tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42221059507072043222024-03-14T11:11:43.507-04:00American WolfEric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-59605461950077232582024-01-14T10:32:00.001-05:002024-01-14T10:33:54.421-05:00The 100 Best Songs From Bruce Springsteen’s Classic Years (1973-1985).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbmngfDrx6U5oKBX-VoSK4OWu_BjUkbCCL8kbPPNluQWEV0u4GGOHnsBzWrTxSx7ZLAC00FmTBj9EF0OSPp8WWIach_JqcLSx3CMq-iRY917BT0nbg7dYtNFpbPPZWFhUZ2mfSsM1rgyJfRu5vFIsZxLOJR_m5-jtWeTlX3JbGF2iI8B7GofAwqAIdRg3u" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbmngfDrx6U5oKBX-VoSK4OWu_BjUkbCCL8kbPPNluQWEV0u4GGOHnsBzWrTxSx7ZLAC00FmTBj9EF0OSPp8WWIach_JqcLSx3CMq-iRY917BT0nbg7dYtNFpbPPZWFhUZ2mfSsM1rgyJfRu5vFIsZxLOJR_m5-jtWeTlX3JbGF2iI8B7GofAwqAIdRg3u=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><br />Like few others, Bruce Springsteen is a legend in his own time. In terms of a rich & meandering continuing catalog, only Bob Dylan & Neil Young can match him on depth, quality, & interest. & yet, when we think of Dylan, we think of pre-motorcycle crash Dylan, like when we think of Neil Young, we think of those 1970s pre-<i>Zuma</i> years Young. Springsteen has a classic period himself, from 1973 to 1985, where nearly everything he released was great, if not worth listening to.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">His ten-year-or-so run is one of only several such great runs in rock--Elvis's pre-Army recordings, Chuck Berry's Chess recordings, The Beach Boys through "Good Vibrations," the Rolling Stones' work up through <i>Exile On Main St.</i>, Led Zeppelin up through <i>Physical Graffiti</i>, plus a few perfect, shimmering catalogues like the output of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Velvet Underground, Joy Division, The Smiths, & Nirvana. Oh, & the complete recordings of a few visionaries like Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, & Buddy Holly.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen is the latest of the great classic rock giants to fall in this category; like his contemporaries David Bowie & Billy Joel, he's a deceptively late bloomer with a performing career going back well into the 1960s. Here, I count down Springsteen's 100 greatest studio recordings from this magical classic period. Luckily for me, the perfectionist Bruce released less than 100 album tracks in this period--68 in total--plus 8 standalone B-sides not released on albums, bringing the total to 76. This left room for 24 of the songs--nearly a full quarter of the list--for tracks from this era that were outtakes or unreleased tracks. The latter proved the hardest part because there are so many great outtakes from this period, they could almost make their own list of 100.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I tried to rank each song based on its influence, popularity, musical excellence, & historical importance. Obviously 100 different Springsteen fans are going to make 100 different lists, so some subjective judgment must factor in the mix as well. All of which is to say that if there are some (many?) that you don't agree with, then that's idea. I'd love to see your list.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Of course Springsteen's been making amazing music since 1985--albums like <i>Tunnel Of Love</i>, <i>The Rising</i>, <i>Magic</i>, & <i>Wrecking Ball</i>; songs like "Brilliant Disguise," "The Ghost Of Tom Joad," "Radio Nowhere," & "The Land Of Hope & Dreams"--but there's something magical & consistent about that first decade or so. It is the music on which Springsteen built his legend & this is the best of the best.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>100. Mary Queen Of Arkansas [G<i>reetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A big blotch on Springsteen’s debut—& the album’s longest song, to boot—the overwrought singing is second only to the ramshackle guitar that he seems to have lifted from Bob Dylan’s <i>The Times They Are A-Changin’</i> folk album. The original demo he made for John Hammond looks like a masterpiece next to this flailing disaster.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>99. New York City Serenade [<i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The most overrated Bruce Springsteen song of them all. I know it’s got its passionate supporters—I’ve friends with some of them—but to me, it’s an overlong, shapeless, pretentious mess. It's just a terrible song.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>98. Meeting Across The River [<i>Born To Run</i>, 1975]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The second most overrated Springsteen song of them all. If it didn’t happen to be the lead-in to the masterful finale of Springsteen’s masterpiece album, no one would even remember it. Springsteen always has had a touch of drama in his music, but going full Leonard Bernstein in this track is a bridge (across the river) too far.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>97. Wild Billy’s Circus Story [<i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The best thing about this song is its imaginative title & interesting use of tuba. The song, however, can’t live up to either—it simply doesn’t tell a story. It should be called “Wild Billy’s Circus Character Sketches.” It’s a sprawling, dusty road to nowhere. Actually, the road in the song goes to Nebraska, which, for a modern listener, sticks out at the tail end of the song like a prophecy of his 1982 album.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>96. Crush On You [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Even Springsteen says that this saccharine throwaway should have been left off in favor of “Be True.”</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>95. I’m A Rocker [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen has spent a career pushing his own personal narrative to the edge of his songs. Here, he breaks down the fourth wall & comes out sounding like a song conceived to move along the plot lumbering musical in its second act.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>94. Drive All Night [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A favorite of many, I know, but to my ears, it’s overlong & underbaked. Does Bruce really need eight minutes to declare that he’ll drive all night to buy you [checks notes] shoes? Especially when he could have included “Meet Me In The Street” & “Where The Bands Are” or “I Wanna Be With You” and “Roulette”—or any pair of superior songs from these sessions.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>93. The Big Payback [UK B-side, “Open All Night,” 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A Nebraska throwaway, it’s interesting in the Springsteen canon for reversing the usual price to be paid (see: “Badlands,” “Darkness On The Edge Of Town,” “The Price You Pay,” among countless others), & singing about waiting for a payback. (Needless to say, it’s one of his more comic songs.) Other than that, the most interesting thing about it is the way Springsteen shades his voice in the last verse like he’s conjuring the ghost of Buddy Holly.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>92. The Angel [<i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Generally considered one of the worst Springsteen tracks ever, I have a place in my heart for “The Angel.” The song is an exercise in lyrical mysticism that’s saved by its brevity. It’s a loading ground for imagery, some of which works & some of which doesn’t, but I’ll always come back for the roadside attendant who nervously jokes & the woman who strokes the Angel’s polished chrome.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>91. You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of Springsteen’s emptier “comedy” songs, if only because it’s a one-note joke that ceases to be clever before the song is over. Still fits in well with his lighthearted rockers from The River, though.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>90. Johnny Bye-Bye [B-side, “I’m On Fire,” 1985]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From Elvis to Chuck (& then back to Elvis). This is a rewrite of Chuck Berry’s lesser-known sequel to “Johnny B. Goode” called “Bye Bye Johnny.” Springsteen takes enough of the song’s lyrics to give Berry a co-writing credit, as he turns Johnny B. Goode into Elvis’s corpse. As rock myth-making, it’s excellent, but as rock music to listen to, it’s surprisingly listless.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>89. Darlington County [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A talltale-turned-singalong that suffers not from its own quality (it’s a perfectly good Springsteen song), but because the rest of the album that surrounds it is so much better. One can imagine “This Hard Land” or “My Love Will Not Let You Down” being a better replacement, but then we wouldn’t have the line “Our Pa’s each own one of the World Trade Centers.” Who could have foreseen that Springsteen would write an release an album enshrining these buildings less than two decades later?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>88. Used Cars [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Even when Bruce strips away the instrumentation, his eye for detail remains. This song is chockful of such moments: The mother fingering her wedding ring, the salesman unable to look the father in the eye when failing to give them a deal, the dirty streets that the narrator is born, even the fact it takes place on Michigan Avenue in an echo of America’s great automotive empire. The way in which these details weave together to form a tactile portrait of shame that paints a gray America that often goes unnoticed, & willfully so.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>87. Ramrod [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the eight greatest songs of all-time…according to Stephen King. What does he hear in it? “It’s just straight-ahead rock & roll, I think it’s what Bruce Springsteen does best,” he once explained, “It’s just guitar-driven balls to the wall rock.” I’m putting that in to throw a bone for everyone who loves this song. I think it’s a fine rocker, but it feels like a filler track for an album that shouldn’t have needed any. “I Wanna Be With You” would’ve worked better, or perhaps “Loose Ends,” which was slated to be on the original one-disc lineup of The River. Instead, we have this pretty good car song. That the guy who wrote The Shawshank Redemption apparently loves. & since I love The Shawshank Redemption, I will give “Ramrod” a pass.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>86. Working On The Highway [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Bruce chases the ghost of Eddie Cochran—a call-&-response rockabilly rave-up that sounds like it was recorded in an echo chamber. Cochran’s influence (at least to my ears) is what makes it sound like the child of “Summertime Blues,” which Cochran recorded by himself overdubbing the tracks. Here, Springsteen took a more sober song, “Child Bride,” & turned it into a slice-of-life parable sandwiched between the lead character going from a boring job on the highway to a mandatory sentence on one. Killer build on the bridge, too.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>85. Something In The Night [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i> showed off Springsteen’s expertise at creating tension & release, mastered in the title track, but preceded by this & “Streets Of Fire.” Both are fine songs, but this one is a tad more overwrought with the wordless yelling on top & the chiaroscuro of the open verses & dense refrains. Despite some stellar lyrics in the bridge—“Well, nothing is forgotten or forgiven”—the song is a bit of a slog.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>84. Turn Out The Light [B-side, “Born In The U.S.A.,” 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As a true-life narrative, “Turn Out The Light” is devastating. But as the B-side of “Born In The U.S.A.,” it’s perfect. If any doubts were left about the A-side’s supposed blind patriotism, this song gave away the game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>83. Streets Of Fire [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The sister track of “Something In The Night”—both brooding street epics with a quiet verse/loud refrain that would make the Pixies proud. Why is this one slightly ahead? Because I love the way he shouts “I HEAR SOMEBODY CALL MY NAME.” It’s a rare unguarded moment for the usually-refined Studio Bruce (as opposed to the wild & innocent Live Bruce).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>82. Jackson Cage [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">What is a Jackson Cage? I always assumed it was a bar if not a metaphor for one of Bruce’s oldest themes—breaking out from the crummy small town in which you were born. It holds is place on the first side of The River, but remains a fairly generic rocker with a riddle of a refrain.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>81. Fade Away [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the strangest choices to follow a hit single in modern times. After “Hungry Heart” became Bruce’s first Top 10 (& Top 5) hit, propelling <i>The River</i> to become his first #1 album, the powers that be chose “Fade Away” as a follow-up single. The surprise isn’t so much the song itself, which is fine enough, but what it was picked over: the rocking “The Ties That Bind,” the rollicking “Sherry Darling,” the celebratory “Out In The Street,” & the masterful title track, to name a few. Instead, they apparently chose to showcase Bruce’s quieter side. While the track still made it to #20, perhaps the true proof that it was not a keeper is that its B-side, the stunning “Be True,” made the Top 50 as DJs started playing the flipside instead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>80. Stand On It [B-side, “Glory Days,” 1985]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jerry Lee Lewis reborn as a southern Florida kid named Jimmy Lee & then as a girl named Mary Beth who likes to race in the streets. But best is the third verse that tells the story of Christopher Columbus—a very rare subject in rock & roll. (The only other song I can think of that addresses it is the Jimmy Jones oldie “Good Timin’.”)</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>79. Mansion On A Hill [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lifting its title from a Hank Williams ballad, in which the Hank’s singer laments the loss of his girl to the rich man with the big house on the hill. For Springsteen, the song is entirely one-sided: The kids play in the shadow of the mansion on the hill, with no other connection to it except for the fact that they share the same town. In both cases though, the mansion is the star of the show, oblivious to the drama it inspires.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>78. Cadillac Ranch [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Inspired by a real-life sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, of ten Cadillacs buried nose-first halfway & inclined at the same angle as the pyramids of Giza, “Cadillac Ranch” is piece of art about art, a meta-criticism of pop music about pop art. But this being pop, don’t expect any big revelations on this throwaway singalong: “I’m gonna pack my pa & I’m gonna pack my aunt / I’m gonna take them down to the Cadillac Ranch.”</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>77. Held Up Without A Gun [B-side, “Hungry Heart,” 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">At around 81 seconds, this is the shortest song Springsteen released in this period, but what it lacks in length, it more than makes up for with punch. It borrows a key lyric from Woody Guthrie’s talking blues—“Some folks’ll rob you with a fountain pen”—& turns it into a fierce rave-up that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Clash album. Be sure not to miss an apparent dig at his first manager Mike Appel: “Man with a cigar says, ‘Sign here, son,’” followed by Springsteen’s warning to his younger self: “Watch out!”</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>76. Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? [<i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Early Springsteen at his most arbitrarily word-packed. Some dismiss it as too slight, but to me, this plays like an early Springsteen sketchbook, overflowing with energy & ideas. It wasn’t until The Beastie Boys that things as separate as Joan Fontaine, the Panthers, VistaVision, & interstellar mongrel nymphs coexisted in a new musical world. In the words of Mary Lou: “Man, the dope’s that there’s still dope.”</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>75. Kitty’s Back [<i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of Bruce’s earliest (& jazziest!) epics. While not as smooth as others from this period, “Kitty’s Back” provides excellent tension & release when the horns & rhythm section when at the end of the first verse. It’s a deft balance between the nimble verses & the storming instrumental sessions, & the whole thing is not as tight as the band was even months later. Still, it’s hard to deny the impact of when Kitty struts back like the Prodigal Kitten.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>74. Open All Night [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Proof that even when Springsteen was in full Woody Guthrie mode, Chuck Berry remained his second mind. The driving (literally) rhythm of the track is coupled with the lyrical twist & turns originated by Berry. & then of course, there are the direct illusions to Berry songs: “Wee Wee Hours” (“In the wee wee hours, your mind gets hazy”), “Too Much Monkey Business” (“wipe the windshield, check the gas”), & “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” (“them big brown eyes”). The proper names added to the narrative—the Route 60 Big Boy’s & the Texaco roadmap—only make the narrative feel more lived-in.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>73. A Good Man Is Hard To Find (Pittsburgh) [Outtake, <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A rare Springsteen song from this era with a female perspective, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find (Pittsburgh)” is one of his most quietly-affecting Vietnam songs. Unseen throughout the song is the little girl sleeping in her bedroom who will have to “learn about the meanness in this world,” lifting a lyric from Charlie Starkweather’s mouth in another song written around this time, “Nebraska.” But this song sees the meanness from the other side—& beautifully captures the results of the meanness, as opposed to witnessing the causes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>72. I Wanna Marry You [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A lovely wistful ballad that finds Springsteen pushing unironic earnestness right up against overwrought romanticism. Keeping his focus on the vocals & the Phil Spector-like production values, he’s able to stay on course where others would fall into caricature or irony. The result is like a vintage girl group style song—sung from the other side of the wall.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>71. Adam Raised A Cane [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Many heard the darkness & edginess of <i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i> as Springsteen’s rebuke to punk rock. While Springsteen was never a punk himself—while his alliance was with the garage rock bands that pioneered the punk sound, he was rocking enough for his biographer Dave Marsh to posit that Springsteen helped set the stage for punk. Although I’m highly skeptical of that claim, it’s an interesting framing device for this song: Springsteen as Cain, having to prove himself against his overpowering parent. Coupled with Springsteen’s fraught relationship with his own father, it’s no wonder that he screams like a man who’s face-to-face with his sins.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>70. State Trooper [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">For Springsteen, the open road is the most real symbol of freedom. But what happens when you drive on that open road with a state trooper on your tail? Sheer & utter paranoia that simmers with fear & loathing until it suddenly speeds away with a madman’s shrieking yelp.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>69. Janey Don’t You Lose Heart [B-side, “I’m Going Down,” 1985]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Pitch-perfect pop with an opening couplet that maps right onto the opening lines of another pop masterpiece of the era, Modern English’s “I Melt With You.” But the hushed “nah-nah-nah-nah-nah” is what makes it, throwing it back into a Motown feel.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>68. Cover Me [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Originally written for Donna Summer, “Cover Me” is generally considered not one of the better songs for most Springsteen fans. I don’t understand why not. It has the difficult task of following the title track on Born In The U.S.A. & does it with aplomb, plus it was the second single taken from the album—which is to say, before “Born In The U.S.A.” & “Glory Days”—& charted higher than both. His echoed, punchy delivery makes it, as though he’s leading an army march through the, well, rain & driving snow.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>67. Night [<i>Born To Run</i>, 1975]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The forgotten song on the Born To Run masterpiece, which is to say a song that could have been the best song on many other artists’ normal albums. I always appreciated how much it packs into its brisk three minutes, including lovely urban imagery & a wailing saxophone solo. My only quibble is not so much a complaint as it is a years-long mishearing: I had always thought the song was a portrait of a woman leaving work, but closer studying has demonstrated that it’s just another guy on the album. Either way, for an album with songs that could have occurred across a single summer night (as Springsteen has suggested), “Night” is a great portrait of the downtown business world of the city.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>66. Roulette [Outtake, <i>The River</i>, 1980]</b><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">What if Bruce Springsteen was born 10 years later & cut his teeth at CBGB's instead of the Seaside Bar? “Roulette” provides an answer--louder, faster, & sloppier than ever. With his sputtering vocals, Bruce nearly derails the song, leaving an unhinged version of a song that was far too rough to ever be included with one of his often all-too-meticulous album tracks. It's a pity though, this one rocks like few others.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>65. My Love Will Not Let You Down [Outtake, <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A promise to his fans that went unreleased for over a decade until it turned up on the <i>Tracks</i> compilation. That was enough of an impetus for Springsteen to hear it anew & include it in his life show, becoming more an anthem of most songs that were released on Born In The U.S.A. & its adjacent singles.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>64. Candy’s Room [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of Springsteen’s sexiest songs &, with its impressionist, hi-hat driving lead-in, one of his most sonically unique. Although Springsteen always denied it was about a prostitute, the song lends itself to this interpretation, with the protagonist being the one who wants to be Candy’s real love. Or is he mistaking her attention for something else? When she speaks in the song, she says, “Baby if you wanna be wild, you got a lot to learn.” The implications of these words are unclear, but it’s apparent that Candy is fine to teach everything the singer needs to learn.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>63. My Hometown [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The closing track on Springsteen’s <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i> masterpiece, which pointed the way to some of his quieter, more introspective music to come. As a kid, I always found this song a boring dirge, but it was always considered one of the finer songs of the period, comfortably making the old (& controversial) Greatest Hits over “Cover” and “I’m On Fire.” Now as an adult, the song plays much better—a portrait in miniature of a thousand ’80s rustbelt towns, which could also double as an epitaph. The opening & closing boy on his father’s lap brings it all home in a way that feels sincere where others would have fallen back on cheap sentimentality.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>62. Two Hearts [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A tale of love that was evocative enough to land the title of Dave Marsh’s once-definitive biography of the Boss—until the Boss wrote his own version of the story.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>61. Bobby Jean [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the minority of non-single tracks off of <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, this is one of the tracks most revered by Springsteen fans today (probably because it’s one of the few that didn’t get overplayed). The main riff is kind of cloying, but the well-studied lyric of love & loss more than makes up for it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>60. She’s The One [<i>Born To Run</i>, 1975]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I always found this exercise in Bo Diddley-ism to be overrated until I finally realized that the whole song is an excuse just to get to the final minute or so when Springsteen shouts a triumphant “Hey!” over the cacophony of sound like Moses parting the Red Sea.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>59. Factory [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of Springsteen’s more underrated songs, a largely monotonous song to reflect the largely monotonous nature of its subject matter. Where other songs rock, this song just sort of trudges through its existence; you could see the underworld workers of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis fitting right in to its cadence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>58. For You [<i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of Springsteen’s most glorious early word-filled sagas, “For You” is supposedly about a girlfriend who’s suicidal, but even if so, that’s like saying Moby Dick is about a whale. The surreal imagery is among his early best—the singer hanging out of reach with salt on his tongue, the band playing the homecoming song, the girl stretched out on the floor. I bet even the carpetbaggers would want to stay on the singer’s back just to hear what was coming next.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>57. The E Street Shuffle [<i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The E Street Band 1.0: Jazzy, funky, unintimidated by the clavichord—& the fact that it’s all done over what’s essentially a 12-bar blues chord sequence tells you everything you need to know. That & one of Springsteen’s most irresistible images: Little Angel stepping a shuffle like she ain’t got no brains.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>56. My Father’s House [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A haunting ballad made to sound like it was part of Springsteen’s legendary original <i>Nebraska</i> tape, but was an imposter. That said, it was a damn good imposter—like many of Springsteen’s best songs, he took turmoil from his own life & then spun a tale of characters who at once felt like archetypes as well as real-life people. It’s a story that’s been told a thousand times by a thousand different people, but Springsteen’s sparse harmonica & guitar (& tons of echo) makes it sound impossibly new.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>55. From Small Things (Big Things Come) [Outtake, <i>The River</i>, 1979]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">“Ah, 1-2-3-4—1, 2, 3, 4—” the Boss counts off twice only to do the entire first verse with just his voice & electric guitar. When The E Street Band tumbles in, the song restarts as a fantastic rockabilly low-brow comedy of manners, starring a girl who quits high school & the men who love(d) her. At the story’s climax, she shoots her second lover on the sunny Florida road because “she couldn’t stand the way he drove.” Not to get too Freudian here, but it seems to me that a songwriter who places so much value on the ability to drive is living out some deep-rooted castration fears here.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>54. Loose Ends [Outtake, <i>The River</i>, 1979]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Once upon a time, <i>The River</i> was a single record called <i>The Ties That Bind</i>. It was a great record too, albeit missing some of the punch & gloss of the two-record album released in its place. Perhaps the greatest loss was the album’s finale, “Loose Ends,” which takes the image of the opening song—the ties that bind—& flips it on its head until the ties become a noose around the head of singer & his lover. Plus there’s some great power pop ringing guitar (think Tom Petty at his Byrds-iest) & a great sax solo by Clarence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>53. No Surrender [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps the best song off of <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i> that was never released as a single, “No Surrender” takes the imagery of the battlefield & rams it into the defiant strength of friendship. I chose the best line of the song for my high school yearbook statement as I’m sure thousands have before & since: “We learned more from a three-minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school.”</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>52. Santa Ana [Outtake, <i>The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Western legends as folk-resting easy. One of Springsteen’s finest early songs, he tells a tale about Sam Houston, the giants of science, & outer space aliens, all tied together by Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez’s restless drumming.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>51. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out [<i>Born To Run</i>, 1975]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The third in the trilogy of <i>Born To Run</i> songs everyone knows—after the title track & “Thunder Road”—“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” may have only made a minor dent in the charts (#83 in Billboard with nothing even close to a bullet), it made up in volume for its E Street Band mythology. Essentially a story of Scooter/Springsteen meeting the Big Man/Clemmons somewhere uptown. Clearly, this is Clemmons’ show, but the whole thing works on account of the horn section, which reached for Stax & lived up to its ambition. Lucky for Springsteen, Little Stevie was in the studio, where he composed the horn part on the spot & taught it to the players by singing it to them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>50. Ain’t Good Enough For You [Outtake, <i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of Springsteen’s finest pop songs. Probably a bit too light for the brooding <i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, but it sounds great everywhere else since. It contains a melodic hook that is at once accessible & memorable without being too cloying—it’s the engine that propels the song. It’s also one of Springsteen’s funniest songs, with clever rhymes showing how he can never win with this girl: “If we go out, you say I’m such a bore / If we stay in, say ‘What are we living for?’” At least the singer got a memorable song out of it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>49. Where The Bands Are [Outtake, <i>The River</i>, 1979]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Power pop that owes as much to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers as it does to the swamps of Jersey. The premise is simple enough—the singer wants to hear the bands play—but the intensity of his request is thrilling: “I want to BREAK MY CHAINS, somebody BREAK MY HEART, somebody SHAKE MY BRAINS.” For everyone who’s ever gone out for the evening hoping to experience music that might just change your entire life, this one’s for you.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>48. Point Blank [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">By the time Springsteen was writing songs for <i>The River</i>, he was an expert at looking under the façade of his characters, capturing the brooding tension broiling underneath. No song does this more successfully than “Point Black,” a Spanish-tinged song that starts the album’s second disc. For the first verse, he plays it straight, before half-speaking a tale of jaded hardships. By the final verse, the music & melody creep back in as the song build into its emotional climax, where the singer witnesses his lover dancing in the shadows, like another stranger. The result is more than a song, but a mood—& a deep one at that, which peels back its layers to reveal the implications of a love shot to the bone.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>47. Meet Me In The City [Outtake, <i>The River</i>, 1979]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">When Springsteen was gathering material for <i>The Ties That Bind</i>, his excellent set of outtakes from <i>The River</i>, “Meet Me In The City” was chosen as a lead single. With its cheesy keyboard riff, restless drive, & elusive lyrics, it at first sounds like Blondie, until the pre-chorus, when it becomes something wonderful: “If you’re sick, if you’re tired if you’re bored,” the singer shouts, “Then check the line, check the time, check the action, check the score.” Springsteen has long since stopped cramming his songs with lyrics, so hear this rush go by is exhilarating. It also conjures the sound of the city, the rapid-fire lyrics giving way to the open call of the refrain. For the singer of “Meet Me In The City,” he will do anything to get to the city to meet his lover, killing floors & keyboard hooks be damned.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>46. Out In The Street [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The title track of the Springsteen musical they will hopefully never make. But more than any other song, “Out In The Street” captures the sound of a crowd of people moving in synchronicity—in this case escaping the stress of work for relief of the street. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>45. Downbound Train [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of Springsteen’s great hard-luck songs about a man who works in the carwash where all it ever does is rain. The ghostly synthesizers rise from the song’s rainy mist, while Max Weinberg’s drums really sock it home, especially once he comes in after the extended, impressionist bridge. The result is the second song on <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i> to end on a railroad gang—here’s looking at you, “Workin’ On The Highway”—only this one ends with pathos, not comedy.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>44. The Ties That Bind [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The opening song to <i>The River</i> & the title track to the original 1-disc version of that album. Luckily, he redid the vocal as he revamped it for <i>The River</i>, making it sound more confident & less hesitant. The E Street Band are tighter than ever here & function like a natural extension of Springsteen himself, an instrument that he plays. The idea of ties binding us together is a very Springsteen-ian ideal, especially when it’s captured here with fast guitar changes & one of Clemmons’ effortless solos. It’s just a shame he couldn’t make room for “Loose Ends,” the desperate end (& answer record) to the tale begun by “The Ties That Bind.”</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>43. I Wanna Be With You [Outtake, <i>The River</i>, 1979]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps the best rocker left off of <i>The River</i>, “I Wanna Be With You” seems simple enough—the singer wants to be with the girl—but the specifics jump out at you on repeated listens. He loses his job for dreaming about the girl. He gets kicked out of his house for wanting to be seen with the girl (note he doesn’t want to kiss her or even hang out with her, the biggest he can dream is being seen with her). & in the final verse, he claims to come when she calls, he pleads his case to her on the street. But at no point is there any sign of interaction between the singer & the girl. Does she even exist? Or is this a study in obsession? Surely it wasn’t intended this way, but it adds an extra punch to a song not that the girl’s love is reconciled—it’s that the girl may not exist in the first place.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>42. Reason To Believe [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Two years before “Born In The U.S.A.,” this was the most misunderstood song in the Springsteen canon. Many saw it as a message of hope at the end of hopeless world of <i>Nebraska</i>, but Greil Marcus set them straight in his classic review of the album: The song begins with a man on the side of the road poking a dead dog with a stick. The song is an exercise in irony, not redemption.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>41. Lost In The Flood [<i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A solid-enough piano ballad that comes close to overreaching without quite getting there, until the entire band crashes in at the exact two-minute mark & it becomes something else entirely—a street epic with cops & guns & kids & blood that feels like an early draft for “Jungleland.” Plus, there’s a moment towards the end when Springsteen barks in a rasp that sounds uncannily like Delta Blues founder Charley Patton.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>40. I’m On Fire [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Boss at his sexiest, even without the music video playing (easily his best). He tried to write a song in the style of Johnny Cash, only to score a Top 10 hit & then have it reclaimed by folk & Americana singers 20 years later. They could hear the “boom-chicka-boom” sound that was only implied in Bruce’s brooding original.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>39. Because The Night [Outtake, <i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">An unfinished song that would have landed on just another scrapheap of Springsteen’s coulda-woulda-shouldas, engineer Jimmy Iovine brought the demo to Patti Smith, who finished the song, recorded it, & scored her biggest hit to date (#13). Smith’s will always be the definitive version, but as a song it’s hard to get wrong (just check out Natalie Merchant’s cover of it in the 10,000 Maniacs’ MTV Unplugged show). & as usual, in his version, Bruce can more than deliver the passion.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>38. Independence Day [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Independence Day, Part 2: Adulthood. As we have already seen, several key Springsteen songs draw on his rocky relationship with his father (“Adam Raised A Cane,” “My Father’s House”), but “Independence Day” is the best. It uses the biggest American holiday of them all as a framework to mirror the singer’s own need to go his own way. It serves as a reminder that even a harsh parent (like England) can still be a parent, & that the thrill of newfound independence can be undercut by the feeling of loss.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>37. 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) [<i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Independence Day, Part 1: Adolescence. A love letter to the Asbury Park beachfront fairground, filled with rich detail & all the long-lost nostalgia of Raymond Abrashkin’s 1953 film about Coney Island, Little Fugitive. From the fireworks to the pinball machines, the boardwalk, & the Tilt-a-Whirl, the song is a vivid snapshot of the scene, all focused on the singer turning to the title character to love him after he admits: “That waitress I’ve been seeing lost her desire for me.” The invocation of fate through the guise of Madam Marie’s fortune-telling stand. “The world has lost enough mystery as it is,” Springsteen said upon the real Madam Marie passed away in 2008 at the age of 93. “We need our fortunetellers.”</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>36. Highway Patrolman [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A parable about two brothers, & the blurred lines between right & wrong. It was adapted into a film in 1991, but that was superfluous—the song <i>is</i> the film.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>35. So Young & In Love [Outtake, <i>Born To Run</i>, 1974]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Recorded the same day as “Born To Run,” “So Young & In Love” is perhaps the best encapsulation of the joy that Springsteen brought to rock & roll. The song had a buildup worthy of Gary “U.S.” Bonds, plus a saxophone leading the charge. & those lyrics are earnest enough to make Jonathan Richman blush; in fact, it provides a set piece with the Modern Lovers’ “Dignified & Old.” Unfinished lyrics & a key line given to another song (“Rat traps filled with soul crusaders”) are the only things preventing it from what could have been a killer B-side.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>34. Spirit In The Night [<i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Outside of <i>Nebraska</i>, Bruce Springsteen is a tough sell to the hipsters. He’s just too big, too popular, too much of a standard-barer to be loved, while his contemporary peers like David Bowie & Lou Reed are the exact opposite. I fell in love with Springsteen’s words—there’s just so much going on in his early stuff that it threatens to topple over at any second. I had a good friend who never cared for Springsteen until I put “Spirit In The Night” on in her car & simply told her to just try & follow everything that was going on. By the time the singer & Crazy Jane were making love in the dirt, she was a convert for life.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>33. Thundercrack [Outtake, <i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Bruce Springsteen’s original epic closer, back when “Jungleland” was just a glimmer in his trademark wood-finished Fender Esquire’s tuning peg. On paper, it doesn’t sound like much—it begins as a sing-a-long round & two identical verses, with an extended instrumental section in between; oh, & it lasts eight & a half minutes. But such are the humble things from which legends are born. The entire thing focuses on a girl dancing to the music—she moves up, she moves back—like the soul sister of Angel stepping a shuffle in “The E Street Shuffle.” But the real focus is on the music she dances to—Springsteen plays some blistering lead guitar, perhaps the most extended & impressive up to this point in his career. His instrument wails, it collapses, it soars back up, it pitter-patters, it dives into silence, signaling Clarence Clemons to kick off the second verse (same as the first!). This is likely the fullest dynamic we get of Springsteen & early drummer Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez (who Springsteen called back into the studio in the ’90s to complete the track). Between Springsteen’s compass & Lopez’s motor, David Sancious’s piano, Danny Federici’s organ, & Gary Tallent’s wall-scaling bass runs fill in all the spaces in between & more. Springsteen had crafted it as a set closer that would throw everyone off, & he gets it. Now if someone could just explain to me how it was left off <i>The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle</i> while the complete mess of “New York City Serenade” was included.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>32. I’m Goin’ Down [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Like “Pink Cadillac” & a few others, “I’m Goin’ Down” is the record of a sound—clustered like Phil Spector’s tidal wave mono but drenched Sam Phillips’ Sun Records reverb, for a song that is impossible not to sing along (& dance along) to. Released as the second-to-last single from Born In The U.S.A., it kept up the album’s Top 10 streak at #9, which is not bad for a little record that no one ever talks about (or dances to) any more.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>31. Wreck On The Highway [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">With a title stolen from Roy Acuff’s 1943 country hit & a melody lifted from a thousand folk songs before & after, “Wreck On The Highway” is a reckoning of what happens when Springsteen’s ideal of freedom—the open highway—becomes the place that forces you to pay the ultimate price. In Acuff’s song, the singer’s worried about nobody praying, but Springsteen takes it on as a personal cross to bear. The song ends with him lying awake in bed thinking about the wreck, before the mood is extended by a mournful instrumental coda.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>30. Stolen Car [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I always loved the “Stolen Car” from the one-disc original album that became <i>The River</i>, before it was replaced by this more austere version. The outtake shows the song’s roots as a country ballad, before it took on its strained, spooky quality, in which the synthesizers threaten to deplete the song’s soul. It ends the album’s third side like a phantom, leading it into the silent darkness between the mournful “Fade Away” & the rocking “Ramrod,” which gets the album back on the road in a new (presumably unstolen) car.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>29. The Price You Pay [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen’s great lost anthem. This song should be up there with “Darkness On The Edge Of Town,” “The River,” & “Born In The U.S.A.” for its encapsulation of the post-<i>Born To Run</i> jadedness creeping into his songwriting. Many his songs mention having a price to pay, so it was only a matter of time before he wrote this song. Here he shows off his rare ability to stand strong & stately in sober verses, just to get to a singalong chorus everyone can understand. & if the refrain can’t quite redeem the verse, maybe that was the point all along.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>28. Seaside Bar Song [Outtake, <i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The greatest song ever written about a Bo Diddley concert comes down to one great leadup to an even greater exclamation: You lay back, cut loose your drive power, your girl leans over & says…</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>DADDY CAN YOU TURN THAT RADIO UP ANY LOUDER?!</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>27. Sherry Darling [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From The Premiers’ “Farmer John” to The Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann” & The Bar-Kays’ “Soul Finger,” I have always been a sucker for live-in-the-studio songs. “Sherry Darling” may be the best of them all, for the way the crowd rises & falls like the live audience of a well-written sitcom. This may be because, with the release of his first double album (& first album to have more than 10 songs), Springsteen seemed to feel more at ease to include light comedy into the mix. The result is an exhalating study of a man who has to fit his mother-in-law’s big feet in the back of his car on Monday mornings. The scene is worthy of a Normal Rockwell painting.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>26. Nebraska [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Anyone who knew Springsteen from hungry, romantic rocking songs like “Born To Run,” “Prove It All Night,” & “Hungry Heart” were in for a shock when the needle first touched down on his 1982 release, Nebraska. Wasting no time, it starts with the title track, telling a version of Charlie Starkweather’s murder run from the 1950s, as based on Terrance Mallick’s weird & compelling fictionalized film of the events, Badlands (which predated Springsteen’s song of the same name by five years). He sings it first person, from Starkweather’s point of view, with evocative imagery (“Midnight in a prison storeroom with leather straps across my chest”), until he reaches a conclusion that has echoed through Springsteen’s work from then on: “Well sir, I guess there’s just a meanness in this world.”</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>25. Jungleland [<i>Born To Run</i>, 1975]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen’s greatest epic. My only issue with it is this: If Born To Run is an album, as Bruce himself described, as the events over one long summer night, why is the city’s hokey team—the Rangers—having a homecoming in Harlem?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>24. Darkness On The Edge Of Town [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A fitting dark closer to a dark album, this song uses harsh dynamics to link its brooding verses to its unleashed refrains. The latter is what allows Bruce to sound his most rocking (or out of control), which is at once exciting & also an interesting tip of the hat to punk rock. The song fixates on a broken community, where everyone has a secret they can’t face, until they cut it loose or let it destroy them. The song ends with him on a hill, standing on the line between dreams won & lost, ready to pay the cost. In other words, all ready to dive down into his next work, The River.