The Beatles Thread

[Super Dude]

Well I've never seen Let it Be so this will be good enough for me.  Also removed from my post in case it broke any forum rules.

[sirbradford117]

It shouldn't... the film has not been released on DVD.  It only exists in ancient laserdisc format, I think.

[Super Dude]

I bought Rubber Soul today, really looking forward to giving it a listen as soon as I'm done ripping it to iTunes.

[Quadrochosis]

Rubber Soul is one of their best. "I'm Looking Through You" FTW

[Super Dude]

Right now having my first full listen for Abbey Road, as my mom brought it to school with her from home.

I now own five Beatles albums, and apparently my dad just bought the White Album and Past Masters, so I'm slowly nearing completion.

[sirbradford117]

Bump for this.  +1 for Beartrucci.

https://www.beatlesnews.com/blog/the-beatles/200910281138/even-prog-rockers-like-the-beatles.html

[Super Dude]

Question: As I've heard, Beatles for Sale is the reputed black sheep of the discography.  But it's not necessarily a *bad* album, is it?

I was thinking of picking it up along with Revolver next week.

My current discography:

On campus
Please Please Me
With the Beatles
Rubber Soul
Abbey Road

At home
The Beatles (The White Album)
Past Masters

[sirbradford117]

Question: As I've heard, Beatles for Sale is the reputed black sheep of the discography.  But it's not necessarily a *bad* album, is it?

It's not bad.  While it is my least favorite Beatles record, that doesn't imply that it's the scum of the earth. 

You've got some really fine originals (I'm a Loser, Baby's in Black, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, Eight Days a Week) alongside lesser ones (No Reply, I'll Follow the Sun, Every Little Thing, What You're Doing).  Likewise, good covers (Rock and Roll Music) along side the real black sheep, "Mr. Moonlight."

I would pick up A Hard Day's Night before this one, but that's just me.  Definitely get Revolver.

[Fluffy Lothario]

I'm a Beatles fan, but I'm far from the "OMG EVERY SINGLE SONG THEY EVER WROTE IS AMAZING" type. There are Beatles songs I love (Dear Prudence, Got to Get You Into My Life, Eleanor Rigby, Day Tripper, I Feel Fine, Within You Without You, Strawberry Fields, Ballad of John and Yoko etc), there are songs I think are okay, plenty of those horrendously overrated (Lucy in the Sky, A Day in the Life, Something, Here There and Everywhere) and songs I simply don't like at all (Long and Winding Road, I Am the Walrus, She's Leaving Home, Hello Goodbye, Eight Days a Week etc).

So yeah, I like them, and I think their best stuff is incredible, but I find them pretty inconsistent, I think I'm still yet to hear an album of theirs I thought was above very good overall, and so I normally stay away from Beatles discussion cos of the whole "The Beatles shat gold" complex most Beatles fans have.

[Super Dude]

Well considering a lot of Beatles fans do indeed seem to profess that opinion, I thought I'd go ahead and see for myself how they ever came to such a conclusion.  There are definitely songs I like, some I love, and some I simply can't stand, and of course you're going to get that with every single band that ever recorded something, and even with the ones that never have and never will.

However, the overwhelming trend seems to be that most people who say they listen to and enjoy the Beatles are the types that only know the hits and never bother really getting into the discography.  So I thought I'd see what their music was really like in the context of an actual album, and because I genuinely like the Beatles for their music, not just normatively.

I have the slightest suspicion that my post tries to make several points at once and never fully realizes any of them.

[Fluffy Lothario]

Yeah, I didn't get much out of that.

By the way, I listened to Rubber Soul two or three times through on a mates' CD walkman some years ago in art classes (ah, art classes), and I remember Norwegian Wood and Michelle being incredible tracks. I remember pretty much nothing else though, haha.

[Super Dude]

It just kinda annoys me when someone says, "Oh yeah, I love the Beatles," but then when you ask what CDs they have the answer is always either the Red Album or the Blue Album, or a similar greatest hits CD.  So I decided I'm not gonna be that guy; I will base my fandom on the merit of their actual albums.  I also wanted to see why Beatles fanboys believe the band shat gold, and figured I could find a good judgment for their work by listening to it in the context of actual albums.

[Fluffy Lothario]

Thus far I've heard Rubber Soul (though only a few times; and I don't have too much interest going further back than that), and The White Album (though again, only a few times), and I have Revolver, Sgt Peppers, 1, and Let It Be.

