Not sure how this will go, but let's try it out. There's always a Beatles topic in The Lesson every now and then, and a few of you had said "how about an albums appreciation post? Unfortunately with The Beatles you can go in many angles, so I'm going to go with maybe one or two. Let's see how this goes.

The post is not only to discuss the albums by The Beatles, but also to honor the late John Lennon, who would have turned 67 on October 9th.

It was also on October 5, 1962 that Parlophone Records released a single, "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You", the first record released under The Beatles name. While they had done a recording session as the backing band for German singer Tony Sheridan (where they were credited as "The Beat Brothers"), this was the result of almost two years of non-stop gigging and pushing their music to record labels. This means that October is the 45th anniversary of The Beatles' first record.

We all know the stories, we all know the superhype, we all know what became known as Beatlemania. I grew up with their music when all of them were solo acts, so I had to learn by going back and doing research. Fortunately, book stores were my haven, that and used record stores. The Beatles were always on the radio, there was no clear distinction between what was old and new, there was no "classic rock" radio stations in the late 70's. You could hear disco and country along with Bill Haley and Parliament. There may have been special shows dedicated to a certain era of music, but that's how it was. Plus, the late 70's was also a time when people were hoping for a Beatles reunion, which kept Capitol Records busy with compilations and a live album containing unreleased music. I am sure we will get into the compilations, where there are many.


The first part of this "appreciation post" will consist of the albums the Beatles released between 1963-1970. The group released albums in their home country of England, but when they were signed to Capitol Records in the U.S., the label felt a need to divide up the same material in as many ways as possible. It would become the norm for them and a number of other British groups, and I say this because there wasn't a "norm" like that, there weren't many foreign acts making it big on the American charts, save for maybe opera. Even that would be untouched, since classical works were not meant to be tampered with. Because of this, British and American fans would hear the same songs, but presented in different ways. It continued until 1967, when SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARS CLUB BAND would be the first album to be heard in the same way in both countries, and around the world (with the exception of two seconds of audio in the run-off groove that we'll get to in a bit).

I'll do this in chronological order until we get to THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS ALBUM, released at the end of 1970. The albums discussed here will only be the ones specifically recorded for Parlophone/Capitol, although if there are a few turns into alleyways, we can get into that too.

Let's begin.











JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
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THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
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BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

this should be fun

SIDE ONE
"I Saw Her Standing There"
"Misery"
"Anna (Go to Him)"
"Chains"
"Boys"
"Ask Me Why"
"Please Please Me"

SIDE TWO
"Love Me Do"
"P.S. I Love You"
"Baby It's You"
"Do You Want to Know a Secret"
"A Taste of Honey"
"There's a Place"
"Twist and Shout"


The debut album by The Beatles, remaining #1 for 30 weeks on the British charts. The group, at the insistence of producer George Martin, were told to come up with their own material. They did so, but also incorporated a number of cover versions. The album included two previously released singles ("Please Please Me" was released in January) and ten brand new songs, all of which were recorded in one day.

30 weeks at #1, and they were knocked down to #2 by what? Their follow-up album when it was released that November. In 30 weeks, the group would manage to create a buzz in England that resulted in many radio and television appearances, new singles, all of which would gain the attention of record labels in the U.S. Although that wasn't always the case.








JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/crutmusic

THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/114473

BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
http://booksmusic.podomatic.com/

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

sound more and more. The harmonies on this joint are crazy (as usual) But the later experimental stuff is just so legendary.

--------------------------------------
I ain't NEVER seen a hungry, happy muthaf*cka!

Heavy Ro'
Jay Rock - Redemption
Roc Marci - RR2
Travis Scott - Astroworld
Taz Arnold - rAd americA

>The group, at the insistence of producer
>George Martin, were told to come up with their own material.

I had always understood that George Martin actually was hellbent on them doing a specific coversong as a first single until they told him they would NOT get away with that in their hometown, offering him 'Love Me Do' instead...

SIDE ONE
"I Saw Her Standing There"
"Misery"
"Anna (Go to Him)"
"Chains"
"Boys"
"Love Me Do" ("Ask Me Why" on Version 2)

SIDE TWO
"P.S. I Love You" ("Please Please Me" on Version 2)
"Baby It's You"
"Do You Want to Know a Secret"
"A Taste of Honey"
"There's a Place"
"Twist and Shout"

While the group were high on the British charts, a well known Chicago label would find interest and license the music for release in the United States. Vee Jay were known primarily for blues, R&B, and gospel, and often dabbled in world music for a bit of "non-urban" sales, so releasing a then-unknown group based on what was going on across the ocean seemed like an odd choice.

When Vee Jay released "Please Please Me" single, the label incorrectly credited them as "The Beattles". It would soon become the first Beatles collectible. As for the record, it went nowhere.

The label released "From Me To You"/"Thank You Girl" a few months later, which was the group's second UK single and part of the deal Vee Jay had with EMI. It was on the Billboard charts for a full three weeks, going as high as #116.

The songs on INTRODUCING THE BEATLES consisted of songs from their PLEASE PLEASE ME album. Back then the British "pop" norm was 14 songs on an album. In the U.S. it was 12, so two songs were removed. The album was a complete flop, and it quickly went out of print.

It would take the arrival of the group in the U.S., and Beatlemania, for Vee Jay to reissue the album, this time with a slightly different lineup (two songs replaced by two others). Now that people knew who John, Paul, George, and Ringo were, it pushed the album up to #2.

Vee Jay only had the rights to a few songs, but that didn't stop them from using the same exact songs and releasing them as singles, EP's, and albums, including JOLLY WHAT! THE BEATLES AND FRANK IFIELD ON STAGE, THE BEATLES VS. THE FOUR SEASONS, and SONGS, PICTURES AND STORIES OF THE FABULOUS BEATLES. By the time their license had expired, Vee Jay earned more money than everything in their entire catalog combined.







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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
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SIDE ONE
"It Won't Be Long"
"All I've Got to Do"
"All My Loving"
"Don't Bother Me"
"Little Child"
"Till There Was You"
"Please Mr. Postman"

SIDE TWO
"Roll Over Beethoven"
"Hold Me Tight"
"You Really Got a Hold on Me"
"I Wanna Be Your Man"
"Devil in Her Heart"
"Not a Second Time"
"Money (That's What I Want)"


Another rocker, WITH THE BEATLES was the second Beatles album. It went to #1 for 21 weeks and stayed at #2 for another 10 weeks. Again, the group featured new material along with some favorite American records of theirs, not only showing a love for early Motown but also a bit of Broadway schmaltz in the form of "Till There Was You". While George Harrison did have a vocal spot on PLEASE PLEASE ME ("Do You Want To Know A Secret"), he offered his first composition in the form of "Don't Bother Me", complete with a thick Liverpudlian accent and massive layered vocals that were in honor of those American sides he loved. Ringo Starr wasn't ready to offer his own material yet, but knowing the power of giving the drummer some, he sings on "I Wanna Be Your Man", a Lennon/McCartney composition that was actually given to, recorded and released by The Rolling Stones *first*. The Rolling Stones' version came out on November 1st, exactly three weeks before The Beatles came out with theirs. Lennon and McCartney were instructed on the power of publishing, something that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards would also learn as they made a switch from blues classics to their own songs.

Oddly enough, the album as is was not released in the U.S. but WAS brought into the U.S. through Capitol of Canada, who released the album as BEATLEMANIA WITH THE BEATLES on November 25th. Perhaps Capitol in the U.S. were still unsure on whether or not signing the group was a good idea, so they decided to release it up north and see what the results were. Was it a tactic done specifically for marketing purposes? While "All My Loving" was not released as a single in the U.S., it was in Canada, and enough people bought the Canadian 45 to where it forced Billboard to put it on the charts AND pushing the radio to give the song airplay. Of course, by February of 1964, it would be impossible to not hear Beatles music on the radio.

The album would be a hint of what was to come on both sides of the Atlantic, but little did they know how big things would become. Bigger than Jesus? Mmmmaybe.









JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
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THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
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BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

SIDE ONE
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
"I Saw Her Standing There"
"This Boy"
"It Won't Be Long"
"All I've Got to Do"
"All My Loving"

SIDE TWO
"Don't Bother Me"
"Little Child"
"Till There Was You"
"Hold Me Tight"
"I Wanna Be Your Man"
"Not a Second Time"

Before the release of MEET THE BEATLES, Capitol noticed the buzz happening in England. It was enough for them to go all out and give the group the promotional push in the U.S. On November 29, 1963, a week after the group released their second album, Parlophone released "I Want To Hold Your Hand" as a single. It would become the start of a tradition for the group to release something in time for the holiday season, insuring that the Christmas rush would also mean massive Christmas sales. It did very well, staying at #1 on the British charts. Whether it was intentional or not, the story goes on that fans heard about the song but could not find it in stores. Young fans who somehow knew about the group kept requesting the song but no one in the U.S. had it, nor did anyone know who The Beatles were. While the official U.S. release date for "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was January 13, 1964, imported copies were flown in to meet the demand and they were selling in the U.S. during the last weeks of 1963.

