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THE BEATLES
THE COMPLETE DECCA AUDITION TAPES (1962)
RATING: 7
PLAY THESE: LIKE DREAMERS DO, MEMPHIS, SEARCHIN'
SKIP THESE: NONE
A collection of songs recorded during the group's failed audition for Decca Records on New Year's Day 1962, these recordings have been available on bootlegs for many years now. Comprised of 12 covers and 3 "lost" Lennon/McCartney originals, the tapes reveal a young, hungry group with an unpolished sound bashfully hinting at future greatness. When listening to these tracks, Decca's seemingly irrational decision to pass on "The Silver Beatles" becomes more comprehensible, as the group sounds nervous and somewhat amateur. However, on the whole the album is a fascinating listen, and one wonders what would have become of the group had they signed with Decca - and not EMI, as they did later in 1962.
The obvious missing link is Pete Best, whose lackluster drumming did little to improve The Beatles' chances of getting signed to a contract. Underhanded though the eventual sacking of Pete may have been, it makes perfect sense in purely musical terms; the poor guy plays exactly the same beat on every single song, and he can't keep a steady tempo. The other major problem is the material, as manager Brian Epstein apparently wanted to showcase the group's versatility by including all manner of musical styles. Indeed, the band performs everything from show tunes ('Til There Was You') to Latin ('Besame Mucho'); from pop ('To Know Her Is To Love Her') to rock 'n roll ('Memphis'); from wartime standards ('September In The Rain') to novelty tunes ('Sheik of Araby).' Diversity is great, but this material doesn't play to the group's strengths, which at this time was straight-ahead rock 'n roll and pop. Also, the fact that John Lennon handles lead vocals on only four of the fifteen tracks definitely wasn't the wisest of decisions, especially considering that Lennon was the group's main singer up until the mid-1960's (even George sings four songs here). Paul, on the other hand, sings lead on seven tracks. Sure, Paul is an amazing singer, but he hasn't found his own voice yet, relying instead on a put-on Elvis impersonation that did little to assuage Decca's perception that the Beatles were an amateur novelty act.
Still, there are some great performances on this album. The Coaster's 'Searchin'' is great fun, while John's take on Chuck Berry's 'Memphis' far exceeds the version found on the BBC live collection. It is also fun to hear embryonic versions of 'Money' and 'Til There Was You,' two songs that the Beatles would later re-record for EMI - the boys still haven't nailed the songs, but it's still interesting to hear them try. But even more intriguing are the three Lennon/McCartney originals: 'Like Dreamers Do,' 'Hello Little Girl,' and 'Love of the Loved.' The Beatles never did record any of these tunes again (they gave them away to other 60's artists), but one can easily discern genius in these early compositions. Unfortunately, the best of these songs, John's poppy 'Hello Little Girl' is somewhat marred by the horrible, off-key harmonies at the beginning of the track, but things get better as the band gets into the song. Paul's annoying Elvis impersonation pops up again on the other two originals, but its still not enough from making these songs enjoyable as well. Overall, the band hasn't yet arrived, but they're getting close on these recordings.
RATING: 2
PLAY THESE: I SAW HER STANDING THERE, A TASTE OF HONEY, SHIMMY SHIMMY
SKIP THESE: ?
An appallingly low-fidelity recording of The Beatles' final night at their former Hamburg haunt on New Year's Eve 1962, Live at the Star Club has been packaged and re-packaged by legitimate labels and bootleggers alike, each time earning the scorn of the former Beatles. Depending on which version of the album you buy, you'll probably get about 25-30 tracks (mostly covers), all of them recorded that night. George Harrison in particular is said to have detested this album, regarding it as a drunken disaster unfit for public consumption. However, the ever-cynical George seems to miss the point of it all. Far from being a waste of vinyl, Live At The Star Club is an important historical document of an important period in Beatles history - a time for which we have no recordings save this one. While even the most committed of Beatles collectors will rarely have the urge to listen to the entire record, there are a few minor gems to be found. Among them are blistering performances of early Beatles originals, 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Ask Me Why,' as well as great versions of old standards like 'A Taste of Honey' and Chuck Berry's 'Talkin' 'Bout You.' If nothing else, the CD is worth a listen for 'Shimmy Shimmy,' during which a drunken Lennon is unmistakably singing the words "shitty, shitty" during the chorus. If you find it on the cheap, give this one a shot, but if you're not Beatle-crazed the stay far, far away.
RATING: 7
PLAY THESE: I SAW HER STANDING THERE, PLEASE PLEASE ME, TWIST AND SHOUT
SKIP THESE: BOYS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?
Recorded in a single twelve hour session, the Beatles' debut album manages to capture much of the excitement of the group's legendary Cavern-era live performances, despite the fact that it was recorded in the relatively sterile environment of London's Abbey Road Studios (producer George Martin had originally intended to record the group performing live at the Cavern, but the cellar's poor acoustics forced him to abandon the plan). Abbey Road's antiquated two-track recording system left little room for overdubs, so all of the tracks are straight-ahead renditions of the Beatles' live standards, embellished with a little piano or a few extra voices.
Nevertheless, the group's unrelenting energy and enthusiasm more than make up for such technological shortcomings. For although Please Please Me is the Beatles' weakest album (I know, I know, Yellow Submarine is worse, but it doesn't count as a proper album), it still contains more classic self-penned tunes than most artists can muster in an entire career. Take 'I Saw Her Standing There," for example. This song alone would have ensured the Beatles a footnote in the history of rock and roll even if the group ceased to exist after 1963; it is a testament to the group's greatness that this early gem has been overshadowed by later achievements. Based upon a rollicking bass riff nicked from Chuck Berry, 'I Saw Her Standing There' combines sexual innuendo ("she was just seventeen/you know what I mean) with a great vocal delivery from Paul McCartney to create a '50's style rock 'n roll classic on par with such greats as 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Johnny B. Goode.' The album's title track also packs a lot of punch, as the song's energetic delivery and skillful play on words (inspired by Bing Crosby's 'Please Lend Your Ears to my Pleas') make it a deserving UK #1 hit. Originals 'Misery' and 'There's a Place' are also pleasantly catchy pop tunes, the latter of which foreshadows the highly personal nature of later Lennon compositions (There's a place/ where I can go/ when I feel low/ when I feel blue). Other Lennon-McCartney originals such as 'Love Me Do, ' 'P.S. I Love You,' and 'Ask Me Why' are less remarkable, yet still display flashes of charm and originality despite the unabashed cheesiness of the lyrics.
The cover songs on the album are for the most part stellar, especially the Lennon-screamed classic 'Twist and Shout,' which was recorded in just one remarkable take. ( I had always admired Lennon's vocals on the entire album, which I felt sounded a little bit more scratchy than normal, and then I read that John had a nasty cold during the recording session. ) There are only two bona-fide stinkers on the album: 'Boys,' a Ringo-sung cover tune quite possibly suggested by the group's homosexual manager, Brian Epstein, and 'Do You Want to Know a Secret,' which is warbled painfully out of tune by guitarist George (in spite of the fact the song's melody consist of only three notes). But despite these flaws, Please Please Me is a great start to a musical journey unequaled in the history of pop music. The essential Beatle trademarks - good melodies, beautiful harmonies, well-written songs, catchy guitar solos - are already in place, getting better and better all the time...
RATING: 9
PLAY THESE: ALL I'VE GOT TO DO, ALL MY LOVING, MONEY
SKIP THESE: DON'T BOTHER ME, DEVIL IN HER HEART
Released in the midst of British "Beatlemania," the Beatles' second album combines solid Lennon-McCartney originals and tasty American R & B covers to create an extremely enjoyable record that can be best described as "power pop." With the Beatles is certainly superior to its predecessor, boasting better production, less filler, and a cool album cover inspired by Astrid Kirchhir's now-legendary photos of the band during the Hamburg days. The album immediately grabs the listeners attention on the stellar opener 'It Won't Be Long,' which features a cool distorted countrified riff, and then moves on to the best Lennon original on the record, 'All I've Got to Do,' a haunting mid-tempo ballad with interesting syncopated drumming from Ringo and one of John's all-time best vocal performances in the middle eight section. In fact, With the Beatles is a virtual showcase for Lennon's vocal talents, as he takes lead on seven of the albums' fourteen songs, as compared to McCartney's paltry three. (Lennon's stint as the group's de-facto lead vocalist would continue until Help!, at which time Paul McCartney's talents truly began to develop.)
Nevertheless, 'All My Loving' is McCartney's turn to shine, and shine he does, displaying his remarkable talent for creating unforgettable melodies that the world will sing for many years to come. For while Lennon favors bluesy melodies that move horizontally across the stave in conjunction with the chords, McCartney excels at creating sweeping vertical melodies that work independently of the chords themselves - a true sign of melodic genius. Other originals include the harmonica-driven 'Little Child' and the previously-Rolling-Stone-covered 'I Wanna Be Your Man,' within which Ringo unwittingly outperforms Mick by an ever-so slight margin. "Not A Second Time," with its haunting aeolian cadences (ha! I learned that one in a Beatles documentary) is a fantastic medieval-tinged hard rock song - a true hidden gem - that features yet another fantastic vocal performance by John. The much-maligned McCartney penned 'Hold Me Tight' is not as bad as you may have read in the Beatle-related literature, but it does sound unfinished. Harrison's debut composition, 'Don't Bother Me,' also sounds quite underdeveloped, but is far less likeable than 'Hold Me Tight,' as its dreary atmosphere and dour, almost sulking lyrics render it virtually unlistenable ("Go away/ Leave me alone/ Don't bother me." whatever).
