In the beginning...
When I was a kid, my aunt gave me a bunch of singles, and when we got home, I sat on my bedroom floor in front of a small, red, portable record player I had, and listened to one platter after the other, but I can’t tell you what they were because they failed to leave an impression. Except one, just one… I slide this 45 down the spindle without looking at it, gently placed needle to groove, and “KAPOW!” when I heard those notes, the instruments and blended voices, it was like lightning exploded inside my skull. It’s difficult to describe how it shook me, how in awe I was, but by the end of the song I knew I’d found what I was looking for (without knowing I was searching for it in the first place). Pressed on vinyl I found the thing that changed the course of my life. At that moment 2 things were clear: I knew I needed to hear more of these Beatles. And I needed to get a guitar, write my own songs and make my own cellarful of noise.
Everyday I'd dash home after school and play that single, over and over and over - Side A, Please Please Me, for about 15 minutes, and another 15 for the B side, From Me to You. I'd take a break, then begin the process all over again. My parents must have grown so tired of hearing them, that one day my mother and aunt returned from a day of shopping with a gift, a Beatles album - and not just any Beatles album, but one that included two LPs, packed with songs - I was the happiest boy in the world.
Soon, more albums...
In the States, we had a whole different track listing on the early releases, these are what I lived with and knew and loved. It wasn't until decades later when they were offered on CD that I was able to hear the records as they were intended, and while that was great, I sometimes missed the way they used to be, especially the first 2 (which were eventually released on CD Boxsets - The Capitol Albums Vol 1 & 2)
This was the early stages of Beatlemania in a nutshell, I'd listen to one, then the unimaginatively named "Second Album" right after. What I loved about them is they happily included the singles, which were withheld in the UK (a practice I understood, but ultimately was short sighted in consideration for future generations). Meet the Beatles had that incredible cover and featured a stellar line-up which included I Want to Hold Your Hand and I Saw Her Standing There, I still prefer this to the official track listing on With, and in my overall -everything- rankings, it's a top 5 favorite. The Second, had She Loves You and I'll Get You.
1. Revolver (Aug 5, 1966)
But that was then, here's a ranking of the LPs as they are now. UK release dates unless otherwise noted, standardized track listings (established in 1987).
Tracks: Taxman / Eleanor Rigby / I'm Only Sleeping / Love You To / Here, There and Everywhere / Yellow Submarine / She Said She Said / Good Day Sunshine / And Your Bird Can Sing / For No One / Doctor Robert / I Want to Tell You / Got to Get You into My Life / Tomorrow Never Knows
2. Rubber Soul (December 3, 1965)
Not only my favorite from the band, but IMHO, the best rock album ever recorded - one that offers a rich variety of lyrical content and musical styles.
Along with the amazing production values and arrangements. The songwriting skills on display are genius. Paul shows great maturity and growth as a lyricist ("Eleanor Rigby", in which he received help from each bandmate, is wise and moving) and as usual, his command of chord structure is second to none. George has also reached a new level; he gives us a taste of India, and "Taxman" is his first great composition; the scathing lyrics, the performances, Paul's nimble bass lines and lead guitar, are phenomenal. Ringo is given an iconic cut this time out. Lennon, this is Lennon's peak. He wrote great songs in the past and he will do so in the future. But the next couple of years will be John at his best. His tunes act as a callback to Rubber Soul ("Dr. Robert", "And Your Bird Can Sing", which features captivating twin guitar play between George & Paul) as well as a look to the Sgt. Pepper future ("She Said, She Said", and the epic, mind altering, "Tomorrow Never Knows", with its loops, seagull sounds (actually laughter sped up) vocals funneled through revolving Leslie speakers (a first), and illustrative lyrics that transport you to another world).
There's no 'one' perfect release/mix, so I've had to build my own. From Giles Martin's Super Deluxe I use "Taxman" (and avoid like the plague, his God awful She Said) it's a smoother take, not so jarring when individual instruments pipe in. "Dr. Robert" - the bass is a bit too heavy in stereo, so I go with the mono. “Eleanor Rigby" has those extreme L&R separations and sudden channel swings, for that I went with the superior stereo mix in the Yellow Submarine Songtrack, which is where I grab "Love You To" and "Yellow Submarine". Everything else is 2009 stereo, though the mono “Tomorrow Never Knows” offers different loop flourishes that are worth checking out (it can't, however, match the scope of the stereo). “Here, There and Everywhere” is rockier 'n' raw in mono - not sure if that’s better, just different in a good way. And finally...
