The Beatles Thread

[sirbradford117]

Albums, post #1 - up to Rubber Soul

The Beatles' canon is pretty consistent and solid throughout.  Could be better, but the boys were asked to record and release an ungodly amount of material every year (1963-65) to satisfy demand, amidst constant touring and promotion duties.  You can't blame them!

First album Please Please Me was legendarily recorded in one 12-hour session... 10 songs in 12 hours!!  It's a great representation of their stage repertoire from that period.  "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Twist and Shout" open and close the record with energy.  "Anna (Go To Him)" is a favorite cover of mine, and tunes like "Baby It's You" and "A Taste of Honey" show how diverse and far-reaching their influences could be. 

With the Beatles shows the band gaining confidence and developing a hit-making formula.  The original songs are much stronger than on the debut... "It Won't Be Long," "All My Loving."  Their best original tunes were still being released as singles at this point.  Covers "Money," "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Till There Was You" relive the bar-band days in Hamburg.

A Hard Day's Night is where the Beatles cross from teeny-bopper idols to serious songwriters.  The album has 13 original Lennon/McCartney songs and all of them are of high quality.  Other bands from this era couldn't dream of filling an album with their own songs!!  Check out this album for your best introduction to the early Beatles (along with the singles)!!

Beatles For Sale showcases a tired band, weary from the road and prisoners of their fame.  While there are some great songs that show their continued maturity as songwriters ("I'm A Loser," "Eight Days a Week," "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"), many of their originals are uninspired and the covers are just lacking in quality ("Mr. Moonlight"... oh please).

Help! is a true transition album.  While retaining elements of their past, the writing here is forward-seeking.  George Harrison contributes the excellent "I Need You."  John and Paul came up with "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "You're Going to Lose that Girl," and "Yesterday."  The album is uneven, but listening to it begs thoughts that a change is just around the corner.

Rubber Soul gives us that change, and then some.  Subtle studio experimentation comes to the fore (such as the sped-up piano solo in "In My Life").  All the songs are solid, reflecting diverse influences of other musicians and drugs.  The album was recorded hurriedly, in a very short amount of time.  Remarkable, then, that it's such a high-quality, praised album even today.  This is the album where the Beatles became the undisputed best band in the world and rose above their popularity and teen-idol image.  It's a huge turning point in their career.

Beatles virgin here. What should I do to rectify this?

If I had to recommend two albums from this early period to start off with, I would say A Hard Day's Night and Rubber Soul.

[masterthes]

Beatles virgin here. What should I do to rectify this?

Their #1 album should do just nicely

[Marvellous G]

I've only got into them fairly recently, but with various compilations to help me I'm starting to loooove them. My favourite songs are Octopus' Garden (seriously) and the Long and Winding Road, and Day Tripper. This will sound odd, but am I the only one that thinks the lyrics in the Long and Winding Road are kind of... unintentionally beautiful?

[Super Dude]

Albums, post #1 - up to Rubber Soul

The Beatles' canon is pretty consistent and solid throughout.  Could be better, but the boys were asked to record and release an ungodly amount of material every year (1963-65) to satisfy demand, amidst constant touring and promotion duties.  You can't blame them!

First album Please Please Me was legendarily recorded in one 12-hour session... 10 songs in 12 hours!!  It's a great representation of their stage repertoire from that period.  "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Twist and Shout" open and close the record with energy.  "Anna (Go To Him)" is a favorite cover of mine, and tunes like "Baby It's You" and "A Taste of Honey" show how diverse and far-reaching their influences could be. 

With the Beatles shows the band gaining confidence and developing a hit-making formula.  The original songs are much stronger than on the debut... "It Won't Be Long," "All My Loving."  Their best original tunes were still being released as singles at this point.  Covers "Money," "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Till There Was You" relive the bar-band days in Hamburg.

A Hard Day's Night is where the Beatles cross from teeny-bopper idols to serious songwriters.  The album has 13 original Lennon/McCartney songs and all of them are of high quality.  Other bands from this era couldn't dream of filling an album with their own songs!!  Check out this album for your best introduction to the early Beatles (along with the singles)!!

Beatles For Sale showcases a tired band, weary from the road and prisoners of their fame.  While there are some great songs that show their continued maturity as songwriters ("I'm A Loser," "Eight Days a Week," "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"), many of their originals are uninspired and the covers are just lacking in quality ("Mr. Moonlight"... oh please).

