15 years ago
Showing posts with label Essays and reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Essays and reviews. Show all posts
Rolling Stone Reviews: Abbey Road
The BeatlesAbbey Road
Simply, side two does more for me than the whole of Sgt. Pepper, and I'll trade you The Beatles and Magical Mystery Tour and a Keith Moon drumstick for side one.
So much for the prelims. "Come Together" is John Lennon very nearly at the peak of his form; twisted, freely-associative, punful lyrically, pinched and somehow a little smug vocally. Breathtakingly recorded (as is the whole album), with a perfect little high-hat-tom-tom run by Ringo providing a clever semi-colon to those eerie shooo-ta's, Timothy Leary's campaign song opens up things in grand fashion indeed.
George's vocal, containing less adenoids and more grainy Paul tunefulness than ever before, is one of many highlights on his "Something," some of the others being more excellent drum work, a dead catchy guitar line, perfectly subdued strings, and an unusually nice melody. Both his and Joe Cocker's version will suffice nicely until Ray Charles gets around to it.
Paul McCartney and Ray Davies are the only two writers in rock and roll who could have written "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," a jaunty vaudevillian/music-hallish celebration wherein Paul, in a rare naughty mood, celebrates the joys of being able to bash in the heads of anyone threatening to bring you down. Paul puts it across perfectly with the coyest imaginable choir-boy innocence.
Someday, just for fun, Capitol/Apple's going to have to compile a Paul McCartney Sings Rock And Roll album, with "Long Tall Sally," "I'm Down," "Helter Skelter," and, most definitely, "Oh! Darling," in which, fronting a great "ouch!"-yelling guitar and wonderful background harmonies, he delivers an induplicably strong, throat-ripping vocal of sufficient power to knock out even those skeptics who would otherwise have complained about yet another Beatle tribute to the golden groovies' era.
That the Beatles can unify seemingly countless musical fragments and lyrical doodlings into a uniformly wonderful suite, as they've done on side two, seems potent testimony that no, they've far from lost it, and no, they haven't stopped trying.
No, on the contrary, they've achieved here the closest thing yet to Beatles freeform, fusing more diverse intriguing musical and lyrical ideas into a piece that amounts to far more than the sum of those ideas.
"Here Comes the Sun," for example, would come off as quite mediocre on its own, but just watch how John and especially Paul build on its mood of perky childlike wonder. Like here, in "Because," is this child, or someone with a child's innocence, having his mind blown by the most obvious natural phenomena, like the blueness of the sky. Amidst, mind you, beautiful and intricate harmonies, the like of which the Beatles have not attempted since "Dr. Robert."
Then, just for a moment, we're into Paul's "You Never Give Me Your Money," which seems more a daydream than an actual address to the girl he's thinking about. Allowed to remain pensive only for an instant, we're next transported, via Paul's "Lady Madonna" voice and boogie-woogie piano in the bridge, to this happy thought: "Oh, that magic feelin'/Nowhere to go." Crickets' chirping and a kid's nursery rhyme ("1-2-3-4-5-6-7/All good children go to heaven") lead us from there into a dreamy John number, "Sun King," in which we find him singing for the Italian market, words like amore and felice giving us some clue as to the feel of this reminiscent-of-"In My Room" ballad.
And then, before we know what's happened, we're out in John Lennon's England meeting these two human oddities, Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam. From there it's off to watch a surreal afternoon telly programme, Paul's "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window." Pensive and a touch melancholy again a moment later, we're into "Golden Slumbers," from which we wake to the resounding thousands of voices on "Carry That Weight," a rollicking little commentary of life's labours if ever there was one, and hence to a reprise of the "Money" theme (the most addicting melody and unforgettable words on the album). Finally, a perfect epitaph for our visit to the world of Beatle daydreams: "The love you take is equal to the love you make ..." And, just for the record, Paul's gonna make Her Majesty his.
I'd hesitate to say anything's impossible for him after listening to Abbey Road the first thousand times, and the others aren't far behind. To my mind, they're equatable, but still unsurpassed.
JOHN MENDELSOHN, Nov 15, 1969
©Copyright 2009 Rolling Stone
Playing The Beatles Backwards: The Final Countdown
By JBev
To most Beatles fans, choosing between the songs of the Fab 4 is a bit like choosing between children. But, on the JamsBio exclusive, Playing The Beatles Backwards, one intrepid fan dares to rank the original songs of The Beatles and give his reasons why in a worst-to-first countdown. Prepare to hit the message boards to defend your favorites, and follow the countdown all the way to Number 1.
AFTER A LOT OF COMPLAINTS...
this is the J Bev's Final Countdown:
185. “Revolution 9”
184. “Honey Pie”
183. “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
182. “Yer Blues”
181. “Good Day Sunshine”
180. “Ask Me Why”
179. “Long, Long, Long”
178. “Little Child”
177. “Old Brown Shoe”
176. “You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)”
175. “I Wanna Be Your Man”
174. “Love You To”
173. “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?”
172. “Magical Mystery Tour”
171. “Wild Honey Pie”
170. “For You Blue”
169. “Don’t Pass Me By”
168. “Doctor Robert”
167. “And I Love Her”
166. “The Word”
165. “You Like Me Too Much”
164. “Maggie Mae”
163. “Tell Me What You See”
162. “Thank You Girl”
161. “I’ll Cry Instead”
160. “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey”
159. “One After 909”
158. “I Want To Tell You”
157. “Don’t Bother Me”
156. “Sun King”
155. “What Goes On”
154. “Flying”
153. “There’s A Place”
152. “Her Majesty”
151. “Do You Want To Know A Secret”
150. “Dig It”
149. “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”
148. “Julia”
147. “Day Tripper”
146. “Blue Jay Way”
145. “Birthday”
144. “Baby You’re A Rich Man”
143. “Cry Baby Cry”
142. “Only A Northern Song”
141. “Penny Lane”
140. “Every Little Thing”
139. “When I Get Home”
138. “Run For Your Life”
137. “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You”
136. “Misery”
135. “I Call Your Name”
134. “It’s Only Love”
133. “If I Needed Someone”
132. “Another Girl”
131. “Dig A Pony”
130. “Love Me Do”
129. “The Night Before”
128. “Mean Mr. Mustard”
127. “Get Back”
126. “Michelle”
125. “The Inner Light”
124. “Baby’s In Black”
123. “Think For Yourself”
122. “I’ll Be Back”
121. “I Me Mine”
120. “All I’ve Got To Do”
119. “Polythene Pam”
118. “Hold Me Tight”
117. “Got To Get You Into My Life”
116. “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”
115. “Can’t Buy Me Love”
114. “I Want To Hold Your Hand”
113. “Savoy Truffle”
112. “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill”
111. “With A Little Help From My Friends”
110. “Good Night”
109. “All Together Now”
108. “Paperback Writer”
107. “I’ll Get You”
106. “I’ll Follow The Sun”
105. “From Me To You”
104. “Martha My Dear”
103. “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite”
102. “Revolution 1”
101. “Ballad Of John And Yoko”
100. “Girl”
99. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
98. “She Said She Said”
97. “Tell Me Why”
96. “Because”
95. “Yellow Submarine”
94. “I Should Have Known Better”
93. “I’m A Loser”
92. “All My Loving”
91. “Any Time At All”
90. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
89. “What You’re Doing”
88. “I Need You”
87. “You Can’t Do That”
86. “I Will”
85. “Eight Days A Week”
84. “Drive My Car”
83. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”
82. “Wait”
81. “She’s A Woman”
80. “I’m Only Sleeping”
79. “You’re Going To Lose That Girl”
78. “Oh! Darling”
77. “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”
76. “It’s All Too Much”
75. “P.S. I Love You”
74. “Don’t Let Me Down”
73. “Rocky Raccoon”
72. “Your Mother Should Know”
71. “Piggies”
70. “I’ve Just Seen A Face”
69. “It Won’t Be Long”
68. “I’ve Got A Feeling”
67. “When I’m Sixty-Four”
66. “The Long And Winding Road”
65. “Fixing A Hole”
64. “I’m So Tired”
63. “Let It Be”
62. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”
61. “Lovely Rita”
60. “I’m Down”
59. “Glass Onion”
58. “Hello Goodbye”
57. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
56. “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
55. “Come Together”
54. “Help!”
53. “Helter Skelter”
52. “I Feel Fine”
51. “Yesterday”
50. “A Hard Day’s Night”
49. “Blackbird”
48. “Revolution”
47. “Getting Better”
46. “Hey Bulldog”
45. “Good Morning Good Morning”
44. “Back In The U.S.S.R.”
43. “Mother Nature’s Son”
42. “You Never Give Me Your Money”
41. “Sexy Sadie”
40. “I’m Looking Through You”
39. “Things We Said Today”
38. “This Boy”
37. “Across The Universe”
36. “Octopus’s Garden”
35. “Not A Second Time”
34. “And Your Bird Can Sing”
33. “I Saw Her Standing There”
32. “Taxman”
31. “The Fool On The Hill”
30. “Two Of Us”
29. “Here Comes The Sun”
28. “You Won’t See Me”
27. “Within You Without You”
26. “No Reply”
25. “Ticket To Ride”
24. “She Loves You”
23. “Rain”
22. “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party”
21. “Yes It Is”
20. “Here, There, And Everywhere”
19. “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”
18. “Tomorrow Never Knows”
17. “Lady Madonna”
16. “Please Please Me”
15. “Nowhere Man”
14. “If I Fell”
13. “For No One”
12. “We Can Work It Out”
11. “Dear Prudence”
10. “Eleanor Rigby”
9. “Something”
8. “Strawberry Fields Forever”
7. “In My Life”
6. “All You Need Is Love”
5. “Hey Jude”
4. “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End”
3. “She’s Leaving Home”
2. “I Am The Walrus”
1. “A Day in the Life”
READ IT OR NOT... and remember that you can post your own list here
© Free Rare Mp3 Music Downloads
To most Beatles fans, choosing between the songs of the Fab 4 is a bit like choosing between children. But, on the JamsBio exclusive, Playing The Beatles Backwards, one intrepid fan dares to rank the original songs of The Beatles and give his reasons why in a worst-to-first countdown. Prepare to hit the message boards to defend your favorites, and follow the countdown all the way to Number 1.
AFTER A LOT OF COMPLAINTS...
this is the J Bev's Final Countdown:
185. “Revolution 9”
184. “Honey Pie”
183. “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
182. “Yer Blues”
181. “Good Day Sunshine”
180. “Ask Me Why”
179. “Long, Long, Long”
178. “Little Child”
177. “Old Brown Shoe”
176. “You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)”
175. “I Wanna Be Your Man”
174. “Love You To”
173. “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?”
