This blog is unlikely to get updated very regularly after I go through the 7 or 8 bands who I've completed, but maybe in a year or two I'll come back once I finish a few more. The posts themselves I expect will be reasonably lengthy though, especially regarding the less well-known bands who I want to sell. And I'll mainly be focussing on studio albums.
I'm no music journalist, but I enjoy writing about it so this is meant to be more therapeutic to me as a break from writing about my PhD for a change, rather than entertainment for readers. On the other hand, I like to think I have a fun style of writing, and if you know the bands then even better. But it's all just my opinions, so don't get angry.
I thought I'd start off with an easy one: The Beatles. Everything has already been written about them (if you want a literal song by song analysis, get Revolution in the Head by Ian MacDonald), so less pressure to have original thoughts. Oddly, I only completed The Beatles about a year ago, as for some reason Help! was the one album my dad never got around to getting on CD (though he had it on tape I think). So, here we go.
Please Please Me (1963)
Please Please Me was clearly ground-breaking and loved in its time, with its inventive three-part harmonies and kitschy 'first love' lyrics. Nowadays, the only song to have stood the test of time to general audiences is probably Twist and Shout, a cover originally recorded by The Top Notes in 1961 and made a hit by the Isley Brothers in 1962.
Despite its slightly grating pop luvviness, it does have an early 60s charm about it, with I Saw Her Standing There exploding out as the first song. Unfortunately much of the rest of the album doesn't reach the heights of Twist and Shout and the opener, although Boys and the title track try their best.
Ultimately, one for the completionist as the best tracks are available on compilations like 1 or The Red Album.
With The Beatles (1963)
Released the same year as Please Please Me, With The Beatles is much the same. Lennon and McCartney had yet to find their song-writing feet with almost half of the album comprising covers, only Roll Over Beethoven of which sounds as if they properly went for it. Original highlights are probably All My Loving and I Wanna Be Your Man, but lyrics-wise there's nothing to see here.
On the whole though, it sounds a lot more upbeat than Please Please Me, which felt dragged down by tracks like Misery, Chains and Baby It's You.
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Finally, a title track people have heard of! In my opinion, A Hard Day's Night is when The Beatles really got going. Firstly, there's not a cover in sight, and so all of the tracks feel as if they're being played by a group of four guys trying to prove themselves as serious song-writers. Can't Buy My Love is a particular highlight, though really there isn't an obviously weak moment on the album.
Though we haven't yet entered the psychedelic/prog era of The Beatles, one can sense some slightly more complex arrangements in the songs than in the prior albums, as well as some more reflective lyrical themes.
Beatles For Sale (1964)
Maybe it was the constant touring, or the pressure to follow up the previous album, but somehow we ended up with another album of half-covers. Apparently many consider Mr Moonlight to be the worst thing The Beatles ever recorded, and they may well be right. The other covers are forgettable, though McCartney's wailing out Kansas City is fun.
As for the originals, the first three songs are depressing but in a good way. I particularly like I'm A Loser, for some reason... Other than that it's probably best to flag Eight Days A Week as the best song and move on.
Help! (1965)
And we're back on track. Help! brings the band back to where they left off on A Hard Day's Night. We still have two covers and, while neither are particularly fantastic, they're a marked improvement on those on the previous album. The title track and Ticket To Ride are probably the most fun songs, though Yesterday will be the most famous due to its never ending radio play. Incidentally, when John Lennon was in his 'I hate Paul' phase in the 70s, he sang in How Do You Sleep? that he thought Yesterday was McCartney's best ever song.
Also worth mentioning is I've Just Seen A Face as The Beatles' only foray in to country music. It's fast-paced and utilises the genre cliché of lyrics running in to each other, and I think it's an enjoyable novelty.
Rubber Soul (1965)
Rubber Soul is the transition album from the radio friendly fun-loving Beatles, to the weird psychedelic stuff. As such, the songs are a very mixed bag sound-wise. Drive My Car must surely be one of the noveltiest songs every written, but one can't help but be drawn in by the opening guitar line. Norwegian Wood is the first flirtation The Beatles had with the sitar, and acts mainly as a sign of things to come.
Noticeable is the reduction in the number of songs about girls and love, though The Word, Michelle and Girl are lovey enough for the entire album. Highlights include You Won't See Me, Think For Yourself and I'm Looking Through You.
Though never explicitly country sounding, the guitars on this album are sufficiently twangy to suggest a minor influence from the American South.
Run For Your Life would later be cited as Lennon as his least favourite song and one he regretted writing, which is understandable given its blatant misogyny. Good guitar though.
Revolver (1966)
The start of the proper psychedelic era starts here, but we're not all the way yet. Taxman, Here There and Everywhere and For No One each would sound equally at home on Rubber Soul, with the former containing one of the best Harrison guitar solos.
Eleanor Rigby, She Said She Said and Good Day Sunshine are probably the least 'Beatles sounding' songs they had recorded as yet, though we will soon discover that this is their sound now.
