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Book Review: Bleachers
by Lang Reid
 Bleachers,
written by John Grisham, was first published in Europe last year, but the
review copy from Arrow Books (ISBN 0-09-946819-0) was released in the
current paperback format only this year.
I have to admit that I know absolutely nothing about
American Football. I have tried many times to watch it on TV and return to
the remote control still baffled. However, it remains an enormously
popular game on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Grisham, who is
better known for his legal novels, leaves the wigs and courtrooms behind
to spin the yarn that revolves around the death of a legendary school
football coach (Eddie Rake) in a small town in the USA. While all the
characters in the novel have a connection to Rake, the novel sets out to
minutely examine the relationships, and what has happened to the
ex-football players since they were at school.
Despite being ignorant in the bleachers, I found that
inexorably I was being dragged into the small town of Messina where the
book was set. Grisham has the ability to produce exact pen portraits, from
the footballer who came out of the closet, to the ex-professional football
player, the footballer turned town banker and the slightly dodgy
footballer who later became the slightly dodgy car spare parts salesman.
During the beginning of the wake for the dying coach, a
tape recording of a match played many years before is run, and probably
for the aficionados it all makes sense, but for the grid-iron gringo such
as me, it was a little too tedious, and just as inexplicable.
The value of the book is not in the football plays, but
in Grisham’s descriptions of the relationships with the deceased coach.
Having been the coach at the school for many years he had seen many a team
member come and go, but for each the relationship was special in one way
or another. Love or hate, respect or loathing, the ex-players reveal their
souls in this book, and then a little of why they felt that way.
The main character, Neely Crenshaw, was a young
football player who made it all the way to the professional ranks, with
all the adulation that this evidently brings young football players in
America. After being sidelined permanently through injury, he has to
adjust to the fact that only in his home town is he remembered as what he
was. As part of his personal catharsis he has to endure the commiserations
of his old football buddies, but realizes that this does not rid him of
his demons. Only by encountering a previous romantic relationship and
facing the fury of one who was spurned, is the shallowness of his teenage
life finally exposed, thereby releasing him from his personal nightmare.
The debt he feels he owes to society is finally expunged.
The review copy came directly from Asia Books, but the RRP should be
around B. 295. Well written, but for me lacking the depth Grishom
demonstrated in The Client, or The Firm. But then, if I understood
American Football, perhaps I would have better appreciated the book.
Mott’s CD review: The Beatles -
Let It Be... Naked
Pawed by Mott the Dog
Re-chewed by Ella Crew
5
Stars *****
None of “The Beatles” were ever happy with Phil
Spectre’s production of this collection of songs. However, finally
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr gave permission for the songs to be
re-recorded, using the original tapes, but producing them without all
the overdubs and orchestrations put on by Spectre. Obviously a lot of
people thought this was sacrilege to mess with the Beatles history, but
not this dog.
 There
were 18 months between the recording of these songs and their release,
which was done to tie in with the release of the movie. In between times
the Beatles had gone back into the studio and recorded and released
Abbey Road. So it came as quite a nasty shock to the world’s most
famous band when they heard the songs again, but by then it was too late
to do anything about it. To the despair of a generation “The
Beatles” were no more and were in a bitter feud, which was never going
to be properly patched up. So the album stood as it was for thirty
years.
Except now it has been remixed and produced lovingly
by Paul Hicks, Guy Massey, and Allan Rouse, who have done a magnificent
job and got double thumbs up from Paul and Ringo.
‘Let It Be... Naked’ is probably today the most
gritty Rock ‘n’ Roll album that ever came out of the Beatles camp.
The running order has been completely re-arranged which now gives it
more of a live feel. Don’t get me wrong, McCartney’s soapy ballads
are still there (‘Across the Universe’, ‘The Long and Winding
Road’, and of course the title track ‘Let It Be’ - the not naked
version), but stripped of their lush embellishments. They come off as
giving the album some balance, rather than something off an easy
listening album, and “The Beatles” sound like a proper band.
The songs are obviously all classics, but one other
thing that comes through very clearly is how important a role Billy
Preston played in the sessions. Billy Preston was called in to try and
sooth the warring factions within the group, and inspire them into
behaving themselves. He not only fulfilled that role, but his keyboard
playing all through the album is nothing short of inspired. The
keyboards have been pushed way up front in the mix while on the original
release they had been suppressed way down.
It’s the rockers that come out of the best. ‘Get
Back’ is the perfect opener and, stripped down to basics, it fairly
hurtles out of the speakers, setting the tone for what is to follow.
John Lennon’s ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’ is unrecognizable from the
original, which came out as very subdued. Here it is in its full ragged
glory and shines like an uncut diamond. It is hard to believe that the
band had now split forever as there is a great feeling of comradeship
with Paul and John dueling vocally to bring the song to a frantic
climax.
The ‘Naked’ version of ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’
is a keyboard driven rocker, while it was a bit of a muddled guitar
driven dirge originally. What a tragedy that the band never got to play
any of the songs on this album to a live audience. (Mind you, the same
can be said of any of the music that the Beatles made from Sergeant
Peppers onwards.)
‘For You’ and ‘I Me Mine’ prove that there
really was too much talent in the Beatles to be contained in one Rock
‘n’ Roll band. These two George Harrison compositions prove and show
what was about to happen when he was released from the confines of the
band. Left to his own devices, George came up with the treble album
‘All Things Must Pass’. George’s guitar playing throughout this
collection is nothing short of stunning, blending beautifully with
Preston’s keyboard playing, interplaying with John’s guitar, while
Paul’s bass playing also got more room without all the unnecessary
arrangements. Ringo, too, proves to be a very underrated timekeeper.
Even if you have the original, it is still worth
bending your ear around ‘Naked’. You also get a bonus disc with this
set which includes snippets of conversation and songs from the recording
sessions. They give you a marvelous insight into what it was like in the
studio with the Beatles, although it’s really only worth one listen.
(John Lennon obviously had ‘Jealous Guy’ up his sleeve for a long
time before releasing it on Imagine.) The CD booklet will keep you
entertained while you listen to the music.
A job well done.
The Songs
Get Back, Dig A Pony, For You Blue, The Long And Winding Road, Two Of
Us, I’ve Got A Feeling, One After 909, Don’t Let Me Down, I Me Mine,
Across The Universe, Let It Be
Musicians
John Lennon - Guitar and Vocals
Paul McCartney - Bass and Vocals
George Harrison - Lead Guitar and Vocals
Ringo Starr - Drums and Vocals
Billy Preston - Keyboards and Backing Vocals
To contact Mott the Dog email: [email protected]
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