Pure Magic - the Shady Dell Attic: 100+ Years of History and Mystery!

          Having one of those days? Dampened spirits need a lift? You've come to the right place.

                          Spend a little time here at Shady's Place and feel better fast!

Thursday, March 12, 2026

 Saved by the Belle 

 Vol. 3: Way Cool SOLID COLD 

 BEATLES SANDWICH! 



 LADIES 
 AND 
 GENTLEMEN, 

 THE BEATLES!!! 

COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!


"Now And Then" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz  (November 2023)

2ND COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!


"I'm Only Sleeping" - The Beatles
(from June 1966 album Yesterday And Today)

Smile and say "cheese!"
It's time to meet the micest member of
the Shady Bunch Rodentia Intelligentsia! 


 Hi, folks!  I'm... 
 Belle Rat the Dell Rat 
 ...the ladies' answer to Denny the Dell Rat. 

Welcome to my S-P-M-M radio show

 Saved by the Belle 
 The Music and Musings of 
 Belle Rat the Dell Rat 

I'm on a mission to save you from boring elevator music.
I'm no Minnie Mouse, and the tunes I play are not Mickey Mouse.
My show brings you the best and most memorable sounds
from the glory days of your boomer youth.

Volume 3 is a SOLID COLD edition.  Every song
I play on today's show has a cold open aka a cold intro. 


At the top of the show, my favorite band, The Beatles, sang you wide awake
with "I'm Only Sleeping," a great song written primarily by John Lennon
and first released in the U.S. on the 1966 album Yesterday And Today.
You saw a surreal animated video produced to promote the release
in October, 2022, of a remixed and expanded edition of Revolver,
the album that introduced "I'm Only Sleeping" to the rest of the
world apart from North America. Revolver marked the beginning
of The Beatles' psychedelic phase and is considered one of the
greatest, most innovative albums in the history of popular music.

Before that, you saw and heard a sensational cover of  "Now And Then,"
 also known as "the last Beatles song," a single and video released
in November, 2023, by Paul and Ringo, the surviving members
of the legendary band, and containing footage and dubbed
vocals by deceased members John and George.

The cool cover was performed by David A. Rodriguez, a U.S. singer
and musician who looks like Prince and sounds a lot like Beatle
John Lennon. David is "leader" of a one-man band he calls DreamerJazz.


 On his popular YouTube channel, David covers rock, jazz,
sunshine pop and more, but his specialty is doing remarkable
covers of Beatles songs. Today, I'm presenting a few of his best.


The song "Mister Moonlight" was written by Roy Lee Johnson and
first recorded by blues pianist Willie Perryman aka Piano Red aka
Dr. Feelgood. Released at the start of 1962, the single credits the
name of the artist on the label as "Dr. Feelgood And The Interns."


With John Lennon singing lead, The Beatles covered "Mr. Moonlight" on
two 1964 albums,  Beatles For Sale, released in the UK, and Beatles '65,
 issued in the U.S. As you listen to David Rodriguez aka DreamerJazz
perform the song, you might find yourself shouting "John Lennon lives!"


"Mr. Moonlight" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (January  2022)

Is it John Lennon? Is it Memorex?
...or is it David A. Rodriguez?


Answer: C - David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz.


You're boppin' with Belle on S-P-M-M
Rat-ro-sonic Radio... the station with
personality. You've got a rat to rock,
and I'm her, she's me. Count on me
 to pick the best sounds of the 50s,
60s and 70s, those Wonder Years
classics that never grow old.

In this special SOLID COLD edition,
I'm runnin' down the cool cool sound
of The Beatles and Beatles cover artist
and YouTube star David A. Rodriguez.

The Beatles song "Drive My Car"
was penned mainly by Paul, who
also sang the main vocal part.
I'm curious as a cat (EEEK!)
to see and hear what one-man
band David does with the ditty.

Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Yeah!



"Drive My Car" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (May 2021)


(above) single released April, 1965, in Italy 

Written by John Lennon and recorded in the summer of 1964,
"I'm A Loser" was the first Beatles song to directly reflect
the influence of Bob Dylan and country music. "I'm A Loser"
was first released in the UK on the album Beatles For Sale
and later in the U.S. on Beatles '65. Here's another nifty
cover by David Rodriguez - aka - Dreamerjazz!


"I'm A Loser" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (December 2023)


Belle Rat the Dell Rat keeping you company
here on S-P-M-M Rat-ro-sonic Radio.

