Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father - Various Artists

Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father

Various Artists

New Musical Express  NME PEP LP-100

1988

I picked this up several years ago largely because "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" has been the seminal album of my record collecting life.  I've worshipped it since I was a young teen.  I had my doubts about this album because I only knew about half the artists on it.  I'm a big fan of Sonic Youth and the Wedding Present and a fan of Billy Bragg, Michelle Shocked and the Fall so I figured it would at least be decent although I probably would have bought it even if it was full of covers by the likes of the Eagles, Kansas and Styx.  I feel like the original album is indestructible, it resists even the lamest of covers with its indomitable greatness.  Actually the album is better than decent and I am happy I bought it.  It was a charity record benefiting a child welfare telephone line in England which seems like a very worthy cause although I bought my copy used so my money only benefited a record store.  It sticks to the original running order with the title track delivered by the British hip hop trio the Three Wize Men.  I don't think that hip hop is a suitable style for the song, but it is certainly different as well as adventurous and sounds better than I would have predicted.  The Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet performs "With a Little Help From My Friends" in a slick poppy style that I find even more disconcerting than the previous hip hop track, but it is done very well if you like that sort of thing.  The British soul group the Christians play "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" in a manner that retains much of the psychedelic flavor of the original and it is largely faithful to the Beatles' arrangement.  I like it but it is one of the least memorable cuts on the album.  The Wedding Present are joined by the wonderful Amelia Fletcher (of my big faves Heavenly and Talulah Gosh) for "Getting Better."  Their hyped up version of the song sounds more like the Wedding Present than the Beatles but I love it anyway.  It is my second favorite track on the album.  The Scottish duo Hue & Cry are given the task of interpreting "Fixing a Hole."  It is an interesting jazzy arrangement of the song that is far more dynamic than the original.  I'm impressed by it.  Billy Bragg is joined by his regular collaborator pianist Cara Tivey for the difficult job of covering "She's Leaving Home" which was a double A-side chart topping single in the U.K. backed with the Wet Wet Wet track (which I suspect drove most of the sales.)  Tivey's evocative piano lines carry the song and I consider them an improvement over the orchestrated arrangement of the Beatles' version.  Bragg's thick accent and heavy voice undercut the sentimentality inherent in the lyrics and I prefer this version to the Beatles's own version.  Chris Sievey's oddball alter-ego Frank Sidebottom closes out the side with "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite."  I have to admit I don't get the Sidebottom schtick and find his whiny voice irritating.  The arrangement of the song is similar to the Beatles' one minus the psychedelic sound effects, although Sievey inserts a bit of "Twist and Shout" into the middle of the song for some reason.  I'm utterly charmed by the way the song reproduces the run-off gibberish from the Beatles' original ending of the album only to be admonished with a sneering "that's on the other side, stupid!"  Side two opens with Sonic Youth's spectacular version of "Within You Without You" which is my favorite track.  The band is faithful to the original arrangement, but supercharge it with guitar noise and tribal-style drumming.  This thrilling track is one of my all-time favorite Beatles covers and the album is worth picking up for it alone.  The British jazzers the Courtney Pine Quartet are a well-chosen choice for "When I'm Sixty-Four."  They do it as a swinging instrumental taken at a faster tempo than the original.  I find it very invigorating which is certainly not the case with the original version although it completely lacks the original's charm.  Michelle Shocked sings "Lovely Rita" as a low-key folk song which places the focus on her lovely vocal.  I find it very appealing but I do miss the psychedelic stylistics of the original.  The Australian alt-rock band the Triffids perform "Good Morning Good Morning" which sounds very 1980s with the mannered vocals and big drums people liked for some reason back then.  It sounds more like U2 than the Beatles but I like it anyway especially the rumbling bass line that drives the song.  The Three Wize Men return for the reprise version of the title track which sounds a lot like their title track version except that the vocals are heavily processed to the point of being almost indecipherable.  It is also more than twice as long as the original reprise version for no good reason that I can discern.  The Fall close out the album with my favorite song on the original album, "A Day in the Life."  The Fall stick pretty close to the original to my surprise only Mark E. Smith's distinctive voice and vocal style bare any resemblance to the Fall's typical sound.  There is yet another version of the run-out gibberish to finish the song, this time in the appropriate place.  I find the track a little disappointing yet I have to admit I'm pleased that the song is respectful of the original.  Although I would say this is actually a very good album, I feel it proves my theory that "Sgt.Pepper" is indestructible.  These tracks are all over the place, often wildly different than the original and yet the result is still coherent and compelling.  I think it validates the idea of the concept album since it can survive such a massive disparity of style and sound.  Also it is just plain fun to listen to.  It is made with love and spirit and I would recommend it to all Beatles fans with open minds and a taste for sonic adventure.

