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""I just love Oldfield, an unsung genius, but I think the only two copies of Hergest Ridge he sold were to you and to me""

Make that three.
Mike did lose me after "Incantations," however, when he started going commercial and brought the singers in. There were a few good songs later on ("Shadow On The Wall," "Shine," "Moonlight Shadow") -- but lots of people can do good songs, and Oldfield evidently decided to stop doing the kind of thing that he did best (large scale instrumental tapestries). By all means, correct me if I'm wrong.

As for the article itself - it sounds like it's written by a snotty twenty-something, whose idea about ANYTHING only extends about 12 inches from himself. To equate fans' unhappiness with Beatles music being used in television commercials (the only use the author evidently HAS for music, it seems) with an occasional lesser song in the Beatles' recording career is just sloppy thinking, and makes me wonder why we're bothering to discuss this clown's article at all (okay, well, it's 2:48 A.M... I guess it's not a good time to discuss nuclear physics...).

Finally - where's Elvis in all of this? It's not that I'm a raging Elvis fan or anything, but did you notice that references to Elvis pop up in your life nearly every day? So if you're talking about living forever.... I think the guy's already there, as he's the icon of our times.

I think the guy's already there, as he's the icon of our times.

It took death for Elvis to trancend his music though. He left behind a legacy of some early rock and roll hits (and "raunch"), some lousy movies, some jumpsuits in Vegas, and a strange diet of peanut butter sandwiches and pills. He had a big house that people still tour, he shot his tee vee sets.

He's the model by which all mtv-vh1 stars are compared (what with Cribs, Behind the Music, etc.). Celebrity performers aren't famous for their music today, they are famous for their "personalities".

To equate fans' unhappiness with Beatles music being used in television commercials (the only use the author evidently HAS for music, it seems) with an occasional lesser song in the Beatles' recording career is just sloppy thinking, and makes me wonder why we're bothering to discuss this clown's article at all. . .

To which clown are you referring?

Finally - where's Elvis in all of this? It's not that I'm a raging Elvis fan or anything, but did you notice that references to Elvis pop up in your life nearly every day? So if you're talking about living forever.... I think the guy's already there, as he's the icon of our times.

He's immortalized, don'tchaknow. A lil' girl wrote a song about him, and it did okay on the charts itself. So long as people sing that song about him and those songs he did, he'll never fade away.

Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high
Mama's dancin', there's a baby on her shoulder
The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for

Black velvet in that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees
Black velvet, if you please

Up in Memphis the music's like a heat wave
White lightening, bound to drive you wild
Mama's baby's in the heart of every schoolgirl
"Love me tender" leaves them cryin' in the aisles
The way he moved, it was a song, so sweet and true
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for

Black velvet in that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees
Black velvet, if you please
Every word of every song he sang was for you
In a flash he was gone, it happened so soon
What could you do?

Black velvet in that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees
Black velvet, if you please