How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Not applicable
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
A fantastic tribute act - like watching the real band on stage !
Disadvantages:
Ringo's vocal performance was a bit 'off' in some places
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
THE BOOTLEG BEATLES
WHERE THIS FITS INTO MY BEATLEMANIA MONTH OF MAY?
A chance to get a near as you're ever going to get to seeing the Fab Four reunite!
(Please note: I don't think I am displaying this on the wrong section of Ciao, even though it implies this is a CD review. I have done a bit of research and it doesn't seem like this group ever did release a CD. There isn't a track listing mentioned under the synopsis either. Anyway, if you feel that it needs moving, leave me a note in my guestbook - I'd really appreciate that!).
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The Summer of Love came about thirty years too late for me. In the warmer months of 2007, the 1960's power group, The Beatles, dominated my CD and MP3 collection. I can't explain really why my fascination with the Fab Four emerged then, or at that time; as a child, I'd love to kick back and listen to some of their quirkier tracks, such as 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds; and 'Yellow Submarine'.
However, the inclination to listen to one of the biggest bands the world has ever known came after listening to the critically acclaimed studio album, 'Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band'. It had just been voted the best pop album of all time, a very prestigious - if not slightly exaggerated - honour which I would later come to partially agree with; with its colourful array of songs and textures, it's an enjoyable listen and certainly a great mood lifter. Not quite as good as 'Revolver' in my opinion but still a fantastic album.
Obviously, and unfortunately, my new found admiration for the band would never be able to progress into me going to see the group live after the unfortunate and tragic deaths of two of its founding members, John Lennon and George Lennon. I'd already seen Sir Paul McCartney live and was blown away by his vast back catalogue of solo and band work (even if I didn't fully recognise, or appreciate this at the time).
BUT HOW DID THAT LEAD ME TO THE BOOTLEG BEATLES?! I first discovered the Bootleg Beatles whilst looking for videos of the original band on youtube. I was aware that there were tribute bands around, including the Cavern Beatles and the Upbeat Beatles but the thing that drew me to the Bootleg Beatles and influenced my decision to go and watch them live was their nothing short of amazing cover of 'A Day In The Life'. It's still one of my favourite Beatles songs due to the change of pace and lyrics midway through and I thought that their version was incredibly well done and realistic.
After listening to some more of their tribute versions, including some more of my favourite tracks such as 'She Loves You' and oddly enough 'I Am The Walrus', I decided to have a snoop about and try and find out when the group were touring next. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long; they were doing dates near to me in the December of 2007. Finding myself to be highly excitable, the pothole of my plan being that I couldn't make the dates made me distraught.
That was until the tour dates and tickets were released for the 2008 leg of their world tour.
But even then it was unclear as to whether I would be able to go until about two weeks beforehand. I was hoping to get tickets for the show at Peterborough, which would have been very handy as I am well acquainted with the city, despite the fact that I've never been to a concert there.
However, by the time somebody decided that we should indeed go, it was too late and tickets for the Peterborough show were all sold out.
Great - not!
Thankfully, after snooping around for a bit longer, I managed to find another place not too far away where they'd be playing just a week later; at Grimsby Auditorium for Saturday 15th March.
PURCHASING AND TICKET PRICES Purchasing the tickets was one of the easiest things ever; by simply logging on to the arena's website, I managed to pay for them directly via a credit card and print out the receipt. This was all done through buytickets.com.
The tickets themselves cost £19.95 each with a £2 booking fee. When we were at the event, I was stuck in a never ending queue to get into the loos (as per usual - ladies, you'll know what I'm talking about!) and overheard someone saying that their mate had been shocked that they'd paid that much to go and see a tribute band. Personally, I don't consider the ticket prices to be that bad; when you take into account that this is the members livelihoods, and the Bootleg's have managed to build up quite a resume over the twenty to thirty years they've been performing together, I was quite surprised that they weren't at least another fiver each!
Also, as you will find out in a minute, there was the case of the excellent quality of the show and what not that really added to the sense of Beatlemania!
WHO? Before I get too bogged down in the actual event, it might be a good idea to introduce you to the four brave men that endeavour to take the audience on the 'Magical Mystery Tour' of a life time!
Neil Harrison as John Lennon: When I first saw pictures of the band, my instant reaction was that Neil actually looked the most like the man he was impersonating, especially during the latter stages of the performance. After working on the West End Musical 'Beatlemania', Neil, with two other cast members, decided to invest their time - and finances - in becoming the a full time Beatles tribute act, all the way back in the early 1980's.