172. “Magical Mystery Tour”
171. “Wild Honey Pie”
170. “For You Blue”
169. “Don’t Pass Me By”
168. “Doctor Robert”
167. “And I Love Her”
166. “The Word”
165. “You Like Me Too Much”
164. “Maggie Mae”
163. “Tell Me What You See”
162. “Thank You Girl”
161. “I’ll Cry Instead”
160. “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey”
159. “One After 909”
158. “I Want To Tell You”
157. “Don’t Bother Me”
156. “Sun King”
155. “What Goes On”
154. “Flying”
153. “There’s A Place”
152. “Her Majesty”
151. “Do You Want To Know A Secret”
150. “Dig It”
149. “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”
148. “Julia”
147. “Day Tripper”
146. “Blue Jay Way”
145. “Birthday”
144. “Baby You’re A Rich Man”
143. “Cry Baby Cry”
142. “Only A Northern Song”
141. “Penny Lane”
140. “Every Little Thing”
139. “When I Get Home”
138. “Run For Your Life”
137. “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You”
136. “Misery”
135. “I Call Your Name”
134. “It’s Only Love”
133. “If I Needed Someone”
132. “Another Girl”
131. “Dig A Pony”
130. “Love Me Do”
129. “The Night Before”
128. “Mean Mr. Mustard”
127. “Get Back”
126. “Michelle”
125. “The Inner Light”
124. “Baby’s In Black”
123. “Think For Yourself”
122. “I’ll Be Back”
121. “I Me Mine”
120. “All I’ve Got To Do”
119. “Polythene Pam”
118. “Hold Me Tight”
117. “Got To Get You Into My Life”
116. “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”
115. “Can’t Buy Me Love”
114. “I Want To Hold Your Hand”
113. “Savoy Truffle”
112. “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill”
111. “With A Little Help From My Friends”
110. “Good Night”
109. “All Together Now”
108. “Paperback Writer”
107. “I’ll Get You”
106. “I’ll Follow The Sun”
105. “From Me To You”
104. “Martha My Dear”
103. “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite”
102. “Revolution 1”
101. “Ballad Of John And Yoko”
100. “Girl”
99. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
98. “She Said She Said”
97. “Tell Me Why”
96. “Because”
95. “Yellow Submarine”
94. “I Should Have Known Better”
93. “I’m A Loser”
92. “All My Loving”
91. “Any Time At All”
90. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
89. “What You’re Doing”
88. “I Need You”
87. “You Can’t Do That”
86. “I Will”
85. “Eight Days A Week”
84. “Drive My Car”
83. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”
82. “Wait”
81. “She’s A Woman”
80. “I’m Only Sleeping”
79. “You’re Going To Lose That Girl”
78. “Oh! Darling”
77. “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”
76. “It’s All Too Much”
75. “P.S. I Love You”
74. “Don’t Let Me Down”
73. “Rocky Raccoon”
72. “Your Mother Should Know”
71. “Piggies”
70. “I’ve Just Seen A Face”
69. “It Won’t Be Long”
68. “I’ve Got A Feeling”
67. “When I’m Sixty-Four”
66. “The Long And Winding Road”
65. “Fixing A Hole”
64. “I’m So Tired”
63. “Let It Be”
62. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”
61. “Lovely Rita”
60. “I’m Down”
59. “Glass Onion”
58. “Hello Goodbye”
57. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
56. “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
55. “Come Together”
54. “Help!”
53. “Helter Skelter”
52. “I Feel Fine”
51. “Yesterday”
50. “A Hard Day’s Night”
49. “Blackbird”
48. “Revolution”
47. “Getting Better”
46. “Hey Bulldog”
45. “Good Morning Good Morning”
44. “Back In The U.S.S.R.”
43. “Mother Nature’s Son”
42. “You Never Give Me Your Money”
41. “Sexy Sadie”
40. “I’m Looking Through You”
39. “Things We Said Today”
38. “This Boy”
37. “Across The Universe”
36. “Octopus’s Garden”
35. “Not A Second Time”
34. “And Your Bird Can Sing”
33. “I Saw Her Standing There”
32. “Taxman”
31. “The Fool On The Hill”
30. “Two Of Us”
29. “Here Comes The Sun”
28. “You Won’t See Me”
27. “Within You Without You”
26. “No Reply”
25. “Ticket To Ride”
24. “She Loves You”
23. “Rain”
22. “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party”
21. “Yes It Is”
20. “Here, There, And Everywhere”
19. “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”
18. “Tomorrow Never Knows”
17. “Lady Madonna”
16. “Please Please Me”
15. “Nowhere Man”
14. “If I Fell”
13. “For No One”
12. “We Can Work It Out”
11. “Dear Prudence”
10. “Eleanor Rigby”
9. “Something”
8. “Strawberry Fields Forever”
7. “In My Life”
6. “All You Need Is Love”
5. “Hey Jude”
4. “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End”
3. “She’s Leaving Home”
2. “I Am The Walrus”
1. “A Day in the Life”
READ IT OR NOT... and remember that you can post your own list here
© Free Rare Mp3 Music Downloads
Wilson and Alroy's Records Reviews: The Beatles
The classics albums part two
Forget it, I won't even try to make some new and profound generalizations about the most famous, influential, talented, and over-analyzed musical performers of the last half-century. Suffice it to say that you won't be able to understand the first thing about 60s rock - or Western pop music in general, really - until you sit down and memorize the half-dozen most important Beatles records. Almost every new LP shattered the previous boundaries of rock 'n' roll, and Lennon and McCartney's songwriting surpassed that of almost all their contemporaries.
There are three more points I just can't restrain myself from making: first, avoid all greatest hits packages, such as 1, as virtually every Beatles record is a greatest hits package unto itself. Second, the ratings here are conservative, spread out to give some guidance to the novice fan. If we were to rate these records relative to everything else being done in the 60s, virtually every disc would get four or five stars. Finally, the Beatles' rhythm section is, if anything, under-rated - brilliant singing, songwriting, and production weren't the only things the Beatles had going for them.
Forget it, I won't even try to make some new and profound generalizations about the most famous, influential, talented, and over-analyzed musical performers of the last half-century. Suffice it to say that you won't be able to understand the first thing about 60s rock - or Western pop music in general, really - until you sit down and memorize the half-dozen most important Beatles records. Almost every new LP shattered the previous boundaries of rock 'n' roll, and Lennon and McCartney's songwriting surpassed that of almost all their contemporaries.
There are three more points I just can't restrain myself from making: first, avoid all greatest hits packages, such as 1, as virtually every Beatles record is a greatest hits package unto itself. Second, the ratings here are conservative, spread out to give some guidance to the novice fan. If we were to rate these records relative to everything else being done in the 60s, virtually every disc would get four or five stars. Finally, the Beatles' rhythm section is, if anything, under-rated - brilliant singing, songwriting, and production weren't the only things the Beatles had going for them.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
- The most famous rock record in history, and it deserves most of the acclaim. What seems to have been forgotten in all the hoopla is that the songs mostly just expand and consolidate earlier innovations that were played out on Revolver - showcases of complex orchestration ("A Day In The Life"), abrasive, slice-of-life rockers ("Good Morning Good Morning"), giddy 60s anthems ("It's Getting Better"), bizarre studio experiments ("Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"), George's Indian-influenced pearls of wisdom ("Within You Without You"), and especially the lush psychedelia that John had mastered ("Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"). Even "She's Leaving Home" is a bathetic rip-off of the more sincere "Eleanor Rigby," and the title track's booming, unstoppable herd- of-elephants sound is mirrored by "Taxman." Say what you might, though, the record did blow open the 60s like a double-strength hit of Purple Haze. (JA)
- There are a few significant things about this album that Alroy hasn't mentioned. It is the first Beatles album conceived as an album, not just a bunch of songs (their first released identically in the US and the UK), and the first rock album where the songs blend into each other with no breaks. Also, while it's not true that there are no love songs here ("Lovely Rita" and "Getting Better" both have romantic aspects) it's lyrically far removed from the boy-girl topics that dominated the Beatles output through Revolver. And Revolver's experimentalism produces consistently musical results here -- in my book that's a major advance. (DBW)
Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
- The Beatles' relentless musical tour ran in place this time. It took them several months more to realize that their carefully crafted fusion of Dylanesque lyrics and Brian Wilson-esque production values was a dead end, and, instead, to move in a million directions at once on their next album. However, they managed to toss off a superb collection of songs while jogging on their treadmill (title track, modelled on its Sgt. Pepper's counterpart; "I Am The Walrus," another elaborately tripped-out Lennon tune). Paul dominates a bit too much, with some of his upbeat pop numbers wearing thin ("Your Mother Should Know"), but others being marvelous ("Hello Goodbye"). Half the record is a newly-recorded double EP, and the other half is singles from the previous 12 months, including some truly classic hits: John's extraordinary acid-rock production "Strawberry Fields Forever," which almost topped the Beach Boys' contemporary "Good Vibrations"; Paul's marvelous, cleverly orchestrated "Penny Lane"; and irresistable, perfectly timed Summer of Love anthem "All You Need Is Love." (JA)
- Let me get this straight: Alroy's arguing that this is more essential than the White Album? It's a collection of single sides (two of which, "Baby You're A Rich Man" and "Hello Goodbye," are far from the Beatles' best work) and failed experiments (Harrison's "Blue Jay Way," the Mellotron mess "Flying"). (DBW)
That's what I'm saying. "Flying" is far more enjoyable than White Album experiments like "Revolution #9" - and the other three "bad" tracks are better than the abundant second-rate material on that record ("Happiness Is A Warm Gun"; "Goodnight"; "Wild Honey Pie"; etc., etc.) or even on Sgt. Pepper's ("Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"; "She's Leaving Home"). (JA)
The Beatles (a.k.a. "The White Album": 1968)
- Brilliant and amazingly eclectic, but long-winded. You know a record's good when Eric Clapton drops by to deliver a blistering guitar solo ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps") and it's not the only high point of the record - there are many of them, including kick-ass rockers ("Birthday"; "Helter Skelter"), harmonic experiments that put the Byrds to shame ("Dear Prudence"), simple but unforgettable ballads ("Blackbird"; "Julia"), pure, crafted pop songs ("Martha My Dear"), a wild, lengthy sound collage ("Revolution #9"), and then all the clever rip-offs - blues ("Yer Blues"), country-western ("Rocky Racoon"), 20's jazz ("Honey Pie"), the Beach Boys ("Back In The U.S.S.R."), MGM movie soundtracks ("Goodnight"), even the Beatles themselves ("Glass Onion"). Still, there are way too many toss-offs and misfires. (JA)
- George has four songs here, and he's rapidly nearing his peak as a songwriter, with the horn-powered rocker "Savoy Truffle," a mellow number in the style that would dominate his 70s work ("Long Long Long"), and of course "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The experimentalism gets way out of control, and the fragmentation of the group adds to the confusion. The hilarious "Back In The U.S.S.R." parodies not only the Beach Boys but also Chuck Berry ("Back in the U.S.A.") and Ray Charles ("Georgia On My Mind"). (DBW)
Yellow Submarine (1969)
- A major ripoff. Only six Beatles tracks, two of them are recycled from earlier records (title track; "All You Need Is Love"), and the entire second side consists of assorted George Martin elevator music instead of the pile of additional tunes that appear in the film. And the four new songs, mostly from early 1967, are of variable quality. The child-like, acoustic "All Together Now" and raucous early 1968 heavy rocker "Hey Bulldog" are amusing but silly knock-offs, and Harrison's two tracks are fascinating and clearly serious efforts ("Only A Northern Song," which almost made it on to Sgt. Pepper's; "It's All Too Much"), but weighed down by layers of freaked-out instrumentation. (JA)
- Bleah. (DBW)
Abbey Road (1969)
- Buy this, now. The first use of synthesizers on a rock record that made any musical sense (in contrast, see the Notorious Byrds Brothers), but that's hardly the reason this record burns itself into your soul. It's simply brilliant, from start to finish. If you haven't heard gems like "Here Comes The Sun," "Something" (both by Harrison!), Lennon's devastating "Come Together" and dreamy, harmonious "Because," and McCartney's infamous "pop symphony," which dominates side 2, you haven't lived. (JA)
- Not a lot of innovation from a recording standpoint (although they do throw in a white noise generator on "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"), but conceptually and production-wise it's their finest work. Harrison's two finest compositions are both here, as is Ringo's ("Octopus's Garden"), and although Lennon's compositions are far from his best there's pretty damn good anyway ("Come Together," "Because"). Paul doesn't contribute any of his immortal ballads, but his impeccable musicianship is on display throughout (soul vocals on "Oh! Darling," bass on "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," the multi-part "You Never Give Me Your Money"), not to mention his sense of humor ("Maxwell's Silver Hammer," "Her Majesty"). (DBW)
Let It Be (1970)
- Be wary. An album to be entitled Get Back was recorded months before Abbey Road as an experiment in filming the band "live in the studio," and then allowed to languish when no one could agree on a finished product. A year later, with the film's release date nearing and the title now changed to Let It Be, the already-disbanded Beatles talked producer Phil Spector into cobbling together a "soundtrack." Spector, who had never worked with the band before, proceeded to butcher several songs by plastering on a full orchestra and a nauseating female chorus (Paul's formulaic ballads "The Long And Winding Road" and the title track, a rehash of "Hey Jude"; George's mournful, waltzing "I Me Mine"; John's leftover psychedelic anthem "Across The Universe"). The unmutilated selections are either trivial toss-offs (their resurrected early 60s rockabilly number "One After 909"), pleasant but unremarkable pop songs ("Two Of Us"; "Dig A Pony"; Paul's Aretha Franklin-like "I've Got A Feeling"; "For You Blue"), or slightly different versions of songs that you can get on Past Masters Vol. 2 ("Get Back" and its B-side "Don't Let Me Down," which isn't on the album; title track; "Across The Universe"). Billy Preston contributes keyboards throughout, but it hardly helps. (JA)
- No wonder they couldn't agree on a version they liked. The only major compositions are Paul's gentle "Two Of Us" and the title track, the band sounds bored with itself, and Spector's production redefines "heavy-handed." Un-Spectored versions of most of the tracks surfaced on Anthology 3 in 1996, but in 2003 the two surviving Beatles went to the well one more time, issuing the new, remixed, un-overdubbed Let It Be... Naked. There's not much to recommend that release if you already have the other stuff; Preston is mixed louder, but his organ often doesn't suit the mood. Naked does include a version of "Don't Let Me Down," which should have been on the album in the first place, and gets rid of all the studio chatter meant to fool you into thinking the tunes were performed live. (DBW)
© Free Rare Mp3 Music Downloads
Wilson and Alroy's Records Reviews: The Beatles
The classics albums part one
Forget it, I won't even try to make some new and profound generalizations about the most famous, influential, talented, and over-analyzed musical performers of the last half-century. Suffice it to say that you won't be able to understand the first thing about 60s rock - or Western pop music in general, really - until you sit down and memorize the half-dozen most important Beatles records. Almost every new LP shattered the previous boundaries of rock 'n' roll, and Lennon and McCartney's songwriting surpassed that of almost all their contemporaries.
