Two of the musical giants of the 20th century do their absolute best to tear down the rock and roll stage they so brilliantly built. And Yoko is at the center of it, though there is plenty of other blame to go around. The band (Elephant's Memory) is rudimentary, Chuck's guitar is out of tune, and his playing is uninspired to say the least.
But as for Yoko: At 1:15 or so, she begins, as my dad would have called it, to "caterwaul." She beats on a drum, caterwauls some more, and generally brings up the questions, "what in God's name is she doing there, and why is she ruining several of rock and roll's most signature songs?"
I am sure Lennon loved her, and I am sure she had, and has, merit in the art world. But musically, it's hard to say what she brought to the table that was positive.
Did she break up The Beatles? No, I think they were certainly headed in that direction anyway, although her presence may have made it happen a bit sooner.
Did Lennon's musical output suffer after she came some on the scene? Arguably, yes. Even though we had "Imagine" and "Mind Games," there was also the "Some Time in New York City" album. Of course, that could be due to not having McCartney to push him. But I can't see "Revolution Number 9" finding its way onto vinyl without Yoko's influence.
Overall, this performance remains almost indescribable. I sent it to a younger friend/co-worker, who is a big fan of both The Beatles and Chuck Berry, and his response was, "holy crap."
I couldn't have said it any better.
Happy birthday Yoko.
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