This week's artist is probably a little different than the average pick for Music Togetherness. Typically we all try to come up with an artist that might have been flown under the radar for the others in the group, or we try to pick an artist or genre that we just don't think the others would take the time to listen to otherwise but that we feel like the time spent on these artists is necessary. The Beatles, obviously, have never flown under any radars. They have been the most well-known artists in the history of music since they exploded onto the scene in 1963, and have had countless documentaries shot, books written, and even video games created about them in the years since.Why did I pick them then, you might ask? The answer for me is simple. While their early years produced most of the best known songs from the band, they were mostly just a singles band during that part of their career. From 1965 through 1969, however, they went on the single most flawless run of pure greatness in the history of recorded music. The six albums they released during this time - two of which I was unable to include this week due to our album count restrictions: 1965's Rubber Soul and 1967's Magical Mystery Tour, both of which should most definitely be heard if you have any interest in the band at all - were massive hits, but they weren't simply a collection of singles. The Beatles almost single-handedly created the full-length album format, which removed the artist from the constraints of creating a song simply to be played on the radio. This allowed for the band to explore every idea that came into their heads, and in turn allowed for some of the most exciting, creative music ever written. That John Lennon and Paul McCartney were great songwriters is the most massive understatement ever stated.....they were true pioneering geniuses on par with the likes of Beethoven and Mozart. Everyone knows their names, everyone knows their faces....now enjoy getting to know the music that I, along with many, many others have spent the majority of their lives with.
The Albums:
1. Revolver (1966)
2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
3. The Beatles [aka The White Album] (1968)
4. Abbey Road (1969)
"Revolver" starts off really strong with "Taxman," a forerunner of political ideas expressed in song - much like your Rage Against the Machines and Green Days these days. It's followed by one of my all-time favorite Beatles songs - "Eleanor Rigby." This song is really emotional, in part thanks to those violin parts - I picture an old woman who wasn't always alone, but whose family and friends all preceded her in death, leaving her no one in the world.
ReplyDeleteAs sad as it is, because the Beatles are my favorite band, I have never listened to all the CDs all the way through (especially not in order), so this week was important to me. I should note that even on the songs I wasn't really familiar with, I was familiar with their lyrics, because I have a complete lyrics illustrated book I've read through and through.
"Love to You," sounds really Indian with that sitar music, which was Georgie boy's influence of course, what with his interest in transcendental meditation and Eastern culture. I'm not too fond of the intro although the rest of the song starts to grow on me after a bit. If nothing else, I always love to hear the foreign and worldly influences. "Yellow Submarine" has always been one of my least favorite of the band's hits, but it's fun and apart from the drugs, actually kind of cute and kid-friendly. I could see this as an awesome motif for a kids room... I was not aware before David told me, but apparently "Yellow Submarine" isn't a CD - it's a soundtrack to the movie. Before he told me that I kind of wondered why "Yellow Submarine" would be on "Revolver."
"Good Day Sunshine" can put anyone in a better mood and is solid the whole way through - especially for people who enjoy some of their earlier works, like myself.
"And Your Bird Can Sing" is one of favorite tracks, although I was relatively unfamiliar with it until Beatles Rock Band, haha. It's a helluva lot of fun to sing, and the lyrics are great. Doctor Robert, on the other hand, is kind of silly. One of my least favorite tracks here.
"Got to Get You Into My Life" is such a great song. It's about meeting someone you're just meant to be with - someone to make you feel whole. There's a sense of excitement, and slight desperation that makes this song really authentic.
"Sgt. Peppers" was one of the few albums I had heard all the way through coming into this week. Back in high school, when I was going through an obsession phase, my friend Amy's dad gave me a tape he had recorded, which turned out to be this album and a few of his other faves. So there you have it.
ReplyDeleteThis album was also the beginning of the Paul is Dead rumors, which state that the real Paul McCartney stormed out of a recording session for this album in Nov. 1966, drove off in a car and was involved in a fatal car accident. The cover includes some of the clues that stick out in my mind from having read about the whole phenomenon extensively. I won't get into it extensively, so let me link this page that can explain all the Sgt. Pepper Paul is Dead references - http://www.paulisdeadhoax.com/index.php/sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band/.