David Catlin-Birch as Paul McCartney: As one of the co-founding members of the Bootlegs, it may surprise you to learn that he actually left the band in 1986, about six years after the band started, to work on other projects such as World Party and the Eurythmics. As Sir McCartney, I think that David does a great job at acting out his mannerisms, especially the random jerky head movements! He returned o the Bootlegs in the latter part of 2000.
Andre Barreau as George Harrison: Having always played the part of the Late George Harrison in the Bootleg Beatles, Andre was also apart of the 'Beatlemania' production. During the course of the show, I thought it was brilliant that he had as many opportunities as he did to display his undeniable talents, with his transformation through the costumes making him a spitting image for an older Harrison.
Hugh Degenhardt as Ringo Starr: Joining the Bootlegs in mid 2002, Hugh was the last of the foursome to sign up. However, having drummed with many pop artists from all over the world including Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Brian Ferry, his resume was certainly enough to gain him into such a prestigious tribute band. His mannerisms too were very convincing and well thought out, with the inner, goofy Ringo being very entertaining throughout.
The group also pride themselves on using a live orchestra in order to recreate some of the most complex sound of the bands later music. This does play quite a big part in the final parts of the live show and I have to say that they are fabulous too.
MERCHANDISE Before any gig begins, I always take the time to venture off and try and get some good mementos at the merchandise stand. After visiting the groups official website (more on that a little later on), I was desperately hoping that there would be the 'I am the eggman/I am the Walrus' t-shirt, complete with cute little pictures of the two characters! (yes, I know, sad!)
Unfortunately, there weren't any at the stand. There were plenty of other t-shirts though, which ranged in sizes and designs, all on sale for about £10 each. There were also some rather cosy looking fleeces, which were priced at £12 - £15 each depending on whether you got the black, male version or the maroon, female one. In that respect, I didn't think their stock was too badly priced but they was certainly nothing that spectacular; it was just the fleece and the Bootleg's logo on the left hand side of the jacket.
Also on sale were a couple varieties of key rings, priced at £2 each as well as badge sets. There was a DVD, chronically the life and times of the band so far, reasonably priced at a tenner. Looking back, I wished I'd got this but I did get a rather good deal on what I did purchase.
After a rather peculiar story of the time before, in which the 2006/7 programmes for the band failed to arrive or get sold (there was a lot of background noise and I wasn't really listening properly if I'm being honest) I got the older version and this years, all for £5!
The programmes were indubitably the most popular of all of the merchandise sold; everywhere I turned, people were juggling between their booklets and a pint of beer! In themselves, they were very good quality, with it having a good, strong outer cover and lots of pictures inside of the band and stage decorations.
Although there isn't a dramatic difference between the 2006/7 and 2007/8 copies of the programmes, apart from the different quizzes and interviews, I would say that they are a good curio and something that is definitely a worthwhile keep sake.
Whilst there was a fairly good selection of items for sale, I do think that the difference between the stock on the website and the stock sold in the arenas should be resolved; I do regret not getting the DVD at the time and whilst trying to get over to the stand to buy a copy after the show, it was more or less impossible as I kind of got rushed along with the crowd! None the less, I don't think any of it was badly priced and all looked to be in good condition.
NOW ONTO THE SHOW! As there was no warm up act, the show began pretty promptly at 7.30pm. I say pretty promptly as it was about twenty-five minutes to eight by the time the lights got dim and the band began to emerge on stage...
All in all, there were six main sections to the show, each with their own costumes and interesting screen backdrop to really set the scene for the era in which the Bootlegs were impersonating. All of these sections lasted about twenty minutes each and, depending on what time the guys were performing in, there was anywhere in the region of four to six songs from each part.
PART ONE:
BEATLEMANIA Kicking off the show in style was where it all began; Beatlemania! Back in 1963, as scandal and curiosity apparently rocked the British political scene, one band was on the verge of having one of the most quirky and endearing number one singles of all time. 'She Loves You' was the bands fourth release and is still credited today as one of their best ever tracks as it represents much of what the 1960's was about; love, happiness and a couldn't care less attitude to top it all off!
As the four band members crept onto the stage, the audience were kept entertained with many images and movie clips from the time, ranging from various politicians of the time, to the Milky Bar Kid and Pinky and Perkey! I have to admit that it was refreshing, as someone that wasn't alive during the 1960's to see such a thoroughly enjoyable nostalgia trip and it really got the older members of the crowd going before it all got underway.