There are three more points I just can't restrain myself from making: first, avoid all greatest hits packages, such as 1, as virtually every Beatles record is a greatest hits package unto itself. Second, the ratings here are conservative, spread out to give some guidance to the novice fan. If we were to rate these records relative to everything else being done in the 60s, virtually every disc would get four or five stars. Finally, the Beatles' rhythm section is, if anything, under-rated - brilliant singing, songwriting, and production weren't the only things the Beatles had going for them.
Please Please Me (1963)
- Surprisingly, about half of this is dominated by cover songs - mostly girl group, R & B, and Broadway show tunes. It all was recorded in one marathon session, and although the Beatles were up to the challenge, the material seems thin so many decades later. Nonetheless, there are some well-known rockers ("I Saw Her Standing There"; "Twist And Shout") and Lennon-McCartney pop songs (title track; "Love Me Do"; "P.S. I Love You"), five of which hit the Top Ten at once, but only after the follow-up LP hit like a tidal wave in the U.S. (JA)
- Besides "I Saw Her Standing There" I don't think any of the originals rank with Lennon-McCartney's better work, and as for the covers, well, I agree with John's 70s comment that the originals are better. The covers include mediocre tunes by several influential composers like Carole King & Gerry Goffin ("Chains") and Burt Bacharach & Hal David ("Baby It's You"). (DBW)
With The Beatles (1963)
- The breakthrough American version of this record was retitled Meet The Beatles, cut down, and then beefed up by the addition of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." The original British LP, now tranformed into the universal CD version, is surprisingly tepid. Despite one great Lennon-McCartney number ("All My Loving") and a couple of high-energy 50s rock 'n' rollers ("Roll Over Beethoven"; "Money (That's What I Want)"), it's again stuffed with lame covers of contemporary R & B songs ("Please Mister Postman"; "You Really Got A Hold On Me"). However, the band was always remarkably competent even when covering the most vapid material. (JA)
- I find this a big step up from the previous album: there are still lots of covers, but the originals are well-crafted and tuneful, with great Lennon vocals on "Not A Second Time" and "All I've Got To Do." This is probably the best document of the Beatles as high-energy, three-guitar rock and roll band. (DBW)
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
- A major improvement, thanks to more careful and sophisticated recording methods, and more thoughtful songwriting - this was the only Beatles record that consisted entirely of Lennon-McCartney tunes. Suddenly, the pathetically syrupy pop-song covers are gone, largely replaced by memorable, tightly crafted masterpieces (title track; "I Should Have Known Better"; Paul's melodramatic "And I Love Her"; the thrilling "Can't Buy Me Love"). Even the toss-off "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You," handed over to George to provide him with a lead vocal, is graced with brilliant backup vocals. The second side, thrown together at the last moment to fill out the record, does drag a bit ("When I Get Home," drab outside of its soaring refrain) - but it includes the wonderful rocker "Any Time At All" and two memorable ballads (Paul's "Thing We Said Today" and John's "I'll Be Back," both with clever ascending hooks). (JA)
- Indeed. I'm not a fan of "Any Time At All" and "When I Get Home" is possibly the worst Lennon-McCartney tune the Beatles ever recorded, but John's "You Can't Do That" is a relentless, powerful rocker. (DBW)
Beatles For Sale (1964)
- The Beatles stumbled here despite some experimentation with recording effects and instrumentation, having failed to come up with more than a handful of solid songs by Christmas of 1964 - a de facto deadline imposed by commercial considerations (see title). John did contribute one brilliant, remarkably introspective number ("I'm A Loser"), but the other solid material broke little new ground ("Eight Days A Week"; "What You're Doing"). In desperation, the band fell back on cover versions of 50s rock standards by Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, and Chuck Berry, the most memorable being the latter's frantic "Rock And Roll Music." None of this could salvage the record, however, and some of the tracks ended up being among the most widely disliked by Beatles fans ("Mr. Moonlight"). (JA)
- It's well-performed ("Words of Love") but the covers are redundant and the originals are mostly lackluster ("What You're Doing"). "I'll Follow The Sun" is a pretty ballad Paul had written years before but revived for this project as a last resort. (DBW)
Help! (1965)
- Like almost everything that the Beatles did from this record on, it's not merely good, but groundbreaking. The harmonies are superb ("Tell Me What You See"), the hits are unforgettable (title track; "Ticket To Ride"), John's lyrics are advancing rapidly ("You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"; "It's Only Love"), and Paul contributes a frighteningly modern-sounding semi-acoustic number ("I've Just Seen A Face") and a startling, wildly successful experiment dispensing with the normal four-piece rock band backing track in favor of a string quartet (the widely imitated and covered "Yesterday"). There are a few weak numbers, but they're harmless (the superfluous country number "Act Naturally," an excuse to spotlight Ringo; the rocking cover of "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"). (JA)
- "Miss Lizzy" is one of their best covers, actually. And George is starting to contribute quality compositions ("I Need You"). There's also a great guitar solo by Paul on "Another Girl." (DBW)
Rubber Soul (1965)
- The best 60s rock album produced up to this point, which is saying a lot - there was in fact some stiff competition (e.g., The Beach Boys Today). Although the Beatles were still often sticking to their tried-and-true love song format (the cutesy "Drive My Car"; Paul's "You Won't See Me" and "Michelle"), John is experimenting with anthems ("The Word," which summarizes the whole flower power movement two years before it even happened), as well as highly personal, almost diary-like sketches that rank among his most popular work ("Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," the first prominent rock record to feature a sitar; the devastating "In My Life"). It's all solid; even John's insecurely misogynistic "Run For Your Life" features a great vocal. The simultaneously released single ("We Can Work It Out"/"Day Tripper") was arguably their best to date. (JA)
- This record is a blast. George throws in clever lyrics of his own on "If I Needed Someone," and rocks out on "Think For Yourself," with Paul on fuzz bass. I could make an argument that More Hits by the Supremes, for example, is a stronger album, but what the hell. (DBW)
Revolver (1966)
- Another complete breakthrough by the Beatles - earlier advances were steady and significant but predictable, paralleled by those of other artists like Dylan and the Beach Boys. Revolver isn't as carefully crafted and relentlessly tuneful as Pet Sounds, but it's even more important, pushing the sonic boundaries of rock farther than any other LP in history. The Beatles combine startling studio wizardry ("Tomorrow Never Knows") with inventive lyrical themes (John's "I'm Only Sleeping" and "She Said She Said") and unusual instrumentation (George's "Love You Too" - which kicked open rock's door to Eastern music). Paul is in top form ("Eleanor Rigby"; the brassy "Got To Get You Into My Life"), George contributes the fantastically funky and ominous "Taxman," and, of course, there's everyone's all-time favorite sing-along novelty tune - "Yellow Submarine." The single that immediately preceded Revolver ("Paperback Writer"/"Rain") ranks with anything the Beatles ever did. (JA)
- Sure, this is a classic, but there are plenty of weak moments. John's drug consumption produces mixed results: "Tomorrow Never Knows" is weird all right, but it's not exactly great entertainment. "Love You To" is the first but not the best of George's Indian compositions, while "Doctor Robert" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" are unimaginative filler. Meanwhile, Paul's "For No One" is brilliant songwriting, minimally produced. (DBW)
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Forget it, I won't even try to make some new and profound generalizations about the most famous, influential, talented, and over-analyzed musical performers of the last half-century. Suffice it to say that you won't be able to understand the first thing about 60s rock - or Western pop music in general, really - until you sit down and memorize the half-dozen most important Beatles records. Almost every new LP shattered the previous boundaries of rock 'n' roll, and Lennon and McCartney's songwriting surpassed that of almost all their contemporaries.
There are three more points I just can't restrain myself from making: first, avoid all greatest hits packages, such as 1, as virtually every Beatles record is a greatest hits package unto itself. Second, the ratings here are conservative, spread out to give some guidance to the novice fan. If we were to rate these records relative to everything else being done in the 60s, virtually every disc would get four or five stars. Finally, the Beatles' rhythm section is, if anything, under-rated - brilliant singing, songwriting, and production weren't the only things the Beatles had going for them.