Moving on, this album is their first movement toward concept albums, where the band is playing as the ficticious "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band." The title track is awesome. It's theatrical, but on purpose, and in an awesome way. It's a great song anyway, but as far as intros go this has to be the best one I've ever heard. (P.S. Billy Shears is supposedly the real name of the guy we know as Paul McCartney today.)
"With a Little Help From My Friends" is also a classic, and a good one from good ole' Ringo. "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" is one example of this album being on the forefront of psychedelic rock, and is also most definitely about LSD, even though I think the band denied that a lot of the time. "Getting Better" gives me such a better outlook on life. It seems like one of the American Idol contestants within the last 4 years has sung "She's Leaving Home." This is a great song a singer can really emotionally connect to - and if this is done properly (as obviously the original has done) this song can induce chills.
"Within You Without You" I believe is the reason David started to think about doing the Beatles for Music Togetherness - the idea was sparked during Thievery Corporation week when everyone seemed to react positively to one of the tracks, except David and I who recognized that it was basically a blatant ripoff of this Beatles great. As far as their sitar-based songs go, this one is done right.
"When I'm 64" could have been featured on "Up." It's so cute, yet extraordinarily well done, both proving some things that are cutesy can be masterful. I love Paul's voice here and the song is such a sweet love song. You can tell it was written during their Cavern Club days because it sounds more like their older stuff.
I like "Good Morning Good Morning" until the foreign part, haha. ("Good Morning-uh")
David said that "A Day in the Life" is the Beatles' Greatest Song. Just to disagree, I said at the time that it wasn't, remembering a time that I myself thought it was. Upon further reflection, he may be right. It tells an interesting story, changes moods, changes tempos, changes lead singers (the best of everything) then uses that orchestra build up at the end to play with your emotions. Genius.
This is David's favorite Beatles album (and I believe possibly his favorite of all time, he can correct me if I'm wrong). I'm not sure which are my favorites because they're all so close and I love them all, but this is definitely one of the strongest I've ever heard.
Moving onto "The White Album," we dive right in with "Back in the USSR," which was basically the Beatles making fun of the Beach Boys and their poppy happiness. It's one of those spoofs that turns out to be pretty awesome in its own right, proving the Beatles can harmonize like any other and the Beach Boys definitely did not have that market cornered.
ReplyDelete"Dear Prudence" became one of my favorite Beatles songs after watching "Across the Universe," which I LOVED. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's a musical, yes, but the music (obviously) is higher caliber than most of your musicals. I always thought Prudence was an ugly name. It basically means "cautious" or "conservative," which is interesting because it becomes obviously that they chose the name wisely. The whole song is about trying to get this Prudence to smile, take chances and be happy. "Dear Prudence, open up your eyes."
When my mom and dad put my baby picture in the Tatler, they quoted "O-bla-di, O-bla-da". It made sense, being that I was called La La, that I was getting ready to go out in to the real world, and that I had an undying obsession with the Beatles.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is quite possibly the best of George Harrison's contribution to the best. And he's my favorite, for those of you who don't know. It's a great guitar track, has great lyrics and is incredibly emotional.
"Happiness is a Warm Gun" is masterful. I've given it more attention this week than I ever have and it really is impressing. It's complex, with all the different parts that build and build, and without which the song just couldn't be complete. I don't know if I get why "Happiness is a Warm Gun," but OK.
"Blackbird" is simple and short, but one of my favorites. Again, I point out Paul's voice as a strong suit here matched with the acoustic guitar. Chills.
"Piggies" is kind of dumb. I guess no one can be perfect.
"Rocky Racoon" is another of my favorites. Yet another Paul song, but I think this is a good example of how his voice can sound a lot of different ways. Great story here.
We can't forget "Why Don't We Do It in the Road," which is pretty fantastic for the fact that that title contains every lyric in the song except "no one will be watching us." It really shows, though, the real range this band has -sweet love songs, storytelling and psychedelic music isn't all these guys can do. They can rock the hell out as well.
Speaking of sweet love songs, "I Will" is one of the best.
To Be Continued...
