Okay, so I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I know very little about The Beatles. Of course, I've heard damn near everything they've done because it's impossible to grow up in the good ol' US of A without doing so, but I've never really listened, you know?
This weekend I had the privilege of seeing Cirque Du Soleil's tribute to The Beatles at The Mirage in Vegas and I was blown away by the show.* It made me realize that I definitely need to spend some time familiarizing myself.
I figure - as usual - my Soul Strut brethren can be of great assistance. I'm looking for stuff like "must hears," song meanings, subliminals, anecdotes, etc. (I'm also curious as to why "Jojo made his home in Tucson, Arizona." I always thought it was weird and fascinating that my own little hometown was namechecked by some British boys, even more so considering that Paul made this his home years later.)
Thank you all in advance.
Herm
P.S. As soon as I get a chance, I'll upload the show CD which features slightly-tweaked versions off the master tapes.
Cop the following albums - UK versions if possible, as some of the US versions had different tracklistings/sequences that kind of ruin the mood of the records for me.
Revolver Rubber Soul Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Abbey Road
These are my personal favourites, and I've been listening to the Beatles for as long as I've known what music is, and they're the most consistently satisfying listens for me personally. Also, check out the late Ian McDonald's "Revolution In The Head" - it's an exhaustive track-by-track analysis of everything they ever recorded. He comes at it from a sort of academic perspective, but not in an intimidating way. It's not the kind of hagiographic big-up that most Beatles books are either. He's not scared to be critical, but in terms of understanding their shit musically and getting a handle on its cultural significance (in the UK, especially), there's nothing better out there.
The Purdie story is an urban myth. He's rumoured to have done some overdubs on the early Beatles shit that came out on Vee-Jay, but the story that he supposedly played on all their records up to and including Revolver has never really been taken seriously.
you know my name is an alltime fave.
all the anthology sets are good too, but alot of re-hashing.
course the break on anthology 2 is worth the price of admission alone.
purdie my ass.
i still think "introducing the beatles" is my favorite lp. cant go wrong with a isley bros cover.
Another facet to this four headed monster is the plethora of bootlegs to be had. A few years back, I was getting them on the regular from Ebay. One particular dealer went under the name Heathifer Productions. They were out of San Diego & took great care in putting a package together with full color inserts & tidbits about the CD. I figured I better buy them before the powers that be put a stop to it. Haven't seen anything from them in a couple of years. Won't answer emails either. Anyhoo, here is a download of one of my favorites. http://www.sendspace.com/file/corsvk
Anybody have the Kinfaun sessions they would like to contribute?
rubber soul revolver sgt. peppers lonely hearts club band magical mystery tour white album abbey road let it be
are all fucking front to back classics. i would say it would be in your best interest to buy all 7 of these and just keep listening to them until it makes sense. things might not all come together at once but trust me all 7 of these albums are 5 out of 5.
if your only gonna get your feet wet with one i would say abbey road is the joint (Maxwell's hammer is the only song that doesnt blow my mind when i hear it, everything else is pretty much the pinnacle of rock music in my opinon.)
The medley on side 2 of Abbey Road is truly one of the greatest things they ever put their hand to.
Pretty much cosine on everything mentioned in this thread - White Album is probably my favourite for individual tracks but it is also the album with the most skippable songs.
Only thing I can really add is that I would highly recommend starting with the early albums and making your way through the sixties. Part of the appeal the Beatles have always had to me is that you can actually hear the development of their sound and the influences on their music album by album. I can think of few other groups who would rewrite their style so boldly with each release.
A must read book on the Beatles is "Revolution in the head" by Ian McDonald, which chronicles the recording of all their songs with facts and tidbits thrown in. Might sound boring and nerdy, but it's a fascinating read (even though the author lets his contempt for music post 1970 shine through at times).
