Post by yerblues1968 on Dec 10, 2008 21:26:51 GMT -5
The Silver Beats Beatles Tribute Band
JAPAN KEEPS LENNON'S MEMORY ALIVE
BBC News, Tokyo
By Duncan Bartlett
Page last updated at 11:26 GMT
Monday, 8 December 2008
Japan is one country where John Lennon's memory is kept very much alive. Beatlemania has never really died.
Reminders of The Beatles in the Harajuku and Shibuya districts of Tokyo, Japan.
The Parrots Beatles cover band.
Every night in Tokyo, bands dressed as John, Paul, George and Ringo faithfully reproduce their sound.
Cavern Club in Roppongi where Beatles tribute bands perform.
The Ringo Bar n Tokyo, Japan and The Beatles Bar restroom.
The Abbey Road Bar in Roppongi
The Yokohana Hard Rock Cafe
Even though many of the musicians would struggle to hold a conversation in English, they know every word of the entire Beatles songbook.
Fans of all ages sing along, but only the older generation can remember the momentous occasion when the Beatles performed in Japan.
The Beatles photo display in Sony studio of The Beatles visit to Japan in 1966 and photos of The Beatles in Japan.
They played Tokyo's Budokan Arena for five nights in the summer of 1966, with each show lasting just thirty minutes.
Warm welcome
Thirty-five thousand policemen guarded the group from their fans and from nationalist protestors who threatened to disrupt the concerts.
Wax museum in Tokyo Tower.
They believed a foreign pop group would "desecrate" a hall which had been built for judo and other "noble" martial arts.
In the end, the concerts passed without incident, but Yoko Ono says that later, Lennon looked back on the experience with bemusement.
"The Beatles were a little bit concerned because the people were rather quiet, so they thought maybe the people didn't like it," she explains.
"But then the organiser explained that the Japanese are very polite and they do not want to scream and shout - they just want to applaud.
"In those days it was like that, but now, of course, the Japanese fans have learned to be expressive," says Ono.
The Beatles' 1966 Tokyo shows were part of a grueling world tour to promote their records and, of course, to make money.
The Japanese footage of the Beatles arrival in Japan on Wednesday night, June 29, 1966 and performances at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 1, 1966. The Beatles performed five concerts at Budo Kan Hall. In this video tape, The Beatles wear dark suits.
The Beatles - Live in Tokyo, Japan 1966. The Beatles arrival in Tokyo, Japan
on Wednesday night, June 29, 1966 - Part 1 of 4. (10:59 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou__mIGfimU
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 1,1966.
The Beatles sing "Rock and Roll Music, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone." - Part 2 of 4. (8:40 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKOjiCebobE
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 1,1966.
The Beatles sing "Daytripper, Baby's In Black, I Feel Fine, Yesterday."- Part 3 of 4. (9:23 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WqTCpeSuzs
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 1, 1966.
The Beatles sing "I Wanna Be Your Man, Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer, I'm Down." Part 4 of 4. (10:44 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDGwJXX7uCM
This video is the same concert footage as above but without the Japanese introduction / arrival in Japan. Concert Only.
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 1,1966.
The Beatles sing "Rock and Roll Music, She's a woman, If I needed someone." Part 1 of 4. (8:28 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmZkFG8S_6A
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 1,1966.
The Beatles sing "Day Tripper, Baby's in Black, I Feel Fine." Part 2 of 4. (8:12 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=43zjVjsnPXU
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 1,1966.
The Beatles sing "Yesterday, I Wanna Be Your Man, Nowhere Man." Part 3 of 4. (7:10 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JBe1PAmuy0
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, July 1,1966.
The Beatles sing "I'm Down." Part 4 of 4. (6:03 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Rz_WieAmM
However, they also became unofficial diplomats for Britain - a point noted by the then British ambassador to Tokyo, Michael Stewart.
The Beatles performed again at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, July 2, 1966. The Beatles now wear light colored suits. This video is not very clear, but it is the only complete set of the concert found online.
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Satuday, July 2, 1966.
The Beatles sing "Rock and Roll Music, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone" - Part 1 of 7. (5:41 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eyBha-gx2U
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, July 2, 1966.