As far as the covers go, there are a number of classics to choose from: 'Money,' 'Roll Over Beethoven,' 'You Really Got A Hold On Me,' 'Please Mister Postman,' and 'Til There Was You,' a sickeningly insipid show-tune that nonetheless remains a guilty pleasure. 'Money,' which closes the album is far and away the best cut on With the Beatles, with an icy vocal delivery from John that blows over the proceedings like a violent Arctic blizzard, sending shivers down one's spine. Driven by an eerie piano riff, the Berry Gordy-written track also features fantastically frenetic playing form the boys and enthusiastic backing vocals from McCartney in the fade-out. 'Please Mr. Postman,' another highlight, is once again driven by John's impassioned singing, proving once again that Lennon was not only a great rock singer, but also a master interpreter of the pop idiom. (Ditto for Smoky Robinson's 'You Really Got A Hold On Me.') The only lousy cover in the bunch is 'Devil In Her Heart,' a boring ballad that makes one eternally thankful for the skip button. However, moments of weakness such as this are few and far between, making With the Beatles the group's first pop masterpiece. Purchase it for Lennon's raucous vocal performance alone.
RATING: 10
PLAY THESE: A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER, ANY TIME AT ALL
SKIP THESE: NONE
A major artistic milestone, A Hard Day's Night is the first Beatles album to feature exclusively original material, as all thirteen tracks were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The first seven songs are also included in the soundtrack of the band's first feature film (which, as you may already know, is also entitled A Hard Day's Night), while the remainder of the tunes were rush-recorded for the simple purpose of filling up side two. However, this material is no ordinary filler - in fact, one may go as far as to suggest that it surpasses early Beatle hit singles such as 'Love Me Do' and 'From Me To You.' There is no musical fat to be found anywhere on this album, as messieurs Lennon and McCartney offer up a delectable smorgasbord of lean, muscular power pop that simply blows away the competition (yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Mick).
Oh, where to begin...well, let's start with the album's title track, which sets the tone with its ominous opening chord, giving way to an aggressive hard-rock number that features one of the Beatles most memorable instrumental solos and some mean cowbell playing by Ringo. 'I Should Have Known Better' keeps up the momentum, with its jangly twelve string guitars and wailing harmonica providing an effective backdrop for an impassioned vocal performance from John. Holy crap, I love the middle eight section of that song ("And when I tell you that I love you/ ohhhh....."). The album also features a stunning John/Paul duet entitled 'If I Fell,' which is home to some of the most beautiful harmony vocals to be found anywhere on a Beatles record. Even the mistakes (and there are a few obvious glitches) somehow manage to sound good in this song. 'I'm Happy Just to Dance With You' is yet another strong track that showcases George on vocals and Lennon on a flamenco-inspired rhythm guitar, while 'And I Love Her' is a beautiful, classically-flavored McCartney ballad that John regarded as Paul's first truly great composition (although is still think 'I Saw Her Standing There' is better).
Rounding out the soundtrack are 'Tell Me Why,' a catchy swing-influenced number complete with an absolutely hilarious falsetto section and the pedestrian-yet-passable hit single, 'Can't Buy Me Love,' which is nonetheless tolerable in small doses. The second side of the album opens up with the fiery 'Any Time At All,' a two minute slice of delicious power pop that offers a razor-sharp Lennon vocal and outstanding drumming from Ringo, whose vicious snare hits at the beginning of each verse reverberate like a pistol shot, spurring the band into action. 'I'll Cry Instead' is a pleasant-yet-unremarkable country number, foreshadowing the direction of the Beatles' next studio album, Beatles For Sale, while the often-maligned 'When I Get Home,' is well worth a listen despite the banal lyrics ("Gonna love her 'til the cows come home." blech.).
Other highlights include 'Things We Said Today,' another quality Paul composition notable for its haunting chord sequence, and the overtly misogynist 'You Can't Do That,' a classic rocker in which Lennon adopts his trademark "Jealous Guy" persona for the first time ("I've got something to say that might cause you pain/ If I catch you talking to that boy again/ I'm going to let you down and lay you flat/ 'Cause I told you before/ You can't do that"). Dicey! The album ends on a memorable note with 'I'll Be Back,' a mournful acoustic song with a very unusual yet refreshingly-original chord progression that only John Lennon could conceive. Buy this album today!
RATING: 8
PLAY THESE: NO REPLY, I'M A LOSER, EIGHT DAYS A WEEK
SKIP THESE: MR. MOONLIGHT
Knocked off in between tours just in time for the 1964 Christmas release, Beatles For Sale represents a slight artistic reversion for the Liverpool lads. Unlike A Hard Days Night, which features only original material, the Beatles' fourth album has six cover tunes, most of which were a part on the group's live repertoire during the Cavern years. As usual, most of these covers are very good, but overall the album is a letdown when one recalls the refreshing originality of the thirteen Lennon-McCartney compositions on the previous record. For while A Hard Days Night bubbles over with youthful exuberance and unbridled optimism, Beatles For Sale betrays both the exhaustion of touring and the brutal realization that life at the top isn't all it's cracked up to be. The photo on the album cover says it all - the four tired, somber faces form a striking contrast to the playful camera-mugging on the last record.
The Beatles' sound has also changed: acoustic guitars replace electric ones, while rock 'n roll shuffles have been discarded in favor of a unique blend of country and Dylan-inspired folk. This is an album of transition, where the first fragrant whiffs of marijuana float above the proceedings, and where the juvenile "I love you, girl" formula is abandoned in favor of more "adult" themes, pointing the listener down the road of a remarkable musical journey which will eventually culminate in the majestic Rubber Soul. The best song on the album is the Dylan influenced Lennon composition, 'I'm A Loser,' a startlingly honest confessional piece in which John reveals the true extent of his insecurities ("Although I laugh and I act like a clown/ Beneath this mask I am wearing a frown...I'm a loser and I'm not what I appear to be"). The song is also notable for Paul's walking bassline, which marks one of his earliest attempts at turning the bass guitar into a lead instrument, and for John's fantastic harmonica playing. Other standouts include Lennon's 'No Reply,' which Beatle publisher Dick James contended was John's first "complete" composition (on the basis that the author's narrative resolves itself in the last verse). The power chords in the chorus sound almost heavy metal-like, foreshadowing the power ballad genre that endures to this very day (this isn't necessarily a compliment, it's just a statement of fact).
'Eight Days A Week' is the album's big hit which, despite the fact that John despised it, represents one of the few moments when the Beatles sound like the loveable mop-tops of early 1964 - one can almost picture the boys breaking down in fits of hysterical laughter as take after take break down. 'Every Little Thing' is good enough to have qualified as a single, boasting not one but TWO catchy choruses (the coda at the end sounds like a chorus to me), while the pessimistic 'I Don't Want To Spoil the Party' is another Dylan pastiche with excellent harmonies in the middle eight. 'What You're Doing' is also pretty good, while 'Baby's in Black' is awkward in parts but is saved by some magnificent harmonies provided by John and Paul.
The cover tunes are mostly good, with the notable exception of 'Mr. Moonlight,' a horrendous clunker that inexplicably finds George playing what Derek Taylor's liner notes refer to as an "elderly African drum." This could very well be the worst song the Beatles ever recorded. Ever. 'Leave My Kitten Alone,' a stellar cover recorded during the Beatles For Sale sessions but left unreleased until the Anthology era, would have been a much more appropriate choice. Conversely, the best cover on the album is Chuck Berry's 'Rock and Roll Music,' which exceeds the quality of the original in terms of John's vocal performance and overall energy, although you would be forgiven if you prefer 'Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey,' with Paul's enjoyable Little Richard imitation and "call and response" vocals. There are also two Carl Perkins covers to be found, the best of which is 'Honey Don't,' a delightful Ringo-sung ditty that proves that the drummer is fairly effective as a country vocalist and 'Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby,' which is blemished by the fact that George's vocals are absolutely soaked in an impenetrable layer of reverb. Which brings me to one of the album's major problems - the production. I don't really like the way the the acoustic guitars were recorded - the lower frequencies just aren't there at all. Fortunately, George Martin and the Beatles' engineers fixed this problem on the next album by close-miking the guitars, which gave them a much fuller sound.
All in all, this album is a "high" seven, superior to Please Please Me but not up to the standard set by albums two and three. Not a revolutionary album by any means, but there is certainly more than enough here to sink your teeth into.
RATING: 9
PLAY THESE: HELP!, TICKET TO RIDE, YESTERDAY
SKIP THESE: ANOTHER GIRL, DIZZIE MISS LIZZIE, YOU LIKE ME TOO MUCH
Recorded to coincide with the release of the movie by the same name, Help! finds the group still stuck in a "transitional" phase, although there are plenty of signs that the Beatles are forever distancing themselves from the basic rock 'n roll/ bubblegum pop idiom that launched their career. Once again, the Beatles favor acoustic guitars over electric ones, with the almighty Mr. Robert Zimmerman exerting an even stronger influence over the proceedings (ie. lyrical content, harmonica, strong cannabis). Unlike Beatles For Sale, however, there are only two cover songs on the album: the charming Ringo-sung 'Act Naturally,' which perfectly casts the drummer in the role of the bemused "everyman" who suddenly finds himself in a superstar role and 'Dizzie Miss Lizzie,' a generic rock 'n roll number that sticks out like a sore thumb on an album full of of country-flavored originals. The latter song isn't terrible, but it still baffles me as to why the Beatles would favor this song over 'That Means Alot,' a catchy mid-tempo McCartney ballad that eventually ended up on the second Anthology album a mere thirty years later.