I'd recommend anyone who's remotely interested in music to get at least Sergeant Pepper and Revolver. Half of the White Album and Abbey Road respectively are great too, even though they also contain unlistenable tracks like "Don't pass me by" and "Maxwells silver hammer".
if i really don't like the beatles even after listening to them a bunch, does that mean i hate music and am the spawn of satan and all that other garbage?
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
theyve really never done a bad song
rubber soul revolver sgt. peppers lonely hearts club band magical mystery tour white album abbey road let it be
are all fucking front to back classics. i would say it would be in your best interest to buy all 7 of these and just keep listening to them until it makes sense. things might not all come together at once but trust me all 7 of these albums are 5 out of 5.
if your only gonna get your feet wet with one i would say abbey road is the joint (Maxwell's hammer is the only song that doesnt blow my mind when i hear it, everything else is pretty much the pinnacle of rock music in my opinon.)
The medley on side 2 of Abbey Road is truly one of the greatest things they ever put their hand to.
Pretty much cosine on everything mentioned in this thread - White Album is probably my favourite for individual tracks but it is also the album with the most skippable songs.
Only thing I can really add is that I would highly recommend starting with the early albums and making your way through the sixties. Part of the appeal the Beatles have always had to me is that you can actually hear the development of their sound and the influences on their music album by album. I can think of few other groups who would rewrite their style so boldly with each release.
One of my earliest memories, if not the earliest, is of my ma taking me into town to NEMS, the record shop in Whitechapel, Liverpool which Brian Epstein owned, and buying me the first Beatles album, "Please Please Me", for my fourth birthday. I played and played that record until the grooves turned grey, absorbing every last word and note. I read the sleevenotes over and over, wondering if the words in the brackets by the songs, like (Medley/Russell), were supposed to describe the songs in some way, and what it was that connected strange names like "Shapiro Bernstein & Co Ltd" to the Beatles. If there's one single moment that shaped the direction of my life, that was it.
Definitely check out Revolution in the Head. I borrowed it from my dad and besides the aforementioned very thorough (and good) pieces on each of their songs, it really helped me get a feeling of that whole era, musicwise (as in, who inspired who, helped out on tracks etc).
one of my favorite tracks from them is Rain, which was the bside to a 45 of theirs the name of which I have forgotten right now. any beatles rareties comp with that on it is worth copping for that reason alone IMO.
as for anecdotes... - supposedly, Donovan (story taken from a recently released biography on him) once brought a non-musician friend with him to a party at Lennon's place. This was a few days after John had been released from the jail (was arrested on a drug charge), so in the middle of said party (and just after John had presented D & friend with some very potent weed), the police conducted another raid.
After the raid (where the cops failed the find anyting), the mood wasnt the greatest, as the party's fuel had just been flushed out the toilet. Cue Donovan's friend walking over to a courtyard fountain to pick up a plastic bag containing the killer weed, secretly placed there while the police were busy going through Lennon's house.
Revolver Rubber Soul Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Abbey Road
I cannot overemphasize the truth of the above Lps being as great and perfect as they are. Truly my favorites as well in the canon......
Word. I would add the White Album. I broke it out the other day and was just blown away all over again.
People who diss the Beatles hate music, fun, parties, and girls.
You gotta add the UK version of 'Hard Days Night' to that list to truly appreciate. That one and Rubber Soul are the ones I never get tired of. The song structures on 'Hard Days Night' may sound simple, but that's the beauty, those guys could put so much artistry into a pop song it was ridiculous. And it short changes the rest of their catalog to listen to it as though it came about in a vacuum. 'Hard Days Night' is a snapshot of a wildly talented rock band that was so bursting with songs and drive that it had no option but to create the next level.
I would recommend for the best Cliff's notes on appreciating the Beatles, find a copy of THE COMPLEAT BEATLES on VHS (unless it's available now on DVD). It is the best account of the group (without having to watch that mini-series that was put out a few years back, I don't think you are that obsessed yet) in short form. I also recommend that you watch 'A Hard Day's Night' as it is probably still the best rock movie ever made around a band, and a really fun time.
