Category Archives: Beatles

The Beatles

Overview
The Beatles have always been one of the most talked about bands in history, and bold statements are thrown out about the Beatles all the time. Things like, they’re the most influential band ever, they’re the most revolutionary band ever, and they’re the most popular band ever. All these claims are put into magazines and music conversation all the time.Then you have some really extreme statements like modern rock music wouldn’t exist without the Beatles, or there will never be another band to equal the Beatles. These are pretty extreme claims. On the other hand, in some cases, The Beatles have received so much positive attention, it has created this strange counter argument against the Beatles, where some people will claim that it’s uncool to like the Beatles. As for all these positive and negative claims for and against The Beatles, some may be true, and some may be false, but it doesn’t really matter because The Beatles don’t need a label or justification. Simply put, their music speaks for itself.

Styles and Genres
Pop rock, classic rock, psychedelic rock, proto-progressive rock

Band Line-Up
John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals)
George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals)
Ringo Starr (drums, vocals)

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(1 reader ratings, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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The Beatles Please Please Me- 1963
Album Rating- 6

Is it possible? Could they have known?

When the Beatles walked into Abbey Road studios at 10am on Friday March 11, 1963 to record their debut album, could they have known the impact they would immediately have on rock music?

Personally, I think they knew they were going to be great, but on that day in 1963, I can only surmise that they weren’t thinking about their future or the profound impact that they would have on the rock world— they were only thinking about the task at hand, which was to record 10 new songs in one day which is quite an undertaking.

Coming into the studio, the Beatles had already released “Love Me Do” as a single with “PS- I Love You,” as its B-side. Additionally, they had also already released “Please Please Me” as a single with “Ask Me Why” as its B-Side. At that time in the UK, 14 songs were standard for an album, so as mentioned, they needed 10 more songs to fill out the complete album. They ended up recording 4 more original tracks, and then 6 covers to complete the album, and they managed to do it in the extremely narrow time slot that they had access to the studio. With that being said, they had very little time to do multiple takes on songs, so the album was really recorded as a live in the studio album, with a few overdubs here and there. However, the sound of the album is crystal clear and the production is phenomenal. So although they rushed through the songs to make their deadline, the finished product doesn’t sound rushed at all, and it demonstrates the talent the Beatles had in the studio even at this early stage on their debut album.

For the most part, The Beatles originals are the best tracks on the album, with “Please Please Me” being a true highlight, but “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Love Me Do,” and “P.S. I Love You,” are all great as well. As for the covers, “A Taste of Honey” is also a standout, as it is sounds completely different from the rest of the songs on the album, and it is one of the few early Beatles songs that doesn’t contain lyrical content focused around relationships or love, which makes it very unique. Then you have The Beatles’ cover of “Twist and Shout,” which is arguably the best track on the album. It was the last song they recorded for the album, and they did it in one take because Lennon’s voice was shot from the 11-hour recording session. Plus, he had a cold that had been worsening throughout the day. Lennon’s vocals are noticeably rough on the song, but I think it is that roughness that makes the song work so well. This version of the song is absolutely the seminal version of the song, and Lennon’s vocals are really what make the song stand out from the many other versions of the song by other bands including the Isley Brothers, The Searchers, The Mamas & the Papas, Chuck Berry, and The Who—just to name a few.

Click here to listen to Please Please Me
Click here to listen to I Saw Her Standing There
Click here to listen to Twist And Shout

Please Please Me is not even the first chapter, or even the first page, in The Beatles’ metaphorical history book; however, it should be in every record collector’s stack of albums, for it is not only the album that started it all for The Beatles, but in many ways— it is the album that started the whole modern rock phenomenon.

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(3 reader ratings, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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The Beatles With the Beatles- 1963
Album Rating- 4

With The Beatles was released just eight months after Please Please Me (their debut), and it follows the same pattern of 8 original songs, and 6 covers songs just like the debut did– but with much less impact, so it surprises me that most fans and critics rank this album higher than Please Please Me.