As far as the original material goes, the only true clunker on the album is 'Another Girl,' a lousy McCartney dirge that somehow made it past quality control and onto the film soundtrack. Yet despite this singular lapse in good taste, this album represents a serious artistic breakthrough for McCartney, as the emerging young songwriter finally challenges John's sole leadership of the group in terms of songwriting and vocals - not a small achievement. However, most of the album's best cuts still belong to John, in particular the title track, which continues where 'I'm a Loser' left off in terms of its confessional lyrical content. A desperate cry for assistance, 'Help' was predictably misinterpreted by most Beatle fans, who saw in it less of the author's gut-wrenching despair and more of the goofy mop-top playfulness as displayed in the feature film. The other standout Lennon track here is 'Ticket to Ride,' a proto-heavy metal composition featuring soaring harmonies from Paul and some excellent syncopated drumming from Ringo (the distinctive drum pattern found here is apparently a favorite of Aerosmith's drummer, who utilizes it on a number of recent singles such as 'Jaded' and 'Girls of Summer.' Wanker). 'You're Gonna Lose That Girl,' another John song, is a cheeky up-tempo number that features more excellent harmonies and some really cool bongo playing. 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away' is another Dylan rip-off, but the song redeems itself by being so darn catchy (the flutes are a nice touch, too!).
This album is also a sort of artistic breakout as far as George is concerned, as the youngest Beatle is allotted two compositions for the first time - a so-called "generous" tradition that would continue for most of the Beatles' career despite Harrison's emergence as a top-notch songwriter in the late '60's. 'I Need You' is a solid pop song and the best of George's offerings to date, while 'You Like Me Too Much' is a juvenile throw-away and sounds as though the guitarist spent too much time alone with a rhyming dictionary ("You like me too much and I like you/ I really do").
Meanwhile, the magnificent "Yesterday" is certainly McCartney's best song on the album - if not the entire Beatles catalogue - and only a complete fool would dismiss it as "middle of the road," as John so often did after the Beatles broke up in 1970. It is a perfectly written song, made all the better by George Martin's magnificent orchestral accompaniment, and proves for the first time that a string arrangement and impeccable taste CAN coexist in pop music. And the classics just keep a comin'...take 'I've Just Seen a Face,' for instance. This delightful McCartney-penned rockabilly ditty puts anything young Elvis did to shame, and could easily have been a hit if only the group didn't already have more good songs than they knew what to do with. Other pleasantries include 'The Night Before,' 'Tell Me What You See,' and 'It's Only Love," a good essential song blemished only by Lennon's banal lyrics ("I get high when I see you go by/ My oh my").
In summary, this is a great album that hints at the future rewards of Rubber Soul, full of pleasant surprises and modest innovations. A high eight, almost a nine.
RATING: 10
PLAY THESE: NORWEGIAN WOOD (THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN), IN MY LIFE, NOWHERE MAN
SKIP THESE: NONE
Ah, Rubber Soul. There are not enough accolades to describe the greatness of this album, and I'm not even going to begin to try to list them all. Suffice to say that this is the point when the Beatles consistently began to seek out new and exciting sounds that could not be reproduced on stage, and when the group began to push recording techniques beyond what was normally considered possible or even desirable. For the first time, Paul McCartney's bass features prominently in the mix, giving the overall sound warmness and elasticity that allowed the band to more closely approximate the American R & B music that they so loved. And the songs...wow!
Where to begin? One of the album's highlights is 'Norwegian Wood,' an utterly original folk song in which John finally stops aping Dylan and becomes a master storyteller/social commentator in his own right, spinning a fascinating tale involving gender role-reversal, casual sex and, believe it or not, arson. And to make the track even more interesting, it also features a sitar - the first known appearance of the exotic Indian instrument on a Western pop record. Elsewhere, 'Nowhere Man' is yet another groundbreaking song written by John, featuring an intricate three-part harmony and a killer guitar solo by George, who discards the Chet Atkins noodlings of the past in favor of a more melodic approach to soloing. The album's best song, however, is a beautiful Lennon-McCartney collaboration entitled 'In My Life,' a composition which occasionally takes top spot in "best rock songs of all-time" polls. Sentimental without being the least bit schmaltzy, the song's poignant lyrics look fondly at the past, paying tribute to childhood haunts, deceased friends, and ex-lovers. However, the author goes on to conclude that although he looks upon these people/places with affection, none of these fading memories can ever hope to compete with his new love ("Though I know I'll never lose affection for people and things that went before/ I know I'll often stop and think about them / In my life, I love you more"). The song also features a soaring melody so beautiful that its authorship was claimed by BOTH Lennon and McCartney (my vote goes to the latter), as well as an extremely effective sped-up baroque-style piano overdub courtesy of Sir George Martin. Rubber Soul is also home to another utterly brilliant Lennon composition 'Girl,' which manages to tell the tale of a heartbreaking liaison with an irresistible girl while at the same time criticizing certain aspects of the Protestant work ethic ("That a man may break his back to earn his day of leisure/ Will he still believe it when he's dead?"). Riveting stuff.
In terms of McCartney compositions, the best of the bunch is probably 'Michelle,' a pretty French pastiche with an amazing middle eight section that rivals 'Yesterday' in terms of pure melody. Oh, and be sure to check out Paul's slinky bassline at the end of the song - it hardly even resembles a bass guitar. 'I'm Looking Through You' is yet another forgotten classic written by McCartney which alternates between pretty folk-style verses and a rollicking chorus complete with a great rock 'n roll vocal from Paul. Also, check out the album opener, 'Drive My Car' which is a great Motown-inspired number with Paul's best bass playing to date, while 'The Word' is is a proto-psychedelic tune that foreshadows the flower-power trippiness of Sgt. Pepper.
As far as George Harrison tunes are concerned, there are two on this album: 'Think For Yourself,' a preachy, accusatory song only partly redeemed by Paul's driving fuzz-bass and the Byrds-like 'If I Needed Someone,' a great song complete with chiming twelve string guitars and three-part harmonies. Ringo's only lead vocal is 'What Goes On,' a Lennon country and western composition dating back to 1962, which unfortunately sounds a little outdated when placed next to more up-to-date songs like 'Michelle' and 'Girl.' But despite this minor flaw, Rubber Soul is a great album that fully deserves the lavish attention that critics have heaped upon it over the years. A masterpiece, in fact.
RATING: 10+
PLAY THESE: HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE; TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS; AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING; ELEANOR RIGBY
SKIP THESE: NONE
This, to me, represents the absolute peak of the Beatles' recording career. Yeah, you naysayers out there can have Abbey Road, or even Sgt. Pepper, but Revolver is my all-time favorite Beatles album - and here's why:
(1) Excellent production. This album quite simply sounds better than anything proceeding it, as George Martin's crisp, multi-layered production make it a delight to listen to. However, I would add as a caveat that this album should be listened to with high-quality headphones, which allows the listener to pick out subtle sounds and textures that don't really come out as clearly on your average stereo speakers.
(2) Unprecedented experimentation. Revolver features a plethora of groundbreaking recording techniques - including the use of loops and backwards recording - which elevate the recording process into an art-form, as the Beatles added layer upon layer of interesting and unusual sounds in order to create a random collage of sound.
(3) Instrumentation. The instrumentation on Revolver is not quite as guitar-based as on previous albums, as sitars, tablas, stringed accompaniments, harpsichords, organs, and brass begin to play a larger part on the Beatles' overall sound - all of which allows the band to further diversify its sound.
(4) Superior songwriting. All fourteen tracks are unfettered classics, and there is nothing on this album that even comes close to approaching "filler." This, in my humble opinion, makes it even better than Sgt Pepper, which is extremely well-produced but nonetheless contains a few tracks which don't really have a leg to stand on if you strip away the elaborate sonic embellishments (ie. "Mr. Kite"). The three songwriting Beatles are growing by leaps and bounds in terms of here, and you can't beat Revolver for the sheer variety of musical styles successfully emulated. The lyrics are also more mature, with each songwriter addressing topics such as politics, drugs, and spiritual enlightenment for the first time. Tellingly, only two songs are explicitly about romantic love.
(5) The guitar tones. This album has the best guitar sound of all the Beatles albums, as George's Epiphone Casino guitar is plugged into a revolving Leslie speaker cabinet to produce a dirty, heavily distorted sound that really defines Revolver, especially when compared to the mellow, acoustic vibe of the previous three albums. George has also further developed his melodic soloing technique, adding a decidedly Eastern tinge that gives some of the songs an exotic, psychedelic aura.
The album opens with 'Taxman,' a George Harrison rocker which bitterly protests the inequities of the British tax system, which reportedly confiscated over 90 percent of the Beatles' gross earnings at the height of their popularity in the mid-1960's. Paul McCartney steals the show on this track, contributing both a rollicking bassline and a scorching Indian-style guitar solo, the latter of which is a cheeky tribute to Harrison's growing sitar obsession. Next is 'Eleanor Rigby,' Paul's melancholy tribute to the lonely people of the world, a wonderful song which represents the emerging songwriter's first attempt at writing a "socially-conscious" song in the vein of Lennon compositions such as 'Norwegian Wood.' McCartney is the only Beatle featured on this recording, adding his vocal to a haunting George Martin-produced string backing which perfectly reflects the hopeless tone of the lyrics. The track that proceeds it, 'I'm Only Sleeping,' is a fascinatingly bleary-eyed Lennon composition whose lyrics indicate that some drugs may have been taken during the recording sessions - a point doubly reinforced by the trippy, psychedelic backward guitar lines painstakingly laid down by George.
Next is the second Harrison composition on the album, 'Love You Too,' which represents George's first stab at writing an Indian raga, complete with stream-of-consciousness lyrics that suggest the guitarist was already dabbling in the Hindu religion. 'Here, There, and Everywhere' is a brilliantly simple love song with amazing harmonies that is considered by some - including John Lennon - to be McCartney's finest composition. This highlight is followed by the over-played 'Yellow Submarine,' a catchy children's song sung by Ringo, and 'She Said She Said,' a heavy psychedelic track based upon Lennon's first bad acid trip ("She Said/ I know what it's like to be dead/ I know what it is to be sad/ And she's making me feel like I've never been born"). The star of the track is Ringo, who somehow manages to navigate through a succession of tricky time signature changes, laying down some excellent drum fills easily on par with rock's greatest skin-bashers.