Please Please Me (1963)
- Surprisingly, about half of this is dominated by cover songs - mostly girl group, R & B, and Broadway show tunes. It all was recorded in one marathon session, and although the Beatles were up to the challenge, the material seems thin so many decades later. Nonetheless, there are some well-known rockers ("I Saw Her Standing There"; "Twist And Shout") and Lennon-McCartney pop songs (title track; "Love Me Do"; "P.S. I Love You"), five of which hit the Top Ten at once, but only after the follow-up LP hit like a tidal wave in the U.S. (JA)- Besides "I Saw Her Standing There" I don't think any of the originals rank with Lennon-McCartney's better work, and as for the covers, well, I agree with John's 70s comment that the originals are better. The covers include mediocre tunes by several influential composers like Carole King & Gerry Goffin ("Chains") and Burt Bacharach & Hal David ("Baby It's You"). (DBW)
With The Beatles (1963)
- The breakthrough American version of this record was retitled Meet The Beatles, cut down, and then beefed up by the addition of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." The original British LP, now tranformed into the universal CD version, is surprisingly tepid. Despite one great Lennon-McCartney number ("All My Loving") and a couple of high-energy 50s rock 'n' rollers ("Roll Over Beethoven"; "Money (That's What I Want)"), it's again stuffed with lame covers of contemporary R & B songs ("Please Mister Postman"; "You Really Got A Hold On Me"). However, the band was always remarkably competent even when covering the most vapid material. (JA)
- I find this a big step up from the previous album: there are still lots of covers, but the originals are well-crafted and tuneful, with great Lennon vocals on "Not A Second Time" and "All I've Got To Do." This is probably the best document of the Beatles as high-energy, three-guitar rock and roll band. (DBW)
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
- A major improvement, thanks to more careful and sophisticated recording methods, and more thoughtful songwriting - this was the only Beatles record that consisted entirely of Lennon-McCartney tunes. Suddenly, the pathetically syrupy pop-song covers are gone, largely replaced by memorable, tightly crafted masterpieces (title track; "I Should Have Known Better"; Paul's melodramatic "And I Love Her"; the thrilling "Can't Buy Me Love"). Even the toss-off "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You," handed over to George to provide him with a lead vocal, is graced with brilliant backup vocals. The second side, thrown together at the last moment to fill out the record, does drag a bit ("When I Get Home," drab outside of its soaring refrain) - but it includes the wonderful rocker "Any Time At All" and two memorable ballads (Paul's "Thing We Said Today" and John's "I'll Be Back," both with clever ascending hooks). (JA)
- Indeed. I'm not a fan of "Any Time At All" and "When I Get Home" is possibly the worst Lennon-McCartney tune the Beatles ever recorded, but John's "You Can't Do That" is a relentless, powerful rocker. (DBW)
Beatles For Sale (1964)
- The Beatles stumbled here despite some experimentation with recording effects and instrumentation, having failed to come up with more than a handful of solid songs by Christmas of 1964 - a de facto deadline imposed by commercial considerations (see title). John did contribute one brilliant, remarkably introspective number ("I'm A Loser"), but the other solid material broke little new ground ("Eight Days A Week"; "What You're Doing"). In desperation, the band fell back on cover versions of 50s rock standards by Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, and Chuck Berry, the most memorable being the latter's frantic "Rock And Roll Music." None of this could salvage the record, however, and some of the tracks ended up being among the most widely disliked by Beatles fans ("Mr. Moonlight"). (JA)- It's well-performed ("Words of Love") but the covers are redundant and the originals are mostly lackluster ("What You're Doing"). "I'll Follow The Sun" is a pretty ballad Paul had written years before but revived for this project as a last resort. (DBW)
Help! (1965)
- Like almost everything that the Beatles did from this record on, it's not merely good, but groundbreaking. The harmonies are superb ("Tell Me What You See"), the hits are unforgettable (title track; "Ticket To Ride"), John's lyrics are advancing rapidly ("You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"; "It's Only Love"), and Paul contributes a frighteningly modern-sounding semi-acoustic number ("I've Just Seen A Face") and a startling, wildly successful experiment dispensing with the normal four-piece rock band backing track in favor of a string quartet (the widely imitated and covered "Yesterday"). There are a few weak numbers, but they're harmless (the superfluous country number "Act Naturally," an excuse to spotlight Ringo; the rocking cover of "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"). (JA)
- "Miss Lizzy" is one of their best covers, actually. And George is starting to contribute quality compositions ("I Need You"). There's also a great guitar solo by Paul on "Another Girl." (DBW)
Rubber Soul (1965)
- The best 60s rock album produced up to this point, which is saying a lot - there was in fact some stiff competition (e.g., The Beach Boys Today). Although the Beatles were still often sticking to their tried-and-true love song format (the cutesy "Drive My Car"; Paul's "You Won't See Me" and "Michelle"), John is experimenting with anthems ("The Word," which summarizes the whole flower power movement two years before it even happened), as well as highly personal, almost diary-like sketches that rank among his most popular work ("Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," the first prominent rock record to feature a sitar; the devastating "In My Life"). It's all solid; even John's insecurely misogynistic "Run For Your Life" features a great vocal. The simultaneously released single ("We Can Work It Out"/"Day Tripper") was arguably their best to date. (JA)
- This record is a blast. George throws in clever lyrics of his own on "If I Needed Someone," and rocks out on "Think For Yourself," with Paul on fuzz bass. I could make an argument that More Hits by the Supremes, for example, is a stronger album, but what the hell. (DBW)
Revolver (1966)
- Another complete breakthrough by the Beatles - earlier advances were steady and significant but predictable, paralleled by those of other artists like Dylan and the Beach Boys. Revolver isn't as carefully crafted and relentlessly tuneful as Pet Sounds, but it's even more important, pushing the sonic boundaries of rock farther than any other LP in history. The Beatles combine startling studio wizardry ("Tomorrow Never Knows") with inventive lyrical themes (John's "I'm Only Sleeping" and "She Said She Said") and unusual instrumentation (George's "Love You Too" - which kicked open rock's door to Eastern music). Paul is in top form ("Eleanor Rigby"; the brassy "Got To Get You Into My Life"), George contributes the fantastically funky and ominous "Taxman," and, of course, there's everyone's all-time favorite sing-along novelty tune - "Yellow Submarine." The single that immediately preceded Revolver ("Paperback Writer"/"Rain") ranks with anything the Beatles ever did. (JA)
- Sure, this is a classic, but there are plenty of weak moments. John's drug consumption produces mixed results: "Tomorrow Never Knows" is weird all right, but it's not exactly great entertainment. "Love You To" is the first but not the best of George's Indian compositions, while "Doctor Robert" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" are unimaginative filler. Meanwhile, Paul's "For No One" is brilliant songwriting, minimally produced. (DBW)
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Playing The Beatles Backwards: The Ultimate Countdown Part 5
By JBev
To most Beatles fans, choosing between the songs of the Fab 4 is a bit like choosing between children. But, on the JamsBio exclusive, Playing The Beatles Backwards, one intrepid fan dares to rank the original songs of The Beatles and give his reasons why in a worst-to-first countdown. Prepare to hit the message boards to defend your favorites, and follow the countdown all the way to Number 1.
145. “Birthday”
Ah, those savvy Beatles. Whereas most rockers put out the obligatory Christmas song to cash in on those royalties once a year, Paul McCartney figured out that a song commemorating a birthday would pay off year-round. After all, every day is somebody’s birthday, at least by my calculations.
OK, so maybe I have my cynical pants on right now. The motives for “Birthday” were likely far more innocent than that. They likely just wanted a lighthearted romp to place among all the weirdness that would end up on the White Album. It’s interesting that both discs start off with relatively straightforward McCartney rockers (“Back In The U.S.S.R.” on disc 1 and “Birthday” on disc 2), yielding no indication of the insanity within.
“Birthday” wins points for harking back to the group’s early days with the simple lyrics (rhyming “dance” and “chance”, for instance) and the driving rock and roll. That riff is catchy as hell, the hyper-speed beat puts Ringo front and center, and he swats it out of the park.
And I’d take it over boring old traditional “Happy Birthday” any day.
144. “Baby You’re A Rich Man”
Take one song from Column A, another from Row A, mash them up together, and…presto-chango! You’ve got yourself a B-side. The Beatles recorded the two main parts of “Baby You’re A Rich Man” (the “beautiful people” part, written by Lennon, and the refrain, written by McCartney) separately, and then decided that the two songs worked better as one. The technique had worked once before on “A Day In The Life.” Here, not so much.
You could say that this song equals less than the sum of its parts, some of which are actually quite memorable. That bizarre squealing instrument heard at the start is a clavioline, a precursor to a synthesizer that gave the song an exotic feel.
And some of Lennon’s lyrics are sneaky good here, as he suggests that the rewards of wealth may be shallower than the recipient would expect (”What did you see when you were there/Nothing that doesn’t show.”). John could certainly relate to the trappings of fame and how they failed to fill the emptiness inside of him. Here, he doles out his wisdom for others.
But the one-note chorus breaks the nifty spell conjured up by those philosophical lines sung in tender falsetto. The refrain seems to be celebrating the person’s ascension to the wealthy class, creating a bothersome contradiction to what has come before. These songs would have been better served had they been developed separately rather than being forced into an awkward fit.
143. “Cry Baby Cry”
Written by John Lennon as a lullaby, albeit a skewed one in which adults concoct homemade séances to amuse children, “Cry Baby Cry” is another example of a song finding its way onto the White Album for no better reason than because it existed. It does add to the spooky vibe of the album overall though, leading, via a hidden Paul McCartney song called “Can You Take Me Back,” into the abyss of “Revolution 9.”
John’s depiction of royalty is based far more on Lewis Carroll than on reality. The whole thing has an unreal vibe to it, and when I try to visualize the king and queen in the song, I picture them stepping right off of playing cards.
The band serves this song well by taking it from its acoustic beginnings and giving it a fetching pop sheen. There’s even a harmonium on hand to sweeten the proceedings, and the descending piano notes give the song a somber feel in spite of the light lyrics.
As for “Can You Take Me Back,” you could look at the plea inherent in its title as McCartney’s secret wish for his band. He would overtly come out and make similar exhortations for a return to simpler times in subsequent songs when it was far too late to do anything about it. His message here came when it sounded like something still could be done to rectify the situation. By throwing it away at the end of “Cry Baby Cry,” Paul prevented any deep investigation into the song snippet’s meaning at the time. In hindsight though, it looks like the first crack in the façade.
142. “Only A Northern Song”
I’ve read some contradicting reports about the impetus for this psychedelically shambolic George Harrison composition. Some sources claim that the song came from early sessions for Sgt. Pepper’s but was left off when it proved an improper fit for that album. Others say that it was written a year later, in 1968, when producers for the Yellow Submarine film requested one more song and George trundled off to write it, returning in an hour with “Only A Northern Song.” While the latter story is far more amusing in light of the song’s self-deprecating lyrics, the liner notes for Anthology 2, written by the noted Beatle historian Mark Lewisohn, agrees with the former tale, so I’m going with that.
