Post by Amadeus on Aug 27, 2013 0:56:14 GMT
This is where I came in to The Beatles universe.
Prolly around 1974 on a Sunday afternoon (in Canada, near Europe) there was a movie on the TV that showed a musical group clowning around and playing neato songs that almost, but not quite entirely sounded unlike The Monkees. Yup. I was a Monkees fan before I even heard of The Beatles. Anyhow, the program, I later learned was 'HELP!'. I was a bit confused and I said to dad, 'is this the Monkees?' 'No, it's The Beatles (eh?)'.
So they dragged out an old record travel case from the back shed, which among other things, included 'Beatles' 65'. I heard it and realised that these guys were almost as good as The Monkees. maybe even The Turtles! As time went by, I eventually taped the record along with the 'Slow Down/Matchbox' Capitol single. That's the thing about American albums in those days. You could fit the whole album plus a single on one side of a 60 minute tapes. Then my friend taped 'Yesterday...and Today' on the B-side.(More on that Franken-album over the next three album reviews)
But the whole point is that 'Beatles' 65' became a part of my DNA at the age of around 7 or 8 and as a result, I believe that the album is perfect in every way. I listened to it until I could dream it. 24/7 the tunes would be playing in my head. It was like a first crush that has never gone away.
Then we got 'Beatles For Sale' in 1987 and, and, well, it's a bit tricky to listen to because I was never a huge fan of 'Beatles VI' and most of side two of '...For Sale' is on 'Beatles VI'
So I expect side one to be over after 'Mister Moonlight'. Side two begins with 'Honey Don't' followed by 'I'll Be Back', a heavily reverbed 'I Feel Fine/She's A Woman' and brought home on a biggie which was 'Everybody's Tryin...'. When you're under 10, (at least in those days) the false ending is the coolest thing ever. 'Beatles VI' is an even stranger album (I would imagine).
But 'Beatles For Sale' sounds like someone made a tape of the songs they liked off of those two American albums and they weren't even the best songs. But I will do a proper review of 'Beatles For Sale' and explain what I think are the weaknesses on it as well as the reason I believe those weaknesses are there.
BEATLES FOR SALE
First of all, why is this album seemingly weaker than the previous three? The answer is BEATLEMANIA. 'With The Beatles' and the surrounding singles have brought the lads to international superstardom. 'A Hard Day's Night' solidified their position. So after several! hit singles, two awesome albums with no filler, one of them being all Lennon/McCartney originals, a bleedin' film, a couple of American tours as well as the rest of the world, there had to be a draining of the gas tank (petrol). They're at the top, nothing left to reach for except maybe proving they have staying power, so 'we've earned the right to be a bit lazy'. Let's just do the songs we have and a few covers and start again next year. Am I right?
No Reply
Definitely not the blasting intro used on the first three records. A little more introspective. A maturing pop group? Those Macca harmonies just worm their way right into your tummy. And that Am/Em Fmaj7/Em chorus just exalts the spirit (or whatever. It's a nice tune.). And the passion in that middle 8? As a kid I always loved that bass drum/crash cymbal in the chorus. That off beat attack.
I'm A Loser
John's voice sounds so rich and buttery in the verses on this one. I'm a sucker for cool walking bass lines too. And as always, Macca's harmony. And I've always loved the riding on the crash cymbal through the chorus and especially the harp/guitar solo when the tambourine stops.
Baby's In Black
Mainly the harmonies. The middle 8 is just a cracker for the harmonies. George's 'wammy' bar action was always cool when I was a kid. Is it still cool now? I don't know. I can't be objective. Sod off. (can you say sod here?) Again, riding that cymbal.
Rock And Roll Music
I knew this version long before I heard the original. Chuck Berry was an original. No one from the same era can touch him as a teenangst poet and musician. BUT, Lennon and co. simply own this song. Definitely rockin' like a hurrican'. Lennon's voice cooks. This tune rocks so hard that there seemed to be a 'whatever' attitude toward the drop out piano bit. Didn't ruin the song at all. Rock and roll is 'ragged' glory. I must say also that George Martin was a spot on producer and did much better with the Beatles than guys like Shel or Andrew did with The Who, Kinks or Stones. These Beatle records are clear, well balanced soundscapes.
I'll Follow The Sun
As this is a tune from the '50s, it is a rather simple one. It's OK but even at 9 years old, I was too manly for this one. Good job on the solo dude.
Mr Moonlight
John's voice is great on this one. But it's also great on 'Leave My Kitten Alone'. This might've been a quirky tune for the lads in the basement but,,,,the Wurlitzer always embarrassed me too. I didn't want any of my cool friends to know this song.
Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey
Now we're onto Beatles VI. Good cover. Spirited. Great Macca vocal. I, of course knew the Wilber Harrison version before I knew this one. I never got where the 'wrong' lyrics and the 'hey hey hey' bit came from until much later.
Eight Days A Week
How can you go wrong with this one. It was a hit single over here. So UP! So bluddy bouncy. Sodamn full of life! After hearing the early takes on anthology, I'm glad they went through all those takes to get to the final intro idea. If the real version started with that "Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo", I might've gone over to Herman's Hermits after all.
Words Of Love
You know what? It's a very neutral, pleasant tune. They didn't add anything to it except the harmony. Just a straight cover otherwise. Even a bit banal. (Not banal. Benign. That means it isn't cancer). How about 'Leave My Kitten Alone'.
Honey Don't
Another example of an empty gas tank after a year and a half of Beatlemania. 'We need another song. One for Ringo to sing'. I like the C chord in the vs which goes against the usual I-IV-V formula. But otherwise, 'Matchbox' is a better cover. I never wanted my cool friends to hear this one either. After Ringo says 'rock on George, one time for Ringo', they were expecting a guitar solo. Not a plain ol' boogie woogie run.
Every Little Thing
Here's a revelation. I knew the YES version first!!! Very nice tune. Exhilarating chorus. One of the few instances where I question George Martin's mixing/recording techniques. The drums! Where's the drums? Not the timpani, the drum set! It's either the arrangement or the production that makes this song lack the spark and sparkle to be a hit.
I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
I like Buck Owens (More on him at HELP!). I like this kind of '60s country music. And this tune is a country tune via the UK. Nice personal song. And the 'tonight you made me sad' middle 8 is a great lift. I thinks it gets a bit lost in the nether regions of side two though.
What You're Doing
It's a not to bad a song but it ALMOST sounds like a vocal excercise for Macca to show how effortlessly he can hit the high notes. Again, the drums sound like towels over a cardboard box. Filler perhaps?
Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby
Another cover but along the same line as 'Kansas City'. I think it's a great rendition, the sound is great and I love the excessive echo on George's voice. Sort of like a rowdy (for the time) jam session concert closer. The false ending leaves the sense that you've just been through a real genuine, sweaty rock and roll show. There's nothing like true rock and roll sweat and this song generates the illusion that you've been living it. Nice.
And that's the story of the little train that could.
Prolly around 1974 on a Sunday afternoon (in Canada, near Europe) there was a movie on the TV that showed a musical group clowning around and playing neato songs that almost, but not quite entirely sounded unlike The Monkees. Yup. I was a Monkees fan before I even heard of The Beatles. Anyhow, the program, I later learned was 'HELP!'. I was a bit confused and I said to dad, 'is this the Monkees?' 'No, it's The Beatles (eh?)'.
So they dragged out an old record travel case from the back shed, which among other things, included 'Beatles' 65'. I heard it and realised that these guys were almost as good as The Monkees. maybe even The Turtles! As time went by, I eventually taped the record along with the 'Slow Down/Matchbox' Capitol single. That's the thing about American albums in those days. You could fit the whole album plus a single on one side of a 60 minute tapes. Then my friend taped 'Yesterday...and Today' on the B-side.(More on that Franken-album over the next three album reviews)
But the whole point is that 'Beatles' 65' became a part of my DNA at the age of around 7 or 8 and as a result, I believe that the album is perfect in every way. I listened to it until I could dream it. 24/7 the tunes would be playing in my head. It was like a first crush that has never gone away.
Then we got 'Beatles For Sale' in 1987 and, and, well, it's a bit tricky to listen to because I was never a huge fan of 'Beatles VI' and most of side two of '...For Sale' is on 'Beatles VI'
So I expect side one to be over after 'Mister Moonlight'. Side two begins with 'Honey Don't' followed by 'I'll Be Back', a heavily reverbed 'I Feel Fine/She's A Woman' and brought home on a biggie which was 'Everybody's Tryin...'. When you're under 10, (at least in those days) the false ending is the coolest thing ever. 'Beatles VI' is an even stranger album (I would imagine).
But 'Beatles For Sale' sounds like someone made a tape of the songs they liked off of those two American albums and they weren't even the best songs. But I will do a proper review of 'Beatles For Sale' and explain what I think are the weaknesses on it as well as the reason I believe those weaknesses are there.
