Unofficial rec.music.beatles Usenet Group Brief User Guide, Version 2.4

1. General and Purpose

The purpose of this brief guide is to help readers of the rec.music.beatles (RMB) news group efficiently use the news group and understand a few of the most interesting persons who post there without having to wade through thousands of posts. It is not a frequently asked questions (FAQ) guide to RMB. News group FAQs list commonly asked questions and provide answers to help prevent recurring individual posts containing questions that have been asked and answered many times before. There's a link to a nice FAQ site below.

I was a lurker in RMB for a couple of years. In May, 2000 I became a more active member by starting to post there. The Fabs are my favorite rock group, by far.

The views expressed in this document are strictly my own.

Suggestions for improvements are welcome and appreciated. Flamers and trolls will be cheerfully ignored.

The guide may be used and transmitted by others provided they quote it in whole without modifications.

2. RMB Access

I've put together a brief guide on access to usenet and RMB after the loss of the Deja usenet interface:

http://www.geocities.com/whosbest54/access.htm

3. RMB Use

Healthy debates and discussion about Fabs are encouraged. But serious users of the group should:

- Post mainly on-topic information related to the discussion of the Fabs. Also, some discussion of user personalities and behavior is appropriate. If you can't control yourself, then at least tag your subject header with OT so those who don't want to see the posts can filter them out.

If you have to post for sale or for auction announcements, then please add a tag to your subject header identifying them as such - FS or FA - so those who don't want to wade through them can filter them out.

- Refrain from personal attacks. If you have to duke it out, take it to personal email or a private chat room.

- Don't participate in endless arguments that will never be resolved. Learn to agree to disagree. I've expressed some of my opinions on issues that will never be resolved below for newcomers. Feel free to post your own opinions on such issues.

- Ignore flames and trolls. Here is one web page that outlines some good behavior for another group that contains good advice:

http://www.svs.com/rem/other/lame-posts-faq

I'm sure there are other sources of FAQ type information on appropriate usenet behavior if you search for them.

- Use newsreaders that allow filters to be set up to filter out posts by authors who have a history of inappropriate posts.

4. RMB FAQs

There are some excellent FAQs answering common questions about the Fabs. Check these out first before posting your questions. One nice RMB FAQ is at:

http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/

This site has a lot of nice links to other Beatle related sites.

5. RMB Most Interesting Characters Summary for Newbies

This page is my views on some of the more interesting characters that post to RMB. Don't bother to go to this page if you're a regular and already know my views.

This page is for the regulars.

Note: For a more general view, a site dedicated to RMB posters, with pictures (some genuine), is the RMB Cafe, when the site isn't munged:

http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/canvas/103/

6. Issues that will Never be Resolved

These are some of the issues seem to be debated endlessly in RMB. Here are my brief takes on them. None of these issues are as important as the main point of the Beatles - the music. Listening to and enjoying the music is what the Beatles were about. Everything else is secondary. Feel free to form and post your own views.

a. Sound Quality of Current Releases and the Need for New Masters and Mixes - I'd like to see the entire original catalog (everything released while the Fabs were together) remixed in stereo (and maybe digital surround for some of the later multitrack originals) and released along with remasters of the original mixes (both stereo and mono). This should be done with the involvement of the surviving Beatles and George Martin to give it the most credibility. That said, the likelihood of this occurring is low because I think that the vast majority of average listeners find the current CD releases of the original catalog to be adequate for their listening purposes and EMI, the surviving Beatles and Yoko probably view this as a much lower priority compared to other projects.

b. The Breakup - This was caused by a number of factors. The Beatles Anthology book probably has the most credible explanation. Blaming anyone in particular is pointless and discussions trying to pinpoint blame is a waste of bandwidth. Discussing the factors and trying to understand them is more worthwhile. Brain Epstein's death and John's dissatisfaction were important factors, but not the only ones.

c. The Quality of Songs, Lennon/McCartney vs. Individual - John and Paul wrote better songs together than they did by themselves. The Beatles were a team that, when working together, produced better product than anything produced by the individual members after the breakup.

d. John's Character and Role - The Fabs were more of a team without a real clear leader or front man. However, if a leader can be pinpointed, then he is the original leader. More leadership qualities than the others. More of a pure artist than the others. More eccentric than the others (I feel that many great artists tend to be this way). Bad temper; bad drunk. Loved Yoko, but their relationship was rocky.

e. Paul's Character and Role - Less of an artist and more of a showman than John. A pleasant and personable person in public. May have immature and unacceptable behaviors in private, such as being a racist or bigot. Much better songwriter when in the Beatles and driven by competition, especially competition with John. Loves being in the limelight, as long as he has control over what the public sees. Loved Linda, and their relationship was good.

f. Yoko Threads - Yoko is controversial. She is not responsible for the breakup. Her merits as an artist have little if anything to do with the Fabs; they may have some relationship to John as an individual artist after the breakup. I find the Yoko threads to be tiresome, border on being off topic, and I generally won't participate in them.

g. Favorite Song/Album and Why - My favorite song is I Feel Fine. The harmony, the hook, the feedback, the fact it wasn't on an album in stereo for some time are all reasons why this one stands out for me. My favorite album is The Beatles (aka 'White Album'). The songs seemed so advanced to me when I first heard them. The fact it was a double album. The place I was at in my life at the time it came out and started listening to it. Abbey Road, Revolver and Sgt. Peppers are up there, but WA beats them in my mind. I think one of the main considerations for liking songs and albums is the place you are at when you hear them and what is happening to you at the time. My mind seems to associate songs with thoughts and memories at times in my life when I heard them, and certain ones are the most pleasant (particular smells and sounds can do this).