The Beatles sing "If I Needed Someone (continued), Daytripper, Baby's In Black." Part 2 of 7. (6:07 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhm5xXnvVEU
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, July 2, 1966.
The Beatles sing "Baby's In Black (continued), Daytripper, I Feel Fine." Part 3 of 7. (4:54 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOc4mIECUM8
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, July 2, 1966.
The Beatles sing "Yesterday, I Wanna Be Your Man." Part 4 of 7. (4:56 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fQ2vEr3gVo
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, July 2, 1966.
The Beatles sing "Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer." Part 5 of 7. (3:02 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5A8XcFi6nM
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, July 2, 1966.
The Beatles sing "Paperback Writer (continued), Part 6 of 7. (2:14 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=huV39CxLkjE
The Beatles - Live at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, July 2, 1966.
The Beatles sing "I'm Down." Part 7 of 7. (3:01 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AxeljuByxU
"In sober truth, no recent event connected with the UK - apart from the sole exception of the British Exhibition of 1965 - has made a comparable impact on Tokyo," he wrote in a confidential memo.
He also praised the Beatles' skill in handling the Japanese media at a press conference.
The Beatles Press Conference in Tokyo, Japan on the night of
their arrival on Wednesday, June 29, 1966. Part 1. (1:46 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgcRqv7MihQ
The Beatles Press Conference in Japan on the night of their
arrival on Wednesday, June 29, 1966. Part 2. (7:25 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPO10h4Zwfk
"Most commentators accepted them for what indeed they are - agreeable, talented and quick-witted young musicians," wrote the ambassador.
Junichi Mizusawa, who runs the John Lennon museum in Saitama, says the Beatles received such a warm welcome because they represented the chance for a fresh start.
"We really felt that they were singing for us. They sounded completely different to Japanese music or jazz or American pop, so initially it was rather shocking," he explains.
"But young people in the 60s had no problems accepting them because they seemed to be giving voice to our feelings. It was a new sound that excited a generation which had nothing to do with the war."
After he married Ono in 1969, John became a frequent visitor to Japan and even tried to learn the language. He treasured the fact that the Japanese rarely intruded upon him and his family.
Intimate Remembrance
Yoko Ono Lennon
Since his murder on 8 December 1980, Yoko has worked tirelessly to maintain Lennon's image as a music icon and peace campaigner.
Now at the age of 75, she's back in Japan for an anniversary concert at the same venue where the Beatles played their legendary shows.
"Now I'm getting philosophical about it, I think that my ancestors, the spirit of my ancestors, is calling to me saying, 'Yoko, you should come back to Japan once in a while.' So I'm now saying okay."
Ono explains she has always been sensitive to spirits and feels her husband's presence keenly when she is in her home country.
"He loved Japan so much. I don't think it was to do with his wife - well maybe a little bit!
"But he liked the sensitivity and the quietness that the Japanese have and the reason is because he was a shy person.
"I'm sure you don't think that he was a shy person but he was, and he related to that I think."
Yoko Ono Lennon at a press conference in Tokyo promoting her
2008 "JOHN LENNON SUPER LIVE - DREAM POWER" concert.
On stage with her is Bonnie Pink. (0:14 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPXY5y07jNI
Yoko Ono Lennon talks in Japanese at a press conference about the
"2008 John Lennon Super Live - Dream Power" concert. (5:55 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZaHYZ84a9I
Ono's concert at the Budokan will raise money to build schools in Asia and Africa, and will also feature Japanese artists such as Tortoise Matsumoto and Bonnie Pink.
Photos of Tortoise Matsumoto at the Dream Power: John Lennon Super Live 2008 Concert. Photos by Yoko Ono.
Ryo and Tortoise Matsumoto singing a brand new ITune song. (5:15 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg0BLHxo05U
Photos of Bonnie Pink.
Bonnie Pink video singing "A Perfect Sky." (4:06 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=28-y-aWBZVY
Some fans of John Lennon, though, are choosing to commemorate the 28th anniversary of his death in a more intimate way.
Outside the museum in Saitama, visitors place flowers at a memorial bearing the word Imagine.
And most take a few moments of silence to remember the man they think of as their closest English friend.
Video: Yoko Ono's Spiritual Link To John Lennon
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7770865.stm
Video: Yoko Ono Talks About the John Lennon Memorial Concert
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7768971.stm