Without a doubt, there is no band as popular as The Beatles. Almost 60 years since their music first exploded on the nation’s radios, the group’s music continues to be popular among America’s youth and beyond, so it’s only natural that there be numerous tribute bands to fill demand. One of the area’s most popular, Help!, performs at the Harp in Ocean Beach.
For drummer Russ Noel, the band’s Ringo, the chance to play in Help! has been the culmination of a lifelong love of all things musical and, in particular, the Beatles. A native of Long Island, N.Y., Noel was born in 1963, meaning he literally grew up with the Beatles as a soundtrack to his life. “Obviously, I’m obsessed,” he said with a smile. “I will never tire of listening to this music and playing it live.” He notes there are two types of bands that cover this music – “portrayals,” which means musicians dress and try to look and sound like the real thing, and more standards groups that just concentrate on the music. “In fact, when playing with the portrayal tributes, I have to be careful to stay in character in a presentational way with the head shaking and goofy grin; otherwise, I can fall too much into the groove and just listening to those wonderful noises from the Hofner, the Gretsch, the Rickenbacker, the 52-year old Ludwigs. It’ll never get old. The thrill will never be gone.”
As a rule, Help! does songs in chronological order. “People expect that and seem more comfortable with it,” Noel commented. “It’s been the standard tribute model since Beatlemania back in the mid 1960s. “Costume changes depend on the venue. Is there a dressing room? We all have the black Chesterfield suits, also referred to as Sullivans and Shea Stadium outfits, which are wool and hotter than hell, custom Sgt. Pepper gear. And for the ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Abbey Road’ eras, we all put things together that match what they were wearing then.” He points out there is a bit of a formula to the band’s look. “Some Johns,” he said, “have the surplus Army jacket. “But as a rule, most tributes have the last set down to a standard: Paul with a vest over T-shirt, George in denim, John in the white ‘I’m with Yoko’ suit and Ringo either casual, a wool pullover sweater, or his movie-star look, which is a suit and a scarf instead of a tie.”
For nightclubs, the band tends to concentrate on the earlier part of the Beatles career. “The majority of people want to dance and prefer the early stuff,” he said. “The aficionados want to hear middle-period stuff from ‘Rubber Soul’ and ‘Revolver.’ Later in the evening, folks like slower, dramatic numbers like ‘Let It Be.'” Is he afraid the day when people tire of the Beatles will ever come? Noel laughs at the thought. “The appeal crosses all demographic lines,” he noted. “I’ve played places where it’s all twentysomethings who love The Beatles and at all-ages venues with families; you see 4-year-olds dancing and singing along. They know all the lyrics.” As far as he’s concerned, centuries from now, there will be Beatles tributes. “It will be a cultural folk art, like classical mariachi,” he said. “I’m not kidding; mariachi started with one band. Then came the copycats with the same vaquero clothes and then the tributes. Today, it’s a southwestern folk art.”
Noel points out that symphony orchestras still play Mozart – “so you will still have four guys in tight suits and Hofner, Rick, Gretsch and Ludwig instruments with Vox amps pretending to be the Beatles, in clubs on the Martian colonies or aboard interstellar cruise liners.” HELP! WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday, April 23 WHERE: The Harp, 4935 Newport Ave. 21 and up.
INFO: thebestbeatles.com.