The Beatles

Blimey Charlie, today I listened to The Beatles, or The White album depending on your preference, it is a lengthy expensive album, that in places has moments of greatness and in places has moments of Yoko.
This album is the 30th Anniversary edition, bought by my wife and cost in the region of 30 quid, EMI really did like to squeeze every penny out of Beatles albums and my current wife thoughtfully got it me for my Birthday.
I know from reading too many Beatles book and using my ears that this is a fractured recording, the sound of a band on its uppers, possibly one of the last concerted efforts to get something Beatles on record, some songs didn’t make the cut and appeared on the final Beatles albums proper.
What you get with The Beatles though are 3 musicians trying to make solo records, Lennon in particular is having a stab at his debut solo album and Julia would not have been out of place on Plastic Ono Band, and it is with perhaps one eye on this record that Lennon had whilst putting together his songs.
McCartney is also guilty, his, at times intolerably optimistic songs grate and seem totally at odds with Lennons often spiteful lyrics, on the one hand you have the angry young man and on the other you have the thumbs aloft optimist. Both seem to be in their own world, if not their own studio.
The songs though if you remove the filler, are amongst the best ever recorded by the Beatles, from the sublime Dear Prudence, the rock n rolling Back In The USSR, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Blackbird, I Will, Julia, Don’t Pass Me By, Cry Baby Cry and Helter Skelter, if this album were two sides long this could be amongst the best ever made, and if you believe Rolling Stone magazine, its in the top ten.
But what about the songs that aren’t akin to Helter Skelter or I Will? What about the songs that have more in common with Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, or worse? Well who knows who had the most influence on this album , but there are too many Savoy truffles, too many Obladi bloody dahs and too many Rocky flaming racoons and if there was one of the above then it would be forgivable but it seems George Martin pissing off during recording meant that the voice of reason left the building too, you say you want a revolution? Well yes we do but can we have the fantastic rock n roll track and not Revolution bloody number 9. Stick your Stockhausen up your hausen.
So how do I mark a great album, that is overly long, meandering, selfish, disjointed, drug fuelled and probably seemed like a great idea at the time. 10 for the great songs, 0 for the bad? 7 for the good the bad and the ugly. 7 out of 10.



I Will by The Beatles

Let It Be

I have a short week this week as I fly off on holiday on Thursday. Greece as you asked. The thing with Greece, Puressence were quite big in Greece, and Kev used to, and excuse the vernacular here, but Kev used to bum Puressence like no other band. They were like precursors to Doves.
Puressence has nothing to do with todays CD, which is The Beatles Let it Be. Released the year of my birth, 1970 it was the final Beatles studio album although recorded before Abbey Road, it was released after Abbey Road. Produced by noted murderer Phil Spector it tied in with the film of the same name that documented the recording of the album.
I have to say this is my favourite Beatles album and I do consider it to be utterly faultless as albums go. Taking songs that have been played repeatedly over the past 39 years, Let it Be, Long and Winding Road and Get Back its easy to see why The Beatles are held in such reverence and put on a pedestal. But then specifically on this album you dig a little deeper, Two of Us, I Me Mine, For You Blue and Across The Universe and already this album outstrips any Beatles album that came before it, any album in consideration. Take One After 909, one of their earliest songs, recorded and released in 1970 and it is not out of place in the slightest.
The band on this album seem totally confident in their abilities and are happy to let their blues influences come to the fore, whilst still retaining a pop sensibility. A truly great album, and therefore the first 10. 10 out of 10.



I Me Mine by The Beatles

Rubber Soul

Today was really the first day of summer, the weather dictated that I should be playing a suitably summery record that had me skipping down my road to my car, so it was fear that gripped me when I went to the CD shelf this morning, knowing that it could spew something perfect or it could Spew Bjork’s Vespertine. The sun gods were happy though and decided that one Bjork a week is more than ample. Rubber Soul was the music, Stafford to Coleshill was the journey, Sunny was both my disposition and the weather, Scottish replacement for Claire Nazir was right this morning.
Rubber Soul was the first Beatles record I adored, I acquired my parents copy in my late teens and played it endlessly, somewhere in a cupboard I have these poems I wrote when I was 15 or 16 and those poems rip this album off without the merest hint of trying to hide it, I listened to it a lot!
As of now though it isn’t my favourite Beatles album, but it is certainly up there and it kind of heralds the start of their more experimental phase, playing with instruments that you didn’t really hear on mainstream pop records, Sitar, Harmonium and potentially spoons (I like the idea of spoons on records). The subject matter was getting a little darker also, not just Norwegian Wood, but in Run For Your Life the tone is menacing. Lennon said that Run For Your Life was his least favourite songs, cant see it myself.
Enough to say I think this album should be owned by everyone and it always perplexed me that in those greatest album polls this was eclipsed by the likes of Revolver or Sgt Pepper, this is in my opinion far stronger than both those records, but still not the strongest Beatles record. 9 out of 10



Run For Your Life by The Beatles

Live at the BBC

Well back to it, I had a week off as I had podcasts and a new album by Camera Obscura to listen to, but mainly podcasts.
Fitting perfectly into a 40 mile each way commute was the Beatles compilation, Live at the BBC. 69 tracks from BBC sessions from 63 to 65. This compilation was given to me by a person I can't recall, for a reason I can't remember. I think it was Ted, Audrey Roberts former husband off of the Coronation Street, you know, the gay fella that knocks about with philandering Ken Barlow. It wasn't really him but when I try and recall who it was, Ted, Audrey Roberts former husband off of the Coronation Street, you know the gay fella that knocks about with philandering Ken Barlow springs to mind.
The reason I took a week off from the trip through the CD's was podcasts etc, but also I really didnt fancy this CD. I thought it was possibly their worst CD, and lengthy at that, so a lengthy CD from my least favourite period...ooh look a podcast on trees, that HAS to be listened to.
So today I returned and was surprised, really really surprised, it was relatively light on the early career filler that I was going to struggle to enjoy, and quite heavy on covers of songs from people that clearly influenced the band, from the well known tracks like Lucille, Johnny B Goode etc, Matchbox and Kansas City. Tracks that defined who The Beatles were on the stage of the kaiserkeller. My favourite track and a Beatles track I listen to a lot is their version of Till there was you and the version on here doesn't disappoint. So 69 tracks, 8 out of 10. Excellent stuff.



Till There Was You by The Beatles

1

A difficult CD to be subjective about this morning, namely 1 by The Beatles. A CD containing all of their number 1's. I don't know how I got this CD, as it is rather superfluous to my requirements. Its difficult to give an opinion on something that could realistically divide the readership but I am going to be brief about it.
I like The Beatles, I am a fan, currently though and I think its always been the case my favourite albums are post Sgt Pepper. So that all said 7 out of 10, not because the songs are bad, or I didn't enjoy listening to them, but realistically there has to be some perspective and though I really enjoy Day Tripper, I prefer Here Comes The Sun, and Help is a great song but it doesn't compare to Two Of Us. So a low score but not because its bad.



Get Back by The Beatles