On That Note - A Legend That Will Last A Lunchtime
It was the lowest rated television show for the week of March 19, 1978. Finishing #65 out of 65 shows broadcast that week.
NBC showed it in the 8:30-10:00PM (Central) time slot on March 22. I watched it. And loved it. As did my two best friends at the time.
It was the first known Mock Documentary of a fake rock and roll group and inspired the later classic 'This is Spinal Tap.'
All You Need is Cash (Aka The Rutles) is the television special the above is referring to.
So how did such a low rated show become a cult classic?
First off, my history - I learned of it in the Fall TV Guide Preview special that covered upcoming new Television shows premiering that season, along with specials slated for the year. It also helped that my dorm floor buddy worked for WHO, the NBC affiliate in Des Moines on the weekends. So he had some inside track on their network programming.
The appearance of the Soundtrack in stores prior to the special was a definite eye catcher. A cover that simultaneously parodied 4 of the Beatles classic album covers was something any music fan would be hard pressed not to notice.
First my buddy picked up his copy, with an included booklet full of twisted Mad Magazine-like visual and verbal Beatles' historical tales - all slightly twisted to portray Rutles history, not Beatles. We were instantly drawn in.
Then there was the music on the album. The song parodies were so Beatles-like! Hold My Hand was some weird but perfect combination of Please Please Me, She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand. Ouch! - That's a send up of Help! Piggy in the Middle = I am the Walrus. Etc. They were brilliantly on target. Not mean, no, more of a paean to the originals at least in spirit, and definitely in production.
Ooh, we wondered... What did the Beatles think? Well George Harrison was actually in the film, playing it extremely straight portraying an unnamed street interviewer as the Rutle Corps headquarters are hilariously being pillaged in the background - Banana logo in place of the Apple and all. Hmm, I guess it was okay with them.
The story was largely the work of Eric Idle of Monte Python fame while the music was all composed by Neil Innes. (Neil had been a member of the Bonzo Dog (Doo-Dah) Band whose novelty UK hit, I'm the Urban Spaceman was co-produced by Gus Dudgeon and Apollo C. Vermouth - which was the chosen alias for one James Paul McCartney. Not Neil's only exposure to the Beatles was that single however, as the Bonzos also appeared in the film 'Magical Mystery Tour' performing Death Cab for Cutie.)
Executive Produced by SNL's Lorne Michaels 'All You Need is Cash' included cameos by Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Dan Ackroyd, and even a bit including writer/performers Tom Davis and Al (former MN Senator) Franken.
Several interview bits with Mick Jagger reminiscing about the Rutles are interspersed throughout the film; Bianca Jagger plays Ron Nasty's (The Lennon character) wife, and Ron Wood also appears briefly as a Hell's Angel. Other Rutles-influence commentary is provided by Paul Simon.
I was impressed with the package artwork and attention to detail in parodying the original photos and sleeves. Somebody who knew what they were doing took a lot of time and effort to put this together. (Never mind the 70's vintage VW Rabbit in the background of the "A Hard Day's Rut" film clip.)
Yeah, some of the Eric Idle cheesy interview bits are... well cheesy. But there are some genuinely hilarious bits. Right near the beginning he tosses away, "The Rutles' first album was recorded in twenty minutes. The second took even longer."
In a way, at the time, it was almost like discovering a treasure trove of newly unearthed Beatles tunes, so spot on were the musical send ups. I'll pick 5 because that's all I can include in the post.
A brilliant combination of Please Please Me/She Loves You/I Want to Hold Your Hand lyrically, but still not the same as any of them.
Fitting in that "A Hard Day's Rut" mold is this - basically If I Fell
Next up, the Help! version by the Rutles, Ouch!
We have to include some George, no sorry, Stig O'Hara Indian music
And drummer Barrington Womble (aka Barry Wom) always got a chance to do a song per album. Obviously their take on Don't Pass Me By
It was the lowest rated television show for the week of March 19, 1978. Finishing #65 out of 65 shows broadcast that week.
NBC showed it in the 8:30-10:00PM (Central) time slot on March 22. I watched it. And loved it. As did my two best friends at the time.
It was the first known Mock Documentary of a fake rock and roll group and inspired the later classic 'This is Spinal Tap.'
All You Need is Cash (Aka The Rutles) is the television special the above is referring to.
So how did such a low rated show become a cult classic?
First off, my history - I learned of it in the Fall TV Guide Preview special that covered upcoming new Television shows premiering that season, along with specials slated for the year. It also helped that my dorm floor buddy worked for WHO, the NBC affiliate in Des Moines on the weekends. So he had some inside track on their network programming.
The appearance of the Soundtrack in stores prior to the special was a definite eye catcher. A cover that simultaneously parodied 4 of the Beatles classic album covers was something any music fan would be hard pressed not to notice.

First my buddy picked up his copy, with an included booklet full of twisted Mad Magazine-like visual and verbal Beatles' historical tales - all slightly twisted to portray Rutles history, not Beatles. We were instantly drawn in.
Then there was the music on the album. The song parodies were so Beatles-like! Hold My Hand was some weird but perfect combination of Please Please Me, She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand. Ouch! - That's a send up of Help! Piggy in the Middle = I am the Walrus. Etc. They were brilliantly on target. Not mean, no, more of a paean to the originals at least in spirit, and definitely in production.
Ooh, we wondered... What did the Beatles think? Well George Harrison was actually in the film, playing it extremely straight portraying an unnamed street interviewer as the Rutle Corps headquarters are hilariously being pillaged in the background - Banana logo in place of the Apple and all. Hmm, I guess it was okay with them.
The story was largely the work of Eric Idle of Monte Python fame while the music was all composed by Neil Innes. (Neil had been a member of the Bonzo Dog (Doo-Dah) Band whose novelty UK hit, I'm the Urban Spaceman was co-produced by Gus Dudgeon and Apollo C. Vermouth - which was the chosen alias for one James Paul McCartney. Not Neil's only exposure to the Beatles was that single however, as the Bonzos also appeared in the film 'Magical Mystery Tour' performing Death Cab for Cutie.)
Executive Produced by SNL's Lorne Michaels 'All You Need is Cash' included cameos by Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Dan Ackroyd, and even a bit including writer/performers Tom Davis and Al (former MN Senator) Franken.
Several interview bits with Mick Jagger reminiscing about the Rutles are interspersed throughout the film; Bianca Jagger plays Ron Nasty's (The Lennon character) wife, and Ron Wood also appears briefly as a Hell's Angel. Other Rutles-influence commentary is provided by Paul Simon.
I was impressed with the package artwork and attention to detail in parodying the original photos and sleeves. Somebody who knew what they were doing took a lot of time and effort to put this together. (Never mind the 70's vintage VW Rabbit in the background of the "A Hard Day's Rut" film clip.)
Yeah, some of the Eric Idle cheesy interview bits are... well cheesy. But there are some genuinely hilarious bits. Right near the beginning he tosses away, "The Rutles' first album was recorded in twenty minutes. The second took even longer."
In a way, at the time, it was almost like discovering a treasure trove of newly unearthed Beatles tunes, so spot on were the musical send ups. I'll pick 5 because that's all I can include in the post.
A brilliant combination of Please Please Me/She Loves You/I Want to Hold Your Hand lyrically, but still not the same as any of them.
Fitting in that "A Hard Day's Rut" mold is this - basically If I Fell
Next up, the Help! version by the Rutles, Ouch!
We have to include some George, no sorry, Stig O'Hara Indian music
And drummer Barrington Womble (aka Barry Wom) always got a chance to do a song per album. Obviously their take on Don't Pass Me By
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