Then came MEET THE BEATLES. Who were these four humble men, and why were they somber? If somber, why was their music so happy? Looking at the liner notes, Capitol Records knew they had to do what they had to do in order to make their bet a winning one.

It didn't matter. The first two songs on the album happened to be the first Capitol single ("I Want To Hold Your Hand"/"I Saw Her Standing There"), with "All My Loving" on there as well. It went through the motions, and fans were sold. Little girls were peeing in their church outfits and didn't know why, all done with the impact of an album that didn't last 29 minutes. It would be a month before the group came to the U.S. for the first time and made their first television appearance, but for all intents and purposes, this was the album that for many Americans started it all.

Early American reviews weren't quite sure what to think, but their cover of Anita Bryant's "Till There Was You" did win them over with the sophisticatos.








JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/crutmusic

THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
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BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

Let's see what has happened with The Beatles since MEET THE BEATLES. Their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was now in the history books, with one report claiming that there was less crime in New York City that night than ever before. The amount of releases, primarily consisting of older material, seemed non-stop, showing the neverending urgency of the American recording industry to squeeze out a lot out of very little.

It was also on April 4, 1964 that The Beatles made history by having the Top 5 positions on Billboard's singles chart, AND the #1 and #2 spots on the Albums chart.

Record labels were scrambling to get a taste of this Beatlemania, and would end up signing any group that looked savage or had "long hair". Even groups who covered a Beatles-related song would be signed. Lennon and McCartney were also shopping their own material to be performed by others, so if it wasn't a Beatles song proper, you could also find "I'm In Love" by The Fourmost Sound, "Bad To Me" by Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas (who also released their version of "Do You Want To Know A Secret"), and of course Peter & Gordon's "A World Without Love", which was a hit perhaps not only because it was a Lennon/McCartney composition or that it sounded Beatlesque, but because it was just a good pop song. (It definitely helped Paul, for he would become a good friend of Peter Asher's sister, Jane, and dated her for many years during The Beatles' first phase of their career.)


While it would be unthinkable for a major label to release a new album by a still-new group within months of each other, Capitol did just that with what they called THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM. In truth it was the third American album, but the second one for Capitol, with material pulled primarily from the group's second British album, along with two brand new songs. Their trip to America proved to be fruitfull, and as if the group weren't already fans of Little Richard, they decided to record his "Long Tall Sally" and release it FIRST in the U.S. At the same time they recorded "I Call Your Name". Those two songs were mixed up with various songs from WITH THE BEATLES and packaged as an album. For a lot of Beatles fans, this was the first time they had heard music from "across town". In fact, when The Beatles were asked about their influences and referred to such musicians as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Smokey Robinson, the media replied with a "who?" The group would reply by saying "hold on, don't you know your own artists?" At a time when America seemed to represent "white America", that answer was "no". In 1964, just as The Beatles were tearing up the charts, the young folks of Detroit, Michigan were also stirring things up too, something The Beatles were very aware of. Americans, not so much. Yet.

Many early Beatles fans have claimed THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM as their favorite, partly because it seemed very different from MEET THE BEATLES, but because of the simple fact that it introduced some of them to Motown, with material that is very much a part of Motown's legacy. The group have often said that they did the music to honor the musicians they listened to and grew up with, not realizing that Americans weren't aware of "their own" music, even if many Americans didn't consider "that" music "their" own. They would become aware of the differences in various parts of the U.S. when they weren't welcomed due to their long hair and rebel attitudes ("smoking cigarettes = rebel") Two albums in a year, there can't be anymore. How wrong they were. It lead some to believe that The Beatles were ruining the fabric of America, thinking that they were a true British invasion and they were going to ruin the values of the sanctity of America. Even Elvis Presley wasn't too impressed, despite the fact that the group were very impressed to be in the land of the man with the swagger.







JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/crutmusic

THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/114473

BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

US release date: June 26, 1964
SIDE ONE
"A Hard Day's Night"
"Tell Me Why"
"I'll Cry Instead"
"I Should Have Known Better" (Instrumental)
"I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"
"And I Love Her" (Instrumental)

SIDE TWO
"I Should Have Known Better"
"If I Fell"
"And I Love Her"
"Ringo's Theme (This Boy)" (Instrumental)
"Can't Buy Me Love"
"A Hard Day's Night" (Instrumental)

=============
UK release date: July 10, 1964
SIDE ONE
"A Hard Day's Night"
"I Should Have Known Better"
"If I Fell"
"I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"
"And I Love Her"
"Tell Me Why"
"Can't Buy Me Love"

SIDE TWO
"Any Time at All"
"I'll Cry Instead"
"Things We Said Today"
"When I Get Home"
"You Can't Do That"
"I'll Be Back"


Just as fans were getting into two albums and a heap of singles for their 45 plastic spindle, it was announced that the group were coming out with... A MOVIE!!! American fans couldn't believe it, and it seemed like the influx would never stop. In truth, the group had already planned on doing a film in the fall of 1963, and figured that if there was a chance for the group to break into America, the film would be another way of promoting the band.

When people were in the theaters, no one knew what to expect. They saw what they looked like on TV, but would they be singing? Could any of them act? Did any of them have charisma? What exactly was going to happen? The theater went to black. With the strike of a guitar chord, and a flash of light, the first image fans saw was this:
http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=beatlesahdnfirstscenews4.jpg


It was the start of a running mob of kids chasing The Beatles. That image, matched with that first sound in the song, would become a memory for anyone who saw it then, and anyone who has seen it since. For many it captured perfectly what the craze and hype was about, the insane antics of fans and the energy many people felt their music provided. Everyone in the group was all smiles, and it seemed like a perfect world. The movie was about The Beatles, but managed to explore a bit that they might be like outside of the group, with individual scenes dedicated to them. If Elvis Presley movies were about a normal ordinary guy with an urge to become a rock'n'roll star, The Beatles were very much a band but who wanted to be able to lives away from music and the public eye. Perhaps that was a bit of British sensibility, something very different from the celebratory things American fans tend to have with their favorite artists, the "celebrity of celebrity".


Fans were able to take the soundtrack home, but differently in the US and UK. The U.S. version, released by United Artists Records (who released the film), was a true soundtrack, with the Beatles song used in the film plus incidental music recorded and performed by their producer, George Martin. In the UK, half of the album was dedicated to songs from the film, the other half a bunch of new songs. In many ways, an all new album for British fans, who were all too happy to buy it and take the experience of the film home.

For British fans, this was their first new album since WITH THE BEATLES. For American fans, this was the third album in a year. Could there be more? Nah, there couldn't be anymore. Right?

Before Capitol/EMI bought United Artists Records, both labels were considered competition. Because Capitol lost the rights to the A HARD DAY'S NIGHT soundtack, they followed it with (ahem) something new in less than a month. Album #4, coming up.

















JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
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THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
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BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

...or shall I say, "favourite"?

http://www.startower.co.uk
http://www.dannyswain.com

SIDE ONE
"I'll Cry Instead"
"Things We Said Today"
"Any Time at All"
"When I Get Home"
"Slow Down"
"Matchbox"

SIDE TWO
"Tell Me Why"
"And I Love Her"
"I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"
"If I Fell"
"Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand"


The soundtrack to A HARD DAY'S NIGHT was not released in the U.S. by Capitol, but by their competition, United Artists (a label that they would end up owning in the late 70's). With a new album on the charts (and back then there were three: Billboard, Cash Box, and Music World), Capitol needed to have new product on the chart. They created the SOMETHING NEW album, which featured songs that were on the UK version of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, their "Slow Down"/"Matchbox" single (the band covering Larry Williams and Carl Perkins respectively), and a German version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" that they released in Germany in March that year, "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand". The B-side of that single was "Sie Leibt Dich", a German version of "She Loves You". In the US "Sie Liebt Dich" was released by the label that released the English version, Swan. Unfortunately, Swan did not gain the rights to release the song, and Swan were given a cease and desist order, making the record an instant collectible (not before bootleggers started pressing up counterfeit copies and passing it off as originals).

Since most of the music was indeed new to American fans, it was a hit, but only went as high as #2 because of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT being #1. The album may have been a mere 11 songs long, but it was more than enough. Four albums was good enough, so we can now move on to 1965 and... oh wait a minute. There's more?





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THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
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BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

SIDE ONE
1. "On Stage With The Beatles"
2. "How Beatlemania Began"
3. "Beatlemania In Action"
4. "Man Behind The Beatles" - Brian Epstein
5. "John Lennon"
6. "Who's a Millionaire?"

SIDE TWO
1. Beatles Will Be Beatles
2. Man Behind the Music - George Martin
3. George Harrison

SIDE THREE
1. A Hard Day's Night - Their First Movie
2. Paul McCartney
3. Sneaky Haircuts and More About Paul

SIDE FOUR
1. The Beatles Look At Life
2. "Victims" of Beatlemania
3. Beatle Medley
4. Ringo Starr
5. Liverpool and All the World!


These days, if you're a new artist you have to promote yourself by being in "Making The Video", "Cribs", maybe an appearance on E! Back then, it was about the interview album, and in the vinyl era there were many.