When I heard we were doing a week on the Beatles I have to say that I was pretty excited. When I was in middle/high school, I was a HUGE Beatles fan. Then I saw the albums that David had chosen and was quite disappointed. I actually love a lot of the earlier stuff that they produced, but having said that and reading what David posted I can understand why he did what he did. Although I still wish you would have put Rubber Soul on there, but that’s ok. Maybe I can do a week in the future covering their earlier stuff. That’s the beauty of the program.
ReplyDeleteRevolver is one of my favorite albums that we are looking at this week. “Taxman” is such a fun song, I love the simple beat and the playful lyrics. Then it goes straight into the superb orchestration of Elanor Rigby. This song is so unique in the fact that it is so simple yet so dramatic. I actually love the fact that they took out the guitars and drums and created the dark atmosphere of the violins. The story is quite sad, and shows how lonely this woman was. That’s why I think it is so important to not add a huge orchestration but keep it simple for this meager woman. Love you to is a more psychedelic/worldly song. So far this album is really all over the place, and that is what makes the Beatles so unique. They didn’t just stick with one sound but ventured into other instruments and such. Yellow Submarine is another fun song, while it is not showcasing great vocals, (aka Ringo) it is one of those songs that we all know, and can’t seem to not tap your feet too. “And your bird can sing” is a song I was just introduced to through Beatles Rock Band, and I have to say it is quite catchy. For no one, and Dr. Robert were two of my least favorite tracks. They seemed very amateur, and just a little too repetitive. “Got to get you into my life” is a great track, I really like the use of horns and the playfulness. Paul’s voice sounds really smooth. This album is quite impressive when you think of all the different twists and turns it takes. You never know what the next track is going to be like, and that is the great thing about what the Beatles were able to accomplish for the music industry.
Sgt. Peppers is an album I am very familiar with. The title track is very fun, and I love how it leads into, “With a little help from my friends.” This song always makes me think of a karaoke bar, and a whole bunch of drunken people singing together. From the get go this album is a little more cohesive, and seems to blend well from one track to the next. “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” is a very trippy song, and you can definitely tell that they were doing some major drugs at this point in their career. I really like how the tempo gradually builds into the chorus. “Getting Better” is another one of my favorites, that until recently was one I would have normally skipped over. After playing this song on guitar hero, I noticed it really did make me feel better. It is one of those songs that you can’t help but being in a better mood after hearing it. The next three tracks did not do much for me, it’s not until we get to “Within you Without you” that we get to hear more of the sitar, and that Indian vibe. The word that best describes this song for me is zen. The song “Good Morning, Good Morning,” not to sound like a broken record is a song I had not heard until Rock Band. Having said that I actually really like it, and can’t help but get it stuck in my head. “A day in the life” is the masterpiece of the album. I never really appreciated this song until I saw Michael Johns perform it on American Idol and thought man that song really is all over the place. It is so intriguing, and really is ahead of its time. This album is much better than I remembered and will get more playtime on my I pod.
Up until 2 years ago, I have not been a fan of the Beatles for two reasons. The first being the ‘popular’ bias in that everyone else praises them, so I don’t feel the need to follow the crowd. The second being that Andrew bought an anthology disc back in middle school that had a new track called ‘Free as a Bird’ that I absolutely hated. We shared a room and we had pretty different tastes in music, so before going to sleep, we both put on our headphones and listened to our own stuff. Well I would take my headphones off first and try to go to sleep and he would still be listening to his music. and For about a month, he had that damn song on repeat and no matter how much my dad tried to convince me they were the greatest band every, I could not help but associate their entire collection of work with that one song. Eventually Beth started playing more and more of their work in the car and then we played the Beatles Rock Band game in one night and I don’t mind them so much. We listened to all 4 albums on our ride back on Tuesday and I have to say that it made for a pleasant trip and that in general the tracks are good cruising music.