Help! In Concert - The Beatles

Help! In Concert
The Beatles
Coda Publishing CPLVNY193
2016

My 400th post is naturally a Beatles post.  This is a Czech bootleg of some classic Beatles concerts that were filmed for television broadcast.  There are two concerts from Blackpool, one from July 19th, 1964 and the other from August 1, 1965.  There is also a show from Palais des Sports, Paris from June 20, 1965.  The title is rather misleading, of the 20 tracks only four of them come from the album "Help!" (all from the second Blackpool show.)  Most of the tracks are drawn from "Beatles For Sale" and "A Hard Day's Night."  It is nicely packaged for a bootleg with a sturdy sleeve illustrated with images of the 1965 Blackpool show.  The record is pressed on light blue marbled vinyl that looks lovely and sounds mediocre.  The Blackpool recordings are excellent with only minimal screaming to distract from the performance.  The 1964 show begins with one of the best live performances of "A Hard Day's Night" I've ever heard.  "Things We Said Today" also sounds really good, especially the quality of Paul McCartney's robust vocal.  John Lennon matches McCartney with a rocking performance of "You Can't Do That."  Despite the listing on the cover, the next track is "I Feel Fine" which is taken from the 1965 show.  It usually sounds crappy live, but the boys nail it this time around.  The record jumps back to 1964 for a scorching performance of "Long Tall Sally" that I think is just as good as the studio version and George Harrison's guitar work is first rate throughout.  "If I Fell" is also from the 1964 concert.  The vocal work from John and Paul is extremely good.  The record returns to the 1965 Blackpool show for the remainder of side one.  "I'm Down" sounds a little murky, but the performance is very dynamic with more fine guitar work from Harrison and Lennon going nuts on the organ.  "Ticket to Ride" sounds cleaner and it features another outstanding performance from the band.  Harrison introduces McCartney's solo performance of "Yesterday" which was the first time the song had been performed live.  McCartney accompanies himself on acoustic guitar supported by the strings in the theater orchestra.  It sounds great, I think I prefer it to the studio version.  The Beatles return and John facetiously calls McCartney "Ringo" as he thanks him for his performance.  This is followed by the first live performance of "Help!" which they knock out of the park even though Lennon flubs the vocal at one point.  It sounds fantastic, when it is over I want to join the girls in screaming.  Side two begins with one final song from the 1965 Blackpool show, "Act Naturally" which is out of order having originally been performed after "I'm Down."  Ringo gives himself a humorous introduction before launching into his vocal.  Again the recording lacks sharpness.  Four of the 1965 Blackpool tracks were on the "Anthology 2" album where they sound great.  The two that were omitted were "I'm Down" and "Act Naturally."  I suspect that the bootleggers lifted the four tracks from "Anthology 2" and then used another source for the other two.  The Palais des Sports show occupies the rest of side two.  It is not nearly as clean as the Blackpool concert recordings but still sounds okay for a vintage live recording.  It begins with a typically raucous work out on "Twist and Shout."  It is followed by a punchy performance of "She's a Woman."  McCartney's vocal is very exciting.  A lively version of "I'm a Loser" is next.  It sounds a little sloppy but I like it.  The Beatles run through "Can't Buy Me Love" which sounds pretty murky.  I think I hear the crowd singing along during the chorus which I find charming.  "Baby's In Black" is also rather muddy but the vocal is very strong, especially McCartney's harmony vocal.  McCartney tries out some French in his introduction of Ringo for "I Wanna Be Your Man."  Ringo is poorly recorded but he gives a very enthusiastic performance.  Harrison gets his turn at the mike for "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" where he sounds more comfortable and passionate than he does on the studio version.  The Beatles kick out the jams with "Rock and Roll Music" which is very exciting despite the muddy sound.  Lennon's throat shredding vocal is thrilling.  In the original concert this was followed by performances of "I Feel Fine" and "Ticket to Ride" but the record jumps ahead to the encore, which is "Long Tall Sally."  The recording is a bit cacophonous but the performance is explosive.  It ends the show and the record with a bang.  I'm always a bit hesitant to endorse a bootleg but the Blackpool shows are essential.  "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl" has my favorite Beatles' live recordings but only because the thunderous roar of the crowd is so exciting.  The Blackpool shows feature superior performances and make for more comfortable listening.  The song selection is terrific as well.  The Palais des Sports show is basically just gravy.  The band plays well but the songs aren't as good and the sound quality is not as sharp as either the Blackpool or Hollywood Bowl recordings.  I'm still happy to have it though.  The Blackpool shows have been bootlegged multiple times, there are probably better versions than this one.  The mastering is decent but the vinyl has some sporadic surface noise.  I'm also not happy that the running order of the Blackpool shows is messed up.  Nonetheless Beatlemaniacs ought to have this in some form.  Recommended to people who think the Hollywood Bowl shows are too noisy. 

The American Tour with Ed Rudy - The Beatles

The American Tour with Ed Rudy
The Beatles
Radio Pulsebeat News   News Documentary #2
1964

I enjoyed Ron Howard's recent documentary on the Beatles' touring days although I didn't learn anything new and it wasn't particularly insightful.  I think Albert Maysles' documentary on the first tour is the best portrait of this time.  For me the highlight of the screening was watching the Shea Stadium concert film on the big screen with good sound.  That was fantastic.  All the hoopla about the movie inspired me to pull out this record which attempts to document the Beatles' first visit to the United States.  It is presented and narrated by Ed Rudy who was a journalist who accompanied the Beatles on their trip.  Rudy seems to like the group and is consistently enthusiastic, but he has nothing interesting to say about Beatlemania and generally ignores the music, he is mostly attracted to the mass hysteria they generated.  Side one is a 22 minute assembly of sound bites from the tour mixed with a bunch of promos for Rudy by the Beatles as well as roadie Mal Evans, Lennon and Harrison even label Rudy "the fifth Beatle."  There are numerous snippets from the Beatles' first press conference in New York and Rudy interviews some fans as well.  Despite traveling with the band, Rudy doesn't get much face time with the group.  Initially the longest conversations he gets are with Mal Evans and road manager Neil Aspinall.  He also wastes some time talking to a twit from the British Embassy.  In Washington D.C. Rudy gets some muffled comments from a Beatle who he claims is John Lennon, but it sounds like Paul McCartney to me.  He also has an amusing conversation with Ringo Starr at the British Embassy party in Washington regarding his sex appeal.  Near the end of side one, on the plane flying back to New York after the Miami visit, Rudy finally gets some quality time with the band and their handlers.  On side two there is a fifteen minute telephone interview with George Harrison.  Predictably the sound quality is not good, but it is a nice conversation.  The "quiet Beatle" is surprisingly loquacious.  He and Rudy discuss the fan reaction on the tour, the Beatles' sound, the origin of the group's name, Beatle haircuts and fashions, mods vs. rockers, Harrison's personal ambitions, dating, friendships with the other Beatles and musical influences (Rudy astutely compares them to Buddy Holly and the Crickets.)  At one point Rudy refers to "Johnny" Lennon and asks if Harrison ever calls him "Jack" Lennon, which cracks me up.  This record is worth buying for side two alone.  I enjoy the entire record aside from Rudy's relentless self-promotion.  Even though it contains virtually no music at all, I still prefer it to Capitol Records' vinyl documentary of the Beatles on "The Beatles' Story."  This album is easy to find and generally not expensive (I bought my copy in a thrift shop for $2.)  Recommended to Beatlemaniacs whose favorite Beatle is George.