Help! is a true transition album.  While retaining elements of their past, the writing here is forward-seeking.  George Harrison contributes the excellent "I Need You."  John and Paul came up with "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "You're Going to Lose that Girl," and "Yesterday."  The album is uneven, but listening to it begs thoughts that a change is just around the corner.

Rubber Soul gives us that change, and then some.  Subtle studio experimentation comes to the fore (such as the sped-up piano solo in "In My Life").  All the songs are solid, reflecting diverse influences of other musicians and drugs.  The album was recorded hurriedly, in a very short amount of time.  Remarkable, then, that it's such a high-quality, praised album even today.  This is the album where the Beatles became the undisputed best band in the world and rose above their popularity and teen-idol image.  It's a huge turning point in their career.

Beatles virgin here. What should I do to rectify this?

If I had to recommend two albums from this early period to start off with, I would say A Hard Day's Night and Rubber Soul.

Brilliant post, sir!  The only thing that really gets to me throughout this album hunt is the discrepancies between the UK and US versions of each release.  I've decided to go purely UK with this one though, under the assumption that Past Masters accounts for all those I'll be missing from the US versions.

[sirbradford117]

Brilliant post, sir!  The only thing that really gets to me throughout this album hunt is the discrepancies between the UK and US versions of each release.  I've decided to go purely UK with this one though, under the assumption that Past Masters accounts for all those I'll be missing from the US versions.

Going pure-UK is the right thing to do.  Capitol, in the USA, took quite some liberties releasing their music.  In the USA it was standard for an album to have 12 songs (as opposed to 14 in the UK), and singles were generally included on US albums.  This is why there's more US releases than UK albums.  Capitol also (occasionally) released different mixes of the tracks.  I go with the UK albums simply because they're sequenced and mixed how George Martin (and, to an extent, the band) intended.

[Birch Boy]

What should be my first Beatles album?

[skydivingninja]

What should be my first Beatles album?

Sgt. Pepper or the White Album.

[sirbradford117]

What should be my first Beatles album?

I'd say Abbey Road and A Hard Day's Night.

[Super Dude]

I maintain that Sgt. Pepper's is still a great candidate for a first.  It was technically my first Beatles album, though my first Beatles CDs were the Red Album and Blue Album, respectively.

In fact, the Red Album and Blue Album are both great introductions for the uninitiated, as they are (in my opinion) the definitive collections of their hits from the pop phase and the experimental phase.

[masterthes]

After #1, I think it went Sgt. Peppers, White Album, Magical Mystery Tour, Let It Be, Abbey Road, Rubber Soul, and Revolver

[SPNKr]

I read about Abbey Road's production in GW November and it seems like it would have excellent sound quality like Emerick [producer] said so.
I'd say to also go for Abbey Road.

[Super Dude]

I left my copy of Abbey Road at home ( ), but I have a few select songs from the Blue Album that are from Abbey Road and they're probably the catchiest while also being the most heartfelt songs I've ever heard.  Here Comes the Sun, Something, Because...oh, just brilliant.

[sirbradford117]

Albums post #2 - Revolver to the end

Revolver goes hand-in-hand with Rubber Soul, like two companion pieces.  The studio experimentation here is really creative while still tasteful, and the songwriting is arguably better than RS.  New engineer Geoff Emerick's bold risk-taking really shows!  Some of McCartney's best songwriting is here... "Eleanor Rigby," "Here There and Everywhere," "For No One," "Got To Get You Into My Life."  George gets an unprecedented 3 tracks on one album.  And I can't NOT mention my favorite Beatles track, "Tomorrow Never Knows."  It would have been ahead of its time even if it was released TODAY!!!

Sgt. Pepper is technically the Beatles' best album, although not even close to being my favorite (funny how that works sometimes...).  Those who argue prog rock began here might be onto something, but I don't see it.  The studio is now truly an instrument, following the example of Pet Sounds.  There are some wonderfully creative lyrics, but musically I really think it's not their best work.  My favorite song here is probably "Within You Without You."  I would personally NOT recommend this for beginners... it's a lot to digest despite its classic status.

Magical Mystery Tour is the height of psychedelia in the Beatles' work.  "I Am The Walrus" is just spectacular.  The movie is pitiful, but the soundtrack is pretty good.  The original release in the UK was a double-EP set... in the USA it was an album fleshed out with singles.  The American version of the album is the one we know today.

