SEE the post below for Part 1 of the Beatles Guide.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) *****
What is it about Sgt. Pepper? If you read the reviews of the time (and analysis even today), it was an epochal event in music. I have read reviews from the period that talk about it altering the definition of “music” itself, and that, forget Mozart, music has now moved into its next phase of development. It altered our very culture, supposedly. This from a record with a song inspired by a cornflakes commercial (“Good Morning, Good Morning”), a song about a traveling medicine show rock band (the title track), a tune about getting old and hoping his old lady will still be around to cook for him (“When I’m Sixty-Four”), a song describing a vintage circus poster (“Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite”) a song, regardless of John Lennon’s denials, about an Alice in Wonderland-like acid trip (“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”) and songs that were written from just reading whatever headlines happened to be in the papers that day (“She’s Leaving Home,” “A Day in the Life”). Talk about laboring over every single detail. Remember that their debut, Please Please Me, had been recorded in one 12 hour session. They logged over 900 hours of studio time to record Sgt. Pepper, and supposedly every single instrument and voice was treated with some sort of studio effect and trickery. They had stopped performing live anyway, so without the pressure of creating music that could be reproduced onstage, they were free to play in the studio however they wished with no boundaries. The record became the symbol of the new flower power era and summer of love ethos, you were either “with” Sgt. Pepper or you were not a part of the new culture. Perhaps it is revolutionary precisely because finally popular culture (cornflakes, circuses, newspapers) became indistinguishable from high art (what Warhol tried to do, but better?) Not only had the boundaries been removed as to musical possibilities in the studio, but also the boundaries were torn down between pop culture and art. And isn’t that our world today?
Magical Mystery Tour (part compilation) (1967) ****
American release that was really a combo of two EPs. Side one was comprised of tunes from their silly TV special, with Lennon’s “I Am the Walrus” standing out as perhaps the strangest thing he ever recorded as a Beatle. Side two is a convenient collection of their remarkable single/b-side only releases from ’67 (including “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Penny Lane” and “All You Need Is Love”). As a package, it is probably their most psychedelic record, but it is more of a hodgepodge than a real record.
The Beatles (aka ‘The White Album’) (1968) ****
Usually the knock on double albums is that they lack focus and cohesion, and that you probably could have had a much stronger record by picking the best tracks and making a single album. All of this is true of The White Album, yet all of that is also its real strength. The White Album’s mystique, its uniqueness, comes from the space provided for each of the Beatles to stretch out. It is essentially like four mini-solo albums. They mostly eschew the heavy studio treatments of their most recent work and try to sound like a band again. But this is an illusion. What you hear on The White Album is four (well, really three) artists declaring their independence from each other and doing their own thing, and the results are often fantastic and often uniquely that Beatle. They essentially act as backing musicians on each other’s tracks (if they all four play on a track at all, which is only on about half of them). Ringo quit at one point, McCartney often recorded all of his own tracks, and the others were so disinterested in Harrison’s work that he had to call in buddy Eric Clapton to play guitar on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” just to get them to take the song seriously. The record is full of trifles, yes, but also loose humor and gritty rock and roll that had been missing since their early days. Also, the stereotypes are somewhat challenged. McCartney (Mr. cheesy love song) delivers the craziest and hardest rocking song in their entire repertoire (“Helter Skelter”), while Lennon (who was considered the rocker), delivers the most delicate tune in “Julia.” Not all of this works. Several tracks really are throwaways, and who do you know that ever listens to “Revolution 9” all the way through?
Yellow Submarine (1969) *
The Beatles were not interested in being made into a cartoon, so the soundtrack to 'Yellow Submarine' is by far their weakest release primarily because they had no interest in the project (ironically, it was such a success that they later came to appreciate it). Half of the album is an orchestral score from George Martin, two songs are old tunes that had already been released multiple times, leaving four actual new Beatles songs. And clearly, they were scraping the bottom of the barrel and offering up their leftovers.
NOTE: Technically, Let It Be was released as their last album. But the material was recorded prior to Abbey Road, shelved, and then released after AR. Therefore, many Beatles listeners go by chronology of the sessions, and consider LIB to be the penultimate record and AR as the final one. And since AR is a much better record, it makes for better closure. So I will discuss them in that order.
Let It Be (1969/1970) ***
Hey, we’re falling apart and can hardly stand to be in the same room together, so let’s record an album, film it all and release it as a documentary. Sounds good. McCartney was pushing for a “return to basics” and possibly even live performance, which explains the rawer arrangements of these songs. Honestly, about half of this record is throwaways, but there is still some great material here. The title track and “Get Back” are McCartney classics, and Lennon’s “Across the Universe” is gorgeous. I also like “Two of Us” and the Lennon/McCartney mash-up “I’ve Got a Feeling.” Generally unsatisfied with these sessions, the band shelved the material as the group moved on to work on Abbey Road. Later Lennon and Harrison handed the tapes over to Phil Spector, who produced and added strings and choirs to a few tracks, notoriously infuriating McCartney by “ruining” “The Long and Winding Road.” Macca would finally get what he wanted decades later, releasing Let It Be…Naked, the original tapes stripped of Spector’s meddling, with a different running order and slightly different setlist. McCartney was right, the “naked” “The Long and Winding Road” is much better.