A Collection of Beatles Oldies - The Beatles

A Collection of Beatles Oldies
The Beatles
Parlophone PCS 7016
1966

Here's a post to honor Sir George Martin, who passed away on March 8.  I revere him as the greatest of all rock producers.  I suppose "Abbey Road" or "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" would be more appropriate selections to showcase his great work with the Fabs but I've already done posts on them.  The "Anthology" albums would be good as well since they reveal the raw Beatles tracks and the mistakes before Martin helped the Beatles transform them into the pop classics they would become.  "Let It Be," which is the only Beatles studio album Martin did not credit for producing (although he supervised the initial recording), displays his brilliance by his absence since it is so poorly produced by Phil Spector, a guy so heavy handed that I would not even consider him worthy to bring Sir George his afternoon tea.  Even this lowly album displays Martin's greatness.  It was the first Beatles greatest hits album, crassly assembled by E.M.I. to cater to the Christmas market in 1966.  With its shoddy cover art and haphazard assembly of tracks (why omit "Please Please Me"?) it seems like a crude commercial project, yet it still shines like a diamond amongst the dross.  It features 16 wonderful songs largely drawn from the Beatles' hit U.K. singles many of which had not appeared on a U.K. album at the time.  They are joined by two beloved album tracks "Yesterday" and "Michelle" as well as an unreleased (in the U.K.) track "Bad Boy" which appeared in the U.S. on "Beatles VI."  If I had been a British fan I would have bought the album for "Bad Boy" alone as it is one of my all time favorite Beatles covers.  Martin's influence on the record is most obvious with "Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby."  Martin is generally acknowledged as persuading Paul McCartney to employ a string quartet on "Yesterday" rather than conventional rock instrumentation and was largely responsible for the string score.  I believe that the strings are the crucial element in the song that makes the lyrics seem deeper than they are on paper.  Martin also wrote the string score for "Eleanor Rigby" which greatly enhances the melancholy feeling produced by the lyrics (according to Mark Lewinsohn, Martin received a mere 15 pounds for his arrangement.)  Always a perfectionist, Martin also supervised stereo mixes for several of the singles on the album which had originally been released in mono, most notably on "I Want To Hold Your Hand" which greatly improved on the horrible fake stereo mix that Capitol used on "Meet The Beatles."  Martin was very adept at helping the Beatles realize their vision and achieve the sound they wanted, aside from their musical quality they made the most wonderful sounding records of their era.  The unforgettable opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night," the cacophony of sound effects on "Yellow Submarine," the feedback that opens "I Feel Fine," the booming bass riff that drives "Paperback Writer" all testify to the tight connection between the Beatles and Martin that produced such fantastic records.  The staggering creativity and immediacy revealed on these 16 tracks demonstrate an inspired partnership between the two most talented songwriters in the history of rock music and the modest man who recognized their genius and helped them create the best records of my lifetime.  This record is so stacked with great music, if the band had broken up in 1966 they'd still be at the top of the rock pantheon.  However the band still had 3 more years of unparalleled achievement ahead of them including some of Martin's most inspired work with the group.  This record was rendered obsolete by "1962-1966" which has every song on here aside from "Bad Boy."  That song as well as all of the non-LP singles on here are on the two "Past Masters" compilations as well.  I'm still happy to have it though, it might be the best single slab of pop music vinyl ever pressed, nothing but greatness.  It was never released by Capitol in the U.S., presumably because nobody there could stand the thought of releasing an album with 16 tracks on it.  I've found it inspiring to listen to this these past couple of weeks as I mourn the passing of this great man.  The world of the Beatles and those who love them has grown darker and colder now that Sir George is gone.  I can never thank him enough for helping to make the music that has mattered the most to me in my life.  Recommended to people who only want a single Beatles LP.

