Hey, look Ma! I'm bloggin' today.

Where have all you people gone? It's like just because I stop posting anything you all just disappear. What's the deal?! GOSH!

So I'm really focused on a couple different personal things at the moment. I'll tell you shortly about one and nothing about the other... now, anyway. I'll get to that in another post, but first let me start off with what I should have done on Sunday.

A while back I came out of the closet. It was too hard living a lie and not telling everyone the whole truth. Well, just a day before Paul McCartney's lame Super Bowl Half Time appearance I received 5, count them, FIVE separate emails from a fanatical Beattles' fan regarding my dislike for the Beattles. I will reproduce them here, which is great because it allows me to create a very long post (the longest of this blog's history) just by cutting and pasting. So, because they are so long and I haven't read more than 1 paragraph from any of them lets begin:

EMAIL 1: (no editing or separating of paragraphs - these are much too long)

just read that you said you agree with Michelle who posted in November that she doesn't like The Beatles and that you think they are very overrated,well I suggest you read with an open mind an excellent book called,The Beatles Recording Sesions by Mark Lewisohn which is a detailed musical diary of their impressive 8 year recording career. It's unfortunately out of print but some libraries may have it if you really have an open mind and want to be enlightened.Many people who have reviewed it say what I'm saying,it shows how truly brilliant,creative,and inventive especially John Lennon and Paul McCartney were including a musician and Rolling Stone Magazine. Many of their engineers and tape operators are also interviewd and they were all very impressed with them too. Some of their recording eningeers were innovative people themselves and went on to work with other well known acts. Norman Smith was one of their early engineers and went on to produce Pink Floyd,Ken Scot went on to work with David Bowie and Alan Parsons was also a highly impressed Beatles fan and was one of their engineers on their last two albums Abbey Road and Let it Be. George Martin their producer is a highly classicaly trained musician who went to the pestigious music school in England called Guildhall and who has worked with many other music artists since The Beatles still says that he has never known or worked with anyone as brilliant as The Beatles! He also said that they had great musical minds but that you don't need great musical minds to use your fingers but as it turned out they could all play their instruments very well.Paul McCartney is considered by many music critics and other musicians to be one of the greatest innovative bass players ever Rolling Stone Magazine said he has always been a remarekable bass player and Eric Clapton said that George Harrison was a fantastic slide guitar player when he was interviewed with George on their 1992 tour of Japan and other musicians have said he was a very good musician too! When he was only 14 he would stay up until 2 in the morning and his mother stayed up with him and he would play until he got the cords right annd his fingers were bleeding! John and Paul were also both great singers from the start and John had a more unique beautiful voice even when he spoke,but Paul also always had a very good voice and a great rage as a singer.The All Music Guide even says that both John and Paul were among the two greatest vocalists in rock! Just listen to John singing the beautiful melodic If I Fell,This Boy,Yes it Is,In My Life etc etc and Paul singing the very beautiful And I Love Her and Golden Slumbers on Abbey Road,Let it Be The Long and Winding Road,and many many more from both The Beatles years and their solo work. Listen to Paul sing Here Today the beautiful tribute to John on his very good Tug of War album which he also sings the title song very well etc.Paul McCartney did do some great obscure music and more than a few great records in the early solo part of his career that moost people have never heard because the album tracks and B-sides were not hit singles and they are actually much better although I do like the hits too.His best sounding period was from 1970-1975. Most people give rave reviews to his 1971 pre-Wings album Ram which is a good album,Band On The Run is also very good,Venus and Mars and I love Red Rose Speedway and Tug of War from 1982 is also very good and has gotten critically acclaim as has Band On The Run.He's being underrated unfortunately now.John Lennon's first solo album has also been righfully critically acclaimed by many as a brilliant album and it really is, he based the songson his painful Primal Scream therapy with psychologist Dr.Arthur Janov based on his childhood traumas. His Imagine album is also great and has been criticaly acclaimed so has his last album Double Fantasy and I love his 1974 Walls and Bridges album. In 1995 ABC's Nightline had a lot of music artists from all music fields including black and white youn and older jazz musicians,an opera singer,classical violinist Isaacc Pearlman,Steve Winwood,Meat Loaf,Brian Wilson and others all talked about what brilliant song writers Lennon and McCartney were and how great The Beatles were. Brian Wilson played their song A Little Help From My Friends on the piano and said he loves that song then he said Lennon and McCartney were the greatest song writers of the 20th century and that Sgt Pepper is the greatest single album he's ever heard! He also said that when he heard their great album Rubber Soul he was blown away by it and said that all of the songs flowed together and it was pop music but folk rock at the same time and that's what he couldn't believe. He said this is what motivated him to make his Pet Sounds album. Elton John was on a CBS morning news show in 1991 and he was asked who does he admire musically and he said you can talk about your Rogers and Hammerstein but he thinks that John Lennon and Paul McCartney for the quanity of quality songs that those two wrote in that short period of time they were the greatest song writers of the 20th century.They are still very popular I have read thousands of fans posting on fan sites from all different countries and music review sites of all ages from 10 years old,teenagers,college students musicians and up to people in their 50's saying they love their music and that the are the greatest rock group ever. The Beatles Anthology's sold millions of copies in a short time and I heard a radio DJ say that 40% of the people buying them were teenagers 25 years after they broke up! And their 1 CD also has been one of the biggest selling CD's for many months it was at number one 30 years after they broke up and half of the the people buying it have been under 30. Mark Lapidos who has run the Beatles Fests for fans since 1974 with his wife was quoted in an online article last year for the 30th anniversary of the fests that he is pleased that most of the fans who go are 30 and younger.Because their most of their music is timeless and of such high quality! In 1963 John Lennon and Paul McCartney were asked to compose music for a ballett Mods and Rockers and on December 29,Richard Buckle in a review in The London Sunday Times said,they were the greatest composers since Beethoven! This was unheard of for anyone to say that about rock stars let alone 21 and 23 year old rock stars!Most rock and music critics are also still saying this too Phil Collins is also a huge Beatles fan,even David Lee Roth is a fan as is Billy Joel and many other artists such as Jeff Lynne of ELO who is a huge Beatles fan and has worked with Paul McCartney on his album Flaming Pie. Francis Cottam novelist of Hamer's War and former editor of FHM says he had thought before that the Beatles were over-rated and that the iconic bands of the 1960's and 1970's were better defined by The Rolling Stones and The Doors because he had thought those groups pushed the parameters of pop whereas The Beatles seemed tame. Then he said 8 years ago he saw Melvin Bragg's South Bank show devoted to The Beatles and the sheer quanity and quality of the out put was staggering and this changed his mind!But if you can't hear how most of their wonderful songs had such beautiful melodies and harmonies then I guess what I'm telling you won't make much of a difference. I can't understand how you or anyone can listen beautiful songs like If I Fell,And I Love Her,Yesterday,In My Life,Let It Be,The Long And Winding Road and too many more to name and think that they were just mediocre and hype! Rolling Stone Magazine recently just picked their Sgt Pepper album as the #1 greatest album of all time again as they did before out of the 500 greatest of all time and also called them the greatest rock band of all time and many of their songs are on the list too. The All Music Guide online as well as most music review pages are also saying they were the greatest