THE BEATLES' STORY is an audio documentary created by Capitol Records as a way to document the story of The Beatles in sound, through interview segments not only with the group, but also with manager Brian Epstein. There are also a few live Beatles recordings, recorded at the group's show at the Hollywood Bowl in California in August, which was recorded specifically for future release. While the group weren't aware of its release, it did prove to be popular among the diehards who had to have anything and everything Beatles, so they let it go.

Capitol Records did plan on releasing it on CD in the late 80's, going so far as to making DAT masters of it. The surviving members of The Beatles and Yoko Ono said no to it, and it was stopped from release. DAT copies of the album do go for high prices in the collector's market, and no surprise it would be released as a counterfeit CD.






JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/crutmusic

THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/114473

BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

SIDE ONE
"No Reply"
"I'm a Loser"
"Baby's in Black"
"Rock and Roll Music"
"I'll Follow the Sun"
"Mr. Moonlight"
"Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey"

SIDE TWO
"Eight Days a Week"
"Words of Love"
"Honey Don't"
"Every Little Thing"
"I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"
"What You're Doing"
"Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby"

As a Christmas gift to their fans, The Beatles released BEATLES FOR SALE. If the group were for sale, the album cover suggested otherwise, as the members of the band looked melancholy, in jackets outside on an autumn day, not sure if they would ever make money in this music business. Poor babies.

Some of that melancholy did creep into some of their music, with "No Reply", "I'm A Loser", and "Baby's In Black" being considered a departure for the group. Maybe it was John Lennon listening to a bit of Dylan, or just the group really wanting to try new things. The album also had its share of covers, with music originally recorded by Little Richard, Buddy Holly (whose publishing would later be purchased by Paul), Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard. Perhaps the album was not so dark as the cover suggests, and it worked its magic, staying at #1 for eleven weeks.




JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
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THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/114473

BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
http://booksmusic.podomatic.com/

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

This is the album that started getting me heavy into The Beatles...I remember being a young kid watching the Beatles cartoon in the Chicago projects of Ida B. Wells (yeah, I know...strange...)...And alot of the music on the cartoon turned me on to their music...As I got older I started buying their albums...And this one was one of of the earlier joints I got...

"I'm A Loser" just showed me another side to those dudes beyond happy go lucky "I Want To Hold Your Hand"...and "Eight Days A Week"'s melody is so memorable you can't get it out of your head...I couldn't wait to dig into their other albums...I eventually became a Beatles head...

GOAT of his era......long live Prince.....God is alive....

I enjoyed 8 days a week and All I've got to do, but at that point they still were finding their identity. And no reply to me at least, was the statement of them ditching the boy band mania.

The album also showed the best in both songwriters. but nobody is seeing melancholy Lennon. it's like the prelude to jealous guy.

God is my Bodyguard!

Torn between saturday night and early sunday morn, I don't know i'm somewhere stuck in between(tween)!-Dre 3000

SIDE ONE
"No Reply"
"I'm a Loser"
"Baby's in Black"
"Rock and Roll Music"
"I'll Follow the Sun"
"Mr. Moonlight"

SIDE TWO
"Honey Don't"
"I'll Be Back"
"She's a Woman"
"I Feel Fine"
"Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby"


This was the sixth Beatles album of 1964, or at least the sixth proper album if you don't count the Vee Jay heap, or the repacking of the Tony Sheridan material. It was the fifth album of new material, and that's not counting the string of singles that came out too, including reissues from the Oldies 45 label (itself a subsidiary of Vee Jay, milking their 14 songs for all it was worth), and even albums assembled and released by Capitol Of Canada. Add to that all of the albums with groups featuring Beatle hairdos, which were nothing but knock-offs, many of which never stepped in England, or New England for that matter. It was a confusing time for fans who were used to just buying 45's.

BEATLES '65 was perhaps a way to welcome in the new year, but it did so by taking "the best" material from BEATLES FOR SALE and trimming it down to size. "The World's Most Popular Foursome!" were on top of the world, and if the photo on BEATLES FOR SALE made people questioned them, the photo on BEATLES '65 pretty much said "how ya like me now?"









JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/crutmusic

THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/114473

BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
http://booksmusic.podomatic.com/

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

SIDE ONE
"Love Me Do"
"Twist and Shout"
"Anna (Go to Him)"
"Chains"
"Boys"
"Ask Me Why"

SIDE TWO
"Please Please Me"
"P.S. I Love You"
"Baby It's You"
"A Taste of Honey"
"Do You Want to Know a Secret"

Vee Jay finally lost the rights to the music they purchased in early 1963, and it went back to Capitol who celebrated by what? Releasing it yet again. Fans who wanted new music were fed up with buying essentially the same album for the sixth time, but it sold enough to make it as high as #43. The photo on the cover came from the same photo session that resulted in the shot on BEATLES FOR SALE, even though the photo seemed very far from the group who played "Twist & Shout", "Baby It's You", and "Love Me Do". Since INTRODUCING THE BEATLES had been out of print (and most not wanting to buy the counterfeit pressings), THE EARLY BEATLES was for years the only way American fans could hear these songs.






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SIDE ONE
"Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey"
"Eight Days a Week"
"You Like Me Too Much"
"Bad Boy"
"I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"
"Words of Love"

SIDE TWO
"What You're Doing"
"Yes It Is"
"Dizzy Miss Lizzy"
"Tell Me What You See"
"Every Little Thing"


Even though The Beatles made it easy for fans to hear their music as originally intended (they treated their singles differently from their albums), Capitol Records wasn't having any "album integrity" nonsense, and created an album out of the songs on BEATLES FOR SALE they didn't use for BEATLES '65, and added four new songs that made its appearance here for the first time: "You Like Me Too Much", "Tell me What You See", and covers of Larry Williams' "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" and "Bad Boy". The new material was recorded between sessions for a new album, which was done for the second film they were doing (in colour, no less!!!) Fans welcomed BEATLES VI with open arms (perhaps even eight arms), and it would go up to #1 for six weeks on Billboard.






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UK release date: August 6, 1965
SIDE ONE
"Help!"
"The Night Before"
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
"I Need You"
"Another Girl"
"You're Going to Lose That Girl"
"Ticket to Ride"

SIDE TWO
"Act Naturally"
"It's Only Love"
"You Like Me Too Much"
"Tell Me What You See"
"I've Just Seen a Face"
"Yesterday"
"Dizzy Miss Lizzy"

==================
US release date: August 13, 1965
SIDE ONE
"Help!" (with "James Bond Theme" intro)
"The Night Before"
"From Me to You Fantasy" (Instrumental)
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
"I Need You"
"In the Tyrol" (Instrumental)

SIDE TWO
"Another Girl"
"Another Hard Day's Night" (Instrumental)
"Ticket to Ride"
"The Bitter End/You Can't Do That" (Instrumental)
"You're Gonna Lose That Girl"
"The Chase" (Instrumental)



It's hard to believe now that during a time when the group were constantly touring in the US and Europe, and making a new movie, they actually had time to go into the studio and record new music. During early 1965, the group had taken a break to do a big of traveling for filming. They would also write new music that would become a part of the film and soundtrack. Fans had a hint of what was to come in April of 1965, when "Ticket To Ride" was released. The single is significant, as the A-side clocked in at an unheard of 3:03. Most singles were the traditional 2:50 or less. The single also stated that the song was for the forthcoming movie, at the time called EIGHT ARMS TO HOLD YOU. When filming was done, it was decided that they should change the name, and it moved John Lennon to come up with the introspective "Help!" At the time the song was considered a bit fun, but of course the lyrics revealed something else entirely, that of a man who felt his life was changing "in oh so many ways", and in a time when success could have ruined him, he seeked a bit of guidance and personal space. When released as a single, Paul backed him up with the powerful rocker "I'm Down", which was his hybrid of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis combined. To this day, Beatles fans consider it one of the most perfect 45's in their career, a 1-2 combination.

As an album, HELP! revealed even more personal songs that were much more than holding hands. There was greater presence of acoustic songs, with "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" and "I've Just Seen A Face" being the most obvious. That and of course "Yesterday", which featured no one but Paul and his guitar, and a string arrangement from George Martin. In England the song was considered an experiment, but nothing more than a toss-off. Capitol Records, on the other hand, had other ideas.

Ringo had a chance at being his snuggly self, and he did that this time by covering a country song, Buck Owens' "Act Naturally". It too was an album track, but Capitol in the U.S. would release it as the B-side to "Yesterday", where it gained enough airplay to chart on its own.

The US version of the album was a "true" soundtrack, with incidental music from George Martin. It had been believed for years that on the UK version, the formation of the group spelled out the word "H-E-L-P" in semaphore. When released in the U.S., the photos were rearranged and it spelled "H-P-E-L". Semaphore nerds said both were false, and in truth their formations do not spell anything.

As a whole, the album went to #1 for 9 weeks. That acoustic side would be explored even more with their follow up.