Please Please Me/Introducing the Beatles/The Early Beatles - The Beatles

Please Please Me
The Beatles
Parlophone PCS 3042
1963

Introducing the Beatles
The Beatles
Vee-Jay Records SR 1062
1964

The Early Beatles
The Beatles
Apple Records ST 2309
1965

I recently watched the documentary "Good Ol' Freda" which is about Freda Kelly, Brian Epstein's secretary who ran the Beatles' official fan club.  I loved the film, she seems like a really good person and her stories were fantastic, especially the ones about the early days when the group was just becoming famous.  I've always wished that I could have witnessed Beatlemania first hand and Kelly's perspective on it fascinated me.  Thus I pulled out the Fabs' first album to experience a little bit of those heady days myself. "Please Please Me" is far from my favorite Beatles' album, but I dig its youthful exuberance and innocence.  It is best experienced in the Parlophone version which has the most songs and a classic cover picture.  Mine is a reissue from the early 1980s I believe, I no longer remember when I bought it.  The Vee-Jay version was the first Beatles album released in America.  Vee-Jay got it when the idiots at Capitol Records passed on it.  I have a counterfeit version.  Originals are not hard to find but I don't think they are worth their exorbitant cost.  I bought mine in a chain record store around 1974.  It was among the first Beatles albums that I bought, I chose it because it was cheaper than the Capitol/Apple albums.  The cover says stereo but the record sounds mono to me, which I prefer.  It follows the running order of the Parlophone album but drops "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why."  Capitol belatedly issued "The Early Beatles" to replace the Vee-Jay album when Vee-Jay's license to the material expired.  Capitol crudely jumbled up the running order and released only 11 of the original 14 tracks on the Parlophone version.  This version restores "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" but drops "I Saw Her Standing There," "Misery" and "There's A Place."  I have an Apple reissue that I bought in the mid-1970s because I couldn't find a copy of the Parlophone album living out in the suburbs and shopping at crummy chain record stores.  The Parlophone album is the one I play when I want to hear this music.  I keep the other two only as a dumb collector thing.  The album opens with the Lennon/McCartney composition "I Saw Her Standing There" which is one of the Beatles' most successful rock and roll songs.  I've always loved it and I think it ranks with the best work of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Buddy Holly as one of the definitive statements of the genre.  McCartney's urgent vocal and that irresistible, shuffling riff still thrill me 40 years after I first heard them.  The Vee-Jay album omits McCartney's count-in to the song which invariably irks me on the rare occasions that I give it a spin.  Lennon and McCartney's "Misery" is a bit maudlin but the expressive joint McCartney and Lennon vocal makes it palatable for me.  Arthur Alexander's "Anna" is one of the strongest tracks on the record thanks to a mesmerizing and sensitive vocal from Lennon.  The group's cover of the Cookies' Goffin/King hit "Chains" suffers from a weak George Harrison vocal although the harmony vocals (always a Beatles strength) are very pleasing.  Ringo does better with a rocking cover of the Shirelles' "Boys" that benefits from his enthusiasm as well as a superbly messy guitar solo from Harrison.  "Ask Me Why" is a Lennon/McCartney original that features another strong Lennon vocal that makes it sound deeper than it really is.  Side one concludes with "Please Please Me" the group's classic breakthrough single.  More than 50 years after its original release, the song still sparkles with inventiveness and brilliance.  As a kid I failed to recognize the sexual undertone to the song, which makes it seem even bolder given the repressed era in which it first appeared.  Side two opens with the group's debut single "Love Me Do."  Even as a child I thought the song was inane but I'm won over by the joint vocal and Lennon's harmonica playing as well.  "P. S. I Love You" shows off McCartney's romantic side to great effect.  From the very beginning the man has had a gift for silly love songs.  The band turns to the Shirelles again for a cover of "Baby It's You" that is given a tremendous dramatic interpretation by Lennon that shreds the original.  The Lennon/McCartney original "Do You Want to Know a Secret" proves to be a good vehicle for Harrison suiting the limitations of his range and his natural understated and laconic style.  McCartney pulls out all the stops for a romantic interpretation of "A Taste of Honey" worthy of a pop crooner.  The final Lennon/McCartney original is "There's a Place" which is notable for its introspective lyrics and its churning, distinctively British Invasion sound.  The side ends with the band's explosive interpretation of "Twist and Shout" which thanks to Lennon's throat shredding performance is an eternal rock classic, rivaling the best work of James Brown and Little Richard in its intensity and passion.  If the Beatles had never recorded another album, they'd still have a place in rock history for this wonderful record, one of the very best of its era.  I can only imagine how exciting it must have been when people heard it for the first time, how I envy them that thrill.  Recommended to people who wish they could have seen the Beatles at the Cavern Club.

Beatles VI - The Beatles

Beatles VI
The Beatles
Capitol ST 2358
1965

My 300th post.  After more than three and a half years of blogging I expected to be farther along than this.  I have not made much of a dent in my collection.  I've probably bought close to 300 albums since I started this blog.  Even if I blog for another 40 years I'll probably never get around to all the albums I want to write about.  I am determined to get through all of my Beatles albums though. They've been my favorite band for most of my life and they were the reason I started collecting records in the first place.  I've done more than half of their albums already so I should be able to get to all of them in the next couple of years.  So for post number 300, I give you "Beatles VI."  It is another one of those phony albums that Capitol Records cobbled together with singles and tracks they left off of their versions of the Beatles' albums for Parlophone in England.  This one takes "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!," "Eight Days a Week," "Words of Love," "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party," "What You're Doing," and "Every Little Thing" from "Beatles for Sale."  It lifts "You Like Me Too Much," "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" and "Tell Me What You See" off of "Help!" which hadn't even been released yet.  "Yes It Is" was the b-side of the "Ticket to Ride" single.  "Bad Boy" was an unreleased track that would not appear in England until it was stuck on the compilation album "A Collection of Beatles Oldies" in late 1966.  Despite the hodge podge construction of its tracks, it is a fairly cohesive and enjoyable record, mostly on the strength of the covers though.  The only first rate Lennon/McCartney composition on the record is "Eight Days a Week" which was a chart-topping single.  From the faded up jangly guitar intro to the hand claps to the way they string out the word "love" the song is full of those inspired touches that made the Beatles so special.  "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" shows the influence of folk-rock on the Beatles which would be more pronounced on "Help!" and "Rubber Soul."  The lyrics are a bit whiny but I admire the personal quality of the songwriting.  "What You're Doing" is also a folk-rock song but the only distinctive thing about it is the guitar riff.  "Yes It Is" is an old fashioned romantic ballad mostly notable for Lennon's heartfelt vocal and the strong harmony vocals.  "Tell Me What You See" is among the least distinguished songs Lennon and McCartney ever wrote.  It sounds nice though, courtesy of McCartney's electric piano playing and some Latin-flavored percussion.  "Every Little Thing" is banal and I consider its celebration of female subservience to be distasteful, but the music is appealing, particularly the timpani in the chorus.  George Harrison's contribution to the record is "You Like Me Too Much" which is inane lyrically but I like the piano lines (courtesy of John, Paul and George Martin) and it has a catchy melody.  The Beatles' songs may be pedestrian (by Beatles standards) but the four cover songs are first rate.  Their version of Buddy Holly's "Words of Love" sticks very close to the original but the other three covers are fantastic.  "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!," is sung by Paul McCartney in full rocker mode.  Lieber and Stoller's "Kansas City" was originally a hit for Wilbert Harrison and Little Richard recorded a version adding his song "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!" which was the model for the Beatles' cover (Capitol omitted Little Richard's song from the listing on the album sleeve and the inner label.)  McCartney trounces Harrison's version and I prefer his version to Little Richard's as well.  Lennon takes on Larry Williams with "Bad Boy" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" and absolutely shreds the originals.  I think both rank with "Twist and Shout," "Rock and Roll Music" and "You've Really Got a Hold On Me" as being among the best covers Lennon recorded with the Beatles.  "Bad Boy" in particular is outstanding, Lennon obviously connected with the song and sings it with great gusto and feeling.  In addition to being the greatest rock band in the history of the universe, the Beatles were also the best rock and rollers to come out of England, nobody else comes close including the Rolling Stones.  This record is relatively minor in the Beatles' catalogue, but even a minor Beatles record is essential.  I would say that this music ought to be heard on "Beatles for Sale" and "Help!" where it belongs, but this album is worth having for "Bad Boy" by itself.  Plus the cover picture is great.  Recommended to fans of "Beatles '65."