The good news is that although With The Beatles is not quite on par with their debut, it is still a great album. “All My Loving,” is easily the best track on the album, and it is also better than anything from the debut. McCartney wrote the song, and it is unique for him because he wrote the vocals first, which he had never done before and rarely did afterwards (Wikipedia). The opening track, “It Won’t Be Long,” is also a winner, and it features call and return lyrics from Lennon and McCartney delivered to perfection. It is also important to highlight “Don’t Bother Me,” which is the first George Harrison penned song to appear on a Beatles album. Harrison has commented that he was not overly fond of the song, but he wanted to contribute to the writing process. I can only imagine that it was tough being in Harrison’s position, as he was an outstanding songwriter and really could have been the primary songwriter in any other band, but he was definitely a distant third in the The Beatles compared to Lennon and McCartney. However, he did later write and contribute more songs to The Beatles’ catalog, including some of my favorites like “Here Comes the Sun,” “Something,” and the absolute classic—“While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

Click here to Listen to All My Loving
Click here to Listen to It Won’t Be Long
Click here to Listen to Don’t Bother Me

My main criticism of the album is that the cover songs don’t blend in with the originals very well, and to me, it is clear which songs are originals and which songs are covers. Take “Please Mister Postman” and “Roll Over Beethoven” as examples, they are both catchy and upbeat, but they are well known 50’s songs, which make them sound dated, so they don’t fit in with the rest of the album, and they don’t do anything to add to the evolution of The Beatles’ sound. I’ll also mention “Till There Was You,” which would have made a great Dean Martin song; he would have made it cool, but McCartney’s version comes across sounding overly sappy.

Personally, I think every record collector should own every Beatles album because every one of their albums has something to offer, and they are all enjoyable, but other than “All My Loving,” “It Won’t Be Long,” and a few of the other original songs, With The Beatles, is one of the weakest Beatles albums, and I rarely listen to it as a complete album from front to back. All in all, it is a required album for a serious record collector, but for a casual listener, stick to aforementioned singles, and that’s all you need.

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(3 reader ratings, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night- 1964
Album Rating- 7

After two albums that were a mix of originals and covers, The Beatles finally put out an album of all original material on A Hard Day’s Night, and it is easily their best album to date.

Just for historical reference, the album is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name. It was released during the height of Beatlemania; however, the movie and the album kind of serve as a farewell to that early Beatlemania type of song, because moving forward— the Beatles would get much more serious.

As with every Beatles album, everything is enjoyable, but there are some definite standouts. “A Hard Day’s Night” opens the album with Lennon’s famous 12-string guitar chord sequence, and it is certainly one of the most recognizable opening riffs of all time. “Should have known better” is also a highlight, and it clearly demonstrates the influence that Bob Dylan had on John Lennon. The song opens with Lennon on Harmonica, and its instrumentation has a very distinct Dylan feel to it. I also really like “And I love her.” Lastly, I’ll point out “Any Time at All” and “You Can’t do That,” which are also excellent.

Click here to listen to A Hard Day’s Night
Click here to listen to I Should Have Known Better
Click here to listen to And I Love Her

A Hard Day’s Night is a great album that is completely enjoyable from start to finish. It’s a pop masterpiece, and it is the epitome of Beatlemania. Thus, it is certainly a must own album for any Beatles fan.

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(3 reader ratings, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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The Beatles The Beatles for Sale- 1964
Album Rating- 7

The Beatles came onto the scene in March of 1963 with their Debut. They then immediately released their Follow up (With the Beatles) just a few months later, followed by the A Hard Day’s Night album and corresponding movie in 1964, all the while, they were touring the globe and playing live everywhere. So, that’s three albums, one movie, and a worldwide chaotic tour all in the period of just a few months.

The Beatles were burned out; they were being used as a money generator, and they knew it; hence the title: The Beatles for Sale.  The Beatles were temporarily checked out, they needed a break, and they were barely trying on this album. So, does the album suffer because of their lack of interest? Absolutely not. And in my view, it completely outshines their previous three albums. So, even when The Beatles were barely trying, they could still easily crank out brilliant music.