It's interesting to consider how its reputation rose in the States once we actually heard the record the way it was meant to be heard. Capitol done this one dirty, gutted it by removing some of Lennon's best numbers. US Beatles fans in the 60s and 70s had a much different, lesser Revolver.
Tracks: Drive My Car / Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) / You Won't See Me / Nowhere Man / Think for Yourself / The Word / Michelle / What Goes On / Girl / I'm Looking Through You / In My Life / Wait / Run for Your Life
Drug influenced perfection on all phases, I even enjoy the Ringo number. The Capitol release has more of a folky, acoustic feel, but that vibe is still pretty strong on the UK original (The UK version opens with the rocking' "Drive My Car", the US with the acoustic heavy "I Just Saw a Face" - Face kind of disappeared on the "Help" LP. But as an album opener its pure gold, the tune suits Soul). I like both versions, but I mostly stick with the intended mix of songs when I listen - I mean, you have to have the 3-part harmonies of the beautifully constructed and performed, "Nowhere Man", which was not on the US version. Plus, it's a song that really spoke to me, made me feel not so alone knowing a talent like John could feel 'nowhere' too.
Vocals, arrangement, lyrics are all strong, new instruments like the sitar, harmonium and fuzz bass add color - you get some cool sounds here, striking play - the twin chiming guitars for example on Nowhere Man, were performed using "sonic blue" Fender Strats, one played by John in the verses and other by George for his great solo. The finger picking on "Norwegian Wood" is another highlight. Word wise, they're becoming even more personal and self-reflective ("In My Life", for one, is an intelligent and sophisticated love song).
Lennon and McCartney contributed noteworthy companion pieces, Paul's romantic Left Bank ballad "Michelle", with the George Martin composed guitar solo, and John's melancholic "Girl", with its Greek flavoring (hearing JL take in a breath while singing was a nice touch, felt like method acting in music form). I liked George's contributions, particularly "If I Needed Someone", and the album closes with a song John distanced himself from, "Run for Your Life" - yet, its infectious hooks, and country-rock style are irresistible. And his voice is so expressive, from the urgency in Help, to the haunting quality that put chills down George Martin's spine during A Day in the Life - here it's in his inflections, the way he emphasizes "dead" for one, the delivery of just a single word gives the song added punch - while the lyrics are harsh, it's a hell of a way to cap a fabulous LP.
Mono vs Stereo? Both versions sound great. Though “Run for Your Life” is vastly superior in mono. There’s way too much separation on the stereo mix, which neuters the poor thing.
Tracks: Come Together / Something / Maxwell's Silver Hammer / Oh, Darling / Octopuses' Garden / I Want You (She's so Heavy) / Here Comes the Sun / Because / You Never Give Me Your Money / Sun King / Mean Mister Mustard / Polythene Pam / She Came in Through the Bathroom Window / Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End / Her Majesty
The first side has some great numbers ("Come Together", "Something", and "I Want You" is a total vibe) but it's side two which makes this a wonder. And most of it is simply short, unfinished castaways that, on their own, couldn't find a home on other records, but stitched together in this colorful tapestry, became something magnificent. An added plus, a Ringo drum solo and the fab 3 swapping guitar licks on "The End.", a fitting spotlight for each. The medley was one of McCartney's most inspired ideas - well done, take a bow Sir Paul. (And you too Sir Martin, your contributions can't be ignored).
George is at his songwriting peak, and I wish he'd been allowed another because "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" are the best things on the album - First written during the White Album sessions, Something, like Yesterday, sounds like a number that always existed. So strong that it became George's first A-Side single. On Sun - with capo on the 7th fret - the gentle acoustic guitars open up the tune, which builds with multiple vocals and instruments as it goes – though it never loses its intimacy.
I'm fond of the lyrical weirdness you find in John's stuff, and in the medley his and Paul's work cover topics like greed and the hoarding of money, fans, and in "The End" - "The love you take is equal to the love you make."
Production wise, there's a different sound here, a broader tonality, with more clarity - due to the fact that for the first time they were able to record using a TG console on 8 tracks, rather than their usual 4. There's also a Moog synthesizer and plenty of toms in the drumming.
Note: This was the first album I bought with my own money, how many lawns did I have to mow for it?