Breaking the eerie spell is the carefree 'Good Day Sunshine,' a perfect slice of sunny McCartney pop, and 'And Your Bird Can Sing,' a nonsensical Lennon "power-pop" number that features a fantastic dual guitar solo - one of my favorite moments on a Beatles recording. Next is 'For No One,' a Victorian-style ballad which features a harpsichord and a French horn, while 'Doctor Robert' is a not-so-subtle reference to a London dentist who turned John and George onto LSD for the very first time (albeit without their consent). This is followed by a third Harrison tune, 'I Want to Tell You,' which features a really cool chord sequence and some fabulous lyrics that demonstrate George's emergence as a stellar composer almost on par with John and Paul ("And if I seem to act unkind/ It's only me, it's not my mind/ That is confusing things." Brilliant!). Next is 'Got to Get You Into My Life,' an energetic brass-infused McCartney track which proves that the group could easily pull off R & B numbers. Last, but certainly not least, is Lennon's acid hymn, 'Tomorrow Never Knows,' a mind-blowing track which sounds just about as far removed from 'Love Me Do' as you could possibly imagine. Opening with an ominous sitar drone, the track kicks into high gear when Ringo enters playing a powerful syncopated drum pattern, followed by a wacky "seagull"-like effect that is reportedly a sped-up guitar loop. Lennon then enters the fray, his ethereal voice quoting snippets from the Tibetan Book of the Dead and inviting unsuspecting teenyboppers to "relax and float downstream" with him on his journey to the void. And with that, the album reaches its conclusion....wow!
SERGEANT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (1967)
RATING: 10
PLAY THESE: SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND, GETTING BETTER, A DAY IN THE LIFE
SKIP THESE: BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR. KITE
A perennial favorite of fans and critics alike, Sgt. Pepper is invariably regarded as the Beatles' most outstanding achievement, a work of art that perfectly captured the spirit of the late 1960's, a musical masterpiece that has been studied, dissected, and imitated by countless admirers in the decades after its release. Hell, the mighty Bee Gees made a feature film based on the album - what more proof do you need of the record's greatness. Seriously though, Sgt. Pepper truly is remarkable record, and it almost measures up to all of the hype that has surrounded it for the last thirty five years. You see, I have to get something off my chest right now - I don't think that Sgt. Pepper is the best album of all-time. And what's more, I don't even think that its the best Beatles' album of all time - that special honor belongs to Revolver, which surpasses Sgt. Pepper in terms of songwriting and sheer originality (although not in production). Sgt. Pepper also suffers from a slight drop-off in the volume and quality of Lennon's songwriting, which I would suspect had something to do with the fact that John spent most of 1967 whacked out on LSD. The lazy sod.
That being said, Sgt. Pepper still kicks ass. Oh, and the production is stellar. For the very first time, Ringo's bass drum is audible, which gives the album a "bottom end" that is missing from the Beatles' earlier albums. There are also more unusual sounds on the album, as the boys began to experiment with even more recording techniques and exotic instruments in an effort to create a more complex wall of sound. Also interesting is the fact that George Martin segued some of the separately-recorded tracks together, which perfectly ties everything together to create the illusion that all of the songs are held together by an overriding central concept. All in all, I can't believe that the entire album was recorded using an antiquated four-track machine. Amazing! It is also obvious that alot - and I mean ALOT - of time was spent making everything absolutely perfect, as the album has few of the minor blips and flaws that were so common (yet so endearing) on the Beatles' earlier records. Sgt. Pepper is a very slick musical machine indeed.
The album kicks off with the stellar title track, a relatively straight-forward rocker embellished with some horns and a classic rock'n roll McCartney vocal that invites the listener to join the show, quickly segueing into 'With A Little Help From My Friends,' a Ringo-sung ditty about - you guessed it - drugs, that nonetheless features a great bassline and some beautiful harmonies courtesy of John and Paul. Next is 'Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds,' a rather weak, acid-soaked Lennon tune that is rescued by a cool Beethoven-inspired riff, stellar production, an excellent arrangement, and a plethora of unusual instruments including sitars, mellotrons, and Indian harps. The next track, 'Getting Better,' is a definite highlight, complete with punchy guitars, droning Indian instruments, tablas, cool harmonies, and some disarmingly honest lyrics contributed by John ("I used to be cruel to my woman/ I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved"). The spacey 'Fixing A Hole' is an interesting harpsichord-based song with an excellent melody and a particularly growly guitar solo, while 'She's Leaving Home' is a beautiful song about a teenage runaway that features a harp and interesting vocal interplay between Paul and John, both of whom sing the parts of the girl's mother and father respectively. Next is the album's worst song, 'Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite,' a composition about a circus which conjures up images a dwarf-throwing contest at a county fair in Arkansas. I've never understood why this song is always singled out as a Lennon career highpoint on Beatle documentaries; cutting up tapes with organ gibberish recordings, throwing the pieces in the air, and then putting the whole thing back together in random order does not a great song make. So there.
Things get better on side two, as George's 'Within You, Without You' succeeds in spite of its preachy, cosmically-conscious lyrics: the overbearing tone would probably have made even the Maharishi gag. The best thing about this track, however, is the sound of the tablas - just listen to how well producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick managed to record the lower frequencies of the Indian drum by close-miking them. In addition, it is quite interesting how Martin was able to make the Western string section sound Indian, but without diluting the overall sound in order to pander to American/British ears. Next up is 'When I'm Sixty Four,' a swingin' 40's-style tune that only the deaf would dismiss as 'fruity.' Written by McCartney, the lyrics are witty and endearing, and it is hard to believe the composer wrote this tune almost ten years prior, when he was only sixteen years of age. 'Lovely Rita,' however, is fairly ordinary, and the track gets mired in a directionless jam at the end that fails to resolve itself. Nonetheless, it is harmless fun, and the use of a comb as a percussive instrument proves just how far the Beatles we willing to go to get interesting sounds.
Next up is 'Good Morning, Good Morning,' a decent Lennon tune dragged down by uninspired lyrics, which were reportedly based on a Kellogg's Corn Flakes television advertisement - so it's not exactly 'In My Life,' if you catch my drift ("Good Morning, Good Morning/ The best to you each morning"). However, Ringo kicks arse on the track, contributing some killer overdubbed fills over some tricky time signature changes; also noteworthy is the aggressive, Eastern-sounding guitar solo played by Paul. The song then segues (with a little help from some hilarious barn-yard noises) into the reprise of 'Sgt. Pepper,' a short hard rock song with a stinging lead guitar, which is abruptly cut off by the opening strums of the album's masterpiece, 'A Day In the Life.' Featuring a spine-tingling Lennon vocal, the lyrics are some of John's best, taking inspiration from stories he read in a newspaper ranging from the tragic death of the young Guiness heir, Tara Browne ('he blew his head out in a car') to an article bemoaning the number of potholes on a British road, which in turn inspired a dirty pun ('now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall'). After a couple of verses, Lennon then raises the stakes by explicitly promoting the use of drugs ('I'd like to turn you on') - a very bold move in early 1967, especially in light of the fact that other British pop stars (such as Jagger and Richards) were serving jail-time for narcotic possession charges. Then, out of nowhere, a torrent of sound charges in, as an entire orchestra produces an avant-garde cacophony building to a violent crescendo, which is abruptly broken by the ringing of an alarm clock. This is followed by a short McCartney song fragment in which the protagonist gets up out of bed, gets ready for work, catches a double-decker bus, goes upstairs for a joint, and then falls into a dream. Then comes another Lennon-sung verse, and yet another orchestral build-up (this one even louder than the last) which resolves itself on a resonant piano chord that is held out for approximately fourty seconds. A masterpiece, and a fitting ending for rock's holy grail.
RATING: 9
PLAY THESE: I AM THE WALRUS, STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER, PENNY LANE
SKIP THESE: FOOL ON THE HILL, BLUE JAY WAY, YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW
The Beatles' most "psychedelic' album, Magical Mystery Tour is a quasi-compilation that consists of six tracks from the soundtrack of the group's poorly received television special by the same name, as well as some top-notch singles (A and B-sides) released in 1967. All in all, the album is definitely an essential purchase, although the first half of the record ( ie: the movie soundtrack) is very inconsistent - to me, it sounds like the poorer, less inspired cousin of Sgt. Pepper. I would even go as far as to assert that tracks number one through five reveal a late-1967 artistic slump unparalleled in Beatles history. In particular, the insipid 'Fool On the Hill' sounds like an outtake from one of Paul's solo albums in the eighties, complete with Zamfir-like flute runs and a saccharine McCartney vocal that sounds about as rock 'n roll as the Carpenters. You may you like it, but please ask yourself the following question: why? It's not very often that I've come across a Beatles' song that I absolutely hate, but I would have to say that I abhor this track more than anything else in the Fab Four catalogue.
Moving on, George's 'Blue Jay Way' is an overblown psychedelic dirge that approximates far too closely the writer's lyrics about a boring evening. 'Flying' is a pleasantly trippy instrumental track credited to all four Beatles that is nonetheless pure, unabashed filler. Meanwhile, 'Your Mother Should Now' has a pleasant sound (with a cool opening bass riff) but sounds over-long and unfinished, as the song really lacks a chorus that you can sink your teeth in to. The psychedelic title cut is more of the same: a so-so composition dressed up in a wall of sound that deflects attention from the fact that it is a disorganized jam. However, the soundtrack is rescued by the closing cut, the magnificent 'I Am the Walrus,' a song that has all the elements that all of the other film tracks lack: purpose, urgency, imaginative production, and a sneering John Lennon vocal. And how can you not like a song that features such twisted lyrics as "yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye?" Who indeed? This song is the culmination of the Beatles' psychedelic era - over-the top, yes, but with such dazzling imagery and crazy sounds that one cannot help but think that this is one of the group's greatest achievements.