The Beatles is not only my favorite Beatles record, but my favorite album of all time.  I've always admired it for its sprawling, lay-it-all-out-there nature.  Sadly the group was fighting relentlessly by this period in 1968, so the recordings are not at all a group effort... each Beatle dictated the recording of his own songs with little input accepted from the others.  This has never bothered me.  Despite what y'all have said, I think all the tracks have their own merit.  There is a little bit of everything on the album, not only in musical style but in subtle little touches all over the mixes.  I still hear new things every time I listen (for example, has anybody ever heard the sleigh bells in "Don't Pass Me By"??)

Yellow Submarine doesn't really count in my book.  It has four new songs (throwaways from the psychedelic years, except the excellent "Hey Bulldog"), two previously-released songs and orchestra incidental music by George Martin.

Abbey Road is among the Beatles' finest work, and it's my second favorite album of all time.  Musically the band has developed into something absolutely incredible.  It's a miracle this album was made... after the debacle of the "Get Back" sessions the band had all but broken up but decided to reunite with one more quality album.  Let the music speak for itself... the medley on Side B is, I think, the culmination of what rock music had become by the end of the 1960's.  The White Album may be my favorite, but the Beatles' MASTERPIECE is the "Abbey Road Medley."

Let It Be is the swansong.  Recorded BEFORE Abbey Road, the tracks were salvaged and produced by that murderous "genius" Phil Spector.  The idea was to have an album without overdubs, presenting the Beatles warts-and-all.  While I wish this would have been possible, it's not... trust me, I've listened to about 75% of the sessions... nothing phenomenal could have come out of even the best raw takes.  Phil did an acceptable job with the album editing and choices of overdubs (orchestras and such), but the project was doomed from the start.  


If I had to pick two from this period, I would say definitely Abbey Road and, depending how adventurous you are, the self-titled ("White Album").  If you want to be safer, go with Revolver then pick up The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper later.

[sirbradford117]

I left my copy of Abbey Road at home ( ), but I have a few select songs from the Blue Album that are from Abbey Road and they're probably the catchiest while also being the most heartfelt songs I've ever heard.  Here Comes the Sun, Something, Because...oh, just brilliant.

Totally.  There's a reason why I chose to recreate the album live for a project at my undergrad.

[Super Dude]

I know this sounds weird to say, but the Beatles are what got me obsessed with British rockers.  Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Frost*, Lostprophets, Queen, Porcupine Tree...all because of the Beatles.

[SPNKr]

I know this sounds weird to say, but the Beatles are what got me obsessed with British rockers.  Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Frost*, Lostprophets, Queen, Porcupine Tree...all because of the Beatles.

And not Black Sabbath? Come ooooooooon Super Dude XD hahah

[Super Dude]

Well I haven't listened to any Black Sabbath...

And even of Queen I've only heard A Night At the Opera.

[Mladen]

What should be my first Beatles album?

Try to go by discography, and be patient... Take the time. 

[Super Dude]

What should be my first Beatles album?

Try to go by discography, and be patient... Take the time. 

God, that's horrible...

[sirbradford117]

What should be my first Beatles album?

Try to go by discography, and be patient... Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend. 

Fix'd.

[Super Dude]

There we go!

[Orbert]

Let It Be is the swansong.  Recorded BEFORE Abbey Road, the tracks were salvaged and produced by that murderous "genius" Phil Spector.  The idea was to have an album without overdubs, presenting the Beatles warts-and-all.  While I wish this would have been possible, it's not... trust me, I've listened to about 75% of the sessions... nothing phenomenal could have come out of even the best raw takes.  Phil did an acceptable job with the album editing and choices of overdubs (orchestras and such), but the project was doomed from the start. 

Clarification please on the sentence I've bolded.  Whose "idea" was it?  Anyone who has heard the album knows that it has mountains of overproduction, which presumably is why Let It Be... Naked was released; to let people hear the "naked" tracks.  But that's why I don't understand how "The idea was to have an album without overdubs".  Obviously it was not Phil's idea, and if it was the band's, or George Martin's, what happened?

Also, I know it bothers some "purists", but I like Let It Be the way it is.  You get used to hearing something, and regardless of what the original intent was, what you're familiar with becomes the way it should sound to you.  I find Let It Be... Naked interesting, and some of the tracks are worth repeated listens, but it's not the album I grew up with.