Tracks: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / A Little Help from My Friends / Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds / Getting Better / Fixing a Hole / She's Leaving Home / Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! / Within You Without You / When I'm Sixty-Four / Lovely Rita / Good Morning Good Morning / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) / A Day in the Life
The album that changed everything, the Beatles rewrote rock history with this release, and while I'm not in love with every song (When I'm Sixty-Four) as a collective whole it's just right, the personality of the piece gathered as one, is sublime. Even the packaging contributes to this, that iconic cover, the gatefold, the lyrics on the back, the playful cardboard cutouts included as a bonus. A teacher of mine mentioned this being released while he was in college, and as he was walking through the campus, out of each window, a different Peppers song was playing - it was a shared experience, a happening, and it took his breath away. That says it all.
The LP is laced with psychedelic sounds and imagery, with Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds a prime example of that. Lennon doesn't simply tell us how trippy this world is, he takes us there - "Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies" - I enter this strange place and am a little freaked out by the girl with kaleidoscope eyes. While this was Paul's album, his concept, John's pieces smartly compliment the vision. As does George's sole composition, though he had little interest in the idea behind Peppers -he was on his own wavelength- the grandeur of the orchestration on Within You, coupled to the Indian instruments and philosophical lyrics lends added weight.
Mono vs Stereo? The mono has some interesting differences - it's rather tinny, and crunchy. The phasing on the vocals makes Lucy in the Sky spaceier, and She’s Leaving Home is faster - Paul sounds like he’s singing in the bathroom, and though it lacks the warmth and fullness of the stereo, it’s not as laborious. the strings don’t sit on your chest like some soap opera theme. I like it that way. The Peppers reprise is nearly a new entity, it's tougher in mono (though Paul’s scatting is an annoyance). Mono falters with Getting Better and Fixing a Hole - Fixing is thinner, weightless, the lead guitar lacks presence, and I didn't care for the drums. A Day in the Life is definitely better in stereo, mono simply can’t do justice to its sweep and majesty.
In stereo, this is where Giles' remix stands tall - it's amazing, has a fuller, rounder, powerful sound, he also opens it up and allows the instrumental details to be heard. The only slight fumble was with A Day in the Life, the mindsets the same, open it up, but in the transition from Lennons vocals to the orchestration, the bottom falls out. Whereas George created a solid foundation, a bridge from one to the other. I also don't like Giles removing John's vocal traveling slowly from the right to the left, surrounding the listener. Otherwise, the 50th Anniversary edition's my preferred Peppers.
Tracks: Side 1 - Back in the USSR / Dear Prudence / Glass Onion / Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da / Wild Honey Pie / The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill / While My Guitar Gently Weeps / Happiness Is a Warm Gun * Side 2 - Martha My Dear / I'm So Tired / Blackbird / Piggies / Rocky Racoon / Don't Pass Me By / Why Don't We Do It in the Road? / I Will / Julia * Side 3 - Birthday / Yer Blues / Mother Nature's Son / Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey / Sexy Sadie / Helter Skelter / Long, Long, Long * Side 4 - Revolution 1 / Honey Pie / Savoy Truffle / Cry Baby Cry / Revolution 9 / Good Night
It's scattershot as hell and is really a great 3-side release, with about a side's worth of m'eh. Though some of those wild ones -that sound like throwaways- are actually deep cut treasures, "Bungalow Bill" for one, cracks me up. The melodramatic satire of the piece is accentuated by John's vocals, which turns it into audio performance art.
There's a general bassy feel to all the instruments and vocals. Stereo is best, though there are fascinating turns in the mono. Side one is the stronger, anchored by McCartney's nod to Chuck Berry, "Back in the USSR", the gentle arpeggios of "Dear Prudence", the delicious meta-song "Glass Onion", and one of Harrison's finest, "While My Guitar Gentle Weeps", featuring Eric Clapton leads, which is emblematic of how splintered the band was becoming, and how this was near to a solo album in 4-parts.
Side two has some gorgeous numbers and finger work with "Blackbird" and "Julia"
Side three gets down and dirty and strange - the nightmarish "Helter Skelter" is a heavy metal stunner than knocks me right off my feet - and I like how it keeps returning, grinding away, until Ringo's final memorable declaration "I got blisters on my fingers" - followed by the musical stinger! Wow, I'm spent after that experience and really need the cool down that "Long, Long, Long" provides - though an unheralded track, I like it, even if George did lift the melody from Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands".
