Tune Tag #49 with Ian Sharp of "LP": Beatles, Rupert Holmes, Steve Hillage, XTC, Knickerbockers, Todd Rundgren, James McCartney, The Rutles
Hark! Who goes there? The Faux Four? The Ersatz Beetles? The Querymen? Dirk, Stig & The Moon Dogs? Something's afoot in Tune Tag land, and we may need Jelly Babies to solve it! "Ladies & gentlemen..."
Hey, Ian! TAG! You’re IT!
Tune Tag proudly welcomes, from across the pond, , who writes, catalogs, and sleeves his own LP on Substack!
Ian: I am a music writer, after a career as an educator of adults and studying of popular culture (and more) at the Open University. Music has been an obsession for my whole life - The Beatles, The Who, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and many more.
I write about classic rock albums and the psychology of music in my online publication LP, and compile a weekly playlist of classic and new tracks. I live in Olney, Buckinghamshire, UK.
Last week, we had the pleasure of ’s Tune Tag company:
And, next week, it’ll be our pleasure to welcome of Musings of a Broken Record to Tune Tag!
Ian’s song #1 sent to Brad: The Beatles, “Help!”, 1965
Ian’s rationale: My first tune is the first record I bought (well, chose is a better word - I was 7 at the time, so I must have been given a little ‘Help!’). And so began a love for The Beatles that still gets deeper 58 years later.
Brad’s song #1 sent to Ian: Rupert Holmes, “I Don’t Want to Hold Your Hand,” 1975
Ian’s response: Brad’s kept us in Beatles territory. I guess he intends to show how even those early examples of their songwriting craft can be developed into something more sophisticated. I love the opening as if Holmes is staying true to The Beatles, and then a piano chord drops us into a different type of song.
But, even this different phase sticks to the template of the original, including the middle eight, backing vocals, Harrison guitar tones, synth and more. It’s a skilled pastiche that stands on its merits. The lyrics reference the Beatles’ past: “that was 10 long years ago,” and the rest. All I currently know of Rupert Holmes is “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” I’ll be finding out more.
Brad’s rationale: Rupert rules! If all you know about the talented singer/songwriter/keyboardist/arranger/producer is a song about a tropical drink, his own recordings and numerous productions are well worth discovering!
And, it gets no better than a hit songwriter interviewing another hit songwriter! David Pomeranz (wrote Barry Manilow-hits, “Tryin’ to Get the Feeling” and “The Old Songs”) interviews Rupert Holmes in 2023. They talk Beatles, jingles, Ron Dante, Manilow, arranging, producing, The Cuff Links, The Archies, and much more:
David Pomeranz also co-wrote some songs, in the late-’70s, with FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE’s exclusive contributor, singer/songwriter/guitarist, Stephen Michael Schwartz! Stephen shares the story, and the exclusive demo, in his own words, here:
Ian’s song #2: The Rutles, “Get Up and Go,” 1978
Brad’s response: “The Prefab Four: A legend that will last a lunchtime!” When we compile (play) Tune Tag, I think most of us (I know I do) think about and wonder what the song we just sent might be tagged with! As much as I was on The Rutles in the day (and loved them), The Rutles never crossed my mind! Well done, Ian!
Ian’s rationale: I’m sticking with The Beatles theme. This satirical take could be an early version of “Get Back,” before McCartney and/or Lennon decided a better chorus would have fewer words. The Rutles, created by Eric Idle from Monty Python and Neil Innes, featured in a spoof BBC documentary, released an album (in 1978, on Warner Bros. Records worldwide).
Innes was a Monty Python associate best known for his song, “How Sweet to Be an Idiot.” Writing “in the style of” sounds easy - someone else has already done the heavy lifting - but it’s tricky to get the tone right. To create an entire alternative Beatle career, as Idle and Innes did, is extraordinary. Their live band included Ricky Fataar, once of the Beach Boys. Check the 1997 website about the Prefab Four, and see The Bonzo Dog Band for more Innes.
Brad’s song #2: The Knickerbockers, “Lies,” 1965
The Demo:
Co-writer, Beau Charles has said of writing and recording the song, “We desperately tried to write something that sounded like the British Invasion. We wrote ‘Lies’ in less than half-an-hour. We demo-ed it in New York” (hear it above).