Baby, it's cold outside... and it's even cooler
in the Shady where I'm serving today's lunch
special - SOLID COLD Beatles sandwich! 




"Ask Me Why," a song
written mainly by Beatle
John, was originally
 released in America
in early 1964 on
Version 2 of the
Vee-Jay album
Introducing...
The Beatles.

Introducing...
David Rodriguez
and his clone quartet
doing their cover of
one of Dave's Beatles
faves-- "Ask Me Why!"


"Ask Me Why" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (March 2020)






"Ask Me Why"...
and I'll tell you a lie.

That was another crazy cool
cover by featured artist David
Rodriguez who plays all four
parts in his fabulous Fab Four
 cover band DreamerJazz.









If you're just tuning in, I'm
your Hostess With the Mostest...
Belle of the ball, leader of the pack,
queen of the Rodentia Intelligentsia...

 Belle Rat 
 the Dell Rat 

... the micest member of the
Shady Bunch deejay team.
Far from mousy, I'm the
pick of the litter - the
prettiest, perkiest and
 most personable
member of the
Rat Pack.

 I'm playing the best tunes in town and telling my rat tails tales
here on S-P-M-M Rat-ro-sonic Radio. My show is called

 Saved by the Belle 

and we're right in the middle of a 10-in-a-row cheddar cheese block party, so let's
get back to the great Beatles songs that formed the soundtrack of our boomer youth.

Our all-Beatles spectacular continues with another
more than capable cover by David Rodriguez.


 In 1962, The Isley Brothers scored a top 20 hit with their cover of
"Twist And Shout," a song originally recorded the previous year
by the little known R&B group The Top Notes.


  In March of 1963, The Beatles released their version in the UK on the album
Please Please Me.  A year later, it was released as a single and soon joined
four other Beatles songs in the top 5 on the U.S. chart. Watch and listen
as DreamerJazz brings us their rendition of-- "Twist And Shout!"


"Twist And Shout" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (May 2022)

 A cover of a cover of a cover, that was David and Dreamerjazz
coming through for me and you with their exciting performance
of the Beatles' version of "Twist And Shout." 



John Lennon once said, "If you were to try to give rock and roll
another name, you might call it Chuck Berry." One of Chuck's
most covered compositions is "Rock And Roll Music," a song
he wrote and recorded in 1957 resulting in a top 10 hit. With
John Lennon on lead vocals, The Beatles covered Chuck's
song and released their version in late 1964 on Beatles
For Sale, the same album that contains "Mr. Moonlight."
Once again, here's David Rodriguez and DreamerJazz
with their rousing cover of "Rock And Roll Music!"


"Rock And Roll Music" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (June 2021)

Another fine performance there by Dave and his Doppelganger Doubles,
a cover of The Beatles' version of Chuck Berry's "Rock And Roll Music."



When I was a teenager and felt sad I listened to the Beatles for hours
in my bedroom. They always made me feel happy. To top-off my
Way Cool SOLID COLD Beatles Sandwich, here again are
the real Liverpudlian moptops with two more of my favorites.
From their 1967 EP and LP Magical Mystery Tour released in
late 1967, The Fab Four sing-- "Your Mother Should Know!"


"Your Mother Should Know" - The Beatles
(from Nov. 1967 US album and Dec. 1967 UK EP
Magical Mystery Tour)

Finally, another chart-topping international hit by John, Paul, George & Ringo.


 Written primarily by Paul who sang lead, "Paperback Writer" ushered in
the summer of 1966 as the #1 song in the U.S.,Canada, the UK and several
other countries . It was notably the first song The Beatles wrote and recorded
that wasn't strictly about love. Here are The Beatles and-- 'Paperback Writer."


"Paperback Writer" - The Beatles
(June/July 1966, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,
#1 Canada/#1 UK/#1 Germany/#1 Scandinavia/#1 Australia)


RATS!!!
Shady's waving me off, so I need
to scurry on home. It's just a hole
in the wall, but the food is good.
I hope you enjoyed my Way Cool
SOLID COLD Beatles Sandwich
 on this special edition of my show

 Saved by 
 the Belle 
 The Music and 
 Musings of 
 Belle Rat 
 the Dell Rat.  


Now this is Belle Rat the Dell Rat reminding you that a Dell Rat
must be brave, and a Dell Rat must behave.  See you next time!






I gotta run
(because
Belle Rat's
hungry)...
but I hope
to see you
next time!