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UK release date: December 3, 1965
SIDE ONE
"Drive My Car"
"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
"You Won't See Me"
"Nowhere Man"
"Think for Yourself"
"The Word"
"Michelle"

SIDE TWO
"What Goes On"
"Girl"
"I'm Looking Through You"
"In My Life"
"Wait"
"If I Needed Someone"
"Run for Your Life"

===================
US release date: December 6, 1965
SIDE ONE
"I've Just Seen a Face"
"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
"You Won't See Me"
"Think for Yourself"
"The Word"
"Michelle"

SIDE TWO
"It's Only Love"
"Girl"
"I'm Looking Through You"
"In My Life"
"Wait"
"Run for Your Life"


Outside of soundtracks, it was the first time that the UK and US albums came close to mirroring each other. Almost, but not quite.

The album marked a change in the group. While they wouldn't hesitate to cover a song in concert, RUBBER SOUL was the first to feature nothing but original material, with George Harrison having two songs ("Think For Yourself" and "If I Needed Someone") and Ringo getting a credit for "What Goes On?"

At a time when attention for folk music was at an all time high, when Bob Dylan was a savior for many, The Beatles were very much into it too and felt confident enough to touch on that with this album. They wanted to appeal to fans, but they weren't above being sneaky either, with references to "tit tit tit tit" in "Girl" or doing songs about smoking weed ("Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Glown)").

This was considered a much more mature Beatles, both musically and definitely lyrically. If "Help!" was a change for Lennon and his music, people felt he went much deeper with "In My Life", with many considering it one of the best songs he had ever written.

Capitol, insisting on milking the Beatles teet, would chop up the album and save some of it for singles (they liked "Nowhere Man" and "What Goes On" enough to release it as a single the following year), and replacing them with two songs from the British HELP! soundtrack.

There was also the issue of the weird sound heard in "Norwegian Wood", which was discovered to be a sitar, as played by George Harrison. Ravi Shankar, the man whose music Harrison admired greatly, taught him how to play, although when Shankar heard it, he said it was not that good, and obviously from someone who didn't know how to play a sitar properly. In time, Harrison would learn how to play better with many teachings from Shankar, and this friendship would move the media into promoting the bond between Harrison and his "guru", even though Shankar hated the connection. What it did do is open Eastern philosophy, spirituality, and religion to the Western world in a way that had never been done before. Ravi Shankar was primarily known as a classical artist, and rockers weren't meant to crossover into that world. Harrison, on the other hand, knew very well of Shankar, who toured England and Europe religiously (in his autobiography, Shankar said he visited England many times because he loved the country, the scenery, the food, and of course the women). It would end up being a friendship that lasted until the end, as Shankar and his family were in his presence in his final days. Shankar was there when Harrison passed away.

For a lot of people, the music on the album not only signified change in the group, but in the culture and the world. If the early Beatles music was high school fanaticism, RUBBER SOUL was about growing up, moving away from home, and going through self-discovery. Not surprisingly, many fans followed suit. While some distinctly see 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 as distinct eras, many fans feel that the "new era" began in 1965.

As for the title, in interviews it was revealed that RUBBER SOUL was a respone to The Rolling Stones, and how Mick Jagger would always honor black music from America but critics felt it was nothing but "plastic soul". If The Rolling Stones were "plastic", Paul said that perhaps he and his mates were "rubber". With a knack for wordplay, their new soulful album became RUBBER SOUL, which was distinctly British but also American in his appreciation of the current folk scene.









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>songs about smoking weed ("Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)")

haha, i always thought that song was abt lesbians + arson

___

it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. - sherlock holmes

There's no reference to there being another woman in the song, just a late night discussion which lead him to sleeping in the bathtub, and discovering she was gone. The "manly" attitude would be to say "wow, she didn't want to sleep with me, maybe she's a lesbian". David Crosby, however, was talking about having a "Triad", so he wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

As for arson, no. Then again, yes. For years it had been assumed that "norwegian wood" was some obscure reference to a joint, but in interviews it has been revealed that it was about seeking revenge for the lady who wouldn't sleep with him.





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Even if he did burn a woman's house or apartment, that would have been common knowledge. Otherwise, he would have been dropping clues with lines such as "you better run for your life if you can, little girl/hide your head in the sand, little girl/catch you with another man/that's the end, little girl" and whatnot.

So... no real fire.





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Much is always said of 'Rubber Soul' in general and 'Norwegian Wood' specifically, but the album always pales in comparison to 'Revolver' for me. And that country song is maaaaaaaaaaaad wack. Has a few bangers ('Drive My Car', 'Looking Through You') but I find myself skipping through this one a lot.

Nicolay

http://www.nicolaymusic.com
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SIDE ONE
1. "Drive My Car" – 2:30
2. "I'm Only Sleeping" – 3:01
3. "Nowhere Man" – 2:45
4. "Doctor Robert" – 2:15
5. "Yesterday" – 2:08
6. "Act Naturally" (Morrison-Russell) – 2:33

SIDE TWO
1. "And Your Bird Can Sing" – 2:01
2. "If I Needed Someone" (Harrison) – 2:24
3. "We Can Work It Out" – 2:15
4. "What Goes On" (Lennon-McCartney-Starkey) – 2:51
5. "Day Tripper" – 2:50


The Beatles continued to tour and record new singles that were not meant for albums, which upset Capitol because they wanted a new album then and now. "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" was released as a single in late May/early June, which moved Capitol to put together an all "new" album. The end result was YESTERDAY...AND TODAY, which of course packaged the two songs from the "Yesterday" single (because Capitol believed all singles should be on albums), material from the UK RUBBER SOUL that wasn't used, and three brand new songs. American fans weren't aware that these "new" songs were really part of the forthcoming all-new Beatles album, although those songs were cut off from the U.S. pressing. Thus, the album did truly represent what came before (YESTERDAY) and what was happening "now" (...AND TODAY).

The album, however, became known not for being an album that had "Yesterday" (because back then it mattered), but because of the original cover art. The Beatles were in the mood for being arty, and worked with photographer Robert Whitaker for a piece he called "A Somnambulant Adventure". It was a bit of high-culture and pop parody at the same time, and was merely meant as a photo session. While the real reason has never been revealed, when The Beatles were made aware that Capitol were going to put together an album taken from various other records, someone simply said "here, give them these photos". The photo that would be used for the cover had been used in a promotional manner in England and that was it. According to one source, Lennon, perhaps being a bit of a smart ass, told his people to send that picture to be used for the cover. It was sent, and used.

Allegedly 750,000 copies were pressed, with a small portion of them going to press and radio. Many stores were disgusted by what they saw, which lead to a frenzy of phone calls to Capitol HQ. Capitol immediately sent out a letter demanding a recall, and that all copies should be destroyed. It's hard to imagine that a record label would dump hundreds of copies of records to burn and destroy, but back then it was part of the norm, and the pressing plants promptly granted the request. That didn't stop people from holding on to their copies. Some say that the album never hit stores, while witnesses say that the record with the original cover was indeed available to the public. When Capitol didn't want to destroy the cover, they simply printing up new cover stocks and glued them onto the old covers. The original cover became an instant collectible, and those who knew they had a "rare" cover would try to steam their covers in the hopes of having a successful peel, often with bad results. In time, Capitol pressed up a different cover with a completely different photo, and this would be done about three times before a proper cover was settled on. Regardless of the "damage", YESTERDAY...AND TODAY went to #1 for five weeks, not bad for an album with a photo that was considered a disgrace.

Unfortunately, it was the start of what would end up being a rough year for the group, with Lennon making a Jesus reference that would end up being taken out of context, a political snafu when the group visited the Philippines, and winding down their time as a live band. Before they played their last show, the group would record an all new album that was even more of a departure from REVOLVER. No one knew what was about to come.







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UK release date: August 5, 1966
SIDE ONE
"Taxman"
"Eleanor Rigby"
"I'm Only Sleeping"
"Love You To"
"Here, There and Everywhere"
"Yellow Submarine"
"She Said She Said"

SIDE TWO
"Good Day Sunshine"
"And Your Bird Can Sing"
"For No One"
"Doctor Robert"
"I Want to Tell You"
"Got to Get You Into My Life"
"Tomorrow Never Knows"
===========
US release date: August 8, 1966

SIDE ONE
"Taxman"
"Eleanor Rigby"
"Love You To"
"Here, There and Everywhere"
"Yellow Submarine"
"She Said She Said"

SIDE TWO
"Good Day Sunshine"
"For No One"
"I Want to Tell You"
"Got to Get You Into My Life"
"Tomorrow Never Knows"


If RUBBER SOUL was a group looking for calm, REVOLVER is arguably a band who were looking for unrest, or at least something more. The band were evolving and revolving, at a time when pop music and pop culture were changing at a rapid pace. If people weren't talking about fashion, they were talking about psychedelia and mind expansion. The group represented that with this album, beginning with the sound of tape artifacts and defects ("Taxman") and ending with an album full of tape loops. It wasn't just the four men and their producer making the magic, they were more than happy to incorporate the technology of the studio, to the point where the studio and equipment also become an unofficial member of the group.

It had been said that in their final year as a touring band, the group found it impossible to perform their new material in a live setting. No one except avant-garde artists would ever bring a tape machine on stage, yet along a keyboard like the Mellotron which used pre-recorded tapes as its source of sounds. The album was very different from what the group were performing on stage, to the point where the group were willing to stop touring altogether for the sake of more in-studio experimentation.