group of all time.Even the clasiccal conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein said they were brilliant and loved them. In every major survey and music poll they are always voted the greatest rock group of all time including the Gallop Poll.the Zogby poll.the BBC poll the VH1 poll,the Mister Poll and others out of over 1000 voters over age 16 and up! Also since I see you like Led Zeppelin I wanted to let you know that on The All Music Guide The Beatles are listed as one of their influences and if you listen to the great hard rock that The Beatles did on The Beatles great White album and some of Abbey Road,it's easy too see the influence. John Paul Jones and John Bonham also played along Pete Townsend and David Gilmore on two songs on the last Paul McCartney and Wings album called Back To The Egg in 1978! Also,The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were actually very good friends and Mick Jagger was at 4 Beatles Recording Sessions and Keith was with him two! In The Beatles Anthology video series that I have,Mick Jagger is clearly seen clapping his hands singing All You Need is Love sitting in the front row in front of The Beatles with all of their other friends during the live TV broadcast of them performing All You Need is Love for the TV show Our World in June 1967. Keith Richards was also there along with Eric Clapton and Gram Nash.In the anthology series it also shows the filming of the song and party The Beatles had for the excellent song A Day in the Life Day in The Life and it was banned off of the BBC because of drug messages. All of their friends were there and you can see Mick Jagger and Keith Richards walking in too. Mick Jagger is also seen in the news film of The Beatles arriving in Bangor to meditation and he is standing right next to them he went with them on the train and he was with them when they got the call that their manager Brian Epstein was dead.I also have an excellent important book by Mark Lewisohn called,The Beatles recording Sessions which is an impressive musical diary of all of the details of their amazing 8 year recording career and it shows how truly brilliant and creative and innovative John and Paul were and there is an interesting big close up picture of Mick Jagger in the console room sitting right next to John Lennon,and Paul is right next to John for a remix for The Beatles Revolver album. Also,Mick Jagger's name is on the tape box with The Beatles for the recording of The Beatles song Baby You're a Rich Man.Here he was a front man to his own successful group and he came there to their session just to stand and watch and listen to them record that's how much of a fan he was!Also in the Paul MacCartney authorized biography by Barry Miles,Marriane Faithful who was a singer in and Mick Jagger's girlfriend in the mid 1960's says in the book,that Mick Jagger and she would often hang out in Paul's music room and that they always went to see him because he was Paul MacCartney. She also said that Mick was threatened by Paul in some ways but Paul was totally oblivious to this. Paul also says in this biography that he turned Mick Jagger on to pot in his music room and he said it's funny people would have thought it was the other way around.Paul and Linda were also at Mick's wedding to Bianca in May 1971.Three years ago I also found a very interesting old interview online with Charlie Watts from a 1973 Magazine called Zig Zag. He was asked what music artists he likes and he said that what made The Beatles so great was that they made one great single and one great album after the next!I also read an online interview on some Rolling Stones fan page from a 1967 Rolling Stones press conference and someone asked what they thought of The Beatles and Mick Jagger said we love them very much. By the way,The Beatles gave The Rolling Stones one of with the song I Wannna Be You're Man.Ozzy Osbourne is also quoted as loving The Beatles, you can look it up on the google search engine. He says that he listens to their albums before he goes out in concert and that he loves The Sgt. Pepper album and someone recently quoted him online as saying not loving The Beatles is like loving oxogen.He loved them since he was a teenager.If you Listen to The wings album Back to The Egg, many people love this album and John Paul Jones and John Bonham from Led Zeppelin and Pete Townsend and David Gilmore played with Paul MacCartney and Wings on two of the songs.

Carolyn,
a highly impressed Beatles fan who was born during the middle of their recording career. Oh and Imagine is a beautiful song John's beautiful singing voice,piano playing and wonderful words too! It's been voted in polls by people and music critics as being one of the best songs of all time!

EMAIL 2: (appears to be a forward from AMAZON)

The Beatles
Offered by Amazon.comThe Beatles GREAT Compilation!!! March 04, 2004 Reviewer: Barrett Reynolds from North Carolina, USAOK, first, a confession. Up until a few weeks ago, I HATED the Beatles !!! I'd always viewed them as a bubble-gum pop band that ruined rock &roll. But then, when I decided to be adventurous and check out some CD recommendations from a friend, I heard the Revolver album, and Sgt. Pepper's. And just like that, I was a Beatles fan! So when I went over to a local retailer and picked up this, my very first Beatles CD (I should have bought it here, it's three bucks cheaper!), I was really surprised to find that this music is truly, unforgettably catchy, containing some of the most infectious hooks and undeniable melodies to ever come from the sixties. The sound on this disc is amazing, and I found myself realizing how truly amazing their group harmonies were. Just listen to "Eight Days a Week" or "Help!" These guys really had a flawless collective ear for melody and texture. And in '65-'66, when their music became less about groovy hooks and schmaltzy harmonies, and more about trippy lyrics and progressive melodic experimentation, the music got even BETTER!!! I can't believe how one group could accomplish so much musically when they were only together for seven or eight years. This CD contains some GREAT material, and I know that they only assembled the #1's here, but I would have loved to hear some of my personal favorites put on here that they somehow neglected, like "With a Little Help From My Friends", "Taxman" or "Got to Get You Into My Life". Why aren't there any really THOROUGH Beatles compilations out there? I think they should release all of their original albums together, packaged two to a disc, now that you can fit almost 80 minutes of music on one source. I'd love to buy individual albums, but with a running time of only 30-45 minutes apiece (excluding the White Album, of course) it seems like a waste of disc space. And I'd love to see more of their later stuff focused on in future compilations. But all in all, an AWESOME starter disc for a new budding Beatlemaniac such as myself!Was this review helpful to you? "1" March 01, 2004 Reviewer: A music fan from United StatesThis is a great sampling of some of the best Beatle music. With no songs from Rubber Soul or Sgt. Pepper and only 2 from Revolver, this CD focuses on their best work from the early years and the last couple of albums.Was this review helpful to you? 27 pretty good reasons are right here February 27, 2004 Reviewer: A music fan from United StatesIts a well documented fact that the beatles have sold over 1 billion records worldwide- these 27 songs on "1" are a pretty good example why!Was this review helpful to you? Browse for similar items in• Target Entertainment Styles Classic Rock General• Target Entertainment Styles Classic Rock British Invasion• Target Entertainment Styles Classic Rock Psychedelic Rock• Target Entertainment Styles Classic Rock Supergroups• Target Entertainment Styles Pop Pop Rock SEARCH YOUR SITE SERVICES My Order• Track your recent orders.• View or change your orders in My Account.• See our shipping rates and policies. Help• Forgot your password? Click here.• Visit our online Help department.• Return an item. About Us• What is "Powered by Amazon.com?"• About target.direct.• Privacy PolicyYOUR RECENT HISTORY Recently Viewed Products • Terror in the Night (Thorndike Large Print Christian Mystery) • La France, la nation, la guerre : 1850-1920 • Supertwins and Tooth Trouble (Scholastic Readers. Level 2) • Executioners • Little Bit of Mambo • Dark Thoughts: Race and the Eclipse of Society • Baby Einstein - Baby MacDonald • Stupid White Men: ...And Other Sorry Excuses fo the State of the Nation Recently Viewed Categories • Jackets &Coats • Mystery • Reference • Look Inside Travel Books • History • History • Barber, Samuel • General Recent Searches • R. J. Cantwell• LL Cool J• Philippe Legrain• Andreas Wilmsmeier • Eric Styles • Dinah Maria Mulock Crai• The Mamas the Papas• Marshall Field © 2003 target.direct. All rights reserved. The Bullseye Design is a registered trademark of Target Brands, Inc.Terms and Conditions.

