Sgt. Pepper is no longer a lonely man. Four new members have joined the club.

This is the hole where singing comes from.

B side list in Bulgarian:
ELEANOR RIGBY

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

SOMETHING
I know some people who are high minded about their music. They are the kind of guys who will drop names of artists knowing that an average Joe’s never heard of them. They will frame a conversation in such a way to softly remind you that you’re just a notch below them for not spending 40 hours a week downloading MP3s of cutting edge U.K. and Japanese bands.

Sometimes I play this Bootles record when those friends come over. They won’t say it outright but they think to themselves “How uncool, he’s playing The Beatles greatest hits.” I just sit and wait. Only after 2-3 songs they will start noticing that something is off with this vinyl. Ringo Starr sounds like a drum machine, McCartney may be from Manchester but his English accent sounds Bulgarian, Lennon’s guitar is just not quite there. At this point my purists friends are like a deer caught in headlights — afraid to say anything that may compromise their music expert status.

The Bootles record was published by Balkanton in Bulgaria. All those tribute bands like Wild Child are not even close to The Bootles. They are so close to the real thing that I almost think that this record was just an attempt to sell the band as the real Beatles to unsuspecting record shoppers. Come on, their name was derived from “bootleggers.” Of course, the back side says “manufactured under license in Bulgaria” but what else are they going to say “ripped off?”

I included two samples from this record. Out of all the tracks on the record the rendition of “Eleanor Rigby” sounds the least like the real deal. The synth just doesn’t cut it as strings. But “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is pretty damn good.