exploremusic

One of the best soundtracks ever?  The soundtrack from the 90′s film Backbeat.  Reason being, it’s a series of rock and roll era tunes, played by 90′s rock stars i.e. "The Backbeat Band" featuring Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), Greg Dullli (Afgan Whigs), Mike Mills (REM), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) and Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters).   They do Long Tall Sally, Twist and Shout, Slow Down, C’Mon Everybody, Good Golly Miss Molly, and a bunch more.  The album won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Film Music. 

Backbeat the movie, out in 1994, portrays the early days of the Beatles, at the break of the 60′s when they were cutting their teeth in the red light district of Hamburg Germany.  

Stu Sutfcliff, born today the 23rd of June 1940, was a matter of months older than John Lennon.  They’d met at the Liverpool College of Art and while it was apparent that Stu, the intellect, had the makings of a fine artist, John convinced him to strap on a bass and play rock and roll music.  

it was Stu who suggested the name ‘The Beetles’ as a take on Buddy Holly’s ‘Crickets’, a band both he and John loved.  John adjust the spelling and their band became the ‘Beatles’. 

It was in Hamburg that Stu and the Beatles met legendary photographer Astrid Kirchherr, to whom he was later engaged. He enrolled in the Hamburg College of Art after leaving The Beatles, and studied under future pop artist Eduardo Paolozzi.   The Beatles left Hamburg to take on the world and just as that was starting to happen, Stu Sutcliffe’s life came to an abrupt and premature end.   He was just 21.  John was devasted. 

I won’t go into detail about ‘how’, for anyone that doesn’t know,  because I encourage you to see the film and discover for yourself.   Stephen Dorff plays Sutcliffe.  The little blonde that plays Astrid is cute as a button.    

Below after the trailer from the flick, check out the Backbeat band, including Dave Grohl going ape#*@% on drums.

Cheers,

Jeff.

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