The Beatles

OK, so one of my music goals for this year was to go back through a lot of "classic" bands and artists and sort of re-hear them with fresh ears. It had been a couple of years since I had really gotten into the Bowie catalog or the Stooges stuff, for example, and I wanted to just really dig in and listen as kind of an update to my musical experience. I did The Who month or so ago...at least the good Who stuff.

So for the past couple of weeks it's been The Beatles. Part of it is because I'm in vocal training for when the ROCK BAND thing comes out, but also because I realized that a lot of their music I hadn't really listened to since I was like 12-13 years old and just kind of getting into music beyond current radio and video more seriously. What's worse, I realized that I hadn't heard a lot of their songs out of the context of corporate advertisements in quite literally decades.

So when I took a listen to "Tomorrow Never Knows", the last cut on "Revolver" (their best record) again today, for the first time in my life since I've gotten into Britpop, shoegazer music, John Cage, Stockhausen, anything with sampling, and virtually anything with any kind of psychedelic influence and it literally blew my mind. I think it may be one of the most important recorded works of the 20th century. It took 20 years for the Madchester scene to pick up on that sound. 40 years later it _still_ sounds like the future. When I was a kid and heard it on my mom's old LP, I just thought it was weird. Now I realize it was revolutionary.

Going through the catalog, it's really amazing how many "perfect" songs they came up with...and I mean like devastating, invicibly perfect stuff that remains absolutely vital, essential, and timeless- while still maintaining pop accessibility and universality that transcends genre, generation, and taste. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Let it Be", "Eight Days a Week", "Lady Madonna", "Drive My Car"...the list could literally go on and on. It's like the bible for late 20th century popular music. In some way or another, The Beatles probably did it first.

It's just incredible to hear a band that can really rock the fuck out ("Helter Skelter") but then do something austere and classical ("Eleanor Rigby"). The range of talent and artistic vision was something truly extraordinary that could never be equaled today.

Some of McCartney's stuff is kind of what Lennon called "granny music", and I like that stuff less (all the faux Tin Pan Alley business, whimsical quasi-hippie junk, etc.)than the pure pop, Mersey Beat, and drug music, but when a band does so much across a large spectrum the misses are still as interesting as the hits. I still think Harrison's writing is hugely underrated..."Something" is as good as rock music has ever been.

So...absolutely nothing to do with board games in this post, unless somehow TICKET TO RIDE comes into the discussion. Just wanted to write something to mark the zeitgeist. Of course, nothing you can write about The Beatles hasn't been said before but it's absolutely worth rediscovering why they're one of the most important pieces of 20th century culture.

The Anthology CD's are dynamite if you haven't yest heard/read them. Packed with interesting liner notes, old cuts, songs that didn't make the cut and came out as Wings tracks (or Badfinger, for that matter). They probably have them at the local library, check them out.

The one Beatles tracks that has always struck me is "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." If you listen to the songs that were hits for other "rock bands" at the time and then hear this thing, you can tell they were on to something special.

I am finally getting over a loathing for the Beatles after a college roommate insisted on listening to them constantly. It took about 9 years for the rage to subside, and now I can stand to listen to them on occasion -- I concur, they are quite good.

As an aside, we listened to "A Hard Day's Night" last time we played Ticket to Ride.

I also listened to a lot of Beatles as a kid when getting tired of radio music. My parents had a few LPs and one of the first CDs I bought was "1" (a pretty bad compilation to be honest). The Beatles made great music. They absolutely deserved their success, unlike most pop bands of today. I "dislike" Paul McCartney.

This a bit of a tangent, but one of my favorite artists, Elliott Smith, was greatly influenced by the Beatles-- and you can tell when you listen to his music. It has that pure, uncluttered, cut to the core quality that the Beatles have.

Anyway, now I feel like listening to some Beatles tracks.

Once upon a time I was a stupid teenager who thought the Beatles were boring and irrelavent. Ya know, I was into cooler shit like Factory Records. So one day a friend caught wind of this and had to put a stop to it and call bullshit. He made me take home Revolver and one other tape and made me listen to them. Since then, whenever I hear somebody say the same kind of shit that I used to, I sigh.