The non-soundtrack songs are much stronger, beginning with 'Hello Goodbye,' a simple-yet-effective McCartney pop song featuring some great Ringo fills and a sing-along coda that almost sounds like an early version of Hey Jude ("heyla, hey helloa"). Next is the remarkable 'Strawberry Field Forever,' John's masterpiece that would have made Sgt. Pepper that much better if it had been included on the album along with 'Penny Lane' - a plan thwarted by Capitol Records in the States, who demanded a new single to satisfy fan demand for new Beatle recordings. The lyrics are, on the surface, very psychedelic, inviting the listener to an imaginary daydream world, but on closer inspection the words seem to be mourning the loss of childhood, with the author's sad realization that he really doesn't fit into this world. It's not that this makes him better or worse than anyone else, reasons Lennon, its just that he is unique and as such cannot relate to his peers ("No one I think is my tree/ I mean it must be high or low.' Personal, yet universal.). The sound is otherworldly, featuring a slowed-down Lennon vocal, a mellotron, Indian harps, and a sitar, complete with a thunderous rhythm track that is probably one of the "heaviest" moments in the Beatle catalogue. Listen out for the wonderful cello solo near the end of the track - its absolutely mind-blowing.
Breaking the spell is 'Penny Lane,' a sprightly song about the busy Liverpool street where the boys hung out before they were famous, with psychedelic lyrics which are undoubtedly among McCartney's best. Check out the great McCartney vocal, especially in the last verse, as well as the spine-tingling piccolo solo. 'Baby Your a Rich Man' is a groovy masterpiece with one of Paul McCartney's more memorable basslines, and features some scathing lyrics aimed at the group's soon-to-be deceased manager, Brian Epstein ('You put all your money in a big brown bag/ Inside a zoo/ What a thing to do'). Lastly, the album closes with the flowery 'All You Need Is Love,' a Lennon song which was performed live on the very first worldwide satellite broadcast. This is hippy music to the core - idealistic lyrics, overblown production, and a wonderful sing-along chorus. George Harrison loved this song, and so should you - even though hippies are idiots. This is one of the highlights of the group's career, and one more reason why Magical Mystery Tour should not be ignored - despite the unevenness of the album's first five songs.
RATING: 10+
PLAY THESE: BACK IN THE U.S.S.R., DEAR PRUDENCE, I'M SO TIRED, BLACKBIRD, SEXY SADIE, REVOLUTION 1, HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN, EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY.
SKIP THESE: WILD HONEY PIE, THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL
Note: The following is an essay I wrote for a University world music course (which represents the one and only time I was ever able to write a Beatle-related essay. I was a history major). It's pretty pompous, but I thought I'd include it here for something different. Also, it saves me from writing yet another stinking review.
“The Beatles” (a.k.a. “The White Album”) is The Beatles’ most remarkable and stylistically varied collection of songs, pointing listeners to remote corners of the imagination never before contemplated in popular music. Released in November 1968, this 30 song, 92 minute LP became the fastest-ever selling double album and ushered in a new era of Western popular music – rock music. Unlike its psychedelic and highly-produced predecessors (Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band, and Magical Mystery Tour), “The White Album” is largely a return to musical basics: many songs are English folk-influenced acoustic guitar tunes, while a significant proportion display the characteristics of what is now referred to as rock music, with slowly moving melodies, loud, distorted electric guitars, plodding fuzz bass, and closely-microphoned drums. The remainder of the songs fall into a vast musical chasm that separates these two genres, spilling forth without rhyme or reason and betraying a varied musical influence ranging from 1920’s vaudeville to avant-garde electro-acoustic music. The effect of the White Album as a whole is that of disorientation and disintegration, for its stylistic and lyrical randomness are almost too much for the listener to take in at once. Yet it was certainly a product and reflection of the troubled times of its creation, and provided a rather pessimistic and disorienting soundtrack for the late 1960’s, an era of revolution. For the White Album’s importance to popular music and Western society is considerable, as its historical evolution, social context, sound, instrumentation, musical innovations, and post-modernism will attest.
In terms of its social context, the White Album is representative of two very different yet simultaneous popular movements in Western society during the late 1960’s: “psychedelia” and “revolutionary Maoism.” The goal of the first, the psychedelic movement, was to erase the “straight thinking” of the Establishment through liberal dosages of the hallucinogenic drug LSD. To those enlightened by the drug, all of the world’s problems became mere issues of perception rather than substance, as LSD was believed to open one’s eyes to perceptual possibilities never before contemplated. Popular music quickly seized upon psychedelia, with the Beatles leading the way on Revolver in 1966. The psychedelic music of the Beatles and others was awash in a flowery, optimistic, heavily produced wall of sound, with “peace and love” serving as typical lyrical themes. However, the “flower power” of 1966-67 was quickly subsumed by the dominant ideology that emerged in 1968: leftist revolution. Student radicals in the West began to look toward Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China as the model for “instant revolution,” asserting that only violent insurrection would brush away all class distinctions in fortnight, paving the way for the establishment of a new communist golden age. 1968 thus became the “year of the barricades,” as considerable unrest and upheaval were felt on university campuses in the U.S, Quebec, France, Germany, Mexico, China, Czechoslovakia, and even the USSR. In this same year, opposition to the Vietnam War led to massive worldwide demonstrations against the US government, and the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King brought America to the precipice of civil war. Popular music also changed in order to mirror the anarchic spirit of the times, with psychedelia being largely abandoned for the louder and raunchier sounds of rock music. Along with the Rolling Stones, the Beatles spotted the obvious connection between rock music and the revolutionary left and began to adopt a rawer-sounding, politically driven style on tracks like “Revolution,” “Revolution 9,” and “Helter Skelter” that served as the musical soundtrack during the late sixties.
In order to properly understand the White Album it is also necessary to take a brief look at the state of Beatle affairs in 1968. The year started off on a sour note, with the quirky art film Magical Mystery Tour being met with almost unanimous critical disdain – a stinging rebuff made even worse by the fact that it was the band’s first-ever commercial flop. In March the Beatles left London for Rikikesh, India, where the Fab Four studied Transcendental Meditation, having temporarily disdained drugs in favor of Eastern religion. The Indian period is important for two reasons. Firstly, the tranquility of Rikikesh and their new drug-free lifestyle cultivated the Beatles’ creativity to such an extent that over half of the songs on the White Album were written in India. With only acoustic guitars at hand, many of these songs (“Dear Prudence,” “Blackbird,” and “Julia,” etc.) demonstrate a discernible folk music influence, featuring traditional fingerpicking patterns never before used in Beatle compositions. The Beatles’ lengthy stay in India is also important because it revealed for the first time deep divisions in the Beatle camp, for the spiritually ambivalent McCartney and Starr left Rikikesh before the other two Beatles (much to the chagrin of Harrison), indicating that Beatle solidarity was breaking down. Now instead of acting in concert as they had always done in the past, each Beatle began to crave the kind personal and creative independence not possible within the confines of the world’s most famous music group. It would not take long for this new desire for individuality to be reflected in Beatle music. In contrast with previous Beatles albums, the new LP was to become somewhat less of a “group effort,” for the musical direction of each song would be controlled by whoever wrote it, meaning that the band tended to record together only when laying down the rhythm tracks.
Harrison and Lennon finally returned to London in May, allowing the Beatles to return to the studio to work on their new LP. The White Album sessions were wrought with friction, largely owing to Lennon’s insistence that his new girlfriend, conceptual Japanese artist Yoko Ono, be at his side at all times during the recording sessions – an action which impinged upon the Beatle’s unspoken rule of “no wives or girlfriends in the studio.” To further aggravate the already tense situation, Ono began to offer unwanted musical suggestions, a tactless move that infuriated the other Beatles to the point that they began to openly deride her in front of Lennon. Lennon later cited these sessions as marking the beginning of the end of the Beatles, vehemently denouncing his fellow band mate’s often-shabby (though perhaps understandable) treatment of Ono. Communication problems were not helped by Lennon’s descent into heroin addiction in mid-1968, an unfortunate development that further disappointed and angered the other Beatles. Things got so bad that the normally easy-going Ringo Starr quit the group for two weeks in August, while the Beatles continued in his absence with McCartney on drums (“Back in the USSR” and “Dear Prudence”). Starr later returned to the group and the atmosphere improved somewhat, but the summer of 1968 continued with one disaster after another: Lennon’s affair with Ono was made public amid heavy press criticism; Lennon and Ono were busted for drugs; Ono miscarried Lennon’s child; financial difficulties mounted in the Beatle’s Apple corporation.
In view of these developments, it is perhaps not surprising that the White Album presents a rather dark, disturbing sound that chronicles the fractious, drug-addled turmoil that fomented its creation. The Beatles’ varied musical influences are very evident on this album, ranging from rock and roll parody (“Back in the USSR”) to Bossa Nova (“Julia”); from pop surrealism (“Happiness is a Warm Gun”) to ska (“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”); from English folk (“Mother Nature’s Son”) to vaudeville (“Honey Pie); from blues-rock pastiche (“Yer Blues”) to country and western (“Don’t Pass Me By”). With so many different musical styles present, the fact that the LP hangs together is a testament to the programming abilities of Lennon, McCartney, and Beatles producer George Martin, who spent an entire 24 hour session perfecting the album’s track sequencing. The juxtaposition of seemingly incompatible musical idioms side-by-side is often brilliant: the most jarring example is the transition from the avant-garde “Revolution 9” to the schmaltzy Hollywood-like “Good Night,” a bizarre sequencing ploy that somehow manages to work. Overall, the effect is similar to that of a very long, disconcerting dream, with piggies, lizards, blackbirds and glass onions bombarding the listener into a disquieting sense of confusion. Although producer George Martin advocated discarding many of the less commercial songs in order to create a more unified single album, the Beatles vetoed his decision. John Lennon in particular regarded the White Album as the Beatles’ greatest single achievement, preferring its eclecticism to the more cohesive concept album, Sgt. Pepper. Indeed, the stylistic variation of the White Album is perhaps its greatest strength.
