Roppongi is the hotspot nightclub area of Tokyo.
in a back street there you'll find steps leading down
into a near-hidden club called Abbey Road.
if you're a beatlenut like I am,
it might contain the happiest night of your life.
the best beatle tribute band in the whole world
will be playing 5 sets of beatle songs,
playing and singing each song perfectly.
they are the parrots.
despite the fact that only Chappy (John) speaks much english
you will swear you're at the Cavern listening to the beatles.
in fact I don't know how the beatles could ever have done
I Am A Walrus or Long And Winding Road, but the parrots
do them down to the last minute detail.
the parrots know 200 beatle songs perfectly!
and with Abbey Road's beatle-decor atmosphere
and the parrots period-perfect looks and instruments
it's as though you stepped out of a time machine.
they sound fabulous!
the harmonies, the guitar parts, the drum fills.
the orchestration is provided flawlessly by a "fifth beatle"
Fuming who plays keyboards off the side of the stage.
meanwhile Chappy (John), Gordon, (Paul)
Bambino (George) and Thomas (Ringo)
do exacting electrifying versions of each period of beatle music.
I always go to see the parrots when I'm in tokyo,
sometimes I even sing a song or two with them.
it's the most fun evening I ever have.
God Bless You, Parrots.
see you next time, lads.
Beatlemania, the tribute show that toured around 1980 or so, was so wonderful. I remember of the rotating casts published in the program, for our John Lennon, we got Marshall Crenshaw, before he had made it big.
ReplyDeleteLast fall we saw Musical Box, the Genesis tribute group from Canada. I was stunned by their exact renditions of early Genesis. It's a very powerful feeling!
The Parrots experience sounds marvelous, done up with all the decor, etc. If ever find myself in Tokyo...
I decided to look them up on line and came across this list of Beatles "tribute" bands....wow!
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing you can take in a "Beatles" performance many times on your own tour...At least we know who the best is now.
Nice picture of The Parrotts..
http://www.liverpooltour.com/TributeBand.htm
When I think of Adrian's Beatlenut influence, the first song that come's to my mind is "Time Waits" of Op Zop Too Wah. This was, I'm pretty sure, one of the first solo Belew albums I bought, and this song profoundly moved me in ways that, wonderfully, still happen every time I hear it. To Adrian: this song of yours is brilliant in so many ways. Love it, and love you.
ReplyDeleteMyster.Z.