As I mentioned, I like this album better than the preceding three albums. It shows The Beatles finally braking away from shackles of Beatlemania and their typical boy/girl lyrical content that consumed their fist three albums. The Beatles For Sale is a very dark album, and I think darkness and weariness is a central theme to the album

Take Lennon’s “I’m a Loser,” it doesn’t get much more direct than that. Lennon has commented that the song was inspired by old country music and that might be true, but I think the song is much more introspective than Lennon was letting on at the time. (Click here to listen to I’m A Loser)

The darkness and weariness of the album doesn’t stop there. The opening track “No Reply” is about cheating. “Baby’s in Black,” and “Mr. Moonlight” present titles and choruses of a dark nature. Even “Eight Day’s A Week,” which is a fantastic song (and my favorite on the album), is about being over worked, and it plays right into the weariness theme (Click here to listen to Eight Days A Week). Then you have “I Don’t Want To Spoil the Party,” which basically presents the idea that you can be the most famous person in the word, but still be alone. Lastly, there is “What You’re Doing,” which is another song about a failing relationship.

Even McCartney’s “I’ll Follow The Sun,” which seems bright on the surface, is actually about leaving a relationship. This song, more than any other song on the album, demonstrates the genius of the Beatles. You have McCartney singing a stunning uplifting chorus about following the sun, but in actuality, the song is about leaving someone and knowing that you are hurting that person. (Click here to listen to I’ll Follow The Sun)

What amazes me most about this album is that if you didn’t analyze the conceptual theme of the album, you can still listen to it as a regular upbeat early Beatles album. Even when they were unhappy and singing about despair, every song is still fantastic. As final evidence of The Beatles apathy at this point, just take a look at the photo on the cover. They are all frowning (even Ringo), and Ringo was supposed to always be happy.

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(3 reader ratings, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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The Beatles Help- 1965
Album Rating- 8

Help is the culmination of everything great about the last four Beatles albums. It is the end of the first chapter of Beatles music, and it was an amazing 1st chapter. It is possibly the greatest pure pop album ever made, and although the Beatles remained immensely popular throughout their short active career, their music would take on a new more serious tone moving forward starting with their next release Rubber Soul.

Before the release of Help, The Beatles had already released Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, and The Beatles for Sale. That is five fantastic albums in just 2-3 years, which is completely unheard of by today’s standards. Yes, albums were shorter in those days, but for them to crank out the number of pop masterpieces that they did in those 2-3 years is just astounding.

In terms of songs on this release, you have their best opener yet in Lennon’s “Help,” which is upbeat, fast paced, and extremely catchy. However, Lennon has remarked that during this time he was really feeling the pressure bearing down on him, and he was depressed. “Help” is his follow up to “I’m a Loser” off the Beatles for Sale album, and if you listen to the lyrics of both songs, they certainly demonstrate Lennon’s frailty. (Click here to listen to Help!)

In addition to “Help,” Lennon also contributed “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” which clearly shows the Beatles moving away from their simple pure pop background and moving into more complex and serious topics. (Click here to listen to You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away)

There’s also “Ticket to Ride,” which is unique in many ways. First, it was definitely the heaviest song in the Beatles catalog up to this point, and for that matter, it was heavy for any band at that time. It was definitely inspired by what the Kinks, The Stones, and The Who were trying to do at the same time, which was a bit heavier than early Beatles fare, but with “Ticket to Ride,” the Beatles once again showed that they were the best at any style. Lennon commented on the heaviness of the song in a 1970 Rolling Stone interview stating that “it was [a] slightly new sound at the time, because it was pretty fuckin’ heavy for then.” Its lyrical content is also unique. You can find several interpretations, but my favorite is based on the time the Beatles spent in the red light district in Hamburg, Germany. The “girls” working the red light district at the time had to get a doctor’s “ticket” of clean health to work, which Lennon referred to as a “Ticket to Ride.” (Click here to listen to Ticket To Ride)

Every song on Help is brilliant, but my personal favorite song on the album is “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” which is a complete hidden gem in The Beatles’ catalog. It’s a short 2-minute song, with McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison all on guitar. It has a great blue grass feel to it, which really does make it unlike any other song in the Beatles’ catalog. Listen for last line of the first verse where McCartney just hums. It is very simple, but simply perfect. (Click here to listen to I’ve Just Seen a Face)

Lastly, there’s “Yesterday.”  It was completely penned by McCartney, without any input from Lennon, which was rare. It was also rare at the time because it was orchestrated, which showed the Beatles willingness to experiment, and it certainly opened the door for future albums like St. Pepper’s. (Click here to listen to Yesterday)

In closing, Help is a great record. It improves on everything they had done in the past, and it looks to the future with tracks like “Ticket to Ride,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” and “Yesterday,” so it is certainly a fitting way to close the 1st chapter of Beatles music, and I think that if the Beatles had called it quits after just these five albums, they would still be one of the most well known bands of all time, but they really hadn’t even started yet, for the best was yet to come.

