Dez Record Guides: The Beatles, Part 1

I had to eventually get around to The Beatles. How do you really rate their discography? Do what the All Music Guide does and just give every one of their core releases (aside from Yellow Submarine) plus the two Past Masters collections five stars each and be done with it? As far as influence goes, there is no discography more significant to popular music since 1960. But I won’t cop out to rating everything of theirs as a masterpiece. I’m going to try and look as objectively as I can at the records. One can differentiate (and hopefully offer some interesting commentary and analysis along the way) between the five star releases and those that perhaps should be downgraded.

What is remarkable about The Beatles’ output is that they released all 12 of their UK records (plus the Magical Mystery Tour American release) and a slew of historic singles all within eight years (1963-70). The pace and groundbreaking quality is unmatched. I probably have connected more with the other British invasion bands (I’m more of a Stones, Kinks and Who fan than Beatles fan), but no matter the extent of your fandom, their accomplishments are singular.

Also, as influential as The Beatles were on, well, everybody, it is interesting to note that they were also quite reactionary to what was going on around them. John Lennon showed a huge shift in songwriting in ’64-’65 that was clearly influenced by Bob Dylan. The folk rock of Rubber Soul was influenced greatly by what The Byrds and Dylan were doing. Paul McCartney is on record as stating that Sgt. Pepper would not have happened had they not been “challenged” by what Brian Wilson did with The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.

The power shifts in The Beatles are also interesting to watch over the eight years of their recording career. On the first five records, it is clearly Lennon’s band. In that wonderful Middle Period (Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper), it is about evenly split between Lennon and McCartney, with McCartney taking more control by Sgt. Pepper as Lennon started to disengage a bit from the band. On the last records, McCartney is clearly in the drivers seat. Throughout, George Harrison is struggling to find his own voice. He would have been a lead talent with almost any other band, but he had to fight with growing frustration as both Lennon and McCartney continued to view his contributions dismissively. And Ringo Starr was lucky to be there.

Note: I will mainly address what most consider to be the “core” Beatles discography, that being their 12 UK releases, plus the American Magical Mystery Tour double EP and the two Past Masters collections, which include all of their non-LP singles and b-sides. I will briefly comment on various compilations, the Anthology series and solo work in Part 2.

Please Please Me (1963) ***
What is perhaps most impressive about The Beatles’ debut is that, aside from the two singles, the record was recorded in one 12 hour session. Today artists can spend close to a year perfecting their records, but The Beatles went into the studio one off day in the middle of a tour and laid it all down, more or less, live. They were a performing machine at this point, and so this was basically one of their sets that they played every night in clubs. Obviously in a historical sense, it is a seismic cultural artifact. But listening to it just from a musical perspective today, as it is split about evenly between Lennon/McCartney originals and covers, they had not quite found their own footing yet as a recording unit. From the get go the Lennon/McCartney team shows themselves to be special songwriters (“Love Me Do,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” the title track), and occasionally they will catch fire on the covers (like Lennon’s famous vocal shredding single take of “Twist and Shout”), but there is simply too much filler here to make this as great from start to finish as its reputation would suggest.

With the Beatles (1963) ***
Similar story as PPM. Split about evenly between originals and covers, it is comprised of more tunes from their live sets. The grooves are a little deeper here with some more variety, though, and since WTB contains so few of their well known songs, it is actually a fresher listen these days. It doesn't feel played to death, but the filler is still present.

A Hard Day’s Night (1964) *****
From that first CRANG! of George Harrison's 12 string Rickenbacher on the title track, it is clear that they had taken the next step. AHDN is all original compositions, and it is here where they leave their influences behind and start influencing everyone else. You've got the obvious classics, but this record is full of lesser known gems as well. The close harmonies of "If I Fell" between John and Paul are so sweet and together, making their acrimonious breakup a few years later seem impossible. It is interesting to note that the songwriting disparity here is the biggest of their discography, with Paul only contributing three tunes (albeit they are two hits and one of his best nonhits, "Things We Said Today"). But this record is almost all Lennon. And that opening chord. It is a clarion call announcing that the 60's had truly arrived.