And thus it was a wise decision to keep “Only a Northern Song” off Sgt. Pepper’s, not based on its worthiness as a song, but based on the fact that the dissonant instruments and overall loonyness would have been hopelessly out of place on the thematically tight finished album. Yellow Submarine was the proper place for this kooky yet endearing number.
I learned in a film class in college that when an actor in a movie addresses the camera and, hence, the audience, it’s called breaking the fourth wall. Well, I don’t know if there is a similar term for music, but that’s what George does here, making conversation with the listener and showing admirable modesty at that.
I love the way, when he sings “you may think the chords are going wrong,” the chord change in the music does indeed veer off in an unexpected direction. I also think there may be a subtle dig at his bandmates in the lines “If you think the harmony/Is a little dark and out of key/You’re correct/There’s nobody there.” Whereas John and Paul were constantly touching up each other’s songs, George was often left to his own devices on the songs he wrote.
It’s a clever song that, by its own admission, is just a tossed-off little ditty. But the fact that it’s willing to make such an admission is admirable indeed, a byproduct of George’s unflinching honesty as a songwriter.
141. “Penny Lane”
Start from part 1 here
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© Free Rare Mp3 Music Downloads
To most Beatles fans, choosing between the songs of the Fab 4 is a bit like choosing between children. But, on the JamsBio exclusive, Playing The Beatles Backwards, one intrepid fan dares to rank the original songs of The Beatles and give his reasons why in a worst-to-first countdown. Prepare to hit the message boards to defend your favorites, and follow the countdown all the way to Number 1.
145. “Birthday”
Ah, those savvy Beatles. Whereas most rockers put out the obligatory Christmas song to cash in on those royalties once a year, Paul McCartney figured out that a song commemorating a birthday would pay off year-round. After all, every day is somebody’s birthday, at least by my calculations.
OK, so maybe I have my cynical pants on right now. The motives for “Birthday” were likely far more innocent than that. They likely just wanted a lighthearted romp to place among all the weirdness that would end up on the White Album. It’s interesting that both discs start off with relatively straightforward McCartney rockers (“Back In The U.S.S.R.” on disc 1 and “Birthday” on disc 2), yielding no indication of the insanity within.
“Birthday” wins points for harking back to the group’s early days with the simple lyrics (rhyming “dance” and “chance”, for instance) and the driving rock and roll. That riff is catchy as hell, the hyper-speed beat puts Ringo front and center, and he swats it out of the park.
And I’d take it over boring old traditional “Happy Birthday” any day.
144. “Baby You’re A Rich Man”
Take one song from Column A, another from Row A, mash them up together, and…presto-chango! You’ve got yourself a B-side. The Beatles recorded the two main parts of “Baby You’re A Rich Man” (the “beautiful people” part, written by Lennon, and the refrain, written by McCartney) separately, and then decided that the two songs worked better as one. The technique had worked once before on “A Day In The Life.” Here, not so much.
You could say that this song equals less than the sum of its parts, some of which are actually quite memorable. That bizarre squealing instrument heard at the start is a clavioline, a precursor to a synthesizer that gave the song an exotic feel.
And some of Lennon’s lyrics are sneaky good here, as he suggests that the rewards of wealth may be shallower than the recipient would expect (”What did you see when you were there/Nothing that doesn’t show.”). John could certainly relate to the trappings of fame and how they failed to fill the emptiness inside of him. Here, he doles out his wisdom for others.But the one-note chorus breaks the nifty spell conjured up by those philosophical lines sung in tender falsetto. The refrain seems to be celebrating the person’s ascension to the wealthy class, creating a bothersome contradiction to what has come before. These songs would have been better served had they been developed separately rather than being forced into an awkward fit.
143. “Cry Baby Cry”
Written by John Lennon as a lullaby, albeit a skewed one in which adults concoct homemade séances to amuse children, “Cry Baby Cry” is another example of a song finding its way onto the White Album for no better reason than because it existed. It does add to the spooky vibe of the album overall though, leading, via a hidden Paul McCartney song called “Can You Take Me Back,” into the abyss of “Revolution 9.”
John’s depiction of royalty is based far more on Lewis Carroll than on reality. The whole thing has an unreal vibe to it, and when I try to visualize the king and queen in the song, I picture them stepping right off of playing cards.
The band serves this song well by taking it from its acoustic beginnings and giving it a fetching pop sheen. There’s even a harmonium on hand to sweeten the proceedings, and the descending piano notes give the song a somber feel in spite of the light lyrics.
As for “Can You Take Me Back,” you could look at the plea inherent in its title as McCartney’s secret wish for his band. He would overtly come out and make similar exhortations for a return to simpler times in subsequent songs when it was far too late to do anything about it. His message here came when it sounded like something still could be done to rectify the situation. By throwing it away at the end of “Cry Baby Cry,” Paul prevented any deep investigation into the song snippet’s meaning at the time. In hindsight though, it looks like the first crack in the façade.
142. “Only A Northern Song”
I’ve read some contradicting reports about the impetus for this psychedelically shambolic George Harrison composition. Some sources claim that the song came from early sessions for Sgt. Pepper’s but was left off when it proved an improper fit for that album. Others say that it was written a year later, in 1968, when producers for the Yellow Submarine film requested one more song and George trundled off to write it, returning in an hour with “Only A Northern Song.” While the latter story is far more amusing in light of the song’s self-deprecating lyrics, the liner notes for Anthology 2, written by the noted Beatle historian Mark Lewisohn, agrees with the former tale, so I’m going with that.
And thus it was a wise decision to keep “Only a Northern Song” off Sgt. Pepper’s, not based on its worthiness as a song, but based on the fact that the dissonant instruments and overall loonyness would have been hopelessly out of place on the thematically tight finished album. Yellow Submarine was the proper place for this kooky yet endearing number.
I learned in a film class in college that when an actor in a movie addresses the camera and, hence, the audience, it’s called breaking the fourth wall. Well, I don’t know if there is a similar term for music, but that’s what George does here, making conversation with the listener and showing admirable modesty at that.
I love the way, when he sings “you may think the chords are going wrong,” the chord change in the music does indeed veer off in an unexpected direction. I also think there may be a subtle dig at his bandmates in the lines “If you think the harmony/Is a little dark and out of key/You’re correct/There’s nobody there.” Whereas John and Paul were constantly touching up each other’s songs, George was often left to his own devices on the songs he wrote.
It’s a clever song that, by its own admission, is just a tossed-off little ditty. But the fact that it’s willing to make such an admission is admirable indeed, a byproduct of George’s unflinching honesty as a songwriter.
141. “Penny Lane”
Lusciously melodic, exquisitely constructed, and impeccably performed, “Penny Lane,” in spite of all that, has always left this humble listener a bit cold. I’ve never been able to quite put my finger on it, but, after giving it a few spins in preparation for this list, I think I’ve pinpointed the reasons for some of my ambivalence.
First of all, it is unremittingly cheerful. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, I suppose, but it seems like forced mirth to me. All the images of blue skies and flowers and friendly neighbors are a little too untouchable. None of it feels real even though it is based on a real place. Had Paul allowed a little darkness into his idyllic setting, it might have thrown all that sunshine into a more poignant relief. All the brightness here makes me want to shade my eyes as I’m listening.
I also find it fascinating to compare it to “Strawberry Fields Forever,” since both songs were initially intended for a project of songs depicting the Beatles’ childhood (a project that would be shelved in favor of Sgt. Pepper’s). Lennon later stated that his initial attempts to write “Strawberry Fields” embarrassed him as they had a grade-school essay feel to them. Isn’t that how “Penny Lane” sounds at times, with a play-by-play rundown of all the people who pass through? Even though the descriptions are detailed, the characters are cardboard cutouts without any life to them.
There are moments when “Penny Lane” almost transcends all this, like when that piccolo trumpet soars majestically above it all or when Paul sings “Penny Lane is in my ears/And in my eyes,” a brilliant way to describe the power of the memory he holds. But the memory as he then describes it is a little too mundane to have any real lasting effect.
So while I continue to admire the musical achievement of “Penny Lane,” I don’t think I’ll ever love it quite as much as some of the more modestly produced songs in the Beatles’ catalog, songs yet to come on this list.
140. “Every Little Thing”
One of the more obscure Beatles songs from one of the more obscure Beatles albums (Beatles For Sale), “Every Little Thing” deserves a wider audience. It’s hurt by the fact that it’s very short, even by Beatles’ standards. Once you get a little invested in it, it’s over.
The thing I like the most is Ringo whomping on the tympani during the chorus. It adds some dramatic reminiscent of a movie soundtrack. The sentiment expressed is nice enough, a typical Paul ballad. What’s odd is that because of the way the song was recorded, it sounds like John singing lead (even though the pair harmonize throughout), which goes against the Lennon/McCartney rule of thumb that the one who sung it is the one who composed it.
Throw on some melodic lead guitar from George, and you have an all-around sound effort that just comes up a bit short in terms of ambition and inspiration. But, if you don’t know it, and casual Beatles fans might not, you’ll be in for a nice surprise when you hear it for the first time.
139. “When I Get Home”
The phrase “When I Get Home” usually has a pretty negative connotation. Oftentimes, if somebody is saying it to you, you’re not expecting the best. “When I get home, you’re going to clean up that room, mister.” Or “when I get home, we’re going to have a chat about the cross-dressing thing.” “When I get home” ranks second only to “we need to talk” on the list of phrases guaranteed to make your ears sweat.
But John Lennon pulls a fast one on us and turns that phrase into a positive here, although you can’t really tell until the bridge, when he sings “when I get home tonight/I’m going to hold her tight/I’m going to love her ‘til the cows come home.” Hey now! Any more of that dirty talk and this list is going to come with a parental advisory. We’ll discuss this when I get…whoops, got a little carried away there.
Lennon turns out some nice one-liners throughout, my personal favorite being “I got no time for triviality.” On the negative side, the falsetto backing vocals are a little crazed. It sounds like somebody poured a bucket of ice on the group in the high part of the chorus. Not a bad little number from A Hard Day’s Night, but strictly pedestrian by Beatles’ standards.
138. “Run For Your Life”
John Lennon was particularly harsh in his assessment of this song, the last one on Rubber Soul, calling it on at least one occasion his least favorite by the group. Considering that he wrote the song, he wasn’t grinding any axes either.
My guess is that the misogynistic trappings of the lyrics somewhat unsettled him. The very first line (“I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man”) comes straight from a song popularized by Elvis, but the rest of the ominous sentiments are all John. “Let this be a sermon girl/That I mean everything I said/Baby I’m determined/That I’d rather see you dead.” Some nifty internal rhymes, but not exactly Boyfriend-of-the-Year material.
John probably felt that he’d revealed a dark side of his personality that he’d just as soon have kept hidden. The fact that the song is sung in the first person rather than as a character study/joke like “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” for instance, could possibly have confused listeners into thinking that’s how he really was. (Whether he was or not is an issue for biographers, not me.)
Maybe I’m just reading into it too much, but I doubt John hated this song based solely on its merits alone. It’s an effective enough country shuffle with a great refrain. The only problem with the dark tone of the lyrics for me is that they don’t quite gibe with the sunny music.
As for how listeners might perceive him, I could see the John Lennon as Beatle of 1965 concerned about the group’s mop-top image, but, if my theory is right, it’s surprising that the bitingly honest post-Beatle John Lennon cared so much about such a minor song in the group’s massive catalog.