Now, I have a confession; as good as my intentions were, I can't remember exactly what the live set was! I did take a notebook with me (so I was going to do it) but I got so carried away in the magic on stage that I forgot all about it! So, I apologise. I am aware however that they do change their set list for most shows but I wouldn't want to spoil it for any of you that are considering going to see them.
I do remember the group kicking off with another one of the Fab Four's most celebrated number one singles, 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'. From the first chord, I knew it was going to be an excellent show because of how in sync they were from the get go. Lennon's voice here was spot on as the nasal type vocals really pushed through on many of the tracks following that. This was also the case for the last song in this section, 'She Loves You' in which all of the harmonies were brilliantly portrayed.
When David stepped up to sing 'All My Loving' I was prepared not to like it; frankly, it's not one of my favourite Beatles songs and it makes me a bit sad to listen to it because - apparently - after the real John Lennon got shot in New York in 1980, it was on the radio in the hospital (creepy, huh?). However, I couldn't help but be impressed by his brilliant gestures and vivid vocal performance.
George and Ringo also got their chance to sing in this section. Most notably was Andre's performance on 'Do You Want To Know A Secret', a song which I had heard before but that wasn't too familiar with. Again, it sounded fantastic!
In terms of the costumes, I was expecting the boys to come out on stage wearing the famous suits that are traditionally recognised as being a part of the Beatlemania era. However, when they wondered on stage in the polo neck jumpers and matching black trousers, recognised from their second film release 'Help!', I was a bit surprised but not in an overly bad way.
The screen background at this point was covered in computer animated newspaper headlines which were very typical of the time. I do have to say that this section, I felt, had the weakest backdrop but fitted the mood of the songs and set the tone for the worldwide success that was to be revelled in next...
Marks out of 10: 8.5 - I really enjoyed the opening part of the show in which the Bootlegs worked really hard to get everyone going. I loved the mannerisms that were so representative of the earlier Beatle times, before they started to disband a little. After each song, they all bowed to the audience in the same, cheeky way in which the lads would have done it back in the early 1960's. It was little touches like that which I felt made the night memorable!
USA & THE WORLD As the group went off stage for a brief moment to get changed (a ritual that would occur for each section throughout the night), the audience were treated to footage of the band storming America and, ultimately, some of the most memorable live footage in history from the Shea Stadium. Performing in front of over 55,000 screaming fans would have been a daunting task for anyone, and indeed was for the Beatles as it was the reason why they stopped performing live for many years to come.
Emerging back onstage, there were a couple of songs in this section that I was desperately hoping for. One of them was indeed the title of their plot-lose film of the same name, 'Help!' which is another one of the bands classics, performed effortlessly well by the Bootlegs.
'Can't Buy Me Love' was another opportunity for David to prove that he was the bands premier Paul impersonator, with Andre to do the same as George.
However, Hugo's rendition of the song 'Act Naturally' was something I was not counting on; although he was impeccably good as acting as Ringo, with his drum work being spot on, his voice just wasn't there for me. It sounded too much like he was impersonating a Ringo impersonator to try and get the more monotone like characteristics of Starr's voice. But the crowd did get into it however, and I do think that it was largely me being overly critical of his efforts that I felt this way.
In spite of that, the atmosphere for this section was very realistic and the band's cheekier side came out in full force. Joking that it was ok for the audience to scream as if we really were apart of the lucky fifty-five thousand in attendance at the Shea Stadium in 1964, I really did like the fact that the images on the screen of hyper teenagers pause and changed every so often as it really did feel even more authentic than the Beatlemania portion of the concert.
As Paul, George and Ringo went backstage to 'age a bit' and to remove their military, khaki jackets for ones of a brighter nature, that left us at the mercy of the witty and very intelligent performer, Neil Harrison. He cracked jokes as if he really was the Late John Lennon, informing us that he couldn't see the people right at the back because he didn't get his glasses until 1966!
One of my favourite moments of the evening was when he started the opening guitar riff to 'Wonderwall'; half of the crowd cheered, clearly being Oasis fans but other booed a bit (including myself). After delving into a quick verse, proclaiming that his dislike for tribute bands oddly enough, he played a solo, acoustic version of 'Hide Your Love Away' which was beautifully done.
As he too left the stage to get set up in his next moniker, the more colourful images began to flood the screen, in preparation for the next section of the tribute's 'Magical Mystery Tour'...