ReplyDeleteIt is a little difficult for me to put myself in 1966 and pretend that I have not heard anything like this before. That being said, my greatest compliment of the Beatles is that had Revolver been released in 2010, it would fit right in. They were so far ahead of their time with both sound and content. Of the 4 albums that David selected, Revolver is my favorite as the lyrics have some real content to them, I feel still has that innocence that we talked about during N’Sync week, and it is was the most complete album. Taxman is an easy song to feel connected with, we have all had to ‘take it’ from the man. Eleanor Rigby is easily my favorite Beatles song. The lyrics make you step back and think a little deeper about humanity and our interactions with one another. I also love how this song really features the stringed section. Love You To is another one of my favorites. I love the Middle Eastern sound to it and the lyrics are also quite deep and meaningful. Yellow submarine was fun and silly when I was 12, but now I actually find this one quite annoying. I will give them props for having fun with a song though. Good Day sunshine is one where I hear a lot of elements that appear in some of the music I listen today. In particular the piano notes that are amalgamated within Panic at the Disco’s latest. Paul’s voice has its lowest moment on Dr. Robert, but Got to Get you into my Life is back on track. I also really like the ending track in Tomorrow Never Knows even though it is almost a carbon copy of Love You To.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band seemed to have combined two albums together. The first half up through Within You Without You, was very similar to Revolver in that it was current and still had relevant content and innocence to it. Not to sound like Simon Cowell, but the second half was filled with old fashioned and quite bland tracks. Within the first half, there are several tracks that I have heard before and have already formed my first impression long ago. Getting Better is probably my favorite of those tracks, although I don’t think that I feel that its message necessarily applies today. Seems like it is always getting worse, actually. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was previously a very annoying song for me as I had no idea what the chorus was referring to. However, after playing Beatles Rock Band, I have found that it was one of the more enjoyable songs to play. Within You Without You is similar to Love You To and Tomorrow Never Knows from Revolver. These songs are quite trippy, and I really love the state of mind that they put me in. As mentioned before, the second half doesn’t really do anything for me and it is primarily because there just isn’t a lot of substance to them. One thing I can say is that one of my favorite artists in Hawthorne Heights used to go by ‘A Day in the Life’, so I learned where that came from.
ReplyDeleteIn general, I have to say that the White Album fails in every attempted comparison to the first two. I don’t know if the drugs really kicked in, but a lot of these songs sounded to me like they were saying, ‘Hey, we’re the Beatles and we can put literally anything on an album and know you will buy it.’ I usually applaud something like this as they are putting the music they wanted to record out there and are willing to live or die with the consequences. In this case, it feels like an abuse of popularity. There are a few exceptions to this rule. Back in the U.S.S.R, Dear Prudence, and Birthday are solid tracks and Glass Onion is an intriguing analogy. However, Why Don’t We Do it in the Road?, Savoy Truffle, and Wild Honey Pie are completely absurd tracks while the rest are complete snoozers for me. I know that one of the reasons of selecting the Beatles was to get a glimpse at them from a complete album perspective and not just the radio tracks, but I can see why I haven’t heard some of the tracks on this album before.
Abbey Road is a combination of the White Album and Revolver. A few serious tracks and few a “silly” ones. This is a bit more old-fashioned sounding, but there are more tier 1 tracks on this than the White Album. Come Together is an excellent track to start the album off. It really gets us back into a serious mood from the previous effort. The highlight of this song is really the base guitar. Something and Oh Darling are solid tracks as well, but Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and Octopus’s Garden are quite ridiculous. Why you would put Maxwell’s Silver Hammer between two serious tracks like Something and Oh Darling is beyond me. I Want You is the highlight of the album for me. I really like the songs where you can play the guitar without the lyrics and can still hear the lyrics in your head. The guitar and Paul’s voice are in complete sync on this one. For being a happy go lucky song, Here Comes the Sun is surprisingly not as annoying to me as I would have thought. I also like Because primarily for the instrumentation. The rest of the album is similar to SPLHCB in that there just isn’t any substance to me. They are all less than 2 minutes and literally start and end without me noticing.
ReplyDeleteIn general, the Beatles Rock Band night was more eye opening than this week. Or perhaps it just was eye opening first. Maybe I need to hear some of their other work, but I was disappointed at the lack of depth that these albums had and I didn’t really find any songs that I liked that I hadn’t heard before. Maybe we can do a Beatles week v2, v3, and v4 to get a more rounded look at their collection. Either way, I have spent the entire week with different Beatles songs in my head.