EMAIL 3: (another cut-n-past job by a pshyco Beattles' fanatical cult member)

The Beatles
Reviews on this page: Please Please Me - With The Beatles- A Hard Day's Night - Beatles For Sale - Help! - Rubber Soul - Revolver - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles - Yellow Submarine - Abbey Road - Let It Be - Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl - Past Masters Vol. I - Past Masters Vol. II - Beatles On The BBC - Anthology Vol. 1 - Anthology Vol. 2 - Anthology Vol. 3Forget it, I won't even try to make some new and profound generalizations about the most popular, influential, talented, and over-analyzed musical performers of this century. Suffice it to say that you won't be able to understand the first thing about 60s rock - or Western pop music in general, really - until you sit down and memorize the half-dozen most important Beatles records. Almost every new LP shattered the previous boundaries of rock 'n' roll, and Lennon and McCartney's songwriting surpassed that of almost all their contemporaries. There are three more points I just can't restrain myself from making: first, avoid all greatest hits packages, as virtually every Beatles record is a greatest hits package unto itself. Second, the ratings here are conservative, spread out to give some guidance to the novice fan. If we were to rate these records relative to everything else being done in the 60s, virtually every disc would get four or five stars. Finally, the Beatles' rhythm section is, if anything, under-rated - brilliant singing, songwriting, and production weren't the only things the Beatles had going for them.For information on the Beatles' post-breakup records, see our solo Beatles page.As you might expect, there's a massive Beatles web information center. (JA)We've reviewed a few books on the Beatles on our widely-admired Book Reviews Page.Lineup: Oh jesus, you know this already. George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals, sitar); John Lennon (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, some keyboards, bass); Paul McCartney (lead vocals, bass, some guitar, keyboards, drums, you name it); Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). George Martin (producer, keyboards) appears on multiple early recordings. There are occasional guests - Eric Clapton on one great White Album track, and Billy Preston on Let It Be - but almost everything you'll hear is the real item.Run for your life: Cover versions of Beatles songsAlong with Bob Dylan, the Beatles are the most frequently covered 60s songwriters. Here's a list of only the cover versions that are specifically discussed on this web site: "A Day In The Life" - Eric Burdon &War"Baby's In Black" - Ruben Blades"Because" - Stanley Jordan"Blackbird" - Terri Lyne Carrington"Come Together" - The Brothers Johnson; The Supremes; Mary Wells"Day Tripper" - Jimi Hendrix; Otis Redding; James Taylor"Eleanor Rigby" - Aretha Franklin; Stanley Jordan"Every Little Thing" - Yes"For No One" - Rickie Lee Jones "Get Back" - Elton John"Got To Get You Into My Life" - Earth, Wind &Fire"Helter Skelter" - Pat Benatar"Hey Jude" - The Temptations"I Saw Her Standing There" - Elton John (with John Lennon)"I Should Have Known Better" - The Beach Boys"Lady Madonna" - Betty Boo"Let It Be" - Aretha Franklin"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" - Elton John"Norwegian Wood" - Herbie Hancock; Hour Glass; Jan &Dean "Rain" - Todd Rundgren; Shonen Knife"She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" - Joe Cocker"She's A Woman" - Jeff Beck"She's Leaving Home" - Syreeta Wright"Something" - Joe Cocker"Strawberry Fields Forever" - Todd Rundgren "We Can Work It Out" - Valerie Simpson; Stevie Wonder"With A Little Help From My Friends" - Joe Cocker"Yesterday" - En Vogue; The SupremesBeatlemania: Records influenced by the BeatlesI'm often asked by Beatles fans where they should head next. Believe me, there is life after the Beatles! Here are some picks, arranged into very broad categories. (JA) Harmonious mid-60s pop-rock: All Summer Long, Today, and Summer Days by the Beach Boys; anything before 1967 by the the Byrds; the first few albums by the Hollies; the first record (or any compilation with "She's Not There") by the Zombies Epic, orchestrated, Sgt. Pepper's-style pop-rock: Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys; Again by the Buffalo Springfield; Elton John; Forever Changes by Love; Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon &Garfunkel; We're Only In It For The Money by Frank Zappa; Odessey And Oracle by the Zombies Loud, guitar-based, late 60s acid rock: The Man Who Sold The World by David Bowie; Disraeli Gears and Wheels Of Fire by Cream; everything by Jimi Hendrix; In The Court Of The Crimson King by King Crimson; any early Led Zeppelin record, III being the most Beatlesque; anything from Beggar's Banquet through Exile On Main Street by the Rolling Stones; Sell Out and Tommy by the Who Not-so-loud late-60s pop-rock: Crosby, Stills, &Nash; Surrealistic Pillow by the Jefferso Airplane; The Yes Album and Fragile by Yes Eclectic and literate late-60s rock: the first three or four Band records; anything from the late 60s by Fairport Convention, the Kinks, or Procol Harum; Between The Buttons by the Rolling Stones; Ogden's Nut Gone Flake by the Small Faces; Mr. Fantasy and Traffic by Traffic (plus Blind Faith) Post-60s Beatles imitators: Inner Revolution and Here by Adrian Belew the first two Big Star records; Element Of Light by Robyn Hitchcock &the Egyptians; anything by the Posies; early 70s Todd Rundgren, especially A Wizard/A True Star; mid-80s XTC (especially their Beatles tribute Chips From The Chocolate Fireball) Flat-out geniuses - who cares about the Beatles comparisons: Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder Please Please Me (1963)- Surprisingly, about half of this is dominated by cover songs - mostly girl group, R &B, and Broadway show tunes. It all was recorded in one marathon session, and although the Beatles were up to the challenge, the material seems thin 30 years on. Nonetheless, there are some well-known rockers ("I Saw Her Standing There"; "Twist And Shout") and Lennon-McCartney pop songs (title track; "Love Me Do"; "P.S. I Love You"), five of which hit the Top Ten at once, but only after the follow-up LP hit like a tidal wave in the U.S. (JA)- Besides "I Saw Her Standing There" I don't think any of the originals rank with Lennon-McCartney's better work, and as for the covers, well, I agree with John's 70s comment that the originals are better. The covers include mediocre tunes by several influential composers like Carole King &Gerry Goffin ("Chains") and Burt Bacharach &Hal David ("Baby It's You"). (DBW) With The Beatles (1963)- The breakthrough American version of this record was retitled Meet The Beatles, cut down, and then beefed up by the addition of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." The original British LP, now tranformed into the universal CD version, is surprisingly tepid. Despite one great Lennon-McCartney number ("All My Loving") and a couple of high-energy 50s rock 'n' rollers ("Roll Over Beethoven"; "Money (That's What I Want)"), it's again stuffed with lame covers of contemporary R &B songs ("Please Mister Postman "; "You Really Got A Hold On Me"). However, the band was always remarkably competent even when covering the most vapid material. (JA)- I find this a big step up from the previous album: there are still lots of covers, but the originals are well-crafted and tuneful, with great Lennon vocals on "Not A Second Time" and "All I've Got To Do." This is probably the best document of the Beatles as high-energy, three-guitar rock and roll band. (DBW)A Hard Day's Night (1964)- A major improvement, thanks to more careful and sophisticated recording methods, and more thoughtful songwriting - this was the only Beatles record that consisted entirely of Lennon-McCartney tunes. Suddenly, the pathetically syrupy pop-song covers are gone, largely replaced by memorable, tightly crafted masterpieces (title track; "I Should Have Known Better"; Paul's melodramatic "And I Love Her"; the thrilling "Can't Buy Me Love"). Even the toss-off "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You," handed over to George to provide him with a lead vocal, is graced with brilliant backup vocals. The second side, thrown together at the last moment to