Roof top
The famous roof-top concert, the last live appearance of the Beatles (they had privately agreed to split) was on January 30, 1969.
Do yourself a favor, get Let It Be (Naked), the way the original album was intended to sound, you'll be surprised.
A very dear friend gave it to me as a special gift this weekend, and I am telling you, the courts in California should be adding an additional criminal charge to Phil Spector's case for what he did to the Beatles music.
Owning the Let It Be -or whatever other album- was a rebellious statement in the days of our youth, right KillCastro?
9 Comments:
In the mid 60s to early 70s you took a HUGE chance walking down any street in La Habana (however out of the way) with ANY record that featured british or American bands. On the other hand you took the risk because you could also meet a lot of people kindred souls who were desperate to hear the music.
Owning a Beatles album in Kuba at that time was a badge of honor and also a status symbol.
A badge of honor because if for WHATEVER reason the G2 decided to do a stop over at your house and found the record you were FRIED ( and you would loose the record) , Funny part at the very beginning they use to break the record into a million pieces, later on they “confiscated” the record ! Sure they did, and it would wind up at the G2 agent’s house as a present to HIS kids.
The status symbol was that you WERE able to get this album! At the very beginning it was like you were walking with the Lochness Monster under your arm.!
But .. more important THIS stage , began a counter-culture in Cuba that was not known before. In our own ways we were rebelling against the status quo. The GOVERNMENT ITSELF!
I remember the first time *I* personally participated in an anti-government protest, and yes it was BECAUSE of the Beatles.
A buddy had the whole collection of Beatles cards (just like the sports cards that came with packs of chewing gum). I remember they were neatly and lovingly set in a box and he brought it to school. One FUCKING piece of shit of a commie teacher saw the box being passed around during a recess and informed “la directora” who immediately summoned the owner of the cards to her office.
He was brought in and after being berated as a LUMPEN , a parasite a gusano , she took great pleasure in tearing up every single card dumping them on a pile and telling him , “NOW , you can have your cards back” and you are suspended for a week.
When we got a whiff of this through our English teacher who WAS a very special American (black by the way) who loved Cuba HATED KaSStro and had stayed because she felt Cuba was HER country, quite a few of us got up and headed for the door , probably about 60% ( we were known as “La secundaria de los gusanos”) and being in Miramar most of the students parents had been people of wealth and some now were the children of high level government people(like the daughter of the Cuban ambassador to the UN) . So, we packed up and pushed La directora aside, while she was in a fit of rage , threatening we would ALL be sent to work camps and that if we left not to bother to come back in a week !
GREAT we thought a week off, but that was NOT what this was about so we decided to come to school EVERY DAY and just stand outside until they let our friend in. Somehow an order from someone ABOVE, came down to let the guy in, that we were causing too much of a commotion and just did not look good to have SO many kids protesting a government policy. To this day I feel it was the father of Vivian Lechuga ( ambassador to the UN) who made the call . But our buddy was told he could come back and we all THEN returned to class.
From there on NOONE ever admonished us about English music or magazines or pictures.
We then heard that what we had done had spread like fire in La Habana and that all the young Beatles fans ( commies or not) were up in arms about this and perhaps THAT was what scared the government.
I am sure THAT was the real reason why we were not sent to work camps, WAY TOO MANY OF US!
Within a year THAT music was so omnipresent in La Habana that it could not be stopped. You could hear “I want to hold your hand” as you were walking down some street in La Habana Vieja and you just followed the sound , knocked on the door and asked if you could sit down and listen. It became a unifying bond of the youth in La Habana.
Shortly after that the government capitulated and through my dad (who was friends with the DJ of a radio program dedicated to young people and called “Buenas Tarde Juventud” and broadcast through “Radio Marianao” , I received an invite to bring some English records that the DJ was willing to play them. Coincidently the guy whose Beatles cards had been torn , brought a few albums and was invited into the booth , (which only fitted ONE person ) and to ALL our glory, as we sat outside the booth , we heard our friend announce
“Y esta es una canción de un grupo británico llamado los Yardbirds (YEAH BAD fucking translation to Spanish and a bad pun by the DJ) y se llama “All over under sidewalks now” and with that, the unmistakable intro to THAT song began and the chain was broken.
