The Beatles

It's funny that with the groundbreaking band on their groundbreaking album we both only have covers among our most beloved songs, my absolute favourites are Anna, too (written by Arthur Alexander) as well as Baby, It's You (Burt Bacharach).

It's true that as years go by, I realise at least some of the originals here are really nothing special, or at least, comparable to the efforts of their brethren, songs like PS I love You, Misery, the title track or - my least favourite overall, probably - Love Me Do really show it's a long way to Tipperary, IMHO.
 
Please Please Me groundbreaking? Nah, Rubber Soul & fwd.

"Rubber Soul was highly influential on the Beatles' peers, leading to a widespread focus away from singles and onto creating albums of consistently high-quality songs. It has been recognised by music critics as an album that opened up the possibilities of pop music in terms of lyrical and musical scope, and as a key work in the creation of styles such as psychedelia and progressive rock."

Of course not nearly as good or groundbreaking as the next one, Revolver; the very best of them all, but still, it's at Rubber Soul one should draw the line.
 
Groundbreaking or not, it’s a strong start to the discography. Definitely one of their most ‘fun’ albums, although the songs would get even better going forward. Some of the tracks on here are pretty forgettable (“A Taste of Honey”), but none of them are skippable, which is a good quality in a record.
 
In other words... somewhere down the line: Steve Harris grandson presents brand new Iron Maiden album. This band was led by his grandfather. Album songs were compiled by AI. Of course, original recordings of unused Steve Harris ideas and excerpts was used. :ninja:
 
So I've actually been doing one of my ever-so-often Beatles discography run-throughs, and I'll post more thoughts once I finish the peripheral stuff (Past Masters, possibly the Anthologies as well), but I've been thinking for a while about the 'Red' and 'Blue' albums and their new 2023 re-releases.

In 1973, Apple Records released two double LP compilation albums spanning The Beatles's entire recording career, titled 1962-1966 and 1967-1970. The Beatles were the first band I ever got into, basically the group that made me fall in love with music, and these two records were the first CDs I ever actually owned. I still appreciate the way they kind of tell the story of the group - album tracks are mixed with singles to give a sort of progression of what watching the band release music back in the day felt like. In total, 54 songs were included across these four LPs.

This year, the albums have gotten the remastering treatment, and alongside the new track "Now and Then", have been reissued alongside some additional songs that weren't originally part of the collections. These tracks aim to fill in the gaps of the originals, adding in more George Harrison songs and covers to give a better glimpse of the band's work. I like this in concept, but I think the magic of the original two records was that they gave a solid glimpse at the story and then allowed you to dive into the official studio albums to find more surprises. These new versions lose sight a little and incorporate a few songs that I think would be best left to a deep dive myself.

So I tried my own hand at this. My goal was to keep the original feel of the compilations alive, to tell the story of the band and their evolution: from their early days of Merseybeat, covering rock'n'roll classics while showing off the natural writing talents of John and Paul; to the heights of Beatlemania; from their mastery of the studio album contrasting their single output; and watching George's talent rise at the dawn of his own solo career.

1962-1966
1. Love Me Do - The beginning of the band's career with their first single.
2. Please Please Me - Their second single and first No. 1.
3. I Saw Her Standing There - The iconic opening track off of their debut album.
4. Twist and Shout - One of the most iconic cover songs in history.
5. From Me to You - Another classic single in the band's rise.
6. She Loves You - One of the band's juggernaut '63 singles that saw them take over the world by storm.
7. I Want to Hold Your Hand - Technically released after With the Beatles, but slotted next to "She Loves You" like on the original compilation because they're a pretty iconic pair of singles. Another juggernaut, one of the greatest singles of all time.
8. This Boy - The b-side to "I Want to Hold Your Hand", included to showcase how some of their best material was never actually released as the focal point of their singles.
9. It Won't Be Long - The opening track off their sophomore record.
10. All My Loving - A Paul McCartney classic.
11. Money (That's What I Want) - Another iconic cover song from the band.
12. Can't Buy Me Love - The first single from A Hard Day's Night.
13. A Hard Day's Night - The iconic title track to the band's third record.
14. And I Love Her - A classic ballad.
15. I Feel Fine - A classic single.
16. Eight Days a Week - The most iconic track on Beatles for Sale.
17. No Reply - On an album full of deeper cuts, I'm including the album's opening track to showcase a bit of its depths.
18. Ticket to Ride - The iconic first single from Help!
19. Help! - The album's iconic title track.
20. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - An iconic, raw John Lennon number.
21. Yesterday - The most covered song in history.
22. Day Tripper - One half of one of the greatest double a-sides in history, featuring one of the greatest riffs of all time.
23. We Can Work It Out - The other half of that double a-side.
24. Drive My Car - Silly classic opening track on Rubber Soul.
25. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - One of the most groundbreaking songs as the band turned towards studio mastery; also one of the first inclusions of an Indian instrument in western music.
26. Nowhere Man - Another classic.
27. Michelle - Another classic.
28. In My Life - One of John's most iconic pieces. It hurt but I decided to cap the Rubber Soul inclusions here, omitting "Girl" unlike the original album. I think five songs are enough to represent it.
29. Paperback Writer - Another classic single.
30. Rain - The b-side to "Paperback Writer", one of those cases where the b-side is arguably better than the a-side.
31. Taxman - The first time George turned in an undisputed great that rivals, possibly eclipses the Lennon/McCartney contributions.
32. Eleanor Rigby - Part of Revolver's double a-side single.
33. Yellow Submarine - The other half of that single, one of the band's most beloved kid's songs.
34. Tomorrow Never Knows - The groundbreaking closing track on the album, representing the end of the Fab Four and the beginning of the studio masters.