fill out the record, does drag a bit ("When I Get Home," drab outside of its soaring refrain) - but it includes the wonderful rocker "Any Time At All" and two memorable ballads (Paul's "Thing We Said Today" and John's "I'll Be Back," both with clever ascending hooks). (JA)- Indeed. I'm not a fan of "Any Time At All" and "When I Get Home" is possibly the worst Lennon-McCartney tune the Beatles ever recorded, but John's "You Can't Do That" is a relentless, powerful rocker. (DBW)Beatles For Sale (1964)- The Beatles stumbled here despite some experimentation with recording effects and instrumentation, having failed to come up with more than a handful of solid songs by Christmas of 1964 - a de facto deadline imposed by commercial considerations (see title). John did contribute one brilliant, remarkably introspective number ("I'm A Loser"), but the other solid material broke little new ground ("Eight Days A Week"; "What You're Doing"). In desperation, the band fell back on cover versions of 50s rock standards by Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, and Chuck Berry, the most memorable being the latter's frantic "Rock And Roll Music." None of this could salvage the record, however, and some of the tracks ended up being among the most widely disliked by Beatles fans ("Mr. Moonlight"). (JA)- It's well-performed ("Words of Love") but the covers are redundant and the originals are mostly lackluster ("What You're Doing"). "I'll Follow The Sun" is a pretty ballad Paul had written years before but revived for this project as a last resort. (DBW)Help! (1965)- Like almost everything that the Beatles did from this record on, it's not merely good, but groundbreaking. The harmonies are superb ("Tell Me What You See"), the hits are unforgettable (title track; "Ticket To Ride"), John's lyrics are advancing rapidly ("You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"; "It's Only Love"), and Paul contributes a frighteningly modern-sounding semi-acoustic number ("I've Just Seen A Face") and a startling, wildly successful experiment dispensing with the normal four-piece rock band backing track in favor of a string quartet (the widely imitated and covered "Yesterday"). There are a few weak numbers, but they're harmless (the superfluous country number "Act Naturally," an excuse to spotlight Ringo; the rocking cover of "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"). (JA)- "Miss Lizzy" is one of their best covers, actually. And George is starting to contribute quality compositions ("I Need You"). There's also a great guitar solo by Paul on "Another Girl." (DBW)Rubber Soul (1965)- The best 60s rock album produced up to this point, which is saying a lot - there was in fact some stiff competition (e.g., The Beach Boys Today). Although the Beatles were still often sticking to their tried-and-true love song format (the cutesy "Drive My Car"; Paul's "You Won't See Me" and "Michelle"), John is experimenting with anthems ("The Word," which summarizes the whole flower power movement two years before it even happened), as well as highly personal, almost diary-like sketches that rank among his most popular work ("Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," the first prominent rock record to feature a sitar; the devastating "In My Life"). It's all solid; even John's insecurely misogynistic "Run For Your Life" features a great vocal. The simultaneously released single ("We Can Work It Out"/"Day Tripper") was arguably their best to date. (JA)- This record is a blast. George throws in clever lyrics of his own on "If I Needed Someone," and rocks out on "Think For Yourself," with Paul on fuzz bass. I could make an argument that More Hits by the Supremes, for example, is a stronger album, but what the hell. (DBW)Revolver (1966)- Another complete breakthrough by the Beatles - earlier advances were steady and significant but predictable, paralleled by those of other artists like Dylan and the Beach Boys. Revolver isn't as carefully crafted and relentlessly tuneful as Pet Sounds, but it's even more important, pushing the sonic boundaries of rock farther than any other LP in history. The Beatles combine startling studio wizardry ("Tomorrow Never Knows") with inventive lyrical themes (John's "I'm Only Sleeping" and "She Said She Said") and unusual instrumentation (George's "Love You Too" - which kicked open rock's door to Eastern music). Paul is in top form ("Eleanor Rigby"; the brassy "Got To Get You Into My Life"), George contributes the fantastically funky and ominous "Taxman," and, of course, there's everyone's all-time favorite sing-along novelty tune - "Yellow Submarine." The single that immediately preceded Revolver ("Paperback Writer"/"Rain") ranks with anything the Beatles ever did. (JA)- Sure, this is a classic, but there are plenty of weak moments. John's drug consumption produces mixed results: "Tomorrow Never Knows" is weird all right, but it's not exactly great entertainment. "Love You To" is the first but not the best of George's Indian compositions, while "Doctor Robert" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" are unimaginative filler. Meanwhile, Paul's "For No One" is brilliant songwriting, minimally produced. (DBW)Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)- The most famous rock record in history, and it deserves most of the acclaim. What seems to have been forgotten in all the hoopla is that the songs mostly just expand and consolidate earlier innovations that were played out on Revolver - showcases of complex orchestration ("A Day In The Life"), abrasive, slice-of-life rockers ("Good Morning Good Morning"), giddy 60s anthems ("It's Getting Better"), bizarre studio experiments ("Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"), George's Indian-influenced pearls of wisdom ("Within You Without You"), and especially the lush psychedelia that John had mastered ("Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"). Even "She's Leaving Home" is a bathetic rip-off of the more sincere "Eleanor Rigby," and the title track's booming, unstoppable herd- of-elephants sound is mirrored by "Taxman." Say what you might, though, the record did blow open the 60s like a double-strength hit of Purple Haze. (JA)- There are a few significant things about this album that Alroy hasn't mentioned. It is the first Beatles album conceived as an album, not just a bunch of songs (their first released identically in the US and the UK), and the first rock album where the songs blend into each other with no breaks. Also, while it's not true that there are no love songs here ("Lovely Rita" and "Getting Better" both have romantic aspects) it's lyrically far removed from the boy-girl topics that dominated the Beatles output through Revolver. And Revolver's experimentalism produces consistently musical results here -- in my book that's a major advance. (DBW)Magical Mystery Tour (1967)- The Beatles' relentless musical tour ran in place this time. It took them several months more to realize that their carefully crafted fusion of Dylanesque lyrics and Brian Wilson-esque production values was a dead end, and, instead, to move in a million directions at once on their next album. However, they managed to toss off a superb collection of songs while jogging on their treadmill (title track, modelled on its Sgt. Pepper's counterpart; "I Am The Walrus," another elaborately tripped-out Lennon tune). Paul dominates a bit too much, with some of his upbeat pop numbers wearing thin ("Your Mother Should Know"), but others being marvelous ("Hello Goodbye"). Half the record is a newly-recorded double EP, and the other half is singles from the previous 12 months, including some truly classic hits: John's extraordinary acid-rock production "Strawberry Fields Forever," which almost topped the Beach Boys' contemporary "Good Vibrations "; Paul's marvelous, cleverly orchestrated "Penny Lane"; and irresistable, perfectly timed Summer of Love anthem "All You Need Is Love." (JA)- Let me get this straight: Alroy's arguing that this is more essential than the White Album? It's a collection of single sides (two of which, "Baby You're A Rich Man" and "Hello Goodbye," are far from the Beatles' best work) and failed experiments (Harrison's "Blue Jay Way," the Mellotron mess "Flying"). (DBW)That's what I'm saying. "Flying" is far more enjoyable than White Album experiments like "Revolution #9" - and the other three "bad" tracks are better than the abundant second-rate material on that record ("Happiness Is A Warm Gun"; "Goodnight"; "Wild Honey Pie"; etc., etc.) or even on Sgt. Pepper's ("Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"; "She's Leaving Home"). (JA)The Beatles (a.k.a. "The White Album": 1968)- Brilliant and amazingly eclectic, but long-winded. You know a record's good when Eric Clapton drops by to deliver a blistering guitar solo ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps") and it's not the only high point of the record - there are many of them, including kick-ass rockers ("Birthday"; "Helter Skelter"), harmonic experiments that put the Byrds to shame ("Dear Prudence"), simple but unforgettable ballads ("Blackbird"; "Julia"), pure, crafted pop songs ("Martha My Dear"), a wild, lengthy sound collage ("Revolution #9"), and then all the clever rip-offs - blues ("Yer Blues"), country-western ("Rocky Racoon"), 20's jazz ("Honey Pie"), the Beach Boys ("Back In The U.S.S.R."), MGM movie soundtracks ("Goodnight"), even the Beatles themselves ("Glass Onion"). Still, there are way too many toss-offs and misfires. (JA)- George has four songs here, and he's rapidly nearing his peak as a songwriter, with the horn-powered rocker "Savoy Truffle," a mellow number in the style that would dominate his 70s work ("Long Long Long"), and of course "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The experimentalism gets way out of control, and the fragmentation of the group adds to the confusion. The hilarious "Back In The U.S.S.R." parodies not only the Beach Boys but also Chuck Berry ("Back in the U.S.A.") and Ray Charles ("Georgia On My Mind"). (DBW)Yellow Submarine (1969)- A major ripoff. Only six Beatles tracks, two of them are recycled from earlier records (title track; "All You Need Is Love"), and the entire second side consists of assorted George Martin elevator music instead of the pile of additional tunes that appear in the film. And the four new songs, mostly from early 1967, are of variable quality. The child-like, acoustic "All Together Now" and raucous early 1968 heavy rocker "Hey Bulldog" are amusing but silly knock-offs, and Harrison's two tracks are fascinating and clearly serious efforts ("Only A Northern Song," which almost made it on to Sgt. Pepper's; "It's All Too Much"), but weighed down by layers of freaked-out instrumentation. (JA)- Bleah. (DBW)Abbey Road (1969)- Buy this, now. The first use of synthesizers on a rock record that made any musical sense (in contrast, see the Notorious Byrds Brothers), but that's hardly the reason this record burns itself into your soul. It's simply brilliant, from start to finish. If you haven't heard gems like "Here Comes The Sun," "Something" (both by Harrison!), Lennon's devastating "Come Together" and dreamy, harmonious "Because," and McCartney's infamous "pop symphony," which dominates side 2, you haven't lived. (JA)- Not a lot of innovation from a recording standpoint (although they do throw in a white noise generator on "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"), but conceptually and production-wise it's their finest work. Harrison's two finest compositions are both here, as is Ringo's ("Octopus's Garden"), and although Lennon's compositions are far from his best there's pretty damn good anyway ("Come Together," "Because"). Paul doesn't contribute any of his immortal ballads, but his impeccable musicianship is on display throughout (soul vocals on "Oh! Darling," bass on "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," the multi-part "You Never Give Me Your Money"), not to mention his sense of humor ("Maxwell's Silver Hammer," "Her Majesty"). (DBW)Let It Be (1970)- Be wary. An album to be entitled Get Back was recorded months before Abbey Road as an experiment in filming the band "live in the studio," and then allowed to languish when no-one could agree on a finished product. A year later, with the film's release date nearing and the title now changed to Let It Be, the already-disbanded Beatles talked producer Phil Spector into cobbling together a "soundtrack." Spector, who had never worked with the band before, proceeded to butcher several songs by plastering on a full orchestra and a nauseating female chorus (Paul's formulaic ballads "The Long And Winding Road" and the title track, a rehash of "Hey Jude"; George's mournful, waltzing "I Me Mine"; John's leftover psychedelic anthem "Across The Universe"). The unmutilated selections are either trivial toss-offs (their resurrected early 60s rockabilly number "One After 909"), pleasant but unremarkable pop songs ("Two Of Us"; "Dig A Pony"; Paul's Aretha Franklin-like "I've Got A Feeling"; "For You Blue"), or slightly different versions of songs that you can get on Past Masters Vol. 2 ("Get Back" and its B-side "Don't Let Me Down," which isn't on the album; title track; "Across The Universe"). Billy Preston contributes keyboards throughout, but it hardly helps. (JA)- No wonder they couldn't agree on a version they liked. The only major compositions are Paul's gentle "Two Of Us" and the title track, the band sounds bored with itself, and Spector's production redefines "heavy-handed." Un-Spectored versions of most of the tracks surfaced on Anthology 3 in 1996, but in 2003 the two surviving Beatles went to the well one more time, issuing the new, remixed, un-overdubbed Let It Be... Naked . There's not much to recommend that release if you already have the other stuff; Preston is mixed louder, but his organ often doesn't suit the mood. Naked does include a version of "Don't Let Me Down," which should have been on the album in the first place, and gets rid of all the studio chatter meant to fool you into thinking the tunes were performed live. (DBW)Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl (recorded 1964, released 1977)Spare yourself. George Martin does his best to repair the sound of this early concert, but there's no use: the performances are lousy - the band couldn't hear themselves play over their screaming fans, and you will hardly be able to hear them either. (DBW)I've heard this too, and although it's terribly recorded and minimally performed, it has some historical interest for those exact reasons - no other band created such fan hysteria with so little effort. (JA)Past Masters Vol. I (recorded 1962-1965, released 1990)- Excellent collection of all the non-LP material from the first years - listen to their unparalleled artistic development unfolding. Even the obscure covers are wonderfully exciting ("Slow Down"). (DBW)- Development is the key word here. Sure, it's a fascinating historical document and a must for collectors, but the Beatles started out a long way from where they ended up, and they hadn't quite peaked at the point where this collection stops. The good things about it are completeness - with the following CD it collects all the band's official non-album releases - and thoughtful presentation, with useful liner notes and a track listing that carefully follows the historical order of release. Such remarkably considerate treatment is a rarity in the music industry. (JA)Past Masters Vol. II (recorded 1965-1969, released 1990)- Also essential; collects the rest of their non-LP material, although one wishes they'd thrown the four new tracks from Yellow Submarine on as well. Why don't the Stones have a collection like this? (DBW)- Because Decca/London is even more crass and clueless than Capitol/EMI. This collection is good, but hardly essential. Sure, much of it is unsurpassed - the psychedelic fusion of Motown and the Yardbirds represented by "Rain" was an absolute breakthrough, and "Hey Jude" is arguably the biggest song of the entire 60s. But you can say similar things about a lot of stuff the Beatles did, and the disk is weighed down by relatively poor material like George's tuneful but lightweight "The Inner Light," with ripped-off poetic lyrics and Indian session players handling all the instruments; John's incoherently diary-like "The Ballad Of John And Yoko"; and the crudely recorded Get Back-era singles, including the group's silly multi-part experiment "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)." (JA)Beatles On The BBC (recorded 1962-1965, released 1994)A few nice surprises here ("Soldier Of Love," "Some Other Guy," the Lennon-McCartney original "I'll Be On My Way"), but it's not exactly the kind of album