By Eric Lochridge

This many years after The Beatles’ stormed the shores of America, it would be easy to downplay the band’s relevance in 2009. But this week, we have the much-anticipated “The Beatles: Rock Band” hitting video-game store shelves and remastered CDs of the Fab Four’s music.

I think smart marketing plays a big role in that pairing. But I do wonder how successful it will be once the hype passes.

On a certain level, it seems like a generational mismatch: video games primarily hit the younger, millennial demographic, and The Beatles are, and always will be, a Boomer sacred cow.

But the Beatles’ music is still interesting after all these years, and Aerosmith’s foray into the video game world via “Guitar Hero” seems to have gone over pretty well.

And in the event that you’re not getting your Beatles fix this week, our local Fab Four tribute group, The Abbey Road Band, is playing Saturday night at Thirsty’s in Rapid City.

By Crystal Hohenthaner
Rapid City Journal Staff 

I’m not an Idol fanatic — I wouldn’t even say I’m really a fan. Mostly because I hate the imposed pauses and the “long awaited results” crap. (Just sing and tell me who won already!) But, of course that’s what I hate about almost all contest-reality shows and I still sit through it for “America’s Next Top Model,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “Project Runway.”

So, this week I decided to put up with the reality TV crap for “American Idol,” and it was one of those frustrating weeks where someone good gets sent home and someone who sucks gets to stay. I’ll admit, it seems that in every contest-reality show someone ends up staying past when they should go (for example, Ricky should have gotten kicked off of this season’s PJ long before he did).

This time I find the situation more frustrating because since David Hernandez was the one to go it kind of looks like he got kicked off because of the whole stripper scandal. I’m also frustrated simply because I think America got it wrong. Kristy Lee Cook isn’t good enough to stay and she should have gotten kicked off before the top 12. Now she will be imposing her nasty vowels, forced vibrato and bad yodeling on people across the country during the tour.

I really wish they would change the voting process for “America Idol.” First of all, everyone should get a limited number of votes — like on “Dancing with the Stars.” Second, everyone should be allowed a certain number of votes AGAINST a contestant.

I tell you what, I would have been paying a dollar per vote if I could have voted against Sanjaya last season.

Well, feel free to vote against people here — of course we have no way to make your vote count.

P.S. Does anyone else feel like something sacred has been messed with after hearing the different renditions of all those Beatles tunes?

By Eric Lochridge 

On Tuesday, “new” Beatles music hits the stores in the form of an album called “Love.” Giles Martin, son of the Fab Four’s famed producer George Martin, has remixed some of the band’s work, with the permission of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison.

According to the Associated Press: John Lennon sings “he’s a real nowhere man” in the background of the instrumental track to “Blue Jay Way.” The keyboard of “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” dissolves into the plodding guitar of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” “Strawberry Fields Forever” builds from Lennon’s acoustic demo into a psychedelic swirl of sounds that incorporates bits of “Hello Goodbye,” “Baby You’re a Rich Man,” “Penny Lane” and “Piggies.” 

So, I ask baby boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials alike, is this a good idea? And are the Beatles still pop music’s sacred cows?