The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl - The Beatles

The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl
The Beatles
Capitol SMAS 11638
1977

This is my belated acknowledgement of the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Beatlemania in the United States with the arrival of the Fabs in New York to play on "The Ed Sullivan Show."  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I may have witnessed that fabled event.  My father claims we watched it but given that I was little more than a baby at the time, it may have been past my bedtime.  In any case I have no memory of it, but I cherish it as much as anybody.  I have really enjoyed all the hype in the press about the anniversary as well as the television program that reunited Paul and Ringo.  I became a Beatles fan in the 1970s well after they had broken up and it seemed to me that they were under-appreciated at the time.  None of my friends liked them much and I was forever hearing that the Rolling Stones, the Who or Led Zeppelin were the world's greatest rock band.  Even worse was the rise of the Bay City Rollers (my sisters were fans) and all the ridiculous comparisons between Rollermania and Beatlemania.  I listened to lesser artists have big hits with crummy covers of Beatles' classics and seethed with resentment.  So it was doubly sweet to me to see the arrival of the Beatles being hailed as a cultural landmark event.  I suppose the ideal album to play to celebrate the anniversary would be "Meet the Beatles" which was the album they were promoting with their visit or "Something New" which features a cover photo of the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" but I've already done posts on those records.  So I've opted for this one, the only legitimate issue of a Beatles live album which was drawn from two shows at the Hollywood Bowl, one from August 23, 1964 and one from almost a year later on August 30, 1965.  This album was the first time I got to experience the exquisite pleasure of buying a brand new Beatles album as soon as it came out.  I was thrilled with it at the time and I still love it but some of my enthusiasm is tempered by my disappointment that the record does not contain the full contents of both concerts.  The album consists of 13 songs but runs just a little over 30 minutes which may accurately reflect the length of a Beatles' show but is pretty skimpy for an album.  I have a bootleg of the 1964 show on a record called "30 Nostalgia Hits" and it is all worthwhile.  There are six tracks from the twelve songs they performed at that concert on the album: "Things We Said Today," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Boys," "All My Loving," "She Loves You" and "Long Tall Sally."  The 1965 show provides seven songs: "Twist and Shout," "She's a Woman," "Dizzy Miss Lizzie," "Ticket To Ride," "Can't Buy Me Love," "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" with five other songs from the show not making the album.  The sound quality is phenomenal, George Martin did a brilliant job polishing the recordings and seamlessly editing the two shows together.  It sounds a lot better than my bootleg.  The crowd is loud and the persistent roar is exhilarating but the music is nonetheless clear with decent separation.  The Beatles' performances are excellent, I love the raw energy of the vocals of John and Paul and the instrumental backing is remarkably good considering that they could not hear themselves play.  I suspect they were probably trying harder knowing that they were being recorded for a possible record.  These are by far the best Beatles concert recordings I've ever heard.  I particularly like the raucous performances of "Twist and Shout," "She's A Woman" "Dizzy Miss Lizzie," "Boys," "Help!" and best of all, an incendiary version of "Long Tall Sally."  Martin has preserved the lads' between songs patter on the album which I appreciate but it does make for some temporal inconsistencies when they refer to their latest albums or songs since the album jumps back and forth between 1964 and 1965.  This is a minor complaint though that hardly diminishes the appeal of this wonderful record.  I may be a little prejudiced, but I say this is one of the best rock live albums ever.  If I had access to a time machine and could pick one single show to go back and see, it would be one of these two - the hard part is picking which one!  I go to the Hollywood Bowl quite often, it is one of my favorite venues for a show, and there is not a time that I go there that I don't think about the Beatles having played there.  I wish I had been there, but having this record is the next best thing.  Recommended to Beatles fans too young to have experienced Beatlemania first hand.

Is This What You Want? - Jackie Lomax

Is This What You Want?
Jackie Lomax
Apple Records ST-3354
1969

Last September I was surprised to see Jackie Lomax's obituary in "The New York Times."  I was not surprised by his death but rather that he got a substantial obituary in that august publication.  Of course the reason "The Times" took notice of him was his connection to the Beatles which was also the sole reason that I bought this record.  It was released by the Beatles' record label (which I collect) and was produced by George Harrison.  Harrison also played on it joining an all-star backing band that included Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voormann, Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborne, Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause.  Despite all that talent, it isn't a particularly good record.  Lomax's songwriting is mediocre and he was not a strong enough singer to overcome the weak songs.  My favorite tracks are the album's two singles, "New Day" and "Sour Milk Sea" both of which flopped on the charts.  "New Day" was recorded after the original album sessions and was produced by Lomax and longtime Beatles assistant and roadie, Mal Evans.  It was not on the original British issue of the album but was added to the American issue which was released a couple of months later than its British counterpart.  It is a forceful tune bolstered by brass.  "Sour Milk Sea" was written by George Harrison who must have been feeling particularly generous towards his fellow Liverpudlian in parting with a song that is better than several of his Beatles songs of the time.  It is a hard rocking song that has a catchy chorus and some hot playing from the three Beatles, Clapton and Hopkins.  It features Lomax's best vocal on the record.  The lyrics reflect Harrison's obsession with his new religion, essentially a paean to transcendental meditation.  The other tunes are less appealing.  My favorite is "Is This What You Want?" which bears some resemblance to the Beatles' "I Am The Walrus."  "The Eagle Laughs at You" is a noisy rocker that provides some much needed energy for the album.  "Speak To Me," "Little Yellow Pills" and "You've Got Me Thinking" have good riffs and a nice soulful flavor but are undermined by Lomax's strained vocals which remind me of John Mayall (not a compliment.)  I like the strings and piano on "Sunset" which has moody lyrics that are more distinguished than the pedestrian lyrics on most of the rest of the record.  "Fall Inside Your Love" is a romantic ballad that suits Lomax's voice quite well.  "Take My Word" is only notable for its synthesizer solo which I presume comes courtesy of Beaver and Krause.  "Baby You're a Lover" and "I Just Don't Know" bore me.  It is well-known that the artists on Apple Records (who were not the Beatles) were often victimized by the label's disorganization, poor marketing and lack of direction.  That might have been the case with Lomax who seems to have had some talent, but I doubt any label or any amount of marketing would have been able to make this record a success.  I find it listenable and sporadically entertaining but when it is over not much of it sticks with me aside from "Sour Milk Sea."  That song and the green apple on the label are the only reason I keep this album.  Recommended to George Harrison completists.