First off, I want to completely clarify my reasoning for picking the four albums that I picked for this week. I went into this with the basic assumption that most of us, if not all, have heard all of the big hits that came off of the first few albums that The Beatles released. Those albums were centered around those singles that came with them, and there was some filler taking up the rest of the tracklist in several cases (although the filler on those albums would have been amazing coming from anyone else), and in my personal opinion each and every song on these four albums constitutes an absolute effort to create a true work of art by the band. These are the albums where John, Paul, George and Ringo were given free rein to create anything they liked, and in doing so actually created several sub-genres of rock n' roll that still exist in a very popular form to this day. I sincerely felt that these four albums contained so many ideas and musical forms that everyone could pick out certain songs they loved and could see that The Beatles weren't simply a band writing throwaway pop hits, but one that pushed the limits of songwriting at the time they were written and weren't afraid to explore different styles of music. I totally would not be opposed to having another Beatles week someday in order to round out our listening to their catalog more completely, and I feel 100% that they are the only band where something like this could/should be necessary.
ReplyDeleteAre you saying that you don't feel Lamb of God week number 2 is called for? :)
ReplyDeleteI obviously didn't learn my lesson last week, and attempted to write another insanely long post in the comment box, coming up with approximately 1000 words on my love of 'Revolver'. Once again, just like last week, I tried posting this only to see an error message pop up, completely deleting everything that I had written. I had intended to sit here and give my opinion on practically each and every song on these albums, but my frustration has reached an extreme point and I honestly can't do it right now. What I'm going to do, is wait a little while and come back to this, whether it's this weekend or sometime in the future and try to give my thoughts on all of these albums, as I feel that I have some pretty worthwhile things to say about them. I'll let everyone know when I have these things written so that they're known, and I apologize for not having it done now. In the meantime, I will go ahead and say that on my grading scale, each and every one of these albums fully earns a 100%. Laura was correct in saying that "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is my favorite album of all time, and actually was the first album that I ever owned to myself, buying it with the first paycheck I ever received from working at my dad's Farm Fresh when I was 12 years old. I bought the other albums as I had the money for them, and in time grew to love each and every one of them for reasons both similar and different. The Beatles (along with Radiohead) stand FAR above any other artists in my esteem, and giving everyone the chance to listen to them this week has been great. If anyone has any specific questions about any of the albums or songs in general before I write my comments, let me know and I will try to answer them to the best of my thoughts and abilities.
ReplyDeletePlease enlighten me with your take on Yellow Submarine and Octopus's Garden. These are two in particular that I just did not get.
ReplyDeleteThose two songs are actually really similar in both sound and lyrical content, in my opinion. For one thing they're both sung by Ringo Starr, and that in itself can be a huge turnoff for some people. Ringo was obviously the least talented Beatle, and although his drumming was underrated, he was never a very good vocalist. "Yellow Submarine" was written by Paul McCartney, and it was a pre-cursor to a lot of the "silly" songs that Paul would write in the future, many of which appeared on The White Album. I think it was originally intended to lighten the mood of 'Revolver', and having Ringo sing it gave the song a childlike quality that the lyrics definitely enhanced. My favorite part of the song is the sing-along section at the end, and every time I listen to it I pick out John Lennon's voice amongst the rest, and think about how weird it is to hear him singing something as bizarre as "We all live in a Yellow Submarine".
ReplyDelete"Octopus's Garden" was Ringo's second sole writing credit (the first being "Don't Pass Me By" from The White Album), and is actually by far my favorite song sung solely by Ringo Starr (as "With a Little Help From My Friends" doesn't count as the others sing on it as well). Like most of the songs on 'Abbey Road', the standout for me is George Harrison's lead guitar, although I also love the piano thats being played in the background of the song, as well as John Lennon's backing vocal harmonies. In response to something Thomas wrote earlier, I think that the sequencing of this song and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" in the spots they're in in the album tracklist is to break apart the more "serious" songs, "Oh! Darling" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", as The Beatles never really liked to have consecutive songs that took things too seriously.