The album had sounds going backwards (although they tried that out for the first time in "Rain" a few months before), sped up, looped, and there was also the first all Indian song in the form of "Love You To", with George proclaiming "make love all day long/make love singing songs". If RUBBER SOUL didn't make people aware that the group were smoking weed and taking other substances, REVOLVER was a drug trip in audio form.

Despite differences in the UK and US versions (UK version has the full 14 songs, US trimming it down to 11), they each display a character in the album that was the chart of many more "trippy" times. You could also hear a distinct separation of ideas from everyone, with Lennon getting more trippy, McCartney getting a bit more sappy, and George looking for another state of consciousness. Ringo was more than happy to sing "Yellow Submarine", but he could be relied on on incredible drumming, which is heard throughout the album. The experimentation with sound and equipment would also give Ringo's drums a bigger and bolder sound, which would be explored even more with everything they would release until their break-up in 1970.


"Or play the game, Existence, till the end/of the beginning..."







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ringo's drumming on this album really is stellar. i heard a quote or line somewhere that he was the best drummer ever that never had a solo. don't know if this is true or not, but his stuff on this album was really fantastic.

i really wish i could've heard this album when it came out. i imagine it was nothing short of a revelation...i imagine it was probably how 'kid a' was (which i was around for) but x 100. i'm sure it was very exciting.

not my favorite beatles' album, but contains what is probably my favorite beatles' song, 'tomorrow never knows'.

Ringo didn't do a solo until ABBEY ROAD, in the song "The End". It seemed everyone else in rock were devoting a few seconds (if not minutes) to the drums, but had his time in that song. This, of course, doesn't count the open breaks that can be found in "Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)".

It is amazing to hear what kind of drum sound they archived with the album. Before, drums were meant to be played and that's it. If you wanted complex, you would listen to drum solos on jazz records. One can say that they were probably trying to have that upfront drum sound they heard on Motown, Stax, and Atlantic 45's, as the drums on the 45's were always "beefed" up. In the case of The Beatles, it seemed that they wanted to do that not only with the drums, but with everything. I'm sure I'll mention this throughout the post, but beforehand, singers and musicians were not supposed to be in the engineering booth. You stayed in the studio, and that's it. Reading a lot of books on recording studios, it was a very sterile enviroment, and the two never crossed paths. Buddy Holly was someone who was said to have crossed the barrier by wanting to produce his own work. In the blues world, people like Willie Dixon wanted not only to perform and sing, but wanted to make sure what he heard in the room would transfer well on tape. In other words, when artists knew it was possible to have a hands-on approach, they moved in. Even when it wasn't possible, they moved in.

When I got into their music, I had always viewed REVOLVER as the album leading up to "the big one" (SGT. PEPPER), but the album holds up incredibly on its own, with a traditional rocker that opens side one, and a very meditative, psychedelic song ending side two. In between you have ballads, folk, a bit of classical (both Western and Indian), a children's song, and a lot of creativity in the middle. I love how the piano sounds off-key in "I Want To Tell You", and how in honor of George, Paul's last vocal melody is done Indian style. Or just listen to the drums in that song, it sounds big even though it's essentially the same studio kit Ringo had played on since 1962. According to "Recording The Beatles", George Martin and his engineers would change the mic placement for the drums. That *might* have helped, if it wasn't for the fact that the group also wanted to make sure that what went in didn't sound the same way it came out. The role of Martin and the engineers was to be able to convert their ideas into something that would work. Fortunately, The Beatles had a hands-on approach that also involved playing with sounds until they got it right.

What's also amazing is that even though the drums were mic'd a certain way, for the most part all of the drums were recorded to one track. In other words, the hi-hat wasn't on track 1, snare on track 2, bass drum on track 3, etc, the group still worked with 4-tracks and when they were done with a basic track, they would fold-down. The limitations of the studio were a very important part of what they were able to achieve. Hard to believe too, but the first time the drum tracks were ever properly mixed in stereo (i.e. elements of his kit had their own track, making it possible to do a stereo mix) were for ABBEY ROAD. The intro to "Something" and the solo in "The End" are evidence of this.






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or bernie purdie?

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I'm going through Wikipedia to make sure I didn't forget anything, and found this:
http://www.revolverbook.co.uk/

I haven't downloaded it yet, but figured for those of you who may listen to their music because of this post, I would add it here.



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Nicolay

http://www.nicolaymusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/nicolay
http://www.last.fm/music/Nicolay

There are many purists who call this their best work. While I'm not sure I agree, I do think that its Lennon's best album as a Beatle. "I'm Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird Can Sing", "She Said She Said" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" are each phenominal. It's one of my least favorite albums of McCartney's output, just because I'm not huge on "Good Day Sunshine" and "Here There an Everywhere" (although "Elenor Rigby" and "For No One" are 2 of the best 3 songs on the album IMO).

History has shown that its just about as influential as Sgt Pepper.

I love to shit on the Beatles but even I can't diss this one (the UK-version, the US one is no substitute and I totally understand how many americans couldn't understand this records classic status before the cd-era since GREAT songs like "I'm only Sleeping" were missing).

This is the perfect mix of experimentation and pop IMO. McCartney started his "genre-exercise" thing on this album as opposed to writing songs in the Beatles previous british invasion style. I usually dislike those songs but on this record they work because they don't sound as coy or saccharine as on the later records. "For no one" and "Eleanor Rigby" are PERFECT "baroque-pop" songs and "Here, there and everywhere" is my favourite Beatles song period. "Got to get you into my life" is great white-boy soul and "Good day sunshine", while being a bit too happy-go-lucky, still works-LOVE the piano.

Lennon just kicked ass throughout and unlike McCartney, he didn't forget the classic 60's guitar-pop stylings that sounded pretty corny on their first albums but had gotten REALLY good with "Rubber Soul" (possibly because they were inspired by the Byrds fuller guitar sound?)-"She said" is fucking amazing guitar-pop and so is the underrated "And your bird can sing" which has really cool guitar-lines. "I'm only sleeping" is my favourite of his songs on the album-backwards guitars, GREAT melody and a "sleepy", stoned vibe that is consistent with the title. "Tomorrow never knows" is the Beatles best experimental song and "Dr. Robert", while somewhat weak, is still perfectly passable-it qualifies as "good filler" IMO.

Harrison's "Taxman" is possibly the Beatles greatest ROCK song with amazing, edgy guitar-solos (it was McCartney, right?). "Love you to" is infinitely better than the snooze-fest that is "Within you, without you" and, along with "Paint it black", the greatest india-inspired rock song I know. Many shit on "I want to tell you" but it's great too, the dissonance in the "bridge" is awesome.

The only stinker is "Yellow Submarine" which I just can't stand but it's still a classic children song and I can at least give principal props for putting a childrens song on a rock/pop album. Unfortunately, stuff like that would become a cliche in the psychedelic era with many bands putting whimsy childish songs on their albums.

Anyway, this is the best Beatles album IMO and, along with "Rubber soul", the only one of their albums I really like...

Got To Get You Into My Life, man.... nuff said.

Nicolay

http://www.nicolaymusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/nicolay
http://www.last.fm/music/Nicolay

Yellow Submarine is still a football anthem and Tomorrow Never Knows gets me so amped great drumming

.................. ___@@@__
......_____//____Ø_____\\__________
--o---------ASYLUM POLICE---------------@)
---- `----(@)=========+====(@)---'

UK: Parlophone PCS 7027; June 1, 1967
US: Capitol (S)MAS 2653; June 2, 1967

Enough has been said about this album, to the point where people think it's overkill. Overrated? Underrated? You tell me.

For the first time, the album was the same as the UK and the US, with the exception of the dog whistle and "inner groove". Those elements can be found on all world pressings except for the U.S. Even in Taiwan, they knew the deal.

For me, it is my favorite Beatles album. It was the album I wanted to hear after reading about it as a kid. When I got to it, I was blown away.

You know who all the people are on the cover. You know who Adolf Hitler was not seen in the final version. You know how people said the album was the anthem for the summer of love. You know how when "When I'm Sixty-Four" was recorded, the tape machine was at a slower speed, so that when put back at "normal" speed, he would sound more youthful. You know that the organ sound that represents the circus in "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite" was actually played by two people at once. You know how "She's Leaving Home" is heavily edited, as the cuts of the string section sound abrupt at the appropriate moments. You've seen the footage of friends in the recording studio when the orchestral build-up was recorded in "A Day In The Life". You also know that people still feel that if you reverse the audio that is in the inner groove of Side 2, it sounds like Paul is saying "we fuck like Superman!" You also know that people think it's the first big rock concept album, even if the song does not have a true concept or a running theme. You know why you prefer the mono mix over the stereo, and why Paul McCartney prefers it that way too. You know that engineer Geoff Emerick wanted to mic the tabla in a way that had never been heard before, which is why the tabla sounds so deep in "Within You, Without You".