And then there's Tomorrow Never Knows. The only word to aptly describe this song is 'strange'. One of the first (if not the first) songs to use tape loops and sampling in the recording of a song, it feels more of an experience than an actual 'song'. The lyrics are that kind of pseudo-philosophy which sounds meaningful but actually means very little, but it works.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Variously lauded as the best album of all time by anyone ever. What can I say?
One of (again, if not the) first ever concept albums, it confirmed the suspicion that Tomorrow Never Knows was where the Beatles were staying.
Personally, I consider this one of the safest albums to listen to. No matter what I'm in the mood to listen to, this will never be a bad choice. Though there's not a weak spot on the album, Within You Without You can grate a bit as Harrison pulls out every pseudo-eastern-philosophical line of vaguely deep sounding nonsense he'd ever heard.
Elsewhere, Good Morning Good Morning and A Day In The Life are my personal favourites, with the former acting as my alarm for about a year as it begins with a cockerel.
Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
Step right this way...
Technically not included in the UK discography for some reason, I'm including it because it contains all new original songs.
This is a very mixed bag. Written to be the soundtrack to the absolutely mad film of the same name, there are some real gems, and some peculiar missteps.
The title track is nothing to write home about, and neither really is Flying - one of the only instrumental tracks The Beatles ever recorded.
However, I Am The Walrus, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields Forever and All You Need Is Love would go on to be hugely popular songs, and rightly so. I am also partial to Blue Jay Way, a dark and brooding song written by Harrison primarily about trying to stay awake.
The Beatles (aka The White Album) (1968)
Based on sound alone, one would probably put Yellow Submarine before The White Album, but hey.
The White Album doesn't really sound like the efforts of four band members working together, rather it sounds like each songwriter hired the other three to play on their individual songs. All things considered, this is the album I'd least like to listen to from start to finish in The Beatles' catalogue, despite some real gems.
Back in the USSR, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Helter Skelter are all fantastic. Unfortunately the album is mired with throwaways like Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Rocky Raccoon, Honey Pie and Long Long Long.
Revolution 1 is only worth mentioning as a clearly worse version than the single version. And you can't talk about this album without referring to Revolution 9 as the 8 minute soundscape of impenetrable nonsense. For even the most die-hard Beatles' fan, Revolution 9 gets listened to only once on purpose.
Yellow Submarine (1969, 1999)
Returning to the Sgt Pepper sound came Yellow Submarine. The album on the left is the one that was released in 1969, with one side containing Yellow Submarine from Revolver, and All You Need Is Love from Magical Mystery Tour, as well as 4 new songs. The second side is the score to Yellow Submarine film, which is interesting though not particularly amenable to repeat listens.
The album on the right is the soundtrack to the film, released in 1999, which removes the score and replaces it with the rest of the Beatles' songs which were actually used in the film (all of which are from prior albums).
Regarding the new 4 songs, only Hey Bulldog warrants proper consideration. Hey Bulldog may be my favourite Beatles song, with its hard rocking piano, several guitar solos and McCartney's inventive bassline.
Only a Northern Song is also ok, but is more funny than musically interesting as Harrison deliberately tried to write the most nonsense song possible to fulfil some contractual obligation. One might have thought he could have just pulled out his 'idiot's guide to eastern philosophy' again, but alas.
Abbey Road (1969)
Recorded after most of the Let It Be songs, but released before, Abbey Road is again a departure from what had come prior.
Come Together and Something are as famous Beatles' songs as any others, and deservedly so. Maxwell's Silver Hammer is a clear low point, and I've never been a fan of I Want You (She's So Heavy) due to the repetitive outro lasting approximately 2 minutes too long.
Here Comes The Sun and Octopus's Garden are both fun Harrison guitar showpieces and are certainly the brightest songs on the album.
The Abbey Road Melody which encompasses most of the second side is a fun novelty and, given the shortness of most of the included songs, is a whirlwind of different sounds (though on reflection, it's quite a depressing and mean bunch).
Also, I'll always like The End for it's three-way duelling guitar solos.
Let It Be (1970, 2003)
The last album to ever be released by The Beatles feels like a return to the sound of A Hard Day's Night but with an added maturity of song-writing and experience which facilitates a depth unseen in the early albums.
Given that the band was dissolved by the time it came out, they didn't really have any hand in producing it. Phil Spector was brought in, and produced the album released in 1970 to a mixed reaction, with most criticising the infamous 'wall of sound' effect he used. Though Lennon wasn't particularly bothered, McCartney was apparently very unhappy with the result, and seized the opportunity to remix the entire album, later released in 2003 as Let It Be... Naked (and with 2 minor track replacements, the two original songs being under 1 minute throwaways worthy of dumping).
Overall, this is a very good album, though Two Of Us and One After 909 are noticeable weak spots.
Although it's complete nonsense, I've always loved Dig A Pony for some reason. Across The Universe, I Me Mine, I've Got A Feeling and Get Back are all excellent songs as well, plus the title track is pretty ubiquitous.
This will probably be the shortest of these posts. I'm a huge fan of The Beatles, but I don't particularly listen to them all that often any more. I thought they'd work well as the first one to do though.
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