I think the biggest similarity between the two songs is in their lyrical content, though. Both songs are obviously based on underwater themes, but I also think they're written about forms of escapism. The band during these years was followed so closely by the media and the public in general that they weren't allowed to live their lives as they'd have liked to, and these songs represent an opportunity as voiced by Ringo for the band to have a sort of communal existence underwater where they wouldn't be bothered by what seemed like everyone. I can see why someone wouldn't like these songs as much as many of their others, but like all Beatles songs, I have learned to hear their many positives over the course of listening to them hundreds of times.
Something else that came to mind based on something Thomas said....but he mentioned that the second half of 'Abbey Road' having short songs that seem to begin and end without him noticing. In actuality, that's actually the point of the second half of the album, as it was produced as a medley of short song snippets that were fused together to create a single whole. From "You Never Give Me Your Money" through "The End", each song is meant to flow right from one into the other, and this section is one of my favorite 16 minutes of music I've ever heard. I love how "Carry That Weight" brings back the melody from "You Never Give Me Your Money" and splices that with the "Carry That Weight" section....it's an amazing way to tie the beginning of the medley to the end of it, and it never fails to blow my mind each time I hear it.
Thank you David. I think our difference in opinion stems from me looking at the music standing apart from the band and am not considering what the band was going through in each of these albums and what they were wanting to achieve. Your perspective does shed some light and I am happy that their music makes you feel the way it does.
ReplyDeleteHey these Beatles guys are pretty good. That’s the understatement of the millennium. To think that a music lover like myself has never sat down and listened to Abbey Road until this week is completely absurd. I despised them for quite a while due to the fact that my sister was completely infatuated with them and listened to them incessantly. Since then I’ve appreciated their work more and more for the fact that they have directly influenced practically every meaningful recording artist in the past 50 years and were absolute genius’ about crafting perfect songs. This week was a success in getting me up to speed on some “necessary listening”.
ReplyDelete“Taxman” automatically makes me think of the old Batman tv show theme song; considering that show and Revolver came out in the same year I don’t know who borrowed from who. The orchestration in “Elanor Rigby” shows how these pop superstars could make a beautiful atmospheric piece about a very somber subject. There is such an innocent, youthful way about John’s voice that makes “I’m Only Sleeping” a sugary dream. John and Paul’s voices were made to be heard by the masses, but it’s George’s guitar that is the real highlight for me; his sitar playing on “Love You Too” is a precursor to more Eastern leaning music from him on future albums. “And Your Bird Can Sing” is my favorite track off the album because it is a perfect example of how John and Paul’s voices complemented each other. The shocker for me was “Got To Get You Into my Life” which I thought was an Earth, Wind, and Fire song but was originally written by Paul; EW&F honestly do a better job of this song as they have an amazing brass section and Maurice White’s falsetto is much more suited for the track. This was a good album but not my favorite of this week.
“Thank God the Beatles did drugs”. This is a direct quote from yours truly while riding to volleyball with David and Laura earlier this week. Now I am in no way advocating drug use by anyone, but the creative process takes many different avenues when under the influence of certain substances and when you have the already creatively fertile minds that the Beatles had it could only produce fascinating results. It’s not a secret that the Beatles were being adventurous with narcotics at this point and the results are this album where each of them take on an alter-ego to ultimately feel more comfortable to do some very different things musically. The woozy “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” speaks of rocking horse people eating marshmallow pies; “Fixing a Hole” has Paul singing about not letting people in his door and fixing a hole where the rain comes which, for me, is about being able to block out the unwanted distractions of the world with whatever was their drug of choice at the time. Of course Henry the Horse dances the Waltz, followed by the carnival organ and harpsichord is another surreal journey on “Being For The Benefit For Mr. Kite”. The enormity of their previous successes is the only reason an album like this could have been made in the 60’s. The gorgeous sitar playing on “Within You Without You” is one the many reasons George is my favorite of the Fab Four. Sgt. Peppers is amazing and leads us into the only Beatles album that I’ve ever purchased which is the undoubtedly influential White Album.