137. “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You”
Well, this girl must be one helluva dancer. After all, George doesn’t want to kiss her, hold her hand, hug her, or hold her tight (I’m guessing they aren’t slow dancing.) He just wants to dance with her, and at the end of the dance he’s convinced he’ll be in love with her. It’s like she’s some Greek goddess who has the power to hypnotize men simply by doing the Mashed Potato.
Harrison sang on this Lennon-written track because he didn’t write anything of his own on the soundtrack to A Hard Day’s Night. Even though he had made his songwriting debut with “Don’t Bother Me” on With The Beatles in 1963, George had nothing on this album or on 1964’s other release, Beatles For Sale. But, when he did return with songwriting credits on Help! In 1965, they were much stronger and more assured efforts.
Maybe he was building up his confidence, but, in the meantime, the group continued to assign him lovey-dovey songs that were somewhat at odds with his sardonic personality. And yet he manages to convey an honest sweetness in his vocal here that rises above the silliness of the premise.
When you add in the airtight production and the ingratiating chorus, you can see why, even though it wasn’t a single, “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You” still receives significant airplay today.
136. “Misery”
One of the first indications that Lennon/McCartney could do something other than happy love songs was “Misery,” the second track on their very first British LP, Please Please Me. Ironically, it was written for the popular British singer Helen Shapiro, who turned it down. Needing songs to fill out the album, The Beatles cranked out their own version of “Misery.”
If there is a problem with the song, it’s that the boys pretty much say how they feel rather than using images to conjure those feelings. Yet they evoke the proper mood nicely with their harmonies, which don’t soar to their usual ebullient heights but instead seem weighed down with sorrow.
It’s also fun to hear them use teen slang like “it’s gonna be a drag” to describe their woe. That line serves as a reminder of just how young they were while they were conquering the world.
Just one song after “Misery” on Please Please Me, the group turned out a knockout cover of the Arthur Williams classic, “Anna (Go to Him),” a much deeper weeper that suggests all the hurt of a break-up along with more mature themes like forgiveness and resignation. Future Beatle sad songs would have similar depth and then some, but “Misery” was an acceptable, if obvious, first try.
(5 - To be continued...)
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The Beatles according to EMI
"Words cannot even begin to describe the Impact and the legacy that The Beatles created, and left, in modern culture. The most popular, the most successful, the most loved of all popular music groups"
The Beatles were the most popular and influential rock act of all time, but their significance cannot solely be measured in sales records (as impressive as those are). They synthesized all that was good about early rock and roll, and changed it into something original and even more exciting. They established the prototype for the self-contained rock group that wrote and performed their own material. As composers, their craft and melodic inventiveness were second to none, and key to the evolution of rock from its blues/R&B-based forms into a style that was far more eclectic, but equally visceral. As singers, both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were among the best and most expressive vocalists in rock; the group's harmonies were intricate and exhilarating. As performers, they were (at least until touring had ground them down) exciting and photogenic; when they retreated into the studio, they were instrumental in pioneering advanced techniques and multi-layered arrangements. They were also the first British rock group to achieve worldwide prominence, launching a British Invasion that made rock truly an international phenomenon.
Guitarist and teenage rebel John Lennon got hooked on rock 'n' roll in the mid-1950s, and formed a band, the Quarrymen, at his Liverpool high school. Around mid-1957, the Quarrymen were joined by another guitarist, Paul McCartney, nearly two years Lennon's junior. A bit later they were joined by another guitarist, George Harrison, a friend of McCartney's. The Quarrymen would change lineups constantly in the late 1950s, eventually reducing to the core trio of guitarists.
The Quarrymen changed their name to the Silver Beatles in 1960, quickly dropping the "Silver" to become just the Beatles. Lennon's art college friend Stuart Sutcliffe joined on bass, but finding a permanent drummer was a vexing problem until Pete Best joined in the summer of 1960. He successfully auditioned for the combo just before they left for a several-month stint in Hamburg, Germany. When they returned to Liverpool at the end of 1960, the band--formerly also-rans on the exploding Liverpudlian "beat" scene--were suddenly the most exciting act on the local circuit. They consolidated their following in 1961 with constant gigging in the Merseyside area, most often at the legendary Cavern Club.
They also returned for engagements in Hamburg during 1961, although Sutcliffe dropped out of the band that year to concentrate on his art school studies there. McCartney took over on bass, Harrison settled in as lead guitarist, and Lennon had rhythm guitar; everyone sang. In mid-1961 the Beatles (minus Sutcliffe) made their first recordings in Germany, as a backup group to a British rock guitarist-singer based in Hamburg, Tony Sheridan. ( Sutcliffe, tragically, would die of a brain hemorrhage in April 1962).
Near the end of 1961, the Beatles' exploding local popularity caught the attention of local record store manager Brian Epstein, who was soon managing the band as well. He used his contacts to swiftly acquire a January 1, 1962 audition at Decca Records that has been heavily bootlegged (some tracks were officially released in 1995). After weeks of deliberation, Decca turned them down, as did several other British labels. Epstein's perseverance was finally rewarded with an audition for producer George Martin at Parlophone, an EMI subsidiary; Martin signed the Beatles in mid-1962.
In August 1962, drummer Pete Best was kicked out of the group, a controversial decision that has been the cause of much speculation since. He was replaced with Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey), drummer with another popular Merseyside outfit, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Starr had been in the Beatles for a few weeks when they recorded their first single, "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You," in September 1962. Both sides of the 45 were Lennon- McCartney originals, and the songwriting team would be credited with most of the group's material throughout the Beatles' career.
The Beatles phenomenon didn't truly kick in until "Please Please Me," which topped the British charts in early 1963. This was the prototype British Invasion single--an infectious melody, charging guitars, and positively exuberant harmonies. The same traits were evident on their third 45, "From Me to You" (a British #1), and their debut LP, Please Please Me. Although it was mostly recorded in a single day, Please Please Me topped the British charts for an astonishing 30 weeks, establishing the group as the most popular rock 'n' roll act ever seen in the UK.
The Beatles had taken the best elements of the rock and pop they loved and made them their own. Since the Quarrymen days, they had been steeped in the classic early rock of Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, and the Everly Brothers; they'd also kept an ear open to the early '60s sounds of Motown, Phil Spector, and the girl groups. They added an unmatched songwriting savvy (inspired by Brill Building teams such as Gerry Goffin and Carole King), a brash guitar-oriented attack, wildly enthusiastic vocals, and the embodiment of the youthful flair of their generation, ready to dispense with post-war austerity and claim a culture of their own. They were also unsurpassed in their eclecticism, willing to borrow from blues, popular standards, gospel, folk, or whatever seemed suitable for their musical vision. Producer George Martin was the perfect foil for the group, refining their ideas without tinkering with their essence. During the last half of their career, he was indispensable for his ability to translate their concepts into arrangements that required complex orchestration, innovative applications of recording technology, and an ever-widening array of instruments.
Just as crucially, the Beatles were never ones to stand still and milk formulas. All of their subsequent albums and singles would show remarkable artistic progression (though never at the expense of a damn catchy tune). Even on their second LP, With the Beatles (1963), it was evident that their talents as composers and instrumentalists were expanding furiously, as they devised ever more inventive melodies and harmonies, and boosted the fullness of their arrangements. The 1963 singles "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" established the group not just as a successful pop act, but as a phenomenon never before seen in the British entertainment business, as each single sold over a million copies in the UK. After some celebrated national TV appearances, Beatlemania broke out across the British Isles in late 1963, the group generating screams and hysteria at all of their public appearances, musical or otherwise.
Capitol, which had first refusal of the Beatles' recordings in the United States, had declined to issue the group's first few singles, which ended up appearing on relatively small American independents. Capitol took up its option on "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which stormed to the top of the US charts within weeks of its release on December 26, 1963. The Beatles' television appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February of 1964 launched Beatlemania (and the entire British Invasion) on an even bigger scale than it had reached in Britain. In the first week of April 1964, the Beatles had the top five best-selling singles in the US; they also had the top two slots on the album charts, as well as other entries throughout the Billboard Top 100. No one had ever dominated the market for popular music so heavily; it's doubtful than anyone ever will again. The Beatles themselves would continue to reach #1 with most of their singles and albums until their 1970 breakup.
1964's A Hard Day's Night, a cinema verite-style motion picture comedy/musical, cemented their image as the Fab Four--happy-go-lucky, individualistic, cheeky, funny lads with nonstop energy. The soundtrack was also a triumph, consisting entirely of Lennon- McCartney tunes, including such standards as the title tune, "And I Love Her," "If I Fell," "Can't Buy Me Love," and "Things We Said Today." Between riotous international tours in 1964 and 1965, the Beatles continued to pump out more chart-topping albums and singles. (Until 1967, the group's British albums were often truncated for release in the States; when their catalog was transferred to CD, the albums were released worldwide in their British configurations.) In retrospect, critics have judged Beatles for Sale (late 1964) and Help! (mid-1965) as the band's least impressive efforts. To some degree, that's true. Touring and an insatiable market placed heavy demands upon their songwriting, and some of the originals and covers on these records, while brilliant by many groups' standards, were filler in the context of the Beatles' best work. The best songs from this period, however, show the group continuing to move forward, especially the singles "I Feel Fine," "She's a Woman," "Ticket to Ride," and "Help!," which boast increasingly intricate guitar sounds and clever lyrics.
Although the Beatles' second film, Help!, was a much sillier and less sophisticated affair than their first feature, it too was a huge commercial success. By this time, though, the Beatles had nothing to prove in commercial terms; the remaining frontiers were artistic challenges that could only be met in the studio. They rose to the occasion at the end of 1965 with Rubber Soul, one of the classic folk-rock records. Lyrically, Lennon, McCartney, and even Harrison (who was now writing some tunes on his own) were evolving beyond boy-girl scenarios into complex, personal feelings. They were also pushing the limits of studio rock by devising new guitar and bass textures, experimenting with distortion and multi-tracking, and using unconventional (for rock) instruments like the sitar.
The "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" single found the group abandoning romantic themes entirely, boosting the bass to previously unknown levels, and fooling around with psychedelic imagery and backwards tapes on the B-side. Drugs (psychedelic and otherwise) were fueling their already fertile imaginations, but they felt creatively hindered by their touring obligations. Revolver, released in the summer of 1966, proved what the group could be capable of when allotted months of time in the studio. Hazy hard guitars and thicker vocal arrangements formed the bed of these increasingly imagistic, ambitious lyrics; the group's eclecticism now encompassed everything from singalong novelties ("Yellow Submarine") and string quartet-backed character sketches ("Eleanor Rigby") to Indian-influenced swirls of echo and backwards tapes ("Tomorrow Never Knows").
For the past couple of years, live performance had become a rote exercise for the group, tired of competing with thousands of screaming fans that drowned out most of their vocals and instruments. The final concert of their 1966 American tour (in San Francisco on August 29, 1966) would be their last in front of a paying audience, as the group decided to stop playing live in order to concentrate on their studio recordings. This was a radical (indeed, unprecedented) step in 1966, and the media was rife with speculation that the act was breaking up, especially after all four Beatles spent late 1966 engaged in separate personal and artistic pursuits. The appearance of the "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" single in February 1967 squelched these concerns. Frequently cited as the strongest double-A-side ever, the Beatles were now pushing forward into unabashedly psychedelic territory in their use of orchestral arrangements and mellotron, without abandoning their grasp of memorable melody and immediately accessible lyrical messages.