Four is rather average and near forgettable, save for the unforgettable, notorious, apocalyptic, "Revolution 9". And I do like "Cry Baby Cry", though it's a minor number.
This was another known for its innovative packaging, the simple white cover with embossed lettering has become legend, the poster and 4 glossies (I had the glossies, rather than the mat prints that came later). First pressings were numbered, the first 4 were given to the band, Ringo had 0000001.
Tracks: A Hard Day's Night / I Should Have Known Better / If I Fell / I’m Happy Just to Dance with You / And I Love Her / Tell Me Why / Can’t Buy Me Love / Any Time at All / I’ll Cry Instead / Things We Said Today / When I Get Home / You Can’t Do That / I’ll Be Back
This is John’s baby, and it swings with a power popping fever - this is the way all soundtracks should sound (and it's their first to consist of all original material). George's new Rickenbacker 12-string played a key role in the album, and that kicks in right from the start, with that memorable opening chord, which signals the start of something special.
The amazing movie colors several tunes, the energy of "Can't Buy Me Love" most notably (I can see the lads in their exuberance and play in my mind's eye). The harmonica and hook fueled "I Should Have Known Better", played on the train, in that cage as teenage girls look on in awe, is another.
Aside from the rockers, there are those sensitive ballads, my favorite being "If I Fell", where I admire the pretty harmonies, the descending, stair step chord progression, and unique structure.
And while "I’ll Be Back" isn't their most well-known number, it remains a favorite. It too features an unconventional structure, with two distinct bridges, no true chorus, and a mix of major and minor keys. John’s vocals are exceptional, the harmonies lush and the acoustic guitar -with flamenco flourishes- is stellar. The Beatles crafted pop tunes with greater sophistication than was the norm, and "I'll Be Back" is a prime illustration of that.
Paul's spiritual companion to it, "Things We Said Today", has a smooth, compelling melody, that is accompanied by an acoustic strum on the minor chord, that commences with a quick fluttering accent.
There's not a bad track on the release, while not every tune is an A-lister, every tune offers some kind of delight, from the falsettos in "Tell Me Why" to George playing his best Carl Perkins impression on "I'll Cry Instead."
Tracks: Magical Mystery Tour / Fool on the Hill / Flying / Blue Jay Way / Your Mother Should Know / I Am the Walrus / Hello, Goodbye / Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane / Baby You're a Rich Man / All You Need is Love
As an EP it was all right, though a flustered George Martin lamented the out-of-control self-indulgence in the studio; with the surreal chaos that was “I Am the Walrus” (a song Lennon would work on for a month!) the one bright spot from these sessions. But then us crazy American’s added some of the non-album singles from that year, made it a full-length LP, and that track listing has since become the standard. It's an album that was never meant to be an album, but why quibble, it works.
Details? Due to the 'no singles' policy, Peppers was deprived of two of the greatest numbers Lennon and McCartney ever wrote, with performance and production second to none, and that albums loss is this one's gain. Beyond Strawberry and Penny - while I like the title song; "Fool on the Hill" - and am okay with Flying, Blue Jay Way, and Mother - from "Walrus" to "All You Need is Love" is where the release crashes through the exosphere. No, it wasn't intended to be an album and therefore does come off more like a compilation than a collective, nor is it the revolutionary milestone Pepper's was, but song-wise, this Magical Mystery Tour is aces.
Tracks: I Saw Her Standing There / Misery / Anna (Go to Her) / Chains / Boys / Ask Me Why / Please Please Me / Love Me Do / P.S. I Love You / Baby It's You / Do You Want to Know a Secret / A Taste of Honey / There's a Place / Twist and Shout
"1, 2, 3, 4!" And with that countdown, without a doubt the greatest, most important countdown in rock, Beatlemania was born. When manager Brian Epstein was fighting to get the boys a record deal, he was most insistent that studio heads actually come and see them perform, the tapes and demos didn't tell the whole story, the personalities, their charisma and effect on the audience was big part of who they were and why they were going to be successful. George Martin eventually got it, and originally wanted to record them live at the Cavern, but the venue wasn't suitable, so into the studio they went for the next best thing, recorded on the quick, with few overdubs, to try and capture the immediacy and the energy
The boys had noticeable colds, but muscle through it like pros, and it doesn't diminish the power of their vocals (though on Twist, John's can get squishy/phlegmy on a few lines, especially the, "twist a little closer now" - yuk! lol). For the originals, there are two all-timers, "Please Please Me," and "I Saw Her Standing There" (one of Paul's earliest works - a hand clapping, bass riffing classic). "Misery" and "There's a Place" were entertaining pluses, as they weren't included on any Capitol release. The covers are better integrated in this release than they would be in later works like "The Beatles for Sale", or "Help!" where it feels like they threw one in there at the end to fill out the record. Here, they belong - "Baby It's You" (with Lennon's smooth delivery), the screamin' "Twist and Shout", even something like "A Taste of Honey", which is not really my thing, suits the tenor of the record.