Fans of the early Beatles output may be put off by the White Album because of its exploration into new sound, but it is the reason why I love it. “Dear Prudence” is sheer bliss and holds up as one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Happiness is a Warm Gun” go down in my books as the greatest back-to-back tracks on any album ever. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” has Eric Clapton on lead guitar and showcased George’s beautiful writing. During this time Eric became infatuated with George’s wife Pattie and eventually she left George and married Eric, but George still remained friends with him, which blows my mind. There are many meanings that can be given to “Happiness is a Warm Gun”, one being the unstable state the U.S. was in due to the unpopularity of the Vietnam War, also the lyrics about getting a fix and how when I hold you in my arm nobody can do me no harm can be a reference to heroin use; this is highlighted at the end of the song with the crescendo of the chorus symbolizing the euphoric high. The re-mastered version of this album is like listening to it for the first time, it is such an even more amazing experience than the old album that I have, thank you David. “Blackbird” is a favorite and “I Will” is a sappy romantic tune from Paul that gets me because I guess I’m corny.
ReplyDelete“Yer Blues” is sludgy and wonderful for a blues fan like myself; it is something that the Beatles left to the Rolling Stones because the Stones were way better at it but this track was done quite well. The heavier electrified fuzzy guitars are a focal point for the second half of this album. “Everybody’s Got Something…” serves as a warning shot for the very heavy “Helter Skelter” which along with the earlier “Yer Blues” served as a blueprint for the sound of the White Stripes. The droning guitars fading out and then back in at the end of “Helter Skelter” was an interesting choice. I hear so much inspiration for today’s artists and sounds on this album, the melodies on “Long, Long, Long” immediately remind me of the choral/folk style of Grizzly Bear and Beach House. Not all tracks are winners though, “Honey Pie” and “Savoy Truffle” can be skipped over. “Good Night” serves as the perfect ending to a chaotic ride that is the White Album.
It’s unfair how unbelievably talented this group was; “Come Together” is so anthemic and grand and they led the album off with it! Most artists will never come close to making such an iconic song and the Beatles, probably sensing the end of their union, decided to go out with a flourish. “Something” is one of two incredible George songs on Abbey Road, George was very gifted at making the guitar sing, his guitar had it’s own voice. Paul is never more charismatic as when he is behind the mic, “Oh, Darling” oozes with that McCartney charm. There is such a peace and comforting tone in George’s voice that lends to his beautiful compositions, “Here Come The Sun” is the perfect soundtrack for crisp Sunday mornings. The sequencing of the second half of the album is such a fitting way to finish their recording career together, very climactic and sweeping. I love the way they bring back “You Never Give Me Your Money” on “Carry That Weight”, it showcases the writing talent that McCartney and Lennon shared. The harmonies on “Because” and “Sun King” are ethereal and are reasons I love modern day artist Fleet Foxes. Abbey Road was truly a great discovery this week, it is now my favorite Beatles album. Beatles music is in it’s own class, for there will never be another group that could shape the landscape of music the way they did.
ReplyDeleteUpon listening to the White album I was surprised to find out it was 2 discs. Having said that, I really preferred the first album more then the second. Back in the U.S.S.R. is a really fun way to start out the album, but I have to say “Dear Prudence” is much more up my alley. I love the simple tempo, and I think John’s voice sounds great. Oh-bla-di, Oh-bla-da, always makes me think of that show “Life Goes on” whenever I hear it. You know with Corky the kid who had Down syndrome. Anyways, I think this song is quirky and has to be hit amongst small children. “Bungalow Bill” was a very hard song for me to get into, although I find the chorus to be quite catchy, it just had a really odd flow into the following versus. “While my guitar gently weeps” used to be one of my favorite songs, and I know I have heard a better version than the one on this album. I think the one I am thinking of is just George and the guitar. Although I like the simplistic version better, I think either way this song really shows off what a great performer/guitarist George was. “Martha my dear” I really enjoyed for it’s piano and orchestra elements, which start it off light and breezy only to then pick up tempo for the rest of the band. “Why don’t we do it in the road” hmm, not really sure what to say about this one. I honestly can’t believe this song made it to the album, it is so childish yet humorous. On to the next disc.