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
 Belle Rat the Dell Rat 
Artwork courtesy of my wonderful longtime friend Belle Unruh.


Born in California's Inland Empire... 


Belle moved to Canada as a teenager.


Thank you very much for contributing these delightful
"Belle Rat" drawings to Shady's Place, dear friend Belle
and, by the way...

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! 

SMOOCHES!

24 comments:

  1. Happy birthday, dear sister-friend Belle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is Belle! I can't seem to access my Google account. I am touched how you remember my Birthday. You are very kind in your compliments. Thanks so much. I was amazed by Dreamer Jazz. Playing the instruments, singing each part, he is so talented. Once in awhile I watch documentaries on YouTube about the Beatles. I love watching reviews by people who have never heard them before and after listening to songs say what musical geniouses they were. Thanks again Shady for this wonderful birthday present!

      Delete
  2. A Happy Birthday to Belle. I hope it is a lovely weekend. You can celebrate the whole week. I love the Del Rats all dressed and not sure where to go..but they'll figure it out. I love the girl in her cute red 50s skirt.
    The music is great, I love the Beatles and that kid who has taken thr Beatles tunes and paid tribute this iconic band, is just amazing! I have no idea how he conjures up all these ideas and has made these songs stay with us. He's quite adept at camera work too. I better get back to work...to be honest I fell asleep 3 times while writing here. I ended up with press8ng letters here and had to keep erasing that...lol. Harley says hi and promises to send more pictures. Have a wonderful day and if you watch the Oscars, we can figure out which one has taken the most drugs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Birgit!

      I'm delighted to see you here so early, dear friend, so early, in fact, that you take home the Early Bird prize! The lifesize cardboard cutout of Shady Del Knight will look great standing next to your bed!

      Thank you for extending birthday greetings to fellow Canadian Belle Unruh. I'm glad you appreciate her artistry in fleshing out the whimsical character Belle Rat the Dell Rat for my Shady's Place blog. It was so nice or her. Or, should I say, so mice of her?

      I'm also delighted that you appreciated the Beatlesque look and song styling of YouTuber David A. Rodruquez who performs his capable covers of the moptops and other bands using the stage name Dreamerjazz. Yessum, the amount of time and effort David puts into his video productions is very impressive. I think he sounds exactly like John Lennon on several of those songs. He also does a fine job of imitating the body language of John and the rest of The Fab Four.

      I'm sorry you are so tired so much of the time, dear Birgit. I wish life would ease up on you a bit. Hang in there. Thank you again for joining the fun and helping me pay tribute on her birthday to my old friend Belle who lists The Beatles as her favorite band. Please take care of yourself and give my buddy Harley a good smooching. See you at the start of next month when I return with my next offering, dear friend BB!

      Delete
  3. Another happy birthday to Belle. It seems to me that we have been enjoying the art work for quite some time. A question for Tom. When was the first time Belle's art work took the stage in a post? Thanks Belle and Happy Birthday again. Jerre

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Jerre!

      Second place is yours, good buddy. No one can strip it from you! Thanks a lot for being here to wish our old friend Belle a happy birthday.

      To answer your question, it hasn't been all that long since Belle Rat the Dell Rat made her debut here at Shady's Place. Volume 1 of her Saved series appeared in mid November, 2022.

      I'm sure Belle will appreciate your kind birthday wishes, Jerre. Thanks again for coming by. See you on April 1 when I return with my next post, another blast from the past!

      Delete
  4. Hello my friend Shady! It seems like forever since I've been able to catch one of your posts within the 3 day window! These Beatles songs are terrific and what a good job David A. Rodriguez does. He does look like Prince. The poodle skirt reminds me of one I made when I was in my twenties for a 50's theme party we had. Such fun memories.

    I am trying to decide whether I have the umph to do the A to Z again this year. You may remember I had to stop last year to take care of MIL but I still have all the info so maybe it won't be that hard. Certainly things have changed since I drafted the first posts though!

    Hope you and the Mrs. are well. All is okay here. Our son moved home and brought his cat so Benny has a "playmate" now. Have a great rest of the month!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Janet!

      I'm very happy to see you, dear friend! Thank you very much for coming early to attend friend Belle's birthday party. I will always be thankful for the three different versions of the Belle Rat character that Belle the artist created for me for use in this series.

      I'm thrilled that you give props to Prince lookalike David Rodriguez as he channels the spirit of Beatle John and his moptop cohorts. I am really digging those "visualizer" (is that the correct term?) music videos produced for original Beatles song recordings, examples in this post being "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Your Mother Should Know."