In terms of its instrumentation, the White Album is notable in its relative simplicity, especially when one considers the Beatles’ use of heavy orchestration and “exotic” instruments during the psychedelic era. The basic instrumental lineup is the following: vocals (all four Beatles), drums (Starr), bass guitar (McCartney), rhythm guitar (Lennon), and lead guitar (Harrison). In addition to this basic instrumentation the Beatles occasionally utilized a piano or organ, usually played by either Lennon or McCartney. When outside inside instrumentalists were brought in, they were used relatively sparingly and thus with dexterity, for although orchestras, glockenspiels, fiddles, harpsichords, bongos, saxophones, and brass appear throughout the album, their purpose is merely to color the relatively stark sound. Despite the fact that none of the Beatles were virtuoso musicians, their ensemble playing is nonetheless quite effective, as they bend and twist rhythms in a complex fashion uncommon among today’s rock bands. Paul McCartney’s bass playing in particular is worthy of praise, as he had developed a more melodic style that transformed the bass into almost a “solo instrument, ” making runs up and down the fret board more typical of a lead guitarist. Nevertheless, the most striking feature of the White Album is the voices, particularly that of Lennon. Lennon’s biographer Albert Goldman has pointed out that Lennon’s vocal delivery varied so much from track to track that every new Lennon song seemed to demand a “new voice,” even a new singer. Listening to the tracks on the White Album, one can hear how Lennon’s voice changes to fit with the mood of the song: the devious, mocking voice of “Glass Onion”; the child-like innocence of “Dear Prudence”; the soft baby-like patter of “Julia”; the bitter, cynical voice of “Sexy Sadie,” the drugged-out, lethargic voice of “I’m So Tired.” Paul McCartney’s voice is also notable in its versatility on this LP, for he is able to convincingly and effortlessly move from a screaming style (ie. “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road”) to soft balladeering (ie. “I Will”). In addition, complex harmony vocal lines are employed, but tend to be utilized only at key musical climaxes in order to increase their emotional impact.
The true strength and innovativeness of the White Album lies in its remarkable songwriting. Again, the Beatles’ strength lies in their versatility, as is evidenced by their successful approximations of a wide range of musical genres covered in the album. The Beatle’s two principal composers were the songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney, although by the period of the White Album both musicians tended to write separately (though their tunes were still accredited to “Lennon/McCartney”). The key to determining the main songwriter of each Lennon/McCartney piece is simple: whoever sings lead wrote the song. However, there are also telling stylistic differences between the two songwriters that further assist the listener in this process. Lennon’s melodies tend to be bluesy and horizontal, seemingly weaving their way through their harmonies “in chains of repeated notes.” His lyrics are also very personal and display a tone of cynicism uncommon in most McCartney songs. On the other hand, McCartney’s lines range freely “across the stave in scalar steps and wide intervals,” betraying a melodic genius unparalleled in all of popular music. McCartney’s lyrics, unlike Lennon’s, tend to tell stories of fictional characters and generally evoke a sense of optimism. In addition to Lennon and McCartney, the Beatles were also blessed with a third songwriter of considerable talent, George Harrison, who by this period was starting to churn out excellent compositions on par with Lennon and McCartney’s best. Indeed, many fans have cited his composition “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” as one of the best tunes on the album. Harrison’s Indian music influences are also evident in his guitar solos on tracks like “Dear Prudence,” which further enhances to the LP’s already diverse flavor.
Interestingly, some musical commentators regard the White Album as popular music’s first post-modern masterpiece, for its random lyrics and multi-layered sound effects shifts the center of meaning from the musical text to the listener, who is then required to make the necessary connections between apparently “meaningless” ideas – a concept central to post-modern art. Furthermore, the reduction in the differences between “high” and “low” culture, genre shifting, and the use of “retro” artistic styles represent additional post-modernist characteristics found in abundance on the White Album. According to Ed Whitley, the White Album is a zone of negotiation between the listener and the artist where the meaning of various narratives is up for grabs. Certainly “randomness” did play a major role in the making of the White Album: George Harrison has admitted that “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was the deliberate exercise in picking up a book and writing a song based upon whichever words happened to appear, which in this case happened be “gently weeps.” Nevertheless, I would argue that one should not read too much into this, for it is extremely doubtful that the Beatles deliberately set to create a post-modernist piece, as none of the Beatles have ever indicated that this is the case. It is far more likely that the White Album was simply a product of its times, and if chance determination was the order of the day in 1968, the Beatles were simply one of the first group to pick up on the idea because it was new and exciting.
Although the Beatles delighted in perplexing fans through chance determinism and meaningless lyrics, they apparently failed to perceive the terrible dangers lurking in such amusements. After all, many fans regarded the Beatles as modern day prophets, and eagerly dissected Beatle lyrics for the hidden meaning they sincerely believed existed. Such fans included convicted murderer Charles Manson and Lennon’s own assassin, Mark David Chapman, deranged individuals who interpreted Beatles lyrics as justification for their own murderous designs. Although no one can hold the Beatles accountable for these tragic misinterpretations of their music, the band must take some of the blame for egging on their fans. John Lennon himself later admitted that was what he had in mind in “Glass Onion” when he threw in the line “the walrus was Paul” in order to deliberately confuse his fans, encouraging them to look for meanings that simply didn’t exist. However, in some cases the lunatics may not have been far off the mark. Nick Bromel points out that although Charles Manson may have wrongly believed that “Helter Skelter” was a call for an apocalyptic race war, Manson clearly understood the general mood of the music, for “what are the final 37 bars of ‘Helter Skelter’ about if not violence, drugs, and death." There certainly was a bleak undercurrent of violence running through the White Album, and when one adds LSD to the equation it is not surprising that such “misunderstandings” occurred.
In the end, the Beatles’ White Album remains one of the most innovative and influential albums of its era, continuing to inspire musicians to this very day. Despite its disjointedness and dizzying array of musical idioms, the White Album’s astonishing variation is the key to its success, for it represents the Beatles’ finest moment as songwriters. The White Album is also an historical document of the year 1968, for its tracks burst forth with the spirit of the times: revolution, social unrest, violence, drugs, and sex. Adopting a rawer, more basic sound, the White Album became the musical backdrop of the late 60’s, pioneering a new musical style that in its earliest stages went hand-in-hand with radicalism – rock music. The album is also important because it tells the story of the Beatles’ breakup, for a common thread of acrimony, bitterness, and unease weaves its way through the album, chronicling the arguments and ill-feelings which led to band’s demise in 1970. The White Album is one of recorded music’s most important artifacts, and will continue to be listened for years to come
RATING: 4
PLAY THESE: ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE, HEY BULLDOG
SKIP THESE: ONLY A NORTHERN SONG, ALL TOGETHER NOW, AND ALL OF THE GEORGE MARTIN ARRANGEMENTS
Lousy. This is the only word I can use to describe Yellow Submarine, the soundtrack of the animated feature film by the same name that smells distinctly like a cash-in. Although the actual film contains a large number of certified Beatle classics, this motley collection inexplicably contains the following selections: two previously released recordings, 'Yellow Submarine' and 'All You Need Is Love'; four previously unreleased originals, 'Only A Northern Song,' 'All Together Now,' 'Hey Bulldog,' and 'It's All Too Much'; as well as seven - SEVEN!!! - George Martin film score arrangements. I'm going to be up front right from the start and tell you that you shouldn't even bother listening to Martin's compositions, unless of course you are a certified Beatlemaniac who covets anything Fab Four-related.
That being said, I have to concede that Sir George's selections are quite effective - but only within the context of the movie. As far as the new originals go, only one of them is a bona-fide Beatle classic - 'Hey Bulldog.' Recorded in early 1968 before the boys took off for Rikikesh, India, this ferocious rocker has one of the most scathing Lennon vocals in the Beatles' entire catalogue, as well as a killer piano/guitar riff and an aggressive Jimi Hendrix-style guitar solo (the banter in the fade-out is pretty amusing as well). 'All Together Now' is a failed attempt at writing a sing-a-long that was recorded in the summer of 1967, which nonetheless possesses some charm in a cheesy sort of way. 'Only a Northern Song,' the first of two Harrison originals, is an absolutely dreadful piece of crap that was - get this - considered for inclusion on Sgt. Pepper. In contrast, 'It's All Too Much,' George's second selection, is a thoroughly enjoyable slice of psychedelia from the summer of 1967 with a beautiful melody and a wonderfully-upbeat aura. It's only fault is that it is far too long - but then again, the skip button is an effective remedy for this common problem.
In the end, then, Yellow Submarine is a lackluster Beatle product that should really be entitled 'Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel, Part One.' If the film soundtrack had never been put together, I'm sure that all of these songs would have made their debut on Anthology Three. My only question is: where is John's gorgeous 'Across the Universe,' a killer tune recorded in early 1968 that would not make its way onto a Beatles' release until 1970's Let It Be?