I've heard people say they've given the Beatles a fair shake but still don't like them. I can understand it when someone says they don't like rock/pop music but prefers jazz or classical or whatever. But when they say they like rock 'n roll and hate the Beatles it makes me wonder what the fuck is wrong with them. And fuck Pink Floyd. Sorry for that.

billyz wrote:

This a bit of a tangent, but one of my favorite artists, Elliott Smith, was greatly influenced by the Beatles-- and you can tell when you listen to his music. It has that pure, uncluttered, cut to the core quality that the Beatles have.

I fucking love Elliott Smith too. He was influenced in a good way, such a great songwriter.

And Michael - The Fall do a pretty good cover of A Day in the Life if you haven't heard it you should check it out.

I recommend Lewisohn, Mark. The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years (1962-1970). ISBN ISBN 0-681-03189-1.

This guy listened to all the recording tapes and I think the book was teh basis for the ANthology CDs. It has tons of stuff about how the Beatles actually recorded the songs, special effects and all.

For example for Tomorrow never knows, Lennon envisioned a choir of Tibetan monks to do chants in the style of teh Book of the dead. That proving difficult to arrange, George Martin came up with the tape loop solution (later repeated with Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite). John seems to have been disappointed with the result when lookig back later.

And the story of how Lennon and McCartney recorded the Ballad of John and Yoko in a hasty session, so fired up they could wait for Ringo and George to be back.

I think I read it through twice. My Beatles period was in the late teens when my friend and I work through a Beatles song book and singing them all day (trying to get the harmonies of The Word and You won't see me).

Also recommended are the two Past masters cds with the long version of Get Back and odd issues like Komm, gib mir deine Hand and Sie liebt dich and You know my name, look up the number.

On the 'Granny songs' of Paul, I think he always was unlucky not to be shot instead of LEnnon. It elevated Lennon to Sainthood and since then McCartney has been trying too hard to set the record straight (for example his reissue of the Let it Be album). Lennon produced some utter crap as well, and did some very sweet and baroque stuff, just like McCartney. I think focussing on Lennon sells McCartney short. he was/is as much a genius as Lennon. Just listen to Why don't we do it in the road. That was him alone. Pure Rock and Roll.

40 years later it _still_ sounds like the future. When I was a kid and heard it on my mom's old LP, I just thought it was weird. Now I realize it was revolutionary.

That's the thing about the Beatles. No matter how old their music gets, no matter how many bands come along and refine whatever they were doing, no matter how many times you've heard those albums, you can still listen to them and have those "holy shit" moments. BTW, I love McCartney's faux-Tin Pan Alley stuff, but then again, I like actual Tin Pan Alley stuff.

But, on the subject of board games, one thing I've always wanted to do is make a board game based off of Yellow Submarine. I think it'd make a cool faux-wargame if it was done correctly. You've already got all the different unit types; the Bonkers, the meanies, The Glove, the clowns with guns in their shoes, etc. You could pick up different musical instruments for weapons, and your objective is right there too, rescue Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I don't know, I just think it'd be pretty cool.

two suggestions for Mike's rediscovery tour: The Jam (what an energy, what good lyrics!) and Split Enz (amazing musical developments from gloomy vaudeville to new wave, ending in Crowded House).

ok make that three suggestions: the Kinks (the 'intellectuals' of the beat generation, with some raunchy bits as well)

and let's quit before I get really suggestive

My very first record was a Beatles single, "Yellow Submarine." I was five years old at the time, and the Beatles broke up that year. They never really went away, though, as each individual Beatle soon launched upon a solo career, except for Paul, who formed Wings. And you could hear Beatles songs anytime and anywhere on the radio. I was in high school when John Lennon was killed, and that was a really big deal. People cried and held vigils, and one local radio station played every Beatles and Lennon song from A to Z. Five years later, that same station played all the Beatles songs again, from A to Z, and this time I taped most of it. The classic rock station format was really getting going, so the Beatles stayed in circulation.