Beatles For Sale (1964) ****
In one sense BFS is a step back. On an impossible schedule of touring and recording that most bands today would find impossible to maintain, this was recorded under pressure and they went back to throwing in some covers to fill space. The weariness of this record really shows, from the downbeat vibe of most of the tunes to the cynical title to the haggard faces of the band on the cover, and is fascinating. The two Lennon openers "No Reply" and "I'm a Loser" reveal a confessional and vulnerable John that we had not heard before (along with "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"). McCartney's "I'll Follow the Sun" is one of those effortless pop gems that he could do like no other. One of the more forgotten Beatles records, BFS is worth the rediscovery, even with the throwaway covers, for its weariness and more desperate tone.

ABOVE: John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The greatest songwriting team of all time? Definitely in the conversation. You can usually tell who was the primary writer by who is singing the lead, although they would often help each other out in crucial ways on each other's songs. George Martin: "They did love each other very much throughout the time I knew them in the studio. But the tension was there mostly because they never really collaborated. They were never Rodgers and Hart. They were always songwriters who helped each other with little bits and pieces." McCartney: "We were always in competition."

Help! (1965) ****
Closing out their early period, Help! is the soundtrack to their second film (although like with AGDN, only half of the songs appear in the film). Some of this is filler, but enough is great. The urgent title track, Lennon's Dylan attempt "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, " and McCartney's "I've Just Seen a Face" really stand out. Oh, and a little tune called "Yesterday", the most covered pop song of all time.

Rubber Soul (1965) *****
Wow. Where to begin. So begins the period where absolutely everyone in rock paid attention to what the Beatles were doing, either for inspiration or to rebel against. Imagine the pressure, with everyone listening, and yet they deliver time and again. RS is a folk-rock album, and The Beatles were inspired by and were reacting to the work that Bob Dylan and The Byrds were doing at this time. But the experimentation is dazzling within the folk-rock idiom, with one of the first sitars in rock in "Norwegian Wood," the speeded up piano for harpsichord effect in "In My Life," and McCartney's fuzz tone bass as just a few examples. Along with producer George Martin, the Fab Four were learning how to use the studio itself as an instrument. RS is one of the first records in rock music that is made as an album with a cohesive feel and sound vs. some repackaged singles surrounded by filler. With RS, and especially the next two, The Beatles are more responsible than anyone else for turning the album into an artform in itself. John Lennon's songwriting has progressed too. He is looking at life in more complex ways, such as the ambiguous affair in "Norwegian Wood," the aching nostalgia of "In My Life," the self-doubt of "Nowhere Man" and the downright frightening threat of physical violence to his woman if she dares to step out in "Run For Your Life." Also, a third songwriting threat emerges with George Harrison's first good song, "If I Needed Someone," a sparkling gem that Harrison openly admitted was trying to emulate Gene Clark's songs for The Byrds. RS quite simply changed the rules of the game.

Revolver (1966) *****
As ground breaking as RS was, as Robert Christgau said, Revolver was "twice as good and four times as surprising." Revolver blew the doors off as far as the possibilities in the studio. The effects used (backward guitars, sitars, tape loops, vocal treatments that were invented on the spot and became standard practice, chanting monks...nothing was off limits) broke all kinds of ground. These might be mere gimmicks in lesser hands, but Revolver also contains their best set of songs and it is in contention for being the greatest record of the rock and roll era. Lennon pioneers psychedelia with "I'm Only Sleeping," "She Said She Said" and the astounding "Tomorrow Never Knows." But McCartney is the star here. It is his finest hour and nobody has ever mastered pop music so thoroughly with such breadth as Macca does on Revolver. Baroque pop in "Eleanor Rigby," expert balladry in "Here, There and Everywhere," wistful melancholy in "For No One" and the pure groovy exuberance of "Good Day Sunshine" and "Got To Get You Into My Life." McCartney is a thing of wonder on Revolver, and it seems so effortless. All of that, and there is still room for three Harrison tunes (opener "Taxman" is cynical George at his best) and Lennon/McCartney throw Ringo a bone and let him sing "Yellow Submarine."

Part 2 will pick up with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and finish the discography and wrap things up.