RATING: 8
PLAY THESE: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD, LET IT BE, GET BACK
SKIP THESE: FOR YOU BLUE, TEDDY BOY, DIG IT
The original Glynn Johns-produced version of Get Back, this album was shelved in early 1969 after failing to receive the blessing of all four Beatles. After listening to the album, one can easily empathize with the Beatles' decision; it sounds more like a bootleg than a proper album, replete as it is with incessant studio banter, out-of-tune vocals, bum notes, and musical breakdowns. Even more startling, there are absolutely no overdubs. None. It's just the band, warts and all - which sometimes shows the band in a less-than-favorable light. However, the amateur quality of the recordings is also part of what makes the album so fascinating. The record provides a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the greatest band in history, demonstrating how the boys went about creating music. Surprisingly, the tension that so characterized the Get Back sessions does not manifest itself on the album in any way, shape, or form. In fact, the boys sound downright jovial at times, and when listening to this album it is hard to reconcile the good humor with the reality that the band was breaking up.
As for the songs themselves, most of the tracks would eventually surface on Spector's Let It Be album, although four are unique to this album: 'Rocker,' 'Save the Last Dance For Me,' 'Don't Let Me Down,' and 'Teddy Boy.' 'Rocker' is an excerpt from a group jam and is credited to all four Beatles. 'Save the Last Dance' is an abbreviated, half-serious cover of the Drifter's classic, which then segues into an aborted version of 'Don't Let Me Down,' a song that for whatever reason wasn't included on Let It Be. As for McCartney's unreleased 'Teddy Boy,' it truly grates on one's nerves, although it is worth checking out if only to hear Lennon's mock square dance impersonation near the end. The rest of the songs, with the sole exception of 'One After 909,' are all different takes from the ones on Spector's album. In most cases, they are inferior performances, but are nonetheless charming. The most striking track on this album is 'The Long And Winding Road,' which contains none of the orchestral overdubs and edits that so destroyed the version on Let It Be. Here it is presented as a stripped-down, piano-based demo, which brings out the warmth and soulfulness that Spector's production lacked - it's truly a diamond in the rough. If you're a Beatle fan who has finished buying all of the official releases, be sure to seek out a bootleg of this album before you indulge yourself with Let It Be...Naked.
RATING: 10+
PLAY THESE: COME TOGETHER, SOMETHING, HERE COMES THE SUN, OH! DARLING
SKIP THESE: NONE
The final Beatles' masterpiece, Abbey Road is kind of like an older, wiser brother to the psychedelic Sgt. Pepper - but with even better production and higher-quality songs. John Lennon once claimed that Abbey Road was Paul's desperate attempt to create "something slick to preserve the myth," and although I partially agree with this cynical assessment, I would also like to point out that this is not such a bad thing. It - and by it I mean slickness - is a very, very good thing indeed. For Abbey Road teases listeners with a fleeting taste of what might been, allowing the group to bow out at the very top of its game rather than besmirch its good name by releasing sub-par material as so many of their burnt-out contemporaries would do by the mid-70's.
The star of the the show here is George, whose two contributions, 'Something' and 'Here Comes The Sun,' are the album's highlights, making a mockery of the outdated "two Harrison compositions per album" rule, and proving once and for all that George was a very talented songwriter nearly on par with celebrated maestros Lennon and McCartney. Indeed, the beautiful 'Something' was deemed good enough to be released as a single, where it attracted enough attention to become a #2 hit in America. Featuring a sweeping melody and a fantastically bombastic McCartney bassline, the Harrison composition been described by none other than the late Frank Sinatra as the "greatest love song of all-time" - no small compliment. 'Here Comes The Sun,' is nearly as good, with great lyrics and a joyful atmosphere that succinctly sum up the widespread euphoria produced by the first day of spring in northern climes; the Moog Synthesizers are a nice touch, too.
Other standouts on the album include 'Come Together,' a swampy Lennon rocker with a slinky bassline and a great tom pattern which foreshadows the sensual groove of early 1970's glam rock (a la T. Rex). In addition, 'Oh! Darling,' Paul's best offering, is a 50's doo-wop piece with an unbelievably raucous McCartney vocal line that must have done permanent damage to the singer's larynx. What a pair of lungs that boy had! Even Ringo enters the fray on this record, contributing the nonsensical 'Octopus's Garden,' a guilty pleasure rendered listenable by one of George's all-time greatest guitar solos. 'Because' is an interesting Lennon track featuring an amazing three-part vocal interplay and a synthesizer riff plagiarized from Beethoven's 'Pastoral Symphony' which somehow manages to convey the author's cold, drug-addled distantness to the listener in an extremely effective manner (Lennon was by this time a hard-core junkie).
Also worship-worthy are the two medleys featured on the second side, both of which showcase George Martin's affinity for combining unfinished song fragments into a flawless, seamless whole. The first medley begins with 'You Never Give Me Your Money,' a well-arranged McCartney ballad that laments the contentious state of the group's finances, and finds solace in the fact that the nightmare that is Beatles will soon be over ("One sweet dream/ Pick up the bags, get in the limousine/ Soon we'll be a way from here/ Step on the gas and wipe that tear away/ One sweet dream came true today"). The song fades into 'Sun King,' a pleasantly mellow tune that sounds suspiciously like Fleetwood Mac's 'Albatross,' which is in turn followed by the hilarious 'Mean Mr. Mustard' and the transvestite-baiting 'Polythene Pam'. The last song in the medley is the sprightly 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window,' a small slice of perfect pop dedicated to the "Apple Scrubs," a group of Beatle-obsessed teenage girls who once managed to break into Paul's house in London and steal some of the singer's personal belongings. Featuring a great McCartney vocal and a smooth melodic bassline, the song also boasts some of Paul's wittiest lyrics ("And though she tried her best to help me/ She could steal but she could not rob"). Meanwhile, the second medley begins with the McCartney lullaby 'Golden Slumbers,' which boasts a great melody in the verses and an ear-shattering McCartney vocal in the chorus that would give any young child nightmares (in a good way). The next song in the suite, 'Carry That Weight,' is a Yellow Submarine-type sing-along, while the boisterous 'The End' proves that each Beatle was an effective ensemble player: Ringo pulls off his one and only drum solo on a Beatles' recording with gusto, while Paul, George, and John trade some mean guitar licks in the middle eight section. Equally breathtaking is the final verse, where Paul offers a truly profound advice ("And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make") that would have been a fitting end to the Beatles' career had the mood not been spoiled by 'Her Majesty,' a stupid McCartney ditty which was tacked onto the end of the album as an afterthought.
Also stupid is 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer,' a corny McCartney number that even has the gall to feature (of all things) a clanking hammer at the end of each chorus......Oh, and I overlooked 'I Want You (She's So Heavy),' which is quite typical considering the fact that I usually skip through most of it when I listen to the CD. It's not so much that it's a terrible song - it's just an attempt at creating a long, atmospheric Doors-like instrumental piece that just doesn't quite go anywhere (although the eerie 'She's So Heavy' riff is really catchy). I also detest that annoying "wind" sound at the end of the song, and the fact that the track ends so abruptly (I know it's supposed to sound "alarming," but to me it just sounds like a mistake). Nevertheless, these are but minor criticisms of an otherwise flawless album. This is an essential purchase for even a casual Beatles' listener, and certainly rates as one of the Fab Four's greatest achievements.
RATING: 8
PLAY THESE: LET IT BE, I'VE GOT A FEELING, GET BACK
SKIP THESE: DIG IT, FOR YOU BLUE
The Beatles' swansong, Let It Be was actually recorded several months prior to Abbey Road, but lay dormant until producer Phil Spector was given the go-ahead to spruce up the tracks in early 1970. Originally conceived as project that would allow the group to "get back" to their roots, Let It Be is for the most part a bare-bones live album with little of the slick production that featured so prominently on albums such as Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper. Many Beatles fans lambaste Phil Spector's production on this album, but other than the schmaltzy strings in 'The Long And Winding Road' and the slowed-down lethargic mix of 'Across The Universe' I don't really have a problem with what he added to these tracks. If you've ever heard the unreleased, original version of Let It Be (entitled Get Back), you would probably agree that good old Phil didn't really have much to work with in the beginning - he deserves a lot of credit for creating a good Beatles' album out of hundreds of hours of uninspired, out-of-tune meanderings.
The best song on the album is the title track, 'Let It Be,' a tear-stained piano-based ballad enhanced by a fantastic Harrison guitar solo and some excellent high-hat and tom-tom work by our boy Ringo. Also stellar is the last true Lennon-McCartney collaboration, 'I've Got A Feeling,' which succeeds in spite of the fact that the song is obviously two separate tunes that the boys haphazardly slapped together. I really love how the two sections come together at the end of the song, where Paul sings his "I've got a feeling" part over John's "Everybody had a wet dream" verse. 'Get Back' is also a major highlight, with a great Ringo drum pattern and some subtle-yet-effective guitar soloing from John. My only regret is that Spector cut out the spoken verse at the end of the song, although the full version is included on 1988's Past Masters Volume 2.
Also notable is 'I Me Mine,' a ferocious-yet-contemplative Harrison composition that effectively alternates between waltz/aggressive gospel sections. Spector-bashers out there might take note that Phil extended the song by attaching the first verse/chorus to the end of the song, creating the illusion that the song is twice as long as it really is. If Spector had left the song in its original form, than it would have only clocked in at just over a minute - far too short, in my opinion. Meanwhile, 'Two Of Us' is an enjoyable Paul composition that can be interpreted as a nod to the once-happy John/Paul songwriting team, while 'Dig A Pony' is a fairly average Lennon country-rocker with a cool riff and silly lyrics.