In short, this is fab! A triumphant first step for the band, and a landmark for rock music as a whole.
Mono vs Stereo: With headphones I'll give the nod to the 2009 mono remaster. It's crisp and clean and without the separation (vocals pushed to one ear) or echoes (or John's flub on the title track).
Tracks: Help! / The Night Before / You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away / I Need You / Another Girl / You're Going to Lose That Girl / Ticket to Ride / Act Naturally / It’s Only Love / You Like Me Too Much / Tell Me What You See / I’ve Just Seen a Face / Yesterday / Dizzy Miss Lizzy
"Sale" was the first step away from Beatlemania, and "Help" is the second - though it supports a movie that caters to that frenzied fanbase, the four are leading us on a journey towards the brilliant "Rubber Soul".
The LP is a rather jagged listening experience - a mix of remarkable classics like "Help," "You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Ticket to Ride," and "Yesterday," which are among their most intricate and accomplished works, with smaller gems, such as "I've Just Seen a Face". Conversely, "Act Naturally" is not to my taste, and often a skipper, while the popular "You're Going to Lose That Girl" strikes me as rather ordinary (I would have preferred the exceptional yet discarded "That Means a Lot"). "The Night Before" is an anomaly; at times I'm feeling it, and at others, not so much—it's one of those 'in the right mood' pieces. "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" is a well-executed hot rocker but feels out of place on the album.
The stereo mix is the better version, though I was really curious to hear it in mono, especially after the way Lennon gushed about the title track being the superior of the two; but boy was I disappointed, the mono has little electricity or urgency (notably missing in his vocals) - seriously, there is no debate in my mind, John was wrong, we in the States were hearing the song at its best.
Tracks: Two of Us / Dig a Pony / Across the Universe / I Me Mine / Dig It / Let It Be / Maggie Mae / I've Got a Feeling / One After 909 / The Long and Winding Road / For You Blue / Get Back
Despite there being good in it (Universe, Let It Be) I was never too keen on this troubled, unsteady album. The idea behind it was sound, the guys wanted to get back to their roots and rock like they did as lads in Hamberg and Liverpool, and to capture this rebirth on film, topped off with a concert. But that youthful magic & enthusiasm proved elusive (though for a moment, on that rooftop, they found it).
Over the decades a parade of producers tackled the mix. Glyn Johns was first to step up, his version was in line with the spirit of the project, but too raw and untidy. Next, Phil Spector laid his heavy hands on it, and went the opposite direction, he endeavored to polish it up, but 'eh, something didn't click, not completely. Decades later they tried it "Naked" but stripping it down to the bare essentials wasn't the solution either (too flat). Finally, in 2021, Giles Martin took a crack at it.
I'm not entirely sold on Giles - when it comes to remixes I prefer a deft and subtler hand like Steven Wilson. Giles comes at a mix with a cudgel, make it big, make it loud, even when that doesn't suit the song (though he struck a finer balance with Peppers, his best effort). Here, he doesn't radically change things, the Spector arrangements remain, and as expected the instruments sonically boom - and yet, there is a renewed vibrancy and clarity, a heaviness that gives it added punch (or an airiness, as the case may be) sometimes to excess - but there's no denying my reaction.
During "I've Got a Feeling" I was groovin' and boppin' my head, for "One After 909" I was rocking steady in my chair like a teenager, and wasn't that what the band was shooting for? Old favorites like "I Me Mine" shimmered, the thumping energy in "Two of Us" engaged, and "Let it Be" still rocks your socks off and is just as inspiring, only, more so. Now, while I've never cared for any version of the corny song, if you didn't like the orchestration on "The Long and Winding Road" you'll like it even less here, Giles doesn't pull back, and that's not what Paul was shooting for. Regardless, the Super Deluxe edition gave the LP and the Spector mix an extra kick in the pants. Upped my opinion of it.