THAT broke the ban on English music on Cuban radio… WE WON!
The phones LIT up and young people from places like Pinar del Rio were calling long distance and begging for MORE Brit music!
My friend became a fixture on the radio show, and a local celebrity, always bringing one or two LPs to be played on the show and the Cuban youth (and the no so young ) were regaled to the sounds of “She loves you” along side records by Los Zafiros.
Funny how YEARS later a statue of John Lennon was erected and presented by KaSStro himself.
Somehow *I* take a little bit of credit for THAT! ;)
The park where the statue of Lennon sits is known as "el parque de los roqueros", while I have no recollection of its real name.... It is in el Vedado, defined by the streets 14 and 16, and the avenues 15 and 17, if I remember correctly. As the "nickname" indicate, the park was used for impromptu rock concerts, guerrilla style. A few people will help to bring the hand made amps, and towers of speakers, many hands will help to set rudimentary lights, and boom, there you go, a park full of thousands of young people dancing to whatever bands were assembled for the night. Because, of course, it has to be done at night! since the famous Vedado burrows of the beast himself are a mere three block aways, you got it, no black-outs in the area for security reasons!
The police was careful in disbanding the crowd because.... a few foreigners would ALWAYS show up to cheer the rockers.
Carlos Varela rocked the place a few times, and some other groups, like Venus, Zeus, Metal Oscuro, Cosa Nostra, and many others, had their break-throughs in that park as well.
In the mid 60s to early 70s you took a HUGE chance walking down any street in La Habana (however out of the way) with ANY record that featured british or American bands.
Even today, no? :)
P.S.: I'm always looking for musical advice, since I'm such a musical dunce, so thanks, Charlie!
Cheers,
Victoria
let it be naked.
hey how did you like love?
it got me to rediscover the Beatles again.
thats all i've been listening to since christmas
i was just humming a day in the life and i se the pic on the rooftop
GET BACK
Vics, this is the site for you darling, we tell stories about music all the time! No, not now, now the grip's more relaxed, look at the amount of article on contestatary rockers we have all the time! but they get your for your politics now.... which happens often. Take a look at one of our latest additions to the blogroll, Rock Cubano. It's amazing!
Gusano, Love is great. I think that George Martin did a great job, as well as his son, with this new mix of the old music, and specially While My Guitar Gently Weeps is a great homage to the quiet one, George Harrison....
The only risk you run into today is that a military prick sees whatever you are carrying and "confiscates" it, just cause he SAYS SO! But that goes for EVERYTHING , including a sack of mangos.
The KaSStronites are way too deep in all sorts of shit to officialy ban Brit or USA music.
In fact Sting showed up , the goverment wanted a todo with him , he said NOPE I am here about the music and they had to let him go be about THE MUSIC.
Not that a Cuban has the luxury to do that but , the Kuban goverment aint fucking around with Sting! and what are they gonna do? blackmail with video of him in bed with 5 chicks ? Trudy has said she really does NOT give a shit as long as he comes back home !
Now THAT is one understanding wife.
I am just dying to see-hear the results of Sting's visit to Cuba. I am sure that some "culture honchos" in Havana will hate it as much as I will like it!
Take a look at one of our latest additions to the blogroll, Rock Cubano. It's amazing!
Whoa! Excellent blog suggestion, Charlie.
I see things have come a long way, from the Kagastro-sponsored music festivals, featuring the stylings of Lucesita and Mercedes Sosa...
*puke-a-rama*
Cheers,
Victoria
It's called rebellion against the system, Vics, which is great! One of my favourite bands is Hipnosis, which belts out English lyrics and have an onstage presence that rivals any British or American act.
Post a Comment
<< Home