Sgt. Pepper, released in June 1967 as the Summer of Love dawned, was the definitive psychedelic soundtrack. Or, at least, so it was perceived at the time: subsequent critics have painted the album as an uneven affair, given a conceptual unity via its brilliant multi-tracked overdubs, singalong melodies, and fairy tale-ish lyrics. Others remain convinced, as millions did at the time, that it represented pop's greatest triumph, or indeed an evolution of pop into art with a capital A. In addition to mining all manner of roots influences, the musicians were also picking up vibes from Indian music, avant-garde electronics, classical, music hall, and more. When the Beatles premiered their hippie anthem "All You Need Is Love" as part of a worldwide TV broadcast, they had been truly anointed as spokespersons for their generation (a role they had not actively sought), and it seemed they could do no wrong.
Musically, that would usually continue to be the case, but the group's strength began to unravel at a surprisingly quick pace. In August 1967, Brian Epstein--prone to suicidal depression over the past year--died of a drug overdose, leaving them without a manager. The group pressed on with their next film project, Magical Mystery Tour, directed by themselves; lacking focus or even basic professionalism, the picture bombed when it was premiered on BBC television in December 1967, giving the media the first real chance it had ever had to roast the Beatles over a flame. (Another film, the animated feature Yellow Submarine, would appear in 1968, although the Beatles had little involvement with the project, either in terms of the movie or the soundtrack.)
Judged solely on musical merit, The White Album, a double LP released in late 1968, was a triumph. While largely abandoning their psychedelic instruments to return to guitar-based rock, they maintained their whimsical eclecticism, proving themselves masters of everything from blues rock to vaudeville. As individual songwriters, too, it contains some of their finest work (as does the brilliant non-LP single from this era, "Hey Jude"/"Revolution").
But by the White Album, it was clear (if only in retrospect) that each member was more concerned with his own expression than that of the collective group. In addition, George Harrison was becoming a more prolific and skilled composer as well, imbuing his own melodies (which were nearly the equal of those of his more celebrated colleagues) with a cosmic lightness. Harrison was beginning to resent his junior status, and the group began to bicker more openly in the studio. Ringo, whose solid drumming and good nature could usually be counted upon (as was evident in his infrequent lead vocals), actually quit for a couple of weeks in the midst of the White Album sessions. Apple Records, started by the group earlier in 1968 as a sort of utopian commercial enterprise, was becoming a financial and organizational nightmare.
These weren't the ideal conditions under which to record a new album in January 1969, especially when McCartney was pushing the group to return to live performing, although none of the others seemed especially keen on the idea. They did agree to try and record a "back-to-basics," live-in-the-studio-type LP, the sessions being filmed for a television special. Harrison enlisted American soul keyboardist Billy Preston as kind of a fifth member on the sessions, both to beef up the arrangements and to alleviate the uncomfortable atmosphere. In order to provide a suitable concert-like experience for the film, the group did climb the roof of their Apple headquarters in London to deliver an impromptu performance on January 30, 1969, before the police stopped it; this was their last live concert of any sort.
Generally dissatisfied with these early 1969 sessions, the album and film--at first titled Get Back, and later to emerge as Let It Be--remained in the can as the group tried to figure out how the projects should be mixed, packaged, and distributed. A couple of the best tracks, "Get Back"/"Don't Let Me Down," were issued as a single in the spring of 1969. By this time, the Beatles' quarrels were intensifying in a dispute over management: McCartney wanted their affairs to be handled by his new father-in-law, Lee Eastman, while the other members of the group favored a tough American businessman, Allen Klein.
It was something of a miracle, then, that the final album recorded by the group, Abbey Road, was one of their most unified efforts (even if, by this time, the musicians were recording many of their parts separately). It certainly boasted some of their most intricate melodies, harmonies, and instrumental arrangements. It also heralded the arrival of Harrison as a composer of equal talent to Lennon and McCartney, as George wrote the album's two most popular tunes, "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun." The Beatles were still progressing, but it turned out to be the end of the road, as their business disputes continued to magnify. Lennon, who had begun releasing solo singles and performing with friends as the Plastic Ono Band, threatened to resign in late 1969, although he was dissuaded from making a public announcement.
Most of the early 1969 tapes remained unreleased, partially because the footage for the planned television broadcast of these sessions was now going to be produced as a documentary movie. For the accompanying soundtrack album, Let It Be, Lennon, Harrison, and Allen Klein decided to have celebrated American producer Phil Spector record some additional instrumentation and do some mixing. By that time it was released, the Beatles were no more.
In fact, there had been no recording done by the group as a four-man unit since August 1969, and each member of the band had begun to pursue serious outside professional interests independently via the Plastic Ono Band, Harrison's tour with Delaney and Bonnie, Starr's starring role in the Magic Christian film, and McCartney's first solo album. The outside world for the most part remained almost wholly unaware of the seriousness of the group's friction, making it a devastating shock for much of the world's youth when McCartney announced that he was leaving the Beatles on April 10, 1970. At the end of 1970, McCartney sued the rest of the Beatles in order to dissolve their partnership; the battle dragged through the courts for years, scotching any prospects of a group reunion.
In any case, each member of the band quickly established viable solo careers. Within a short time, it became apparent both that the Beatles were not going to settle their differences and reunite, and that their solo work could not compare with what they were capable of creating together. Despite periodic rumors of reunions throughout the 1970s, no group projects came close to materializing. Any hopes of a reunion vanished when Lennon was assassinated in New York City in December 1980. The Beatles continued their solo careers throughout the 1980s, but their releases became less frequent, and their commercial success gradually diminished, as listeners without first-hand memories of the combo created their own idols.
Legal wrangles at Apple prevented the official issue of previously unreleased Beatles material for over two decades (although much of it was frequently bootlegged). The situation finally changed in the 1990s, after McCartney, Harrison, Starr, and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono settled their principal business disagreements. In 1994, this resulted in a double CD of BBC sessions from the early and mid-'60s. The following year, a much more ambitious project was undertaken: a multi-part film documentary, broadcast on network television in 1995, and then released (with double the length) for the home video market in 1996, with the active participation of the surviving Beatles.
To coincide with the Anthology documentary, three double CDs of previously unreleased/rare material were issued in 1995 and 1996. Additionally, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr (with some assistance from Jeff Lynne) embellished a couple of John Lennon demos from the 1970s with overdubs to create two new tracks ("Free as a Bird" and "Real Love") that were billed as actual Beatles recordings. Whether this constitutes the actual long-awaited "reunion" is the subject of much debate. Still, the massive commercial success of outtakes that had, after all, been recorded 25 to 30 years ago, spoke volumes about the unabated appeal and fascination the Beatles continue to exert worldwide.
Courtesy of EMI records
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The Beatles were the most popular and influential rock act of all time, but their significance cannot solely be measured in sales records (as impressive as those are). They synthesized all that was good about early rock and roll, and changed it into something original and even more exciting. They established the prototype for the self-contained rock group that wrote and performed their own material. As composers, their craft and melodic inventiveness were second to none, and key to the evolution of rock from its blues/R&B-based forms into a style that was far more eclectic, but equally visceral. As singers, both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were among the best and most expressive vocalists in rock; the group's harmonies were intricate and exhilarating. As performers, they were (at least until touring had ground them down) exciting and photogenic; when they retreated into the studio, they were instrumental in pioneering advanced techniques and multi-layered arrangements. They were also the first British rock group to achieve worldwide prominence, launching a British Invasion that made rock truly an international phenomenon.Guitarist and teenage rebel John Lennon got hooked on rock 'n' roll in the mid-1950s, and formed a band, the Quarrymen, at his Liverpool high school. Around mid-1957, the Quarrymen were joined by another guitarist, Paul McCartney, nearly two years Lennon's junior. A bit later they were joined by another guitarist, George Harrison, a friend of McCartney's. The Quarrymen would change lineups constantly in the late 1950s, eventually reducing to the core trio of guitarists.
The Quarrymen changed their name to the Silver Beatles in 1960, quickly dropping the "Silver" to become just the Beatles. Lennon's art college friend Stuart Sutcliffe joined on bass, but finding a permanent drummer was a vexing problem until Pete Best joined in the summer of 1960. He successfully auditioned for the combo just before they left for a several-month stint in Hamburg, Germany. When they returned to Liverpool at the end of 1960, the band--formerly also-rans on the exploding Liverpudlian "beat" scene--were suddenly the most exciting act on the local circuit. They consolidated their following in 1961 with constant gigging in the Merseyside area, most often at the legendary Cavern Club.
They also returned for engagements in Hamburg during 1961, although Sutcliffe dropped out of the band that year to concentrate on his art school studies there. McCartney took over on bass, Harrison settled in as lead guitarist, and Lennon had rhythm guitar; everyone sang. In mid-1961 the Beatles (minus Sutcliffe) made their first recordings in Germany, as a backup group to a British rock guitarist-singer based in Hamburg, Tony Sheridan. ( Sutcliffe, tragically, would die of a brain hemorrhage in April 1962).
Near the end of 1961, the Beatles' exploding local popularity caught the attention of local record store manager Brian Epstein, who was soon managing the band as well. He used his contacts to swiftly acquire a January 1, 1962 audition at Decca Records that has been heavily bootlegged (some tracks were officially released in 1995). After weeks of deliberation, Decca turned them down, as did several other British labels. Epstein's perseverance was finally rewarded with an audition for producer George Martin at Parlophone, an EMI subsidiary; Martin signed the Beatles in mid-1962.
In August 1962, drummer Pete Best was kicked out of the group, a controversial decision that has been the cause of much speculation since. He was replaced with Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey), drummer with another popular Merseyside outfit, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Starr had been in the Beatles for a few weeks when they recorded their first single, "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You," in September 1962. Both sides of the 45 were Lennon- McCartney originals, and the songwriting team would be credited with most of the group's material throughout the Beatles' career.
The Beatles phenomenon didn't truly kick in until "Please Please Me," which topped the British charts in early 1963. This was the prototype British Invasion single--an infectious melody, charging guitars, and positively exuberant harmonies. The same traits were evident on their third 45, "From Me to You" (a British #1), and their debut LP, Please Please Me. Although it was mostly recorded in a single day, Please Please Me topped the British charts for an astonishing 30 weeks, establishing the group as the most popular rock 'n' roll act ever seen in the UK.
The Beatles had taken the best elements of the rock and pop they loved and made them their own. Since the Quarrymen days, they had been steeped in the classic early rock of Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, and the Everly Brothers; they'd also kept an ear open to the early '60s sounds of Motown, Phil Spector, and the girl groups. They added an unmatched songwriting savvy (inspired by Brill Building teams such as Gerry Goffin and Carole King), a brash guitar-oriented attack, wildly enthusiastic vocals, and the embodiment of the youthful flair of their generation, ready to dispense with post-war austerity and claim a culture of their own. They were also unsurpassed in their eclecticism, willing to borrow from blues, popular standards, gospel, folk, or whatever seemed suitable for their musical vision. Producer George Martin was the perfect foil for the group, refining their ideas without tinkering with their essence. During the last half of their career, he was indispensable for his ability to translate their concepts into arrangements that required complex orchestration, innovative applications of recording technology, and an ever-widening array of instruments.