After a Jerry Fuller-inspired rearrangement (according to the song’s Wiki page), the track was recorded at Sunset Sound in West Hollywood with Bruce Botnick as engineer. Things were not quite right, so the multi-track master was taken to Leon Russell’s house in the Hollywood Hills. Jerry Fuller (now 85) knew Leon: “Leon had this great little studio - just a four track. The band recorded the vocals there and overdubbed a new guitar part that was recorded from a beat-up old Fender guitar amp that gave the guitar sound a meaty, edgy feel.”
The studio recording, produced by Jerry Fuller as head of east coast operations for Challenge Records, 1965 (London Records/UK). Song written by Beau Charles (guitar and vocals) and Buddy Randell (vocals and sax):
The band was formed in 1964 in Bergenfield, New Jersey by Buddy Randell (lead vocals and saxophone), Jimmy Walker (drums), and brothers Beau Charles (guitar/vocals) and his brother, John Charles (bass/vocals).
The Knickerbockers were discovered in Albany, New York by producer/east coast label exec, Jerry Fuller, and signed to Challenge Records. In 1965, The Knickerbockers released their only Top 20 hit with the song, “Lies” (#20 in U.S., #11 in Canada).
Ian’s response: Incredible. Still with The Beatles sound, but these are not The Beatles - or are they? This sounds exactly like the early Beatles records. The singer does a great John Lennon impression, but it’s more than an impression - this is The Beatles in an alternative universe.
This could have been slipped into Vol. 1 of the Anthology series and passed off as a track found on a misfiled master tape. I’ve never heard of The Knickerbockers. (A thought occurs: Perhaps this is a double bluff, and it’s The Beatles passing themselves off as an American band? File that thought under the ‘Paul is dead’ conspiracy theories)!
Brad’s rationale: Filmed for the syndicated Hollywood a Go Go (1965-1966) by L.A.’s KHJ-TV, this appears to be a synched performance filmed at Hollywood’s famed Gazzarri’s club (with the Gazzarri Dancers), although this more likely was more cost-effectively filmed in-studio (studio lights are visible overhead). They have to be performing to track, as no one seems mic-ed. Nevertheless, it’s great to see them perform to their studio-quality sound:
From Beau Charles’ YouTube account: “The ‘bockers’ thank you for all your comments! We all knew that ‘Lies’ had something the second we heard a rough mix the night we finished it! This also was the first time we recorded in the best studios Hollywood had to offer! Those studios, Sunset Sound with Bruce Botnick engineering & Leon Russell’s home studio for the vocal tracks & my guitar, were a great moment for us! Quality Studios! Thanks again to everyone!”
This one is live, from a 1966 Shindig performance! Half-a-decade before such ground-breaking American TV shows like The Midnight Special, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, In Concert, and 1975’s debuting Saturday Night Live, music shows (some with live performances, some synched) were no less ubiquitous in the ‘60s…to wit, Shindig, Hullabaloo, The Lloyd Thaxton Show, Hollywood a Go Go, and Dick Clark’s American Bandstand (Soul Train debuted in 1970):
Certainly a fan, with his time in respected power pop entities like The Nerves and The Plimsouls, Peter Case paid tribute to the song in May 2023 (despite a false start, they roar right into it; pardon the tone-deaf fan too near the phone doing the recording!):
YouTube content creator, TJR, with his Sounds Like The Beatles look at “Lies”:
Ian’s song #3: The Dukes of Stratosphear, “The Mole From the Ministry,” 1985
Brad’s response: What a smart move, Ian! The Dukes never crossed my mind, and I had the 25 O’Clock album (released on an April Fool’s Day)! On one hand, there’s no reason they would’ve come to mind…but, on the other hand, it’s the move to make! You’re a shrewd doctor with a honed scalpel! There’s a fine line between outright parody/mockery, and wearing your Beatley influences directly on your sleeve…Partridge doesn’t care: Look closely…those aren’t velvet and brocade coming off his shirt’s shoulder! Them’s influences masquerading as sleeves!
“People think I’m besotted with the ‘60s, which I’m not. It’s just that when we did the Dukes of Stratosphear, I thought it would be a piece of fun to kind of be in the band that you always wanted to be in when you were a schoolkid.”—Andy Partridge (from Jeff Clark’s “Off Strike,” 1999).