      Yessum, it is soon decision time regarding the A to Z Challenge. I well remember how and why your string of posts was interrupted very early last year by personal family matters. If you choose to throw your hat into the ring again this year, I will be there to support you.

      It's nice to know that my buddy Benny now has a pet kitty to romp and play with. I hope they get along and don't fight like cats and dogs as we humans tend to do. Thank you again for swinging by for a visit, dear friend Janet. Keep well, try to stay positive and join me again if you can on April 1 when I return with my next post!

      Delete
  5. The rats were a nice touch!
    Sorry, for some reason some of the photos are missing. Just a white space for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Alex!

      Thanks for dropping in for my March post, good buddy!

      That is the strangest thing! Another person reported seeing blank spaces in this post, but everything looks perfect on my screen. I suppose it will remain an unsolved Blogger mystery. Anyhow, I'm glad you liked the various versions of the Belle Rat character drawn by my dear old Canadian friend and talented artist Belle Unruh.

      Thanks again for your visit and comment, good buddy Alex!

      Delete
  6. I love the rats, dear friend Shady! And I have always loved The Beatles! I love all the art and illustrations! Happy Birthday to Belle! Thank you so much for sharing, I always enjoy and appreciate your posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Linda!

      I'm delighted to see you, dear friend! There is good reason to celebrate today because, for the very first time, I have three wonderful Canadian friends all showing up at the same time here at Shady's Place. The first to arrive, Early Bird Birgit (above) lives in the Niagara area. You are in Montreal and birthday girl Belle Unruh lives in British Columbia.

      I'm tickled that you love The Beatles as do I and as does Belle. In fact, she told me many years ago they were her favorite band. I am also pleased that you appreciate Belle's artwork in creating Belle Rat the Dell Rat, the whimsical rodent character I use in this ongoing blog series.

      Thank you very much for coming to Belle's party and for spreading b-day cheer, dear friend Linda Take care of yourself and look for my next post on April 1!

      Delete
  7. I like The Beatles, nice covers. He did a really good job.
    Belle Rat. Love it. Always happy to see a rat.
    The rat art was great, Belle Unruh did a great job. And happy birthday.

    I hope as is well with you. See you next time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Mary & Falcor!

      Welcome to Belle's birthday bash, dear friend! I'm jazzed that you and others who commented like Dreamerjazz, the one-man band assembled by YouTube star David Rodriquez to pay tribute to his favorite band, The Beatles.

      Yessum, you are quite a rat lady yourself, Mary, so I figured you would appreciate these three different looks created for the Belle Rat character by my old friend Belle Unruh. Thank you very much for expressing birthday wishes in her honor.

      Please take good care of yourself and my buddy Falcor, dear friend Mary, and look for my return to blogging on April 1. Hope to see you then!

      Delete
  8. Hi Shady! Pat and I think Belle Rat the Dell Rat is precious!!

    There have been some Beatles covers I thought were as good as, if not better than the Beatles versions. Elton John's "Lucy in the Sky" and Joe Cocker's "With a little help from my friends" to name two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Kelly & Pat!

      Thanks for making time for a day one visit, dear friend! I'm sure artist Belle Unruh will appreciate your high compliment regarding her Belle Rat cartoon illustration.

      Yessum, sometimes a singer, group or band manages to produce a recording that is better (to some ears) and more popular than the original. Joe Cocker's version of "A Little Help" got a tremendous boost when it became the theme song of the hit TV series The Wonder Years. Along those same lines, Mrs. Shady and I mused the other night about the worldwide fame of the Who song "Who Are You" since it has been used for decades as the theme of CSI. I cannot imagine the song in any context other than the show's exciting opening credits sequence.

      Thank you again for your visit and thoughtful comment, dear friend Kelly. I hope to see you again when I return on April 1!

      Delete
  9. Happy birthday, Belle! What an amazing artist you are.

    The Beatles is a phenomenon. And I'd say that's how you know you're really an icon when you transcend generations and you made it big before social media makes things viral.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Lux!

      Thank you for being here, dear friend! So nice of you to come over and bring birthday greetings for my old friend Belle. She will surely appreciate your compliment regarding her talent as an artist.

