Guitar Player Magazine - Beatlemania and the Need for More Innovation

The cover story of the August 2004 issue of Guitar Player magazine really surprised me - "Beatlemania! The Guitar Story". Why, so many (very many) years later did this typically cutting-edge magazine choose to make this issue their "Super-Special Beatles Collector's Issue"?

On close inspection (i.e. after reading the 'noise from the editor' page, the answer became apparent. Well almost. Michael Molenda wrote that the nostalgia was to commemorate the Fab Four's 40th anniversary of their very first Ed Sullivan show performance. That's cool. Except that their first appearance was on February 9th ... and this is the August edition of the monthly magazine. As we coaches like to ask, "What's up with THAT?!"
 
Truth be told, the articles are really good. REALLY good. There's some information you can't seem to get enough of and the 'inside story' about how the John, Paul, George, and Ringo did their thing is definitely in that category for me. (Point of information: I was one of the zillion young lads who decided to learn how to play the guitar on Monday, February 10, 1964 ... and still play - although not nearly as much - to this very day.) It's amazing just how innovative the boys were. Did you know, for example, that Sgt. Peppers was recording on a four-track recording machine. Most of today's music uses four tracks (or more) just for the singing!
 
But it was somehow unsettling to me that this was what Guitar Player chose to write about in this issue at this point in time. Hardly a major stroke of inspiration - especially given the fact that it wasn't even the right month to do a 40-year acknowledgement. And it seemed particularly more lame given the context of writing about the most innovated and inspirational band ever. (Apologies to all you Rolling Stones fans out there!) Yet GP magazine was clearly very pleased with their effort. 
 
So here's the link back to you - Like the August 2004 issue of Guitar Player magazine, how might you be coming off far less inspirational or innovative than  you think? 

• How might you be re-treading the same tired old solutions to whatever new challenges are coming your way?
• If you were totally in tune (pun intended) with your inner-creativity, enthusiasm, and resolve, what would you do differently about the problems and challenges you're currently facing? 

My suggestion: Put on a couple of your favorite Beatle's CDs (albums?) and let your creative juices flow. I suspect you'll be pleasantly surprised by how well it works. ("I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in and stops my mind from wandering where it will go ...")