1967-1970
1. Strawberry Fields Forever - Another iconic double a-side as the band fully embraced the studio and abandoned the stage entirely.
2. Penny Lane - The other half of that single.
3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The intro to the band's most important record.
4. With a Little Help From My Friends - You can't have one without the other.
5. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - One of the band's greatest psychedelic works.
6. When I'm Sixty-Four - Paul's heavy leadership on Sgt. Pepper is one of the most striking things about that record, so it's interesting that the original compilation actually does not feature his work prominently. Gotta include this track, another silly one but so iconic.
7. A Day in the Life - Arguably the greatest song the band ever released.
8. All You Need Is Love - Classic single televised live around the world.
9. Hello, Goodbye - Classic single.
10. I Am the Walrus - B-side to that single, one of John's weirdest compositions.
11. Magical Mystery Tour - Title track to the band's most important EP (or album, depending on if you were in the UK or the US).
12. The Fool on the Hill - Classic track from the EP.
13. Lady Madonna - Classic non-album single.
14. Hey Jude - One of the band's greatest works.
15. Revolution - The b-side to that single, one of the band's most important and controversial songs.
16. Back in the U.S.S.R. - Opening track to the band's iconic double album.
17. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - Iconic silly Paul song.
18. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The moment George finally eclipsed everyone in the room.
19. Happiness Is a Warm Gun - A classic John track, comprised of three songs woven together and which has inspired countless other artists.
20. Blackbird - Classic acoustic Paul ballad.
21. Birthday - Iconic celebratory anthem.
22. Hey Bulldog - Gotta include something from Yellow Submarine, and this John track represents that release the best IMO.
23. Get Back - First release from the Get Back sessions.
24. Don't Let Me Down - B-side to "Get Back".
25. The Ballad of John and Yoko - A recount of John's wedding and honeymoon, recorded solely with him and Paul and another of the band's most controversial singles. I opted to cut "Old Brown Shoe" but shout-out to another great b-side.
26. Come Together - Iconic Abbey Road opener.
27. Something - George's greatest love song.
28. Octopus's Garden - Another kid's song, showcasing Ringo's understated but blossoming songwriting talents.
29. Here Comes the Sun - Another iconic George track.
30-32. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End - Can't include the whole Abbey Road medley, but the final three tracks are a fantastic was to close out the last record the group would record.
33. Let It Be - The single version, as on the original compilation. One of Paul's greatest songs.
34. Across the Universe - Classic John ballad.
35. The Long and Winding Road - As on the original compilation, the perfect close to the collection, even if some may hate Phil Spector's production.

It does run a little long and may not be the most practical release, but I think this does a good job of showcasing the way the band's career developed over time. Like I said, more thoughts on the band's overall career coming soon, but this was a fun exercise for an afternoon.
 
Diesel 11 said:
3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The intro to the band's most important record.
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Never understood why. There are many milestones and experimentations yes, but the quality of the songs as such isn't top tier Beatles. It hardly makes my Beatles Top 5.

Revolver, Abbey Road, White Album. This is the holy trinity. Then Help or Rubber Soul and St. Pepper's fighting for the 5th place, which St. Pepper's usually doesn't make it for me.
 
if you really want to take the plunge, a couple years ago I went through every officially released Beatles recording in order of recording including outtakes and demos, as well as US versions of album, mono vs stereo etc. basically everything they recorded that has been officially released. Used this as a reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles'_recording_sessions

It was a lot of fun.
 
____no5 said:
Never understood why. There are many milestones and experimentations yes, but the quality of the songs as such isn't top tier Beatles. It hardly makes my Beatles Top 5.
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Skill issue. :p

Mosh said:
if you really want to take the plunge, a couple years ago I went through every officially released Beatles recording in order of recording including outtakes and demos, as well as US versions of album, mono vs stereo etc. basically everything they recorded that has been officially released. Used this as a reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles'_recording_sessions

It was a lot of fun.
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Fun idea but I’m super picky and would only do this if I actually had the physical copies in a bit of a salute to younger me who only had those to go on. The Beatles in Mono box set goes for over $200 nowadays and the American box set, while more reasonable, is over $100. It’s not undoable, but I just made a purchase of the John Lennon Signature Box so I figured once I finished with The Beatles I’d give his solo work a firm listen for the first time through.

