Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article

Subject: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 03:04 PM

I think any person, especially songwriters, interested in the history f the Beatles will find this interesting.

Does anyone have the full lyric?

I'm just going to link to the article

Please be careful about not using keywords which may be in searches by racial activists in the UK.


I'm just going to link to the song.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: michaelr
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 03:36 PM

Fascinating! I can understand why the Beatles chose not to go down that particular avenue. Thanks for the link, Jack.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Mo the caller
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 05:40 PM

The article says.....
This was the situation that the Beatles faced in 1969, when they first concocted the song that would become "Get Back."

I don't think that can be right. I recognise that song, the person I shared a house with sang snatches of it - and I moved away in Spring 1968.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: alanabit
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 06:07 PM

Interesting article. If I may correct a minor detail: By 1968, Sir Matt Busby had not been an Arsenal player for about thirty years. He was the manager of Manchester United.
It was obviously wise for the Beatles never to have released this version. It could have backfired horribly - as satire often does. It is also pretty crude both rhythmically and lyrically.
There were good reasons why a lot of material was never released at the time. Although they recorded several versions of "Have You Heard The Word?" and "What's Yer New Mary Jane", they never made them sound right - probably because they were duff songs to start with!

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 07:32 PM

"It is also pretty crude both rhythmically and lyrically. " Yeah, true enough but the bones of "Get Back" are there. Seems like all they did was complete the arrangement and change the lyrics.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: number 6
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 10:58 PM

I never cared much for the Beatles.

but

regardless

I question this recording ... neither Paul or John ever exhibited any racial bigotry either in interviews, or in any of their songs. In fact at the time of this recording Lennon returned his MBE in protest "I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts.". This act of protest was certainly not the act a British redneck white supramacist would do.

Was this recording some sort of parody on racial bigots in Britain at the time .... I certainly would not condemn Lennon and Mcartney as right wing bigots based on this.

biLL

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 11:09 PM

Years ago Eric Bogle wrote a satire which he soon stopped singing as too many people took it seriously: some are against it, not noticing the satire, & others even put on a website as a hymn to their ideals!

It includes lines where the person objecting to migrants cos of the weird foods they eat has a non-British surname & is eating some of this weird food.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: number 6
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 11:09 PM

I should also add John was known to mimic all kinds of people ... he also had a big mouth and spoke his mind freely. I'm sure if he had any racist attitudes it would of been known publicly ... on the contrary what he said was far from being a bigot.

I'd say that article above is basically sensationalist BS trying to discredit the Beatles.

biLL

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Apr 13 - 11:18 PM

This is old news. Paul would oftimes compose melodies before working out the lyrics of a song and the early takes of Get Back had words that satirized the likes of Enoch Powell. So yes, this is BS.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 12:53 AM

Relax six. The article makes it clear it was written as a satire.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Johnny J
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 04:46 AM

I'm sure it was satire too but probably it was wise not to release this.

At the time "Till death Us Do Part" was very popular on TV but, unfortunately, bigots everywhere took Alf Garnett seriously and agreed with him which wasn't Johnny Speight's original intention.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST,Blandiver
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 05:07 AM

Fascinating stuff. It reminds me of this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Gn7TEEB-M

...and brings me to just how many UKIP (& worse) sympathisers I meet amongst Folkies these days who are somehow convinced that Folk is about preserving our nations traditional heritage from dilution from immigration. I heard one person described Liverpool Council's decision to ban black-faced morris dancing outside the Museum of Slavery as being 'racist' against 'our' culture.

Go figure.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 05:21 AM

The Beatles - No Pakistanis

The Beatles - Commonwealth

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: number 6
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 09:02 AM

jts ... my mistake.

I was up late working on a project that I'm not too enthused over and behind schedule. While taking a short break I flipped over to the Madcat; this thread caught my eye and I responded without thoroughly reading into it.

I know ... no excuse ... but please accept my apologies .. and you can go ahead and punch me.

biLL

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 09:53 AM

Usual dire lead guitar from George, but great drums from dependable Ringo. Played this to a friend from Pakistan who thought the words were very funny. He drives a very expensive Mercedes!!!

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 11:13 AM

Usual dire lead guitar from George

You really haven't a clue, have you Bonzo?

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 11:15 AM

Is that so guest ed? Is that really so?

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 11:38 AM

Yes Bonzo, it is.

If you bothered to take the time to listen to, and think about, George Harrison's contribution to The Beatles as a lead guitarist over their entirety of their recordings, you would not describe it as being the 'usual dire' input.

You may, of course, have defective ears.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 12:30 PM

This guest ed is a little touchy!

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 12:45 PM

a little touchy

That's fair comment, Bonzo. Harrison, as a guitarist, is something of a hero to me.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 05:02 PM

>>I know ... no excuse ... but please accept my apologies .. and you can go ahead and punch me.<<

Yeah OK when I get around to it.

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 06:42 PM

Remember Enoch Powell?

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 07:14 PM

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 15 Apr 13 - 07:15 PM

Remember Enoch Powell?

Erm, yes... Your point being?

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 16 Apr 13 - 07:26 AM

Very interesting, and new to me. The article seems to suggest that "No Pakistanis" was an earlier version, and that the lyrics were later changed for fear of a public outcry.

However, quick googling, which is not really difficult, shows that many self-declared Beatles expert insist that the version in question was a parody to mock Enoch Powell, improvised after the song as we know it had been released. This sounds more likely to me, and would render the Salon article a complete hoax.

Who has reliable evidence?

Subject: RE: Beatles:'No Pakistanis' Salon article
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 16 Apr 13 - 08:21 AM

Do the references to Sweet Loretta Martin invoke trans-gender issues?