Yet knowing it/not knowing it still doesn't take away anything from what is (to me) still an incredible album. Some day it's dated, but I think those people are looking for reasons to date it. There is still a feeling of anticipation that can't be described in the last orchestral build-up in "A Day In The Life", as you wait for the final note, and hearing someone in the background say "sssh" as you hear someone move in their chair.

You know these things. Now tell me what moves you/doesn't move you about SGT. PEPPER.






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Easily my favorite beatles album as well. I think it's important to view this album in the light of social constructs which helped create and morph this album into what it was. Woodstock, flower power, etc.

But it wasn't even these hippieish elements that made this album so great. It's like Game Theory, an experience to listen to, not just previous songs put together on a record. Some singles here, filler here, ending there. It's not that the album flows, but the concept does. If anybody can pinpoint whatever that concept is...in words...ten points to them.

SGT. PEPPER was originally constructed as an album that was to represent their childhood, their upbringing in Liverpool. "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane", which were the A- and B-sides of a single they released earlier in the year, represented this concept. In later years, fans would often try to include the songs within the line-up to see how they may have fit in.

When it came to record the album, some of the ideas were still there, including some of the references in "Getting Better", or the meter maid that was "Lovely Rita", but they decided to abandon it and just record songs from ideas they were putting together at the time.

The one thing that did remain was the concept of the album being a show created by a fictitious band. The Lonely Hearts Club band were what you were seeing, and the show was about to begin. Billy Shears, as played by Ringo, wanted to tell his new "friends" about what was to come. However, upon hearing "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", it was obvious that the song had absolutely nothing to do with the so-called concept.

However, the songs were put together in a cohesive manner and thus there was a steady flow. When the Lonely Hearts Club Band told everyone "we're sorry but it's time to go", that was the end of the show. Goodbye, everyone. But with all shows, you have to have an encore, and that came in the form of "A Day In The Life", which in many ways has nothing to do with the 33 minutes of music that came before. The song was a combination of ideas from John and Paul, which in itself is unique since a lot of times were often only John's or Paul's. They weren't sure what to do, and when they realized the two songs could be put together, they tried it out and it worked. John's reading of his local newspaper was suddenly interrupted by the orgy of sounds, leading to Paul waking up and going into a dream. As Paul sings "aaaah..." (I used to think it was John until it was revealed Paul was the one who did that portion of the song), it leads to John again, still reading his newspaper. It was nonsense, but within it he revealed "I'd love to turn...you...on". After that, the song of course has 24 bars that were meant to be filled. That role was given to George Martin, who basically told the orchestra to play the lowest note on their instrument and gradually go up until you play the highest note. Just that build up defines the album in itself, or at least is identified with being one of many SGT. PEPPER moments.

Was there a true concept? No. A theme? Not really. As Lennon said in an interview (that can be heard in the ANTHOLOGY documentary), the only thing that truly held it together was the concept of it being a show. The music in between had nothing to do with each other, and yet the group did want people to listen to the album as one. It became something to be listened to "as one", and that in itself is what kept the album together. Or as Paul has said, if the group were not going to tour, the studio was their factory, and they were now able to put the album on tour. SGT. PEPPER was their show, with a beginning, an end, and an encore. The Beatles and George Martin knew very well how to construct an album, with The Beatles love of excitement, and Martin's way of producing an album in a fashion that shows what an album was originally meant for, a documentation of a performance, even an audio performance.

The Who's TOMMY, Pink Floyd's THE WALL, those are true "concept" albums where there is an obvious storyline involved that starts, goes through the motions, and comes to a conclusion. With that said, critics ate it up and called it everything from a concept album to "rock opera", which lead to groups such as the Mothers Of Invention and The Fugs to play with this "high art" and reveal it as a bit of bullshit.

Of course, when it came out, every other band wanted to create their own PEPPER, and that idea exists to this day.















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However, upon hearing
>"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", it was obvious that the song
>had absolutely nothing to do with the so-called concept.


its hilarious how long it took mccartney to admit the songs *was*, in fact, about LSD.

Paul did reveal that "Got To Get You Into My Life" was really about his love for marijuana. The true story behind what "Lucy..." was about, we'll never know. But there is Julian's painting, there was a girl Julian knew named Lucy, all of which coincided with Lennon taking a lot of acid. Was the song about LSD? Probably not? Was it written while on LSD? It's (pun slightly intended) highly possible.




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i knew about the story with the painting etc, but i have read a couple of times that within the past few years he finally admitted it was about an acid trip.

"SGT. PEPPER was originally constructed as an album that was to represent their childhood, their upbringing in Liverpool. "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane", which were the A- and B-sides of a single they released earlier in the year, represented this concept. In later years, fans would often try to include the songs within the line-up to see how they may have fit in."

I personally think the turning point was Yellow Submarine. From that song on, I think they set out to make a bunch of children's songs guised as psycedelic. Not all of there songs are like that, but almost every album from that point on has a children's song and/or a song about childhood. Some of there songs seem pretty blatant with the concept - The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill is the first one I can think of.

The lyrics to Glass Onion pretty much sum up my argument that the concepts of those last run of albums are intertwined.

for me, the most difficult beatles album.

sometimes i feel as though i enjoy more the imagery and atmosphere of the album more than the actual songs themselves.

i do love a few songs on this album, but honestly they are the more accessible ones.

i guess what i am trying to say is that while i do love this album, i sort of have to be in a mood to listen to it.

*shrugs*

I think all the extra-instrumentation and stuff sounds "tacked-on" and not an integral part of the sound which is the case with "Pet Sounds" and I don't think it adds beauty either (which is the case with "Forever Changes" where it was tacked on too). My main problem is that the Beatles major strength-the songwriting-just isn't up to scratch; songs like "Lovely Rita" and "Getting Better" are just not very good IMO, marginally better than the album-filler on a Hollies-album or something. "Lucy in the sky..." has great verses but the chorus is a pain in the ass. "With a little help from my friends" and "When I'm 64" are the type of Beatles songs that I just CAN'T enjoy. "Good Morning" is just filler and not "good filler" either. "Within you, without you" is an overlong bore.

However, there are good songs on the album too-"She's leaving home" is really beautiful and a masterpiece IMO, "...Mr Kite" is killer brit-psych, the two title tracks rocks out pretty well even if their nothing special and there's also, of course, "A day in the life" which is one of their very best songs. "fixin a hole" is cool too-"good filler"...


Also, I think many old people when they talk about the album associate it with "Strawberry fields"/"Penny Lane" (my mum was convinced that those songs were on the record), the inclusion of those would have made it MUCH stronger.

about She's Leaving Home because I can't stop listening to that song. It absolutely is a masterpiece and very much addictive.

http://www.beatlerev.podomatic.com/
http://hankhayes.podomatic.com/

This past weekend, a radio show played what was reported to be isolated tracks from the original multi-tracks from SGT. PEPPER. The 40th anniversary of the album came and went without any reissues or commemoration from Capitol so... does this mean that the holiday season will feature a special PEPPER box set?


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but it is my favorite. Revolver is close, but what else is there left to be said about this album that hasn't already been said? I casually listened to the Beatles before I bought Sgt. Peppers, but after that first listen my mind was blown wide open. I used to be a little bothered by the goofiness of "When I'm Sixty-four" and also thought that "Within You Without You" was a little too long for its own good, but now I've come to love these too.

How amazing would it have been if Strawberry Fields Forever got on this album? (I'm not even asking for Penny Lane, I don't want to be greedy).

Today's artist cover Sgt. Peppers using original analogue 4-track equipment. The full documentary was on BBC on the 40th anniversary earlier this year might still be available through torrent

Bryan Adams - Sgt. Pepper´s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ6-V1OTcSo

The Fray - Fixing A Hole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL4RFBsfjTk

Kaiser Chiefs - Getting Better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCcU2xfvz0

Razorlight - W/ A Little Help From My Friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klQ4ohwLqNo

Magic Numbers - She´s Leaving Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJxaKGkjqxg

Travis - Lovely Rita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPxeICjjhWk

Stereophonics - Sgt. Pepper´s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEQSX48MEDw

.................. ___@@@__
......_____//____Ø_____\\__________
--o---------ASYLUM POLICE---------------@)
---- `----(@)=========+====(@)---'

...it was already on a few trackers.


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it was interesting to see how hard the recording was with 4-track equipment and no room for error

Travis found it very difficult with the paper and comb on Lovely Rita

.................. ___@@@__
......_____//____Ø_____\\__________
--o---------ASYLUM POLICE---------------@)
---- `----(@)=========+====(@)---'

SIDE ONE
"Magical Mystery Tour"
"The Fool on the Hill"
"Flying"
"Blue Jay Way"
"Your Mother Should Know"
"I Am the Walrus"

SIDE TWO
"Hello, Goodbye"
"Strawberry Fields Forever"
"Penny Lane"
"Baby You're a Rich Man"
"All You Need Is Love"


In recent years, critics have said that MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR is in many ways the perfect flipside to SGT. PEPPER, a companion piece that as a whole represents an incredible musical year for The Beatles.