[sirbradford117]

Let It Be is the swansong.  Recorded BEFORE Abbey Road, the tracks were salvaged and produced by that murderous "genius" Phil Spector.  The idea was to have an album without overdubs, presenting the Beatles warts-and-all.  While I wish this would have been possible, it's not... trust me, I've listened to about 75% of the sessions... nothing phenomenal could have come out of even the best raw takes.  Phil did an acceptable job with the album editing and choices of overdubs (orchestras and such), but the project was doomed from the start. 

Clarification please on the sentence I've bolded.  Whose "idea" was it?  Anyone who has heard the album knows that it has mountains of overproduction, which presumably is why Let It Be... Naked was released; to let people hear the "naked" tracks.  But that's why I don't understand how "The idea was to have an album without overdubs".  Obviously it was not Phil's idea, and if it was the band's, or George Martin's, what happened?

(In a nutshell...)

The project was conceived by Paul McCartney as a reaction to all the tension that developed in 1968.  The Beatles would write new songs, rehearse them, and perform them in a concert/worldwide television broadcast.  In addition, the rehearsals would be filmed for a documentary to precede the broadcast.  The idea was for the group to get back to their roots, apart from all the studio trickery of the previous few years.  To that end, it was agreed that all the songs would be performed live without overdubs or studio sweetening.

The sessions took place in January 1969.  With the idea of the TV broadcast eventually scrapped, the compromise solution was the famous "rooftop concert" on 1/30/69.  Afterwards, acting sound engineer Glyn Johns went through the session tapes and prepared an album of raw takes, like the Beatles intended.  It was vetoed by the group on the grounds of quality, and its release was continuously delayed.  In 1970, after the Beatles had unofficially split, acting manager Allan Klein hired Spector to come in and make an album as the soundtrack for the film soon to be released.  He chose to sweeten the tracks and edit the tapes. 

[Orbert]

Wow, I didn't know any of that.  That would explain why there is so much footage of them in the studio as well, which I always wondered about.

[Super Dude]

I'm so glad we have a Beatles expert here.  Saves the time of having to find and join a Beatles forum for sure.  And for sure beats joining said forum and having to deal with the Beatles snobs likely contained therein.

[LudwigVan]

I'm so glad we have a Beatles expert here.  Saves the time of having to find and join a Beatles forum for sure.  And for sure beats joining said forum and having to deal with the Beatles snobs likely contained therein.

Yup, that would be almost as bad as dealing with Dream Theater snobs.   

[Super Dude]

Well but those of us who joined DTF did so because we have a reasonably extensive knowledge of the band's history.  I wouldn't join a Beatles forum if I knew little to nothing about the Beatles.

[emindead]

At first I hated The Beatles. I only liked "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"; couldn't understand what my parents liked about them. I couldn't understand why kids liked "Yellow Submarine" such a dull song!

Fast forward to 2008.

Having been a prog-rock/metal guy, I decided I could give another chance to this band. Let it be said that I popped "Sgt. Peppers" and mind=blown. The guys were/are genius and I was just a pedantic stubborn idiot who wouldn't give a chance to them. I'm really glad that I now know The Beatles.

[sirbradford117]

I'm so glad we have a Beatles expert here.  Saves the time of having to find and join a Beatles forum for sure.  And for sure beats joining said forum and having to deal with the Beatles snobs likely contained therein.

Meh, I'm just a 22-year-old guy with a music degree who has spent lots of spare time since 1993 reading about my favorite band.

[Super Dude]

But you've certainly done your homework, and it shows.  Plus, you've spent a good sixteen years reading up on the band, so I'd expect you'd know a fair deal about them.  It's just really great to have someone so knowledgeable who isn't so arrogant or show-offy about it (and for that person to give his knowledge to the benefit of others just discovering the band ).

[sirbradford117]

Bump.  Happy 69th birthday to John Lennon!

[Super Dude]

And RIP

[masterthes]

So bradford, care to indulge us with your top 50, even we already know what your no. 1 is?

[Super Dude]

*snip*

[sirbradford117]

I've just found something amazing on YouTube.  It's the rooftop concert footage, in its entirety.

Here's part 1 of 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT6325bmcsQ

2 of 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MVWy09RQYo&feature=related

and 3 of 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ttmjiYDk7Y&feature=related

I don't think there's anything in those clips that NOT in the "Let it Be" film... ashamed to admit that I don't remember!