The Beatles

GIL SCOTT HERON’S THE LAST HOLIDAY: A MEMOIR

Gil Scott-Heron

Last year, the world lost a true revolutionary. It seemed that only in the years leading up to his death, had greater pop culture begun to realize the true impact and importance Gil Scott-Heron had had on its own landscape. Though hip-hop and jazz historicists, vinyl collectors and political minds had been singing his praises for decades, it seemed that the last few years of his life saw that well-deserved reverence reaching an unprecedented level. The release of his final album, I’m New Here, a collaborative effort with XL Recordings founder Richard Russell, and the posthumous Jamie xx remix project, We’re New Here served to further cement his place as a luminary of modern music and culture.

Today saw the release of The Last Holiday, an autobiographical memoir written in the last years of Gil’s life. The memoir tells the stories of some of the more formative moments of his extraordinary life and career, using one particular story as a sort of centerpiece through which others are told. “The Last Holiday” refers to Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and more specifically to Gil’s experience touring alongside Stevie Wonder as a part of 1980′s Hotter Than July Tour, during which he and Stevie helped to campaign for MLK Day’s status as an official holiday, all to the tune of Stevie’s “Happy Birthday”. In the excerpt below, Gil writes beautifully and poetically about childhood memories, about his experience with Stevie, and about the tragedy of fallen heroes. In the wake of his own death, his insight seems all the more poignant now.

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COOL FOLKS HANGIN OUT

Cool Folks Chillin'
Harry Belafonte and Martin Luther King Jr.

Is there anything better than hanging out with your friends? Probably not. Friends are just about the tightest thing in life, perhaps right behind family, although they oftentimes double as friends themselves. But like I said, we gotta utilize these weekdays and really get it in. These times won’t last forever. Amassing a colorful collection of famous faces, the pictures within capture celebrities of the past in some of their more candid moments. A settled reminder to take more pictures and enjoy yourself.

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THE BEATLES – “DON’T LET ME DOWN”

THE BEATLES: THE LOST PHOTOGRAPHS

The Beatles
© NFAgallery.com

We gotta take more pictures. For the simple reason that 40, 50, 60 years from now, the moments we capture now will become classic. I mean shit, think about the dopest picture you’ve taken this year? Do you think it will be more or less meaningful to you 40 years from now? These Beatles pics just got me thinking. Compiled by Author Larry Marion and the Beatles’s U.S. tour manager Bob Bonis, The Lost Photographs capture the famed group in between their career defining moments. Showcasing photographs of the band backstage, en route, and at play The Lost Photographs will surely offer a unique side of the storied band. Published by Harper Collins, the photo book is now available on Amazon and your local book retailer.

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THE BEATLES – “LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS”

NINA SIMONE – “HERE COMES THE SUN”

Nina Simone








“Here comes the sun, little darlin’
Here comes the sun
I say
It’s all right, it’s all right

Little darlin’,
It’s been a long, cold and lonely winter,
Little darlin’ it feels like years
Since you’ve been here

Here comes the sun, little darlin’
Here comes the sun
I say
It’s all right, it’s all right…”

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Download: Nina Simone – “Here Comes the Sun”

THE BEATLES – “I’M ONLY SLEEPING”

The Beatles







“Everybody seems to think I’m lazy
I don’t mind, I think they’re crazy
Running everywhere at such a speed
Till they find, there’s no need…”

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Download: The Beatles – “I’m Only Sleeping”

KOBE BRYANT + ANDRE 3000: ALL TOGETHER NOW

There’s new shit to blog about every single day. And some things are just cooler than others. In the process of browsing the daily selection, sometimes you get some pretty pictures. Other times you get a quality slap, or a funny video. And then some days, you get a new Nike commercial full of Kobe’s career highlights and classic hoops moments, all set to a Beatles song, covered by none other than 3 Stacks. I guess today’s just one of those days.

JOHN LENNON – “HOLD ON”

“Hold on world, world hold on,
It’s gonna be alright
You’re gonna see the light…”

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Download: John Lennon – “Hold On”

THE BEATLES – “TICKET TO RIDE”

“I think I’m gonna be sad,
I think it’s today, yeah
The girl that’s driving me mad
Is going away…”

The Beatles

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Download: The Beatles – “Ticket to Ride”

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THE MAKING OF THE BEATLES’ “A DAY IN THE LIFE”

If you listen to music, and particularly if you’re a Beatles fan, this will be entertaining. If, however you make music, this will be nothing short of fascinating. This excerpt is taken from a 1992 special documenting the making of perhaps the most important piece of music of the 20th Century: The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The bulk of the interviewing time here is with Sir George Martin, the legendary producer behind each of the Beatles albums, with the exception of Let it Be, but Ringo, Paul and Phil Collins each lend some perspective to the process behind the album’s momentous closing track. It’s a trip watching people explain the creative process so casually when they’re talking about a piece of history. As if it was just five guys in a studio recording some shit. This is just inspiring.

EASY STAR ALL-STARS – “WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS”

First off, this is a dedication to my friends. Secondly, it’s a good opportunity to put folks up on Easy Star that don’t yet know. The All-Stars are a reggae band based out of New York who specialize in covers of entire classic albums. In 2003, the band released Dub Side of the Moon, covering Pink Floyd’s masterpiece, following up with 2006′s Radiodread, a dub translation of OK Computer. Their latest project is Lonely Hearts Dub Band, a song-by-song reinterpretation of the Beatles album that changed everything. “With a Little Help” is one we all know and love. Find some good friends to post up with, twist something up, and let this one set the mood.

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Download: Easy Star All-Stars – “With a Little Help From My Friends”

THE BEATLES – “COME TOGETHER (LIVE)”

“He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
He say “I know you, you know me”
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now over me…”

THE BEATLES – “ANY TIME AT ALL”

“Any time at all, all you gotta do is call, and I’ll be there…”

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Download: The Beatles – “Any Time At All”