In England, Parlophone released the soundtrack not as an album, but as a double 7" EP. The 7" EP format was somewhat of a failure in the 1960's, so Capitol put together the songs, slapped together the two singles they released in 1967 ("Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" and "Hello Goodbye"/"I Am The Walrus") and out came an album. The Capitol album managed to do well in other countries that didn't have their own pressing of it, including Japan. The album featured a color booklet, as the cover and booklet was simply mirroring the cover and booklet found in the British double EP.

However, Americans did not see MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (the movie) until well into the mid-70's, when it would become a major part of "midnight showings" at college campuses. The album and music was recorded after the group had taken a break from SGT. PEPPER. There was no need to tour, no pressure. They went to meditate in India, but when they found that their manager had overdosed and died, they went back home to England and found a need to regroup. By all intents and purposes, Paul became their unofficial manager, and would lead the way for the next year until they would find someone to manage them in their last year. To get away from the madness, the group decided to hire a film crew and have them take a wonderful trip to the countryside. They filmed whatever happened, and make shit up along the way.

The movie, shot in color, was filmed for the sole purpose of being shown on British television. When it did air, it was broadcast in black & white. Critics bashed it and said the group had gone too far. "I Am The Walrus" had already been out for a month before the movie was shown, and it lead many to believe that the weird side of the group had taken its toll. When the movie was reshown, this time in proper color, the damage had been done. The group more popular than Jesus Christ was now lower than doo doo shingles. Nonetheless, the group moved on.

Nonetheless, with an album with new songs and two singles (because again, it was important to be able to buy the singles on an album), Americans ate it up, moving up to #1 and staying there for 8 weeks. In the late 70's, the booklet from the album was removed, and with VCR's it was possible for fans to see the film for the first time. It wouldn't be until the late 80's when the film was properly released from a quality print.

Now, is it true that at the end of "Baby, You're A Rich Man" they're singing "baby you're a rich fag Jew", meant to be a stab at their now dead manager, Brian Epstein? Perhaps urban legend, perhaps not.

===========
In the U.S., this would be the last album to be released both in mono and stereo. On the stereo pressing, some songs were "electronically reprocessed for stereo", and two songs did not have a proper stereo mix. If you wanted proper stereo mixes of those songs, you had to hunt down the German pressing (which is good, BTW). That lead to other countries finally releasing MMT as an album.





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UK release date: November 22, 1968
US release date: November 25, 1968

SIDE ONE
"Back in the U.S.S.R."
"Dear Prudence"
"Glass Onion"
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
"Wild Honey Pie"
"The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill"
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
"Happiness Is a Warm Gun"

SIDE TWO
"Martha My Dear"
"I'm So Tired"
"Blackbird"
"Piggies"
"Rocky Raccoon"
"Don't Pass Me By"
"Why Don't We Do It in the Road?"
"I Will"
"Julia"

SIDE 3
"Birthday"
"Yer Blues"
"Mother Nature's Son"
"Everybody's Got Something to Hide
Except Me and My Monkey"
"Sexy Sadie"
"Helter Skelter"
"Long, Long, Long"

SIDE 4
"Revolution 1"
"Honey Pie"
"Savoy Truffle"
"Cry Baby Cry"
"Revolution 9"
"Good Night"


As the saying goes, it was an album simply called THE BEATLES, but it was The Beatles when they were less "Beatles" and very much individuals. One can consider this the basis of what would become their solo careers, as some of these songs were often recorded alone, or without all of the members of the group.

1968 had started off fairly well, with "Lady Madonna" being an ode to British jazz (the song was in fact a nice rip-off of a jazz song from the 50's), and "The Inner Light" being another jaunt into George's love of Indian music. The song itself was recorded during the time Harrison was recording music in India for the film WONDERWALL. For The Beatles, it would be his last Indian song. That summer, The Beatles released "Hey Jude"/"Revolution" on their own boutique label, Apple. "Hey Jude" went to #1 for 9 weeks in the U.S., while "Revolution" caused a lot of damage on phonographs, with some people returning it because they said it was too loud.

Inbetween all of this, the group went to India to meditate with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. While they went for spiritual enlightenment, they smuggled in food and instruments, and were able to right a number of new songs. Upon seeing the Maharishi fooling around with the sister of a well known actress, the group knew that perhaps their time in India was up. They returned home and would regroup at EMI Recording Studios to record.

The band had the luxury of pretty much owning EMI Studios, and whenever they wanted to record, they had full control. Even though George Martin was listed as producer, he has stated that the group were very much in control of what was being recorded and how. Martin said that he didn't like the final album, a full 30 songs spread over 2 LP's (originally a 32-song rough draft was created). Martin had suggested it should be edited down to a single LP, but the group wanted to be able to put as much as possible onto the two records.

If SGT. PEPPER was a concept album that made everyone believe there was a concept even though there wasn't, it must have come as a surprise when THE BEATLES was an album full of... songs. No continuity, no cohesiveness, just a collection of new material that went everywhere it could go, from a tip of the hat to Fats Domino ("Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey") to bringing in Eric Clapton to play the solo that would be used in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". John revealed that "the walrus was Paul", even though no one quite understood what that meant. Yet. Paul McCartney was singing about honey pies, doing "it" in the road, and trying to find Gideon's bible. It was a lot of nonsense songs done by the same guy who wrote "Yesterday" and "I'm Down", and Paul didn't mind, for he would end up writing A LOT of nonsense, yet irresistible pop songs, throughout the rest of his career. It was an album where John told us about a man who had "a soap impression of his wife, which he ate, and donated to the National Trust", and exactly one side later was singing his song for his mom, "Julia". The song was not only honoring his mother, but he wanted to be able to tell her about his "ocean child", a reference to the new love in his life, Yoko Ono. Like Frankie Beverly, John was very much into exploring a bit of joy and pain, and he would do this for the remainer of his time with the group, and for his entire career. With every sweet song of "Julia" there was "Yer Blues". With every "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" there was "Helter Skelter". With "Savoy Truffle" (a song said to be about Eric Clapton's love of sweets, yeah , little did George know...) there was "Long, Long, Long".

Depending on your perspective, the album either had the biggest disgrace in their recorded history, or one of the most underrated masterpieces they ever made. That came in the form of "Revolution No. 9". I fell in love with the song, I wanted to know every sound, I wanted to hear it in reverse, I wanted to know if there was more to it than the 8:15 that was on there. I heard the song and said "hey I heard those sounds on those Elektra sound effects records I borrowed from the Honolulu library". I wanted to create my own "Revolution No. 9". As a math geek, I became a fan of the number 9, a fascination which continues to this day, all due to this damn song. Who was the dentist? The surgeon? Who exactly did the watusi? The twist? What happens if you become naked? What was on that telegram? How in the hell did they get so many sounds to happen? For me, listening to the album with that song is mandatory, and I highly look forward to hearing those words "she's a bitch" whispered right before the sacred chant begins.

(EDIT: Apparently it's "Cheeky bitch", not "she's a bitch". You learn something new every day.)

"Goodnight" seems very out of place, but then again after being overwhelmed with 80 minutes of music, you have to find a way to rest. Good ol' Richard supplies the lullaby for children everywhere. It's a weird ending to an initially weird album, but in a way it's fitting. THE BEATLES, unofficially known as "The White Album", would confuse and delight people at the same time.












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The sequencing alone on The Beatles makes it fucking brilliant, especially the first 2 sides. The ability to change styles and moods is tremendous, and its almost like a tug of war between McCartney's bright side and Lennon's dark side, alternating back and forth. The songs are mostly all very short too, by design, as to create the collage effect. They touch on almost every single genre on that album (sort of how they did on Sgt Pepper, but with a much wider scope).

I can't call this my favorite Beatles album, but I almost sometimes want to...

The first Beatles album I bought and still my favorite. Love everything (esp. Paul's bass and Ringo's drumming) about "Dear Prudence," my No. 1 pick on the album.

______******_______******______******

" ... You know, ya'll laugh at the wrong shit ... "
-- Eddie Murphy

US release date: January 13, 1969
UK release date: January 17, 1969

The Beatles' fourth movie was also one where they were animated, not the first time the group were seen in cartoon form as there was a cartoon series earlier on. The movie was released in 1968 as the final touches were being done to THE BEATLES (The White Album), but a soundtrack would not be released until early 1969, when The White Album was high on the charts.

The soundtrack album featured four new songs, two of which were recorded the same month SGT. PEPPER hit stores ("All Together Now" and "It's All Too Much"), the other two recorded specifically for the film ("Only A Northern Song" and "Hey Bulldog", although the latter was removed from American prints of the film). Side 2 featured incidental music from George Martin. In a way it's a nice EP's worth of music, and some songs that a lot of Beatles fans usually ignored (although are quite good). The success of The White Album held it back from reaching the top of the charts, only going as high as #3 on Billboard.

As the soundtrack album made it into stores, the group were busy recording and being filmed for a tentative television special, where the group allowed themselves to "get back" to their roots. The idea was to show how the group created songs, and it would lead to a proposed small nightclub tour. The music recorded during the entire month of January and early February was very different from the peace and love themes expressed in the "Yellow Submarine" film, featuring interaction that would be an example of the group's demise. That wouldn't happen "officially" for another year, but for the time being, "Yellow Submarine" represented peace and love on a cartoon scale, with Lennon already considered how to do it in the real world.