Abbey Road (1969) *****
Considering the state of the band at the time, it is remarkable that their last recording was so great. It is almost as if, after all of the animosity and discord, they decided to set it aside one last time to prove that they could still do it right. That they did. One of the things that becomes clear is that nobody was ready for the Beatles to end more than George Harrison. His two songs he was allowed to add to the album were both hits (“Something,” “Here Comes the Sun”), and his songwriting had reached a point to where Lennon and McCartney’s continued dismissive attitude towards George’s contributions had become intolerable. Most of this record is brilliant, with complex harmony singing, deep bluesy grooves, whimsical fragments, multi-part suites. It is a tour de force and a perfect ending.
Past Masters, vol. 1 (compilation) (1988) ***1/2
Past Masters, vol. 2 (compilation) (1988) *****
Many of The Beatles’ most famous hits were single only releases that did not appear on their British records. Since Capitol Records decided to reissue only the British versions of their records, that meant that many of the biggest hits were not available. This was the solution. The Past Masters volumes serve as the perfect clean-up, including all single only releases, b-sides and alternate single releases of some album tracks. Without these releases you would not have available “From Me To You,” “She Loves You,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “This Boy,” “I Feel Fine,” “Day Tripper,” “We Can Work It Out,” “Paperback Writer,” “Lady Madonna,” “Hey Jude,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “The Ballad of John and Yoko”…etc.
Compilations:
As you might imagine, The Beatles have released many compilations over the years. The two most popular ones are informally known as ‘The Red Album’ and ‘The Blue Album.’ For many (including myself) they served as the doorway to Beatles music. Both were released as doubles, and Red covers 1962-66, while Blue is 1967-70. While 1962-66 (1973) **** and 1967-70 (1973) **** are fantastic intros for the neophyte, there is much to quibble with as far as choices made. Beatles 1 (2000) **** was a huge hit, collecting 27 number one hits on one disc. The much anticipated Anthology series was a set of three double albums packed with unreleased tracks, alternate takes, demos, live cuts. Sounds like a music fan’s dream, six albums of unreleased Beatles material! But, the Anthology series proves that they did, indeed, release their best material while they were a band. Anthology 1 (1995) **, Anthology 2 (1996) **, Anthology 3 (1996) *** are for fans only. They have also released some collections of early BBC recordings, but they are fairly negligible.
Solo work:
All four Beatles had substantial solo careers after the group’s demise. I would also say that all four of their solo careers have been disappointments, considering the talent and expectations (well, nobody expected much from Ringo, so his solo career would have to be viewed as a success…in that he had one.) Lennon and McCartney apparently brought out the best in each other, and more importantly, curbed the others’ excesses. The competition also kept the other on top of his game. Nobody benefited more from the break-up than Harrison, who had a backlog of tunes that Lennon/McCartney didn’t make room for.
As for what to get, Lennon’s John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) ***** is raw, confessional songwriting. It is bare bones arrangements and startling in its emotional intensity. He was working out demons on record. Imagine (1971) **** is more polished but almost as honest, and a hell of a lot catchier. The rest of his discography is spotty, as he indulged in topical political songs or just coasted, and honestly his inspiration kind of dried up. Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon (1997) **** puts his solo career in the best light.
McCartney has had the most prolific solo career, but so much of it is disappointing. His band Wings in the 70’s was pretty huge commercially. The best two studio recordings from Macca are Band on the Run (with Wings) (1973) **** and Ram (1971) ***. The rest are spotty and you are best off cherry picking individual songs off the records. Some of his more recent records have been good, but just good. The guy is a consummate musician still. As for compilations, Wingspan: Hits and History (2001) **** does a good job, covering 1970-84.
As I said, George Harrison had the most to gain from the break-up. Proving that Lennon and McCartney had wrongfully dismissed his contributions, his All Things Must Pass (1970) *****, a monumental double record (with a third record of jams), is overflowing with fantastic songs that he needed to get out. It was like opening the dam and letting the flood waters flow, and it is the best solo record from a former Beatle. After that clearing out, though, the rest of his solo discography is much less impressive. Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison (2009) **** is a fine compilation of his solo work.
Ringo Starr supposedly has some decent records, but I haven’t listened to them. Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr (2007) *** is a nice compilation and I would imagine it is all you need.
No comments:
Post a Comment