One of the less-than-inspired moments is 'One After 909,' a banal rocker written in 1957 that for some reason was considered good enough for inclusion here. It's not a terrible song, but it sounds absolutely juvenile when placed beside more "mature" numbers like 'I've Got A Feeling' and 'Let It Be. 'Across The Universe' is also a bit of a downer, mainly due to Spector's ill-advised decision to slow down the tape and add strings and kitschy female voices to the track, which transforms this beautiful tune into a lifeless dirge. Thus, Spector's version pales in comparison with the original recording, which would later be released on 1996's Anthology 2. I'm also not keen on the insipid 'Dig It,' whose only saving grace is that it is short (i.e. under one minute). Another definite low point is George's generic twelve bar blues number, 'For You Blue,' which proves once and for all that the Beatles could never have been a basic blues band - even if they were indirectly influenced by the genre. However, the harshest criticism must be reserved for 'The Long And Winding Road,' a poignant McCartney ballad that is absolutely ruined by Spector's foppishly lavish string arrangement. Blasphemy!
In the end, Let It Be is probably better than you've been told, but it is also somewhat of a letdown when one considers the landmark albums which preceded it.
LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL (1977)
RATING: 6
PLAY THESE: ??
SKIP THESE: ??
A 30-minute live album that culls performances from The Beatles' 1964 and 1965 performances in Los Angeles, Live At The Toilet Bowl is a sonic nightmare of incessant teenage screams, poor acoustics, and so-so performances from the band. It is telling that The Beatles did not release this album in the mid-1960's, as it was painfully clear to all involved - especially the band - that these recordings just weren't up to snuff. However, by the late 1970's the public's thirst for any "new" Beatles material was nearly unquenchable, and a reluctant George Martin was recruited by EMI to do something - anything - to piece together the long-awaited Beatles live LP. The album shot straight to number two on the Billboard charts, proving once again just how easily Beatles fans can be duped into buying sub-par leftover material. I suppose the concert has some historical value, but much better live recordings of most of these songs can now be found on Live At The BBC, as well as on the Anthology series, making the album's unavailability on the CD format a less than urgent situation for all concerned. It's hard to go wrong with all these great songs, but few will feel the urge to listen to this album more than once.
PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE (1988)
RATING: 10
PLAY THESE: SHE LOVES YOU, THIS BOY, LONG TALL SALLY
SKIP THESE: THANK YOU GIRL, KOMM GIB MIR DEINE HAND, SIE LIEBT DICH
A collection of singles, B-sides, EP tracks, and other assorted rarities not included on any Beatles' album, the Past Masters series is the ideal place for any new Fab Four fan to commence his or her lifetime obsession. The reason for this is quite simple: the Beatles usually saved their best songs for release as singles. Consequently, both Past Masters CD's are chalk-full of killer material, some of which is quite obscure and has rarely been heard by even the most dedicated of Beatle fans. With regard to Volume One, all of the material was originally released between 1962 and 1965 - the very height of Beatlemania.
The highlights here include 1963's 'She Loves You,' an extremely catchy power-pop number with great harmonies, not to mention a tasty little guitar riff and some awesome drumming courtesy of Richard Starkey. This song, for me, sums up the excitement generated by the early Beatles - only a fool would close his ears to the profoundness of the lyrics found herein ("yeah, yeah, yeah!"). Meanwhile, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' is the all-important 1964 single that made the group huge in America, ushering in the so-called "British invasion" that broke down the barriers for such quintessential English acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The Animals....'I Feel Fine' is a mellow R & B number infused with feedback, great Latino-style tom-work from Ringo, and a cool riff lifted from an obscure Bobby Parker tune, 'Watch Your Step.'
Past Masters also contains all four songs (three covers, one original) from the oft-forgotten Long Tall Sally EP, which was released in 1964 to coincide with the boy's first full-fledged American tour. The best of the EP's covers is the title track, which blows away Little Richard's original version by a considerable margin, and undoubtedly establishes Paul McCartney as one of the greatest rock 'n roll vocalists of all-time. The EP's only original, 'I Call Your Name,' is an enjoyable Lennon pop tune with an interesting ska middle-eight section and some heavy-handed cowbell playing from percussionist Ringo. As far as the B-sides are concerned, the best is 'This Boy,' a charming ballad which features killer three part harmonies and a fantastic Lennon vocal performance in the middle eight section that always sends shivers down one's spine. Also, be sure to check out 'I'll Get You,' an enjoyably arrogant Lennon number that features a particularly mocking vocal performance from John, and some nice harmonies from Paul. Other standout b-sides on the CD include 'She's A Woman,' a a punchy rocker that unsuccessfully attempts to rhyme "present" with "peasant," and 'I'm Down,' a heavy McCartney rock song augmented by some funky Hammond organ runs courtesy of John. 'Yes It Is' is yet another fantastic ballad with more excellent three-part harmonies and a wonderful Lennon vocal solo in the chorus: the song sounds kind of like a more somber version of 'This Boy.'
As far as the clunkers go, I would be amiss if I failed to mention that 'Thank You Girl' truly bites, with the Beatles somehow managing to sound like a bunch of saccharine castratos whose apparent mission is to bludgeon the listener to death with a succession of dreadfully simplistic lyrics ("You've been good to me/ You made me glad when I was blue/ And eternally I'll always be in love with you." Puke!). Oh, and please skip the German language versions of 'She Loves You' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' - the Beatles hated these recordings and so should you. I'm also not particularly enamored with the hit singles 'Love Me Do' and 'From Me To You,' but there is little doubt that these songs are fairly catchy and deserve a certain level of respect - even if they are a little bit simplistic.
All in all, this CD is a superior compilation which - warts and all - serves as a reminder of what great fun Beatlemania was for those lucky bastards who lived through it. Damn, I wish I was alive in 1964....
PAST MASTERS VOLUME TWO (1988)
RATING: 10+
PLAY THESE: RAIN, HEY JUDE, REVOLUTION, BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO
SKIP THESE: NONE
The second installment of the Past Masters series, this album is perhaps the greatest compilation ever released in the history of rock music. All of the tunes here are either A or B-sides, with the one exception being 'Across The Universe,' a song that first appeared on a long-forgotten charity album December 1969 (it was later re-mixed for 1970's Let It Be). The album begins with 'Day Tripper,' an enjoyable throwaway that boasts a classic guitar riff and some not-so-subtle references to drugs and gratuitous sex that somehow managed to elude the censors, climbing the charts to # 1 in both the US and Britain (along with its fellow A-side track, the catchy 'We Can Work It Out,' which is also included here). This is followed by Paul's 'Paperback Writer,' a somewhat shallow composition redeemed by some cool three-part harmonies and a groovy bassline, as well as by the drugged-out 'Rain,' which features a great performance by the Beatles' rhythmn section: be sure and check out Paul's over-the-top bass runs and Ringo's unorthodox yet brilliant drumming.
Meanwhile, the 1968 hit 'Lady Madonna' is a delightful McCartney shuffle that features some mean kazoo playing from the boys, while the single's B-side, 'The Inner Light,' is a Harrison Indian composition with a beautiful melody easily on par with Paul's best - no mean feat, indeed. Also included is a sped-up, distorted rendition of 'Revolution,' John's ode to revolutionary Marxism that easily out-rocks anything that any heavy metal group could ever conceive of (except, of course, the almighty Creed). Meanwhile, 'Don't Let Me Down' is a heart-wrenching Lennon B-side recorded during the Let It Be sessions that would have made a great addition to the album; its disarmingly honest tone reveals just how fragile the drug-addled John Lennon really was at the time.
On the other hand, the 1969 single 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' is a good old fashioned country rocker with an enormous bottom-end that still raises a smile despite of the vanity of the subject ("Christ you know it ain't easy/ You know how hard it can be/ The way things are going/ They're gonna crucify me"). Its B-side, 'Old Brown Shoe,' is a solid Harrison shuffle featuring another prominent McCartney bassline, as well as a tribute to Ringo in the middle eight section ("When I grow up I'll be a singer/ Wearing rings on every finger"). The lengthy 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number),' another B-side, is a goofy jam recorded in the summer of 1967 that proves that hallucinogenic drugs and focused recording sessions do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. Nevertheless, the opening "you know my name" section is really, really catchy, and probably could have formed the basis for a proper song if John Lennon would have poured his thermos of acid-laced tea down the sink and done something productive with his time - like finishing some new songs.
Past Masters also contains the single version of 'Let It Be,' which inexplicably omits George's fantastic guitar solo, and 'Get Back,' which contains an amusing spoken verse in the fade-out that somehow didn't make the Let It Be album. Oh, and did I forget to mention that this CD also includes the best selling Beatles single of all-time, the almighty 'Hey Jude'? Go and get your copy today! Now!
RATING: 8
PLAY THESE: REVOLUTION, SOUR MILK SEA, SING-ALONG JUNK
SKIP THESE: NONE
In May 1968 all four Beatles gathered at George Harrison's mansion in Esher to record demos for the White Album. Copies of these demos have circulated amongst bootleggers for years, but perhaps the most comprehensive (and best sounding) of these bootlegs is Yellow Dog Records' Unsurpassed Demos, which was issued in 1993. Although it is missing a few songs, this CD contains 24 tracks of material under consideration for the fabled double album. Although most of the demos remain faithful to the recordings found on the White Album, many others are quite different from the versions of songs we know so well.
Notable tracks include a melancholic, acoustic version of George's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps,' a strange acoustic rendition of 'Me and My Monkey,' and a peppy sing-along version of 'Revolution,' replete with harmonies and handclaps. But perhaps most intriguing of all are songs The Beatles didn't include on any official releases, such as Paul's lovely 'Sing-Along Junk,' and John's wacky 'What's the New, Mary Jane.' In addition, this album also boasts unreleased Harrison compositions such as the menacing 'Not Guilty,' the Chuck Berry-like 'Sour Milk Sea,' and the trippy 'Circles.' All told, this is a great collection. Too bad EMI hasn't got around to issuing most of this material yet, 'cause it's among the best of the remaining unreleased Beatles recordings. Note: EMI included a couple of these demos on 1996's Anthology 3, and also added several more White Album demos previously unknown to collectors, 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun,' 'Mean Mr. Mustard,' and 'Polythene Pam.'