Marks out of 10: 9 - I really enjoyed this part although it did seem to go a bit too quickly! None the less, I really enjoyed the first acoustic cover of the night and thought that the backdrop of Shea Stadium was one of the most effective and well produced.
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND After a gruelling - and unheard of - six months in the recording studio, fuelled with individual and personal experiences, pioneering song writing techniques and formulas as well as psychedelic drugs, The Beatles emerged with their most critically and commercially successful album ever, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
This was one of the sections I was most looking forward to leading up to the night as the album and era included some of my favourite tracks by the band so I was instantly curious to see how they pulled many of the contemporary musical sounds of the time.
To help capture the magic and more unusual sounds of the album, a brass and strings band were brought on stage, with one member having the, ummm, prestigious honour of playing the fire extinguisher during some of the songs!
Naturally, the set started out with the opening track of the album, which was very fitting and well done. I wasn't expecting them to venture into the albums second offering, 'With A Little Help From My Friends' but as they introduced Billy Shears to the audience, I had a sinking feeling they would do...
With no disrespect to Hugh, I really didn't feel that this was a necessary song to play; for me personally, there were so many better songs that defined this era of the Fab Four than this one, such as 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!' and 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' that I felt defined the album much more than this one. None the less, it was a noble vocal attempt but not the best song choice in my opinion.
I was pleased though when Lennon announced that they would indeed be playing the two singles prior to the Sgt. Pepper's album, 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane'. Another remark was made on the part of John about 'Strawberry Fields Forever' being played first because it was the 'A-Side'. It was these little eccentricities that really made the journey special as it highlighted the attitudes that the band were said to have with one another at each moment in time.
However, I was more than happy when the band struck up for 'A Day in the Life'. It lived up to and preceded my expectations that I had of the song with the transition of Lennon's part to McCartney's being seamlessly smooth and well performed. Beautiful.
Sadly, that was the end of part one but as everyone headed towards the bar for a quick drink, you couldn't help but overhear how much people were enjoying the show with a mixture of new and old fans of the Bootlegs which was - in my mind - a testament to how good a job they were doing as well as how valuable the Beatles were to the history of music.
Marks out of 10: 9.5 - I loved the costumes which were almost identical to those worn on the front of the album cover. They really added to the colour of the set, as did the screen pictures and influences. The 'A Day In The Life' imagery was very thorough and interesting, with the swapping of the pictures tying in perfectly with the music like the sequence from the bands animated film 'Yellow Submarine'.
PART TWO:
THE SUMMER OF LOVE After a surprisingly quick twenty minute interlude, the band remerged on stage to perform singles and hits from the 'Magical Mystery Tour' album.
Although I was never a big fan of the original group's really weird, curtain like outfits from that era, they were once again very realistic and colourful and added to the style of the performance even more.
'All You Need is Love' was played as a dedication for someone's birthday. Originally broadcasted as a part of the 'Our World' global satellite linked event, this was one of most fan-friendly of the songs and with the addition of the orchestra, it was very real and authentic. I loved the screen to this one as it had the word 'Love' emerging from a backdrop of flowers. It summed up the song and performance wonderfully well.
'Yellow Submarine' was also played in full...I was expecting it but wasn't really looking forward to it as I still wasn't a fan of Hugo's vocal performance. This didn't really matter though as the biggest majority of the crowd were singing along anyway, with much encouragement from George, so I couldn't really hear him all that well.
I was delighted when 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' was played. Andre's vocals on this were identical to George's and, although it is one of the more widely known Beatles songs, it isn't perhaps one of the first ones you think about when going over the list of their songs. The accuracy on this track blew me away; it sounded just like it does on the actually albums! You can't get much better than that.
'Your Mother Should Know' from the 'Magical Mystery Tour' film and album was included and the only other song despite 'All You Need Is Love' played from either. Although brilliant and of the highest quality, I was looking forward to more variety in this section; I'd more or less taken it for granted that I would be hearing 'I Am The Walrus' at some point during the night and was heartbroken when it wasn't.
However, as the seemingly short memento to this era of the Beatles came to an end, John, George and Ringo this time left the stage, leaving Paul all on his own to treat the audience with 'Blackbird', a song that was performed effortlessly well and that was rather unexpected. When I saw the other three members venturing off into the back, I did wonder that in spite of the era difference that he might perform 'Yesterday' or 'Eleanor Rigby' as both songs were mainly recorded with just McCartney and the help of an orchestra. Conversely, I would have liked to have heard one of those two songs instead but I did enjoy 'Blackbird' immensely.