ReplyDelete“You say it’s your birthday” did not quite catch on as the ever so popular “Happy Birthday” but if you are in the mood to rock out on your birthday maybe this song should be sung instead. “Mother Nature’s Son” is one of my favorite Beatles songs. It is so beautiful and has that folk vibe I love so much. It is definitely my favorite song on this album, and Paul’s voice is very soft and peaceful. “Helter Skelter” is a little on the creepy side, maybe that is what attracted Charlie Manson to it so much. I have to say that when Thomas and I were driving home from Alton, we were very excited to get to the song “Good Night” having thought that it was the last song on the album. While I really enjoyed the first disc on the album, the second one kept me hoping for the end.
Abbey Road starts out with “Come Together” and this song is just superb. For as simple as the song is, it has a lot of depth with its awesome intro and bass line. It to this day stands out as such a unique song, unlike almost anything I have ever heard. “Something” is played quite often on our local oldies station, so although I really like the song it is quite played out for me at this point. It is still a beautiful song, and I think almost every girl wishes a guy would dedicate this song to her. “I want you (She’s so heavy)” has become another of my new favorite songs. This is another Beatles song I knew nothing about until playing Rock Band. This for me is the Beatles sexiest song, the slow groove and the yearning in John’s voice for this woman is so sensuous. I love how the tempo progresses as John’s voice gets louder and louder. It’s a little odd to go from this song to “Here Comes the Sun.” I guess this is the Beatles setting you up for a mood change. I love the positive message and the altogether happy vibe that the song brings. I think it’s pretty interesting how each song flows into the next on this record, you never really can tell especially on the second half when one song stops and another begins. I really liked the first half of Abbey Road, but not so much the latter.
ReplyDeleteI didn't finish this... it's a shame too. I'm glad to see some back and forth here in the discussion.
ReplyDeleteWhere was I? Oh yes, the second disc of "The White Album."
"Birthday" is kind of a silly song, isn't it? But it's fun. It's pretty eye opening to see the contrast and the wide range this band covered even on this album alone - from "Mother Nature's Son" which is sweet and organic, to "Helter Skelter" which apparently some crazy people think means "kill."
I wasn't as familiar with this side of the album as the first, and in contrast to Beth, I prefer the first.
"Abbey Road" is definitely one of the strongest albums, and one of the best I've heard period. "Come Together" is an anthem, whoever said that above was absolutely right. I never was a fan of "Something," but I love me some George Harrison no matter what.
"Oh Darling" is one of my favorite Beatles songs of all time. It hearkens back to their earlier albums with it's love-dedication lyrics and emotional delivery from Sir Paul.
Unlike Thomas, I also really love "Octopus's Garden." I was actually just thinking the other day about how the song would be a pretty awesome motif for a kids' room. (I may try that one day so don't steal my idea ;)) I never thought of these "silly" songs' deeper meanings, so I was interested to read from David that an underlying theme is escapism. I can definitely see it, and I have to give the song more credit than I had in the past.
The "I Want You" part of the movie Across the Universe was bad ass. This is hands down one of the coolest Beatles songs ever written. It's kind of hypnotic in its repetition, but its layers reveal complicated emotions.
"Here Comes the Sun" has always been one of my faves (another George). It's a little understated but pretty. "Because" is the opposite, but still works amazingly well. I love the harmonizing and the dark undertones of the instrumentals.
"Polythene Pam" is awesome, and kind of hilarious. "She's so good looking but she looks like a man?" Haha.
"Carry That Weight" and "The End" are also classics. I just don't know what more I can say. What a great theme to take from "The End." "The love you take is equal to the love you make."
Obviously, this has been one of my favorite weeks thus far, and I'm glad I was forced to take a closer look at the Beatles in album form.
Justin was right, these guys were so ahead of their time it wasn't really funny. I don't think, though, that they were just trying to see what they could get away with. I don't know that they cared what they could or could not get away with. I mean, they got bored with the live show thing by the time these albums came out, so I'm guessing they made the music they wanted to regardless of what people would think. It just so happened that it worked for them. These guys were pure geniuses, and people apparently saw that (apparently not all people, because some were into burning their albums, but you get the point).
That's it... I'm reading the "Anthology" cover to cover. That's happening. Mark it.
Sorry for the late second half of my response.