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>23. Pink Cadillac [B-Side, “Dancing In The Dark,” 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I listened to this song my whole life, but never really heard it until I put on the 45 B-side of “Dancing In The Dark” after someone gave me the record. The fact I was listening to it on an orange-&-beige Fisher-Price record player that was at least as old as the record itself only made it better. It hit you in the face in a mad, echoed, half-garbled rockabilly rave-up, which was at once was driving, sexy, stupid, & liberating. I’ve heard the song remastered, but the fuzz of the original issue still trumps it all—even if I might’ve missed the line about how the singer knows that Adam was really tempted by Eve’s pink Cadillac.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>22. Growin’ Up [<i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A portrait of the artist as a young man. From New Jersey.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>21. Prove It All Night [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the great mysteries of Springsteenism: How did “Prove It All Night,” the lead single from Darkness On The Edge Of Town, stall at #33 on the Billboard charts? Along with its other shoulda-been-a-hit “Badlands” (#42), this was a song that was finding Springsteen channeling his soon-to-be-classic sound with intelligent lyrics that resonated deeper than nearly everything else on the radio. & even though it’s a triumph from top to bottom, for me, it’s the offhanded, second “I kissed her” at the end of the first verse that makes the song.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>20. Dancing In The Dark [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen’s only #1…on <i>CashBox</i>. & <i>Record World</i>. Just not <i>Billboard</i>. That’s where it was his biggest hit to date—at #2. (Fun fact: The Boss’s only Billboard #1 song is Manfred Mann’s Earth Band cloying cover of “Blinded By The Light.”) But in “Dancing In The Dark,” Springsteen is finally able to channel his restlessness into a net positive, the brooding verses breaking the tension at just the right spots to light the fire he sings about. & when you see him perform this live, you get to be the one dancing in the dark, & the song comes full-circle.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>19. Johnny 99 [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A monster of a rockabilly song, jampacked with detail—just check out the killer bridge: The fistfight breaking out in the courtroom, Johnny’s girlfriend getting dragged away, Johnny’s mother begging the judge to not to take her son. & through it all, it is Johnny who turns from mad villain to ethical hero, asking to be put on the executioner’s line.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>18. Glory Days [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">At their heart, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were always like the best local bar band in the world. Here, in the wistful nostalgia of the song & the production values of the music video, they finally become it. Boring stories not included.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>17. Be True [B-side, “Fade Away,” 1981]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ll just say it. The proof of “Fade Away” being a rotten choice for a single is that its B-side, “Be True,” jumped to #42 on the charts. (This means that “Be True” was as big of a Billboard hit as “Badlands.”) Not only was “Be True” the better song on the single, it was better than the vast majority of songs on The River; even Springsteen has been quoted that he regrets including “Crush On You” over “Be True.” The song is one of Springsteen’s finest power-pop moments, marking one of the most forgotten songs to employ the full “Born To Run” treatment of full E Street Band, plus glockenspiel. Lyrically, it uses the movie-as-romance metaphor to carry the song through the singer’s plea to a girl who gathers pictures of all her leading men. The singer, of course, is the one who will be true—which perhaps is another way of saying he has the faith to make it real.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>16. Racing In The Street [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen turns an anti-racism anthem into a, well, pro-racing anthem. Martha & The Vandellas’ “Dancing In The Street” has been covered countless times by everyone from the Mamas & The Papas to Van Halen to David Bowie & Mick Jagger (all with versions that hit the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 75), but never before like this. Springsteen turns the ’60s siren of optimism & recasts it as a ’70s foghorn of dread until it becomes an inverted shell of itself. At its heart, it’s a classic Springsteen song—dudes racing cars & the getting the girl—only it stretches out the canvas to reveal the disappointing long-term effects of such a lifestyle. Mirroring the lyric, the song features a coda with Roy Bittan’s piano coming out once again as the MVP.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>15. Blinded By The Light [<i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen was handing in his first album when the record company said, to quote the great Tom Petty, “I don’t hear a single.” Luckily for Bruce, the future was wide open. He got a rhyming dictionary & spouted out the wordiest song with more internal rhymes than you can shake a “brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone” at. He just keeps going, piling the energy on with each word, each line, each verse, & just when you think it just has to end, you take a right at the light & go straight on through night—& then still have another verse ahead. In his Rolling Stone review of the album, Lester Bangs reckoned that this album had more words on it than any album that year—this song makes you wonder if the same holds true for every year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>14. Atlantic City [<i>Nebraska</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">With the most memorable opening lyric of the decade—“Well they, blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night” (which actually happened with mobster Phil Testa was killed by a rival with a nail bomb)—Springsteen weaves the best & most popular song off of the stark <i>Nebraska</i> (& as some like to tell it, his finest music video). Featuring one of several reoccurring lines throughout the album (“debts that no honest man can play”), it’s a film noir study of people brought to extremes through bad luck & bad choices until only desperation remains.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>13. Hungry Heart [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen finds his pop voice—& scores his first Top 5 US hit. This is the full-band Springsteen classic sound shaped into pure pop/rock music, complex enough that everyone finds something to do without feeling superfluous, yet simple enough to have been originally written for The Ramones.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>12. Backstreets [<i>Born To Run</i>, 1975]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A tale of friendship that feels like the prequel to “The Promise.” “Backstreets” contains some of Springsteen’s most impassioned singing (bringing himself to the edge of screaming), sounding like a wounded animal lit on fire. With its tight lyrics—“Catching rides to the outskirts, tying fait between our teeth/Sleeping in that old abandoned beach house, getting wasted in the heat”—& the way the music rises & falls make it as relentless as the song’s story. & with Roy Bittan’s phenomenal piano work, it further proves that that <i>Born The Run</i> isn’t a guitar album—it’s a piano album <i>disguised</i> as a guitar album.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>11. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) [<i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen & The E Street Band’s first epic rocker. Springsteen takes the most cliché story in rock & roll music—I wanna date her but her folks say no—& stretch it out into the size of a novel with as many characters to match. We may not learn much about Sloppy Sue & Big Bones Billy, but they’re part of it, setting the scene like the characters in Bobby Darin’s “Splish Splash.” Meanwhile, the music careens from driving rock to light funk to even a childlike playground taunt & a football team huddle, all without ever taking its eye off the ball. The highlight is the bridge where Rosalita is locked in her room & the singer comes to save her like a superhero. While her parents have dismissed him as a loser, he declares: “WELL THE REDCORD COMPANY, ROSIE, JUST GAVE ME A BIG ADVANCE!” Ironically, it was the lackluster sales of this album that led Springsteen to nearly be dropped from his record company, until another epic song brought him roaring back. But that’s a whole other story.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>10. The River [<i>The River</i>, 1980]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen’s finest ballad. It’s the tale of two young lovers forced to grow up fast in a harsh world. The river is the central image of the song—always changing, always staying the same—as it becomes the place where they first fall in love & then as the place they can go for rejuvenation. The details make the song—the union card, the wedding coat—& Springsteen leads the band confidently around the song’s twisting moods. The story itself is the story of Springsteen’s sister taken almost verbatim, shocking her & her husband when they heard it. But, after over a half-century, that couple remains together—perhaps in part because of the river. All that, plus it’s a pop song so good that Greil Marcus recalls Springsteen debuting it during the “No Nukes” concert & how the audience were able to sing along by the second chorus. If that’s not a sign of masterful pop songwriting, I’ll never know it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>9. This Hard Land [Outtake, <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1982]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The great lost Springsteen classic. When making <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, Springsteen found himself with an abundance of riches, leading him to poll his friends on which songs should be included. Across his various friends & bandmates, there were four songs that were unanimous: “Born In The U.S.A.,” “Glory Days,” “Downbound Train,” & “This Hard Land.” Somehow, someway, “This Hard Land” got lost along the way. This is too bad since it holds its own with “Born In The U.S.A.” & all of the other tracks on this album. In fact, it holds its own with Springsteen’s entire catalog. While some prefer the 1995 version released on the <i>Greatest Hits</i> CD, the original version from the <i>Born In The U.S.A.</i> sessions that was released on Tracks is far superior. In the former, Springsteen sounds a bit more jaded, going through the motions of a song that he was happy to revisit, but seemed somewhat arbitrary, a song he meant to put down somewhere, anywhere, & this was a chance. The original version is more organic, twisting the words & discovering what they mean as he sings them. & the band is right there with him, taking their enormous, rollicking sound with them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>8. The Promise [Outtake, <i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen’s greatest song not originally issued as an album track or B-side. “The Promise” is the missing link that ties together Springsteen’s early years & middle years. The song takes the secret broken promise at the heart of <i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i> to the point where Springsteen refused to finish it because he said he didn’t like to write songs about lawsuits. He was referring to his own elongated legal battle with his first manager, but “The Promise” steers clear of any direct accusations. Instead, it namechecks characters from his earlier songs—Johnny (from “Incident On 57th Street”), Terry (from “Backstreets”), Billy (from “Seaside Bar Song” or “Spirit In The Night”—take your pick), & holds them up against himself. Over the course of the song, the singer touches upon nearly all of the main themes of Springsteen’s music—he drives at night, he watches movies, he builds his own racecar, he follows a dream, he pays the cost, he carries the broken spirits of everyone else who couldn’t make it; he ventures back down Thunder Road, only this time, the mythical road of promise has become a spiritual dead-end. It’s as though the characters from “Backstreets” try their hand at “Racing In The Street,” have a falling out of sorts, & throw it all away. Meanwhile, the music is exquisite, finally capturing that great white whale of Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound, but doing so in increments so that the song simply expands as you keep listening like an irreversible phantom, different instruments coming out of the fog at different times—a third guitar, a fourth guitar, a glockenspiel, some organ, a bunch of strings—in a way that feels organic & all-encompassing. But it’s the melody that makes it, sometimes unassuming, sometimes haunting, it has the simple grace of John Fogerty & the primal chord structure of Bob Dylan. Finally, with its innocence being cashed in for something more stoic, it points the way to songs like “The River,” “The Price You Pay,” & “Wreck On The Highway”—not to mention the entire Nebraska album that lay further down the (thunder) road.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>7. Promised Land [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen’s coming-of-age song. Masked in a title taken from a Chuck Berry song, the singer turns the page from youth to manhood, anchored in a belief in his country. Appropriately, the song contains a central lyric that draws the line between youth & manhood: “I do my best to live the right way/I get up in the morning & go to work each day.” This is the standard against all protagonists are judged in Springsteen’s work, which is to say in the Promised Land. Like the best songs on the Darkness album, there’s happiness, determination, & even a bit of patriotism, but it’s obscured by the dark haze of a thousand dust storms. The music keeps things defiant even when the lyrics get bogged down with cynicism. The extended music break of Springsteen’s guitar solo making way for Clemmons’ saxophone solo, which itself makes way for Springsteen returning to the harmonica riff at the start of the song is an absolute triumph. It’s among the most powerful of Springsteen’s instrumental sections, which in turn leaves the singer, appropriately, driving headfirst into the dark cloud of a storm.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>6. Incident On 57th Street [<i>The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Springsteen’s greatest romantic epic, weaving the courtship of Spanish Johnny & Puerto Rican Jane. Despite its length & seeming complexity, most of the song is a single three-chord progression, although the window-dressing it receives from David Sancious’s piano brings it to the next level—it is easily his finest performance in a short stint in E Street Band that was filled with them (with a strong assist from Danny Federici on organ & second piano). The song’s streetwise, Bernstein-esque love story builds upon the themes of “Linda, Let Me Be The One” as well as sets the course for great (if overblown) “Jungleland,” which Springsteen saw as the continuation of “Incident On 57th Street.” The latter song works so much better because it is so focused, instead of trying to be everything all the time, it sticks to its own tempo & malt-shop chords & lets the music & the lyrics tell the story themselves. Thanks to the driving but impressionistic drumming of Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez, the breakdown verse sounds just as exciting as all of the other instruments even though Lopez sounds like he was playing a bunch of bottles on the side of the street. “Born To Run” might be better & “Jungleland” might be bigger, but “Incident On 57th Street” marks the arrival of Springsteen as a visionary of the rock & roll saga.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>5. It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City [<i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.</i>, 1973]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If “New York City Serenade” hinted at what New York City could mean, “It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City” was a portrait in miniature. The finest song off of Springsteen’s debut album, it has swagger & coolness, as rhythms of traffic jams make way for the heartbeat of the sidewalk. All of this is propelled by Springsteen’s restless strumming held in place by Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez’s restless drumwork, which allows for David Sancious’s perfect jazz piano the sounds of people running all around the streets, car horns honking, & the pitter-patter of the subway train. & so, the singer witnesses the pretty girls, the homeless beggars, the gritty guy talk; he sees the devil appear like Jesus through the steam on the street. The claustrophobic bridge of the song traps the singer in the circle level of Manhattan where the simple act of fighting your way to the door can feel like a complete exodus, in which the light back on the street like a new day dawning. If you still need proof of this song’s greatness, consider this: “It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City” is the first song Springsteen sang to Columbia A&R/producer/legend John Hammond, Sr. (among his discoveries were Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Bob Dylan, & Aretha Franklin), at his half-hour audition. Directly after the one song, Hammond signed him on the spot.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>4. Born In The U.S.A. [<i>Born In The U.S.A.</i>, 1984]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The greatest misunderstood anthem of American rock & roll. “Born In The U.S.A.” had its humble beginnings on the tape of demos that would become <i>Nebraska</i>, but was so unremarkable it was never even considered for release on that album. Guiding his band through essentially one take of it in the studio (he told drummer Max Weinberg to just keep it going at the end), the song snapped together as a fist-pumping rocker that obscured its origins as an anti-Vietnam ballad. Anyone listening to the words could catch it, but most were just waiting to rock out on the refrain. Hence, everyone from President Ronald Reagan on down hailed it as the second coming of “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” This infuriated Springsteen, but it’s been noted that, once you have a stadium of people flying flags & singing “I WAS BORN IN THE U.S.A.” with full heart, it simply becomes a patriotic song. This is a rare time in rock where a song transcends itself & becomes something different than had been previously intended, which puts it among the ranks of John Lennon’s “Imagine” & Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” No matter how you hear it, this is perhaps the most rocking song Springsteen had ever recorded up to this point & perhaps the best single track of the E Street Band in their perfect form—in one room, together, listening to each other as they chart their way through a song that they can only complete as a small but strong collective community.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>3. Badlands [<i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i>, 1978]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The moment when Springsteen’s innocence fails him. Between the star-making <i>Born To Run</i> album of 1975 & its late-arrival follow-up <i>Darkness On The Edge Of Town</i> in 1978, Springsteen saw a promising breakthrough hit the skids when he got into a nasty extended lawsuit with his original manager. “Badlands” is the first song from the album that Springsteen made after emerging from his darkness. It begins with an almost stately, heralding riff, before he sings the opening words that will frame the whole album: “Light’s out tonight.” But for all the collisions & crossfires, Springsteen doesn’t see his American dream whither away exactly—it’s still there, just more complicated. “Talk about a dream, try to make it real” he sings over Max Weinberg’s pounding drums, “You wake up in the night with a fear so real.” While these lyrics are probably the most famous lines from the song (& literally becoming the title of a book of Springsteen interviews), the more telling lyric comes a few lines later in the refrain, when he announces that the broken hearts stand “as the price you’ve gotta pay.” Along with the album’s lead single, “Prove It All Night,” Springsteen started to sing of a world where nothing is given for free—you must pay the price for everything & proof is the closest thing you have to security. These themes would continue in later songs like “The Price You Pay” & “Living Proof,” among others, but here it speaks to a place where, even if you’re in the Badlands, you gotta live it everyday.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2. Thunder Road [<i>Born To Run</i>, 1975]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alongside “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Like A Rolling Stone,” “Respect,” “Gimme Shelter,” & “What’s Going On,” “Thunder Road” is one of the great album kickoffs in history. Beginning with Springsteen’s harmonica over Roy Bittan’s ringing piano, it begins almost as a country tune, before morphing into a mid-tempo Roy Orbison-style rocker, then shifting again into rock music cruising down the highway, before ending with an orchestral bid for greatness that was beaten only by Derek & The Dominoes’ “Layla.” Springsteen often played the song as the harmonica-&-piano ballad that it begins as, which gives an interesting perspective to the song, but it is always best heard in the classic full band studio performance. Springsteen’s overlayed guitar playing sounds magnificent, new hire Max Weinberg’s drums fits right in with veteran Gary Tallent’s bass to provide a flawless rhythm section, with Bittan’s rolling piano & Danny Feredici’s keyboards & glockenspiel powering the song from without & within, with Clarence Clemons’ saxophone jumping in to help propel the final sendoff tag. Oh, & I forgot to mention that the song contains the greatest couplet in rock & roll: “There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away/They haunt this dusty beach road in skeleton frames of burnt-out Chevrolets.” In other words, Bruce strikes his perfect balance between his early, wordier songs & his tighter anthems to come.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>1. Born To Run [<i>Born To Run</i>, 1975]</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">When you’re making a list of the greatest Bruce Springsteen songs, there can only be one number one. “Born To Run” is not only one of the great rock songs of all-time, containing a rocking, Spector-influenced sound & lyrics about breaking free, but it marks a rare time that an icon’s own story is told through their greatest song. When Springsteen began making his third album in 1974, he had nothing to show for himself but two underperforming albums & a few spots around the country where he could draw a show for his epic concerts. At the threat of being dropped by his label, Springsteen knew it was do-or-die time. He buried himself in the studio for six months working on this song, allowing pianist David Sancious to go out on top & drummer Ernest Carter to play on the only studio song that would make it to a Springsteen album, crowning with a drum fill so complicated that his beloved replacement, Max Weinberg, stopped attempting to imitate it after years of trying. Danny Feredici is credited with playing the shimmering glockenspiel notes that soon became a hallmark of Springsteen’s enormous sound. & Gary Tallent continued his role as the E Street Band’s survivor & the most underrated bassist of his time. All of this was to power a song that was so impressive, when the studio powers-that-be heard it after six months of recording, gave their blessing for Springsteen to go back in the studio to keep working. In this way, “Born To Run” was Springsteen’s ticket of a town full of losers & into rock immortality.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-68499214294907411082020-05-09T21:39:00.000-04:002020-05-10T19:10:19.299-04:00Last Thoughts On Little Richard, 1932-2020.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_3q-yHijxPy1d-A8EiLOpd1OWMSCuzqvEvQse5JkDRUA1zYycmHKtKnXMRd8MmuFBlb8ZT1IpkR-gOjNAR3KQ9He8CQcnXCBTlb-r_sOYpFCgYMRtqXOz0QhpzYo4gogm631v3p-tx7X/s1600/LittleRichard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="840" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_3q-yHijxPy1d-A8EiLOpd1OWMSCuzqvEvQse5JkDRUA1zYycmHKtKnXMRd8MmuFBlb8ZT1IpkR-gOjNAR3KQ9He8CQcnXCBTlb-r_sOYpFCgYMRtqXOz0QhpzYo4gogm631v3p-tx7X/s320/LittleRichard.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Little Richard is dead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Long live Little Richard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Until he died earlier today, Little Richard was arguably the most influential living rock & roll artist. He counted Elvis Presley, James Brown, Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, The Beatles, & Otis Redding not only as contemporaries, but as disciples.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He was the self-proclaimed Architect Of Rock & Roll, & was making the music before virtually every other rock & roll pioneer, with the exception of the late Fats Domino. Perhaps no one captured the implications of Little Richard better than Lillian Roxon in her landmark <i>Rock Encyclopedia</i> in 1969:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His pompadour was high & his hip action wicked when Elvis was still a pimply kid mowing lawns in Memphis. He was the model for 99 percent of the screaming, jet-propelled pelvic freakouts of the post-Elvis early rock era, down to the shiny suits, lurid showmanship & acrobatic piano-playing...Once you have seen Little Richard it is very difficult to take any other rocker seriously. He did it all first.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He also did it among the very best.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For just over 2 years--September 13, 1955 to October 18, 1957--Little Richard recorded a catalog of songs for Specialty Records that rival Elvis's pre-Army sessions, The Beatles' psychedelic era, & Bob Dylan's initial electric albums as some of the most consistently excellent rock & roll ever recorded. Virtually every song was a hit, classic, or standard (or at least should have been). "Tutti-frutti." "Long Tall Sally." "Slippin' & Slidin'." "Rip It Up." "Ready Teddy." "The Girl Can't Help It." "Lucille." "Send Me Some Lovin'." "Jenny, Jenny." "Miss Ann." "Keep A-Knockin." "Good Golly, Miss Molly." & those are just the songs that made the pop charts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is remarkable for anyone, let alone a very wild & flamboyant gay African-American man from the Deep South in the mid-1950s. The fact that "Tutti-Frutti" was originally a celebration of anal sex ("Tutti-frutti, good booty!" went the original lyric), was lost on the many who covered it, including Pat Boone, whose tepid white-bread version of the song scored the bigger hit among pop (read: white) audiences. At the time, this incensed Little Richard to no end, but he came around in later years. He once explained how, for many white kids, while it was Pat Boone's version of "Tutti Frutti" that lay on the teenager's nightstand, it was his version that was secretly tucked away in the drawer underneath. That got him in the room, he acknowledged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With his hits covered by every white rocker worth their weight in sweat--Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Bill Haley, Eddie Cochran, & Gene Vincent--& a hereto-unknown generation cutting their teeth on his music on the other side of the Atlantic--The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, & The Kinks--Little Richard was a legend even if he stopped making music right then & there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Which he sort of did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Suspended several miles above the ground in an airplane that nearly went down, Little Richard promised God that he would turn to the Church if the plane could land safely. Little Richard kept his promise, which, along with the fact that Elvis was in the Army, Chuck Berry was in jail, Jerry Lee Lewis was disgraced in scandal, & Buddy Holly was dead, helped bring the first great rock & roll era to a crashing close as quickly as it had appeared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But of course, Little Richard's soul was too conflicted to stay in one place too long. For much of the rest of his career, he remained torn between the rock of blues & the rock of the Church, all the while serving as a reminder--along with such peers as Ray Charles & Aretha Franklin--that African-American gospel music is largely the same thing as rock & roll, only played on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, he recorded gospel records, he tried his hand at new rock recordings, & re-recorded inferior versions of his Specialty hits time & time again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the die was cast & Little Richard was the rare legend who touched so many other legends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paul McCartney learned how to sing by copying him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bob Dylan wrote in his high school yearbook that his ambition was join Little Richard's band.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jimi Hendrix actually did join Little Richard's backing band & it was his big break into the music industry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Kinks' first single was a cover of "Long Tall Sally."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Otis Redding began his career directly lifting his style.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Band liked to do "Slippin' & Slidin'" as a searing encore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rock's first great history, Nik Cohn's <i>Rock--From The Beginning</i>, was retitled <i>Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock & Roll</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rock's first great cultural study, Greil Marcus's <i>Mystery Train</i>, opened with Little Richard exploding in mad fury on a late-night talk show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& Little Richard became something of a latter-day pop culture icon, appearing in those Nike commercials with Spike Lee & Bo Jackson, rapping on Living Colour's "Elvis Is Dead," & singing "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" on <i>Full House</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He's done the awards laps. His landmark 1957 debut album, <i>Here's Little Richard</i>, is the first (& so far ONLY) '50s rock album inducted in the Grammy Hall Of Fame & he won an honorary Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1997, he received the American Music Award of Merit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1994, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1990, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& in 1986, he was one of the first ten musical inductees into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, & Elvis Presley. There has literally never been a better class ever inducted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& now, after the passing of Chuck Berry & Fats Domino in 2017, Little Richard was one of the last remaining members of that first class. Now all that's left is Don Everly of The Every Brothers, & Jerry Lee Lewis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Which means that Jerry Lee Lewis is one man closer to being The Last Man Standing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"It is with a heavy heart that I ask for prayers for the family of my lifelong friend & fellow Rocker 'Little Richard,'" The Killer told <i>Rolling Stone</i> today. "He will live on always in my heart with his amazing talent & his friendship! He was one of a kind & I will miss him dearly."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Other accolades are already pouring in about Little Richard that are as magnificent as the man himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bob Dylan: "His was the original spirit that moved me to do everything that I would do."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mick Jagger: "He was the biggest inspiration of my early teens & his music still has the same raw electric energy when you play it now as it did when it first shot through the music scene in the mid 50's.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brian Wilson: "He was there at the beginning & showed us all how to rock & roll."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are many more & there will be many more echoing this sentiment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But for me, Little Richard comes down to one distinctive sound that is now so ripped off, it's amazing to think it was ever someone's signature vocal lick. Because no one could hit a thrilling "ooooo" like Little Richard. Straight from the Church, he drove it into the rock & rhythm & blues, a falsetto wail of a cry that captured the crazy guts & glory of rock & roll like few other sounds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Little Richard sang "ooooo," it lit a flame in the ear of his millions of fans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& that flame will never go out.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-33832501880789191672018-01-13T20:54:00.001-05:002018-01-13T21:09:23.258-05:00Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison At 50.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzrTcmIL16wBVkruqZjuKbY1Q2mciCwRmPURF8OymQ4xcDw0pA4B5V077V0Pw5Rx_482LdovVWVj26HnWp6QaUv6s3CKcwmeYnGkB6pTz1XJFE3fwmz9xtPaZVRBShxiIZ_8EzQcmwCkF/s1600/Cash_AtFolsomPrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzrTcmIL16wBVkruqZjuKbY1Q2mciCwRmPURF8OymQ4xcDw0pA4B5V077V0Pw5Rx_482LdovVWVj26HnWp6QaUv6s3CKcwmeYnGkB6pTz1XJFE3fwmz9xtPaZVRBShxiIZ_8EzQcmwCkF/s320/Cash_AtFolsomPrison.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fifty years ago today, Johnny Cash recorded the concerts that would provide the basis for one of the most celebrated albums in American music, <i>At Folsom Prison</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The idea of the concert itself proves nearly irresistible--The Man In Black staring down a prison full of prisoners as his audience--no wonder it provided the focal point of the well-intended but overrated (& historically shoddy, it must be said) <i>I Walk The Line</i> film in the early '00s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many have noted that his setlist wasn't one of his traditional hits, but rather a few hits surrounded by B-sides & album cuts, love ballads & murder ballads, work songs & folk songs, spirituals & novelties. This wasn't so much a tour of Johnny Cash's country music as it was a tour of Johnny Cash's <i>country's </i>music. For everything that America may or may not have been to its citizens in the revolutionary days of 1968, Johnny Cash's <i>At Folsom Prison</i> played like the eye of the storm, a study of America held up & stripped down to its core.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">America, it loves to tell itself, is The Land Of The Free. This is not lost on anybody, least of all Johnny Cash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The culture of a thousand years is shattered with the clanging of the cell door behind you," he writes on the back of the LP. "Life outside, behind you immediately becomes unreal. You begin to not care that it exists. All you have with you in the cell is your bare animal instincts."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cash notes later in the essay that he speaks from experience, having been behind bars a few times in his own life. But certainly he never experienced anything like the convicts of Folsom Prison.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aside from Henry David Thoreau, America is not one to celebrate its prisons; as the land of the free, it stands to reason, these are the people who have failed America, or, perhaps, America has failed. Either way, it plays like a camera obscura of what's supposed to be The Land Of Opportunity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what does Johnny Cash have to say to these people? He doesn't pander, he doesn't preach, he doesn't patronize. He seems to have an uncanny ability to place himself in their shoes & provide the range of material they hunger for. He knows that this is not just entertainment, but a piece of home--of America--that he alone can provide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He's also a master showman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He throws them a few murder ballads, the first of which, "Folsom Prison Blues" both opens the concert & provides its peak--just listen to the roar that is evoked by the line "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die." Although "Folsom Prison Blues" is perhaps Cash's most famous song now, it was originally recorded at Sun Records in 1955 & released as a B-side to his first Top 10 country hit, "So Doggone Lonesome."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the time he recorded this version of the song some 13 years later, he was on Columbia Records, who released this live version from <i>At Folsom Prison</i> as a single, where it gave him his first #1 country hit in four years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But "Folsom Prison Blues" wasn't the only murder ballad in the set--there was also the rousing "Cocaine Blues" which gave the inmates another classic line at which to roar ("I took a shot of cocaine & I shot my woman down"). In between was Merle Travis's classic coal mining lament, "Dark As A Dungeon," & the prettiest song of the set, "I Still Miss Someone," which <i>sounds</i> like it was a major hit but was actually only released as the B-side to "Don't Take Your Guns To Town" in 1959.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He then goes into the first novelty song of the set--the crazy countdown of "25 Minutes To Go," a literal dose of gallows humor penned by songwriter & children's poet Shel Silverstein (who would later write one of Cash's biggest hits, "A Boy Named Sue," which itself spawned one of the greatest novelty song titles in history, "A Girl Named Johnny Cash," but I digress).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Already in five songs, we have gone from murder ballads to work songs to love songs, back to murder ballads & then a comedy song. Next stop? One of Cash's favorite thematic genres: The train song. Cash goes into "Orange Blossom Special," originally written by Ervin T. Rouse in 1938 & most famous from Cash's #3 hit version in 1965. For all of the train songs he recorded--& by this point, he had literally recorded two albums worth--he went for the one that was the biggest hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first side ends with "The Long Black Veil," which was written in the 1950s to sound like an ancient folk song. Most people just assumed it was & gave Lefty Frizzell one of the biggest hits of his career in 1959. The same year that Cash sang it at Folsom, The Band introduced it to the rock world on their debut <i>Music From Big Pink.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The Long Black Veil" is about a man who is accused of murder & is hanged for it because his alibi would reveal an affair with his best friend's wife. It is she who visits his grave in a long black veil. As a murder ballad-turned-love song, "The Long Black Veil" may come midway through the album, but the defines its conceptual limits. It conjures a small-town America that could come straight out of Hawthorne's pen, but paints a picture in which love is a death sentence. Cash appropriately has sent the band away & sings it solo, just his voice & acoustic guitar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The second side opens with the next song his solo set, "Send A Picture Of Mother," which was written by Cash himself. If "The Long Black Veil" was a modern country song disguised as a folk ballad, "Send A Picture Of Mother" was a new song masquerading as nineteenth-century parlor music. It was a saccharine ode to a man's mother, & did not sound too far off from those old post-Civil War songs that were later bastardized into Carter Family folk standards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next up was Harlan Howard's "The Wall," about a prisoner who tries to make a breakout that the singer reckons was actually an act of suicide. Cash had previously recorded it in 1965 as part of his <i>Orange Blossom Special</i> LP.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then, as to not dwell too long in the darkness, Cash throws in two novelties by Sun Records jack-of-all-trades "Cowboy" Jack Clement: "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog" & "Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart." They are perhaps the weakest part of the whole set, but at least they gave the prisoners a much-needed hearty laugh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cash then calls back out his band, accompanied by his future wife (& current mistress) June Carter, who, as the second generation of The Carter Family, was country music royalty. They duet on "Jackson," their #2 country hit from the previous year that blows away the studio version with a performance that is at once fiery, flirty, & hilarious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The two then duet on "Give My Love To Rose," another B-side, this time for Cash's old Sun Records single "Home Of The Blues" in 1957. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then it's off to the old Lead Belly standard "On A Monday" (here recast as "I Got Stripes"), an old prison work song that was surprisingly one of the few hits on the album, as Cash hit #4 with it in 1959; here, the ringing chorus of singers & the band bring it to an odd place somewhere between a folk song & a musical number.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Following that is "Green, Green Grass Of Home," a three-year-old Porter Wagoner hit (that was in turn covered by Jerry Lee Lewis in his wilderness years, who himself was in turn covered by Tom Jones who scored a pop hit out of it), sung steadily, if not all together memorably.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The finale is a song written by a convict at Folsom Prison, "Greystone Chapel," & Cash gives it a serious & reverent reading. Glen Sherley, the author of the song, was in the front row for the concert, unaware that Johnny Cash was going to play--let alone close with--his song. The moment inspired him to write more songs, but despite help from Cash, he could never adjust to life outside of prison & committed suicide at the age of 42 in 1978.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a way, Sherley's untimely passing frames the entire album.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Death is everywhere on the LP. By my count, there are at least three murders (the man in Reno in "Folsom Prison Blues," the woman in "Cocaine Blues," & the "someone" killed in "Long Black Veil") & two executions (the singer of "25 Minutes To Go" & the singer of "Long Black Veil), plus a third who's about to be executed (the singer of "Green Green Grass Of Home"). At least one person is in the midst of dying (the man on the roadside in "Give My Love To Rose"), while another is killed in an apparent suicide ("The Wall"), & yet another pictures their eminent death from their work in the coal mines ("Dark As The Dungeon"). One entire song, "Long Black Veil," is sung by a corpse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even the throwaway novelty of "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog" ends with the singer dreaming of killing his dog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are several prison sentences given ("Cocaine Blues," "I Got Stripes"), lots of pining for loved ones ("I Still Miss Someone") & family ("Send A Picture Of Mother," "Green, Green Grass Of Home"), & trains that are real ("Orange Blossom Special"), imagined ("Green, Green Grass Of Home"), & trains that somewhere in between, torturing the mind with madness ("Folsom Prison Blues").</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& with "Greystone Chapel" as the finale, there's a touch of hope, of spirituality, of redemption.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All put together, <i>At Folsom Prison</i> has enough episodes, adventures, tragedies, & laughs to fill a hundred dimestore western pulps. Each one is rendered all the more real & alive with Cash's unwavering baritone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a line between the performer & the audience in any concert, but this one is all the more unique because that dividing line is also one between freedom & imprisonment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To borrow a phrase from a major Cash hit--that, like most of his big hits up to that point, he didn't include in this show--the album walks the line between the performer & audience, which is to say between freedom & imprisonment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The thing that binds them together across that line is the music--which, is to say, is America.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-91717452462425049522017-11-28T22:10:00.003-05:002023-10-22T12:27:15.391-04:00Sam Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz": An Appreciation.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdFLyL64Ng-CONTVexxnp9pNQtcTW_IIJ9kaxe56lXV8aPPX9JZUPqLNdnoeJSzB8BYrnjzeWsa0Uvaqlpo141y1Mgk8j3NrBNP4Rop6m7i24gFFCRK4K_6E9cbKBac1UGDl9b_5hgU0P/s1600/Cooke_TennesseeWaltz45.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdFLyL64Ng-CONTVexxnp9pNQtcTW_IIJ9kaxe56lXV8aPPX9JZUPqLNdnoeJSzB8BYrnjzeWsa0Uvaqlpo141y1Mgk8j3NrBNP4Rop6m7i24gFFCRK4K_6E9cbKBac1UGDl9b_5hgU0P/s320/Cooke_TennesseeWaltz45.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I cannot stop listening to Sam Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The song has overtaken me, demanding to be played repeatedly, beckoning to be solved like a riddle, plumbing me further into its seemingly bottomless depths.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The other day I listened to nothing but the song for close to an hour--hearing it, studying it, contemplating it, trying to make it reveal itself to me.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-zbeUSNHJfE" width="320" youtube-src-id="-zbeUSNHJfE"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sam Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz" was first released on March 1, 1964, as the closing song on the first side of his criminally-underrated album<i> Ain't That Good News</i>. The following July it was culled as the B-side of "Good Times," where it made the Top 40 with a respectable #35. By that point, the song was already around eight months old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cooke originally recorded "Tennessee Waltz" on January 28, 1964, in that odd string of months after JFK was assassinated but before The Beatles came to America. He recorded "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" & "Meet Me At Mary's Place" before it; each took little more than two takes to master. It's said that he was more focused on the song he would record two nights later--his epic "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4">A Change Is Gonna Come</a>," which has been rightly hailed as the finest soul record of all-time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Which means that "Tennessee Waltz" was the last song he recorded before his masterpiece. While nowhere near the scope of "A Change Is Gonna Come" (virtually no other song could be), to my ears "Tennessee Waltz" plays like a small epic in & of itself. Only instead of an epic looking outward that takes in all of society, "Tennessee Waltz" is an epic that looks inward to a story that is central to pop music: Love.</span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Part 1: Words.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a story, "Tennessee Waltz" is simple to the edge of banal, consisting of one verse & one refrain that would be entirely cliche if not so economic in their presentation:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">I was dancing with my baby to the "Tennessee Waltz"</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">When an old friend that I happened to see</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">I introduced him to my baby & while they were dancing</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">My friend stole my baby from me</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">But I remember that night & the "Tennessee Waltz"</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Only you know how much I have lost</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">You know that I lost my baby that night they kept playing</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">That beautiful "Tennessee Waltz"</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a lyric, it's not much, but Sam Cooke transforms it into a small saga of a performance, endlessly wringing new meaning from its words & music.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Part of Cooke's power derives from his focus on the word <i>you</i>--as in "only <i>you</i> know"--which cements the connection between the singer & the listener. The relationship between the singer & the listener in recorded sound is so taken for granted that we hardly even notice it today, but Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz" makes you appreciate it in full. He isn't so much singing the song to himself as much as he's confiding to <i>you</i> about it, as though you share the song's burden by the mere act of listening to it. Part of music's magic is its inherently intangible nature, & the way in which every person listening to a song has a direct connection to the singer. This is what helps give music its profound power, & touch our lives. Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz" reinforces this with the way he seems to confide in us, as though it is not so much a song as it is a pact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Dave Marsh's classic <i>The Heart Of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made</i>, he chose Marvin Gaye's version of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hajBdDM2qdg">I Heard It Through The Grapevine</a>" for the hallowed #1 spot. (Like Cooke, Gaye was another '60s soul pioneer who died way before his time because of a bullet that was supposedly fired in self-defense.) Marsh picked it in part because of the way that Gaye sings it as "an internal dialogue," working his way through a confrontation, then overtaken by humiliation, before finally ending with mourning. It is, in a little over three minutes, the psychological journey through the ending of a relationship, by feeling the words of the story through the emotion of the music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In many ways, Sam Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz" does the exact same thing over nearly the exact same length of time, only four years earlier--& it does so with a third of the lyrics to work with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Similar to what Marsh heard in Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," I hear in Sam Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz": The psychological scope of the end of a relationship. Traditionally, grieving has been divided into five major stages since the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model">Kugler-Ross Model</a> was introduced in 1969: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, & Acceptance. "Tennessee Waltz" is not an exact replication of this model, but it's about as close as one can find in a pop song.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For the first verse, Cooke plays it coolly, evenhanded, even nonchalantly, taking you through the facts of the case like it was a burglary (which, in fact, it essentially was). One imagines that only his denial can allow him to keep his anger at arms length, with a reasoned calm that nearly spills over into aloofness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But then the melody of the refrain causes things to turn; it seems to bring out a passion that had remained latent in the initial verse. He doesn't sing it, but rather rides his emotions simmering just underneath.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The second verse (same as the verse) finds him going through the facts of the case again, but now his cool resolve has hardened into something close to anger. He sounds like someone exasperated after having to explain the same thing seventeen times in a row with little faith that this eighteenth time it will stick. On one hand, it is like an old man retelling the same story as though it holds the elusive key to his freedom; on the other, it sounds like Einstein's definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over & over but expecting a different result. & if one can hear the latter in his words, perhaps one can find a sense of bargaining in them too. I'm honestly not sure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& then the bottom falls out of the record.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As Cooke reaches for that second refrain, he soars with a graceful sadness that can only result in beauty. I've now listened to it dozens of time, but it always remains new, always catches your attention, always demands to be heard. His performance takes you by the chest & pulls you into his pain, his suffering, his world. It's tempting to label this bottomless sadness as depression, but depression never sounded so beautiful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Which gets to the heart of the record--& its profound statement on not just love, but music. The thing that seems to keep the singer going through his friend betraying him with his lover is the beauty of the "Tennessee Waltz." Lyrically, it sets up an odd dynamic for a pop song: The song "Tennessee Waltz" is about a person who keeps hearing the song "Tennessee Waltz." If they are different songs, it is like Russian stacking dolls; if they are the same song, it's like a hall of mirrors. Either way, the importance is its beauty. A beauty so great that it can distract the singer from the greatest heartache he will ever suffer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I remember talking to my grandfather about his time serving in World War II in Papua New Guinea. He was a Navy man, but for some reason that I've never been able to piece together, he went down in an airplane. For the rest of his life, he hated to fly & only did so out of sheer necessity. But when I remember him describing the crash, he spoke with a near mystic sense of wonder. "I was so terrified," he said. "But looking out the window at the lush vegetation all around us, I had never seen anything so beautiful."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I believe a similar thing is happening in Sam Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz." He loses his girl to his friend, but boy, that song was <i>beautiful!</i> If it wasn't handled so effectively by Cooke, it might fall flat as a joke, but it never even gets close to one. Is there some sort of hidden self-loathing that would make the song seem even more beautiful to have this traumatic experience happen during it? Nietzsche might think so. If the record does finally make its way out of depression to acceptance, it is by the grace of the music it is said to. Like Dante being unable to describe Beatrice upon finally reaching her in the Paradisio, Cooke grasps at meaningless adjectives: "That Beautiful, That Wonderful, That Marvelous, That <i>Glorious</i>." It is not a conclusion so much as a transcendence over the human spirit.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Part 2: Music.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the first things you might notice about Sam Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz" is that it is not a waltz. It's a sort of shuffle built around a groove--an acoustic guitar strum pitted against porto-funk horns playing a simple, scratching three-note lick while a piano dashes around them, quietly building the tension secretly, but in plain sight; one could easily mistake it for an Atlantic-era Ray Charles song (say, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnI_LuCJ4Ek">I've Got A Woman</a>") played at the wrong speed. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Its straightforward rhythm is a reminder that many of the hottest songs sounded like samples long before anyone was actually sampling records. But the live performers are revealed when the horns start to peel away from each other towards the end, which ultimately give it that much more of a visceral quality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All put together, the sound jumps off the record & forms a cocoon that you can virtually crawl inside of, enveloping you in its tale of woe. By the time you're blindsided by the performance, it makes no difference whether the song is a waltz or not.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">(& in case anyone wasn't sure whether Cooke was basking in its majestic wonder, you can <i>just</i> hear him clap once after singing the "dirty dog" line, in a moment of joyous spontaneity.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the "Tennessee Waltz" <i>did</i> begin as a waltz, composed by country crooner Pee Wee King in the mid-1940s, as a sort of answer record to Bill Monroe's "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRCIgwpeKto">Kentucky Waltz</a>." King didn't record it until late 1947 & didn't release it until early 1948, but it became a hit song with this band, The Golden West Cowboys, as well as a cover version by Cowboy Copas (who was originally a member of the Golden West Cowboys).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1950, bandleader Erskine Hawkins--best known nowadays for writing "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71r9jYpUn0M">Tuxedo Junction</a>"--cut a jazz version of "Tennessee Waltz," smoothing it out & bringing it to something close to a pop standard. While the song initially missed the charts, it made enough waves that a young Jerry Wexler (later to become a legendary producer at Atlantic Records) played it for the manager of Patti Page.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was Patti Page's version of "Tennessee Waltz" (recorded in November 1950 as the B-side to "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus") that became a smash hit, sitting atop the national Billboard charts for nearly two months straight. It was as white-bread of a record as could be imagined in that period--right at home on the shelves next to the likes of Perry Como & Mitch Miller--& serves as a case-in-point why rock music just had to happen. Among the cover versions that cropped up in her wake were by Jo Stafford, Guy Lombardo, & The Fontaine Sisters. 'Nuff said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Jim Miller's <i>Flowers In The Dustbin: The Rise Of Rock & Roll, 1947-1977</i>, he describes Page's "Tennessee Waltz" as "the biggest pop hit of the postwar, prerock era" and as "a synthetic new kind of music, the hybrid product of several different vernacular genres." as "And the sheer <i>sound</i> of Page's recording was unprecedented. A tricked-up, technologically evolved sort of pseudo-folk song, Patti Page's hit was hard to categorize, impossible to reproduce on stage, & instantly unforgettable."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The song itself--which already by the time Cooke got to it was a country-song-turned-jazz-ballad-turned-white-bread-pop-smash was like a chameleon, taking the form of anyone who sang it. The song didn't reveal itself as much as it revealed whoever was singing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take Elvis' home recording of the song from 1966, where he turns it into pure 19th century parlor music, as though it came straight by a tunesmith on Tin Pan Alley:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At least until he starts riffing about a man stealing his horse--which would have been a real concern in the parlor-music era--before it devolves into him cracking his friends up like the jokester he was known to be. If anyone wondered where the kid who talked his way into Sun Records to croon The Ink Spots' "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC-LG7wfvmU">My Happiness</a>" in 1953 went, this performance (mostly) showed he was still right there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& to stretch the point, here's Spike Jones' novelty version--a #13 hit in 1951:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(Unrelated but related quandary: When The Band sing about having "Spike J</span><span style="font-size: large;">ones on the box" in "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EisXJSsULGM">Up On Cripple Creek</a>," were they listening to his version of "Tennessee Waltz"? Discuss.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But all roads lead back to Patti Page's monster hit version, which makes it all the more surprising that it was not included on Cooke's second RCA album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hits_of_the_50%27s">Hits Of The 50s</a></i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But it seems that once he nailed it in the studio, he was happy to keep it close by. In July of 1964, Cooke incl</span><span style="font-size: large;">uded it as the finale of what would be his first live album, <i>Sam Cooke At The Copa.</i></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Generally, </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Sam Cooke At The Copa</i><span style="font-size: x-large;"> is not held in terribly high regard as it captures Cooke playing at a dinner-club for people who politely applause upon recognizing whatever song he is singing. It's a bit like the sonic equivalent of those early rock movies were Little Richard plays for a room of middle-aged white people sitting still in tuxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The previous year, Cooke had cut <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBfsUCahFlo"><i>Live At The Harlem Square Club</i></a> in Miami, Florida, for a proposed live album that was to be called "One Night Stand." Cut with the then-current smash James Brown's <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5JG27snLzM">Live At The Apollo</a></i> ruling the nascent soul world, it appears to try & beat that record at its own game. To my ears, it largely succeeds, giving Cooke a hot & sweaty night that serves as a testimony to people who remember him as a pious choirboy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that's what did the record in. Deemed too wild for his clean-cut image, the album was shelved until over two decades after his death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So for several decades, the only live taste one could get of Sam Cooke was at this polite supper-club album. For the most part, he plays it safe, giving the people what they want--jazz standards ("Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?"), blues standards ("Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out"), & folk standards ("Frankie & Johnny"). Aside from "Twistin' The Night Away," his biggest hits are trotted out on the first side in a five-minute medley. "Tennessee Waltz" seems like a nice place to end the set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He sings it fine--even noting that Patti Page might not recognize it--but it lacks the drama of the studio version. I was surprised to see that this version was cut nearly half a year <i>after</i> the studio version; played next to the more familiar hit, it sounds like a rough draft for a song that will be tightened up later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Otis Redding covered the song a few years later, he stretched it out into a dirge, perhaps to differentiate it from the version sung by Cooke, who was one of his idols. If Cooke sung it like a therapy session, Redding sang it like he was in the confessional. The song is pure church, from the 6/8 time signature to the gospel flourishes on the piano. Redding seems to worry over the lines about what he has lost, driving it home home like an atonement for his sins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& just in case you doubt Cooke's influence, Redding throws in the words "cotton-pickin'" towards the end, a direct lift of phrase from Cooke's version on the <i>Copa</i> LP.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">That said, there's one part of Cooke's <i>Copa</i> version that</span><span style="font-size: large;"> sticks out to any modern listener. Towards the end of the song, as he's riffing his way to a close, Cooke sings "I know, I know, I know, I know" in a tone & style that provides the blueprint for Bill Withers' 1971 classic "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone." Where Cooke's song is swinging & off-the-cuff, Withers' song is smooth & slick; the way the beat locks in with the strings seems to predict the next 30 years of R&B music.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YuKfiH0Scao" width="320" youtube-src-id="YuKfiH0Scao"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">For the most famous element of "Ain't No Sunshine" is when</span> Withers sings "I know" 26 times in a row to fill out the brief song in lieu of a verse (& even with this part, the single still doesn't even reach two & a quarter minutes). These words make the song for Withers--& in turn, powered it to become his first major hit. </span><span style="font-size: large;">It appears that the germ of that song, the engine that drove the initial success of his career, derived from Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Part 3: Video.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On October 5, 1998, Scottish indie group Belle & Sebastian recorded a set of song's in Paris, France, for a series in that country called the "Black Sessions." Currently on YouTube, it remains the longest available footage of the original seven-member lineup.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Typical for the grou<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">p, they work their way through a series of familiar songs & deep cuts, intercut with a surprise cover. In this case, it is violist Isobel Campbell singing France Gall's "</span><span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5aeeSmkPwQ&list=RDs5aeeSmkPwQ">Poupee De Cire, Poupee De Son</a>," which can be seen at the 33:53 mark. Campbell completely nails it, transforming Belle & Sebastian into a runaway locomotive of drums & organs, as she leads the way like a soldier doing battle with the ocean. It is a sexy, focused performance that is all the more remarkable with the way she sheepishly falls apart directly after delivering it--"I'm sorry if my French was bad"--shrugging away the entire thing like a second grader faking their way through a book report.</span></span><br />
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can see how the leader of Belle & Sebastian, Stuart Murdoch, was completely infatuated with her.</span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although they were together at the time of this concert, they would grow apart in the coming years, as Murdoch's quiet & more subdued nature made him the foil for her outspoken, feisty ways.</span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;">The following song is a rendition of one of the most beautiful Belle & Sebastian songs, "Slow Graffiti," </span><span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;">which begins at the 36:16 mark. Although the title is a sphinx, the song itself is brimming with an odd balance of careful precision & heart; in studio, it is one their closest approximations to the pop side of their beloved heroes, The Velvet Underground. Here, in this live version, it takes on a more precious, delicate shape that outdoes the studio version with its effortless grace.</span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Midway through the song comes its bittersweet climax:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Listen, Johnny</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>You're like a mother</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>To the girl you're falling for</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>& you're still falling--</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">These are some of the cruelest words ever voiced in a pop song. There is nothing less sexy than a man pursuing a girl by acting like he's her mother. The words sting, making one wonder if it's not a commentary on Murdoch's own relationship with Campbell, who just proved both her strength & charisma only moments before.</span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">& holding it all together is the melody in "Slow Graffiti," which maps directly onto "Tennessee Waltz." Did Murdoch realize this when he wrote it? Or was it just in the ether of a popular music subconscious?</span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Either way, I find it fascinating he chose this melody for these lyrics.</span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Slow Graffiti" plays almost like an inverse of Cooke's "Tennessee Waltz"--where Cooke sings of a man who loses his girl to a friend, Murdoch sings of a man who can't even get a girl in the first place, because of his own maternal instincts. The cruelty of the situation--& the essential loneliness that both men feel--tie the songs together, with the thread of same melody bringing beauty to the proceedings. The contrast is further enhanced by the performers themselves--on one hand, we have Cooke, an African-American mainstream pop solo singer whose career ended over 50 years ago, & on the other we have Belle & Sebastian, a Scottish indie septet who soldier on to this day.</span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Coming from opposite sides, "Tennessee Waltz" is where they meet in the middle.</span></span></div>
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<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-primary-text-color))" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-variant, inherit); text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On September 16, 1964, Sam Cooke co-headlined the first episode of </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Shindig!</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">with future-Rock-&-Roll-Hall-Of-Fame inaugural inductees The Everly Brothers. He was to be killed less than three months later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like he did on <i>Sam Cooke At The Copa</i>, he seems to be choosing his material to please a mainstream (white) audience; his two solo numbers for the show was a cover of Bob Dylan's "Blowing In The Wind" & his own take on Patti Page's "Tennessee Waltz." But then when one factors in that he was also promoting </span><span style="font-size: large;">the <i>Copa</i> LP that was to be released the following month (which contained versions of both songs), it seems more like it was two birds with one stone.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yYGun1ZScRE" width="320" youtube-src-id="yYGun1ZScRE"></iframe></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Given all of the possible songs Cooke could have performed for this show, it's a small miracle that we have footage of "Tennessee Waltz." His abridged reading of the song (he skips over the second/first-for-a-second-time verse) is an interesting cross between the crowd-pleasing of the <i>Copa</i> LP and the fervor of the studio version. While it is not quite as good as the latter, it easily beats the former, landing somewhere in between the two. His performance is confident, settled--this is a man who has performed a million times before & has no reason to feel any pressure co-headlining the launch of a new primetime national series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whoever directed the show clearly knew the song, initiating with a tight focus framed by those ever-present saxophones, before pulling back for a third act to reveal backup singers (!) & backup dancers (!!) & additional horn men (!!!) turning it into a feel-good time once & for all. Sadly, we can't see Cooke's face for that final refrain, but his body language helps to tell the triumphant tale.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Plus, when host Jack Good bounces out at the end, Sam Cooke is beaming his big, beautiful smile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paradise has been found through the beauty.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-67609818042128264292017-11-20T23:27:00.000-05:002017-11-20T23:28:42.837-05:00The 301 Greatest Albums Of All Time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3eetdVenlIWnUSc2pzUtoCF4646DfRz3s2WEneF2Hvv-C-CC_iUZUwfN8LFZ31vGN9PCsbZJK3lmWJdm4z5A2HTJqMNu3BbZd0OIyh_tRAxOlJlDog1O_q9DBzqyq5rVn1mrtk3l2gLQ/s1600/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3eetdVenlIWnUSc2pzUtoCF4646DfRz3s2WEneF2Hvv-C-CC_iUZUwfN8LFZ31vGN9PCsbZJK3lmWJdm4z5A2HTJqMNu3BbZd0OIyh_tRAxOlJlDog1O_q9DBzqyq5rVn1mrtk3l2gLQ/s320/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They say that madness is doing the same thing over & over again but expecting different results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If this is true, when it comes to analyzing the albums of the rock canon, I'm the maddest person I know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have already made a large-scale list of <a href="http://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-501-greatest-albums-of-all-time.html">The 501 Greatest Rock Albums Of All Time</a>, as well as <a href="http://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-rock-canon.html">A Rock Canon</a> drawing from several key unranked lists. This is not to neglect my own <a href="http://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2010/08/100-greatest-albums-of-all-time.html">ranked list</a>, as well as the unranked lists I've made, the crown jewel of which may be <a href="http://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-rock-500-canon.html">The Rock 500 Canon</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've spent months trying to compile a definitive list of rock albums, with now over 30 charts that I am still working on. </span><span style="font-size: large;">However, no matter how many I add, it struck me that I don't think I'll be able to do much better than this straightforward compiling of the five lists that formed the core of the project:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rolling Stone's <a href="http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2003/rs500albums1.htm">500 Greatest Albums Of All-Time</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pop Vortex's <a href="http://www.popvortex.com/music/100-greatest-albums/">100 Greatest Albums Of All-Time</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Acclaimed Music's <a href="http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/1948-02a.htm">3000 Greatest Albums Of All-Time</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Digital Dream Door's <a href="https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_albumsddd.html">200 Greatest Album's Of All-Time</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Best Ever Albums' <a href="https://www.besteveralbums.com/makechart.php?mode=go&chartid40057=on&chartid40145=on&chartid33115=on&chartid27314=on&chartid27216=on&chartid27315=on&chartid21081=on&chartid12337=on&chartid10621=on&chartid10619=on&chartid10623=on&chartid12150=on&chartid27375=on&chartid6072=on&chartid15156=on&chartid12140=on&chartid10626=on&chartid12137=on&chartid2586=on&chartid10634=on&chartid10605=on&chartid12000=on&chartid11042=on&chartid11162=on&chartid1962=on&chartid12201=on&chartid17013=on&chartid230=on&chartid141=on&chartid1052=on&chartid213=on&chartid3=on&chartid11057=on&chartid11043=on&chartid11045=on&chartid2=on&chartid4=on&chartid1990=on&chartid8=on&chartid5=on&chartid10637=on&l=0&oldestyear=1908&newestyear=2017&includereccharts=on&mincharts=0&sortmetric=RankScore">503 Greatest Albums Of All-Time</a>*</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">*(Instead of using the <a href="https://www.besteveralbums.com/overall.php">overall</a> list, I only used the non-user "recognized" lists, which resulted in 503 albums)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As far as I can find (so far), these are the best general rock lists, & if you cut it off at 300, you get a pretty s</span><span style="font-size: large;">olid sampling where the lists still interact effectively; go much further & they taper apart into nonsense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles are the most represented with 9 albums, followed by Bob Dylan, who has 6 albums. Next is Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, & The Who, who have 5 albums each. After that comes David Bowie, The Byrds, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, Elvis Presley, Radiohead, R.E.M., & U2</span><span style="font-size: large;">, who have 4 albums each.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lot of artists have 3 albums each: James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Parliament/Funkadelic, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Sly & The Family Stone, The Stooges, Stevie Wonder, & Neil Young.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, artists as varied as AC/DC, </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Band, The Beastie Boys, Big Star, Bjork, Black Sabbath, Ray Charles, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Miles Davis, Nick Drake, Marvin Gaye, Green Day, Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, Joy Division, The Kinks, Kraftwerk, John Lennon, Madonna, Massive Attack, Metallica, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Oasis, OutKast, The Pixies, Public Enemy, The Ramones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Simon & Garfunkel, Frank Sinatra, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, Talking Heads, The Velvet Underground, Kanye West, The White Stripes, Frank Zappa, </span><span style="font-size: large;">& probably more I didn't catch have 2 albums each.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But this is not to imply there is any correlation between number of albums to make the list & overall influence. Artists as major & iconic as The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, The Doors, Little Richard, Otis Redding, Run-D.M.C., The Sex Pistols, Patti Smith, & Muddy Waters only have a single album each, & many of them are far more influential than the names listed above. For that matter, consider the likes of Sam Cooke, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, & Smokey Robison & The Miracles, none of whom placed an album at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here's the list breakdown, followed by the full list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Top 10 Albums Of All-Time:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZeUdjzVykc4eykLDgrYJavQGy5T8QaAPqqzUwzUMaA8XyWw_1CgtLWgf51VoShandgkbmAckYh75OjxscUP8_89kudm92NICbnv3Y4czbvvH_VCStkJ6SpJ-2KmuyIXrV-qpYGEht_eh/s1600/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZeUdjzVykc4eykLDgrYJavQGy5T8QaAPqqzUwzUMaA8XyWw_1CgtLWgf51VoShandgkbmAckYh75OjxscUP8_89kudm92NICbnv3Y4czbvvH_VCStkJ6SpJ-2KmuyIXrV-qpYGEht_eh/s320/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. The Beatles: Revolver</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Nirvana: Nevermind</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Marvin Gaye: What's Going On</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. The Rolling Stones: Exile On Main St.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. The Clash: London Calling</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. The Beatles ["The White Album"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. The Beatles: Abbey Road</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Top 10 Albums Of The '50s:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxb5bo7xmdLW_rzIGVbkfSdczJrVpMCCPMjLB7y9GA1M5F2YiHV7hm67upO6C_xFtKKFzsP7Cb5DWg1p6bwPBnebvOeKIkqcBilOgnpl6Ih9EdYcngIMyiDcq7rayiuysZpcoQAsjFD3bF/s1600/Presley_ElvisPresley.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxb5bo7xmdLW_rzIGVbkfSdczJrVpMCCPMjLB7y9GA1M5F2YiHV7hm67upO6C_xFtKKFzsP7Cb5DWg1p6bwPBnebvOeKIkqcBilOgnpl6Ih9EdYcngIMyiDcq7rayiuysZpcoQAsjFD3bF/s320/Presley_ElvisPresley.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Elvis Presley</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Little Richard: Here's Little Richard</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Frank Sinatra: Songs For Swingin' Lovers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. Chuck Berry: The Great Twenty-Eight</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Frank Sinatra: In The Wee Small Hours</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. Ray Charles: The Birth Of Soul</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. Buddy Holly: 20 Golden Greats</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. Buddy Holly: The "Chirping" Crickets</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Top 10 Albums Of The '60s:</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUzuml1YI7HCHDf_Hkx2oaUyQKAn4liiQdo40-V2ZxfFSNDzAu1gOQdHLzbO65W3yUFv8gETjPeunBxnCw0HUhM1FwPI8lRj_ECUMv8dYcJo9iklvl5O8xn3ravEWq9BWl5kCj08adCqN/s1600/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUzuml1YI7HCHDf_Hkx2oaUyQKAn4liiQdo40-V2ZxfFSNDzAu1gOQdHLzbO65W3yUFv8gETjPeunBxnCw0HUhM1FwPI8lRj_ECUMv8dYcJo9iklvl5O8xn3ravEWq9BWl5kCj08adCqN/s320/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">1. The Beatles: Revolver</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. The Beatles ["The White Album"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. The Beatles: Abbey Road</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Bob Dylan: Blonde On Blonde</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. The Velvet Underground & Nico</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. The Beatles: Rubber Soul</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Top 10 Albums Of The '70s:</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AzFofrbEK5wqk6vblwcS9lxClfg2004V6yPSJ5ULIjLgPRKqk7rZ7QA0yl0fxXR-KUgdk5lvlai_fwcIc-j7UpPJQ9bP9F0n6dSy2FcaQ12CzwPO8ZLn_WgRquL2R-XVsjnrrCoWao_N/s1600/Gaye_WhatsGoingOn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="500" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AzFofrbEK5wqk6vblwcS9lxClfg2004V6yPSJ5ULIjLgPRKqk7rZ7QA0yl0fxXR-KUgdk5lvlai_fwcIc-j7UpPJQ9bP9F0n6dSy2FcaQ12CzwPO8ZLn_WgRquL2R-XVsjnrrCoWao_N/s320/Gaye_WhatsGoingOn.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Marvin Gaye: What's Going On</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. The Rolling Stones: Exile On Main St.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. The Clash: London Calling</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Pink Floyd: The Dark Side Of The Moon</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. David Bowie: The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. The Who: Who's Next</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Fleetwood Mac: Rumors</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Top 10 Albums Of The '80s:</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0tkhmXoeedJGfE28e3GPvl3tG5GZ84pXvXWwAib7g9hjRHQvxEDsg6xmQHaBJ_EMR7C6TZ6TM8YgV777FIKmV9LUzrajvyJ4Gv6uyhFuLHFXFLgBtiuOEUMjCaPFNvGD8SCEARrDZnI_/s1600/Jackson_Thriller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0tkhmXoeedJGfE28e3GPvl3tG5GZ84pXvXWwAib7g9hjRHQvxEDsg6xmQHaBJ_EMR7C6TZ6TM8YgV777FIKmV9LUzrajvyJ4Gv6uyhFuLHFXFLgBtiuOEUMjCaPFNvGD8SCEARrDZnI_/s320/Jackson_Thriller.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Michael Jackson: Thriller</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. U2: The Joshua Tree</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Public Enemy: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Prince: Purple Rain</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Guns N' Roses: Appetite For Destruction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. Prince: Sign 'O' The Times</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. AC/DC: Back In Black</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. Paul Simon: Graceland</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. Talking Heads: Remain In Light</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Top 10 Albums Of The '90s:</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Qu2d040WOH-nMG_S2jV0fH1wzdqRte_FxHwQVrN-Pe6V-aRUakhcGoUJGXbMM7UfsI8sNeRm3X0E94bNe2rqLZwKye4isEeuW7UAaJ8w75CNuPC5uwfeLdrdArT3wE8qiP5C-sCNp9GR/s1600/Nirvana_Nevermind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="1416" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Qu2d040WOH-nMG_S2jV0fH1wzdqRte_FxHwQVrN-Pe6V-aRUakhcGoUJGXbMM7UfsI8sNeRm3X0E94bNe2rqLZwKye4isEeuW7UAaJ8w75CNuPC5uwfeLdrdArT3wE8qiP5C-sCNp9GR/s320/Nirvana_Nevermind.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Nirvana: Nevermind</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. U2: Achtung Baby</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Radiohead: OK Computer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. R.E.M.: Automatic For The People</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Pearl Jam: Ten</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. Dr. Dre: The Chronic</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation Of</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. Oasis: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. Notorious B.I.G.: Ready To Die</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. Metallica</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Top 10 Albums Of The '00s:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0F5nl3jTA1_yjrWCY-fm1sATkfE8mo5-iTjcWdlMUYMikNb905mu5ig6CrMI6dmkg_kPI063lkM1XCvkpaP03qKNPSEhocL3CKjtrmgHpLD9ARtVfNbCV3xuRCM7ivHJ0Ub0eBJu6_SH_/s1600/Radiohead_KidA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="1500" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0F5nl3jTA1_yjrWCY-fm1sATkfE8mo5-iTjcWdlMUYMikNb905mu5ig6CrMI6dmkg_kPI063lkM1XCvkpaP03qKNPSEhocL3CKjtrmgHpLD9ARtVfNbCV3xuRCM7ivHJ0Ub0eBJu6_SH_/s320/Radiohead_KidA.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Radiohead: Kid A</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. OutKast: Stankonia</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. The Strokes: Is This It</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Amy Winehouse: Back To Black</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. Green Day: American Idiot</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. Arcade Fire: Funeral</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. The White Stripes: White Blood Cells</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">& without any further ado, here's the full list of...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The 301 Greatest Albums Of All-Time.</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48bhaOrgWy0fyEKNHb06JXWd1B6Z8BG2cHr1yql_gxWPpA_xqzGWbSh6umzDJDGR7NRdjFsFV3yzrTetvKk1BQCxWj_UuKYM9-NB0G51Aa5quy23AhpKufiqE6L8wfl5ZMwXkEuFT1SgR/s1600/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48bhaOrgWy0fyEKNHb06JXWd1B6Z8BG2cHr1yql_gxWPpA_xqzGWbSh6umzDJDGR7NRdjFsFV3yzrTetvKk1BQCxWj_UuKYM9-NB0G51Aa5quy23AhpKufiqE6L8wfl5ZMwXkEuFT1SgR/s320/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. The Beatles: Revolver</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Nirvana: Nevermind</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Marvin Gaye: What's Going On</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. The Rolling Stones: Exile On Main St.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. The Clash: London Calling</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. The Beatles ["The White Album"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. The Beatles: Abbey Road</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0879ABt-th8I1TnfeEt_6NG-1IPDS_MmZ_N_akD53cVgpt_FZbwMXQ97pSIwjDgr5lJBP6DBnUrg1ZezvN-OC9ltYgWK2NJrbjNW8Zna1LLH3RL6yD0QrJSkvcGUYzdMBAGnDEJ-mB6g/s1600/Dylan_BlondeOnBlonde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0879ABt-th8I1TnfeEt_6NG-1IPDS_MmZ_N_akD53cVgpt_FZbwMXQ97pSIwjDgr5lJBP6DBnUrg1ZezvN-OC9ltYgWK2NJrbjNW8Zna1LLH3RL6yD0QrJSkvcGUYzdMBAGnDEJ-mB6g/s320/Dylan_BlondeOnBlonde.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">11. Bob Dylan: Blonde On Blonde</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">12. Michael Jackson: Thriller</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">13. The Velvet Underground & Nico</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">14. The Beatles: Rubber Soul</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">15. Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">16. Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">17. Pink Floyd: The Dark Side Of The Moon</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">18. U2: The Joshua Tree</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">19. David Bowie: The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">20. Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0jCL-WYxIM6l5AIudul2ySrEdsTVBAND49s716neekQzZ78NcIDOZOq9URKXp4pBaDnF3vtqbOkcPKzRoJJYQWeX2TVOUgmWEAdl3E6TBGn1XA9CySI4R6xjAzP5N0O2Y9E8oH-iP4C0/s1600/Who_WhosNext.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0jCL-WYxIM6l5AIudul2ySrEdsTVBAND49s716neekQzZ78NcIDOZOq9URKXp4pBaDnF3vtqbOkcPKzRoJJYQWeX2TVOUgmWEAdl3E6TBGn1XA9CySI4R6xjAzP5N0O2Y9E8oH-iP4C0/s320/Who_WhosNext.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">21. The Who: Who's Next</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">22. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Public Enemy: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">23. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">24. Fleetwood Mac: Rumours</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">25. The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">26. Joni Mitchell: Blue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">27. Led Zeppelin [IV]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">28. Van Morrison: Astral Weeks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">29. Stevie Wonder: Innervisions</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">30. Prince: Purple Rain</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcUAb9P38K_StLLRjdTJXWmH71KbGVuRG10gn_Mz8vh1LbLIr-E-hBuqw3VhHpBzG8lRkjAUVhLz8fytD8TSu9D5fa6Aj6VA69HgYqt7OQiHTn5Hr8R7QWf4JW3J6S-SgWVrR0BB1x3du/s1600/Doors_ST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="638" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcUAb9P38K_StLLRjdTJXWmH71KbGVuRG10gn_Mz8vh1LbLIr-E-hBuqw3VhHpBzG8lRkjAUVhLz8fytD8TSu9D5fa6Aj6VA69HgYqt7OQiHTn5Hr8R7QWf4JW3J6S-SgWVrR0BB1x3du/s320/Doors_ST.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">31. The Doors</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">32. Guns N' Roses: Appetite For Destruction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">33. Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">34. Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">35. Carole King: Tapestry</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">36. Prince: Sign 'O' The Times</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">37. Patti Smith: Horses</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">38. The Ramones</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">39. U2: Achtung Baby</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">40. Radiohead: OK Computer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBY512nI8Q-VbFr-8yZ_H2AHe36W19o2PwyM6MmA7CaPt41gM2Ck3sN2mHMqe8srCmSwN4nHR4G9a25AqIHFEWG0jiRTIw7azYHcrj6dXTQNpbfoH1Q-L-nz4Wom_b8Bp2qVQz2P5yMf56/s1600/Brown_LiveAtTheApollo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBY512nI8Q-VbFr-8yZ_H2AHe36W19o2PwyM6MmA7CaPt41gM2Ck3sN2mHMqe8srCmSwN4nHR4G9a25AqIHFEWG0jiRTIw7azYHcrj6dXTQNpbfoH1Q-L-nz4Wom_b8Bp2qVQz2P5yMf56/s1600/Brown_LiveAtTheApollo.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">41. James Brown: Live At The Apollo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">42. Led Zeppelin II</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">43. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">44. Love: Forever Changes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">45. </span><span style="font-size: large;">AC/DC: Back In Black</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">46. Neil Young: After The Gold Rush</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">47. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">48. Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">49. The Band</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">50. The Eagles: Hotel California</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2fFYVT3SmGq4qqVhYLKeWIAgvQrqAUJtb81dOQShNsF97gX0meDkj1uA22Kvtzp3wTzdhFF1-G39O7bCpo3e31iOoA4fZQBSPNeFnJzWJCvLVwdJMKCa1YF3rp0EPqQv7OlqDDg6i5vW/s1600/Dylan_BringingItAllBackHome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="938" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2fFYVT3SmGq4qqVhYLKeWIAgvQrqAUJtb81dOQShNsF97gX0meDkj1uA22Kvtzp3wTzdhFF1-G39O7bCpo3e31iOoA4fZQBSPNeFnJzWJCvLVwdJMKCa1YF3rp0EPqQv7OlqDDg6i5vW/s320/Dylan_BringingItAllBackHome.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">51. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Bob Dylan: Bringing It All Back Home</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">52. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">53. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Paul Simon: Graceland</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">54. Pink Floyd: The Wall</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">55. Michael Jackson: Off The Wall</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">56. Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">57. The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">58. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Led Zeppelin [I]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">59. R.E.M.: Automatic For The People</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">60. Otis Redding: Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">61. Van Morrison: Moondance</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">62. Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">63. Television: Marquee Moon</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">64. Talking Heads: Remain In Light</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">65. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Pearl Jam: Ten</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">66. The Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">67. Neil Young: Harvest</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">68. Bruce Springsteen: Born In The U.S.A.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">69. Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">70. The Clash</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">71. Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">72. The Who: Tommy</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">73. The Band: Music From Big Pink</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">74. Bob Marley: Legend</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">75. Sly & The Family Stone: There's A Riot Goin' On!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">76. The Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">77. Dr. Dre: The Chronic</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">78. N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">79. Chuck Berry: The Great Twenty-Eight</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">80. R.E.M.: Murmur</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">81. </span><span style="font-size: large;">John Lennon: Imagine</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">82. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">83. Pixies: Doolittle</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">84. Curtis Mayfield: Superfly</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">85. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation Of</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">86. Joy Division: Closer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">87. Elvis Presley</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">88. David Bowie: Low</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">89. Black Sabbath: Paranoid</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">90. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Blondie: Parallel Lines</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">91. Sly & The Family Stone: Stand!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">92. Stevie Wonder: Talking Book</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">93. Prince: 1999</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">94. Oasis: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">95. The Beastie Boys: Licensed To Ill</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">96. Bruce Springsteen: Darkness On The Edge Of Town</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">97. Elvis Costello: This Year's Model</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">98. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Jimi Hendrix: Axis: As Bold As Love</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">99. Bob Marley: Exodus</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">100. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Elvis Costello: My Aim Is True</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">101. Queen: A Night At The Opera</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">102. Derek & The Dominos: Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">103. Radiohead: Kid A</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">104. </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">Notorious B.I.G.: Ready To Die</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">105. Metallica: Master Of Puppets</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">106. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young: Deja Vu</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">107. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Metallica</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">108. Muddy Waters: The Anthology, 1947-1972</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">109. OutKast: Stankonia</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">110. A Tribe Called Quest: Low End Theory</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">111. Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">112. Al Green: Greatest Hits</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">113. Bob Dylan: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">114. Sly & The Family Stone: Greatest Hits</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">115. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles: A Hard Day's Night</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">116. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Alanis Morrissette: Jagged Little Pill</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">117. </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">The Police: Synchronicity</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">118. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Little Richard: Here's Little Richard</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">119. Madonna: Like A Prayer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">120. Ray Charles: The Birth Of Soul</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">121. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Cream: Disraeli Gears</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">122. Ray Charles: Modern Sounds In Country & Western</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">123. Nas: Illmatic</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">124. Al Green: Call Me</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">125. Phil Spector: Back To Mono (1958-1969)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">126. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Santana: Abraxas</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">127. The Beatles: Please Please Me</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">128. James Brown: Star Time</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">129. The Harder They Come Soundtrack</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">130. Billy Joel: The Stranger</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">131. Buddy Holly: 20 Golden Greats</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">132. Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">133. Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">134. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Radiohead: The Bends</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">135. David Bowie: Hunky Dory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">136. The Stone Roses</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">137. John Coltrane: A Love Supreme</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">138. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">139. Miles Davis: Bitches Brew</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">140. Lou Reed: Transformer</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">141. Beck: Odelay</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">142: </span><span style="font-size: large;">Dusty Springfield: Dusty In Memphis</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">143. The Byrds: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">144. Johnny Cash: Live At Folsom Prison</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">145. My Bloody Valentine: Loveless</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">146. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Run-D.M.C.: Raising Hell</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">147. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Pavement: Slanted & Enchanted</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">148. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Iggy & The Stooges: Raw Power</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">149. The Allman Brothers: At Fillmore East</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">150. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">151. Jeff Buckley: Grace</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">152. The Strokes: Is This It</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">153. The Pretenders</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">154. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Massive Attack: Blue Lines</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">155. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Stooges: Fun House</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">156. Bob Marley & The Wailers: Catch A Fire</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">157. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Portishead: Dummy</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">158. De La Soul: Three Feet High & Rising</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">159. Kraftwerk: Trans-Europe Express</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">160. Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">161. Peter Gabriel: So</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">162. Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">163. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Nirvana: In Utero</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">164. Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">165. Public Enemy: Fear Of A Black Planet</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">166. </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">The Replacements: Let It Be</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">167. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Wu-Tang Clan: Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">168. Funkadelic: One Nation Under A Groove</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">169</span><span style="font-size: large;">. Green Day: Dookie</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">170. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Tom Waits: Rain Dogs</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKd20QFvgusEBvc4MIiNn_BwY0YYsP_j3LGVrWyRaplIoWymFHa9o0DbBIDu2AuBAXXhnVqzyAU8JA38pRG8Gs4W6-k9r03hMHNae9LtcOV84cSdfWtBqyMMNNoz_WU5ABp-YkRoxhOLrE/s1600/RedHotChiliPeppers_BloodSugar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKd20QFvgusEBvc4MIiNn_BwY0YYsP_j3LGVrWyRaplIoWymFHa9o0DbBIDu2AuBAXXhnVqzyAU8JA38pRG8Gs4W6-k9r03hMHNae9LtcOV84cSdfWtBqyMMNNoz_WU5ABp-YkRoxhOLrE/s1600/RedHotChiliPeppers_BloodSugar.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">171. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">172. The Cure: Disintegration</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">173. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Zombies: Odessey & Oracle</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">174. Amy Winehouse: Back To Black</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">175. Eric B. & Rakim: Paid In Full</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">176. Marvin Gaye: Let's Get It On</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">177. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Who: Sell Out</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">178. Janis Joplin: Pearl</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">179. Nick Drake: Five Leaves Left</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">180. Liz Phair: Exile In Guyville</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTsev0G_KZy-e6o196b0Nwai9qEFOnYMtjP0VdISIUVRxD9MA8LvghSoyuQnMISEZb8moBpRjT0UrBCD78ykGN9YEOMvmU7gIolJGvJVbaIZLW-aUjI2K3C7tz4NhaGAG1z7mhMI6hIZnZ/s1600/Smiths_ST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTsev0G_KZy-e6o196b0Nwai9qEFOnYMtjP0VdISIUVRxD9MA8LvghSoyuQnMISEZb8moBpRjT0UrBCD78ykGN9YEOMvmU7gIolJGvJVbaIZLW-aUjI2K3C7tz4NhaGAG1z7mhMI6hIZnZ/s320/Smiths_ST.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">181. The Smiths</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">182. Rage Against The Machine</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">183. Green Day: American Idiot</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">184. Nirvana: MTV Unplugged In New York</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">185. The Beatles: Let It Be</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">186. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">187. Moby: Play</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">188. Van Halen</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">189. Pink Floyd: The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">190. George Harrison: All Things Must Pass</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">191. AC/DC: Highway To Hell</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">192. R.E.M.: Document</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">193. The Who: Quadrophenia</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">194. Frank Sinatra: Songs For Swingin' Lovers!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">195. Parliament: Mothership Connection</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">196. Hole: Live Through This</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">197. The Grateful Dead: American Beauty</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">198. Aerosmith: Toys In The Attic</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">199. Moby Grape</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">200. Madonna: Ray Of Light</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">201. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Simon & Garfunkel: Bookends</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">202. James Taylor: Sweet Baby James</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">203. The Kinks: Something Else By The Kinks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">204. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Crosby, Stills, & Nash</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">205. Dire Straits: Brothers In Arms</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">206. Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">207. The B-52's</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">208. U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">209. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Californication</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">210. Def Leppard: Hysteria</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">211. Dolly Parton: Coat Of Many Colors</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">212. Aretha Franklin: Young, Gifted & Black</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">213. Robert Johnson: King Of The Delta Blues Singers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">214. Sam Cooke: Portrait Of A Legend</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">215. Elvis Presley: Sunrise</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">216. Hank Williams: 40 Greatest Hits</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">217. Arcade Fire: Funeral</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">218.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Oasis: Definitely Maybe</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">219. Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">220. Primal Scream: Screamadelica</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">221. Kate Bush: Hounds Of Love</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">222. Blur: Parklife</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">223. Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">224. DJ Shadow: Endtroducing.....</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">225. The White Stripes: White Blood Cells</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">226. Pulp: Different Class</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">227. Bjork: Debut</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">228. Kanye West: The College Dropout</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">229. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Joni Mitchell: Court & Spark</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">230. Jesus & Mary Chain: Psychocandy</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Di20RwskEZph93zOSwpqmWAKOQ_4bowyqfJhwU2_iIEeiAsqyqPIRA399N_6QY0dfqqqsuIqFdpL6_TAwQwN-Aj7Sk9DyyMna1St_eEoAAiyl7ExXpgGJzSVgl96eFaX5yfsStF6YrQ7/s1600/Pixies_SurferRosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="500" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Di20RwskEZph93zOSwpqmWAKOQ_4bowyqfJhwU2_iIEeiAsqyqPIRA399N_6QY0dfqqqsuIqFdpL6_TAwQwN-Aj7Sk9DyyMna1St_eEoAAiyl7ExXpgGJzSVgl96eFaX5yfsStF6YrQ7/s320/Pixies_SurferRosa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">231. Pixies: Surfer Rosa</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">232. Radiohead: In Rainbows</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">233. Pavement: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">234. The Beatles: Meet The Beatles!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">235. The White Stripes: Elephant</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">236. The Who: Live At Leeds</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">237. PJ Harvey: Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">238. The Verve: Urban Hymns</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">239. Elvis Presley: From Elvis In Memphis</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">240. LCD Soundsystem: Sound Of Silver</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ipB4lP4mcRis9t1tiYOnG2inup7Gk8pyjWyr4ankkWhdmm6gItBocgh6UblcUg1QtX7-rwzabhmeEG-vVEzbwcElfd07O-SOk2mzIk8ds9tIqzuPJSMrnUJ61QgNwCPcQ9pDwMGGBERT/s1600/VelvetUnderground_Loaded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ipB4lP4mcRis9t1tiYOnG2inup7Gk8pyjWyr4ankkWhdmm6gItBocgh6UblcUg1QtX7-rwzabhmeEG-vVEzbwcElfd07O-SOk2mzIk8ds9tIqzuPJSMrnUJ61QgNwCPcQ9pDwMGGBERT/s320/VelvetUnderground_Loaded.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">241. The Velvet Underground: Loaded</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">242. T. Rex: Electric Warrior</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">243. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Cosmo's Factory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">244. Frank Sinatra: In The Wee Small Hours</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">245. R.E.M.: Out Of Time</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">246. The Stooges</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">247. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">248. MC5: Kick Out The Jams</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">249. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">250. Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLWyeSEwORrk1_a5RqKV4IvXgUJMZFDk1MzIhmbr9pdI6-kZ9HBOrBSWPKdfCaPDBcPBIQZ9q1AOV0EgmsRD7tOY2I7_WJkh6Ooed7n5y8A66ry3wYYw6csYC5YLleHw7zr_N1NXaBTmc/s1600/OutKast_Speakerboxxx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLWyeSEwORrk1_a5RqKV4IvXgUJMZFDk1MzIhmbr9pdI6-kZ9HBOrBSWPKdfCaPDBcPBIQZ9q1AOV0EgmsRD7tOY2I7_WJkh6Ooed7n5y8A66ry3wYYw6csYC5YLleHw7zr_N1NXaBTmc/s320/OutKast_Speakerboxxx.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">251. </span><span style="font-size: large;">OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">252. The Mothers Of Invention: Freak Out!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">253. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Green River</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">254. Jay-Z: The Blueprint</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">255. Bob Marley & The Wailers: Natty Dread</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">256. The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">257. The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">258. The Byrds: Younger Than Yesterday</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">259. Weezer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">260. Bjork: Post</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">261. The New York Dolls</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">262. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Big Brother & The Holding Company: Cheap Thrills</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">263. Talking Heads: Fear Of Music</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">264. The Ramones: Rocket To Russia</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">265. Radiohead: Amnesiac</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">266. Deep Purple: Machine Head</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">267. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Byrds: The Notorious Byrd Brothers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">268. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Nick Drake: Pink Moon</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">269. U2: The Unforgettable Fire</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">270. Black Sabbath</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPcV_mVM4P2t4r1BxRueHGcPFsqoPklfx25rkmm1KlsvNfFt7fOSwBLN70a0VFSJZHxyIr2LroA_Nm5gXNyb1atNXYpGIgMeI03gPSlBVlEJCpMw5rF1NbElxFGzyeOrDXawI3rMwT_mX/s1600/Kraftwerk_TheMan-Machine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPcV_mVM4P2t4r1BxRueHGcPFsqoPklfx25rkmm1KlsvNfFt7fOSwBLN70a0VFSJZHxyIr2LroA_Nm5gXNyb1atNXYpGIgMeI03gPSlBVlEJCpMw5rF1NbElxFGzyeOrDXawI3rMwT_mX/s1600/Kraftwerk_TheMan-Machine.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">271. Kraftwerk: The Man-Machine</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">272. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">273. Roxy Music: For Your Pleasure</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">274. James Brown: Sex Machine</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">275. Adele: 21</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">276. The Modern Lovers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">277. Bob Dylan: Time Out Of Mind</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">278. Coldplay: Parachutes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">279. David Bowie: Station To Station</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">280. Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells A Story</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">281. Soundgarden: Superunknown</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">282. Todd Rundgren: Something/Anything?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">283. Buddy Holly: The "Chirping" Crickets</span></div>
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</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">284. The Mothers Of Invention: We're Only In It For The Money</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">285. Depeche Mode: Violator</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">286. Massive Attack: Mezzanine</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">287. The Fugees: The Score</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">288. Jethro Tull: Aqualung</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">289. Led Zeppelin: Houses Of The Holy</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">290. Gram Parsons: Grievous Angel</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQoXIE2I4huIjTyMwJqpuJAYcGni9V_mBfzpydD9l5cDxJS-STfoZ9vmo3AETvDx-UBGn-8j_qgx7DAhkrRev77zMBaIOrFxQTn8fx2WDf9qlsPRdK9NuGQ_Xx4D6okLthXHCHt1ll4LW3/s1600/Young_TonightsTheNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQoXIE2I4huIjTyMwJqpuJAYcGni9V_mBfzpydD9l5cDxJS-STfoZ9vmo3AETvDx-UBGn-8j_qgx7DAhkrRev77zMBaIOrFxQTn8fx2WDf9qlsPRdK9NuGQ_Xx4D6okLthXHCHt1ll4LW3/s320/Young_TonightsTheNight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">291. Neil Young: Tonight's The Night</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">292. Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">293. The Beach Boys: Today!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">294. Paul McCartney & Wings: Band On The Run</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">295. The Rolling Stones: Some Girls</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">296. Leftield: Leftism</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">297. Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">298. </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">Big Star: Third/Sister Lovers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">299. Sly & The Family Stone: Fresh</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">300. TLC: CrazySexyCool</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQBi3XFXtWq7lOz6pbAa0nzOy5cEut71yXCGaUSVyXSEQ-b-QwRBc_YhYi771lOHAPckRSoZLG8tW_6TRLJ6WXf78DkxYxDuKVpkIV3b-tNLVTL4UUwtFIRzIoPvf_d6yksCjNRKpCeWT/s1600/Lewis_LiveAtTheStarClub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="500" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQBi3XFXtWq7lOz6pbAa0nzOy5cEut71yXCGaUSVyXSEQ-b-QwRBc_YhYi771lOHAPckRSoZLG8tW_6TRLJ6WXf78DkxYxDuKVpkIV3b-tNLVTL4UUwtFIRzIoPvf_d6yksCjNRKpCeWT/s320/Lewis_LiveAtTheStarClub.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">301. Jerry Lee </span><span style="font-size: large;">Lewis: Live At The Star-Club, Hamburg</span>Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-48252116912425427122017-10-25T23:01:00.000-04:002017-10-25T23:06:15.709-04:00Last Thoughts On Fats Domino, 1928-2017.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaylaq-xnhfwjP6qY4TvvEZeXebsShT6tjOAeKPnsPJc-nvpFIPs_ko_f5xc3WyiIFjlito1IPMxA74aLU6k4ITSJ8svefXjqEQ9dfHQ6xtx-ak0daP5XuiCGLJrIHYPLdNeMQX1OEMFwJ/s1600/DominoFats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="900" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaylaq-xnhfwjP6qY4TvvEZeXebsShT6tjOAeKPnsPJc-nvpFIPs_ko_f5xc3WyiIFjlito1IPMxA74aLU6k4ITSJ8svefXjqEQ9dfHQ6xtx-ak0daP5XuiCGLJrIHYPLdNeMQX1OEMFwJ/s320/DominoFats.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Earlier today it was announced that Antoine Domino Jr., forever known by his stage name "Fats" Domino, passed away at the age of 89.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although Fats Domino has been frustratingly overlooked in recent years, he is not only one of the true founders of rock & roll, but arguably the first major rock star to record the music. Domino made his first record, "The Fat Man," all the way back in 1949; for comparison, at that time Little Richard was paying his dues in Buster Brown's Orchestra, Bill Haley was a yodeling cowboy with The Saddlemen; Chuck Berry was studying to become a beautician, & Elvis Presley was still the biggest loser in his high school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The Fat Man" was co-written by legendary New Orleans producer/performer/songwriter/A&R man Dave Bartholomew (who, by the way, is still alive at the age of 98), & was essentially a cleaned-up version of "Junker's Blues," a dope song credited to Willie "Drive'em Down" Hall; as some like to tell it, Domino's song was the first rock & roll record of them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If it was, then rock & roll came out of mud. Opening with a rolling, driving boogie that would power Domino for over a half-century of music-making, "The Fat Man" has an earthy, raw feel that would set the stage for the finest rock music from Elvis's Sun recordings to The Kinsmen's "Louie, Louie" through The Rolling Stones' <i>Exile On Main St.</i> & Kurt Cobain's home demos. New Orleans musicians alone couldn't get enough of it. Professor Longhair turned it into his own masterpiece, "Tipitina," while Lloyd Price reworked it as his own first hit, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Domino followed "The Fat Man" with over a decade of hits that made him the best-selling '50s rocker after Elvis. He broke through to the mainstream (read: "white" audience) in mid-1955, with his song "Ain't That A Shame," which, covered by Pat Boone, was one of the earliest examples of a white singer stealing a song from a black artist, as Boone took it all the way to #1. Enough kids were interested enough to seek out the original though, giving Domino his first Top 10 hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next to the wild likes of the duckwalking Chuck Berry or the riotous Little Richard, the easy-going charm & warm delivery of Domino seemed to provide an safe first step for a white audience curious about this new black music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, some dispute this image. In Rick Coleman's 2006 <i>Blue Monday: Fats Domino & The Lost Dawn Of Rock 'N' Roll</i>, which was somehow THE FIRST BIOGRAPHY OF FATS DOMINO(!), he rescues Domino from the oblivion of the allegedly easy-listening dustbin, such as with his description of Domino's breakthrough hit:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At a time when the few blacks on pop radio sang sweet ballads or novelties, "Ain't That A Shame" landed with the sonic impact of a piano falling from the sky, as, decades before today's gangsta rappers were born, Domino shouted out ghetto-accented staccato accusations about sad separations ringing like cannonades across a country divided by segregation--"<i>You made</i> . . . BOOM! BOOM! . . . me cry . . . <i>when you said</i> . . . BOOM! BOOM! . . . <i>goodbye</i> . . ."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From there until early the next decade, Fats Domino did not stop. His hits are some of the biggest records of the day--"I'm Walkin'," "I'm In Love Again," "My Blue Heaven," "Blue Monday," "Whole Lotta Loving," "I'm Ready," "Walking To New Orleans," & the song with which he's most associated, "Blueberry Hill"--& made him the most reliable African-American hitmaker of rock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Along the way, he shaped the music like few others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Buddy Holly covered his "Valley Of Tears" on his first LP; Ricky Nelson helped to make rock safe for white folks when he sang "I'm Walkin'" on <i>The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet</i>; Domino himself appears in perhaps the finest of the sanitized '50s rock films, <i>The Girl Can't Help It</i>, alongside headliner Little Richard (& Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, & The Platters); when Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, & Johnny Cash gathered for the fabled "Million Dollar Quartet" session, one of the few songs noted in the local newspaper that they sung was Domino's "Blueberry Hill" (although sadly no audio exists of this song); Ernest Evans came up with his own version of Domino's name & reinvented himself as Chubby Checker to score one of the biggest hits in rock history with "The Twist"; Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks cut their teeth on his records before The Hawks went on to back Bob Dylan (& even later become The Band--they would cover his "I'm Ready" on their <i>Moondog Matinee</i> LP); The Beatles' recorded "Lady Madonna" in tribute to Domino (his cover in turn would be the final Top 100 hit of his lifetime); John Lennon covered "Ain't That A Shame" on his 1975 <i>Rock 'N' Roll</i> LP; Randy Newman & Dr. John both made entire careers out of emulating Domino's left hand, albeit in drastically different ways; when Chuck Berry began playing smaller gigs in the late '90s in his native St. Louis, it was in a club called Blueberry Hill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& way back in 1957, the finest rock singer of them all, Elvis Presley, once told the press, "Let's face it: I can't sing it like Fats Domino can. I know that." A dozen years later, Domino came to Elvis's first concert at the Las Vegas Hilton. When a journalist referred to Elvis afterwards as "The King," Presley reportedly gestured to Domino & said, "No--that's the real king of rock & roll."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& unlike Presley, Fats Domino lived to see the fruits of his efforts. In 1986, Domino was one of the original ten inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, alongside Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, & Elvis Presley. (The only ones left now after today are Don Everly, Little Richard, & Jerry Lee Lewis.) The following year Domino won The Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys--the first rock artist to win the award after Elvis Presley & Chuck Berry. & in 1998, President Bill Clinton presented Domino with a National Medal Of The Arts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That medal was lost with nearly all of Domino's worldly possessions after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Like many of his Ninth Ward neighbors, Domino stayed put to try & weather out the storm (& care for his ill wife Josephine who he married in 1947; she later passed away in 2008); Domino was eventually rescued & taken to a shelter in Baton Rogue. When he returned home & President George W. Bush came by to give him a new National Medal Of The Arts, it was the last time he registered in the national consciousness. Domino moved out of the Ninth Ward to a suburb of New Orleans where he lived out the remainder of his life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For a music that has gotten so much from Fats Domino, he seems to stand counter to its core characteristics. Humble, soft-spoken, & full of positive vibes in a music that is too often brash, loud, & cynical, Domino might strike modern listeners as remote, if not quaint.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If so, then they are not listening very closely. Fats Domino can rock with the best of them, & his finest records--"Ain't That A Shame," "My Blue Heaven," "Blue Monday," "Blueberry Hill," & his very first hit "The Fat Man"--can rock as hard & well as anyone else's.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His music rolls through rock like the waters of his native New Orleans, a bedrock that is always changing, always the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the backup singers of his 1961 hit "What A Party" call out, "Big fat piano man, he sure could play!"</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-83978637063372573122017-10-10T19:58:00.002-04:002017-10-11T06:59:11.764-04:00Last Thoughts On Tom Petty, 1950-2017.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisys3JpzqYfXHC8w31CFKkUx2S_Rfo4y8MdZSiMGzCMfyxy0QI4mEQ6HwXaP9JUR7z2Yk1HOKWkcjcsB-WjyFrV7j9LfmNVSfJwD0gl48LoW3p_bEHdxHqCnbB3A19HwgIRELo-oiRYmg_/s1600/Petty_Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="400" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisys3JpzqYfXHC8w31CFKkUx2S_Rfo4y8MdZSiMGzCMfyxy0QI4mEQ6HwXaP9JUR7z2Yk1HOKWkcjcsB-WjyFrV7j9LfmNVSfJwD0gl48LoW3p_bEHdxHqCnbB3A19HwgIRELo-oiRYmg_/s320/Petty_Flag.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Petty, 1982. Loving Jesus & America, too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. American Girl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have been ridiculously fortunate in my concert-going life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've seen B.B. King strut out in a silver sequined jacket; Chuck Berry duckwalk across the stage; Jerry Lee Lewis kick over a piano stool; Bob Dylan smile at the crowd & say "thank you." I've seen Paul McCartney play "Eight Days A Week"; The Rolling Stones blast off with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"; Bruce Springsteen take a request of "Incident On 57th Street"; Elliott Smith sing the gorgeous "Waltz #2 (XO)" just a few years before his own tragic death. I've seen R.E.M. & U2, Elton John & Billy Joel; Sonic Youth & Neil Young.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& yet, the greatest single concert-going moment of life came in the late '90s, when I saw Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers play "American Girl" for the first time live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a difference between listening to a song & really <i>hearing</i> it, which I had never really considered up to that point in time. I knew "American Girl," of course; it began his 1993 <i>Greatest Hits</i> album that was ubiquitous in my home & car--& even if hadn't been, it was ubiquitous everywhere else, on classic rock radio, within friends' mix tapes, in <i>The Silence Of The Lambs</i>. I thought it was a good song, sure, but nothing any better than, say, "Breakdown" or "Refugee."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But there comes a time when you hear a song enough times that you begin to hear it in a new way, either through the song's sheer perseverance or the cosmic timing of when & where it is heard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For me, "American Girl" came together at that concert.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Petty didn't open or close with it; he played it somewhere in the middle, with little attention or fanfare, just one more song in a long string of hits & favorites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But when that drum kicked in as the guitars & bass rang out their parts on top of it, I finally really <i>heard</i> "American Girl." I was with a big group of friends with some lawn seats that were bought at the last minute & we danced in the light rain as the song filled our ears. The song's simple yet effective images--being raised on promises, acknowledging the great big world, standing alone on a balcony, creeping back into a memory, something so close but still so far--all crystalized as I looked to the girl next to me, who I had always had a crush on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like so many other Tom Petty songs, "American Girl" has a simple effectiveness that has convinced millions of fans that <i>they</i> are the American girl, or that <i>they</i> are the guy creeping back into a memory for one desperate moment there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a music where gods play for mere mortals, Tom Petty was--to lift a line from Leonard Cohen--almost human, a seemingly laid-back, approachable guy who just happened to write amazing music & could put on a live show that put virtually every else's to shame. His music was friendly. He was more like the guy who lived down your street & you saw at barbecues than someone who should be filling arenas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was <i>because</i> of his mortality that he was able to connect with his audience like he could--& it was this trait that ultimately made the music immortal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Anything That's Rock & Roll.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But we were reminded just how mortal Tom Petty was last week when he passed away after heart failure at the age of 66. So much rumor & speculation were being reported as fact that I cannot remember a more confusing demise of a rock star since Kurt Cobain took his own life in a then-regular series of relapses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But Tom Petty was different. If he wasn't ripped from us in the prime of youth like Cobain, he also wasn't someone we were expecting to pass away anytime soon. In a world where many of rock's giants above him still walk the earth (McCartney, Dylan, Jagger, etc.), let alone the generation above <i>them</i> (Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Fats Domino, etc.), no one was figuring this was to come anytime soon. Petty was a contemporary of Bruce Springsteen & Elvis Costello; why would anyone expect his passing to occur before, say, Bob Dylan?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Petty had just come off of a sold-out 40th Anniversary tour, which many saw as a grand gesture of retirement, even though he maintained that he wasn't packing it in for good. One of the things that made Petty different from his peers is that when others would make records or stray singles to promote tours, he kept on making albums for albums' sake, with some of his best & highest-charting material coming in the past decade. In a music of fast burn-outs & gimmickry, Petty had always dug in for the long haul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though I cannot for the life of me find it now, I remember reading an interview with <i>Rolling Stone</i> when he was taking his band out for another tour in the early 00's. I don't believe there was a new album to promote or anything, so they asked why he was doing it. Petty said he felt like they had to because they were the last rock band left. Everyone else played punk or metal or indie or alternative, but no one played straight-up rock & roll. He spoke as though his music was a mantle that was inherited & needed to be shared with the world by its mere existence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& in a way, he was right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. It's Good To Be King.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tom Petty met Elvis Presley when Petty was 11 & Elvis was working on a film (appropriately) titled <i>Follow That Dream</i> </span><span style="font-size: large;">in Petty's native Florida</span><span style="font-size: large;">. From there, it seems he did not stop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Meeting The King sparked an interest in rock music, which soon led to Petty devouring Elvis's music & getting his first guitar. But to a young teenager, Elvis seemed remote, powerful, & far removed from any kind of conceivable path to stardom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When The Beatles played <i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i> a few years later, it provided, as one Petty biographer aptly put it, the map of how to get to stardom like Elvis's. Petty would later call The Rolling Stones his version of punk rock (they were also punk rock's version of punk rock--just look at The New York Dolls), & like his contemporary Springsteen up the coast in New Jersey, Petty spent his formative years cobbling together various groups of varying quality & very limited success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When he finally released the eponymous debut LP <i>Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers</i> in the year of America's Bicentennial, he arrived, on one level, fully-formed. The album married the jangle of folk-rock with the defiance of their time, like a post-punk reincarnation of The Byrds with more than just a hint of Bob Dylan thrown into the mix. They were initially labeled as punk, & then as new-wave, which tells us far more how catch-all these terms were than anything about The Heartbreakers' actual music. The thing is, it shouldn't have been so elusive--from the very start they were a rock band, plain & simple.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers</i> featured two of the finest songs they would ever perform--"Breakdown" & "American Girl." (The latter was so instantly-classic that legend has it when former Byrd Roger McGuinn first heard it on the radio, he tried to convince himself that it was a cover of one of his own songs.) But again like Springsteen, Petty was lauded by rock critics but largely passed up by rock fans. It wasn't until Petty's third album--once again like Springsteen--that he finally broke through to a mainstream audience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This occurred on 1979's <i>Damn The Torpedoes</i>, where The Heartbreakers' driving sound met their sonic match with Jimmy Iovine as producer. With its title deriving from Union Army Navy commander David Farragut's cry in the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864 ("Damn the torpedoes--full speed ahead!"), it seems to speak to Petty's America. Farragut was born in Tennessee & resided in Norfolk, VA, when the Civil War broke out, but he remained loyal to the Union. Similarly, Petty was born in Florida, but spent much of his career out west in California; he would later examine the South's inconsistencies in 1985's <i>Southern Accents</i> & strongly denounced his use of the Confederate Flag on that tour earlier this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the title of <i>Damn The Torpedoes</i> referred to a more immediate civil war as well--the one Petty was waging with his label, MCA Records. When Petty's contract was sold to them without his consent, he declared the contract void, for which MCA sued him for breach of contract. Petty then declared bankruptcy to void the contract. Everything was worked out when he signed to a new label (& MCA subsidiary) Backstreet Records, but it gave Petty a distaste for the record business that would lead to a career fighting for artists' rights. (& also, with 1981's <i>Hard Promises</i>, where he protested his label marking the album up by a dollar, the rights of his listeners, too.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All that said,<i> Damn The Torpedoes</i> worked because it played like a greatest hits--"Refugee," "Don't Do Me Like That," "Here Comes My Girl," "Even The Losers," all the rest. When I saw Petty play on the 20th Anniversary Tour for that record, he made it clear that he was going to play some deep cuts from that album, so I prepared myself for some unfamiliar tunes; it turned out I knew them all just by owning a radio. Fittingly, the album was a smash & spent seven weeks at #2 on <i>Billboard</i>, lodged behind Pink Floyd's <i>The Wall</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With <i>Damn The Torpedoes</i> establishing Petty as a force in music, he followed with a string of albums that shifted in tones & textures, which largely served as a holding pattern for his music. & then, one day in 1988, George Harrison left a guitar at Petty's house, which ended up with Petty being invited to join Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, & ELO producer & mastermind Jeff Lynne to join a nascent supergroup that became The Traveling Wilburys. Fortune smiled on Petty, as he became one of the only people to say they were in a band with a Beatle, Bob Dylan, & a one-time Sun rockabilly star.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The only other person in the world who could say this--Jeff Lynne--soon struck up a friendship with Petty & helped shape his sound better than any producer had since Jimmy Iovine. Lynne had a bright, crisp sound that shaped the Wilburys' first album in 1988 & second album (labeled a third volume in tribute to Orbison, who had died) in 1990. (Just listen to the Wilburys' "Cool Dry Place"--easily Petty's funniest song--which Lynne absurdly punches up with funky horns like Petty was on Stax.) In between the two Wilburys albums, Lynne produced Petty's solo debut, <i>Full Moon Fever</i>, his finest album since <i>Torpedoes</i>. In Bob Dylan's <i>Chronicles Volume One</i>, he writes about being on tour with Petty when that album was new & remembers Petty being the big draw, not him. "Tom was at the top of his game & I was at the bottom of mine," Dylan wrote.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Full Moon Fever</i> was Petty's commercial peak, with classics like "Free Fallin'," "I Won't Back Down," & "Runnin' Down A Dream" anchoring it. It set the stage for the double crowning of 1993's <i>Greatest Hits</i> album, his all-time best-selling album, & 1994's <i>Wildflowers</i>, his finest album. The latter was made by working with his third great producer/collaborator after Jimmy Iovine & Jeff Lynne, Rick Rubin. The one-time Def Records founder & Beastie Boys auteur-turned-Americana junkie was fresh off of single-handedly reviving Johnny Cash's career with the first <i>American Recordings</i> album. (Subsequent albums would feature Petty & The Heartbreakers themselves as the backing band with Cash even intoning Petty's "Southern Accents" & "I Won't Back Down.")</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But just as Rubin was able to tap into the scope of Johnny Cash, so too was he able to do the same for Petty. Propelled by Rubin & backed by virtually all of The Heartbreakers (despite being a solo LP), <i>Wildflowers</i> saw the full range of Tom Petty's talents, from the folk simplicity of the title track to the storming "You Wreck Me" to the tender "Time To Move On" to the bluesy "Honey Bee." It played like a victory lap after all of his recent successes & remains his definitive artistic statement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Petty would consistently release new albums in the decades following <i>Wildflowers</i>, but he increasingly made more money from selling concert tickets than selling albums. No longer at the pinnacle of his commercial or artistic success, Petty was largely content to live in his songs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the man once said, "It's good to be king of your own little town."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. A One Story Town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tom Petty's songs are filled with tales that draw the line between the thrill of romance & the thrill of escape; temptation is a fact of day-to-day life & luck is often the only way to navigate through the twists & turns. The music becomes one long, long road--a king's highway, perhaps, or the very least a street named Kings Road--that pulls together the homes & people until they all blur into one. Who else but Tom Petty could pull off the image of a small-town front yard that somehow has a freeway running through it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If this land has a motto, it might come from the song "Refugee": "Honey, it don't make no difference to me, everybody's had to fight to be free." In Petty's country, no one is an outsider because no one has to live like a refugee. & the flip-side of being a refugee is belonging to a community.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like the song "Refugee," many of Petty's most famous songs--"Breakdown," "I Need To Know," "Here Comes My Girl"--don't even really start with singing in a traditional sense, but something closer to talking. The conversational style pulls you into the music until you're blindsided by the hook, as if Mark Twain was fronting Blondie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All put together, the music seems to form a small town, not unlike that of Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, a fellow southerner who knew his way around an archetype. Listening to the songs now, you can almost hear Dilsey leaving Church on Easter Sunday & proclaiming that she's seen the first & she's seen the last. & with The Heartbreakers playing backup, the sound </span><i><span style="font-size: large;">is</span></i><span style="font-size: large;"> the fury.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Petty's songs seem to provide a setting for a never-ending cast of characters who are at once wholly new yet entirely familiar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There's the good girl who's crazy about Elvis; the loser who gets lucky sometimes; the friend with the woman who hurt his pride; the drifter with the Louisiana rain in his shoes, the girl who might go solo; the musician searching for a cool, dry place; the A&R guy who doesn't hear a single; the old blues singer trying to lure his honey bee; the rebel born with one foot in the grave & one foot on the pedal; the sister who marries a yuppie; the old man who was born to rock; the phantom lover who darkens doors & tangles emotions; the zombies dancing at the zoo; the man who won't back down at the gates of hell; the sinner who follows an angel & can only thank God it was not too late.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lot can happen in a Tom Petty song.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cars speed by on the highway like waves crashing on the beach; teenagers reach for stardom; bad boys scorn good girls; old towns get lonesome; jukeboxes eat dollar bills like candy; Del Shannon's "Runaway" plays on the car radio; people smoke cigarettes & stare at the moon; ingenues write long letters on short pieces of paper; neighbors knock on the wall; landlords breathe down your neck; people dance to kill their pain; drunk tanks feel like motel rooms; people get high & come down; loners roll another joint; shady figures try to lure girls away with money & cocaine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& sometimes nothing happens at all & people are just left waiting, which is the hardest part.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But to leave this town would be reckless & any notion of moving on feels like breaking up a dogfight turning into a deer in the headlights. It would cause you to lose your mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& on top of all this atmosphere, characters, & action, Petty is the master of simple directives. Just look at his song titles. <i>Don't do me like that</i>. <i>I need to know</i>. <i>You wreck me</i>. His songs are littered with these phrases that should be cliches but are not in his hands. This in part speaks to the brilliance of his craft. Just like how some people are quick to knock The Stooges' primal "I Wanna Be Your Dog" as something that anyone could do, <i>then how come no one else has done it</i>? The same could be said for Petty's phraseology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Over time, Petty honed his craft until he was a master of the two-line couplet, spinning lyrics that might seem obvious to the point of stupidity, but remain some of the most perfect rock words ever penned. The height of these came in the mid-'90s, with his new single from his <i>Greatest Hits</i> album, "Mary Jane's Last Dance," & the first single from <i>Wildflowers</i>, "You Don't Know How It Feels." Both were studies in beat & rhythm, with words strung across them like non-sequitur Christmas lights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes they find a small portrait of action & feeling, as in these lines from "Mary Jane's Last Dance":</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">I hit the last number; I walked to the road</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes they just describe a feeling that is borne out by the music, like these words from "You Don't Know How It Feels":</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">There's someone I used to see</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">But she don't give a damn for me</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the time Petty got around to recording the criminally-underrated soundtrack to Ed Burns' romantic comedy <i>She's The One</i>, he could sing about a girl who's heart is so big it can crush a town. So seemingly stupid, but so effectively perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His songs unfolded like a series of masks, family members & friends, strangers & lovers, winners & losers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& he was all of them, at different times & in different ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Don't Fade On Me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As many people have already noted, perhaps the most tragic aspect of Tom Petty's passing is that, while he retired from major tours, he was still planning to make music & was even working on a new album at the time of his death.