30 Nostalgia Hits - The Beatles

30 Nostalgia Hits
The Beatles
Wizardo 102-232
1975

I know the Beatles and their heirs are as rich as Croesus and probably don't give a damn, but it is amazing how poorly the Beatles catalog is being exploited.  How is it possible that "Sgt. Pepper" is not available on vinyl or any other original Beatles album besides "Abbey Road" for that matter?  The Ventures and Dick Dale currently have more vinyl in print than the greatest band in the history of the universe.  Have they seen what used Beatles vinyl is going for nowadays?  These guys should take lessons from the Jimi Hendrix estate, that bunch could squeeze blood from a turnip.  Put me in charge Sir Paul, I'll fix that for you speedy quick.  My first act would be to reissue the entire catalog on vinyl using the original art work and Parlophone sequencing and in mono editions as well when applicable.  I'd issue "Let It Be" in the Glyn Johns mix and sequencing and I'd put out bonus LPs of the best outtakes from those sessions.  I'd issue all the BBC sessions in their entirety.  I'd reissue "The Beatles Christmas Album."  I'd issue the Hollywood Bowl concerts in their entirety, not cherry picking through them like Capitol did.  I'd put out a bunch of other concerts as well, certainly all the ones that have decent sound as well as the historic ones like Shea Stadium and Candlestick Park.  I'd put out the Kinfauns demos and the Decca audition tape.  I'd issue DVDs of the Shea concert and "Let It Be."  I'd even release the Saturday morning Beatles cartoon series.  In short I would put the bootleggers out of business and Beatlemaniacs would not have to rely on crummy bootlegs like this to get their fix.  Actually by bootleg standards this isn't all that crummy.  It is a two record set generously filled with tunes (29 not 30 as advertised) and it is a decent pressing from good sources.  Record one is the 1964 Hollywood Bowl concert.  It runs without interruption and includes the stage patter which is how I recognize what it is, since the record has no notes aside from the song listings.  You can hear some of the same patter on the official Capitol release of "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl."  This doesn't sound nearly as good as the Capitol version, but it is not bad and at least the whole show is here.  The set list is: "Twist and Shout," "You Can't Do That," "All My Loving," "She Loves You," "Things We Said Today," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Can't Buy Me Love," "If I Fell," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "Boys," "A Hard Day's Night" and "Long Tall Sally."  It is a tremendously exciting performance, I wish I could have been there.  This concert alone justifies this record's existence.  Record two is more dubious.  Side one and the last two tracks on side two are devoted to the Beatles' June 30, 1966 concert in Tokyo.  The entire concert is included except for "Nowhere Man" for some reason, that's probably the missing 30th song.  This concert is well-known among Beatlemaniacs as it has been heavily bootlegged.  It was recorded for broadcast by Japanese television so it has really good sound quality and there isn't a lot of screaming since apparently the Japanese crowd was too polite to scream a lot during the songs.  The concert has a bad reputation among Beatle buffs because the Beatles perform rather sloppily although I believe most of the songs sound okay although Harrison's vocal and the guitar solo on "If I Needed Someone" are laughably poor.  Personally I prefer the Tokyo show from July 1, 1966 which also was professionally recorded, I think that performance is a little better even though Lennon forgets the words to "Nowhere Man."  Regardless, there aren't many quality tapes of the 1966 tour so I still think this is worthwhile.  The set list is "Rock and Roll Music," "She's A Woman," "If I Needed Someone," "Day Tripper," "Baby's In Black," "I Feel Fine," "Yesterday," "I Wanna Be Your Man," "Paperback Writer" and "I'm Down."  The record is fleshed out with some miscellaneous unsourced songs.  "Ain't She Sweet" appears to be the version from the Tony Sheridan session which was released on Polydor.  I don't think it is particularly rare, I don't know why it would be bootlegged.  "P. S. I Love You," "There's A Place," and "Misery" appear to be pirated off the Beatles' debut album which is both heinous and stupid.  "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" appears to be the 1965 BBC session for "The Beatles (Invite You To Take A Ticket to Ride.)"  It is a smoking hot version that is arguably better than the version on "Help!".  "This Boy" and "From Me To You" are from the band's second appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964.  This is obviously still stealing, but at least it is useful stealing, ha-ha.  I'm not going to defend a bootleg especially one that pirates legitimate releases, but until the Beatles put out some of this stuff themselves, fans are going to want this stuff in some format.  The Hollywood Bowl concert is an essential recording and the Tokyo one is interesting too.  You can find them on better bootlegs though.  I see this one selling for a ridiculous amount sometimes and it just isn't worth it.  Recommended to idle executives at Apple looking for a reissue project, I mean really is it so hard to find something to do? 

Post Script:  I guess the Apple boys were reading my blog, because a few weeks after my screed, they announced the release dates for the vinyl reissues of the Beatles catalog.  I know that these records have been in the works for ages, I'm glad it just took a little push from me to get them finally finished, ha-ha.  I don't really need them, but I'm glad they are coming out and I may pick up a couple at some point to see if they really sound any better than the originals, but I'll probably just wait for the mono versions which will supposedly be coming out next year. 