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(3 reader ratings, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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The Beatles Rubber Soul- 1965
RMR Album Rating- 8

Does the phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” also apply to album covers?

The Rubber Soul album cover looks nothing like any of the previous Beatles’ album covers, as it has a very psychedelic look to it; however, it is not quite as revolutionary as I once thought. Just look at The Rolling Stones’ album cover for Out Of Our Heads, it’s basically identical to the cover of Rubber Soul, but it was released about 6-months earlier.

So, does the music on Rubber Soul match the cover of the album? In other words, did the music change as much as the album cover did? Well… yes and no.

On one hand, Rubber Soul is definitely the start of a new, more serious chapter for the Beatles. I think with Rubber Soul, they were intentionally trying to break away from the early Beatlemania boy-girl love songs, and as evidence of this, Rubber Soul is the first Beatles album not to have the word “Love” in any of its song titles, and most of the themes that are presented throughout the album are much more serious in tone. Therefore, they succeeded in setting a new tone for the album’s content thematically, but they fail to translate these new themes into songs that are better than the songs on Help (the album’s predecessor).

With that being said, none of the songs on Rubber Soul are bad. In fact, all the songs are fantastic. They’re just not the quantum leap in quality over the songs on Help that most people make them out to be, and this makes sense. Help was the pinnacle of early Beatles pop material, and it is arguably the greatest pop record ever recorded. Whereas Rubber Soul is just the first page of a new chapter of Beatles material, so how can we expect it to be perfect? In other words, the seeds of seriousness were planted thematically on Rubber Soul, but we won’t hear the full results bloom until future albums.

As for the songs, “Norwegian Wood” is a true highlight, and it is also one of my personal favorite Beatles songs. It shows them branching out and tackling lyrical content that they would have never touched on their early albums. “Norwegian Wood” is also a major step forward musically, in that it features George Harrison on his newly acquired sitar from India (Click here to listen to Norwegian Wood).

“Nowhere Man” is also a standout, and it continues Lennon’s string of songs about despair that he started on The Beatles for Sale album with “I’m a Loser,” and he then continued on the Help album with the title track. Aside from the song dealing with Lennon’s frustration and sadness, it is an incredibly unique track. McCartney and Lennon sing together in an almost blurred harmony, and it gives the track a great psychedelic feel. (Click here to listen to Nowhere Man).

Then there’s “In My Life.” For me, it is one of the Beatles’ most moving songs, and I still get chills every time I hear it (click here to listen to In My Life).

Circling back around, I’ll make a few final comments. First, you cannot judge an album by its cover, although most people do with Rubber Soul. Second, although The Beatles were intentionally going for a more mature and serious sound on this album, I actually enjoy the Help album more because it is the zenith of their straight pop period of music, whereas Rubber Soul is just the first chapter in their more serious style of song writing.

Post Script:
Everyone has always made a huge deal over George Harrison’s sitar work on “Norwegian Wood” because of how revolutionary it was for him to use a foreign instrument on a pop song. It does sound great, but it is not nearly as revolutionary as you might think. The Kinks had traveled to India before the Beatles, and they released “See My Friends” before “Norwegian Wood.” Although both songs are great, “See My Friends” is much more Indian inspired and much more psychedelic than “Norwegian Wood.” (Click here to listen the Kinks’ See My Friends)

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(4 reader ratings, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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The Beatles Revolver- 1966
RMR Album Rating- 10

Is Revolver my personal favorite album of all time? … No
Is Revolver the greatest rock album of all time? … Arguably
Is Revolver my personal favorite Beatles album? … Absolutely

Although Revolver is not my personal favorite album of all time, it’s certainly in the running for the title of rock’s greatest album of all time, and it is without question my favorite Beatles album. The interesting thing is, I think most people would disagree with me. Most fans and critics commonly cite Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper’s, The White Album, or Abbey Road as The Beatles’ best record, yet I think they all fall short of Revolver.