you'll listen to over and over again. (DBW)I've heard many of these tracks. The "new" ones are indeed weak, and the knockoffs of more familiar songs closely follow the original arrangements, but I figure the collection must be harmless good fun. My only gripe is that despite the pages of liner notes and precise recording dates, the track listing is in a seemingly chaotic order, making it hard to make sense of the the Beatles' warp-speed musical progression during this early era. Presumably, though, this is a reasonable alternative to dragging out your early Beatles LP's for the ten millionth time. (JA)Anthology Vol. 1 (1995)Two discs of early recordings, outtakes and live performances. Besides the obvious historic interest, there's not much to recommend the collection: the unreleased songs aren't very good (besides their rockin' cover of "Leave My Kitten Alone") and the outtakes are without exception inferior to their released cousins. The one "new" song (the three living Beatles completed a 1977 Lennon demo) "Free As A Bird" is fluff, and there are so many backing vocals and guitars piled on top of Lennon's voice you can hardly hear him. You either ran out and bought this the day it came out, or you don't need it at all. (DBW)Anthology Vol. 2 (1996)More of the same in the followup to the multiplatinum Vol. I . This covers outtakes, alternate takes and live performances from 1965 to early 1968, with one "new" song: "Real Love," like "Free As A Bird" a Lennon demo with loads of acoustic guitars and backing vocals piled on to cover the thinness of the original performance. "Real Love" is a more substantial tune than "Free As," but it's not something Lennon was considering for release on either Double Fantasy or Milk and Honey ... it has a Beatles sound to it, but it's not a classic or anything. There are a couple of fun outtakes ("That Means A Lot" is a decent tune, although the performance is weak and buried in echo), but the live tracks sound terrible, and many of the alternate takes are Frankenstein's monsters, assembled from several different uncompleted masters - the same way Alan Douglas worked on Jimi Hendrix ' posthumous releases. Personally I would've rather had more really new material, like the entire track of "12 Bar Original" instead of a three-minute snippet. Once again, fun for the band's millions of fans, but not recommended unless you already have all the original albums. (DBW)Anthology Vol. 3 (1996)Third and last in this series of collectors' albums, it's easily the best: there are no poor-quality live tracks, almost no redundant alternate takes, and only a few inconsequential demos (mostly from the White Album period). There's no newly recorded reunion track here, but there are plenty of intriguing alternate versions (the Spector-free "Long And Winding Road," a hilarious take of "Rocky Raccoon," a lovely acoustic version of "While My Guitar"), and a few unreleased songs: John's "What's The New Mary Jane" is experimental and outlandish, but far more listenable than "Revolution #9," George's "Not Guilty" is a fine heavy rocker, Paul's improvised toss-off "Los Paranoias." There are also some nice surprises: Paul's demo of "Come And Get It" is release quality, his brief take on "Step Inside Love" (which he wrote for Cilla Black) makes you wish he'd done a proper version himself, John makes sarcastic off-mike comments throughout, and the band's stripped-down rehearsal of "Hey Jude" with heavy Ringo drumming, beats the released version all to hell. If you're a fan wondering whether these Anthology jammies are worth your money, start with this one. (DBW)Get back.

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Hoe Overview Biography Discography Songs Credits Charts &Awards The BeatlesSend to FriendNext Formed1960 in Liverpool, England Disbanded1970 Years Biography by Richie Unterberger So much has been said and written about the Beatles -- and their story is so mythic in its sweep -- that it's difficult to summarize their career without restating clichés that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans. To start with the obvious, they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era, and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century. Moreover, they were among the few artists of any discipline that were simultaneously the best at what they did ... Read Mor...buy George HarrisonJohn LennonPaul McCartneyRingo StarrPete BestStuart SutcliffeSimilar

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The Beatles
"Whoa, You Mean Paul Was In A Band Before Wings?"
Introduction O ne may question the point of creating a page about The Beatles, and rightfully so. They are so far beyond myself and my opinions that, really, nothing I can say will probably make a dent in what anybody thinks of them. Plus, every possible story, legend, rumor and factoid about the group's ascension to glory and the evolution of their drug use, political views and haircuts have been enumerated ad nauseum in countless forums of discussion. In short, there is nothing I can add, right? Well, if I may say so, no, that is not correct. You see, virtually every discussion and analysis of The Fab Four includes something along the lines of, "These guys got me into rock music," "I've loved these guys since I was 3," "My parents played nothing but Rubber Soul when I was an infant," etc. I, however, am vastly different. Not only did I not grow up with these guys, I dare say that I hated (at least, I thought I did) them until I was, man, 18 years old. And because of this fact, I can approach this page from the angle of a very recent, but very 'born-again' fan.You see, one of the great tragedies of this generation is that, in many circles, not only is it not 'hip' to enjoy The Beatles, but in many ways their name has become somewhat of a dirty word. Dated pop crap and all sorts of "yeah yeah yeah" nonsense, you know the drill. And I must say, I was fooled to the extreme, and because of this the very idea of owning any of their albums was nausea-inducing to the extreme.As I was building up my music collection, though, I started to feel bad about not having anything by the group that was credited with essentially creating modern rock. Plus, I had felt similarly about The Who before giving them a chance, but I had recently discovered that I absolutely adored the group. So, on a Friday night in early February '99, I headed over to the local college-supplies and CD shop with the intention of getting one of their albums (btw, if you're curious, I was a finance and mathematics double at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Now, I was really anxious about this, and wanted to get as far away from their early 'pop crap' as possible, so I picked what I knew to be their last recorded album, Abbey Road. So I took it home with me, put it in ... and actually somewhat enjoyed it. The music was far more mature, rocking, beautiful and creative than I had anticipated; in particular I was intrigued by the mini-suite on side two.The week passed, the CD was played many more times, and I then decided to add the infamous Sgt. Pepper's Lonely-Hearts Club Band to my collection. I wasn't quite as impressed by it at first, but I was truly taken by the beauty and power of Day in the Life, as well as by the fact that I had heard tons of these songs in other forms elsewhere. In any case, I decided that I needed more, and since Prindle raved so much about The White Album , I figured that would be my next purchase. So about three weeks later, I headed over to the shop, plopped down my clams, took the album home, and was floored. Absolutely friggin' floored. "Wow," I thought, "This is absolutely incredible; so many styles done SO WELL, this is probably their best album." And then I bought Revolver three weeks later ... I listened to that album four times in a row right after buying it, and could have continued this forever if I didn't have work to do right away. Needless to say, by this time, I was completely and totally hooked.The greatest test, of course, came when I started buying pre-Rubber Soul albums, since I was afraid that all the garbage I had heard about them would come true, but ... nope. There is NO WAY I could call this stuff bad (not to mention that A Hard Day's Night is EASILY one of my favorite records).Anyways, I've managed to amass pretty much everything they ever did (except