Put me down as one of the greatest fans of “The Pre-Fab Four”. Sure, the Wikipedia version tries to do it justice, but if you want to hear The Rutles’ real story you need to watch Eric Idle’s (Monty Python) “mockumentary” “All You Need Is Cash” and its follow-up “Can’t Buy Me Lunch”.

The late, great Neil Innes was a master recreator of Beatles-like songs. He composed the greatest Beatles’ song Lennon and McCartney never wrote. “I Think I’m In Love” and “Hold My Hand” perfectly captured the Fab Four’s “A Hard Day’s Night” era. His take-off on the Fab Four’s “Help!” was a particular favorite of both George and Ringo (they played it for Innes on one of his visits to George’s Friar Park), and “Love Life” riffed the Fab Four’s classic “”All You Need Is Love”. “Cheese And Onions” is an especially uncanny representation of their psychedelic era. The lyrics alone are a wonderful piece of whimsy:

I have always thought
In the back of my mind
Cheese and onions

I have always thought
That the world was unkind
Cheese and onions

Do I have to spell it out?

C-H-E-E-S-E-A-N-D-O-N-I-O-N-S

Oh, no

Man and machine (man and machine)
Keep yourself clean (keep yourself clean)
Or be a has-been (ah ah)
Like a dinosaur… oh oh oh

Man or device (man or device)
For everything nice (everything nice)
You’d better think twice (ah ah)
At least once more… oh oh oh

Innes played the Rutles’ Lennon character, Idle in the McCartney role. The Rut’s Stig O’Hara (George’s character) was Ricky Fataar, originally of The Flames who played drums for The Beach Boys between 1971 and 1974.

The Rutles weren’t even a real band, but it’s amazing to see tribute bands imitating a band that existed to imitate another band. Here’s a band called “Ouch!” one called Them Rutles, and this Japanese tribute band; I think Innes would be pleased to see the lasting impact of his talent and genius.