Over the decades a parade of producers tackled the mix. Glyn Johns was first to step up, his version was in line with the spirit of the project, but too raw and untidy. Next, Phil Spector laid his heavy hands on it, and went the opposite direction, he endeavored to polish it up, but 'eh, something didn't click, not completely. Decades later they tried it "Naked" but stripping it down to the bare essentials wasn't the solution either (too flat). Finally, in 2021, Giles Martin took a crack at it.
I'm not entirely sold on Giles - when it comes to remixes I prefer a deft and subtler hand like Steven Wilson. Giles comes at a mix with a cudgel, make it big, make it loud, even when that doesn't suit the song (though he struck a finer balance with Peppers, his best effort). Here, he doesn't radically change things, the Spector arrangements remain, and as expected the instruments sonically boom - and yet, there is a renewed vibrancy and clarity, a heaviness that gives it added punch (or an airiness, as the case may be) sometimes to excess - but there's no denying my reaction.
During "I've Got a Feeling" I was groovin' and boppin' my head, for "One After 909" I was rocking steady in my chair like a teenager, and wasn't that what the band was shooting for? Old favorites like "I Me Mine" shimmered, the thumping energy in "Two of Us" engaged, and "Let it Be" still rocks your socks off and is just as inspiring, only, more so. Now, while I've never cared for any version of the corny song, if you didn't like the orchestration on "The Long and Winding Road" you'll like it even less here, Giles doesn't pull back, and that's not what Paul was shooting for. Regardless, the Super Deluxe edition gave the LP and the Spector mix an extra kick in the pants. Upped my opinion of it.
Another example of how the mix transforms tracks - "Dig It" caught my ear, there's a guitar riff that I, well, really dig. It's present in the original, but more so in this one - the individual instruments pop out, and makes a former throw-away number, one to focus on and enjoy.
Tracks: It Won't Be Long / All I've Got to Do / All My Loving / Little Child / Till There Was You / Please Mister Postman / Roll Over Beethoven / Hold Me Tight / You Really Gotta Hold on Me / I Wanna Be Your Man / Devil in Her Heart / Not a Second Time / Money
A rock 'em sock 'em follow-up that displays some growth and musical maturity. Because it wasn't going for that 'live in the studio' feel, it's a sharper production than the previous release, and the mop tops are in fine voice. It could have used a few knock-out 'single worthy' numbers, like "I Saw Her Standing There" (or what was included on its Capitol equivalent), though "All My Loving" comes close (in fact, Canadian imports of the song, allowed it to chart in the US), and "Not a Second Time" and "All I've Got to Do" (with Paul playing chords on the bass) are notable - but even in the lesser numbers, there was so much energy in it that I just sailed along and enjoyed the ride. Even the treacle of “Till There Was You” doesn't spoil the experience, and in its entirety the album's an entertaining 33 minutes well spent.
As for mono or stereo? Again, with headphones, mono's a cleaner and more professionally done mix - there are some patch-ins, sudden fluctuations in sound on the stereo that make that one uneven.
Robert Freeman's B&W photograph is icing on the cake, and the first of several historic covers.
Tracks: No Reply / I'm a Loser / Baby's in Black / Rock and Roll Music / I'll Follow the Sun / Mister Moonlight / Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! / Eight Days a Week / Words of Love / Honey Don't / Every Little Thing / I Don't Want to Spoil the Party / What You're Doing / Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
You can see it on those faces, the Beatles were exhausted, and the music reflects that - no, not a disaster, but uneven. There are too many unlovable covers - while they kick ass ‘performance wise’ on KC/Hey I simply don’t enjoy the tune, nor am I thrilled with the Perkins numbers, and I dislike Moonlight. It might have best suited the LP had they leaned into the Buddy Holly style material (I like the Holly song) – The original’s "What You're Doing" and "Every Little Thing" have a Buddy feel to them. I also like what they did with "Leave my Kitten Alone", heard on Anthology - that or a studio recording of a Liverpool standard like "Some Other Guy" would have lifted the album, as opposed to "Mister Moonlight", which murders any momentum. Hell, drop the silly no singles policy and include "I Feel Fine"
I do enjoy the 8 Lennon & McCartney originals; they are somber and cynical, but several are equal to their finest efforts, including the opening three cuts, each a winner (love the harmonies on the waltzy "Baby's in Black", and the folk flavoring in "I'm a Loser"), and side two opens with their foot tapping hit, "Eight Days a Week."