By college, I was burned out on the Beatles. I didn't hate them, but I sought out all kinds of other music to listen to instead. I could hear their influence all over the place, sometimes obvious, sometimes less so. Last year, I was going through some old boxes and found my old tape collection, including five tapes of Beatles songs from A to Z. The quality of the tapes had declined a little after all those years in storage, but the quality of the songs was still impressive. There were a few duds scattered here and there, but the overall body of work was amazing.

Jur wrote:

two suggestions for Mike's rediscovery tour: The Jam (what an energy, what good lyrics!) and Split Enz (amazing musical developments from gloomy vaudeville to new wave, ending in Crowded House).

Eeeerie ... The Jam are one of my favourite bands (Setting Sons album is great) while Split ENZ is obviously one from my homeland (True Colours album did quite well in Nth America and they actually had a single banned by the BBC ... only because it was called Six Months in a Leaky Boat and coincided with Britain at war with Argentina in the Sth Atlantic).

Southernman wrote:
Eeeerie ....[/quote]

Indeed, old man. I now have this strange feeling that I can't handle within the worldview shaped so much by my strict religious upbringing. I feel I should feel wrong about what I'm feeling, but if it feels so good, how can it be wrong?

It must have been portentious that I saw Milk last friday.

I adore The Jam, always have and always will. Pretty keen on the Style Council too, for that matter. One of the great English bands, without a doubt. Same with The Kinks, that's great stuff. Haven't listened to much Split Enz.

I was thinking about hitting Dylan next. I'm not a huge folk-rock fan, but there's no denying that some of his stuff is among the best music ever recorded.

Hex, it's funny you say that about being a teenager and "hating" the Beatles...I knew SO many people like that, coming up in punk, metal, hardcore, goth, industrial, etc...it's like when you're a teenager and you're looking for something to identify yourself with you slag off anything that's outside that. The irony is that stuff like the Beatles is _profoundly_ influential either directly or indirectly on all of that stuff. Particularly in English punk...I'm listening to some of this Beatles stuff and I'm thinking "jeez, that sounds just like The Damned". Or "that could be a Happy Mondays track".

It's one of those situations too, I think, where almost universal acceptance has almost made it "uncool" to be into something like The Beatles. It's stupid to consider that kind of thing- good music is good music- but there's no doubt some folks feel like that. I agree though- if you say you like rock music and _don't_ like The Beatles there's something seriously wrong in your upbringing.

"Tomorrow Never Knows" practically _is_ Factory Records.

On McCartney- the thing is, The Beatles wouldn't be The Beatles without him and his contributions shouldn't be diminished just because of a few rinky-dinky songs for children and old people. Some of them are actually extremely good and extremely sophisticated- "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" for example. Maybe I just can't get enough of the darker, edgier Beatles...I mean, I hear "Ob La Di" and think "OK, that's a great pop song" but then I hear "Glass Onion" and I'm like "FUCK YEAH!"

One thing that really just completely amazes me is to hear "Love Me Do" backed with something like "Come Together" or "Dear Prudence". Or "Get Back" for that matter. It's like listening to the history of rock music, and it's almost impossible that it's the same band. Even looking at them, it's hard to believe that the band pictured on "Let it Be" is the same band on "Beatles for Sale". It's like they were the physical and creative manifestation of the maturity of rock music during their lifespan. There will never be another band tapped straight into the mainline like that again.

Michael Barnes wrote:

I was thinking about hitting Dylan next. I'm not a huge folk-rock fan, but there's no denying that some of his stuff is among the best music ever recorded.

Blood on the Tracks . A lot of the earlier Dylan stuff sounds sort of dated, but this album will stand up until the end of time.

I realize I've never given his late catalog a fair shake, maybe I should fix that.

As far as the topic of this thread, anyone who doesn't respect the Beatles is dead to me. You don't have to love them, and "I'm kind of past listening to them" is cool. But respect is due.

I realize I've never given his late catalog a fair shake, maybe I should fix that.

Yeah, you should. Modern Times is a terrific Dylan album.