With The Beatles/Meet The Beatles - The Beatles

With The Beatles
The Beatles
Parlophone  PCS  3045
1963

Meet The Beatles
The Beatles
Apple ST 2047
1964 

Meet The Beatles
The Beatles
Capitol T 2047
1964
 
A post for Paulie on the eve of his 70th birthday, ouch.  I haven't heard any quotes from Sir Paul about the occasion but I hope he's happier about it than I am.  Frankly I'm appalled.  I can't believe that my idol is as old as my grandfather was when I first became a Beatles fan.  McCartney seemed eternally youthful back then and I couldn't imagine that ever changing. The idea of a 70 year old rocker would have seemed ludicrous to me.  Elvis was only in his 30s at the time and I thought he was old!  Of course nowadays geriatric rockers are common place, but none of them look as good as McCartney and I don't know that any of them sound as good either.  I can only hope I'll have half of his spirit and vitality when I'm that age, assuming I ever make it that far.  Part of me still believes in "hope I die before I get old."  As I look back through the fog of time at my long history with the Beatles, I can still dimly recall my earliest memory of the band.  It started with "Meet The Beatles" some time when I was about 9 or 10 living in Walnut Creek, a suburb of San Francisco.  My parents had no rock records at the time, but my best friend who lived across the street had a slightly hipper mom with a small record collection.  My favorite at first was her Trini Lopez record which we used to listen to often.  Eventually I got tired of "Lemon Tree" and we tried "Meet The Beatles."  I have to confess I was not an instant fan of the record, but I did fall hard for "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and I made my friend play it over and over.  The thrill that song gave me remains one of my most vivid memories of that period.  A few years later as a young teen, I would acquire my own copy of the album which is the Apple re-issue depicted above.  Then in my 20s I acquired the British version of the album, "With The Beatles," which I prefer to its American counterpart.  Finally I picked up an original pressing mono Capitol issue, because I really dislike the stereo mix on the record.  For the most part the vocals and overdubs are in one channel and the instrumental track is in another.  That's good for karaoke but it is really irritating to me when I listen to the album with headphones.  So even though my Apple pressing is mint I listen more to the Capitol pressing despite it having some surface noise.  The Parlophone album has 14 tracks.  The butchers at Capitol dropped five of the tracks and added the hit single "I Want To Hold Your Hand" plus its flip side "This Boy" and "I Saw Her Standing There" from the British "Please Please Me" album which Capitol had deigned unworthy of release in the United States.  All three are great songs, but none really belong on this album.  For some stupid reason Capitol added a bluish tint to the classic cover photo which I find creepy and replaced Tony Barrow's excellent liner notes with some publicist's hype.  I love "Meet the Beatles" for my history with it and I'll never part with it, but if you only need one version, "With The Beatles" is definitely the one to get.  I think you can make a case that "With The Beatles" was the best rock album ever at the time of its release, it's only serious competition being Buddy Holly's albums, the Everly Brothers' albums for Cadence, "Here's Little Richard" and Elvis Presley's first two albums.  Most rock albums up to this point consisted of a hit single and a bunch of mediocre filler.  "With The Beatles" is a quality listening experience from beginning to end.  It helped transform rock from a singles medium to an album medium.  It consists of seven Lennon-McCartney songs, one from George Harrison and six cover songs.  "All My Loving" is the only truly great Lennon-McCartney song on the album with its propulsive drive and ringing guitar sound, it foreshadows the greatness of the songs on "A Hard Day's Night."  "All I've Got To Do" and "Not A Second Time" boast terrific heartfelt Lennon vocals and demonstrate his growing depth as a songwriter.   "It Won't Be Long" is a bit too derivative of "She Loves You" to be a first rate song, but it is still very enjoyable.  "Little Child" is a slight song, but it rocks out nicely and I dig Lennon's harmonica work.  "I Wanna Be Your Man" is another rocker that makes a great vehicle for Ringo's raucous vocal.  "Hold Me Tight" is a mundane song redeemed by a solid beat and a winning if slightly sloppy vocal from McCartney.  Even the weakest of their songs have so much appeal to them.  Harrison's "Don't Bother Me" is astonishingly good considering that it was his first recorded song.  It has a compelling guitar riff and a rich percussion background.  Its grouchy lyrics establish Harrison's persona right from the start of his career.  I think it is one of his best ever songs and I still prefer it to any of his solo recordings.  The Beatles' taste in cover tunes was impeccable and several are among the strongest tracks on the album.  The band takes on Motown three times and wins every time.  Lennon's passionate vocal carries the day on "Please Mister Postman" and "You Really Got a Hold On Me."  The group's incendiary cover of "Money" is definitive and an eternal rock classic.  The group also delivers a blistering take on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" but the song is undermined by Harrison's weak vocal.  It would have been so much better if John or Paul had sung it.  Harrison does a little better with the Donays' "Devil In Her Heart" although his vocal still sounds a bit strained in places.  "Till There Was You" is another one of those sentimental ballads that McCartney is so fond of.  I love Paulie, but this is my least favorite track on the album.  Surprisingly this Broadway show tune was a regular part of their repertoire back in Hamburg and though I'm not a big fan of it, the eclecticism it displays is a crucial ingredient in McCartney's long-lasting appeal.  His broad taste in music, from classical to experimental to Little Richard to Buddy Holly to Tin Pan Alley schmaltz, has given him so much depth and so many tools to work with, and has made him such an interesting and exciting musician.  Through the years he's come up with a few songs that have made me cringe, but the man has been recording classic records and exploring new musical territory for 50 years now and at 70 years old he can still deliver a show that will knock your socks off.  Happy Birthday Sir Paul, you are truly a titan in popular music history.  Recommended for everybody young and old who appreciates quality pop music. 