Mono vs Stereo? I lean towards stereo but enjoyed both for different reasons - "I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party"; I like the guitar on the stereo, and the distinct drums on mono. But each 2009 remaster was a significant improvement over the original CD, which was so thin and tinny. Take “Every Little Thing” with Ringo on timpani – when it first went to CD, I wondered who pulled the guts out of the tune - with the 09 re-dos - while the timpani are not overwhelmingly stronger, it is stronger, and the mix has greater depth and warmth.
Tracks: Yellow Submarine / Only a Northern Song / All Together Now / Hey Bulldog / It's All Too Much / All You Need is Love / Pepperland / Sea of Time / Sea of Holes / Sea of Monsters / March of the Meanies / Pepperland Laid Waste / Yellow Submarine in Pepperland
On the first side there are 3 originals I enjoyed and would give a listen too - George's twins, All Too Much (a kin to John's psychedelic stuff, like "Tomorrow Never Knows" & "Strawberry Fields") and Only a Northern Song, and best of all, John's blistering Hey Bulldog, which received repeated play (and in mono it's crunchier, edgier, that dog bites in mono). On the negative, there are a couple of older tunes we've had already, and the second side, while George Martin's score is decent, it's not what I want on a Beatles release.
This wasn't an album I pulled out of the record rack all too often. Delightful movie, though.
A few final words...
Volume 1 Tracks: Love Me Do / From Me to You / Thank You Girl / She Loves You / I'll Get You / I Want to Hold Your Hand / This Boy / Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand / Sie Liebt Dich / Long Tall Sally / I Call Your Name / Slow Down / Matchbox / I Feel Fine / She's A Woman / Bad Boy / Yes It Is / I'm Down
Volume 2 Tracks: Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out / Paperback Writer / Rain / Lady Madonna / The Inner Light / Hey Jude / Revolution / Get Back / Don't Let Me Down / The Ballad of John and Yoko / Old Brown Shoe / Across the Universe / Let It Be / You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
I didn't include Past Masters on my rankings even though the compilation is officially recognized as the Beatles 14th studio release. I do value it, especially for giving a home to these singles and B-sides when standardized albums became the norm. Still, most of these were already part of my original US releases or were heard on LPs like "The Early Beatles", "Hey Jude" and the Red & Blue albums, so I wasn't deprived of them.
Yeah, I know, Mystery Tour is here but that was centralized to a certain period and was among my original collection. I also didn't know where to place this, so let's just say it's a goodie, one of the tops.
Other favorites that were worthy of inclusion: The Beatles Anthology (all 3 volumes), Live at the BBC, and Live at the Hollywood Bowl.
My Top 15 Songs
This was impossible, it's missing too many favorites, but a top 100 would have been too large - so here they are...
15. Something (Abbey Road)
I wanted George represented, and this beauty is my favorite.
14. Penny Lane (Magical Mystery Tour)
Expert musicianship and Martin’s intelligent production. Lyrically it tells a lively story and as a whole it was far above everything else Paul wrote during the Sgt. Pepper’s sessions.
13. Ticket To Ride (Help!)
Electrifying hard rock number, Ticket grinds away with jangly guitar and a distinct drum riff, suggested by Paul (though Ringo does lose his way as it goes. Lol). The vocals are strong and it’s an overall perfectly constructed track. Done in a mere 2 takes (wow) it showed off a new recording technique for the band: Laying rhythm tracks first and overdubbing vocals and extras later. This would become the norm in pop recordings.
12. Help!
I like the vocals here - the background repeats, and the quality of John’s lead singing has so much flavor and character. I used to love to sing this song, trying to capture that vocal intensity was a blast. Lyrically it's one of Lennon’s best, an early example of the depth they were heading towards. This was the first use of “bouncing” on a Beatles record, as they needed more than 4 tracks for the song.
11. A Hard Day's Night
From that rousing opening guitar chord to the steady backbeat and inspired vocal hand-off between John & Paul, this is one of the great rockers. I love the insistent tone of John’s voice, leading to Paul’s smooth high notes. George Harrison’s picking, to George Martin's keyboard solo and Ringo banging away on those bongos – amazing that it was written on the quick so that they’d have a title song for the film (John’s original lyrics were written in pen on the back of an old birthday card on April 15th)
10. Please, Please Me
Technically this probably shouldn’t be ranked so high even though it’s a great hook laden pop rocker. But it was my first Beatles single, it’s the reason I became a fan, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. And to think it all began when John took pen to paper in the bedroom of his boyhood home on Menlove Avenue in 1962. At first, a Roy Orbison style ballad, the lads revved it up with an up-tempo beat, nice steady bass, catchy harmonica and terrific vocals. Every time it plays, I break out in a wide smile and remember that kid who’d play this single over and over.