      Good observation, Lux. As the years and decades roll by, I often wonder and worry that The Beatles will be forgotten and not even known by coming generations, that their profound impact and influence on the culture of the civilized world will be overlooked or dismissed. Perhaps I shouldn't worry too much because social media seems to be preventing that from happening. YouTube and other sources remain saturated with Beatles music and volumes are still being written about them.

      Thank you again for your kind visit and generous comment, dear friend Lux. Enjoy the rest of your month and look for me to return with another post on the first of April.

      Delete
    2. I hope Belle had a fun birthday!

      Delete
  10. This is Belle! I am touched how you remember my Birthday. You are very kind in your compliments. Thanks so much. I was amazed by Dreamer Jazz. Playing the instruments, singing each part, he is so talented. Once in awhile I watch documentaries on YouTube about the Beatles. I love watching reviews by people who have never heard them before and after listening to songs say what musical geniouses they were. Thanks again Shady for this wonderful birthday present!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Belle!

      I am very happy to see you, my dear friend and birthday girl! I am also delighted that you found my post and enjoyed the Beatles covers by fanboy and moptop imitator David Rodriguez AKA Dreamerjazz. I discovered David's YouTube channel a few years ago and was amazed at how much he sounds like John Lennon in particular. Also, he clearly puts a lot of work and creativity into his videos. Yessum, he impersonates each member of the Fab Four, including their voices and body language, and plays all of the musical instruments himself. On his channel he also covers a few other bands of the 1960s and 70s, but his Beatles covers remain my favorites.

      YouTube is peppered with channels hosted by young people who listen to the original hits of boomer era artists and react to what they see and hear. Whenever a young person evaluates the music I loved in my youth, such as the music of the Beatles, I always cringe for fear they will have a negative reaction. Fortunately, that is rarely the case. I am confident the songs of the Beatles will continue to stand the test of time and be embraced by future generations.

      I am thrilled that you got so much enjoyment from the post. I hope your day was a very special one. Once again, happy birthday to you, my dear and cherished friend Belle!

      Delete
  11. Hi Shady! I hope I'm not too late to comment. We were out of power since Friday due to the crazy high winds we had! We're an all electric house so we had no water, no heat, no internet, nada with anything electric! What a pain. Anyway, I'm glad I could catch up today and you know I love, love, love the Beatles and David Rodriquez is amazing! Loved the covers as well as the originals. Cute Belle Dell Rat! Love the illustrations! I'm going to post today as it's been a crazy week of tooth issues, weather issues, electric issues but no Shady issues! Have a good start of Spring this coming week! Finally!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, YaYa!

      It's great to see you, dear friend! Yessum, I am aware of the wild and wacky weather threatening many parts of the country including yours and mine. I am so sorry to learn that you had your power knocked-out and needed to hunker down for days without it. I hope my sweetie Annabelle wasn't frightened. You never realize how much you depend on the juice being available until you lose it. I'm thankful your electric has been restored and life is returning to normal. We are under the gun here in our neck of the woods this morning and afternoon with severe t-storms possible and wind gusts up to 50 mph. I hope we don't lose power as you did.

      Your misfortune at the hands of the weather makes me all the more grateful for your kind visit to Shady's Place. It's wonderful that you could make time to help me pay tribute to my old friend Belle up in Canada as she celebrates her birthday and as I celebrate our long friendship with a blog tribute featuring her favorite band, then and now, The Beatles. I'm delighted to know that you like them too and that you appreciated the Beatles covers and imitations produced by YouTube star David Rodriguez and his one man band Dreamerjazz.

      Yessum, I see that you have a new post running and I will be right over. As much as I love being back up north where my journey began, I must admit that the coming of spring will be welcomed this year. Thank you again for being here for me and for friend Belle. Take care and have a safe and happy week ahead, dear friend YaYa!

      Delete
  12. I'm so incredibly late to the party on this one that you probably won't even see my comment, which might be good since I've never really been into The Beatles. Don't worry, I'm not a snob about it, but I just never got the appeal. That said, one of my favorite Carpool Karaoke episodes was the one that James Corden did with Paul McCartney. If you've not watched it, I highly recommend (here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjvzCTqkBDQ).

    It's been so incredibly busy in my world, Shady, but not in a fun way. The days are counting down to the end of the school year, and I am exhausted with a capital E. For the first time since I started teaching, I find myself actually keeping up with how many weeks we have until the end. Seven weeks in case you were wondering.

    I will do my very best to catch your next post in a more timely manner, my friend. Until then, I hope you're enjoying the spring weather!

    ReplyDelete

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Tell me what's on your mind