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen or Neil Young, it is impossible to imagine Tom Petty would ever stop making music, no matter what the sales were or old age he was at, waxing his simple wisdom that was too beautiful to be obvious, too true to ring false.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& re-listening to his music after this passing, no song rings more beautiful or true than the last verse of "Walls (No. 3)" from the <i>She's The One</i> Soundtrack:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Some things are over</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Some things go on</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Part of me you carry</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Part of me is gone--</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even the strongest of walls can fall down.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-21258754560491918072017-09-09T14:53:00.000-04:002017-09-09T15:02:00.539-04:00The Top 10 Greatest Dylan Rip-Offs.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bob Dylan is generally considered rock's finest songwriter & deservedly one of the most revered--& <a href="https://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-top-10-greatest-bob-dylan-covers-of.html">covered</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But what about those songs that aren't covers but adapt his unique characteristics--the bending voice, the wheezing harmonica, the complicated lyrics--for their own use, in varying levels of love & theft & parody?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It struck me that there were just enough decent examples of this to make a Top 10 list, as you find here. I decided to go with contemporaries or at least members of Dylan's own generation, as you could argue that entire artists have built a career out of ripping off his style. I also avoided direct parody--namely, "Weird Al" Yankovic's 2003 song "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUQDzj6R3p4">Bob</a>," which used his 12-bar-blues early electric sound to unfurl a series of non-sequitur palindromes when viewed on cards a la Dylan's own video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues"--although some of these definitely court parody, even if they are not novelties in & of themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Additionally, I stuck to ripping of the sound of Dylan in his classic mid-1960s era; I was very tempted to put on Dire Straits' "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo-J1wf2KHc">Sultans Of Swing</a>," which is a rare Dylan sound-alike that evokes a later period of his music, but ultimately decided it was too much its own thing. Finally, I excluded any songs by Bob Dylan himself; hence no "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzMKTZdkaU4">Tweeter & The Monkey Man</a>" (which itself is technically more of a Dylan-writing-Springsteen-in-turn-ripping-off-Dylan than a Dylan rip-off, per se, but I digress).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At any rate, here they are:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>10. A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) by Simon & Garfunkel</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paul Simon has always been the Bob Dylan-lite version--well-studied in both folk music & poetry, he took Dylan's style & made a kinder, gentler version for the masses to consume. Like so many others (including many of the people on this very list), Simon is unimaginable without Dylan. Simon seemed to acknowledge as much in this bizarre parody of the then-newly electric Dylan, spouting stream-of-conscious, name-dropping rhymes, wheezing into a harmonica, & even working in a few Dylan song titles while he was at it. But best of all was the disorganized ending in which Simon-as-Dylan croaks, "I dropped my harmonica, Albert," referring to Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman. A loving parody that probably sounded dated from the moment it was released.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>9. Thrasher by Neil Young</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bob Dylan is the master of lifting other people's melodies & making them his own (a talent he in turn gleaned from Woody Guthrie), so here Neil Young returns the favor. On the first acoustic side of <i>Rust Never Sleeps</i>--the second side was electric, which itself seemed to mirror Dylan's first-side-electric-second-side acoustic 1965 album, <i>Bringing It All Back Home</i>--Young strums and plays harmonica on this winding ballad, which lifts the melody from "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," which was released on the above-mentioned Dylan LP. At one point, Young sings "On the sidewalks & in the stations," which again mirrors Dylan's like "In the dime-stores & bus stations" in "Love Minus Zero." One could interpret this as either a knowing wink to Dylan's original (like how Young had previously admitted to stealing the melody of The Rolling Stones' "Lady Jane" in his own aptly-titled "Borrowed Tune") or just evidence of how lodged Dylan's classic music was in rock's collective unconscious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8. Catch The Wind by Donovan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Donovan has spent much of his career telling anyone who will listen that he wasn't influenced directly by Bob Dylan, but by the same people who influenced Dylan, namely Woody Guthrie & Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Whatever. The fact is, when Donovan's first hit single came out in 1965 (once Dylan had already moved onto more electric things), "Catch The Wind," it not only sounded like Dylan's earlier acoustic music, but it seemed to lift the melody from Dylan's own "Chimes Of Freedom"; furthermore, the title to Donovan's song seemed to riff off of Dylan's "Blowing In The Wind." Donovan would find something closer to his own voice when he went electric the following year, but in the meantime, the "Dylan vs. Donovan" hype of 1965 has been recorded (with a showdown towards the end!) in D.A. Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back" for all posterity to see.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? by Bruce Springsteen</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the 1970s, it seemed that every third white guy with an acoustic guitar was being hailed as "The New Dylan." (For a definitive document, check out Greil Marcus's list of "New Dylans" in Dave Marsh's classic <i>Rock Lists</i> book; Bob Dylan himself makes the list about half a dozen times.) But no "New Dylan" was greater-hyped--or more initially disappointing--as Bruce Springsteen. Initially signed by legendary Columbia Records A&R man John Hammond (who had previously discovered Dylan), the label wanted a folk debut & Springsteen wanted it to be more rock. Thankfully, the album mostly goes Springsteen's way (as it's most tedious song, the acoustic ballad "Mary Queen Of Arkansas" is perhaps the <i>worst</i> Dylan rip-off in rock history); when it was released, Lester Bangs marveled it had more words in it than any other album that year. "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?" is the most ridiculous of the lot, but at the same time, it's a loving use of Dylan's winding verses & surreal rhymes that ends in Spanish Harlem, the site of Dylan's own "Spanish Harlem Incident."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On David Bowie's third album & first masterpiece, <i>Hunky Dory</i>, he performs three ritualistic killings of the father, in the songs "Andy Warhol," "Song For Bob Dylan," & "Queen Bitch" (about Lou Reed). His one for Dylan captures both Dylan's "voice of sand & glue" as well as the refrains, which find Bowie railing against a female subject in the second person, as many of Dylan's songs did as well ("It Ain't Me Babe," "Like A Rolling Stone," "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" etc.) A master mimic & trained theatrical actor, Bowie even hangs on words like Dylan & plays it straight where his other songs show off his voice's range. All is a fitting tribute, from someone who claimed to have been in the audience of Dylan's "Royal Albert Hall" concert in which someone shouted "Judas!"--a rare turn of one of rock's great center-stage performers placing himself in the audience seats. Now hear this, Robert Zimmerman, indeed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although Dylan & The Rolling Stones seemed to be very different forces in '60s rock--& beyond--they shared a kindred spirit of the blues. More than any other major white rock band, the blues was the touchstone of The Stones, & Dylan pulled the impossible trick of inspiring psychedelic rock <i>without actually making it himself</i>; he always stayed true to his roots, which means that once he plugged in, he would always come home to the blues. So while a song like "Jigsaw Puzzle" might be the more obvious choice for a list like this, I've always preferred the absurd, sexy "Who's Driving Your Plane?," an obscure B-side to "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?" which finds The Stones absorbing Dylan & meeting him on his (& their) own turf. & unlike their other psychedelic music of this period, The Stones tap into the stoned overdrive of the blues, pushing it into something more fierce--& timeless--than most of their other work during this time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Hombres were a garage band from Memphis, Tennessee, that took the sound & vocabulary of Dylan & stretched it to its limits in this near-lampoon of a sound-alike. Like Dylan himself, they weren't afraid to borrow freely from other sources--the record's bizarre opening promise of "A preachment, dear friends, you are about to receive on John Barleycorn, Nicotine, & the temptations of Eve" was lifted from Red Ingle & His Natural Seven's 1947 novelty hit "Cigarets, Whuskey, & Wild, Wild Women." The Hombres' song that followed these words did well enough to make #12 on the national charts upon its release in 1967, & lead to an LP & a slew of follow-up singles, none of which would chart. The band members went their separate ways & in 2012, lead singer & organist B.B. Cunningham Jr. was shot & killed as a security guard in his hometown of Memphis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kinks' leader Ray Davies' kid brother Dave Davies stepped out of the shadows to pen & sing "Death Of A Clown" on their 1967 LP <i>Something Else By The Kinks</i>. Lifted as a single, the song was a smash hit in the UK, where it made the Top 3 & opened the door for future singles by Dave Davies, only one of which, "Susannah's Still Alive," would chart. (Worth seeking out are his non-charting B-sides & fascinating obscurities like "Mindless Child Of Motherhood" & "This Man He Weeps Tonight.") But as a hit-maker, "Death Of A Clown" was Dave Davies' first, last, & greatest hit. He adopted the acoustic strum, the raspy croon, & even the carnival atmosphere of Dylan songs like "Desolation Row" to craft his song, which was brought down from any heights of pretension by its earnest vocal & brother Ray's perfectly sour harmonies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Run For Your Life by The Beatles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps no one ripped off Dylan more than The Beatles (which makes sense because electric Dylan wouldn't exist without their gauntlet). "I'm A Loser" has the confessional lyric & wheezing harmonica & "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" has a tempo so familiar Dylan himself reclaimed it as "4th Time Around" & "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" finds them taking the hallmarks of Dylan & remaking it into their own vision. So why "Run For Your Life"? Honestly, it could have been any of these--or another. But "Run For Your Life" appeals for a few solid reasons: (1) It was the finale of both the UK & US album <i>Rubber Soul</i>, which found The Beatles "going folk" (especially in the US version) & seems to end the LP with a hat tip to the mentor; (2) it's the closest The Beatles would get to Dylan melodically, which seemed appropriate for the well-studied tunesmiths of Lennon & McCartney (just check the swooping of "Well, you know that I'm a wicked guy..."); (3) it begins with a direct lift of a line from Elvis's "Baby, Let's Play House" ("Well, I'd rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man"), which finds The Beatles literally picking up where Elvis left off. It speaks to a sort of shared trinity between Elvis, The Beatles, & Dylan while following the folk tradition of borrowed verses--a tradition on which Dylan literally built his songwriting career.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">[Unfortunately, The Beatles don't allow their stuff to remain on YouTube for more than a millisecond so the closest I could get was this VASTLY INFERIOR alternate take of the song, but please, ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES & track down the original anyway; anyone who loves rock enough to make it through this list should have a copy of <i>Rubber Soul</i> anyway.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. A Public Execution by Mouse & The Traps</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If initiation is the sincerest form of flattery, perhaps no song was more flattering to Bob Dylan than Mouse & The Traps' 1965 song "A Public Execution." Released within six months of Dylan's own "Like A Rolling Stone" & within four months of Dylan's <i>Highway 61 Revisited</i>, Mouse & The Traps got to the Dylan-imitation game early & did it the best. Clearly modeled after "Like A Rolling Stone," "A Public Execution" takes all of the various elements we've seen so far & packed them into one succinct punch--he careening imitation vocals, the unusual & pretentious song title, the winding lyrics focused on the caustic put-down of a female in the second person--& puts it into a song that actually sounds not too far off from Dylan's own <i>Highway 61 Revisited</i>-era sound, if a bit more deliciously ragged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A major hit in their native Texas (Mouse & The Traps hailed from Tyler, TX), it did well enough nationally to make #121 on <i>Billboard</i>'s "Bubbling Under" chart & lead to a string of follow-up material, most of which, like "A Public Execution," were regional hits with little action nationally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their song reached rock immortality when Lenny Kaye put it on his seminal 1972 garage rock compilation <i>Nuggets: Original Artifacts From The First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968</i>, along side B-level soundalike hits like The Knickerbockers' Beatles rip-off "Lies" & The Standells' Rolling Stones rip-off "Dirty Water."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In other words, "A Public Execution" did one thing that the girl in "Like A Rolling Stone" could never do: It found a home.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-66447653653832099572017-08-07T06:07:00.000-04:002017-08-07T14:12:10.570-04:00The Top 10 Most Underrated Beatles Songs Of All-Time.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLY4CBrG8qcv-6mqXzId9tVwPrWq6-SD31kl7yCtRJKfWHnYx8ek8StNdXNSSSoQcKL9-PTR5Fr0ZlGKKMrDajQaLwB2GLHHZsu-o3ucGbt8kmnGlduz7ZiZpyMbV0RNvI1GK8oJ8OWga/s1600/Beatles_AllTogetherNow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="570" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLY4CBrG8qcv-6mqXzId9tVwPrWq6-SD31kl7yCtRJKfWHnYx8ek8StNdXNSSSoQcKL9-PTR5Fr0ZlGKKMrDajQaLwB2GLHHZsu-o3ucGbt8kmnGlduz7ZiZpyMbV0RNvI1GK8oJ8OWga/s320/Beatles_AllTogetherNow.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles have perhaps the most well-known discography in rock & roll--all 217 of the songs they officially released are classics in one way or another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tons has been written about the likes of "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "Strawberry Fields Forever," & "Hey Jude," but what about the songs that are overlooked & forgotten, obscure & esoteric; it is for these songs that I make this list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, & Ringo Starr all contributed worthy songs that have fallen through the cracks of modern appreciation, songs that are overshadowed by the more-celebrated & recognized songs of their career.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I didn't use any hard-&-fast rules for this list, I just tried to think of The Beatles songs that have almost no culture identity, ones you never hear on the radio, tunes that are rarely brought up in print. My only rule was that it had to be a Beatles original as opposed to a cover, but after that, anything was game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I ended up leaving out anything from their first two albums because their early material is all pretty well familiarized & well-rated, & the few songs that weren't (say, "Misery," "All I've Got To Do," "Not A Second Time") weren't good enough to merit a list like this. Chalk it up to the ubiquitousness of their early years, where basically anything that was good-to-great was released on a single in the US & devoured by an adoring public in their native land.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Plus, can anyone say that songs like "There's A Place," "I'll Get You," or "It Won't Be Long" (each of which were strong contenders for the list) are underrated? Aren't they all just fairly famous & fairly well rated? Yes, a song like "There's A Place" should be better-rated than it is, but it's not as neglected as some of the choices here. At least in my humble opinion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also, I wanted to put this list together within a weekend, as opposed to a lifetime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what follows is one fan's highly subjective list.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. "Old Brown Shoe" [Single B-Side, 1969]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to its surprise placement on hits collection "The Blue Album," "Old Brown Shoe" is perhaps the most recognizable of the underrated Beatles songs, but even people who've heard it for years on this set let it pass by without really hearing it, out-shined by its flashier A-side "The Ballad Of John & Yoko" & the <i>Abbey Road</i> material like "Come Together" & "Something" that follow it. But "Old Brown Shoe" deserves to be heard in its own right. This is one of Harrison's true gems, featuring some of his funniest, slyest lyrics since "Taxman" ("I want a love that's right, but right is only half of what's wrong," it begins) & a deep, muddy groove that ignites the band into one of their finest (& final) truly ensemble performances. Just listen to the way Lennon shouts "Hey!" with joy in the last verse.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9. "The One After 909" [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a ragged warmth to "The One After 909" that transcends the petty bickering of the atmosphere in which it was recorded. If it sounded like they'd been playing it forever, it's because they had. One of the earliest Lennon-McCartney collaborations, the song was nearly a decade old and was recorded on at least two separate occasions--once with the Stu Sutcliffe-era 1960 demos & once as a potential B-side for "From Me To You" three years later. In the nostalgic, heady days of the ill-fated "Get Back" project, it was trotted out again & they completely <i>nailed</i> it, with a key assist (no pun intended) by Billy Preston. Oddly, it's the only Beatles song about trains--a sort of lighter, Liverpudlian take on "Love In Vain."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. "All Together Now" [Album Track, <i>Yellow Submarine</i>, 1969]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Ian MacDonald wrote about this song in his classic book <i>Revolution In The Head</i>, he said simply: "Self-produced (for the planned <i>Yellow Submarine</i> cartoon feature (in one six-hour session, this repetitive McCartney singalong displays the group's misplaced faith in the childlike, being trite enough to have been chanted for several seasons on English football terraces." I respectfully beg to differ. First of all, the song isn't trying to be anything more than it is--a children's song. Secondly, I hear it as a Lennon-McCartney collaboration in the classic sense, with McCartney contributing the verses & Lennon writing the bridge. Third of all, it has a performance that more than carries its spirit, especially once Lennon's ukulele rhythm comes in & Starr's Spike Jones-quality percussion finish. Finally, for a song that usually dismissed as a children's song, it has some knowingly adult lines ("Can I take my friend to bed?") that make it something else entirely. All told, it's a song that delivers a whole bigger than the sum of its parts--like its title implies.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. "Only A Northern Song" [Album Track, <i>Yellow Submarine</i>, 1969]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The second of three songs on this list from <i>Yellow Submarine</i>, which may seem like a lot, but it must be remembered that the songs on that album spanned a three-year recording era. "Only A Northern Song" was made during the sessions for <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band </i>but was shelved, presumably for being too dark for that album's optimistic aesthetic. This is a shame as less-interesting material like "Fixing A Hole" made the cut instead, not to mention Harrison's replacement, "Within You Without You," which has divided audiences since its first release. I much prefer this oddity, an apparent dig at Harrison having to write songs under Lennon & McCartney's "Northern Songs" publishing company, which spoke to an underlying skepticism & cynicism that has aged much better than nearly everything else on <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. "Wait" [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While I favored the obscure for this project (literally one-half of The Beatles' songs from the <i>Yellow Submarine</i> LP made this list), I was also drawn to the under-appreciated work on some of their celebrated albums, such as this & the next song on <i>Rubber Soul</i> (perhaps because <i>Rubber Soul</i> is itself the most underrated of The Beatles' stone-cold classic albums, at least to modern ears; I personally think it's finer than anything else except <i>Revolver</i> & <i>Abbey Road</i>). But what about this track? "Wait" was the first song recorded for <i>Rubber Soul</i>--or more tellingly, the last song recorded for <i>Help!</i>, which The Beatles thought it was not strong enough for. Luckily, they picked it up again in their recording sessions for <i>Rubber Soul </i>some five months later, making it a worthy track on the LP. The spirit of the melody carried by the urgency of the percussion make it among the most exciting tracks they ever cut--plus with Lennon's verse & McCartney's bridge, it was one of the true 50/50 Lennon-McCartney compositions of this period. From its conception to its execution, "Wait" makes it clear that it will do everything except what its title says.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. "I'm Looking Through You" [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I combined a baker dozen's worth of best-song Beatles lists to make my own poll-of-polls <a href="http://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-100-greatest-beatles-songs-of-all.html">The 100 Greatest Beatles Songs Of All-Time</a> in 2015, I was shocked to find that among the songs not to make <i>any</i> list was "I'm Looking Through You." Perhaps <i>Rubber Soul</i> is simply too packed with classics, but "I'm Looking Through You" is a great song that combines McCartney's penchant for melody with clever lyrics built on internal rhymes & killer bridge. It is also one of the best songs to capture The Beatles' transition from straight-ahead rock to the abstraction of their psychedelic music, as "I'm Looking Through You" creates a surreal lyric that demands to be taken entirely literally. Also, like the best songs from <i>Rubber Soul</i> (such as the more-celebrated "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" or "Girl"), it provides more questions than answers, while its organ blast at the refrain is one of the most soulful parts of <i>Rubber Soul</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. "Cry Baby Cry" [Album Track, "The White Album," 1968]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A haunting nursery rhyme of a song, "Cry Baby Cry" is the last song before "The White Album" goes off the rails with the challenging "Revolution 9" & the saccharine "Good Night." Taking the form of a folk ballad, The Beatles seem to reach back into a world that never really existed, which, lifted by piano & pushed forward by the drums, seemed to echo the music made by Bob Dylan & The Band the previous year in their legendary Basement Tapes sessions. Perfectly answering Lennon's riddle wrapped in an enigma is the cold finish into McCartney's "Can You Take Me Back?" coda, rocking back & forth mysteriously into the ether. As the twisted sounds of "Revolution 9" followed, it was clear the answer was no.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. "I'll Be Back" [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The finale of the forward-looking second side of the UK version of <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> LP, "I'll Be Back" was one of their most affecting ballads. Originally conceived as a waltz in 3/4 time, it proved too tricky to sing & was reinvented in straight 4/4 time. (Check out The Beatles' <i>Anthology 1</i> for the hilarious results of the former before settling into the latter.) Part of what makes the song so special is that it contains not one but two distinct Beatles bridges (the "I wanna go" verse & the "I thought that you would realize" verse), creating a song that is varied in melody but united in sound. It is also noticeably darker than their contemporary material, pointing the way to <i>Rubber Soul</i>, "The White Album," & beyond.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. "Hey Bulldog" [Album Track, <i>Yellow Submarine</i>, 1969]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A funky, rock & roll boogie recorded just as The Beatles were careening from psychedelic rock to a more back-to-basics sound, "Hey Bulldog" is one of their freshest & most spontaneous-sounding performances. Part of this is because of how criminally neglected & underplayed it is, but most of it has to do with the performance in the song itself. Shifting from its offhanded, nonchalant asides of verses, it then hits you with a refrain that has all the intensity of The Four Tops' "Reach Out (I'll Be There)," based on an underlying simplicity: "YOU CAN TALK TO ME...IF YOU'RE LONELY YOU CAN TALK TO ME." What more needs to be said after this? Originally beginning life as "Hey Bullfrog," the group wisely changed it to a canine subject, shelved it, & then threw it away on the <i>Yellow Submarine</i> LP. It deserved much better.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" [Album Track, "The White Album," 1968]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The closest thing The Beatles ever got to a self-contained "rock opera" (a la The Who's "A Quick One While He's Away"), "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" is a patchwork quilt of a creation, with Lennon stitching together various half-finished demos from their trip to India. Like "Strawberry Fields Forever," it began its life as a folk-picked ballad, but kept that feeling with its ominous "She's not a girl who misses much..." opening. It then takes a turn into the rocking "She's well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand..." part, which itself lands in the hard-rock style riffing that picks up with the "I need a fix 'cause I'm going down" that then goes into the stop-&-start "Mother superior jump the gun" section. Finally, everything resolves into the lovely, ridiculous, cascading "Happiness is a warm gun" finale, which takes the malt-shop doo-wop chord progression of the '50s & turns it inside-out into a bizarre statement made out of love, lust, & revolution. Every twist & turn of the song is fully supported & hashed out by The Beatles, adding up to a complex, proficient performance that defies the cliche that "The White Album" is just a preview of The Beatles' solo careers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With the assassinations of RFK & MLK that same year--not to mention Lennon's own a dozen years later--"Happiness Is A Warm Gun" plays like a foreboding prophecy of doom, the moment at which the all-you-need-is-love ethos of the '60s became a doomed warning for the modern age.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-71857031017543135622017-07-26T06:42:00.001-04:002017-07-27T13:39:05.832-04:00Donald Trump: Unpresidented.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8f5ZnJqU82vDBhQD4g2OPPmFAbXzdIgV5l87Q0NiCq1Cgd41RwqCTYm6XimH2HQMD5KbsymHMRgrsyqkLNiXnAIo722hcbh7Lx6p9Nltamkl6z4npLIsl6bJA1LqIBgouPXvgLYJ2K8T/s1600/Trump_OH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="960" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8f5ZnJqU82vDBhQD4g2OPPmFAbXzdIgV5l87Q0NiCq1Cgd41RwqCTYm6XimH2HQMD5KbsymHMRgrsyqkLNiXnAIo722hcbh7Lx6p9Nltamkl6z4npLIsl6bJA1LqIBgouPXvgLYJ2K8T/s320/Trump_OH.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Trump peddling snake oil in Youngstown, OH, 7.25.2017.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was nine years old when I first learned to recite the Presidents backwards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ever since, they have been a source of interest, of inspiration, a lens through which to better understand America in all of its ragged guts & glory. They exist as a set of 44 men who, at their best, represent the best that America can be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is not true, however, of the current president.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">President Donald J. Trump is shaping up to be the joker in the deck, the one who taints the entire set by the mere presence of his inclusion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is not just tragic, but ironic--no President has ever been more obsessed with the concept of "branding," & yet President Trump single-handedly ruins the brand of President.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He is, to use his own mistaken term that was left up in a tweet for nearly an hour before it was taken down & corrected, "Unpresidented."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So last night, in one of his countless would-be election rally speeches in Youngstown, Ohio, when President Trump said that "With the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any other president," he had finally gone too far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now it was personal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm pretty sure President Trump initially ran for President as a publicity stunt to promote his then-dimming brand, & as time went on, found himself triggering something like a social movement he couldn't have predicted. Somehow this super-rich New York City elite who bragged about his adultery & had the speaking skills & morality of a 3rd grade bully won over the so-called Christian conservatives in the midwest & south.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What was supposed to be referendum on America became a referendum on Hillary Clinton.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As he continued to fall backwards into things going his way, Trump's insatiable ego took over. He must be great because every tells him he's great. He should be President because he is a Great Man because he must be. He is basically like Rodion Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky's <i>Crime & Punishment</i>, only instead of killing a helpless old lady, he killed our country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the American People--or more tellingly, the Electoral College--called his bluff & made him President. As everyone waits with baited breath for the "real President Trump," he continues to be the only Trump there ever was: The self-absorbed jackass who blusters his way through everything with big empty promises, insults, & tweets. Even now that he is President, the campaigning never stops. Can you imagine if six months in, Obama still talked about McCain nearly every day or Bush had kept bringing up Gore?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The only saving grace to this all is that Trump himself appears to hate his new job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I chalk it up to the fact that, until January 20, 2017, he hasn't really had to put in a hard day of work in probably 30 years. He's not used to doing it, & even worse, he's not <i>interested</i> in doing it. He's used to surrounding himself with his family (why do you think they all now work in the West Wing?) & letting them call the shots as he supplies the brand name like an honorary CEO.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've heard skeptics say that perhaps the weight of the office would inspire him to step up, but all signs thus far have indicated that he simply does not possess the mental ability to do so. Someone recently wrote that being President requires at least some level of intellectual curiosity, & President Trump appears to be entirely void in this way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He surrounds himself with yes-men & Fox News who don't dare to question his allegedly historic, "A+" Presidency, & everyone else is either wrong or "FAKE NEWS."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's basically like "The Emperor's New Clothes," & Trump is the clueless king who's complimented by his noblemen but stands naked to the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or perhaps, he's like King Lear, a fool who believes himself to be a wise man, railing against the storm in futility & rage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whatever he is, it's not presidential & it's ruining the brand of men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, & Franklin Roosevelt; let alone more recent ones like Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, & Ronald Reagan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of our worst Presidents, Warren G. Harding, who spent his time in office gambling & cheating on his wife while appointing his corrupt friends to government positions said, "I am not fit for this office & should never have been there."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If only President Trump could have the wisdom of, um, Warren G. Harding.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-63450492640335312102017-07-23T10:23:00.001-04:002017-07-23T11:16:07.969-04:00The Beatles: The Number Ones.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmx_PsDIIItPgeRBrBPNNOL8rY9A7ZUFYMt1mfx_DZoAAJPGlQCotA2wP0yYjRJrWTb6pd45qwjYDJs2hF52T4dXgH_esjGdjIACinqZ6oC5uW5atcUq2hEfiIxPVspDlalZdgrVVs7IG/s1600/Beatles_Billboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="630" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmx_PsDIIItPgeRBrBPNNOL8rY9A7ZUFYMt1mfx_DZoAAJPGlQCotA2wP0yYjRJrWTb6pd45qwjYDJs2hF52T4dXgH_esjGdjIACinqZ6oC5uW5atcUq2hEfiIxPVspDlalZdgrVVs7IG/s320/Beatles_Billboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of all the achievements The Beatles have been recognized for, there is one that I don't believe I've ever seen mentioned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While they were together, The Beatles released 22 singles--featuring 26 A-sides between them--in their native UK.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Between the major charts in the UK & the US, every single single--that is, all 26 A-sides--hit #1.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's quite a feat for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, & Ringo Starr. No one can touch this--not Elvis, not The Rolling Stones, & certainly not Bob Dylan, who's yet to ever have a #1 record.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So to celebrate this on the 60th Anniversary month of The Day John Met Paul, I thought it would be interesting to break down just how those 26 A-sides charted--as well as over a dozen more #1's that occurred outside of their homeland singles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>INTRO: THE CHART MYTH</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They say that history is written by the winners, & perhaps nowhere is that more apparent than in the popular music charts, of all places.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Modern day chart listings will have you believe that for each country, there was only one main chart. Nowhere is this more true than for the UK & the US where <i>Record Retailer</i> & <i>Billboard</i>, respectively, have become the end-all, be-all authority of what was officially a hit when & where.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But as with so much else, the truth is, well, more complicated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the time The Beatles were releasing their singles, there was no one single dominant chart in the UK or the US. In the UK, <i>Record Retailer</i> was one of several main charts, which also included ones printed in <i>New Music Express</i> (<i>NME</i>) & <i>Melody Maker</i>. In fact, of these three charts, <i>Record Retailer</i> was generally considered the weakest & least-reliable because, despite its name, it actually sampled the fewest number of stores--around 30 to the others that tabulated upwards of several hundred each. (A fourth chart, <i>Disc</i>, also generally considered more reliable than <i>Record Retailer</i>, was omitted here because it only printed its own charts until 1967 before using the one made by <i>Melody Maker</i>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But somehow <i>Record Retailer</i> got be the official UK chart in hindsight, which altered standings of some long-accepted #1 hits, none more so than "Please Please Me," which now magically lost its #1 status in the UK. (The other chief loser was The Rolling Stones, whose "19th Nervous Breakdown" also lost its UK #1 status). To anyone living in the UK at that time, this was absurd, as "Please Please Me" topped the charts everywhere else & began The Beatles career as a mainstream commercial sensation. Thus, when the much-celebrated CD collection <i>1</i> came out, "Please Please Me" was nowhere to be found.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the US, <i>Billboard</i> was the first chart compiler & the last one standing, but throughout the '60s, competitors like <i>Cashbox</i> & <i>Record World</i> were used just as much & considered just as reliable, if not more so. Just like how only focusing on <i>Record Retailer</i> results in a distorted perspective of the UK charts, so too does only focusing on <i>Billboard</i> results in a distorted perspective of the US charts. To get the most complete picture of what was going on, it is best to put the three charts together to form a greater whole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When this is done for both sides of the Atlantic, all 22 Beatles singles--which includes 26 A-sides--hit #1 on at least one of these charts. An additional five songs made #1 on the US charts only. & by my count, nine more songs on top of that made #1 in a major country that wasn't the UK or US. All told, this makes for 40 #1 hits, which means that over 18%--<i>nearly one-fifth</i>--of their initial catalog hit #1 somewhere in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>PT. 1: THE ORIGINAL UK SINGLES</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1. Love Me Do</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4dDPTtWgfviok-CSIyYF72fXyq1hXl7AIAqtPU-lcYV9J00sRpXsnQJDUaV5voX2hlu1dnqlnD2x-ZUBkfxJ-12GfepOn4w6lP4mYcsmYHGWmZteqcZp1OekJlIGXAd7cU17aPmktSjs/s1600/Beatles_Love_Me_Do.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4dDPTtWgfviok-CSIyYF72fXyq1hXl7AIAqtPU-lcYV9J00sRpXsnQJDUaV5voX2hlu1dnqlnD2x-ZUBkfxJ-12GfepOn4w6lP4mYcsmYHGWmZteqcZp1OekJlIGXAd7cU17aPmktSjs/s320/Beatles_Love_Me_Do.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>P.S. I Love You"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>October 5, 1962 [UK]; April 27, 1964 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>September 4-11, 1962</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>McCartney-Lennon</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:26 [Version 1]; 2:22 [Version 2]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #17</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#27 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#21</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (1 week)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (1 week)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (1 week)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "Lo</span><span style="font-size: large;">ve Me Do" is the only original Beatles UK single to reach #1 for no more than one week on any chart.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> "Love Me Do" was the first Beatles single & the first single not to top any UK charts (including <i>Disc</i>, the fourth chart, where it placed #24) until "Something/Come Together" in 1969. However, in America it topped a</span><span style="font-size: large;">ll three charts--a pattern we shall see repeated (& inverted) later on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There were two "Love Me Do"s--the original UK single version that featured Ringo Starr on drums ("Version 1") & one v</span><span style="font-size: large;">ersion that featured session musician Andy White on drums & Starr banging a tambourine ("Version 2"). After a few weeks, "Version 1" was replaced with "Version 2," a trend cemented when "Version 2" was included on the first Beatles LP, <i>Please Please Me</i>. Meanwhile, the original master of "Version 1" was erased, & when the song was reissued on rarities compilations some twenty years later, a 4</span><span style="font-size: large;">5 record was used. Thus, in the US, it was "Version 2" that hit the top spot on all the major charts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>2. Please Please Me</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1ocJTHxV0aP0RO_2t6xkRQxrR3TrFxndYZNqU6iWU_k4caVoobAOAr933m6TjosSqkSSzUksX8z5mYQlG_XZoe-aqhRbnWYkXoQWbc8w0NJ0lQzT_qoQQEgd9cKlvcQ6U1WISU5rRowl/s1600/Beatles_PleasePleaseMe45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1ocJTHxV0aP0RO_2t6xkRQxrR3TrFxndYZNqU6iWU_k4caVoobAOAr933m6TjosSqkSSzUksX8z5mYQlG_XZoe-aqhRbnWYkXoQWbc8w0NJ0lQzT_qoQQEgd9cKlvcQ6U1WISU5rRowl/s320/Beatles_PleasePleaseMe45.jpg" width="317" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>Ask Me Why" [UK]; "From Me To You" [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> January 11, 1963 [UK]; February 7, 1963 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>November 26, 1962</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>McCartney-Lennon</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:06</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #2 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (2 weeks; 1 week co-#1 with Frank Ifield's "The Wayward Wind; 1 week solo)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Disc:</b> #1 (2 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>Like "Love Me Do" & all of the original songs off of their first LP, "Please Please Me" is officially a "McCartney-Lennon" composition; the more familiar "Lennon-McCartney" credit would not be used until their next single, "From Me To You."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>When The Beatles finished cutting "Please Please Me," their producer, George Martin, replied, "Congratulations gentlemen, you've just made your first #1."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">He was right, mostly.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Please Please Me" hit #1 on every UK chart except for <i>Record Retailer</i>, which means it got the top spot in <i>NME</i>, <i>Melody Maker</i>, & <i>Disc</i>. It further was the #1 song on the BBC listings, making <i>Record Retailer</i> the freak outlier. By literally all the other more reliable sources, "Please Please Me" was</span><span style="font-size: large;"> the biggest record in the country; when the back of The Beatles' debut album, a</span><span style="font-size: large;">lso called <i>Please Please Me</i>, hailed its title track as their first #1 song in the UK, it wasn't lying.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the States, it fared less well, but received a boost when it was performed on <i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i>, propelling it to #3 on all the major charts, held back from the top by "I Want To Hold Your Hand" & "She Loves You," taking turns at #1 & #2, depending on the week & the chart.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>3. From Me To You</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZuX9m75kwjC4jBpiqjSv6rH9soqud4w2xoDWY3uuIcmiZeLOG9JAEEkV75fkS-4A2HL5tBEngTpsjxsEGccPC3Bi6Dj0Z1kHOVSFI3-z96H37NdanIg2s9RYRyR0oR0kq7oLDgtX2ef6/s1600/Beatles_FromMeToYou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZuX9m75kwjC4jBpiqjSv6rH9soqud4w2xoDWY3uuIcmiZeLOG9JAEEkV75fkS-4A2HL5tBEngTpsjxsEGccPC3Bi6Dj0Z1kHOVSFI3-z96H37NdanIg2s9RYRyR0oR0kq7oLDgtX2ef6/s320/Beatles_FromMeToYou.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>Thank You Girl"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>April 11, 1963 [UK]; May 27, 1963 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>March 5, 1963 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 1:57</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Country Where #1: </b>New Zealand</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #1 (7 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (5 weeks; 4 weeks solo; 1 week co-#1 with Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas' "Do You Want To Know A Secret")</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (6 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #41</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#41</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#46<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> Clocking in at under two minutes, "From Me To You" is the shortest Beatles #1.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>If there were any doubts about whether "Please Please Me" was just a passing fad, they were put to rest with "From Me To You." </span><span style="font-size: large;">The fact that it remains, outside of the enormous follow-up "She Loves You," The Beatles hit to spend the most collective weeks at #1 in their native country speaks to how different they were upon arrival.</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">They were so different that the US didn't know what to do with them--although they would soon learn. In the meantime, American singer Del Shannon (best known for his 1961 smash "Runaway") covered "From Me To You" in June 1963, where it made #77 on <i>Billboard</i>, giving him the distinction of having the first charting Beatles song in America. This led the original version to garner some attention, making #149 on <i>Cashbox </i>& #116 on <i>Billboard</i>'s "Bubbling Under" chart that July & August, respectively, making it the first Beatles record to make the US chart, some four months before full-fledged US Beatlemania.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When The Beatles broke wide-open in early 1964, "From Me To You" was reissued as the B-side to "Please Please Me," which caused it to stall on the American in the low-to-mid-40s. It remains the only original Beatles UK single to not make the American Top 40 on any major chart.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>4. She Loves You</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7tkS69-kcDC7BXVFXwyUtnkgfGFZacFvfPhvbcrPPjVE8-ZpN3VXPooF7Q0jnN-GAR6lVwfa7YUux36uYLE69c18edFCmGcSYDNwU9LfD9ui_KfI-j6KDQHg6XDo4sLwe7Y7Z6iQmHqe/s1600/Beatles_SheLovesYou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="360" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7tkS69-kcDC7BXVFXwyUtnkgfGFZacFvfPhvbcrPPjVE8-ZpN3VXPooF7Q0jnN-GAR6lVwfa7YUux36uYLE69c18edFCmGcSYDNwU9LfD9ui_KfI-j6KDQHg6XDo4sLwe7Y7Z6iQmHqe/s320/Beatles_SheLovesYou.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>I'll Get You"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> August 23, 1963 [UK]; September 16, 1963 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> July 1, 1963 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:21</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Canada, New Zealand, & Norway</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #1 (6 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#1 (6 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (7 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (1 week)<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"She Loves You" says the word "Yeah" 29 times.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>British
Beatlemania begins here. "She Loves You" took The Beatles from being
the biggest thing in English music to the biggest thing in the England.