Here’s my personal story with Revolver. When I first bought it, I listened to it straight through twice on the way home, and I was simply blown away. There has never been an album that had such an immediate impact on me. It was pop; it was catchy; it was trippy; it was psychedelic; and most importantly– there was not a weak moment. Every song was (and still is) absolutely perfect. When I got home, I must have listened to it at least three more times straight through, and it amazed me more each time I listened to it; it is simply a magical record.

Every song on Revolver is a true highlight, and I could easily write an essay on each song, but I won’t. Instead, let’s put 60 seconds on the clock, and I’ll give you my take on each of its 14 songs. These will just be short ramblings on each song, as I will write this in one take while listening to the album.

So here we go! It’s 35-minutes of listening for me (the running time of the album), and it’s 60 seconds of reading for you. Start the clock…

Taxman: Their heaviest guitar sound to date, and a great start to the album. Eleanor Rigby: Amazing story telling, themes of loneliness, no instruments played by The Beatles, just vocals layered over George Martin’s orchestration. I’m Only Sleeping: Poppy, trippy, and that incredible psychedelic guitar ending. Love to You: India inspired music taken well beyond “Norwegian Wood,” very psychedelic, and you have to love the line– “I’ll make love to you, if you want me to,” making it their first love song that’s not just about love, but actually making love. Here, There and Everywhere: One of Paul’s best ballads along with “Yesterday,” very moving. Yellow Submarine: The Beatles just having fun, but be careful with this one, it will get stuck in your head for days. She Said, She Said: Awesome guitar intro, and the opening line (“I know what it’s like to be dead”) is Lennon quoting Peter Fonda during an acid trip that Lennon and Fonda shared, a perfect psychedelic rocker. Good Day Sunshine: Need to be cheered up, just put this one on and let McCartney’s piano playing and singing do the work, the song will just make you smile. And Your Bird Can Sing: Dueling fast paced guitars and a great chorus, making it my personal favorite track on the record. For No One: demonstrating once again that the Beatles can sing about a sad subject, but if you don’t pay attention to the lyrics, you’d think it was a normal pop song, and don’t forget the amazing (but subtle) orchestration. Doctor Robert: An amazing chorus where everything just slows down and Lennon sings “well, well, well, you’re feeling fine,” just mind bending— almost as if you’re on LSD. I Want to Tell You: Straight away rock, no bells and whistles, just McCartney, Lennon, Harrison, and Ringo doing rock better than anyone else could. Got to Get You Into My Life: One of the true highlights of the album with McCartney’s screaming chorus of— “got to get you into my life,” simply awesome. Tomorrow Never Knows: This song is Lennon’s musical interpretation of taking acid, and no song has every portrayed it better, completely ahead of its time, using looping techniques, sampling, every sound imaginable, arguably their crowing achievement?

Click here to listen to Love You To
Click here to listen to She Said She Said
Click here to listen to And Your Bird Can Sing
Click here to listen to Got To Get You Into My Life
Click here to listen to Tomorrow Never Knows

I think that about sums it up. Everyone should be required to own this album. It was amazing when it was released in 1966; it is amazing now almost 50 years later, and it will be just as amazing in another 50 years. It is one of rock’s true crowning achievements, and it is a true work of art.

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The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band- 1967
RMR Rating- 10

At the time of its release, the sound of Sgt. Pepper’s was nothing like anything The Beatles or anyone else had ever done; it was completely revolutionary.

Although The Beatles had progressed on every album, their last three albums had pretty much followed the same formula. Each of those albums (Help, Rubber Soul, & Revolver) had a big opening song: “Help,” “You Can Drive My Car,” and then “Taxman” respectfully. Then, each album would continue with a mix of rockers, ballads, and some psychedelic songs mixed in along the way. It’s also important to point out that all of The Beatles’ albums before Sgt. Pepper’s were pretty typical rock albums and used pretty typical rock instruments (guitar, bass, drums, piano, and vocals). Sure, Harrison had messed around with a sitar, and they experimented with some looping techniques on “Tomorrow Never Knows,” but for the most part, all those albums were pretty standard rock and roll albums; Sgt. Pepper’s, however, is certainly not a standard rock and roll album. The whole album is structured different, and not only do they get away from the big opening song, but they go for more of an album oriented release, rather than a singles release, which was definitely uncharacteristic of The Beatles at the time.