Comments
you know my name is an alltime fave.
all the anthology sets are good too, but alot of re-hashing.
course the break on anthology 2 is worth the price of admission alone.
purdie my ass.
i still think "introducing the beatles" is my favorite lp.
cant go wrong with a isley bros cover.
A few years back, I was getting them on the regular from Ebay. One particular dealer went under the name Heathifer Productions. They were out of San Diego & took great care in putting a package together with full color inserts & tidbits about the CD. I figured I better buy them before the powers that be put a stop to it. Haven't seen anything from them in a couple of years. Won't answer emails either. Anyhoo, here is a download of one of my favorites.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/corsvk
Anybody have the Kinfaun sessions they would like to contribute?
fair cop guv, nil offense intended. just a retarded piece of journalism.
As promised.
Info and tracklist.
Thanks for all the info so far. It is most definitely appreciated!
Herm
Word.
The medley on side 2 of Abbey Road is truly one of the greatest things they ever put their hand to.
Pretty much cosine on everything mentioned in this thread - White Album is probably my favourite for individual tracks but it is also the album with the most skippable songs.
Only thing I can really add is that I would highly recommend starting with the early albums and making your way through the sixties. Part of the appeal the Beatles have always had to me is that you can actually hear the development of their sound and the influences on their music album by album. I can think of few other groups who would rewrite their style so boldly with each release.
I'd recommend anyone who's remotely interested in music to get at least Sergeant Pepper and Revolver. Half of the White Album and Abbey Road respectively are great too, even though they also contain unlistenable tracks like "Don't pass me by" and "Maxwells silver hammer".
One of my earliest memories, if not the earliest, is of my ma taking me into town to NEMS, the record shop in Whitechapel, Liverpool which Brian Epstein owned, and buying me the first Beatles album, "Please Please Me", for my fourth birthday. I played and played that record until the grooves turned grey, absorbing every last word and note. I read the sleevenotes over and over, wondering if the words in the brackets by the songs, like (Medley/Russell), were supposed to describe the songs in some way, and what it was that connected strange names like "Shapiro Bernstein & Co Ltd" to the Beatles. If there's one single moment that shaped the direction of my life, that was it.
And with that, I'm off to a BP garage for a mushroom slice.
'I think I'd have to say, The Best Of The Beatles".
I don't, but...
one of my favorite tracks from them is Rain, which was the bside to a 45 of theirs the name of which I have forgotten right now. any beatles rareties comp with that on it is worth copping for that reason alone IMO.
as for anecdotes... - supposedly, Donovan (story taken from a recently released biography on him) once brought a non-musician friend with him to a party at Lennon's place. This was a few days after John had been released from the jail (was arrested on a drug charge), so in the middle of said party (and just after John had presented D & friend with some very potent weed), the police conducted another raid.
After the raid (where the cops failed the find anyting), the mood wasnt the greatest, as the party's fuel had just been flushed out the toilet. Cue Donovan's friend walking over to a courtyard fountain to pick up a plastic bag containing the killer weed, secretly placed there while the police were busy going through Lennon's house.
oh, and first post on the strut. yeah!
You gotta add the UK version of 'Hard Days Night' to that list to truly appreciate. That one and Rubber Soul are the ones I never get tired of. The song structures on 'Hard Days Night' may sound simple, but that's the beauty, those guys could put so much artistry into a pop song it was ridiculous. And it short changes the rest of their catalog to listen to it as though it came about in a vacuum. 'Hard Days Night' is a snapshot of a wildly talented rock band that was so bursting with songs and drive that it had no option but to create the next level.
I would recommend for the best Cliff's notes on appreciating the Beatles, find a copy of THE COMPLEAT BEATLES on VHS (unless it's available now on DVD). It is the best account of the group (without having to watch that mini-series that was put out a few years back, I don't think you are that obsessed yet) in short form. I also recommend that you watch 'A Hard Day's Night' as it is probably still the best rock movie ever made around a band, and a really fun time.