BEATLES FOR SALE
First of all, why is this album seemingly weaker than the previous three? The answer is BEATLEMANIA. 'With The Beatles' and the surrounding singles have brought the lads to international superstardom. 'A Hard Day's Night' solidified their position. So after several! hit singles, two awesome albums with no filler, one of them being all Lennon/McCartney originals, a bleedin' film, a couple of American tours as well as the rest of the world, there had to be a draining of the gas tank (petrol). They're at the top, nothing left to reach for except maybe proving they have staying power, so 'we've earned the right to be a bit lazy'. Let's just do the songs we have and a few covers and start again next year. Am I right?
No Reply
Definitely not the blasting intro used on the first three records. A little more introspective. A maturing pop group? Those Macca harmonies just worm their way right into your tummy. And that Am/Em Fmaj7/Em chorus just exalts the spirit (or whatever. It's a nice tune.). And the passion in that middle 8? As a kid I always loved that bass drum/crash cymbal in the chorus. That off beat attack.
I'm A Loser
John's voice sounds so rich and buttery in the verses on this one. I'm a sucker for cool walking bass lines too. And as always, Macca's harmony. And I've always loved the riding on the crash cymbal through the chorus and especially the harp/guitar solo when the tambourine stops.
Baby's In Black
Mainly the harmonies. The middle 8 is just a cracker for the harmonies. George's 'wammy' bar action was always cool when I was a kid. Is it still cool now? I don't know. I can't be objective. Sod off. (can you say sod here?) Again, riding that cymbal.
Rock And Roll Music
I knew this version long before I heard the original. Chuck Berry was an original. No one from the same era can touch him as a teenangst poet and musician. BUT, Lennon and co. simply own this song. Definitely rockin' like a hurrican'. Lennon's voice cooks. This tune rocks so hard that there seemed to be a 'whatever' attitude toward the drop out piano bit. Didn't ruin the song at all. Rock and roll is 'ragged' glory. I must say also that George Martin was a spot on producer and did much better with the Beatles than guys like Shel or Andrew did with The Who, Kinks or Stones. These Beatle records are clear, well balanced soundscapes.
I'll Follow The Sun
As this is a tune from the '50s, it is a rather simple one. It's OK but even at 9 years old, I was too manly for this one. Good job on the solo dude.
Mr Moonlight
John's voice is great on this one. But it's also great on 'Leave My Kitten Alone'. This might've been a quirky tune for the lads in the basement but,,,,the Wurlitzer always embarrassed me too. I didn't want any of my cool friends to know this song.
Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey
Now we're onto Beatles VI. Good cover. Spirited. Great Macca vocal. I, of course knew the Wilber Harrison version before I knew this one. I never got where the 'wrong' lyrics and the 'hey hey hey' bit came from until much later.
Eight Days A Week
How can you go wrong with this one. It was a hit single over here. So UP! So bluddy bouncy. So
Words Of Love
You know what? It's a very neutral, pleasant tune. They didn't add anything to it except the harmony. Just a straight cover otherwise. Even a bit banal. (Not banal. Benign. That means it isn't cancer). How about 'Leave My Kitten Alone'.
Honey Don't
Another example of an empty gas tank after a year and a half of Beatlemania. 'We need another song. One for Ringo to sing'. I like the C chord in the vs which goes against the usual I-IV-V formula. But otherwise, 'Matchbox' is a better cover. I never wanted my cool friends to hear this one either. After Ringo says 'rock on George, one time for Ringo', they were expecting a guitar solo. Not a plain ol' boogie woogie run.
Every Little Thing
Here's a revelation. I knew the YES version first!!! Very nice tune. Exhilarating chorus. One of the few instances where I question George Martin's mixing/recording techniques. The drums! Where's the drums? Not the timpani, the drum set! It's either the arrangement or the production that makes this song lack the spark and sparkle to be a hit.
I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
I like Buck Owens (More on him at HELP!). I like this kind of '60s country music. And this tune is a country tune via the UK. Nice personal song. And the 'tonight you made me sad' middle 8 is a great lift. I thinks it gets a bit lost in the nether regions of side two though.
What You're Doing
It's a not to bad a song but it ALMOST sounds like a vocal excercise for Macca to show how effortlessly he can hit the high notes. Again, the drums sound like towels over a cardboard box. Filler perhaps?
Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby
Another cover but along the same line as 'Kansas City'. I think it's a great rendition, the sound is great and I love the excessive echo on George's voice. Sort of like a rowdy (for the time) jam session concert closer. The false ending leaves the sense that you've just been through a real genuine, sweaty rock and roll show. There's nothing like true rock and roll sweat and this song generates the illusion that you've been living it. Nice.
And that's the story of the little train that could.