The song led to them playing <i>Val Parnell's Sunday Night At The London Palladium</i> in October 1963, the British equivalent of <i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i>,
which was watched by 15 million people in England. It also led to their
playing The Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth a month
later. & as a reminder of how huge the song was for them, it
serves as the live performance closer at the end of their film the
following year, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Not surprisingly, it was named as <i>Record Retailer</i>'s Best-Selling Single Of The Year for 1963 & later, their Best-Selling Single Of The Decade.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If
the record didn't do quite as well in America overall, it was only
because it was overshadowed by "I Want To Hold Your Hand," which became a
hit in the country first. It was only after "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
became #1 that "She Loves You" rose to follow it, although its stay at
the top was truncated because of the other song's massive success.
However, both songs lingered on the charts for roughly the same amount
of time (15-18 weeks each, depending on the chart), which was reflected
in the fact that it was #2 on both <i>Billboard</i> & <i>Cashbox</i>'s year-end sales charts for 1964.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The song also initiated the astounding nine consecutive UK singles in a row that would reach #1 on all three major UK & US charts, a feat unheard of in this or any other era. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>5. I Want To Hold Your Hand</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCveCPCz0I_NiZeQ0v2zIcFvYmutMO3NdSiHs3NWRdoDU87Qis21MWRK_Lt6a80PZIMmHl4m2GyaYkNWevUw83O22HhLQrBJ0ZEs62akPuNhLOjDtMPAhJJ95tZ7IO0s4VklFTKWAFwck1/s1600/Beatles_IWantToHoldYourHand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="790" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCveCPCz0I_NiZeQ0v2zIcFvYmutMO3NdSiHs3NWRdoDU87Qis21MWRK_Lt6a80PZIMmHl4m2GyaYkNWevUw83O22HhLQrBJ0ZEs62akPuNhLOjDtMPAhJJ95tZ7IO0s4VklFTKWAFwck1/s320/Beatles_IWantToHoldYourHand.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>This Boy" [UK]; "I Saw Her Standing There" [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>November 29, 1963 [UK]; December 26, 1963 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> October 17, 1963</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:26</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, & Norway</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (5 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#1 (6 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (5 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (7 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (8 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (9 weeks)</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>With 12 million in sales to date, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" is The Beatles' best-selling song worldwide. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b>
The song that launched American Beatlemania. After seeing countless UK
acts try to make it in America & fail, they swore to never tour the
country until they had a #1 hit. On February 1, 1964, they got their
wish.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Much
as "She Loves You" was the monster hit that made them a sensation in
the UK, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was the monster hit that made them a
sensation in America. The song basically stopped everything for about
two months, as The British Invasion arrived with two albums worth of
Beatles material ready for the US audience hungry for more.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the UK, the song was a big hit, but not as big as "She Loves You" had been. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" would go onto become the second-best selling song of the year in the UK.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was<b> </b>#1 on both <i>Billboard</i> & <i>Cashbox</i>'s year-end sales chart for 1964.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It also capped a successful year for The Beatles, as 1963 was the only year in which they would release four singles, all of which were #1s.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>6. Can't Buy Me Love</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvEaZw3PZr3IEfmlfGRVgEDHCv2zKl-lMxv2WTBSOwjD4QvtEbsGhMmgZKBj82RObPRqcGzjpTiU0NhYj587ySEdZgFrFZGzkQBy7QxVJip04H0n3radnZLkuJURUEMTI6vOy0BhyphenhyphenCvZI/s1600/Beatles_CantBuyMeLove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="500" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvEaZw3PZr3IEfmlfGRVgEDHCv2zKl-lMxv2WTBSOwjD4QvtEbsGhMmgZKBj82RObPRqcGzjpTiU0NhYj587ySEdZgFrFZGzkQBy7QxVJip04H0n3radnZLkuJURUEMTI6vOy0BhyphenhyphenCvZI/s320/Beatles_CantBuyMeLove.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>You Can't Do That"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> March 20, 1964 [UK]; March 16, 1964 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> January 29, 1964 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:12</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Ireland, & Netherlands</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (3 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (5 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (5 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (4 weeks)<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"Can't Buy Me Love" is the first song in history to top the UK & US charts simultaneously.<b> </b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b>
The breakout success of "Can't Buy Me Love" proved that "She Loves You" & "I Want To Hold Your Hand" were no fluke. It also showed the growing innovation of their singles. It is the first Beatles song to feature
only one member of the band singing on its main part (McCartney), as the
previous singles featured duets between Lennon & McCartney. It is also the first Beatles UK single to feature a guitar solo by Harrison, a characteristically rockabilly throwback that picks up on the song's rollicking rhythm & fits in the proceedings perfectly.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The song also arrived when American Beatlemania was at its peak, jumping a record #27 to #1 on the <i>Billboard </i>chart, the biggest jump ever until they began using SoundScan to tabulate their charts in 1991. But more significantly, on that first week "Can't Buy Me Love" reached the top spot--April 4, 1964--The Beatles held the Top 5 spots on <i>Billboard</i>: "Can't Buy Me Love" (#1), "Twist & Shout" (#2), "She Loves You" (#3), "I Want To Hold Your Hand (#4), & "Please Please Me" (#5). The following week, April 11, 1964, with "Can't Buy Me Love" still at the top of the chart, they broke another record when they occupied 14 songs on the Hot 100, a record that would hold for over 50 years.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the UK, the single was even bigger (sales-wise at least), as it would go on to become <i>Record Retailer</i>'s Best-Selling Single Of The Year for 1964. No wonder it would be featured in its entirety <i>twice</i> in their first film...</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>7. A Hard Day's Night</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwhSWVg8vdNvQJmxEOdEJOS4cj6Rx7DA1Mo8OZ_oNEsOC4KQB1Bstj3m-DeoBaGJbysXJ8jkgU_sJ_QVoHI2UQAR3vMquhdZou1R4H-l8RWJZV6RIbm5cVVQ-mAaOd_jAzUB0RNfxZLZg/s1600/Beatles_AHardDaysNight45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1000" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwhSWVg8vdNvQJmxEOdEJOS4cj6Rx7DA1Mo8OZ_oNEsOC4KQB1Bstj3m-DeoBaGJbysXJ8jkgU_sJ_QVoHI2UQAR3vMquhdZou1R4H-l8RWJZV6RIbm5cVVQ-mAaOd_jAzUB0RNfxZLZg/s320/Beatles_AHardDaysNight45.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>Things We Said Today" [UK]; "I Should Have Known Better" [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> July 10, 1964 [UK]; July 13, 1964 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>April 16, 1964 </span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>2:34</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, & Spain</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #1 (3 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "A Hard Days Night" was the last time an original UK Beatles single featured a different B-side than its US counterpart.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>From its epic sustained opening chord, the title track to The Beatles' first film kept the multiple-weeks-at-number-one-on-all-charts ball rolling. Even though it's the more iconic song than its predecessor today, "Can't Buy Me Love" was actually the bigger hit, which perhaps speaks to the increasing level of quality (& by extension, competition) in The Beatles' wake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">With Lennon singing the verses & McCartney singing the bridges, it felt like a more mature collaboration than the earlier 50/50 splits, providing the first inklings of a songwriting approach that would yield "A Day In The Life" in just a few short years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But with Starr hammering away on the bongos & Harrison playing a scribbly solo on the electric 12-string guitar, this was a group effort, chomping at the bit & brimming with energy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>8. I Feel Fine</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7iWPemcLcT3BixRIPCcKdfQNyl7AVEZIV4umTkVuIY9gpz_J1c7YSD_So2cnLY0MAoOfiVpKutFLAsMjtulfHrfiIhBYAH2K-K5AtOwxeD6XQ0KyE7ZU03bI2tmMVrdt4TRvMxyWrsHI/s1600/Beatles_IFeelFine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7iWPemcLcT3BixRIPCcKdfQNyl7AVEZIV4umTkVuIY9gpz_J1c7YSD_So2cnLY0MAoOfiVpKutFLAsMjtulfHrfiIhBYAH2K-K5AtOwxeD6XQ0KyE7ZU03bI2tmMVrdt4TRvMxyWrsHI/s320/Beatles_IFeelFine.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>She's A Woman"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> November 27, 1964 [UK]; November 23, 1964 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> October 18, 1964 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>2:23</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, & Norway</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #1 (5 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#1 (6 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (6 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "I Feel Fine" marks the second time within three singles that the word "things" is rhymed with the words "diamond rings."</span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> Perhaps appropriately, the song that landed in the exact middle of The Beatles' streak of 9 consecutive #1 songs to reach the top of all the major UK & US charts contained what's generally considered the first experiment on a Beatles record. "I Feel Fine" opens with the thick buzz of a guitar--as some like to tell it, the first use of feedback on a rock song--& sets the course for the next few years of The Beatles' career.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Chosen over the equally-commercial "Eight Days A Week" (which got its own US release--see below), "I Feel Fine" was a masterful pop construction, although a slight lived-in weariness to the sound spoke to the fatigue of international Beatlemania.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A huge hit in their native country, as it provided the second of their three consecutive "Christmas #1s" (apparently a big thing over there), the song proved slightly less successful in the US, despite being a major hit in its own right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>9. Ticket To Ride</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f1mTIbSduJp40THw5eCMEWjkA7wDV2WpTHMBuyQwAG9Vs3y7JGa1PyQLYwLcJV0vpnZW1ZyYl8xZFHMw-KszMNlYuXBzup8ftfA_wtPKFfisK6ErtgVwbSe83__y0PU48UX6sGrmI9VZ/s1600/Beatles_TicketToRide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f1mTIbSduJp40THw5eCMEWjkA7wDV2WpTHMBuyQwAG9Vs3y7JGa1PyQLYwLcJV0vpnZW1ZyYl8xZFHMw-KszMNlYuXBzup8ftfA_wtPKFfisK6ErtgVwbSe83__y0PU48UX6sGrmI9VZ/s320/Beatles_TicketToRide.jpg" width="315" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>Yes It Is"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> April 9, 1965 [UK]; April 19, 1965 [US]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>February 15, 1965 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 3:10</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #1 (3 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (5 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (5 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (1 week)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (1 week)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (1 week)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "Ticket To Ride" was the first Beatles single to clock in at over three minutes.</span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>With its slower sound & off-kilter beat, "Ticket To Ride" was the most challenging Beatles single to date, & the first to take a bit longer to reach the top spot since their international breakthrough. The US seemed especially skeptical, as it was the first #1-on-all-three-charts to only last a week on each since "Love Me Do."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Ticket To Ride" was the sound of an increasingly maturing Beatles, looking for new sounds & influences to inspire their music. One could hear Dylan for sure (just listen to the "Aaaaaah" just before the titular phrase in the refrain), as well as the medicinal effects of pot, which both slowed & deepened their sound. But if surprise greeted it upon release, it's been considered one of their finest & most influential songs ever since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>10. Help!</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMVmc37bo_g7XoZhPrEnXHF4HuwC20M8QvjxKVb0QBa3-O5RzZP2WntCijpOVfmcMyNBPfw-F5MPTSIqq5_1Ig8AOJy03u24FmA5bR28BpgGwF8MbIVBiaMxwJVW1G3wD_5MgcizcGD6j/s1600/Beatles_Help45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="857" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMVmc37bo_g7XoZhPrEnXHF4HuwC20M8QvjxKVb0QBa3-O5RzZP2WntCijpOVfmcMyNBPfw-F5MPTSIqq5_1Ig8AOJy03u24FmA5bR28BpgGwF8MbIVBiaMxwJVW1G3wD_5MgcizcGD6j/s320/Beatles_Help45.jpg" width="315" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "I'm Down"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>July 23, 1965 [UK]; July 19, 1965 [US] </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>April 13, 1965</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>2:20</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, & Spain</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (3 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (1 week)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"Help!" is the only original UK Beatles single with one word in its title. </span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> An archetypal Lennon confessional song that packed a lot into a relatively short running time: A driving verse that shifted gears into a galloping bridge, anticipatory backing vocals by McCartney & Harrison, clever guitar licks & a master hand at the beat glueing the whole thing together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If its self-analytical, worried man stance was lifted from Dylan, he would end up paying the price too, as "Help!" single-handedly kept his iconic "Like A Rolling Stone" from reaching the top spot on the <i>Billboard</i> charts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>11. Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfyjL6EDdAV717F-tS1ylDJn4WUZX1PIU80WNkQvhBfUmoa051RtBhcgNGOUh0A4OMv-34lB5hEZlN8ogg3McwWgCwJU5nQzPn9GLgjpWHx9m9m4wKwmRSxJs7qkbXBDW6ksdWK7nhxWb/s1600/Beatles_DayTripper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfyjL6EDdAV717F-tS1ylDJn4WUZX1PIU80WNkQvhBfUmoa051RtBhcgNGOUh0A4OMv-34lB5hEZlN8ogg3McwWgCwJU5nQzPn9GLgjpWHx9m9m4wKwmRSxJs7qkbXBDW6ksdWK7nhxWb/s1600/Beatles_DayTripper.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> December 3, 1965</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> October 20-29, 1965</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:52 / 2:15</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Canada, Ireland, & Netherlands</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (5 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (5 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard: </b>#1 (2 weeks) [WCWIO only] / #5 [DT]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (4 weeks) </span><span style="font-size: large;">[WCWIO only]</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">/ #10 [DT]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (2 weeks) </span><span style="font-size: large;">[WCWIO only]</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">/ #12 [DT]</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Facts:</b> "Day Tripper" was originally written with the phrase "prick teaser" until it was substituted for the more appropriate "big teaser"; "We Can Work It Out" was the result of 11 hours in the studio--the most amount of time The Beatles had spent on a song up to that point.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>The first of The Beatles' three (or four, depending on how you count them) double-A-sided singles, this was a bold, potentially arrogant experiment in marketing that perhaps only they alone could pull off.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Traditionally, singles had a killer A-side & a filler B-side, with double-sided sensations (the most famous up to this point being Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel") being the rare fluke exception. But when The Beatles released "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out," both sides were marketed as the A-side.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The ploy worked in the UK, where British loyalty buoyed the sales, but perhaps more importantly, the charts counted two sides of a single as one record only.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the US, things were different. With <i>Billboard</i> leading the way with their Hot 100 chart in 1958, two different sides of a single could</span><span style="font-size: large;"> chart individually, as things such as airplay & jukebox holdings could influence a song's success, as opposed to strictly just sales. Thus, for most of the '60s, this was the rule, & so even The Beatles' double-A sided singles were split, mostly based on airplay.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So where both "Day Tripper" & "We Can Work It Out" reached the top spot on all three UK charts, only "We Can Work It Out" reached the top of the three US charts. "Day Tripper" fared less well, not making it past #5 on any of the charts.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">With The Beatles releasing the songs as "Day Tripper" followed by "We Can Work It Out" on both the <i>Past Masters</i> anthology & the compilation <i>1</i>, it seems they imagined "Day Tripper" to be the bigger side, & both <i>Record Retailer</i> & <i>NME</i> listed the single as "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out." However, in four weeks the single sat atop the <i>Melody Maker</i> chart, it was listed as "We Can Work It Out"/"Day Tripper," which was more in line with the American airplay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>12. Paperback Writer</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyJUJH85rfynoh-zhavNg_pU63xB5z0MSOQI-eaoHEthnYamCiUl-6L-vNgrWp6By_Ny393wb5ECQqDeZ8jm5W4yupc1y3WrGOQZzrXbvlr8NksCKwgBCd40TTEJn__DJEE-lf8_SI-8r/s1600/Beatles_PaperbackWriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="360" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyJUJH85rfynoh-zhavNg_pU63xB5z0MSOQI-eaoHEthnYamCiUl-6L-vNgrWp6By_Ny393wb5ECQqDeZ8jm5W4yupc1y3WrGOQZzrXbvlr8NksCKwgBCd40TTEJn__DJEE-lf8_SI-8r/s320/Beatles_PaperbackWriter.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "Rain"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> May 30, 1966 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> April 13-14, 1966 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:15</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, & Sweden</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (2 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard: </b>#1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (1 week) </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>Lennon & Harrison are singing "Frere Jacques" in the backing vocals to the final verses. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>The last of The Beatles' nine consecutive #1-on-all-major-UK-&-US-charts was also perhaps the least, a musically solid but lyrically disposable song about wanting to be a novelist. Clearly, the sound is what carried it. Building off of the lead guitar hooks of songs like "Ticket To Ride" & "Day Tripper," "Paperback Writer" expanded the sonic pallet by adding a dimension of complex overlaying harmony that was clearly influenced by their primary American competition, The Beach Boys. It was also the first Beatles song to have a boosted bass part, after Lennon asked why Wilson Pickett records had a much stronger deep end than theirs. In other words, "Paperback Writer" brought The Beatles into the modern sonic era.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But while "Paperback Writer" holds its place comfortably in every major Beatles collection, history & hindsight has shown its proto-psychdelic flipside, "Rain," to be the better & more influential song. "Rain" was perhaps a little too ahead of its time for the powers-that-be at the record label, as "Paperback Writer" was the only single in this current string of four not to be issued as a double-A-sided single.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>13. Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjHJtlPQha4lNRN_rC9pA_mK0aTJ4scjXQlBJOtjIVDfir_zAJlRNcp1ZU3DDaDYXhZHuw3j_VXrmY8yBsOD8fsAPqe_-gC_cYoJvjrGXxrm6sUVEjLf0skhHsjcNhXcTcHDpwYFWFi7L/s1600/Beatles_YellowSubmarine45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjHJtlPQha4lNRN_rC9pA_mK0aTJ4scjXQlBJOtjIVDfir_zAJlRNcp1ZU3DDaDYXhZHuw3j_VXrmY8yBsOD8fsAPqe_-gC_cYoJvjrGXxrm6sUVEjLf0skhHsjcNhXcTcHDpwYFWFi7L/s320/Beatles_YellowSubmarine45.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> August 5, 1966</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> April 28-June 6, 1966 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>2:39 / 2:07</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, & Norway</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #2 [YS only] / #11 [ER]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (1 week) [YS only] / #12 [ER]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (1 week) [YS only] / #16 [ER]</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Facts:</b> "Yellow Submarine" is the only Beatles #1 single sung by Starr; "Eleanor Rigby" is the only Beatles #1 single to feature no Beatles playing any instruments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>The second of The Beatles' double-A-sided singles, & the first single comprised of music that was simultaneously released on an LP (in this case, <i>Revolver</i>, which was released on the same day as this single).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" before it, the ploy worked great in the UK, where both singles were considered one apiece, & all the charts listed "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" in the #1 spot.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the US, the sides were split once again, with "Yellow Submarine" proving more popular, as "Eleanor Rigby" failed to crack the Top 10 on any major US chart. (Interestingly, in the UK, "Eleanor Rigby" proved to be the more popular side.)</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" also broke The Beatles #1-on-all-major-UK-&-US-charts streak <i>just barely</i> when <i>Billboard</i> alone held off "Yellow Submarine" from the top spot in favor of </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Sumpremes' "You Can't Hurry Love."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At least it was kept off by a stone-cold classic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>14. Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QvGx8wclsm-i9w4lAssXZK-iaeoTuJhBMKCqyjHD-fyrPaNUlsxtd-AWnZ55Ed7ktGIcvs36vixNeIpQn_wzl0ITKrPNOTEMnurt7fIBR5i80BKTknfOkki-NOHgtEnT_vBunDBhfQQi/s1600/Beatles_StrawberryFields.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QvGx8wclsm-i9w4lAssXZK-iaeoTuJhBMKCqyjHD-fyrPaNUlsxtd-AWnZ55Ed7ktGIcvs36vixNeIpQn_wzl0ITKrPNOTEMnurt7fIBR5i80BKTknfOkki-NOHgtEnT_vBunDBhfQQi/s320/Beatles_StrawberryFields.jpg" width="319" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> February 13, 1967</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> November 24, 1966-January 17, 1967</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 4:07 / 3:01</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, & Norway</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard: </b>#1 (1 week) (PL only) / #8 (SFF)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (2 weeks) (PL only) / #10 (SFF)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (2 weeks) (PL only) / #9 (SFF)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Facts:</b> "Strawberry Field" was a real place where Lennon remembers playing in the garden outside of the Salvation Army children's home in Liverpool; "Penny Lane" was a real bus terminus between Lennon & McCartney's childhood homes.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> The third of The Beatles' double-A-sided singles was their finest, two studies of childhood--Lennon's moody & surreal rumination "Strawberry Fields Forever" & McCartney's upbeat & surreal celebration "Penny Land"; together they made, </span><span style="font-size: large;">as cultural historian Greil Marcus has suggested, "The first 'concept 45'?"</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It also marked The Beatles' artistic reach exceeding their commercial grasp. For the first time since "Love Me Do," a Beatles single didn't top at least two of their major charts; in perhaps the greatest UK social injustice of the '60s, the greatest single in rock history was kept from the top spot by Engelbert Humperdinck's "Release Me." <i>Melody Maker</i> alone put both sides at #1 for three weeks (albeit with "Penny Lane" listed first), allowing "Strawberry Fields Forever" to be added to the official full tally of Beatles #1s.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As had occurred with "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out," <i>Melody Maker</i>'s ordering coincided with American popularity. "Penny Lane" alone made the top spot on all three major charts, with "Strawberry Fields Forever" reaching no higher than #8, making it the poorest showing of any original UK A-side in the US besides "From Me To You."</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Beatles producer George Martin always said the biggest regret of his musical career was not making "When I'm Sixty-Four" the B-side to either "Penny Lane" or "Strawberry Fields Forever" so that the two sides didn't split the single's success (or put The Beatles back to the drawing board when approaching the album that was to become <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Martin's folly is the greatest Beatles single of them all, even if it was far from being the greatest in terms of sales.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>15. All You Need Is Love</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVnmOrfPgpecA-ahcOTeULqks_cpQxmtV42F7oZfgW_47TXcWtD3FJOY0ghqxfkMIJqmsTTek6d2OOKH0RIodnP_FXLcXFx1D6VclAjXKXEsFxiSAUka_byK8H0FgTEju8RTa4yEhW6_G/s1600/Beatles_AllYouNeedIsLove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="359" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVnmOrfPgpecA-ahcOTeULqks_cpQxmtV42F7oZfgW_47TXcWtD3FJOY0ghqxfkMIJqmsTTek6d2OOKH0RIodnP_FXLcXFx1D6VclAjXKXEsFxiSAUka_byK8H0FgTEju8RTa4yEhW6_G/s320/Beatles_AllYouNeedIsLove.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>Baby, You're A Rich Man"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>July 7, 1967</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> June 14-26, 1967 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 3:50</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, & Spain</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #1 (3 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (3 weeks) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard: </b>#1 (1 week)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> McCartney sings the refrain "She Loves You" in the song's fade, marking the only time that a Beatles #1 song is directly quoted in another Beatles #1 song.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>Released in the wake of the epic <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, "All You Need Is Love" was a sort of finale for the season, cementing that period of 1967 as The Summer Of Love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It tellingly marked the shortest turn-around period between recording & releasing a Beatles single, presumably to tie in with it being recorded as part of the international broadcast <i>Our World</i> television special.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As a anthem to & reflection of its time, it easily made #1 on all the major UK & US charts, the first song to do so since "Paperback Writer" only a year earlier--& half a world away. What was an obvious success then has become dated ever since, as "All You Need Is Love" is at once an inspirational hallmark & a relic trapped in its own long-lost era.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>16. Hello Goodbye</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBmUB1EbM6IOXYZclMaaTeUcgowdUs1kTM3nzYouLMCjSeZ2SySeMcVl4CRQ8pAgoRngIOqAXKDb9KJ4GbQfggx6nxsvf9ZqzhS_ZoSj5KxuX84Va4byTB3wqdEl8gMGTX6W2ZpU0Sy-E/s1600/Beatles_HelloGoodbye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="220" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBmUB1EbM6IOXYZclMaaTeUcgowdUs1kTM3nzYouLMCjSeZ2SySeMcVl4CRQ8pAgoRngIOqAXKDb9KJ4GbQfggx6nxsvf9ZqzhS_ZoSj5KxuX84Va4byTB3wqdEl8gMGTX6W2ZpU0Sy-E/s320/Beatles_HelloGoodbye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>I Am The Walrus"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>November 24, 1967</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> October 2-November 2, 1967 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 3:29</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, & Spain</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (7 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#1 (6 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (5 weeks) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (4 weeks) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> The song ends with a "Maori finale," which is often mistaken for The Beatles singing "aloha." The latter would have been the more appropriate choice, as it means both hello & goodbye in Hawaiian.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>After the runaway success of "All You Need Is Love," "Hello Goodbye" became the second Beatles single in a row to reach the top of all the major UK & US charts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the UK it was an especially big hit, the first single to break the 5-week mark on any chart since the double-sided "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out." In this regard, it brought The Beatles' psychedelic period to a close in stunning style.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>17. Lady Madonna</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV4Ln4XZdQ-aUN4yP9ngZpd6yt9q1DOukm4KDUdNsobRXCOhG73VjX5pvjx8kr31zGTYNJTU69GvgPT_bGqOh_n2aO3IDizAtDkwfFhVIQroQ1FhXiD4K_dZz8NxOJI1Adg55yZo7Eplo/s1600/Beatles_LadyMadonna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="360" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV4Ln4XZdQ-aUN4yP9ngZpd6yt9q1DOukm4KDUdNsobRXCOhG73VjX5pvjx8kr31zGTYNJTU69GvgPT_bGqOh_n2aO3IDizAtDkwfFhVIQroQ1FhXiD4K_dZz8NxOJI1Adg55yZo7Eplo/s320/Beatles_LadyMadonna.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "The Inner Light"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>March 15, 1968</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> February 3-6, 1968 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:18</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Austria, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, & Switzerland</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (2 weeks) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#2</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #4</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#2</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #2</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "Lady Madonna" was the first release on The Beatles newly-formed Apple Records.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> "Lady Madonna" was the first Beatles single to not be a stone-cold essential; tellingly, it is also the first UK Beatles single not to hit #1 on <i>any</i> US chart since "From Me To You" (in other words, since before American Beatlemania). It also breaks what would have been another five-in-a-row of Beatles songs that hit #1 on all the major UK & US charts. In fact, it is the only UK Beatles single not to hit #1 on at least half of the major UK & US charts other than "Please Please Me."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Coming after the less-than-successful <i>Magical Mystery Tour </i>project, "Lady Madonna" marked a way out of psychedelic rock by embracing a '50s-influenced, back-to-basics aesthetic. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Based on the boogie style of Fats Domino, "The Fat Man" himself would cover the song later in the year & score his final charting hit to date. </span><span style="font-size: large;">(Meanwhile, its flipside, "The Inner Light"--somehow Harrison's first appearance on the side of a Beatles single--used tried to find a way out through Eastern thought.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It worked in the loyal UK (mostly), but in the US, people looked elsewhere for their top hits. "Lady Madonna" was beaten out in <i>Cashbox</i> & <i>Record World </i>by Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey." In Billboard, it remained at #4 for 3 weeks behind "Honey," The Union Gap Featuring Gary Puckett's "Young Girl," & The Box Tops' "Cry Like A Baby."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If "Lady Madonna" plays like a rare relative misstep in The Beatles judgment (at least in terms of their American audience), it was one they would more than make up for with their subsequent release.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>18. Hey Jude</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrosp2Lpsb6WjEySFeu3amIPNtmyPI120xfN88YjayDMw8h9qSM5bhkC_L3zICpi934gEFOrDldzGaARXYmhdhIiJtqyx9CEdhr9wbP7fZYVVPrTLPrQxvwTbH4IqV7J8IRoF7WrNDa1F/s1600/Beatles_HeyJude45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrosp2Lpsb6WjEySFeu3amIPNtmyPI120xfN88YjayDMw8h9qSM5bhkC_L3zICpi934gEFOrDldzGaARXYmhdhIiJtqyx9CEdhr9wbP7fZYVVPrTLPrQxvwTbH4IqV7J8IRoF7WrNDa1F/s320/Beatles_HeyJude45.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>Revolution"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> August 26, 1968</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>July 31-August 2, 1968 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>7:10</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, & Switzerland</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #1 (2 weeks) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (4 weeks)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (9 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (7 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>Clocking in at over seven minutes, "Hey Jude" was The Beatles' longest #1 song.</span><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>"Hey Jude" was one of The Beatles' most iconic songs & initiated another double-header of songs that hit #1 on every major UK & US chart. Its seven-minute-plus length made it a force to be reckoned with, & was a feature that perhaps The Beatles alone could have pulled off in that time. </span><span style="font-size: large;">It is not, however, The Beatles' longest song (both "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" & "Revolution 9" are longer), nor is it the longest #1 song overall (that would be Don McLean's "American Pie Parts 1 & 2," which clocks in at over 8:30 minutes).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But "Hey Jude" was huge, especially in America, where it owned the charts for a few months & would become an even bigger-seller than "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (although the latter would still beat it in terms of world-wide sales). Several would try their hand at the song themselves to try & recapture the magic--including, most infamously, Elvis Presley--but it eluded them; "Hey Jude" only sounds right in the hands of The Beatles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The song also contained one of The Beatles' most famous B-sides, "Revolution," which did well enough that <i>Record World</i> made the unusual move of listing the single as "Hey Jude"/"Revolution" when it made the #2 spot. The following week (the first week of four it reached the top spot), the single was now split, with "Hey Jude" at #1 & "Revolution" at #2. Had they kept the listing as a double-sided single, it may have added another song to the list of #1 Beatles songs.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Not surprisingly, "Hey Jude" would make #</span><span style="font-size: large;">1 on both <i>Billboard</i> & <i>Cashbox</i>'s year-end sales c</span><span style="font-size: large;">hart for 1968. It is also The Beatles song to hit #1 in the most number of different countries with a total of 13.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>19. Get Back</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbJFN7lwzyfoR11XVqfiI7nzqfYHCaJoAIIqa9ym1c5R3lr8Nc6uRs9eO5ZPjfVgys8L7roP7iBLCzwxaxH1zQMUBuYvBGQW6zNIMuLUT0MLsc9MhA_ktWKGC5w0iKoscOv8rqMDOQ_PC/s1600/Beatles_GetBack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbJFN7lwzyfoR11XVqfiI7nzqfYHCaJoAIIqa9ym1c5R3lr8Nc6uRs9eO5ZPjfVgys8L7roP7iBLCzwxaxH1zQMUBuYvBGQW6zNIMuLUT0MLsc9MhA_ktWKGC5w0iKoscOv8rqMDOQ_PC/s1600/Beatles_GetBack.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "Don't Let Me Down"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>April 11, 1969</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>January 27-28, 1969 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>3:11</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, & Switzerland</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #1 (6 weeks) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (5 weeks)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker: </b>#1 (5 weeks)</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (5 weeks)</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (5 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (4 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"Get Back" & its flipside were officially credited to The Beatles With Billy Preston--the African-American keyboardist who appears on the track. It is the only time in The Beatles catalog that a song was released with a co-credit.</span><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> Inspired in part by the live-in-the-studio recording of "Hey Jude" & its accompanying promotional film, The Beatles spent the early part of 1969 on their ill-fated "Get Back" project, where they filmed themselves "getting back" to becoming a working live band, which was originally supposed to culminate in some sort of a live album or performance.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In reality, they ended up filming themselves coming apart as a band, as much of the project was shelved. The sole exception was this single, which was musically the most simple song they had released as a single since "Love Me Do."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It was also an international smash, becoming the last song that The Beatles released to hit #1 on all the major UK & US charts--& the first since "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to remain at #1 on every chart for at least a month each.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>20. The Ballad Of John & Yoko</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZMSjI1MUYGnMB7OwZOpNVtWfe4R7iLxo1KOpASJcaX4KwuuJaPemJfsWjK54ot7OVtRE86IIfIR71WsyLfDdAJUWQyZowcgbxM9A-QXkbMxJ3syjyivdppjIikatzBc907S6fVsEbw2P/s1600/Beatles_BalladOfJohnAndYoko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZMSjI1MUYGnMB7OwZOpNVtWfe4R7iLxo1KOpASJcaX4KwuuJaPemJfsWjK54ot7OVtRE86IIfIR71WsyLfDdAJUWQyZowcgbxM9A-QXkbMxJ3syjyivdppjIikatzBc907S6fVsEbw2P/s320/Beatles_BalladOfJohnAndYoko.jpg" width="317" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-side:</b> "Old Brown Shoe"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>May 30, 1969</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> April 14, 1969 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 3:00</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, & Switzerland</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#1 (3 weeks) </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #8</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #10</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#7</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "The Ballad Of John & Yoko" is the only Beatles single to not have its title anywhere in its lyrics.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>Written entirely by Lennon, "The Ballad Of John & Yoko" was recorded in the studio by he & McCartney in one freewheeling session, which speaks to their deep friendship, as at that point The Beatles were experiencing some of their darkest days. With Lennon on guitars & vocals & McCartney on everything else, it is the only UK Beatles single to feature only two Beatles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The song was their final UK #1 hit, but in America, its use of the word "Christ" & references to crucifixion got it banned from many radio stations. It remains the Beatles single to hit #1 in the most number of countries--10--without doing so in the US.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Yet, as we have seen with "Love Me Do" & "From Me To You," when a Beatles single doesn't make #1 on either the UK or US charts, it often makes #1 on the charts of the other. (The only exception to this rule is "Please Please Me.") Its failure to reach the top spot on any US chart (let alone the Top 5)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> makes it the least-essential Beatles single besides "Lady Madonna."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>21. Something / Come Together</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsswo4M5IwhHcr4xy8XtG2hyphenhyphenW7S8zWMM2vXQ4mHZ5ajO4QUpDZJVi2L3huUMz0m-uIS2BgBOV3Y8EonEQIx-m3RiS0BFBG0KmztWvjimvzVWR2xNfiXoAlXmuV2Dgi4Y2KDivT6DrSLVnJ/s1600/Beatles_Something.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsswo4M5IwhHcr4xy8XtG2hyphenhyphenW7S8zWMM2vXQ4mHZ5ajO4QUpDZJVi2L3huUMz0m-uIS2BgBOV3Y8EonEQIx-m3RiS0BFBG0KmztWvjimvzVWR2xNfiXoAlXmuV2Dgi4Y2KDivT6DrSLVnJ/s1600/Beatles_Something.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>October 6, 1969</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> May 2, 1969-August 15, 1969</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer:</b> George Harrison / Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>3:02 / 4:20</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Australia, Canada, Germany, & New Zealand</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer: </b>#4</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME: </b>#2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #4</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard: </b>#1 (1 week)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Facts: </b>"Something" is the second-most covered song in recorded sound (after The Beatles' own "Yesterday"); "Come Together" was once used by Timothy Leary as a theme song for a presidential bid.</span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> "Something" is the only original Beatles UK single not to come out independent of, or simultaneously with, an album. Both sides of the single were previously released on <i>Abbey Road</i> in late September, but were issued as a single a few weeks later. This was the brainchild of then-manager Allen Klein, who was called in to try & clean up the muddled state of The Beatles' finances. In an effort to make some more cash for the group, the single for "Something" appeared in its unorthodox way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But things didn't go as planned. Despite the fact it gave Harrison is first & only official UK A-side, Lennon's flip "Come Together" proved at least as popular, if not more so. The competition between the sides split the single's success, as well as the fact that many fans already owned the song on the <i>Abbey Road</i> LP. As a result, it became the first UK single to miss the top spot on every UK chart since "Love Me Do."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In America, "Come Together" proved to be the more popular side, even though "Something" gave it stiff competition there too. But as what so often happens in The Beatles' story, luck intervened. After the two sides of the single fought against each other on the <i>Billboard</i> chart, the organization changed its rule for singles, allowing both sides of a single to chart as a single entity as long as both sides were getting significant airplay. The combined forces of this single caused it to be listed as "Come Together" / "Something," giving The Beatles another stateside #1. Meanwhile, <i>Cashbox</i> only listed "Come Together" at the stop spot, while <i>Music World</i> followed Billboard's lead & put both sides, with "Come Together" first.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As a result, the chart success of "Come Together" forced the "Something" single to become a double-A-sided single, although it was not intended as one from the outset. But in all likelihood, it was the presence of "Come Together" as the flip that allowed "Something" to become a #1 single on any of the charts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>22. Let It Be</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32W-gnPNT1kOH0EPrpTl28DSgv6UmVvTnYQojhW8NA6YCADjISy5YnT5ZhujHcAdFWIuLx7txuwtWzJh1b5JIsOpctZUYYwX7zBp-hVSZHOSej4uHl5fgMOb6TsUL40Pa2mDXASBPUTkJ/s1600/Beatles_LetItBe45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32W-gnPNT1kOH0EPrpTl28DSgv6UmVvTnYQojhW8NA6YCADjISy5YnT5ZhujHcAdFWIuLx7txuwtWzJh1b5JIsOpctZUYYwX7zBp-hVSZHOSej4uHl5fgMOb6TsUL40Pa2mDXASBPUTkJ/s1600/Beatles_LetItBe45.