The instrumentation is also completely different and the biggest change. There’s barely any guitar work anywhere on the album, and all the other traditional instruments are extremely subtle and traded in for a completely unique and orchestrated sound. Don’t get me wrong, The Beatles were certainly playing their instruments, but their list of instruments had grown and diversified immensely. Just take a look:

John Lennon: lead harmony and backing vocals, lead rhythm and acoustic guitars, Hammond organ, piano, handclaps, harmonica, tape loops, sound effects, kazoo, tambourine, maracas

Paul McCartney: lead harmony and backing vocals, lead acoustic and bass guitars, piano, Hammond organ, handclaps, vocalizations, tape loops, sound effects, kazoo

George Harrison: lead rhythm and acoustic guitars, sitar, lead and backing vocals, harmony and backing vocals, tambura, harmonica, kazoo, handclaps, maracas

Ringo Starr: drums, percussion, congas, tambourine, maracas, handclaps, tubular bells, lead and backing vocals, harmonica, kazoo,

All of this new instrumentation had never been used by anyone in rock music, and it really opened the door for what was possible and acceptable. As a result of Sgt. Pepper’s, rock and roll was no longer just simple 4 to 5 piece instrumentation. It now contained complex soundscapes and atmospheric textures. Other bands would follow The Beatles’ lead, but The Beatles were the first, and they were able to do this all while keeping a pop appeal, which is where the true genius of The Beatles really stands. They could be completely innovative and foreign sounding, but completely accessible at the same time.

In terms of songs, they are all complete winners, although I think “When I’m Sixty-Four” could have been left off the album. It’s not a bad song, it’s actually quite catchy, but it doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the songs, and it slightly disrupts the flow of the album. But, take your pick of any of the others…

If you want something moving you have “She’s Leaving Home.” (Click here to listen to She’s Leaving Home)

If you want something upbeat you have  “With a little Help from My Friends,” and “Getting Better.” (Click here to listen to Getting Better)

If want something trippy, you have “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” “Within You Without You,” and the Doors inspired “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.” (Click here to listen to Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!)

Or, for a more traditional rocker, take your pick of “Lovely Rita” or “Good Morning Good Morning.” (Click here to listen to Lovely Rita).

Then there’s “A Day in the Life”…

“A Day in the Life,” is Sgt. Pepper’s closing track and maybe The Beatles’ finest moment. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the #1 Beatles song of all time, and I tend to agree. What completely blows my mind about this song is how much happens in just under 6-minutes. You have Lennon’s opening verse, which depicts the world as a very sad and dreary place. His lyrics for this section were based on various articles that he read in the daily newspaper while writing the song. Then, he delivers the famous line of “I’d love to turn you on,” as the song shifts to McCartney’s part, which is more upbeat, but it still depicts the typical dreary events in the day of one’s life: alarm clock going off, running late, stressful day at work, and then finally getting to wind down with a smoke. Then the song shifts back again to Lennon for another verse and another delivery of the aforementioned famous line: “I’d love to turn you on,” but this time the whole song builds up in crescendo with a 40-piece orchestra that climaxes with Lennon, McCartney, Starr, and Mal Evans all playing an E-major piano note simultaneously on four separate pianos, and they all hold the note for an ear shattering 40-seconds. And, that’s still not the end of the song. After all that, the song finally ends with a looped section of repeating indecipherable vocals. And as I mentioned, this all happens in less than 6-minutes. Most everyone has heard this song, but take another listen, and take into account everything that happens during the course of the song (click here to listen to A Day In The Life).

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is not my favorite album of all time, but I have never grown tired of listening to it; I hear something new every time I spin it, and I always enjoy playing it. I’ll close by saying that Sgt. Pepper’s is absolutely essential listening in every possible way, and it certainly deserves all the praise that it receives.

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(4 reader ratings, average: 4.75 out of 5)

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The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour- 1967
RMR Album Rating- 9

The Beatles’ 1967 release, Magical Mystery Tour, was their first album since their sophomore album (With The Beatles) that didn’t really present anything new or innovative; nevertheless, it is still a fantastic album in every way.

After the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in June of 1967, the “Summer of Love” was in full bloom, so McCartney came up with the idea for the magical mystery tour, not the album, but an actual bus tour.  McCartney’s vision for this bus tour of magic and mystery, which I can only surmise was supplemented by plenty of good drugs, was to drive around the English countryside with their friends and family. During the trip, they would write songs for their next album and film their escapades for a new Beatles movie.