for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack), including the Anthologies and Past Masters. I love it all, and I marvel that my head was stuck in my butt for so long. And, again, don't think for a moment that I have predjudice towards the band - I love their music because I think it is truly awesome, not because everybody tells me to love it. The combination of genius found in John Lennon and Paul McCartney has never been and probably never will be topped, and any band with a genius like George Harrison filling a supporting role ... now that's something special. And on that note, the reviews are spewed forth ... What do you think of The Beatles? Josh Fitzgerald (breezesf85@email.com) What do I think of the Beatles? I think that they're the greatest rock group in history of course. Why not stop here? What more is there to say. There's been nothing truly original in popular music since the Beatles (except maybe rap music). But really, there's nothing more to say.Lillestrøm Stasjon (lillestrom.stasjon@hysjhysj.net)The songs I like and hate the most:From Please Please Me:Best: There's a placeWorst: Love Me Do (never liked it)From With the Beatles:I don't know, I feel like there's no highlights on this one. I will have to chose the single from this period "I want to hold your hand"And I love "I call your name"From "A Hard Day's Night":I'll cry instead (best one on the album)I should have known betterThings we said todayFrom "Beatles for sale"I don't want to spoil thep artyNo reply(both in close competition with the rest of original material)From "Help!"Best:I've just seen a faceWorst: Act naturlly and Dizzy miss LizzyPlayed out: YesterdayFrom "Rubber Soul"one of my favorite albumsBest songs: Drive my car, You won't see me, I'm looking through you,Wait, Girl, In my life and norwegian wood.Worst: What goes onFrom "Revolver"(the good one's are better than on Rubber Soul, but too many not so good songs here. Still a masterpiece)Best songs:I'm only sleepingAnd your bird can singTomorrow never knowsHere, there &everywhereFor nooneElanor RigbyGot to get you into my lifeTaxman is ok, I don't care too much for the rest of the songs, especially Yellow Submarine.Don't forget the brilliant B-side on Paperback Writer, Rain. I love it.Best single: Strawberry fields/Penny LaneFrom "Sgt.Pepper"I think this one is a bit overrated.Best Song: A day in the life (if I had to pick only one Beatle-song, it would be the one)Best songs: Getting Better, Good moring Good morning, Lovley RitaCan't Stand: Mr.Kite, 64 &Within you, without youFrom "MMT"(this album should never have been issiued)Best song: I am the walrusFrom "White Album"(among the very best, but one can easily cut alot of songs)I love U.S.S.R., I will, Ob-la-di and MarthaFrom "Yellow Submarine"nothing - What tha hell were they thinking.From "Abbey Road"Brilliant AlbumBest song: BecauseWorst: none - Hard to find weaknesses hereFrom "Let it be"Top notch - a few skipper's like 909Best song: across the universe Robert Grazer (xeernoflax@jack-the-ripper.com)Oh boy, oh boy. Ok deep breaths. Now I'm ready.The thing is that I don't find myself liking the Beatles quite as much as every other rock critic on the web. Don't get me wrong, I love the band, but they are not my favorite. I do have some problems with them.Their songs are too short. I am a really big fan of long songs and side-longs. They always seem complete and often perfect. The can be great epics, or pointless but excelllent compsitions. Yes, The Beatles' songs got longer toward the end and there's that thing on the second side of Abbey Road , but look at many of their others. "And Your Bird Can sing" is a great song, but before you can truly get into it it's over, not even two minutes. It doesn't feel incomplete, just like it was a great melody that deserved another couple of minutes. That's one of the reasons I love "I Want You/She's So Heavy" so much. It gives me time to really enjoy the song. Maybe I'm a hypocrite as some of my very favorite Beatles songs ("In My Life," "Elenor Rigby," "For No One") don't even make it to the three minute mark. I'm only saying a few more songs like "I Want You/She's So Heavy" wouldn't have been that bad.The Beatles penned some excellent lyrics. They are the one of the only bands who can pen sad love lyrics ("For No One") that don't end up sounding completely sappy. However, some of their songs end up entirely stupid. No, not "Octopus's Garden;" what I had in mind was more to the direction of "Baby you Can Drive My Car." No, the lyrics don't ruin the song. But they make "Octopus's Garden" look intelligent.There seems to be a belief around the earth to the extent of "The Beatles can pen no bad songs." I disagree. It is true that they didn't know the definition of the word filler, but sometimes the songs they wrote, no matter how hard they tried, turned out awful. The first song that comes to mind is "Come Together" off of Abbey Road. I can't really put into words what makes me hate it, but it clearly shows that the Fab Four were not the Flawless Four.Does the title of "Most Revolutionary Band" belong with them? Undoubtedly. The title of "Most Overrated?" Nope. (Ever hear of The Rolling Stones?) How about the title of "The Greatest?" Maybe. I hesitate to say yes or no because of the comments I made on The Who. While I would not pesonally award them the title, it must be noted that most decent rock critics give them the title, so maybe they are the greatest band of all time. Thought09@aol.comI don't know if you have yet, but if not, you MUST get the yellow sub album. Either the new songtrack or the old album, I don't care. Why? 'It's all too much' is absolutely amazing. It's in my top 5 beatles songs easily. George writes this simple little ditty that is acid inspired, but look at what it becomes. Paul's Bass playing rules on this track. Not that his lines are all over the place but it's just awesome. Actually, what am I talking about....I just read an interview w/ george and I guess it's George playing the organ on this one and Paul plays the freakout guitar lines. This is the sweetest, awesomest, most amazing guitar tone and sound the beatles ever released....It doesn't sound like the beatles!!!! It's a Jimi Hendrix/Beatles mix!!! Ringo's drumming is outta this world too. The mix on the new yellow sub cd is prob. better, however the amazing guitar track is lower in the mix and loses some of it's freak out sensation. If at all possible, try to get the unedited 8 min. plus original mono mix version on mp3...I have it and am blown away. The version of 'only a northern song' on the new cd is much better though, since it's in stereo and the fucked up sound effects blow the mind. This tune makes the stuff on MMT seem pennylaneish. RL (rlnmrm@yahoo.com)Hi,One must considered the historical perspective, when analyzing past creations by artists. In this case, material created by the Beatles, which true to art's function in society is to reflect the life and times.As for the length of their songs, at the time there were time length constraints placed upon the length of songs by radio stations. If a song was to receive airplay it had to be short, averaging two minutes thirty seconds, however stations prefered two minutes.The Beatles did push this envelope with Hey Jude which ran over five minutes.Despite all the enevelopes that the Beatles pushed, had it not been them, it would have been someone else.Personally, all this hype, which is commercially driven is spoiling a good thing. The more their music is repackaged and replayed, the more it destroys its intrinsic value. The songs should stand the test of time on their own, or not stand at all, if the quality is not there.One only need read the writings of Lennon or hear his interviews to ascertain he'd be totally dismayed by the continuous bombardment of the bands music.Case in point, during his Peace A Chance effort, upon reading the newspaper, he said:"Thousands of people up on their feet singing Give Peace A Chance at last night's concert and these bloody newspaper's heads are still in the Beatles."They had not said a word about the concert, infact they tried to ignore whatever he was doing that didn't match what their manipulated perspective said it should be.Don't misunderstand, I value what the Beatles did, however as Lennon said, they were just a band that made it very very big.They profoundly enhanced me as a musician, as when