I need to get the others (RS, s/t and Abbey Road), but I generally go for cheap CDs, and Beatles albums are pretty much guaranteed to always be expensive.

[Super Dude]

They seem fairly affordable right now, but then I'm in the US, which could cause a slight expense discrepancy.  Do you guys have The Beatles: Rock Band yet?

[Fluffy Lothario]

I've never touched any of those Guitar Hero/Rock Band type games, so I have no idea.

Last time I looked at them in a shopl, they'd all just been reissued or remastered, so they're all back up to new album price again.

[Super Dude]

Yeah, there was a new reissuing because the new Beatles: Rock Band phenomenon.  But actually what I found was that there are two super-expensive collections that have all the CDs and some bonus features, and then the individuals CDs are fairly affordable.  And this was last weekend when I went to the store and saw the stacks.

[sirbradford117]

I've never touched any of those Guitar Hero/Rock Band type games, so I have no idea.

Last time I looked at them in a shopl, they'd all just been reissued or remastered, so they're all back up to new album price again.

ebay.  I'm positive that you'll be able to find the old masters going for good prices. 

[KevShmev]

Man, Revolver is so awesome.  I just wish I liked "Taxman."  That song prevents it from competing with Abbey Road for favorite Beatles record of mine.

[Birch Boy]

My first and only Beatles album: Abbey Road. Not a bad song on it.

[KevShmev]

Abbey Road is in my all-time top 5.  Oddly, like Revolver, my least favorite song is the first song, but the difference is, I still like "Come Together" quite a bit. 

[antigoon]

Is there a story behind the song "Yellow Submarine?"

[Orbert]

In the town where they were born lived a man who sailed the sea.  And he told them of his life...

[Super Dude]

In all seriousness, I think it was drug-induced.

[antigoon]

It sounds like a song for little kids!

[Super Dude]

Just found it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Submarine_(song)

Apparently I was wrong.

[antigoon]

Fuck! It IS a song for little kids!

[Orbert]

But that's the beauty of the Beatles' songs.  Most of them are completely kid-friendly, and of those that aren't, most of it will fly right over their heads.  My kids love the movies "Yellow Submarine" and "Help!" and have always loved listening to The Beatles.  So "Yellow Submarine" is a children's song.  It spent weeks at Number 1.

[antigoon]

No, I agree with you. I just can't get into that song! It sounds out of place on the record to me.

Oh well, PLENTY of other songs and albums I can enjoy

[Super Dude]

But that's the beauty of the Beatles' songs.  Most of them are completely kid-friendly, and of those that aren't, most of it will fly right over their heads.  My kids love the movies "Yellow Submarine" and "Help!" and have always loved listening to The Beatles.  So "Yellow Submarine" is a children's song.  It spent weeks at Number 1.

Actually no it didn't, read the Wiki article.

[Zydar]

No, I agree with you. I just can't get into that song! It sounds out of place on the record to me.

Same here. I love Revolver but Yellow Submarine almost always gets skipped by me - not many Beatles songs get that treatment from me.

[Mladen]

Yellow submarine is such a ridiculous song, my least favorite on Revolver, and one of my least favorite Beatles tracks ever. It's still listenable, though...

[Orbert]

But that's the beauty of the Beatles' songs.  Most of them are completely kid-friendly, and of those that aren't, most of it will fly right over their heads.  My kids love the movies "Yellow Submarine" and "Help!" and have always loved listening to The Beatles.  So "Yellow Submarine" is a children's song.  It spent weeks at Number 1.

Actually no it didn't, read the Wiki article.

The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, remained at number 1 for four weeks and charted for 13 weeks.

Anyway, wow, you guys are harsh on "Yellow Submarine".  I guess it's different for us old folks who grew up with that song.  It was always a fun sing-along song.  Everybody knew the chorus, and if you were really cool, you'd sing the descending harmony line.  Those who knew the verses were lauded.  Simpler times I guess.

[Super Dude]

Note that the article says it never reached #1 in the US.

[Orbert]

Note that I never said that, either.  The Beatles were a British band.  The song spent four weeks at #1 on every major British chart (whatever that means).  Are you saying it didn't really count as a #1 because it didn't hit #1 in the U.S.?

[emindead]

Well, duh. USA#1