The other band members were game, as I’m sure it beat being stuck in the studio. The problem was they only came up with six new songs on the trip, which wasn’t enough for a full album— it actually only amounted to about 20-minutes of new music. So without enough material for a complete new album, The Beatles decided to release the six songs as a double EP that would be supplemented with a 25-page full color book that documented the trip. The original double EP was broken up on two LP’s with 4-sides of music.

Side-1: “Magical Mystery Tour” & “Your Mother Should Know”
Side-2: “I Am the Walrus”
Side-3: “The Fool on the Hill” & “Flying”
Side-4: “Blue Jay Way”

At the time, EP’s were not popular in the US, so instead of releasing the album in the double EP format in America, Capitol Records added 5 additional songs that had already been released as singles in the UK (“Hello Goodbye,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Penny Lane,” “Baby You’re a Rich Man,” and “All You Need Is Love.”)

The Beatles were not pleased with Capitol’s decision to release the album in this format, as those songs had already been released, and The Beatles thought their inclusion would make for a fragmented record that mixed pop singles with the more psychedelic sounding songs that they wrote during their road trip. However, the album actually flowed quite well, and it went to #1 in the US, which is not surprising because by 1967, there really wasn’t much of a difference between The Beatles’ pop singles and what they considered their deeper more intelligent album tracks. In fact, I would argue that there’s really no difference between the two groups of songs expect for the fact that some of the songs were written on a bus, and some were written in the studio.  Shortly afterwards, everyone would agree on this, and now the only version of the album is the complete 11-track version, and I doubt that most Beatles fans even know that the original double EP ever existed.

Both sides of the album are completely enjoyable. “Magical Mystery Tour” is a very fitting opening song, as it invites the listener into the album by asking him to “roll up/ roll up for the mystery tour” (Click here to listen to Magical Mystery Tour). Of the other songs written on the bus trip, “The Fool On The Hill” and “Blue Jay Way” are also highlights. The latter doesn’t feature any guitar work, which is particularly interesting— considering it was written by George Harrison (lead guitarist). Instead, the song relies on Indian style drones, cello’s, and the Hammond organ, which give the song a very mellow vibe and make it one of the most trippy songs in the entire Beatles catalog (Click here to listen to Blue Jay Way).

As mentioned, all the songs on side-2 had been previously released as singles in the UK, but none of them were ever included on an official Beatles’ album. The real highlights out of this set of songs are Lennon’s “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and McCartney’s “Penny Lane.” The tracks were originally released together in February of 1967 before the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and both songs are absolutely phenomenal. “All You Need is Love” is also a true standout, and it has become one of The Beatles many signature songs.

The song “was first performed by The Beatles on ‘Our World,’ the first live global television link. Watched by 400 million in 26 countries, the programme was broadcast via satellite on 25 June 1967. The BBC had commissioned The Beatles to write a song for the United Kingdom’s contribution” (Wikipedia).

“All You Need Is Love” is interesting to me because it shows The Beatles returning to the theme of love for a song, but they present it in a very mature way. Most of their early love songs were typically about relationship oriented love; however, “All You Need Is Love” presents love as a much more universal concept that is not limited to a relationship between two people, but rather the relationship between all people. I also like that they pay homage to their earlier love songs in the last verse by singing the “she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah” chorus from their 1963 hit “She Loves You.”

Click here to listen to Strawberry Fields Forever
Click here to listen to Penny Lane
Click here to listen to All You Need Is Love

My only real knock of the album are Lennon’s lyrics to “The Walrus.” For me, “The Walrus” is to Magical Mystery Tour what “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” was to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band, but instead of “tangerine trees and marmalade skies,” this time around we have Lennon “sitting on a cornflake” and “Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog’s eye.” In both songs, Lennon’s psychedelic imagery just seems a bit overt and juvenile, and it just doesn’t resonate with me, but both songs are great instrumentally, so the lyrics are a minor complaint.

Although the current version of Magical Mystery Tour is not what The Beatles had originally intended it to be when they were on that bus back in 1967, it all worked out, and it is easily one of The Beatles best albums.

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(3 reader ratings, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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