The Beatles in Italy - The Beatles

The Beatles In Italy
The Beatles
Parlophone 1A 062-04632
1965

This is a Dutch pressing of this classic bit of Beatles' ephemera.  According to the Beatles discography book, "All Together Now," this album was issued as a souvenir of the Beatles' June 1965 concerts in Italy and released in Italy to help promote the movie "Help!" later that year.  John Lennon mentioned the album in an interview thinking it was a live album and Beatles collectors sought the record out.  To accommodate collectors' demands (or to rip them off depending on your perspective) EMI reissued this obscure record in the 1970s.  It is of course not a live album, simply a compilation of previously released songs.  Supposedly the album reflected the set list of the Beatles Italian concerts, but the set list of the 1965 European tour documented by Mark Lewisohn as well as the bootlegs of the Rome concert reveal that only four of the twelve songs on the album were actually performed in Italy.  (They are "Long Tall Sally," "She's A Woman," "Ticket To Ride" and "I Feel Fine" in case you are wondering.)   Original copies of this album were in mono, but the reissue is listed as being in stereo (although several tracks still appear to be mono.)  It is an oddball collection containing some of the group's hit singles and their B-sides from 1963 to 1965.  At the time of the album's release, only "Ticket To Ride" had appeared on a Parlophone album so the record would have been useful for Europeans, in fact several cuts on here didn't appear on an English album until 1978.  However by 1965 the enterprising hucksters at Capitol had released all of these tracks on albums in the U.S. except for "From Me To You" so for Americans this is basically useless as a comp, although the songs are all good and it is fun to listen to, but then again what Beatles album isn't fun to listen to?  The version of "I Feel Fine" on here does start a second or so earlier than the version on "Beatles '65" so you can hear some clicking sound and someone mumbling before the feedback starts and the version of "Thank You Girl" is the mono mix which has a significantly different ending than the stereo version on "The Beatles' Second Album."  Other than that there is no real reason for Beatles fans to buy this record aside from the cool pictures on the cover.  Of course true Beatles fans will probably want it anyway despite the exorbitant price it often commands.  I was lucky enough to get it at a bargain price and I'm very happy to have it even if I rarely play it.  Recommended for Beatles fans who collect their Parlophone albums instead of their Capitol ones.

The Beatles' Story - The Beatles

The Beatles' Story
The Beatles
Capitol STBO 2222
1964

I sometimes wonder how I became such a big Beatles fan and why I continue to love them.  My father told me that my family watched them on "The Ed Sullivan Show" but I have no memory of it since I was just a toddler at the time.  I was barely aware of them during the 1960s and mostly because of the Saturday morning cartoon show about them.  When I became a real fan, the group had been defunct for several years.  I didn't know anyone among my peers who liked them.  I wasn't particularly interested in music, my cultural heroes were professional athletes and astronauts.  Then when I was 12 I saw "Help!" on television and I was mesmerized.  After that I would never be the same, I was a Beatlemaniac.  I grew my hair and combed it over my forehead trying to achieve a moptop.  That was when I started collecting records and spending my time at home around a turntable rather than a television set.  If I had had any money and if Beatles fan paraphernalia were still easily available, I would have filled my room with it.  Instead I had to settle for records and I bought this one quite early much to my subsequent embarrassment - well before I bought "Revolver," "Abbey Road" or the "White Album," yikes.  Once I saw it advertised on the back of "Beatles '65", I was obsessed with having it.  Finally it turned up in the bin at my local record store and I pounced on it.  I loved it and played it until I had memorized it.  Given the paucity of books in print about the Beatles at the time, I learned a lot about the early Beatles from this record.  As I got older, my adolescent fandom changed and became more music-based than personality oriented and I lost interest in this record.  I don't think I've played it at all in the last 15 years.  The album is a bit of a rip-off.  It is a double album but the sides are extremely short, all under 15 minutes long and side three is less than 10 minutes long.  The Beatles are hardly on the album at all, mostly heard in brief snippets taken from press conferences.  There are also some excerpts from their songs.  Most of the album's content is provided by three narrators, Roger Christian, John Babcock and Al Wiman, who take turns telling the Beatles' story and reciting various quotes from the Fabs.  Christian will be familiar to Jan and Dean and Beach Boys fans as the lyricist for many of their early hits and he was also a well-known Top-40 DJ in Los Angeles in the 1960s.  Christian also co-produced this album along with Gary Usher who will be familiar to 1960s rock fans from his work with the Byrds and Sagittarius.  The rock backgrounds of the producers insure sympathetic treatment of the group and their fans although it is still condescending in spots and the narrators sound more like they are selling soap than describing one of the most exciting events in the history of rock and roll.  For all its faults, the album is informative and comprehensive.  Side one opens with a recording of the screams at a Beatles concert (although no music is heard) which is followed by a discussion of Beatlemania and its origins with some amusing recordings of hysterical girls gushing about the boys.  The narrators then pay tribute to Brian Epstein and discuss his background.  John Lennon gets profiled next.  Much to my amusement there is a lengthy bit about Lennon's refusal to discuss politics or make public expressions about his beliefs.  We all know that didn't last long.  The side ends with the Beatles' early history prior to stardom and then a discussion of their finances which is a subject that crops up quite a bit on the record.  I think the narrators were more interested in the band's money than their music.  Side two returns to the early history of the Beatles with a discussion of the Quarrymen and the origin of the Beatles' name.  One of the more glaring mistakes on the record comes when the narrator notes that Ringo came from a group called Rory Storm and The Texans whereas all Beatlemaniacs know that Storm's group was called the Hurricanes when Ringo was in the band.  The narration next praises George Martin and Capitol Records for their role in the Beatles' success while somehow neglecting to mention Capitol's rejection of the Beatles' debut album.  This is followed by a profile of George Harrison, "blasé with a beat" is their description of him.  They falsely give him credit for inventing the Beatle haircut which the group actually learned about in Hamburg from Astrid Kirchherr and her friends and it is well-known that Stu Sutcliffe was the first Beatle to adopt it.  The narration notes how much Harrison enjoys the attention of screaming fans which is pretty funny considering how vocal he was later about his hatred of touring and the trappings of fame.  Side three discusses their movie, "A Hard Day's Night" and then profiles Paul McCartney.  Side four opens with a live excerpt of a performance of "Twist and Shout" which was the earliest legitimate release of a Beatles live track although unfortunately it is only a few bars long.  There is further discussion of Beatlemania with some more soundbites from fans and detractors including some idiot who calls them a bunch of "monkeys."  Up next is a medley of Beatles songs segueing together in 30 second segments.  Finally it is Ringo's turn to be profiled where he is described as the "quiet Beatle" a sobriquet normally given to Harrison.  The album ends with a brief discussion of Liverpool.  Much of this album is devoted to the narrators explaining the mysteries of Beatlemania, but their answers are simplistic and unconvincing to me.  I'm not sure there is a satisfying answer as to why so many people love them.  Anyway there is nothing on this album that Beatlemaniacs don't already know and there isn't enough actual Beatle talk to make the album worthwhile.  I'm not sorry I have it though, it is an interesting artifact.  Recommended for casual Beatles fans who hate to read.