegs as they appeared to him in 1990. (ask for RARE). Last editorial update: 1 March 1993. - Scott Galuska's reknowned list of Beatles songs covered by other artists; ask for COVERS. Last update: 15 June 1993. - Harold Somers' Guide to Britishisms/Americanisms in the Beatles' music; ask for BRITGUIDE. Last update: 1 July 1993. - A traveler's guide to Beatles sights and sites in Liverpool and London; ask for TRIP. Last update: 1 July 1993. - Beatles Novelty Records, compiled by moko. Ask for NOVELTY. Last update: 31 May 1993. - Video Beatles, a guide to available appearance of the Boys in film and television appearances, written by Ed Chen. Ask for VIDEO. Last update: 1 September 1993. - A long reference---in alphabetical order, no less---of British musical groups, from the early 1950's to the British Invasion; ask for BRITPOP. Last update: July 1992. - What Goes On---a comprehensive compendium of recording anomalies, oddities, mistakes, misapprehensions, melodic curios. Ask for ANOMALIES. Last update: April 1993. These notes can be sent to you via email. Send your request to: dmac@math.ucla.edu (saki) and indicate in your message which notes you'd like. I'll send them to you by return email as quickly as I can manage. If you prefer to use FTP (file transfer protocol) to download these notes to your system, without the bother of email, please read the following. If you are unfamiliar with FTP, read your on-line MAN pages for "ftp" or ask your system operator for help. Not all sites have FTP capability, and please remember that Dr. Pollack's "Notes On..." series are available *only* via FTP, not via email. NOTE: Alan Pollack's "Notes On ..." series is archived at the FTP site bobcat.bbn.com (or, numerically, 128.89.2.103). Administrator is clements@bbn.com. You can get the Notes from this machine, *not via email*. Also available are the articles above, if you prefer FTP. Use "ftp" as follows: ftp bobcat.bbn.com (user name) anonymous (password) your-name [please? Not just "guest", etc.] cd beatles cd noteson [for Alan's notes] or cd welcome [ for saki's] dir getAlso in the "noteson" directory are: i) Alan's "README" file describing the series, ii) The file notestar.z which is a compressed "tar" file of all the notes so far. Also in the "welcome" directory are: i) A "README" file describing the various files, ii) The file introtar.z which is a compressed "tar" file of all the "welcome" files. Cautions: i) Be patient. The file transfers may be slow. ii) Please respect all copyrights on these files. iii) The "Notes on..." series is not available via email. Please don't ask. iv) The files "notestar.z" and "introtar.z" mentioned above are only useful if you have Unix- compatible "uncompress" and "tar" utilities. If you do fetch these files, use "binary" mode in your FTP program. FOR LYRICS/GUITAR CHORD FANS: ------------------------ Lyrics are not archived at bobcat.bbn.com because of copyright restrictions. There is, however, one site where the administrators seem not to care about preserving such sanctities, and if you wish you can search for Beatles lyrics there at cs.uwp.edu (in directory pub/music/lyrics); chords to Fabs' songs may be at ftp.nevada.edu (in directory pub/guitar/Beatles). Not all songs will be available at all sites. These files aren't maintained by anyone in r.m.b., so please don't ask us for help. ------------------------ And one more thing: now that you've read everything and are ready to post, do try to remember several points of netiquette: 1. Please edit your Subject line if it needs it. 2. Please don't quote a previous article in its entirety. 3. Please keep your .sig shorter than your article. 4. Please don't shout...UNLESS YOU MUST! :-) -------------------------------------------- saki (dmac@math.ucla.edu) -------------------------------------------- -- "Musically authoritative and physically magnetic, THE BEATLES are rhythmic revolutionaries with an act which is a succession of climaxes." ------------------------------------ saki (dmac@math.ucla.edu)