As David headed backstage to get changed, the orchestra played and instrumental version of 'Within You Without You' from the 'Sgt. Peppers' album. This was one of the most impressive parts of the section to me and, what may sound a complex and difficult song to master to the average ear, the mini orchestra made it seem more than easy and once again very realistic.
Marks out of 10: 8 - despite the fact that it was rather short but sweet, I can't really fault the performances of the band but I do think that one more song from this period of time wouldn't have been too much to ask for.
APPLE AND INDIA Although it might have seemed like an odd time in which to play 'Within You Without You', it was very much a reflection of the bands changing attitudes to life and music at the time, and began to mark the end of era. It was cleverly played throughout the concert with the contrast between the band being a tight unit and more individually minded through the use of costume and the lack of bowing towards the end.
This was probably my favourite section of the night as it had some of the most solid and interesting Beatles tracks included. 'Get Back' is one of my favourites because of the well constructed guitar riffs and odd lyrics, sung amazingly well by David. 'Come Together' was a nice surprise though, as was 'Here Comes the Sun' as I though the band would choose better known tracks of the time for this part and I don't think 'Come Together' quite fits this. However, I do love the song and was really impressed with the Bootleg's version.
With a little more jocular intervention, the group promised us the 'final' song of the evening, the one that everyone knows and is a great feel good, sing-a-long track. 'Hey Jude' was amazingly well done; I'd previously heard this performed live by the band when they were on the BBC's tribute act talent show, 'The One And Only'.
This portion of the show really doesn't need a lot writing about it; as you can gather, I really was enjoying the show and thought that this section was as fantastically done as the four beforehand. It really was excellently produced and so entertaining to watch. 'Get Back' was without a doubt as fantastic live, albeit a tribute act, as it was on CD.
The backdrop, like their costumes, wasn't as brash or colourful as it was in the previous sections. However, even down to the way the band interacted with each other, which was a little colder than previous moments throughout.
Marks out of 10: 9.5 - an utterly amazing collection of some of the bands later but most intriguing tracks.
AND IN THE END As the crowd cheered for more, the old saying 'ask and you shall receive' springs to mind. Donned in the pure white suit, Neil made his way back on stage, saying how much he'd enjoyed the show. Then, he paid the most fitting and beautiful tribute a man ever could to the Late Lennon; his immortal idealist song 'Imagine'. The crowd stood and sung along as if it was the man himself performing before them. In fact, I don't think there were many dry eyes in the building - especially towards the end when a picture of the real John emerged on the screen. It was without a doubt the most humbling experience of the night both for the musician and his audience.
The very final song of the night 'Let It Be' was another fabulous crowd pleaser and a very fitting end to the show. It's not my favourite Beatles track but the live element really benefitted the lyrics and song in general as it is very much an optimistic, up lifting track. A fantastic way to end the show.
Marks out of 10: 9.5 - the performance of 'Imagine' was nothing short of breath taking; I really did get chills during that performance. It definitely ended the night on a very emotional high, and it was certainly a song I wasn't expecting to hear but was extremely glad that I did.
OVERALL - HOW DO I REALLY RATE THE NIGHT? I could sit here and ramble on for another thousand words as to how exceptional I thought the whole evening was. I'm not going to because I suspect some of you already think I've rambled on too much! However, I do think that I do need to just conclude a couple of minor details.
The stage wasn't glitzy and glamorous; the pictures that popped up on screen as well as some of the bands highly decorated instruments were. It was very much a 'what you see is what you get' kind of event. The band, with their dramatic costumes and hair extensions for company, made the show subtly excellent from that perspective, without too much hullabaloo.
The on stage chemistry between the four band members was very well crafted and brilliant to watch. It really did seem as if they were the Fab Four! Their musical and vocal abilities were outstanding although I do have to say that Hugh as Ringo really didn't work for me. His singing sounded very strained in places and there were too many of the unmemorable tracks that he'd either covered or recorded included for my liking.
However, don't let that one hiccup stop you from going; like I mentioned before, it's almost a dead cert that they change their track listings every night with Neil and Andre being fabulous performers as John and George respectively. I'm so glad that David reprised his role as Paul; he was nothing short of amazing, and like his fellow impressionists, his mannerisms were spot on.
In fact, I did almost forget that these guys were impressionists; it really was just like watching the four lads from Liverpool live.
I think that's just about the best recommendation I could possibly give!
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BOOTLEG BEATLES To find out more about the group - especially when they are next playing near you - check out their fairly interesting, regularly updated official website at:
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