SIDE ONE
"Yellow Submarine"
"Only a Northern Song"
"All Together Now"
"Hey Bulldog"
"It's All Too Much"
"All You Need Is Love"

SIDE TWO (George Martin instrumentals)
"Pepperland"
"Sea of Time"
"Sea of Holes"
"Sea of Monsters"
"March of the Meanies"
"Pepperland Laid Waste"
"Yellow Submarine in Pepperland


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UK release date: September 26, 1969
US release date: October 1, 1969

SIDE ONE
"Come Together"
"Something"
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
"Oh! Darling"
"Octopus's Garden"
"I Want You (She's So Heavy)"

SIDE TWO
"Here Comes the Sun"
"Because"
"You Never Give Me Your Money"
"Sun King"
"Mean Mr. Mustard"
"Polythene Pam"
"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"
"Golden Slumbers"
"Carry That Weight"
"The End"
"Her Majesty"


Up until the recording of ABBEY ROAD, each of the Beatles were keeping themselves busy with recording and writing for others, specifically for the acts being signed to Apple Records. George Harrison discovered a bond with Billy Preston, leading him to sit in and do the solo in "Get Back", making him the only one to ever be listed formally on a Beatles record, giving him the honor of being the first to be called "The Fifth Beatle". Harrison would help produce the great THAT'S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT, and at the same time Preston would sit in to watch the Beatles record ABBEY ROAD, enough to where he would sit in and play the organ in "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". At the same time, Harrison was getting experimental with discovering a love for electronic music, enough to where he released a full album of it on the very short-lived Zapple label.

John Lennon went everywhere with Yoko Ono, or should I say, Yoko Ono went everywhere with John Lennon. It was "Lenono", and while the general public and media hated the union for some reason, they were truly in love and had found something that they had both been looking for for years. Paul McCartney was in the studio recording and producing an album for Mary Hopkin. Ringo, no one knows where he went. Inbetween all of this, Harrison would write a song for Eric Clapton's band, Cream, which would end up being the last single for the group, "Badge". His spiritual side would help him record material with the Radha Krishna Temple of London. McCartney was the "band" for a young American musician named Steve Miller, and he would create "My Dark Hour" for him, which very much sounds like the solo album McCARTNEY would end up dojng in 1970. Lennon was in love and documented it whenever he could, leading many to wonder if he had gone nuts. Ringo... eh.

In all of this, John and Paul managed to record "The Ballad Of John & Yoko" together when George and Ringo were out on vacation (aah, so that's where Ringo went.) The song was about Lennon and his adventures with Yoko promoting peace and love, and Paul was moved enough to agree to release it as a single. The B-side was "Old Brown Shoe", a Harrison composition that brought Ringo back from wherever he was to play drums again. The song itself may have been a toss off for Harrison, as the title was referred to on one of the Christmas records the group had sent to fans. When they were singing a Four Tops song, Harrison yells out "copyright". Someone says what are we going to do if you don't gave a copyright. Lennon, in one of his many voices, says "we'll get the ly-lics out of an old brown shoe". Perhaps this was simply some "ly-lics", but the song would result in one of the few truly funky moments the group shared, from an intense bassline from Paul to the drum sound they were able to get from Ringo.

All of which lead to ABBEY ROAD.

A lot has been said about this, but for the group, it was the first time the band were able to record on something more than the 4-track they had used for most of their career. Their ideas outgrew the technology, and a few times they were able to work outside of EMI to play around with 8-track boards that other studios had. When it came time to record ABBEY ROAD, the group wanted George Martin to produce, since Martin had suggested he would never work with the group again. Martin said that he would, but that they would have to work under his rules, no questions asked.

The album was recorded on new equipment, and you can definitely tell by the ambience heard in the recordings, it's very different from that heard on THE BEATLES, REVOLVER, or RUBBER SOUL. What does it have that the other albums do not have? Some will say "warmth", as if it was made on a big brown couch. The album was meant to be recorded that way, and for the group there was no turning back. When they went into the studio, everyone knew that it was going to be their last, so they gave it their all.

The songs have been discussed many times before, but it's a very moving album if you keep in mind that it was the last time all four would be in the studio together. To hear the first and only drum solo from Ringo in "The End", followed by George, Paul, and John doing a solo each, in three sequences, equalling to 9 (read "9") distinct guitar solos. That gut wrenching guitar riff from Lennon lead to Paul playing the piano, leading to the line "and in the end/the love you take/is equal to the love... you make", before ending with a full orchestral arrangement courtesy of George Martin. It was truly the end... that is, until a song meant to be heard during Side 2's medley makes a surprise appearance at the end of the album. It too ends abruptly, and that's it.

A barefoot Paul holding a cigarette in his right hand, a license plate with the letters 28 IF, a crack in the words "The Beatles" on the back cover, the appearance of a skeleton-like shadow, did the group really push the "Paul Is Dead" rumors in the hopes of making people look and listen, as a way to make people feel that the group was relevant? While those dead rumors was another side of the phenomenon, there was much more to ABBEY ROAD than just clues. The cover showed a lot of growth from the same band who was looking over the railing six years previous on the cover of PLEASE PLEASE ME. The walk was a simple Sunday morning stroll, and that's all it was. The music that was recorded on the album represented the last music they would ever record, and that's all it was. The album moved EMI to rename their recording studio. That street in London is crossed on a regular basis, many taking off their shoes in honor.

Somehow, if the group had disappointed fans with their explorations of the unknown and occasionally bizarre, this was truly a time for celebration. There was a man on the moon, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair was three days of peace, love and music (the organizers had hoped to have The Beatles reunite for the crowd in Bethel, New York, and while they didn't, a number of groups ended up singing a few Beatles songs in honor, including Crosby, Still, Nash & Young doing "Blackbird", which was actually a song CS&N had submitted on their rejected demo to Apple).

At the end of 1969, The Beatles were no more. John and Yoko went to Toronto and had a bed-in, resulting in the recording of "Give Peace A Chance". John went through musical therapy and talked about heroin withdrawals in "Cold Turkey". John returned to Toronto and performed with Eric Clapton at a peace festival, followed by Yoko Ono screaming in a bag for 18 minutes. McCartney wrote and produced "Come And Get It" for Badfinger. George was at home writing material that would soon become what defined him as an artist. Ringo... probably listening to old standards and country music, considering the albume he would record in 1970.

But the announcement of their split would not happen until the release of their next album, which was assembled from the recordings they had done in a film studio in January of 1969.

ABBEY ROAD was very much the end, and if that time seemed to be magical, perhaps it was time to get out of the magic and live life. In many ways, that's what all of them did.










JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/crutmusic

THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/114473

BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
http://booksmusic.podomatic.com/

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

strange i recognize this almost 38 years to the day after it was released. i'm gonna listen to it.

sheeeeit

The Doc couldn't fix himself to remember "Come Together" for years, the song was locked into his head, with an image of Lennon "shhh"-ing out the chorus vamp... definitely 5/5 no question.

...apparently the effect he's making is actually the words "shoot me". It was obviously done in a sexual manner, but slightly eerie in retrospect.


JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/crutmusic

THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/114473

BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
http://booksmusic.podomatic.com/

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

The "shoot me" was a reference to heroin, which he was addicted to since the white album, on which he also sang the ode to herion use, "Happiness is a Warm Gun". Its also arguable that it was the subject of "I Want You (She's so Heavy)".

With the song being called "Come Together", you never know.


JOHN BOOK'S MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/crutmusic

THE RUN-OFF GROOVE
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/114473

BOOK'S MUSIC Podcast
http://booksmusic.podomatic.com/

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?vst=45730

Songwriting, arranging, engineering, pioneering (the moog work on this LP is really, really good, and we are talking 1969 here...), playing... it's perfect to me in everyway from the first riff of Come Together to that last bit of Her Majesty. This LP is epic to me in everyway. I can't really even explain how great this shit is.

Favourite moments:
-The mumble jumble spanish/italian in Sun King
-John's scream in I Want You (She's So Heavy) and one of the other dudes clearly audible in the back going 'Whoa!"
-The end of I Want You (She's So Heavy)
-Paul's vocal on 'Oh Darling'
-You Never Give Me Your Money in its entirety but specifically the 'Oh That Magic Feeling' part
-Golden Slumbers... the first time the chorus comes around and Paul basically tears his larynx apart
-The moog solo in 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'
-The lead guitar sound in 'Something In The Way'
-The 'Sun sun sun here she comes' buildup
-Ringo Starr. Period.

Nicolay

http://www.nicolaymusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/nicolay
http://www.last.fm/music/Nicolay

I have to cosign completely. Abbey Road is flawless. To me its the perfect culmination(sp) of everything The Beatles did their whole career: first and foremost the playing is masterful, the songs are great, there's a concept aspect on side 2, some experimentalism (the white noise at the end of I Want You), some "Mean Mr. Mustard" shit and some serious "Something" shit. I read somewhere that there are like 21 different chords used in "You Never Give Me Your Money". And Ringo fuckin KILLS the whole record. And to Martin's credit, they really make captured the drums perfectly. The crash's seem to sustain forever.