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> March 6, 1970</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> January 31, 1969-January 4, 1970 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 3:52</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Australia, Austria, Canada, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, & Switzerland</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record Retailer:</b> #2 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NME:</b> #3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Melody Maker:</b> #3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "Let It Be" was inspired by the words said to McCartney in a dream by his mother, Mary, who died when McCartney was 17.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>The last Beatles UK single was the second-in-a-row not to make #1 on any of the UK charts. As a result, if you focus solely on the so-called "official" chart of <i>Record Retailer</i>, the only Beatles UK singles not to hit #1 were the first two ("Love Me Do" & "Please Please Me") & the last two ("Something" & "Let It Be"). & in <i>Record Retailer</i>, </span><span style="font-size: large;">"Let It Be" was kept from th</span><span style="font-size: large;">e top spot in <i>Record Retailer</i> by Lee Marvin's "Wand'rin' Star," from the <i>Paint Your Wagon </i>soundtrack.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In America, the song fared much better, continuing the pattern of "Something" / "Come Together" that if a song misses #1 on all the UK charts, it makes #1 on all the US ones. Fittingly, this song of peace & inspiration was the final single released by The Beatles when they were still a group, as McCartney quit the band roughly a month after the "Let It Be" single was released.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>PT. 2: THE ADDITIONAL US #1s</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Twist & Shout</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Uy15t-rUQhwaitIaJCfa0b6PNdpbFqYx7r-iPcRBlSgjepAsqXBTxbLe4IVmvqtk2umbhCePKS-UN3asSBwtddgA70Yrater-sPNObZNwjmDCkg4tz1iiZh_vd-MpFKFQEIEd8ZwUiug/s1600/Beatles_TwistAndShout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Uy15t-rUQhwaitIaJCfa0b6PNdpbFqYx7r-iPcRBlSgjepAsqXBTxbLe4IVmvqtk2umbhCePKS-UN3asSBwtddgA70Yrater-sPNObZNwjmDCkg4tz1iiZh_vd-MpFKFQEIEd8ZwUiug/s320/Beatles_TwistAndShout.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "There's A Place"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>March 2, 1964</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> February 11, 1963</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Phil Medley, Bert Russell</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:35</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (1 week)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (1 week)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"Twist & Shout" is the only non-original Beatles song to hit #1 in the US.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>When Beatlemania hit the US, anyone with the rights to Beatles music started flooding the charts with their own product. With the various labels that tried to release Beatles material up until "I Want To Hold Your Hand" & failed, this meant that much of The Beatles' early catalog was split among various small labels.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">One of them, Tollie, used this issue a single of one of the most exciting & iconic songs The Beatles would ever cut, "Twist & Shout." In a time with less competition, the song would have easily become a smash, but by mid-1964 The Beatles were facing the stiffest competition imaginable: Themselves. Contemporary singles like "I Want To Hold Your Hand" & "Can't Buy Me Love" were up against other earlier releases finding light in America for the first time like "She Loves You" & "Love Me Do."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"Twist & Shout" only made #1 for a single week on <i>Cashbox</i> & <i>Record World</i> before falling victim to other Beatles hits.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Meanwhile, in <i>Billboard</i>, </span>"Twist & Shout" spent four weeks on <i>Billboard </i>lodged at #2 behind The Beatles' own "Can't Buy Me Love."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The song's inability to make #1 on <i>Billboard</i> was reason enough to keep it from being an "official" #1, meaning it could be left off of "The Red Album" compilation & the CD <i>1</i> with a straight face. For a band so focused on their original material, it kept such collections entirely free of cover material. Some claim it is the only Beatles cover to reach #1, but as seen below, their versions of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" & "Rock & Roll Music" both hit #1 in Australia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Eight Days A Week</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D3ZG3ucXaUFSFoPEgm6KkgHlgFXVyuthU6WA8nqp3wuH7IZefPaIrqsLDj6F8sD4cPOPECFxJLZdlkrNVG_COf_w1s9wZxwfioFXzzgDSBtIpVySrjqLroBGBeGrjJwe4z8DZimBN9Mc/s1600/Beatles_EIghtDaysAWeek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D3ZG3ucXaUFSFoPEgm6KkgHlgFXVyuthU6WA8nqp3wuH7IZefPaIrqsLDj6F8sD4cPOPECFxJLZdlkrNVG_COf_w1s9wZxwfioFXzzgDSBtIpVySrjqLroBGBeGrjJwe4z8DZimBN9Mc/s320/Beatles_EIghtDaysAWeek.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> February 15, 1965</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> October 6-18, 1964</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:44</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Canada & Netherlands</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard: </b>#1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (3 weeks) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>Like the song titles "A Hard Day's Night" & "Tomorrow Never Knows," the phrase "Eight Days A Week" is credited to one of Starr's malapropisms.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>In the UK, singles & albums were treated as separate entities for the most part. So when "I Feel Fine" was picked as The Beatles' final single of 1964, the equally-commercial "Eight Days A Week" was regulated to the <i>Beatles For Sale</i> LP.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the US, the market was different as singles almost always appeared on their respective albums. The Beatles albums were no exceptions, even though their albums compiled differently than their UK counterparts (much to The Beatles' chagrin). When "Eight Days A Week" was held off of the American version of <i>Beatles For Sale</i> (shuffled around & compiled as <i>The Beatles '65</i>), it was released a few months later as the lead single for </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Beatles VI</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It proved to be nearly as big of a hit as "I Feel Fine" in the US & remains one of their best-loved songs. Ironically, it was The Beatles themselves who didn't think much of it, passing it over as a single & never performing it live as a band. But the song's energy is contagious & it is rightly described as one of the most optimistic songs of the entire decade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Yesterday</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eYFN9wgPWI8_De1Tah1ZNr2YXzZCTV3gn1X52OIonu_UF9MhoxrMLb8lcciXoLxKD0GyiPUxGCSDOs8B3SnGvHCPQjxF_0liai68dzu5I9FVrmU-rQ5qy-UgJF_UHcIlaw8n1vLgdGHy/s1600/Beatles_Yesterday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eYFN9wgPWI8_De1Tah1ZNr2YXzZCTV3gn1X52OIonu_UF9MhoxrMLb8lcciXoLxKD0GyiPUxGCSDOs8B3SnGvHCPQjxF_0liai68dzu5I9FVrmU-rQ5qy-UgJF_UHcIlaw8n1vLgdGHy/s1600/Beatles_Yesterday.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>Act Naturally"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>September 13, 1965</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>June 14, 1965 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>2:06</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1: </b>Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, & Spain</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #1 (4 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox:</b> #1 (3 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "Yesterday" came to McCartney in a dream, for which he used the lyric "Scrambled Eggs."</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>It is one of the great ironies of The Beatles career that the most-covered song in the history of recorded sound was never originally released as a single in their native country. (It would be reissued as a single in the 1976 as a tie-in to their <i>Love Songs</i> collection, where it made #8 on <i>Record Retailer</i>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Their US label couldn't pass up the chance of releasing this instant-classic & it predictably became a big hit on all of the major charts. With McCartney only playing guitar & singing over producer George Martin's string arrangement, "Yesterday" is the only #1 Beatles song to feature one Beatle. ("Eleanor Rigby," which featured no Beatles playing instruments, contained vocals by McCartney, Lennon, & Harrison.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The success of "Yesterday" in other countries--& its place in the popular music canon ever since--has proved that its hit status in the US was no fluke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Nowhere Man</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitEAh5B02SvwJp46xFzrdKxNCzrK4Z2NW8CoNyxS6SVzkn0gRaU5eYRpXwX95r-JlSLVViIWAUgEe0r9J2qran7hPcF8oXMIGp4ucxjCPiUUwr0JB1_u5QJzal9LQdJPVZRjcGtOFvlHA/s1600/Beatles_NowhereMan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitEAh5B02SvwJp46xFzrdKxNCzrK4Z2NW8CoNyxS6SVzkn0gRaU5eYRpXwX95r-JlSLVViIWAUgEe0r9J2qran7hPcF8oXMIGp4ucxjCPiUUwr0JB1_u5QJzal9LQdJPVZRjcGtOFvlHA/s320/Beatles_NowhereMan.jpg" width="319" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "What Goes On"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>February 21, 1966</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>October 21-22, 1965</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:47</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Countries Where #1:</b> Australia & Canada</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "Nowhere Man" is often cited as the first Beatles A-side that isn't about romance or love.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>Aside from <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, <i>Rubber Soul</i> was perhaps the greatest Beatles album not to have any singles issued from it in their native country. The same was true of the truncated US version of the album. However, one of the songs left off of the stateside <i>Rubber Soul</i> was "Nowhere Man," which was released as single with its ex-pat <i>Rubber Soul</i> M.I.A. flip, "What Goes On," in advance of being released on the US album <i>Yesterday & Today</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The song was a hit, though not the magnitude of "Yesterday" or the UK singles released in this period. Surprisingly, it reached the top of <i>Record World</i> for two weeks, which is often the most conservative of the US charts, as it is the only one to have "Hey Jude" at #1 for four weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Meanwhile, </span>"Nowhere Man" was kept from the top spot by S/Sgt. Barry Sadler's "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" (#1) & The Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown" (#2) in <i>Billboard </i>& "19th Nervous Breakdown" in <i>Cashbox</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">With many forgetting about <i>Record World</i> as a major player in the US charts, "Nowhere Man" is the most obscure of the US-only #1 Beatles songs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Long & Winding Road</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZOC5sgxkkwRNPFhEWnfCgnFpzaAq4BUdhfxzVdIhkPxNC3Kfcq2BZDleS-Ap6YqQtnpe8KaIw8vQUpWG_dmQcwGpttb-EikeF7BiHOJqL5EKRH1TmBL4yCRiENYvJPSoqV5D41RVcqnQ/s1600/Beatles_TheLongAndWindingRoad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="340" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZOC5sgxkkwRNPFhEWnfCgnFpzaAq4BUdhfxzVdIhkPxNC3Kfcq2BZDleS-Ap6YqQtnpe8KaIw8vQUpWG_dmQcwGpttb-EikeF7BiHOJqL5EKRH1TmBL4yCRiENYvJPSoqV5D41RVcqnQ/s320/Beatles_TheLongAndWindingRoad.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "For You Blue"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> May 11, 1970 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>January 26-April 1, 1970</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 3:38</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Country Where #1:</b> Canada</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard: </b>#1 (2 weeks) (both sides listed)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#1 (2 weeks)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World: </b>#1 (2 weeks) (both sides listed) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "The Long & Winding Road" was The Beatles' 20th #1 hit in America, a record they still hold as the most for any artist.</span><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>The last contemporary new song to be issued by The Beatles, & since it was in the works at the time of McCartney announcing he was quitting the group, "The Long & Winding Road" is often considered the final official Beatles release.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">However, part of McCartney's reasoning for leaving The Beatles was the others allowing Phil Spector to pull together the "Get Back" tapes into a release as <i>Let It Be</i>, the most infamous of which featured his syrupy strings on this track (although in Spector's defense, it was to mask many mistakes found in Lennon's bass playing on the song's master take). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Issued as a single with Harrison's "For You Blue," the song apparently met Billboard's vague requirement that if both sides of a single were garnering enough airplay, they could both be listed at #1. Hence, when the single made the top of the charts for a fortnight, it was listed as "The Long & Winding Road" / "For You Blue," making it appear like a double-A-sided single like The Beatles had intended for "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" & "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby." For that reason, many charts purists count "For You Blue" as one of The Beatles' official #1s.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The problem is that, unlike "Come Together" & "Something," "For You Blue" was never nearly as popular as "The Long & Winding Road." For proof of this, just check its meager listing on Cashbox at #71. It appears that the folks at <i>Billboard</i> were so entranced by The Beatles (&/or such fans of "For You Blue") that they assumed the songs would be co-equals, even when there was no evidence of this. It also appears that the folks at <i>Record World</i> followed their lead, as they too listed the song as a dual number one (although their rules about doing so never seemed as hard & fast as those at <i>Billboard</i>).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Of all the songs that people claim as should be included among The Beatles' #1, the claims in defense of "For You Blue" are the most dubious.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">PART 3: THE NON-UK / US #1s</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I Saw Her Standing There</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb6M-uI14wpj4U7eiXQ8mqmMPpnd9ThmK363KoBEW459YdMmMJAvNtcG_M2DCuX2KVBr2yCwQMySBVIGOEjnRUO_Zychm8spExPaZc_rUoxRzDIJAtuq4MHTfFKWrq791wwLTXtS99mWR/s1600/Beatles_ISawHerStandingThere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb6M-uI14wpj4U7eiXQ8mqmMPpnd9ThmK363KoBEW459YdMmMJAvNtcG_M2DCuX2KVBr2yCwQMySBVIGOEjnRUO_Zychm8spExPaZc_rUoxRzDIJAtuq4MHTfFKWrq791wwLTXtS99mWR/s1600/Beatles_ISawHerStandingThere.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "Love Me Do"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> March 22, </span><span style="font-size: large;">1963</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> February 11, 1963</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>McCartney-Lennon</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:54</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Country Where #1:</b> Australia</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #14</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#100</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #29</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> The rhyming couplet for "She was just seventeen" was originally "never been a beauty queen" until Lennon insisted on changing it to "you know what I mean."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> "I Saw Her Standing There" got a lot of visibility as the opening track to their first album in the UK & B-side to "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the US. For nearly any other group it would have been an obvious choice for a single, but with The Beatles' quality, it was largely put aside.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">However, in Australia the song was released as a single in early 1964 with "Love Me Do" as its flip. It would remain at the top spot for a whopping seven weeks, becoming the best-selling single of that year, over other Australian #1 smashes like "Can't Buy Me Love," "A Hard Day's Night," "I Should Have Known Better," & "I Feel Fine."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In Canada, "I Saw Her Standing There" was also listed at #1 alongside its A-side, "I Want To Hold Your Hand," as was the policy for the CHUM radio chart that existed before the official Canadian <i>RPM </i>chart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>All My Loving</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-xwOF0L5-NZKkiPdZ_q_WwZmOZp4Wt8kwH96IASAVKrCWheTA1ABgmp_7dkyKvtTk46UKgUDbNu3G-jl_1iSQOTyQa9fVaC5eI_hH_-UJ7Du2ZSV2QebKpji_j65rjb_sh7N_0AsQL5L/s1600/Beatles_AllMyLoving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="500" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-xwOF0L5-NZKkiPdZ_q_WwZmOZp4Wt8kwH96IASAVKrCWheTA1ABgmp_7dkyKvtTk46UKgUDbNu3G-jl_1iSQOTyQa9fVaC5eI_hH_-UJ7Du2ZSV2QebKpji_j65rjb_sh7N_0AsQL5L/s320/Beatles_AllMyLoving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "This Boy"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> Novem</span><span style="font-size: large;">ber 22, 1963</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> July 30, 1963</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:13</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Countries Where #1:</b> Australia & Canada</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #45</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#31</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #32</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"All My Loving" was the first song that The Beatles played on their legendary appearance on <i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i>.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>Generally considered the finest album-only Beatles song before 1964, "All My Loving" is arguably the most visible original Beatles song to never get an official single release in the UK or the US. Passed over as a single in the UK in favor of "She Loves You," it was released on <i>With The Beatles</i>, as well as being made the title track of an EP. In the US, fans could get the song on the massive-selling <i>Meet The Beatles!</i> LP.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Australia & Canada went one step further by releasing the song as its own single. Its massive success in the latter country were enough for copies to slip stateside to reach 45, 31, & 32, on <i>Billboard</i>, <i>Cashbox</i>, & <i>Record World</i>, respectively.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As with "I Saw Her Standing There" being listed at #1 alongside "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "This Boy" was listed alongside "All My Loving" on the CHUM radio chart, the one used before the official Canadian <i>RPM </i>chart began in mid-1964. This was the policy for CHUM, but it was not replicated with RPM, making these flip listings dubious #1s at best. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Roll Over Beethoven </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcBkukSXgn8nu5WifPZYCzvpsa06cOlcFYspadVW9PTGDqubtQHN6lfJkCGdcq9lkcUXFmR246MQp66o0MPOg79SE8WzpXdx5hvih7Y7Q6_4NhCJQQtFU23w8_veoSM3ed2aSmxJ77TIt/s1600/Beatles_RollOverBeethoven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="562" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcBkukSXgn8nu5WifPZYCzvpsa06cOlcFYspadVW9PTGDqubtQHN6lfJkCGdcq9lkcUXFmR246MQp66o0MPOg79SE8WzpXdx5hvih7Y7Q6_4NhCJQQtFU23w8_veoSM3ed2aSmxJ77TIt/s320/Beatles_RollOverBeethoven.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "Hold Me Tight"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> Novem</span><span style="font-size: large;">ber 22, 1963</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> July 30, 1963</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Chuck Berry</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:46</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Country Where #1:</b> Australia </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #68</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#30</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #35</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"Roll Over Beethoven" was the first A-side featuring Harrison on vocals, some five years before "Something."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> At the height of international Beatlemania, a version of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" was released as a single outside of the UK in Australia & Canada. Enough copies of the latter spilled over the border to make a middling impact on the US charts. The song was recognized for its spunk, kicking off the second side of <i>With The Beatles</i> in the UK & the first side of <i>The Beatles' Second Album</i> in the US. Their version was faster & more driving than Berry's original. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Although The Beatles performed dozens of Berry's songs in their live act, they only ever released two as part of their initial output, "Roll Over Beethoven" & "Rock & Roll Music." Thanks to their Australian fanbase, both of these hit #1 in that country, making Chuck Berry the only artist for whom every song they covered (both of them) was a #1 hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUnYdzXe9DVJaGW22m9-eTprwZ2O6L4KDRRQjeBb4ffE2kSZlKApbQi_PkR2Ub7x98GW4MEqYqGG47p68kik2z63pxDM316CE6qCCyjk2vfuc5cvVXBuOk0wCnuguggGoMq-P-WggaCXw/s1600/Beatles_KommGibMirDeineHand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUnYdzXe9DVJaGW22m9-eTprwZ2O6L4KDRRQjeBb4ffE2kSZlKApbQi_PkR2Ub7x98GW4MEqYqGG47p68kik2z63pxDM316CE6qCCyjk2vfuc5cvVXBuOk0wCnuguggGoMq-P-WggaCXw/s320/Beatles_KommGibMirDeineHand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "Sie Liebt Dich"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>February 4, 1964</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> October 17, 1963-January 29, 1964 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>2:26</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Country Where #1:</b> Germany</span><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand" featured the original backing track of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" with new vocals on top, while "Sie Liebt Dich" had to be an entirely new performance because their label had destroyed the masters to "She Loves You" after mixing it to mono.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>The Beatles' legendary all-night gigs in Hamburg was where they cut their teeth on early rock & roll music & learned how to cohere as a band. It also led to some of their early connections that gave them their first steps towards major fame.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As a result, The Beatles had an outsized fanbase in Germany, who always took partial credit for their international success. As a thank-you to their German fans, they re-recorded their songs "I Want To Hold Your Hand" & "She Loves You" as "Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand" & "Sie Liebt Dich," respectively.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Not surprisingly, the song was a #1 in Germany. What actually is surprising is that its flip, "Sie Liebt Dich," actually made 97 on <i>Billboard</i> & 121 on <i>Record World</i> at the height of American Beatlemania, proving the US market was hungry for <i>anything</i> Beatles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I Should've Known Better</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhomL1YntxVAiGPHfZRhjjeemYJQnoC6J5kpHaOZi_vzb3kT-YOhxU7IP2wNpSJsW_DZ06ZRSDocEHUpYBchV5uJM0N3Dt3kC8HIpc_QfDKXIrHFOviEe6HNH8VoVdGuZiCq_fUKMEGae/s1600/Beatles_IShouldHaveKnownBetter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="500" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhomL1YntxVAiGPHfZRhjjeemYJQnoC6J5kpHaOZi_vzb3kT-YOhxU7IP2wNpSJsW_DZ06ZRSDocEHUpYBchV5uJM0N3Dt3kC8HIpc_QfDKXIrHFOviEe6HNH8VoVdGuZiCq_fUKMEGae/s320/Beatles_IShouldHaveKnownBetter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "If I Fell"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> July 13, 1964</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> February 25-26, 1964</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lennon-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:43</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Countries Where #1:</b> Australia & Norway</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #53</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#43</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #84</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>This is the last Beatles song to have a harmonica intro, a hallmark of early tunes like "Love Me Do," "Please Please Me," "There's A Place," & "Thank You Girl."</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> </span><span style="font-size: large;">"I Should Have Known Better," originally released on the soundtrack to <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, has cropped up in strange places over the years: On the 1970 US LP <i>Hey Jude</i>, as the flipside to the UK 1976 reissue single of "Yesterday," in the 1982 "Beatles Movie Medley" single, & as a major hit in Australia & Norway in mid-1964. Furthermore, its presence as the US B-side to "A Hard Day's Night" caused the song to chart in the US.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although it is not generally considered one of the finer songs from </span><i>A Hard Day's Night </i></span><span style="font-size: large;">soundtrack, "I Should Have Known Better" is still classic, taking a solid second-fiddle role to the title track like "The Night Before" does for the later "Help!" As with so much else by The Beatles, their own high quality can make their own solid work dim in comparison. But the Australians loved it, making it the #1 song in their country for five weeks straight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Rock & Roll Music</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcBeWvpxKw2sNpHijYlPj5Uzih_Tuq1p2ks-Y6zRgGPHUvvznSwnHsYxfEYpkSXpCg8viIarR2A0Cay-SSc_SonC5ZTTKJZfPp0npJpFcVnEvWxo8HfEp3FPu9LuEgwj5LwTeT0H1wq2n/s1600/Beatles_RockAndRollMusic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcBeWvpxKw2sNpHijYlPj5Uzih_Tuq1p2ks-Y6zRgGPHUvvznSwnHsYxfEYpkSXpCg8viIarR2A0Cay-SSc_SonC5ZTTKJZfPp0npJpFcVnEvWxo8HfEp3FPu9LuEgwj5LwTeT0H1wq2n/s1600/Beatles_RockAndRollMusic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "I'm A Loser"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>December 4, 1964</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>October 18, 1964</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Chuck Berry</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:31</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Countries Where #1:</b> Australia & Norway</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> Like another Beatles #1 cover, "Twist & Shout," "Rock & Roll Music" was recorded in a single take.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes:</b> The Beatles are the most influential rock artist never to issue a cover song as an official single. Their original catalog was such an embarrassment of riches that only a relative few songs were ever issued in other countries, none more successfully than the aforementioned "Twist & Shout." Other of these rare exceptions in the US include "Roll Over Beethoven" & "Matchbox," neither of which did particularly well in that country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In Australia, their searing cover of "Rock & Roll Music" was released as a single & made its way to #1. Easily the greatest Beatles cover outside of "Twist & Shout"--& the finest Chuck Berry cover <i>ever</i>--"Rock & Roll Music" was the rare Beatles cover that met the excitement of their originals. No wonder it was used as the introductory montage for <i>The Beatles Anthology</i> series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Michelle</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhg2VNrEDJoy-G87axGDf-m9d0lb75PwtQmF-yfkGK75EfxeHid-DCXQLlpsYfW03X7mdGgYe3zUEPB2qxKUHKTZIWbg7PiUmiitvhvLzifQ_47L2Pj0AuzjdrGbnXed-66iQYESTW2c8/s1600/Beatles_Michelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhg2VNrEDJoy-G87axGDf-m9d0lb75PwtQmF-yfkGK75EfxeHid-DCXQLlpsYfW03X7mdGgYe3zUEPB2qxKUHKTZIWbg7PiUmiitvhvLzifQ_47L2Pj0AuzjdrGbnXed-66iQYESTW2c8/s320/Beatles_Michelle.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side:</b> "Girl"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>December 3, 1965</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>November 3, 1965</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Len</span><span style="font-size: large;">non-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>2:42</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Countries Where #1:</b> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, & Spain</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact: </b>"Michelle" is the only Beatles song with French lyrics (not counting the backing vocals in "Paperback Writer").</span></span><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>As an album, <i>Rubber Soul</i> was The Beatles first major artistic breakthrough, featuring, in the words of an awestruck Brian Wilson, "a whole album of good stuff," in an age where most LPs were a single or two surrounded by second-rate covers & third-rate filler. Despite the number of classics on the UK LP--"Drive My Car," "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," & "In My Life," among many others--none of these songs were issued as singles. In America, "Nowhere Man" was withheld to be released as a single for <i>Yesterday & Today</i>.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Other European labels went with the song that was seen as the most potentially-commercial song, McCartney's love ballad "Michelle." When The Beatles didn't bother to release it as a single, The Overlanders did & hit #1 in the UK. In America, the song proved just as popular, earning the Grammy Award for Song Of The Year in 1967, despite not being issued as a single. The Beatles themselves seemed to acknowledge its popularity by including it on their first collection in late 1966, <i>A Collection Of Beatle Oldies</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Michelle" remains the song to hit #1 in the most countries (6) that wasn't released in the UK or US.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xczO6p1u_CqK8UazTrPSFcFJEnM7H-ixPbLrkZtm_1FhbCk2cp4aQTpQgzXfz7zhBWg8-pxfP0eG1nLwlr3a9lkoHEQdbz8j0n1S7dirMZ9XlLggndDpoD9SGvR6t3JMqEVnhXZ-05LE/s1600/Beatles_ObLaDiObLaDa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xczO6p1u_CqK8UazTrPSFcFJEnM7H-ixPbLrkZtm_1FhbCk2cp4aQTpQgzXfz7zhBWg8-pxfP0eG1nLwlr3a9lkoHEQdbz8j0n1S7dirMZ9XlLggndDpoD9SGvR6t3JMqEVnhXZ-05LE/s1600/Beatles_ObLaDiObLaDa.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>While My Guitar Gently Weeps"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> November 22, 1968</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded:</b> July 8-15, 1968</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Len</span><span style="font-size: large;">non-McCartney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length: </b>3:09</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Countries Where #1: </b>Australia, Austria, Germany, & Switzerland</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is considered by many to be the first ska song by a white group.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>Only The Beatles could release a 30-song, double-LP set & not bother to release a single off of it. But when <i>The Beatles</i> came out (better known as "The White Album"), there was nary a single to found, despite the commercial appeal of tracks like "Back In The USSR," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Blackbird," & this song, the most obviously commercial song on an often challenging & sprawling two-record set. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The trouble is that McCartney, the primary author & singer on the song, drove his bandmates crazy with it as he obsessively perfected it in the studio. Despite the fact that it was built around a then-groundbreaking Jamaican rhythm, the other Beatles vetoed it as a single because they were simply sick of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Other European countries heard the potential & released it themselves, where it hit the top spot in four different countries. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">With "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" securing this position, every original UK Beatles LP now contained at least one #1 song, with the exception of <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>--ironically their most celebrated album of all. (In 1978, a single of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" & "With A Little Help From My Friends" backed by "A Day In The Life" would be released as a tie-in to the infamous musical film, but it never rose higher than #63).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Got To Get You Into My Life</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7he-GYney4EGD9tgPeN1DfTpTzZi4rl27VfhCAz1zilrLICtiI9a9ithnmwXvn5T5g1akIuHjF0pUttJNcJEta1nza8qkw8Oxm2fudKzQAAq9vzKC8tYqn5UFZyKcYULLUY3IgWuLp4E/s1600/Beatles_GotToGetYouIntoMyLife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="500" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7he-GYney4EGD9tgPeN1DfTpTzZi4rl27VfhCAz1zilrLICtiI9a9ithnmwXvn5T5g1akIuHjF0pUttJNcJEta1nza8qkw8Oxm2fudKzQAAq9vzKC8tYqn5UFZyKcYULLUY3IgWuLp4E/s320/Beatles_GotToGetYouIntoMyLife.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B-Side: "</b>Helter-Skelter"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released: </b>August 5, 1966</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recorded: </b>April 7-June 17, 1966</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Composer: </b>Lenn</span><span style="font-size: large;">on-McCartney</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Length:</b> 2:29</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Country Where #1: </b>Canada</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Billboard:</b> #7</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cashbox: </b>#3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Record World:</b> #9</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fun Fact:</b> Out of the scores of Beatles reissue singles released since The Beatles have broken up, this is the only one to make #1 anywhere in the world. </span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notes: </b>To tie-in with The Beatles' 1976 double-LP compilation <i>Rock & Roll Music</i>, their North American label picked a song from it to release as a promotional single. With a television movie coming out about the Manson killings, "Helter Skelter" was floated as a potential single, but it was regulated as a B-side when that seemed too tasteless. (In the UK, a single of "Back In The USSR" backed by "Twist & Shout" was released as a promotion; it never made it past #19.)</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For the A-side, "Got To Get You Into My Life" from <i>Revolver</i> was chosen, an odd choice since most of the <i>Rock & Roll Music</i> collection covered the group's vintage raw R&B-inspired years, & this was blue-eyed soul from their proto-psychedelic period. Never issued as a single before ("Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby" were the cuts issued from <i>Revolver</i>), "Got To Get You Into My Life" made the Top 10 in the US & made it to #1 in Canada.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It remains their final #1 song on a mainstream chart to date.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-54953092258682446992017-07-06T06:23:00.000-04:002017-07-06T06:23:02.535-04:00The Day John Met Paul: 60 Years On.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXMSIGaIrzEYwgOPe07CoOKEaMbPX6crXsZYHOozLgYUUaW0mOYlB0G6dluuPXaNhrdrd4kPGGyPKgn2qSWR0Z1WlM4NllIW3J2DMk_VLd2XUBFUMc9guq2aQsKJpmIFqKQJTMfiirREx/s1600/Beatles_Quarrymen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="580" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXMSIGaIrzEYwgOPe07CoOKEaMbPX6crXsZYHOozLgYUUaW0mOYlB0G6dluuPXaNhrdrd4kPGGyPKgn2qSWR0Z1WlM4NllIW3J2DMk_VLd2XUBFUMc9guq2aQsKJpmIFqKQJTMfiirREx/s320/Beatles_Quarrymen1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Lennon, checked shirt, playing at The Woolton Village Fete on July 6, 1957.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">On July 6, 1957, a 15-year-old boy named Paul McCartney rode his bike to a church fair to see The Quarry Men, a group fronted by a 16-year-old boy named John Lennon.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There have been many versions of this fabled meeting, 60 years ago today.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The most complete telling of the event comes from Jim O'Donnell's 1994 book, <i>The Day John Met Paul</i>, which takes you through the entire day like a well-paced novel:<i> </i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>It's 4:28 P.M. About ten minutes into the Quarry Men show, the high-spirited, high-haired teenager from Allerton, Paul McCartney, arrives on his bike at the church field. He leans the bike against the fence. The cologne of freshly baked cakes grazes his nose. There is a moderate breeze. The afternoon sky is toneless. The sun gilds the area every few minutes. The teenager wonders about the music he's hearing. It's definitely not the standard fare for a church fair, at least no church fair that he has ever been to.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>McCartney walks into the big open field. In today's </i>Liverpool Echo<i>, this is the teenage John Lennon's Libra horoscope: 'All sorts of things come into the open today.' The horoscope continues: 'The whole week is good for learning where you stand & how you can best achieve your aims. A little quiet thinking out will be all to the good.'</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Good stuff no doubt, but I also like the short, simple words that Pete Shotton, a childhood friend of Lennon who played washboard in The Quarry Men on that fateful day, had to say:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>'This is John.' 'Hi.' 'This is Paul.' 'Oh--hi.' Paul seemed quite cocky, sure of himself, but he & John didn't seem to have much to say...[Paul] actually knew how to tune a guitar. Neither John nor [Quarry Men guitarist] Eric Griffiths had learned how to do that yet. Whenever their guitars went out of tune, they'd been taking them around & asking a fellow in King's Drive to do it.</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But with all due respect to historians like O'Donnell & eyewitnesses like Shotton, this is a story about John & Paul, & a day that would change their lives forever more than anyone else's. So I think it is most appropriate to hear what happened in their words.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The following quotes are taken from <i>The Beatles Anthology</i> book, woven together & lightly edited by myself.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It felt most appropriate to put John & Paul in conversation with each other, since their partnership was, in a very real way, an extended conversation itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>JOHN:</b>
"It was through Ivan [Vaughan, part-time bassist for The Quarry Men] that I first met Paul. Seems that he knew Paul was
always dickering around in music and thought he would be a good lad to
have in the group. So one day, when we were playing at Woolton, he
brought him along." </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><b>PAUL:</b> "Ivan Vaughan was a friend of mine born on exactly the same day as me. (He was a smashing fellow, who unfortunately got Parkinson's disease and has died.) Ivan was also mates with John. Ivan said to me one day, 'The Woolton Village Fete is on Saturday'--he lived near John in Woolton--'Do you want to come?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm not doing anything.'</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">"It was 6th July 1957. We were 15 years old. I remember coming into the fete, there was the coconut shy over here & the hoopla over there, all the usual things--& there was a band playing on a platform with a small audience in front of them."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">JOHN: "We can both remember it quite well. The Quarry Men were playing on a raised platform & there was a good crowd because was a warm, sunny day."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><b>PAUL:</b> "We headed for the stage first, because as teenagers, we were interested in music. There was a guy up on the platform with curly, blondish hair, wearing a checked shirt--looking pretty good & quite fashionable--singing a song that I loved: The Del-Vikings' 'Come Go With Me.' He didn't know the words, but it didn't matter because none of us knew the words either. There's a little refrain which goes, 'Come little darlin', come & go with me, I love you darlin'.' John was singing, 'Down, down, down to the penitentiary.' He was filling in with blues lines, I thought that was good, & he was singing well. There was a skiffle group around him: Tea-chest bass, drums, banjo, quite a higgledy-piggledy lot. They were called The Quarry Men because John went to the Quarry Bank school, & I quite liked them."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><b>JOHN: </b>"[It was] the first day I did 'Be Bop A Lula' live on stage. 'Be Bop A Lula' has always been one of my all-time favorites. It was at a church-hall garden fete, and I was performing with a mutual friend of Paul's and mine. Another mutual friend who lived next door brought Paul along & said, 'I think you two will get along.'"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><b>PAUL:</b> "I wandered around the fair & then Ivan & I went backstage. The band were getting ready to move indoors, into the church hall for the evening show. There was some beer being drunk. Really, I was too young for that then, but, 'Sure, I'll have a sip.' I was trying to be in with the big lads who, being 16, were into pre-pub drinking. We went to the evening show & that was good, although a fight almost broke out, we'd heard that the gang from Garston was coming over. I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. I had only come over for the afternoon & now I was in Mafia land, But it all worked out fine, & I got on the piano.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">"John was little afternoon-pissed, leaning over my shoulder, breathing boozily. We were all a little sloshed. I thought, 'Bloody hell, who's this?' But he was enjoying what I was playing, 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' in C; & I knew 'Tutti Frutti' & 'Long Tall Sally.' Then I played guitar--upside down. I did 'Twenty Flight Rock,' & I knew all the words. The Quarry Men were so knocked out that I actually knew & could sing 'Twenty Flight Rock.' That's what got me into The Beatles."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><b>JOHN:</b> "We talked after the show & I saw he had talent. He was playing guitar backstage, doing 'Twenty Flight Rock' by Eddie Cochran.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">"Paul could play guitar, trumpet & piano. That doesn't mean to say he has a greater talent, but his musical education was better. I could only play the mouth organ & two chords on a guitar when we met. I tuned the guitar like a banjo, so my guitar only had five strings on it. (Paul taught me how to play properly--but I had to learn the chords left-handed, because Paul is left-handed. So I learnt them upside down, & I'd go home & reverse them.) That's what I was doing--playing on stage with a group, playing a five-string guitar like a banjo--when he was brought around from the audience to meet me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">"Paul told me the chords I had been playing weren't real chords--& his dad said that they weren't even banjo chords, though I think they were. He had a good guitar at the time, it cost about 14 pounds. He'd got it in exchange for a trumpet his dad had given him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">"I was very impressed by Paul playing 'Twenty Flight Rock.'"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><b>PAUL:</b> "I knew all the words because me & my mate Ian James had just got them. He & I used to get into all these records & write down the words. 'Twenty Flight Rock' was a hard record to get; I remember ordering it & having to wait weeks for it to come in. We'd buy from Curry's or NEMS. We used to go around shops & ask to hear a record, & then not buy it. They used to get very annoyed but we didn't care--now we knew the words. I never had a very big record collection."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><b>JOHN:</b> "He could obviously play the guitar. I half thought to myself, 'He's as good as me.' I'd been kingpin up to then. Now, I thought, 'If I take him on, what will happen?' It went through my head that I'd have to keep him in line if I let him join. But he was good, so he was worth having. He also looked like Elvis. I dug him."</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><b>PAUL: </b>"I often pedaled around Woolton at that time, going to see Ivan. I lived a bike ride away, in Allerton. (You could walk through the golf links, so it was quite handily placed for me & John. It was important then whether you lived near each other or not. There were no cars for kids in those days.) Pete Shotton, who was in The Quarry Men, was cycling around too, & we met by chance. Pete was a close friend of John's. He said, 'Hey Paul, it was good the other day, & we've been having a talk. Would you like to join the group?' I said, 'I'll have to think about it.' But I was quite excited by the offer, so--through Ivan--I agreed to join."</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><b>JOHN:</b> "Was it better to have a guy was better than the people I had in? To make the group stronger, or to let me be stronger? Instead of going for an individual thing we went for the strongest format--equals.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">"I turned round to him right then on the first meeting & said, 'Do you want to join the group?' & he said 'yes' the next day as I recall it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As historical events go, The Day John Met Paul is very well documented. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Some <a href="http://www.beatlesource.com/savage/1950s/57.07.06%20fete/57.07.06fete.html">photographs</a> were
