Tag Archives: the rutles

#1000: The Rutles – Ouch!

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And here it is. The 1000th entry on this ongoing series. Took almost 10 years, but it’s finally arrived. We’re now much nearer to the end than to its beginning. And the song to mark it is one by a band that isn’t real, but sort of is, and a complete parody of ‘Help!’ by the Beatles. Couldn’t make this stuff up. Though what I’ve mentioned may be the case, it doesn’t stop me from actually preferring ‘Ouch!’ much more in comparison to the source of its inspiration. A whole lot more, honestly.

For those not in the know, the Rutles were the brainchild of Monty Python man Eric Idle who wrote a mockumentary based on the Beatles entitled All You Need Is Cash. You can watch it on YouTube. Neil Innes wrote all the songs that were clever parodies and takes on real Beatles songs. On ‘Ouch!’, Neil Innes copies the structure and elements of ‘Help!’ down to a tee. The call and response dynamic of the backing and lead vocals during the verses, the descending arpeggiated scale that the guitar plays preceding each verse. Generally, the whole band performance. What differs the most between the two is the actual melody of everything that’s sung and the lyrical matter. While John Lennon was doing some soul searching, writing with a lot of sincerity on his part, Innes turns it into another love song – making it about a person who’s begging his partner not to leave and pondering why those feelings that love brings have to hurt so badly.

I don’t know what else to say, really. I think I got it all down in the preceding paragraph. Maybe some “pure” Beatles fan may hear it and think, “How can you like a parody over the real thing?” All I can say is, that’s just how it is. Forgetting that it’s based of the music of a very, very successful band, the track stands up on its own just because of its great songwriting. In that way, it’s miles ahead of any other parodies out there. And it’s not trying to be funny either, also like a lot of parodies out there. Those ones I don’t like so much. Neil Innes really hit it out of the park for the movie soundtrack, that’s all it come down to. So with that, this’ll be the last Rutles track in this series that I’ll post about. It’s been fun. Had to end some time.

#732: The Rutles – Let’s Be Natural

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Another great Beatles parody courtesy of musician, comedian, actor and all round nice man Neil Innes as part of the Rutles All You Need Is Cash film project from 1978. Innes sadly and quite suddenly passed away last December, but his work under the guise of Ron Nasty lives on. I got to know the music of the Rutles more or less around the same time I was on my Beatles tip of 2009/10. Unlike other parody acts that can make a proper half-assed effort in portraying their sources, Neil Innes and The Rutles were always very respectful in their mimicry while also maintaining humour and making great music in general.

‘Let’s Be Natural’ closes out the soundtrack album that accompanied the Rutles film and was released on both the original LP in 1978, and the 1990 CD reissue which included seven more songs not found on the vinyl release. It’s a clear nod to the Beatles song ‘Dear Prudence’, even taking that track’s bassline for its own during the choruses. There’s a bit from ‘If I Fell’ in there too. Innes sings with John Lennon’s trademark nasal tone among some relaxing arpeggiated chords and ‘aaah’ backing harmonies. Man, it’s a very soothing track. But I guess you could ask why you would want to listen to this if you could listen to The Beatles at any time. Probably because if you got to a place where you got tired of listening to them, this would be the closest you would get to their type of music without it actually being by them. Plus all four Beatles approved their music. Paul McCartney less so, apparently. The point still stands.

So I hope you enjoy it. The song’s message is all in the title. R.I.P. Neil Innes.

My iPod #533: The Rutles – Hold My Hand

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“Hold My Hand” is a song written by Neil Innes which featured in the mockumentary All You Need Is Cash, a television film that traces the career of the fictitious rock band The Rutles. The music and events depicted within parallel those of The Beatles, and as “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was the track that propelled the group to stardom so was “Hold My Hand” for Ron Nasty, Stig McQuickly, Stig O’Hara and Barry Wom. The film is a hilarious watch, recommended for any Beatles fan. Or Monty Python for that matter.

A love song about a man who feels the woman he has feelings for isn’t right for the guy she’s going out with, it is arranged using the styles of a few of The Beatles’ early numbers. One can hear similarities to “Eight Days a Week“, “All My Loving“, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You“, just to name a few. Though Innes brilliantly fuses all the elements together to make a number just as playful, catchy and ironically original. Very nice.

My iPod #413: The Rutles – Get Up and Go

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For those of you who see this and think this sounds a bit like the song I posted a few days ago….. you would be correct to do so. But it is intentional. The Rutles aren’t some band who appeared to replicate everything the Beatles did, like their Rooftop concert or whatever. It’s just a parody that was created by the minds of Neil Innes and Eric Idle of Monty Python. But it was the former who wrote all of the music.

So if you didn’t guess, “Get Up and Go” is a parody of “Get Back”. But unlike the all of the other tracks on The Rutles album which incorporate little riffs, chord progressions and instruments similar to Beatles tracks but created to make them sound unique in their own way, “Get Up and Go” is basically “Get Back”. Very similar. From the melodies to the drumbeat. John Lennon himself told Neil Innes this, even though he did love The Rutles. As a result, “Get Up and Go” was not released on the original soundtrack for “All You Need Is Lunch” in 1978. It was released on the 1990 CD re-release, so it turned out alright in the end.

If “Get Back” didn’t do it for you, then the likelihood of enjoying this track will be low. Though I think it’s juuusssst fiiiiine.

My iPod #40: The Rutles – Another Day

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Hi everyone.

It’s my birthday tomorrow. Yaaaaaaaaaaay. I am getting older. I will no longer be seventeen in a few hours.

How will I celebrate this day? Probably revising. I will do something with friends though, that’s a guarantee. I’m not socially awkward or anything.

Where does the time go? I remember turning seventeen like it was two days ago. Oh well, here’s to another healthy year on this earth, and may good tidings come my way in the future.

Back to the music.

Lately when I watched a Rutles video on YouTube, some idiot posted ‘Oh my god, these guys are trying to hard to be The Beatles. They make the same kind of music and everything’, or something along those lines.

Well no shit, Sherlock.

The Rutles are a parody of the band, created by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame, and Neil Innes of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The band was originally part of a sketch in the show ‘Rutland Weekend Television’, however the ‘Pre-Fab Four’ gained fame in the television film, ‘All You Need Is Cash‘. A must-watch, it’s very funny. John Lennon and George Harrison liked it, so…. you know. Witness it.

‘Another Day’ isn’t featured in the film, but can be found on the soundtrack album. It’s an obvious parody on ‘Martha My Dear’ from The White Album, with ‘Dirk McQuickly’ on lead vocals. Really it’s sung by Ollie Halsall, a left-handed guitar player who provided lead vocals on all the ‘Paul’ songs of the album. If you want to find out more about him there won’t be anything recent, he passed away in 1992.

I’ve pretty much summed it up right there. Neil Innes wrote all the songs for The Rutles, and his songs sounded so much like The Beatles that, apparently, he was taken to court by owners of The Beatles’ catalogue. The song ‘Cheese and Onions’ even appeared on a John Lennon bootleg because it sounded so much like him.

Innes’ lyrics are very clever too. I didn’t even know the word ‘pusillanimous’ existed until I heard this song.

Until next time.

Jamie.