I was learning music I searched for a band that played all genre's and the Beatles did and created some.As far as who is the greatest of all, that is a relative perspective, and like art, a personal view.Besides, it remains to be seen what impact my music as well as my other works will have, and rather than compete with what others have done, much can be said for carving one's one niche'.That is how Elvis was deemed the King of Rock and Roll, Michael Jackson the King of Pop, etc., etc..In the end who cares (rhetorical question) and it really does not matter in the overall scheme of things.End of speech!"Sittinger, Brian D" (brian.d.sittinger@lmco.com) (7/17/01)If the Beatles are not the greatest, they must be darned close to it! my father, a big Beatles fan, practically owns all their studio albums. So, I have probably heard almost every song of theirs one time or another. For all I know, their set of stinkers has to be among the smallest set on this planet! That should say consistency right there. Their early pop period, though it can become a bit repetitious, is still, well, well-written pop. Not like the stuff today! Then, from Rubber Soul onward, one great album after another, full with freshness in their work.Regarding Rolling Stones versus Beatles for the greatest rock and roll band of all time, note the following:(1) Define Rock and Roll (if this really makes much of a difference!)(2) Name another band (other than the Beatles) in which every member had success as a solo artist (even Ringo!!).I say no further...denron (den.ron@verizon.net) (12/3/01)Well, Stoo , I'm a 44 yr.old Southern Ca. native girl, who still adores the Beatles, as if it were, .........snicker:)........Yesterday,............Only because, we all know darn well, there will simply never be another equal!!! Stones, you can try, Zep, Yeah we hear ya' baby.......but the real love of all of our hearts is the "Bloody Beatles" , they were...........in Sir Paul's words........Bloody the FING Best,(Paul's terminology, here folks) and they were the most enjoyable time, one could ever hope for in high school eh???!! :) Matti Alakulju (matti.alakulju@peterstar.ru) (12/28/01)What do I think about The Beatles? I think that they were those four guys who thought that having hair one inch longer than your father's is revolutionary. Seriously though, I know that everybody says they are the greatest band that ever lived. All my life I've heard lots of them on every possible radio station. And somehow, none of the songs I've heard has pushed me to buy any album of theirs. Just because they are considered to be the greatest I've bought a couple of compilations. But still, to no effect. And this is exactly my view of The Stones, too.My tastes in music start somewhere in the late sixties and I have millions (well, almost) of albums of every long haired freak who ever happened to grab a guitar in the early seventies. But there is no way I can get the big deal about these two bands who are supposed to be the best (and I'm 36 now!). To me their songs seem to be just too simple and too short and too much song-oriented. I wish they had even tried to show some chops as musicians. Even you smart critics must confess that none of the guys in these groups was an incredible musician. I mean, like Hendrix or Clapton or Page or Zappa.g1bass (g1bass@joimail.com) (6/27/04)After reading some of the comments on this webpage I find it interesting that some of the most negative comments are about songs where the Beatles dig back into their musical roots, as in several of Paul's compositions Honey Pie and and When I'm 64. Whilst it may be very cool to deconstruct Beatle tunes, without looking at their collective musical influences, aside from American influenced R&B; it should be noted that skiffle and the Music Hall influences particularly of post WW2 Northern England, and the melodic influence of the Irish in Liverpool, were tremendously influential while the Beatles were growing up. These cultural icons have influenced tunes including Bungalow Bill, a song about Jim Corbett a Brit in India, who served the Indian government by killing man eaters, and by establishing Indias first National Park. I think its very important when deconstructing this music to have some idea of the culture that spawned these songs and not be so quick to judgement about their validity. just my humble opinion.hello (wg_elementary@prodigy.net) (8/24/04)A Day In the Life best ever --?, you are correct.free as a bird is the only one that can make my jaw drop, though :) One of the most less heard appeal of the beatles is the intense comfort knowing all 4 are there whether heard or notwhere would penny lane &hello goodbye be without vocal peppering of JLMy fav &why ? Baby You're a Rich Man or I Am The Walrus(video) because within those songs you can hear the beatles going from best thing ever &being promoted/morphing into pure light**from the final scene of a classic star trek episdodeThat's my rant &I will pester you no more !Nickrj@aol.com (9/20/04)Hey John. It's me again! Since I last spoke to you I've been getting a lot of old stuff rather than 80's pop that had controlled most of my life. I'd like to talk about the Beatles and really they need no introduction. I've boughten all of their albums in the past year and I really love pretty much all of their 66-70 stuff. Here are my album ratings and best song in parentesiths Please Please Me 7(10) (I Saw Her Standing There)With The Beatles 8(12) (Money(That's What I Want))A Hard Day's Night 9(13) (And I Love Her)Beatles For Sale 7(11) (Eight Days A Week)Help! 8(12) (Ticket To Ride)Rubber Soul 9(14) (Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown))Revolver 9(15) (Tommorrow Never Knows)Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 10(15) (A Day In The Life)Magical Mystery Tour 9(15) (Magical Mystery Tour)The Beatles (White Album) 10(15) (Rocky Raccoon)Let It Be 9(13) (Let It Be)Abbey Road 10(15) (Something)Past Masters Vol 1 9(15) (She Loves You)Past Masters Vol 2 10(15) (Hey Jude)
Please Please Me - 1963 Capitol
8 (11) Best song: I Saw Her Standing There or Please Please Me Really friggin' good, considering both that it was the group's debut and that this was made in 1963 (the American counterpart, btw, was entitled Introducing the Beatles ). It's obviously not up to the standards of their later masterpieces, but it's still a very solid recording, with most of the songs lying somewhere between good and great (even by today's standards).I suppose that I could call Please a 'guilty pleasure,' but that would be somewhat of a misnomer in that there are only three songs on here that I'd be embarrassed to play in the company of others. One of them is a cover of an old ultra-generic 50's-style rocker entitled Boys. Now, mind you, my problem is not with Ringo's singing - he actually suits the song pretty well, and almost makes it enjoyable. The problem is those stupid "bop shoo-wop" backing vocals. Needless to say, those are enough to make me skip the track. In any case, the second is one of Lennon's own songs, the sloppy, very cliched Ask Me Why. I'd say that it's one of, oh, 5 original tunes in the entirety of the canon of the Fab Four that I simply cannot stand (of course, considering that they released 140 or 150 original songs throughout their careers, that's a pretty good number). Oh, and the third one (though I don't hate it, per se) is the George-sung Do You Want to Know a Secret?. I'm not sure what it is, but it just comes off as extremely clumsy. I don't mind Harrison's singing, but once the chorus rolls through once, it's hard to figure out what the point is of the rest.But man, the rest of the album is great! I Saw Her Standing There is a FANTASTIC way to kick off the album - it's a great rocker, with the wonderful harmonies that would soon become a trademark. Misery is one of the catchiest ditties I've ever come across, as are Love Me Do and PS I Love You. Also, after you come out of the Boys/Ask me Why swamp, we're greeted with the GREAT title track, with a simply amazing melody (man, these guys had talent even when they were 'simple rockers') and great harmonies to go with nice playing (it should also be noted that, for some reason, Ringo does not play on this track). Oh, and I simply mustn't forget the a


So, if you got to this point and read all that you really should consider doing something with your life.