9. Nowhere Man (Rubber Soul)
Great lyrics, tight harmonies wrapped around a superb melody, sweet guitar work from George… what more can you ask for. This is one of those simpatico numbers, I know what Lennon’s talking about. It is said that this is Dylan’s favorite Beatles song.
8. Yesterday (Help!)
Overplayed so it has lost some of its luster but still deserving of a high ranking. If I take myself back to when the song was new, it was an amazing piece. Beautiful, wonderfully written chords and melody. One of the all-time great ballads, which came to Paul in a dream as if it were a gift from his muse.
7. I Am the Walrus (Magical Mystery Tour)
Surreal and chaotic, John was a master of psychedelic rock. This is an altogether strange piece, and the lyrics and music appeal to my skewed brain. A month in the making, it combines a traditional rock track with an orchestral one, the boys choir adds to the surreal imagery. This was all John and George Martin, he didn’t seek the other Beatles input for its creation, he even orchestrated the instruments through Martin (though allowed Martin to Orchestrate the choir) As musicologists have noted, the complex number contains all seven major "natural" chords (no sharps, flats or minors), and rises through all seven in the song's extended outro, while the bassline descends through the same chords backwards.
6. She Loves You (Single, also on Past Masters, The Beatles Second Album (USA))
The first single to be credited “Lennon & McCartney”. This was the biggest-selling single for the Beatles in Britain. Pop songs are often viewed as inconsequential pieces of fluff. While She Loves You isn’t high-level poetry, it shows that pop doesn’t have to be empty. The chord structure, vocal and musical arrangement is stellar. While many puff piece pop songs can be nothing but fun (The Archies enjoyable “Sugar, Sugar”) - the Beatles prove you can give the genre a little more weight. But before I weigh this thing down too much, at its core it’s an energetic, hook filled kick - Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
5. Eleanor Rigby (Revolver)
Rigby is poignant, wise, brilliantly structured – compare it to the Zombies similarly themed “A Rose for Emily”, a great song that I love, but lyrically it simply doesn’t have the depth and maturity of Rigby. Matching the words is the melody and arrangement. All combined to make a song that is in a word - profound. Martin based the string arrangement on the work of film composer Bernard Herrmann.
4. Hey Jude (Single, Past Masters)
Some complain about the lengthy ending but for me it's a plus, a rousing finish that has my blood pumping as it builds and builds. The opening section is even stronger with its lingering melody accentuated by the sparse, simply played piano. Paul has done similar dramatic efforts that lean on the syrupy (Winding Road) but he lands on the side of ‘moving’ with Jude. This was the biggest selling single for the Beatles in America. John loved the song and told Paul it was the best thing he ever wrote.
3. Tomorrow Never Knows (Revolver)
What a masterful bit of studio work. It’s a song -done as it was with all those multiple loops strung from studio room to room- that could never have been duplicated the same way twice. This is one of those tracks that take me away to a different place.
2. Strawberry Fields Forever (Magical Mystery Tour)
Beautiful in its basic acoustic form, surreal and evocative in its completed stage. The introspective lyrics are natural, almost conversational, though poetic.
Written in Spain while he was filming “How I Won the War”, this masterpiece went through 27 takes (compare that to Walrus, which took 17). Two tracks were combined (one sped up, the other slowed), and because this came from the days of analog, there is warmth in the procedure that could never be matched in our digital age, even though it would be easier and a smoother transition to do this today. Fields is surreal, but it’s not a sterile surrealism.
The song also sees the first use of a mellotron (played by Paul) and George’s surmandel on a rock record. As well as the first double fade. This was the first song recorded for Sgt Peppers, but Brian Epstein wanted a single and this, with Penny Lane, was used. George Martin said that leaving these two songs off Pepper was his greatest regret from the Beatles days.
1. A Day in the Life (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)
As George Martin stated, Lennon’s haunting vocals sends chills down one's spine. An epic number punctuated by that chaotic swell of orchestration. Paul contributes to the middle section. Lyrically sound, A Day in the Life isn’t simply the best Beatles number, but arguably the single greatest song in rock and roll history.