Ian’s rationale: Still exploring music that sounds like The Beatles, here’s XTC spin-off project, The Dukes of Stratosphear, with a song developing the sounds and approach of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Andy Partridge is a genius - if the collected output of XTC isn’t enough to support that claim, allow this track and the Dukes’ 1987 compilation, Chips From the Chocolate Fireball, to convince you.
As with The Travelling Wilburys, the members of XTC adopted nicknames for their fictitious psychedelic group - Partridge was Sir John Johns, Colin Moulding was The Red Curtain, and Dave Gregory was Lord Cornelius Plum. They were also joined by Gregory’s brother Ian, who was E.I.E.I. Owen. XTC were not credited on the covers of the Dukes records.
Brad’s Song #3: Todd Rundgren, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (live, 2015)
Brad’s rationale: Originally from Todd’s 1976 Faithful LP, this is a recent live performance of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Audacious, even outrageous, was the response by many when that album dropped…reviewers and record-buyers alike!
While Side 2 was made up of originals, Todd and band recorded….well, faithful versions of songs by The Beach Boys, Hendrix, Dylan, Yardbirds, with 2 Beatles songs!
The album (on Bearsville, distributed by Warner Bros. Records) was released in May 1976 with virtually no advertising, as Bearsville Records president, Paul Fishkin, believed that Rundgren fans would purchase it based solely on word of mouth. For the most part, Fishkin was right: The buzz was audible amongst Todd fans, and they weren’t disappointed. Todd’s original studio recording:
Ian’s response: Brad picks up on the “Strawberry Fields” reference, and takes the opportunity to feature the song in a great live version by Wizard and True Star, Todd Rundgren. It’s a recording that sounds, in the Beatles original, as if it would be impossible to play live - at least, without a ton of pre-recorded parts.
This version, with added strings, underlines how great a song it is, and how it is playable even without studio techniques. Rundgren sings it straight for the most part, before playing humorously with pronunciation. Oddly, until watching this video, I’d never seen Rundgren on a stage, although I have listened to plenty of his records. Tune Tag: Expanding horizons yet again!
Todd usually gets an encore, Ian, so, just for you, here’s a 3-song medley from the Akron (OH) Civic Center, 2009 (everyone else, please join us!):
Todd was inducted, by fellow Substack creator,
, into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. His Induction Ceremony presentation career “highlight reel”:Meeting Todd and The Dolls, 5 years apart in the ‘70s: Telling “tales out of school,” one of the Dolls told me what the band thought of Todd’s 1973 production of their landmark debut. Should I tell Todd, over drinks in ‘78, what Sylvain told me?👇
Ian’s song #4: Steve Hillage, “It’s All Too Much” (live, 2023)
Brad’s response: Prog veteran with a Beatles song.
Ian’s rationale: When I started with ‘Help!’, I didn’t intend this Tune Tag to be a Beatles fest, but that’s how it’s gone. Steve Hillage is known for trippy, sometimes new age guitar music, first with Gong, and then with a series of solo albums. He’s also known for momentous live performances, but not so much for cover versions, but his interpretation of George Harrison’s “It’s All Too Much” makes the song his own.
The song was written under the influence of LSD, and is part of the Yellow Submarine film that looks as if it was made under the influence of LSD, but it stands up all these years later.
Brad’s #4 song: James McCartney, “Primrose Hill,” April 12, 2024
Ian’s response: I included this in my playlist, Gems #030. After some archive digging, this is a contemporary track to close from Brad, concluding the Beatle theme with Paul’s son, James. More than that, this song was written with Sean Lennon.
Apart from the weight of history, there’s no reason why these two couldn’t work with Dhani Harrison, with Zak Starkey completing the group on drums when they play live. If they ever wanted to, of course….
Brad’s rationale: In a pop progeny tune, we have a Lennon/McCartney song: written by James McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon, “Primrose Hill”! We started off with not-the-Beatles, but an incredible simulation, and we end up with not-the-Beatles, but a couple of Legacy Beatlets!
This was sooo much fun! Expert level Tune Tag, this was! I loved how both of you let things flow, and not once did either of you go for an obvious choice. You kept the momentum going, whilst staying true to the spirit that the game chose for itself, so to speak. If this is not communicating without words, only with tunes, then I don’t know what is!
Wow this was fantastic, an entirely Beatles-adjacent Tune Tag! Thoroughly enjoyed this one gents!