I do have Anthologies 2&3 though, and I’ve already spun the first disc of Anthology 1. I might try looking at those deluxe remasters they’ve been releasing lately. Right now I’ve just been working through the stereo box set I got for Christmas in like 2012 as that’s what I’ve been listening to practically all my life lol.
 
It is too bad that the only way to experience the mono albums is through that box set, they should really be the definitive versions available.

With that being said though, the super deluxes are all worth checking out, especially since they’re packaged in more affordable smaller sets as well (although the giant box sets go on sale a lot more than the mono box ever did). I had held off on them for a long time because I didn’t really see the use for the outtakes when Anthology was so exhaustive, but there are definitely some goodies. The Revolver set in particular is a revelation. All of Giles Martin’s stereo remixes blow the original stereo mixes out of the water also. I am really hoping they use that AI technology on the pre-Revolver albums as those are the ones that need stereo remixing the most.
 
I gave the Band on the Run Underdubbed Mix a shot (released a few days ago). Quite impressive and a bit weird (in a good way except I am not fond of the reworking of the track order). Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five is an instrumental (all the others have vocals), but wow is it impressive
 
Diesel 11 said:
Fun idea but I’m super picky and would only do this if I actually had the physical copies in a bit of a salute to younger me who only had those to go on. The Beatles in Mono box set goes for over $200 nowadays and the American box set, while more reasonable, is over $100. It’s not undoable, but I just made a purchase of the John Lennon Signature Box so I figured once I finished with The Beatles I’d give his solo work a firm listen for the first time through.
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Well I bought The Beatles in Mono box set and I've already spun Please Please Me and With the Beatles. I liked how they sounded in stereo, but I'm really impressed with how absolutely tight, clear, and nailed-down they sound in mono. Looking forward to playing the rest.
 
While all mono versions are the superior versions, you notice the difference more with those earlier albums. They even use some different takes on some songs. By the time you get to Sgt Pepper stereo remixing is a little bit more standardized and the albums are so weirdly produced anyway that the panning isn’t quite as noticeable.
 
I’m kinda curious to hear what people’s least favorite Beatles songs are. I’ve been reading some articles on this topic and they mostly target the weird experiments or Paul’s silly songs, both of which I generally like a lot. I keep finding that the vast majority of their material is at least decent to good, with only a handful of tracks that I either just don’t care about or that bug me. This leads me to ponder what other Beatles enjoyers find to be the weakest spots in their catalogue.
 
Wild Honey Pie, Don´t Pass Me By and Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. All from The White Album.
Ironically my alltime favourite Beatles song is also on that album.
 
MindRuler said:
Wild Honey Pie, Don´t Pass Me By and Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. All from The White Album.
Ironically my alltime favourite Beatles song is also on that album.
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See the first two I get, but “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” is such a joyful tune with a great bouncy feel that’s hard not to just start moving to. And Paul messing up the final verse and deciding to keep it is iconic.

I know this was a hellish song to record but the end result to me is not just a great reggae parody, but one of the happiest songs in the band’s discography. It’s a mood enhancer for me. (Also my partner’s favorite Beatles song so I feel like I’d be obligated to defend it for that reason alone lol.)
 
Diesel 11 said:
See the first two I get, but “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” is such a joyful tune with a great bouncy feel that’s hard not to just start moving to. And Paul messing up the final verse and deciding to keep it is iconic.

I know this was a hellish song to record but the end result to me is not just a great reggae parody, but one of the happiest songs in the band’s discography. It’s a mood enhancer for me. (Also my partner’s favorite Beatles song so I feel like I’d be obligated to defend it for that reason alone lol.)
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It's a fun song for sure!
 
My least favorite Beatles songs are pretty easy picks:

A Taste of Honey
Roll Over Beethoven
Act Naturally
Good Morning Good Morning
Only a Northern Song
All Together Now
It's All Too Much
For You Blue

As you can see, I really don't care for a lot of their covers. I think they made some really weak choices early on, mostly as a result of trying too hard to appeal to American audiences. Ironically, they appealed to Americans more when they weren't trying to sound American. But Roll Over Beethoven is such a ridiculous pick that didn't fit their style or George's voice at all. Same with Act Naturally, just making a complete mockery out of iconic American pop songs.

On the later side of things, I mostly just find a lot of the listed songs to be really obnoxious. The songs that made it on Yellow Submarine are probably bottom of the Beatles barrel for me. I know Only a Northern Song is supposed to sound kinda weird, but they have done that approach in a less irritating way. Good Morning Good Morning was always a super annoying song to me and a blemish on an otherwise great album. I will never understand how For You Blue made it on Let It Be but All Things Must Pass did not, other than the fact that by the time George presented it they were getting so burned out that they weren't paying attention. Or it was a power move from Paul who didn't want the best song on the album to be a George song. But For You Blue is so far below the Beatles' standards, a bar band could come up with a better song.

I used to dislike The Long and Winding Road until I heard it without Phil Spector's ridiculous string arrangements.

I generally like most Beatles songs though, they had an incredible batting average and I don't have a problem with the more experimental songs on White Album. It adds to the mood of that album and, honestly, 35 seconds of HONEY PIE never hurt anybody.
 
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