Stay tuned for a New Phase "Praise..."

Let Us Now Praise will be returning with some new twists

After a pause, “Let Us Now Praise The Beatles”

¹

is set to resume later this month with a slightly tweaked menu and publishing approach. Watch your inbox, but feel free to hit the website (perrygartner.substack.com) to surf the menu, peruse the archive and join (or start!) a conversation.

Among the changes on tap: the length of posts will vary, in order to accommodate different subject “triggers” and a more frequent posting schedule.

The types of posts will also vary. Along with the in-depth examinations of the Beatles and their music through the collective eyes of other artists, there will be fresh individual interviews, more of my own personal takes, a variety of opportunities to invite more direct input and engagement with readers, and more. (Substack recently introduced several features which encourage interaction and these should be a lot of fun.)

The objectives of the “Let Us Now Praise…” project and its archive of artist commentary, while multifaceted, remain centered around a dual focus:

1) Celebration

and

2) Setting the record straight.

The former goes without saying and is probably the most fun. The florid flights taken by so many musicians in expressing their thoughts about the Beatles are often a wonder to behold. They are affirmations and reminders of what sometimes gets taken for granted, if not forgotten. They give life to events, experiences and even music that we think we already know, and act as a kind of proof of supremacy — injecting substance into an increasingly cliched Beatles lore.

But it’s setting the record straight that may have the most lasting value, precisely because of those cliches. Despite the Beatles’ immense popularity, a great deal of misconception and misinformation has become received wisdom for too many people (and too many cultural histories). The aggregate testimonies of hundreds, even thousands, of other artists and public figures can act as a seawall against a tide of revisionism concerning everything from the Beatles’ music to their influence, relevance, originality, fan base, and standing versus other acts. These testimonies can even uncover long-obscured reality that may never have been resurrected otherwise. For example, who knew that “Love Me Do,” that primitive, inconsequential debut, hit British youth as a radical game-changer?

Whether correcting stubborn fallacies, revealing “new” dimensions of their impact and influence, or simply evangelizing and affirming our own fandom, this global choir of great artists

²

will continue to enable fresh appreciation of the true singularity, in all its multitudes, of the Beatles.

More to come!

1. Consider this entire post a proxy for future installments on other Let Us Now Praise subjects, including Charlie Chaplin, Babe Ruth and Buddy Rich…

2. Don’t forget to follow on Twitter (@BeatlesPraise) and Instagram (letusnowpraise) for your daily doses from the choir!