Just as crucially, the Beatles were never ones to stand still and milk formulas. All of their subsequent albums and singles would show remarkable artistic progression (though never at the expense of a damn catchy tune). Even on their second LP, With the Beatles (1963), it was evident that their talents as composers and instrumentalists were expanding furiously, as they devised ever more inventive melodies and harmonies, and boosted the fullness of their arrangements. The 1963 singles "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" established the group not just as a successful pop act, but as a phenomenon never before seen in the British entertainment business, as each single sold over a million copies in the UK. After some celebrated national TV appearances, Beatlemania broke out across the British Isles in late 1963, the group generating screams and hysteria at all of their public appearances, musical or otherwise.
Capitol, which had first refusal of the Beatles' recordings in the United States, had declined to issue the group's first few singles, which ended up appearing on relatively small American independents. Capitol took up its option on "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which stormed to the top of the US charts within weeks of its release on December 26, 1963. The Beatles' television appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February of 1964 launched Beatlemania (and the entire British Invasion) on an even bigger scale than it had reached in Britain. In the first week of April 1964, the Beatles had the top five best-selling singles in the US; they also had the top two slots on the album charts, as well as other entries throughout the Billboard Top 100. No one had ever dominated the market for popular music so heavily; it's doubtful than anyone ever will again. The Beatles themselves would continue to reach #1 with most of their singles and albums until their 1970 breakup.
1964's A Hard Day's Night, a cinema verite-style motion picture comedy/musical, cemented their image as the Fab Four--happy-go-lucky, individualistic, cheeky, funny lads with nonstop energy. The soundtrack was also a triumph, consisting entirely of Lennon- McCartney tunes, including such standards as the title tune, "And I Love Her," "If I Fell," "Can't Buy Me Love," and "Things We Said Today." Between riotous international tours in 1964 and 1965, the Beatles continued to pump out more chart-topping albums and singles. (Until 1967, the group's British albums were often truncated for release in the States; when their catalog was transferred to CD, the albums were released worldwide in their British configurations.) In retrospect, critics have judged Beatles for Sale (late 1964) and Help! (mid-1965) as the band's least impressive efforts. To some degree, that's true. Touring and an insatiable market placed heavy demands upon their songwriting, and some of the originals and covers on these records, while brilliant by many groups' standards, were filler in the context of the Beatles' best work. The best songs from this period, however, show the group continuing to move forward, especially the singles "I Feel Fine," "She's a Woman," "Ticket to Ride," and "Help!," which boast increasingly intricate guitar sounds and clever lyrics.
Although the Beatles' second film, Help!, was a much sillier and less sophisticated affair than their first feature, it too was a huge commercial success. By this time, though, the Beatles had nothing to prove in commercial terms; the remaining frontiers were artistic challenges that could only be met in the studio. They rose to the occasion at the end of 1965 with Rubber Soul, one of the classic folk-rock records. Lyrically, Lennon, McCartney, and even Harrison (who was now writing some tunes on his own) were evolving beyond boy-girl scenarios into complex, personal feelings. They were also pushing the limits of studio rock by devising new guitar and bass textures, experimenting with distortion and multi-tracking, and using unconventional (for rock) instruments like the sitar.
The "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" single found the group abandoning romantic themes entirely, boosting the bass to previously unknown levels, and fooling around with psychedelic imagery and backwards tapes on the B-side. Drugs (psychedelic and otherwise) were fueling their already fertile imaginations, but they felt creatively hindered by their touring obligations. Revolver, released in the summer of 1966, proved what the group could be capable of when allotted months of time in the studio. Hazy hard guitars and thicker vocal arrangements formed the bed of these increasingly imagistic, ambitious lyrics; the group's eclecticism now encompassed everything from singalong novelties ("Yellow Submarine") and string quartet-backed character sketches ("Eleanor Rigby") to Indian-influenced swirls of echo and backwards tapes ("Tomorrow Never Knows").
For the past couple of years, live performance had become a rote exercise for the group, tired of competing with thousands of screaming fans that drowned out most of their vocals and instruments. The final concert of their 1966 American tour (in San Francisco on August 29, 1966) would be their last in front of a paying audience, as the group decided to stop playing live in order to concentrate on their studio recordings. This was a radical (indeed, unprecedented) step in 1966, and the media was rife with speculation that the act was breaking up, especially after all four Beatles spent late 1966 engaged in separate personal and artistic pursuits. The appearance of the "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" single in February 1967 squelched these concerns. Frequently cited as the strongest double-A-side ever, the Beatles were now pushing forward into unabashedly psychedelic territory in their use of orchestral arrangements and mellotron, without abandoning their grasp of memorable melody and immediately accessible lyrical messages.
Sgt. Pepper, released in June 1967 as the Summer of Love dawned, was the definitive psychedelic soundtrack. Or, at least, so it was perceived at the time: subsequent critics have painted the album as an uneven affair, given a conceptual unity via its brilliant multi-tracked overdubs, singalong melodies, and fairy tale-ish lyrics. Others remain convinced, as millions did at the time, that it represented pop's greatest triumph, or indeed an evolution of pop into art with a capital A. In addition to mining all manner of roots influences, the musicians were also picking up vibes from Indian music, avant-garde electronics, classical, music hall, and more. When the Beatles premiered their hippie anthem "All You Need Is Love" as part of a worldwide TV broadcast, they had been truly anointed as spokespersons for their generation (a role they had not actively sought), and it seemed they could do no wrong.
Musically, that would usually continue to be the case, but the group's strength began to unravel at a surprisingly quick pace. In August 1967, Brian Epstein--prone to suicidal depression over the past year--died of a drug overdose, leaving them without a manager. The group pressed on with their next film project, Magical Mystery Tour, directed by themselves; lacking focus or even basic professionalism, the picture bombed when it was premiered on BBC television in December 1967, giving the media the first real chance it had ever had to roast the Beatles over a flame. (Another film, the animated feature Yellow Submarine, would appear in 1968, although the Beatles had little involvement with the project, either in terms of the movie or the soundtrack.)
Judged solely on musical merit, The White Album, a double LP released in late 1968, was a triumph. While largely abandoning their psychedelic instruments to return to guitar-based rock, they maintained their whimsical eclecticism, proving themselves masters of everything from blues rock to vaudeville. As individual songwriters, too, it contains some of their finest work (as does the brilliant non-LP single from this era, "Hey Jude"/"Revolution").
But by the White Album, it was clear (if only in retrospect) that each member was more concerned with his own expression than that of the collective group. In addition, George Harrison was becoming a more prolific and skilled composer as well, imbuing his own melodies (which were nearly the equal of those of his more celebrated colleagues) with a cosmic lightness. Harrison was beginning to resent his junior status, and the group began to bicker more openly in the studio. Ringo, whose solid drumming and good nature could usually be counted upon (as was evident in his infrequent lead vocals), actually quit for a couple of weeks in the midst of the White Album sessions. Apple Records, started by the group earlier in 1968 as a sort of utopian commercial enterprise, was becoming a financial and organizational nightmare.
These weren't the ideal conditions under which to record a new album in January 1969, especially when McCartney was pushing the group to return to live performing, although none of the others seemed especially keen on the idea. They did agree to try and record a "back-to-basics," live-in-the-studio-type LP, the sessions being filmed for a television special. Harrison enlisted American soul keyboardist Billy Preston as kind of a fifth member on the sessions, both to beef up the arrangements and to alleviate the uncomfortable atmosphere. In order to provide a suitable concert-like experience for the film, the group did climb the roof of their Apple headquarters in London to deliver an impromptu performance on January 30, 1969, before the police stopped it; this was their last live concert of any sort.
Generally dissatisfied with these early 1969 sessions, the album and film--at first titled Get Back, and later to emerge as Let It Be--remained in the can as the group tried to figure out how the projects should be mixed, packaged, and distributed. A couple of the best tracks, "Get Back"/"Don't Let Me Down," were issued as a single in the spring of 1969. By this time, the Beatles' quarrels were intensifying in a dispute over management: McCartney wanted their affairs to be handled by his new father-in-law, Lee Eastman, while the other members of the group favored a tough American businessman, Allen Klein.
It was something of a miracle, then, that the final album recorded by the group, Abbey Road, was one of their most unified efforts (even if, by this time, the musicians were recording many of their parts separately). It certainly boasted some of their most intricate melodies, harmonies, and instrumental arrangements. It also heralded the arrival of Harrison as a composer of equal talent to Lennon and McCartney, as George wrote the album's two most popular tunes, "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun." The Beatles were still progressing, but it turned out to be the end of the road, as their business disputes continued to magnify. Lennon, who had begun releasing solo singles and performing with friends as the Plastic Ono Band, threatened to resign in late 1969, although he was dissuaded from making a public announcement.
Most of the early 1969 tapes remained unreleased, partially because the footage for the planned television broadcast of these sessions was now going to be produced as a documentary movie. For the accompanying soundtrack album, Let It Be, Lennon, Harrison, and Allen Klein decided to have celebrated American producer Phil Spector record some additional instrumentation and do some mixing. By that time it was released, the Beatles were no more.
In fact, there had been no recording done by the group as a four-man unit since August 1969, and each member of the band had begun to pursue serious outside professional interests independently via the Plastic Ono Band, Harrison's tour with Delaney and Bonnie, Starr's starring role in the Magic Christian film, and McCartney's first solo album. The outside world for the most part remained almost wholly unaware of the seriousness of the group's friction, making it a devastating shock for much of the world's youth when McCartney announced that he was leaving the Beatles on April 10, 1970. At the end of 1970, McCartney sued the rest of the Beatles in order to dissolve their partnership; the battle dragged through the courts for years, scotching any prospects of a group reunion.
In any case, each member of the band quickly established viable solo careers. Within a short time, it became apparent both that the Beatles were not going to settle their differences and reunite, and that their solo work could not compare with what they were capable of creating together. Despite periodic rumors of reunions throughout the 1970s, no group projects came close to materializing. Any hopes of a reunion vanished when Lennon was assassinated in New York City in December 1980. The Beatles continued their solo careers throughout the 1980s, but their releases became less frequent, and their commercial success gradually diminished, as listeners without first-hand memories of the combo created their own idols.
Legal wrangles at Apple prevented the official issue of previously unreleased Beatles material for over two decades (although much of it was frequently bootlegged). The situation finally changed in the 1990s, after McCartney, Harrison, Starr, and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono settled their principal business disagreements. In 1994, this resulted in a double CD of BBC sessions from the early and mid-'60s. The following year, a much more ambitious project was undertaken: a multi-part film documentary, broadcast on network television in 1995, and then released (with double the length) for the home video market in 1996, with the active participation of the surviving Beatles.
To coincide with the Anthology documentary, three double CDs of previously unreleased/rare material were issued in 1995 and 1996. Additionally, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr (with some assistance from Jeff Lynne) embellished a couple of John Lennon demos from the 1970s with overdubs to create two new tracks ("Free as a Bird" and "Real Love") that were billed as actual Beatles recordings. Whether this constitutes the actual long-awaited "reunion" is the subject of much debate. Still, the massive commercial success of outtakes that had, after all, been recorded 25 to 30 years ago, spoke volumes about the unabated appeal and fascination the Beatles continue to exert worldwide.
Courtesy of EMI records
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