taken that day (such as the one above) & perhaps most astonishingly,
a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BPnH2RHRUE">sound recording</a> exists from the show--made by a fan in the audience--which is the earliest known recording of John Lennon.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The brash, streetwise Lennon encountering the cool, knowledgeable McCartney formed the epicenter of The Beatles, who in turn formed the epicenter of rock's '60s revolution. What seems obvious in hindsight was revolutionary in its own right, as described by O'Donnell: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>It has been one thing for McCartney to hear the music on the radio
or on records, or to see it in the movies or on stage, or even to see
local bands that fool around with it. But he can tell that this guy
isn't fooling around. This music means something to Lennon--& he
means business. McCartney holds a sharp eye on this fellow who is in
his own age group, in his own city, & playing his own music. It
is as if Lennon is incarnating the music for McCartney--rendering the
sound waves into something as real as shore waves; taking the notes
McCartney hears in each ear & bringing them together into sharp
focus behind his eyes, lifting the music off the radio airwaves
& putting it into Liverpool air. The deeper mysteries of rock
& roll begin to crystallize behind McCartney's long, dark brown
eyelashes.</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">All of which seems to be inherently corroborated in the words of that other great historian, George Harrison:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>There was a guy at the Liverpool Institute, Ivan Vaughan, that lived by John, who introduced Paul to him. John already had a reputation, he was the character of his school & he knew it. I met John a little later (I don't recall where) & they asked me join the group, The Quarry Men. John was in art college about this time. I don't know what I felt about him when I first met him; I just thought he was OK. At that age I only wanted to get into music. I think that with anybody you meet who sings or is into music like that, you just buddy with them instantly.</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">These words seem to confirm that, a full decade before Lennon & McCartney wrote "All You Need Is Love," it was a shared sense of love--for music, for friendship, for brotherhood--that tied these souls together & set the course for the future of rock & roll, 60 years ago today.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-43843635804576806652017-06-29T19:57:00.000-04:002017-06-29T19:57:49.107-04:00The Beatles: Every Song Reviewed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcYRb0E7HWoU-rDExDrtKy3-u1VhbPn62-n1kOjKT0zAJG2hcSRYAZYmiCty-FDrLuRD0bIFsXuSPf8EYAYopy6YjdB4HleO8RIA0aAbymCaW_6yg9CKtSqmILZX-e3Aoqx4Lihtdxoqq/s1600/Beatles_Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcYRb0E7HWoU-rDExDrtKy3-u1VhbPn62-n1kOjKT0zAJG2hcSRYAZYmiCty-FDrLuRD0bIFsXuSPf8EYAYopy6YjdB4HleO8RIA0aAbymCaW_6yg9CKtSqmILZX-e3Aoqx4Lihtdxoqq/s320/Beatles_Flag.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles never recorded a bad song.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Essentially.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Right?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, let's see.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It goes without saying that part of the magic of The Beatles--John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, & Ringo Starr--was their economy as recording artists. Their official lifespan as a recording group ran about eight years, thirteen albums (one of which was a double LP), plus another 33 cuts that were released only on singles, EPs, or as one-offs on stray collections.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">All told, this makes for 217 songs, by their catalog's official count.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">That's not very much.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So, to mark The 60th Anniversary Of The Day John Met Paul--which will fall on July 6, 2017--I decided to review Every. Single. One. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What follows is a review of every Beatles song in the order that they were released by their official UK discography. If a single & an LP were released on the same day, I put the single first. Otherwise, it's pretty self-explanatory. (& most things that were more unusual I explained further anyway.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">After each one is how it was released, the year, & its charting position, if any. "UK" is the official UK charts, "US" is the official Billboard Hot 100 Pop Charts. (Many early songs charted in the US because the money-hungry American labels would release anything they could put the word "Beatles" on & the group themselves wouldn't have full commercial control over their US releases until 1967.) For the rankings of all the cover songs The Beatles released, UK & US are the same, while "R&B" is the US R&B charts, while "Country" is the US Country charts. Any chart numbers that are followed by an asterisk, represent charting singles after the release of their breakup in April 1970; [85] "Yesterday" is listed as making #8 UK* because it charted there upon its re-release in 1976.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& then finally is my ranking of the song on the standard five-star scale:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">***** = Classic</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">**** = Great</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">*** = Good</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">** = Fair</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">* = Poor</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I tried to consider the song in terms of its musical quality, its influence, & its iconic or historic stature, if any.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also just need to give a tip of the hat to the finest Beatles literary critic of them all, the late, great Ian MacDonald.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With that said, having been some days in preparation...we hope you will enjoy the show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Love Me Do [Single Version] [Single A-Side, 1962; #17 UK] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A beginning. While it was suggested they should debut with "How Do You Do It?" (later a hit for Gerry & The Pacemakers), The Beatles tellingly opted with their own simpler song, which came complete with a harmonica hook, charming two-part harmony, & a cymbal splash. It also literally sounded like nothing else out on the radio, which helped make it a minor hit (along with their manager buying about ten zillion copies of it)--& eventually a number-one hit in the US, albeit in the slightly different album version that featured session drummer Alan White & Ringo beating a tambourine [10]. But for the original version of the four Beatles' arrival into popular music, look no further than here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. P.S. I Love You [Single B-Side, 1962; #10 US] ****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With its confident execution, clever harmonies, & a syncopated beat, the first stirrings of sophistication & the earliest proof The Beatles weren't just singing for girls--but for posterity. It was also the birth of McCartney, whimsical sentimentalist. No wonder producer George Martin initially pushed to make him the frontman, which was quickly vetoed by the group.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Please Please Me [Single A-Side, 1963; #2 UK / #3 US] *****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their first pop masterpiece. Originally composed as a brooding slow-burn in the style of Roy Orbison, the song got sped up to a brisk pace in the studio, & set the mold for the soon-to-be-classic Beatlemania sound--the cascading harmonies, the witty lyrics, the churning guitar riffs, the call-&-response choruses, the economy with which ever square second of space is thought out & effectively used. So bright & cheery it's easy to miss what many hear as a double-entendre in its main lyric. Although George Martin predicted it would be their first #1 hit, the song reached the top of the charts in <i>New Musical Express</i> & <i>Melody Maker</i>, it reached #2 in <i>Record Retailer</i>, which then became the official UK Chart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Ask Me Why [Single B-Side, 1963] **</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first clunker. An early Lennon song built around a Latin-tinged rhythm that found their reach exceeding their grasp. It was a predicament that would rarely happen again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. I Saw Her Standing There [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963; #14 US] *****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>One-two-three-FAAAH! </i>An infectious rocker that was one of the hardest songs The Beatles would ever cut, this song marked several firsts: The first opening album track to their first album, as well as George Harrison's first guitar solo. A vintage Lennon/McCarntey 50/50 collaboration--epitomized in Lennon changing McCartney's rejoined to the opening line "She was just seventeen" from "Far from a teenage queen" to "You know what I mean." Being issued in the U.S. as the flip-side to their breakthrough hit "I Want To Hold Your Hand" put the song at the epicenter of international Beatlemania. Which it deserved to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. Misery [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963] ***</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A rare deep cut from The Beatles' first UK album--deep cut because it was the only original tune not released as a charting single in the U.S. The charts' loss are the modern listener's gain as the song gives you a rare chance to hear an early Beatles song the way their audience heard it: Brand new.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. Anna (Go To Him) [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first Beatles cover to be released was this remake of the now-forgotten R&B singer Arthur Alexander's minor hit from 1962 (#68 Pop / #10 R&B), featuring a yearning & ambitious vocal by Lennon. The fact that there's an entire <i>Married...With Children</i> episode based around it (Al can only remember the words "Hmm hmm him") proves that even most obscure-level song from The Beatles' canon is still famous enough to be featured in a sitcom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8. Chains [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Harrison's first vocal lead in a Beatles song was this cover of The Cookies' 1962 hit (#17 Pop / #7 R&B); The Cookies would be better remembered for their next single "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)." "Chains" was an early Jerry Goffin & Carole King effort that The Beatles' sixth sense for great pop songwriting. Unfortunately, Harrison's nasal vocal made it come off as more awkward than smooth, making it a rare filler cut on an otherwise excellent album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>9. Boys [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963; #102 US] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ringo Starr's first lead vocal in a Beatles song was this cover of The Shirelles' 1960 song, which was the B-side of their signature hit "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (#1 Pop / #2 R&B / #4 UK). Starr had inherited the song from former Beatles drummer Pete Best, who was generally considered the sexy one of the early Beatles lineup. Perhaps this is how he got away with singing a song that otherwise would have homosexual overtones. Either way, Starr gave it much gusto & it remained part of their live act as his feature. The energy given to it here makes it easy to see why.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>10. Love Me Do [Album Version] [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963; #1 US] *****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As part of his agreement to sign The Beatles, producer George Martin asked them to sack their original drummer Pete Best. They showed up to their first recording session with their pick for Best's replacement, Starr. Meanwhile, Martin had already booked session drummer Andy White for the date. They recorded a version of the song with Starr ([1] "Love Me Do"), but legend is that Martin was unhappy with Starr's bass drum being out-of-sync with the band (very bizarre given Starr's legendary steady timing--I always thought he just wanted to get his money's worth from the already-hired White). At any rate, they cut two versions of the song--the single version with Starr on drums & this second version with White on drums & Starr on tambourine, which was released on the album, & later as a #1 hit in the U.S. For philosophical reasons alone, this is the weaker version, but it's usurped the single version as the "official" one, so here we are. Not that most people would have even realized there was a difference until it was pointed out to them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>11. Baby It's You [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963] ****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Shirelles must have been surprised to find two covers on The Beatles' debut album, but one imagines they were more after the songwriting chops of Goffin & King (on "Boys") & Bacharach & David (& producer Luther Dixon) here than the specific performances themselves. It serves as a further reminder of who revolutionary The Beatles were in terms of having a self-made hit-writing factory within themselves. The Shirelles' original was one of their biggest hits (#8 Pop / #3 R&B) & The Beatles brought a sort of quiet reverence to it, slow-building to a satisfying burst of emotion right before the chorus. The small journey the vocal takes is perhaps the earliest evidence of Lennon as a vocalist, as opposed to merely a singer. Some hold that the version they cut at the BBC a few months after this one is even better, which is probably why it was released a single in 1995 as part of the <i>Live At The BBC </i>album; this live version hit #7 in the UK & #67 in the US.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>12. Do You Want To Know A Secret [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963; #2 US] ****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Harrison's first vocal on a Beatles original was here, his awkward & nasal voice sounding a bit unsure in the dramatic flourish that opens it, but finds its way throughout the catchy tune. Released as a single during the height of American Beatlemania, it was a bigger hit stateside than UK smashes "Please Please Me" or "From Me To You." This makes it their most surprising big hit; it's surreal to think it was only one notch away from being immortalized on the <i>1</i> collection a few decades later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>13. A Taste Of Honey [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963] ***</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first hint that The Beatles could appeal to a decidedly non-rock, MOR audience. Modeled after the first vocal version by Lenny Welch, they had added it to their live act the previous year with McCartney on vocals ('natch). It remained a live favorite, as they would play it over the BBC radio no less than seven times. The song remains a perfectly fine track, but is more than a stylistic flavor in their hat as opposed to what you would buy the album for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>14. There's A Place [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963; #74 US] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last original song on The Beatles' first album was a stunner, a bottle rocket of energy that rose on thrilling harmonies. On one hand the subject matter predicts The Beach Boys' "In My Room," while on the other it holds the secret key to the rest of the decade: The place where you can go is in your mind. Within three years, they would be living this song out more than they could have ever imagined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>15. Twist & Shout [Album Track, <i>Please Please Me</i>, 1963; #2 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Originally recorded by The Top Notes 1961, most people knew "Twist & Shout" from The Isley Brothers' version the following year (#17 US / #2 R&B / #42 UK). The song was a lynchpin of The Beatles' early live shows, but "Twist & Shout" was recorded as an afterthought when they needed one more song. With Lennon's voice nearly shot, he stripped down to his waist & gave it everything he had. He then went for a second take & his voice blew. "Twist & Shout" is that first & single complete take, as well as the greatest document we have of The Beatles in their early peak as a live band. It proves that on stage too, they were masters of the form.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>16. From Me To You [Single A-Side, 1963; #1 UK / #41 US] *****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If there were any doubts left after [3] "Please Please Me" missed the top of the UK charts, "From Me To You" quelled them & kickstarted British Beatlemania in earnest. Their third & final A-side to use a harmonica hook at the opening, "From Me To You" was smart, fleeting, & catchy, energetic verses held together by a lovely bridge. It was also the rare Beatles UK hit that never made much of an impact in the US, as it is the only UK single to miss the US Top 40.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>17. Thank You Girl [Single B-Side, 1963; #35 US] ****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Planned as the next A-side until "From Me To You" came along, "Thank You Girl" was an anything-but-subtle thank you to their female fans who had propelled them so far so fast. With its opening verse lines met by rejoinders with a double internal rhyme, this was vintage Lennon/McCartney working 50/50, head-to-head, eyeball-to-eyeball, as they once put it. The fact that The Beatles could effortlessly produce something so slick as a B-side showed they were a force to be reckoned with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>18. She Loves You [Single A-Side, 1963; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paul McCartney has noted that even in their earliest songwriting days, he & John Lennon would try something a little different with each new single. In the earliest days, this was simply a shifting of perspective. Their first singles were asking to love <i>me</i> do & please please <i>me</i>, while their next took the story from <i>me</i> to <i>you</i>. This may have been subtle stuff in the grand scheme of things, but it was telling nonetheless--& an early harbinger for their restless ambition. For their fourth single, they took things one step further with "She Loves You," hence focusing entirely on external figures. With its thundering drums, cheering refrain of "Yeah, yeah, yeah," & bouncy, punchy drive, this was nothing short of the beginning of a revolution, & as some like to tell it, the greatest Beatles song of them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>19. I'll Get You [Single B-Side, 1963] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mirroring it's "Yeah, yeah, yeah" flip with a hook of "Oh yeah, oh yeah," "I'll Get You" was its perfect balance: Brooding where "She Loves You" was exuberant, a tad melancholy where "She Loves You" was nothing but joyful. Despite a few vocal flubs in the bridge, it all added up to a very effective track & showed just how far you could go with churning blues-based chords & soaring harmonies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>20. It Won't Be Long [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] ****1/2</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the most effective opening tracks to a Beatles album, "It Won't Be Long" kicked off their sophomore LP <i>With The Beatles</i> in grand from. Reprising the word "Yeah" from their recent hit "She Loves You," they use it as the center of a call-&-response refrain that helps catapult the song into a series of glorious builds. Featured prominently on the American version of the album, <i>Meet The Beatles!</i>, it was proof their album cuts could be just as stellar as their singles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>21. All I've Got To Do [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] ***</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first example of one Beatles song lifting a phrase from one song to build another (in this case, the words just before "...is thank you, girl" in [17] "Thank You Girl"), this was a moody Lennon piece, built around a groove & delivered with a burning bridge & budding confidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>22. All My Loving [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963; #45 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of their most iconic songs, featuring many of the key ingredients of their early sound: The catchy tune, the clever rhyme-infused lyrics, a nonstop walking bassline (one of McCartney's finest), those high "ooooos", & a rockabilly guitar solo. Though it was never issued as a single in their native country, it was better than almost everything else on the radio; no wonder they chose it in that historically enormous moment of the first song on their first appearance on <i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>23. Don't Bother Me [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Harrison's first composition was this brooding rocker, which proved from the start that he had his own style--a bit darker, a bit deeper, a sound that demanded to be met on its own terms. He would expand leaps & bounds in the years to come, but finds himself here with a worthy beginning. & it rocked enough to be edited into one of the club scenes in the following year's <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>24. Little Child [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you wondered where the harmonica from the first three singles went, look no further than here. An earnest Lennon rocker, this song was the rare Beatles original from this period that felt like filler. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>25. Till There Was You [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A ballad that originated from <i>The Music Man</i> that McCartney had learned from the Peggy Lee version (a #30 UK hit for her in 1961). It quickly proved that, like "A Taste Of Honey" before it, The Beatles were not afraid of mainstream Tin Pan Alley-style music, & in fact played this song for the Queen in 1963, right between "She Loves You" & "Twist & Shout." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>26. Please Mister Postman [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A cover The Marvelettes' 1961 song (#1 Pop / #1 R&B), which holds the distinction of being the first Motown song to reach #1. If Lennon couldn't touch Gladys Horton's sexy vocals, he didn't even try; he just shouted as hard as he could. Where the original version was a flirty plea, The Beatles' version was a storm cloud of sweet agony that captured the fun of the original--& the live Beatles sound.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>27. Roll Over Beethoven [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963; #68 US] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their first official Chuck Berry cover of this 1956 hit (#29 Pop / #2 R&B) was also Harrison's second vocal spot for the album. By kicking up the tempo & overlaying handclaps, The Beatles in effect modernized Berry's original, which seemed to drag in comparison. Both versions are classic, but when people hum it today, they are usually thinking of The Beatles' version.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>28. Hold Me Tight [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First tried out for <i>Please Please Me</i> & abandoned, it was subsequently trotted back out here. Though the performance is spirited enough, it can't hide the fact is the rare Beatles song (& a McCartney one at that) which feels oddly unfinished. That didn't stop Phil Spector from giving it the Wall Of Sound treatment when his group The Treasures cut a version the same year that the original came out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>29. You Really Got A Hold On Me [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first of the covers recorded for this album & it appears the group was eager to attack it. Originally written & recorded by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles in 1962 (#8 Pop / #1 R&B), Lennon gives it a solid vocal with Harrison providing a key assist, while the band backs them solidly & tightly. The result is a love song that itself is fueled by love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>30. I Wanna Be Your Man [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Originally written on the spot for soon-to-be-rivals The Rolling Stones, Lennon & McCartney threw song to Ringo for his spotlight on the album. Where the Stones' version is messy & distorted, The Beatles' version is tight & bubbling over with enthusiasm--a party in a record. The only stakes here are fun, & it delivers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>31. Devil In Her Heart [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A cover of the obscure 1962 non-hit "Devil In His Heart" by The Donays, which presumably made its way to The Beatles' ears through the imported R&B records that came through their home port of Liverpool. The boys flipped the gender & gave it to Harrison for his second feature, but it ultimately drags, remaining the sole R&B cover that doesn't click on an album that was otherwise filled with numerous successes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>32. Not A Second Time [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A brooding rocker sung by Lennon that evidenced the growing maturity of he & his songwriting partner's sophistication. Where other groups might be rewriting the blues, they were stringing together chord changes that signaled something closer to Tin Pan Alley--or at least their version of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>33. Money (That's What I Want) [Album Track, <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On <i>With The Beatles</i>, the group paid their debts to American R&B music. This third & final Motown cover ranks with their finest early recordings, easily outpacing Barret Strong's 1959 original (#23 Pop / #2 R&B), which was Motown's first hit. Where Strong found an easy groove, The Beatles found a desperate attack, perhaps because the prospect of money was so central to their rags-to-riches version of pop success--just listen to the way Lennon screams "I wanna be <i>free!</i>" towards the end. He meant it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>34. I Want To Hold Your Hand [Single A-Side, 1963; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After conquering their native continent with [18] "She Loves You," The Beatles wrote their follow-up single with their sights focused straight on America. No British group had made the transition across the pond successfully before, & The Beatles swore they wouldn't make the trip until they had a Stateside #1 record. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was their shot, & they didn't so much outdo everything they had done before with it so much as they used everything they had learned up to that point. The catchy melody, the build in the bridge, Lennon & McCartney's tight harmonies, Harrison's studied lead licks, Starr's splashy cymbals & swinging drive, & the effervescent charm & energy of the whole picture. This is the record that launched them in America (& the rest of the world), the moment at which Beatlemania went from a national craze to an international phenomenon. They would develop in new & sophisticated ways, but no song of theirs would ever have as much impact as this one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>35. This Boy [Single B-Side, 1963] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first of a trilogy of three-part harmony ballads The Beatles would record ([47] [72]), this was the most famous, appearing as it did as the B-side of the smash [34] "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the UK, the third song on the US smash album <i>Meet The Beatles!</i>, & instrumentally during a sequence in <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> featuring Ringo, which eventually saddled the song with "Ringo's Theme" in many subsequent cover versions. The original is still the best, especially with that masterful bridge kicking up a notch & proving that Lennon could sing like a rocker even in the most meticulous of ballads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>36. Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand [German Single A-Side, 1964] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles spent much of their early years cutting their teeth in marathon sets to rowdy crowds in Hamburg, Germany, where they perfected their sound & built their legend. After the UK & US, Germany had the most loyal Beatles fans in the '60s, they recorded this & [37] Sie Lieb Dich--German-language versions of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" & "She Loves You," respectively--as a thank-you. Both have become part of the official Beatles canon, even though they add nothing to it outside of giving a bunch of 7th grade German teachers something to work with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>37. Sie Liebt Dich [German Single B-Side, 1964; #97 US] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Along with its flip [36], the rare Beatles recording that cannot be argued as essential in any imaginable way. The fact it made the lower reaches of the US Hot 100 at the peak of Beatlemania though speaks to just how hungry the audience was for any kind of material.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>38. Can't Buy Me Love [Single A-Side, 1964; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first Beatles single to have a solo lead singer as opposed to harmony, this was McCartney's song, a jaunty thing that ranks with the most charismatic music they ever waxed. Originally the verses had response backing vocals, but these were thankfully excised, leaving the sound open & built around the strumming acoustic guitar. Harrison contributes one of his vintage rockabilly solos, & while the lyrics may sound trite, it packed an undeniable punch. Newly broken in to the US audience, "Can't Buy Me Love" became the first song in history to top the UK & US charts simultaneously.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>39. You Can't Do That [Single B-Side, 1964; #48 US] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While [38] "Can't Buy Me Love" was all McCartney, the flip was all Lennon, starting a trend of splitting single sides that would continue for the rest of their career. Where McCartney's rock had an airy sense of pop, Lennon's had a swagger & a drive, not to mention a bit of a nasty tone, driven home by Starr's strutting cowbell & McCartney & Harrison's nagging backing vocals. But if anyone feared that it might get too caustic, one only needs to listen to the lovely bridge, which wears its heart firmly on its sleeve. One of their most underrated rockers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>40. Long Tall Sally [EP Track,<i> Long Tall Sally</i>, 1964] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Little Richard was McCartney's vocal idol--& the source from which The Beatles lifted their thrilling, trilling "ooooo"s. Here, McCartney paid back the influence & then some, covering Richard's 1956 original (#6 US / #1 R&B / #3 UK) from their live act. Fast, furious, & full of love, this was one of The Beatles' finest covers & every bit deserving of comparison to the original. Its quality was so good that it was released as the title track to the only standard EP of independent material the group would ever release.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>41. I Call Your Name [EP Track,<i> Long Tall Sally</i>, 1964] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of Lennon's earliest songs, "I Call Your Name" may have been trotted back out by The Beatles at this time because of its similarities to [39] "You Can't Do That"; either way, the two songs share the same strutting cowbell. Included as the only original song on the <i>Long Tall Sally</i> EP, it found the group treading water stylistically, in this solid, if unremarkable, track.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>42. Slow Down [EP Track,<i> Long Tall Sally</i>, 1964; #25 US] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though largely forgotten today, Larry Williams was a 1950s R&B singer who was a labelmate of Little Richard on Specialty Records. He had a string of hits, the biggest & most famous of which were "Short Fat Fannie" & "Bony Moronie." ("Slow Down" was originally released as the B-side to another Williams song The Beatles covered, [86] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy.") At any rate, Lennon was a big fan, as The Beatles would cover 3 of his songs in their official discography. "Slow Down" was the first & arguably the best, although it suffered from perhaps Harrison's worst solo in a Beatles song; just as Williams himself paled in comparison to Little Richard on his label, so too did "Slow Down" sound much weaker than [40] "Long Tall Sally."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>43. Matchbox [EP Track,<i> Long Tall Sally</i>, 1964; #17 US] **1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The only artist that The Beatles covered as frequently as Larry Williams in their original discography was Carl Perkins, as they covered three songs from each artist. The first was "Matchbox," recorded in Perkins' presence (some say that he's playing the low boogie riff on the record), with Starr singing lead. Perkins was pleased, but the song was more interesting from a historical standpoint than stellar--based on Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Matchbox Blues," it put The Beatles in direct line back to the country blues. Released as a single with [42] "Slow Down" as its flip in the US (where the EP market wasn't as strong as in the UK), it barely made it inside the Top 20. [40] "Long Tall Sally" would have been the more obvious choice, but it had already been released months earlier (along with [41] "I Call Your Name") on the US-only <i>The Beatles Second Album</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>44. A Hard Day's Night [Single A-Side, 1964; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The title track of their first & finest feature film, "A Hard Day's Night" was a classic Lennon-McCartney collaboration, with Lennon providing the main verse & McCartney the shimmering bridge. With its sustained opening chord (an Fadd9 with McCartney's bass playing a high D on top), it symbolically ushered in a new experimental period for the group, as they searched for new sounds & ways to take their music to a new place. The song that follows the chord is one of the finest they would ever write, with a simple, catchy tune & sly lyrics, & featuring Starr upping the energy by hammering away on bongos & a drolly rollicking solo from Harrison on an electric 12-string guitar. (Future Byrd Roger McGuinn would note Harrison playing this instrument in the film & make an entire band around it.) In terms of quality & influence, it stood above most other songs they would ever record--perhaps this is why <i>Entertainment Weekly</i> once named it as The Greatest Beatles Song Of All-Time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>45. Things We Said Today [Single B-Side, 1964] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If [44] "A Hard Day's Night" was primarily Lennon's song, its B-side, "Things We Said Today," was primarily McCartney's. An uncharacteristically somber track, the ominous opening chords were the perfect balance to the open possibility & excitement of the chord that opened [44] "A Hard Day's Night." A study in melody & mood, it already displayed the sensibilities that would come to fruition a year & a half later on their groundbreaking album <i>Rubber Soul</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>46. I Should Have Known Better [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964; #53 US] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though not necessarily their finest work of the period, "I Should Have Known Better" was one of the most famous, in part because of its prominent featuring in <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, in the card game sequence that features a young--& future Mrs. Harrison--Patti Boyd among its idolizing girls. Whatever the song may have lacked in harmonic creativity it more than made up for in energy & drive, marking yet another occasion in which The Beatles' charisma wins out in the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>47. If I Fell [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964; #53 US] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The second of their trilogy of three-part harmony ballads ([35], [72]), this was the finest. There is a tenderness in the lyric that matches the melancholy of the melody, among the finest ever heard in a Beatles song. This is all just to say that it is simply a beautiful song, reinforced by a beautiful performance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>48. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964; #95 US] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The UK version of the <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> album was the first & only to be entirely comprised of Lennon-McCartney songs, so it only follows that Harrison's feature was written by them. Built around a cycle of chords not too dissimilar from the types that John Fogerty would use to structure his future Creedence Clearwater Revival hits, the would-be trite lyric finds success in Harrison's under-reading of it, balanced by the gusto with which Lennon & McCartney sing the backing vocals. The result is beat music with a quiet storm at its center.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>49. And I Love Her [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964; #12 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first of McCartney's starkly affecting ballads, of which he would perfect the following year in [85] "Yesterday." The simple melody is held in place by the acoustic guitars & Starr's time-keeping claves, all which part for Harrison's lovely, minimalist solo. Part of the magic of The Beatles' early records was their economy--no part overwrought, no part undercooked--& the beauty of this song is perhaps the quintessential example.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>50. Tell Me Why [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An wild explosion of a song, built on McCartney's boogieing bassline & those spontaneous-sounding block vocals. The whole thing sounded like a party--no wonder The Beach Boys would cover it on their live-in-the-studio LP, <i>The Beach Boys' Party!</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">51. Any Time At All [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964] ****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cultural historian Greil Marcus once wrote about the UK <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> LP as follows: "Side one, the soundtrack music, was hot stuff; side two was unnerving," the latter serving as "proof that the Mop Tops were...smart!" He could have been describing this song which opens the side in grand form, as Lennon's ballad verses gives way to the storming build of the refrain, all marked by Starr's startling hits on the snare drum. The result is a song that delivers reassurance through desperation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>52. I'll Cry Instead [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964; #25 US] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lovely rockabilly song that not only captures some of the sonic hallmarks of early '50s rock & roll, but also its fleeting, here-&-gone ephemerality. Although it contains some of the angriest lyrics in a Beatles song, it is redeemed by its clever, heartfelt bridge. The accusatory tone of the words further makes one wonder if The Beatles weren't already absorbing the music of their biggest contemporary rival in influence, Bob Dylan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>53. When I Get Home [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The least-famous song on <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> is not coincidentally its weakest, perhaps spun off of the "When I'm home..." bridge of the album's title track ([44]). Where the cliched lines about working like a dog & sleeping like a log are glossed over in the latter, this song's "love her 'til the cows come home" sticks out as lazy. After the storm of the opening lines, there is little in the song to match its promise, making it one of the few lackluster songs of this era.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>54. I'll Be Back [Album Track, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, 1964] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This song ended <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> with one of their most sophisticated songs to date, featuring a beautiful tune matched by a lovely lyric & two (!) different bridges. Originally conceived in 3/4 waltz time, "I'll Be Back" evolved into the stirring piece heard today, keeping it at a traditional rock tempo & letting the song speak for itself. It remains one of their most affecting works--& haunting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>55. I Feel Fine [Single A-Side, 1964; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On their first A-side since the onslaught of international Beatlemania & a grueling year, The Beatles sound weary for the first time. They also sound experimental: The feedbacking note at the start of the record is often cited as the first official sound experiment in The Beatles' catalog, & as some like to tell it, the earliest use of pure, sustained feedback on a rock record. It kicked off a song that was the first Beatles single to be built around a guitar riff--a tricky, spiraling thing played by Harrison & Lennon--but had a lived-in depth & warmth that marked its greatness. It proved to be a victory lap to an epic year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>56. She's A Woman [Single B-Side, 1964; #4 US] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Built around chiming, staccato chords, a powerful bassline, & straightforward blues changes, "She's A Woman" was evidence of a new influence in The Beatles music: Pot. Turned on to the drug a few months earlier by Bob Dylan (who assumed they already new about it based on mishearing the line "I can't hide" in [34] "I Want To Hold Your Hand" as "I get high"), the group quickly absorbed its lessons. This can be heard here, their most sonically extreme track to date, as well as the line "Turn me on when I get lonely," which sounds like a real drug allusion for Dylan to catch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>57. No Reply [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The starkest song to open a Beatles album, "No Reply" spoke of the group's newfound weariness & wariness. The clever internal rhymes of the verse are met with the storming onslaught of the bridge, which turns the song from one of denial to anger. Couched in acoustic guitars, it was a song that could be burrowed into, predicting the folk sound that would dominate the following year, as well as the reflecting the pot that had already deepened their sensibilities. An odd, if affecting, rocker--& a fascinating opener.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>58. I'm A Loser [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With its confessional lyric, wheezing harmonica, & acoustic guitar base, "I'm A Loser" finds The Beatles doing Dylan a few months before Dylan goes Beatles & records with an electric combo. Lennon's self-deprecating words matches a melody that sinks downwards that reflects McCartney's walking bass part, while Harrison's guitar work helps to set the country/folk tone of <i>Beatles For Sale</i>. Considered for a single along with [57] "No Reply" & [64] "Eight Days A Week," Lennon's own [55] "I Feel Fine" eventually beat it out, leaving "I'm A Loser" as the loser.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>59. Baby's In Black [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A 12/8 waltz about love & loss, "Baby's In Black" might be considered a ballad, if not for Starr's vigorous performance on the drums. It is also the first Beatles song that appears to deal with death, & while not as deep as say, [99] "In My Life," it is a step away from the overwrought death songs that had populated rock so far (J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers' "Last Kiss"). Whatever it was, "Baby's In Black" was always popular with their female fans & they played it frequently in their live sets over the next year & a half.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>60. Rock & Roll Music [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like their other great classic rock & roll cover, [15] "Twist & Shout," this was nailed in a single take. Lennon give a fervorous performance as the rest of the band follows his lead & producer George Martin makes a case for being one of the best rock pianists of his day. Tighter, faster, & better than the original, this remains not only a high point in The Beatles' catalog, but the greatest Chuck Berry cover in rock history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>61. I'll Follow The Sun [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of McCartney's oldest songs, a recording of "I'll Follow The Sun" exists in a rare 1960 recording of The Beatles as rockabilly rave-up with a completely different bridge. By this point, The Beatles slowed down it down & added a new more melodic bridge, turning it from the tale of a spurned lover to an ode to hopefulness. This is McCartney at his most bare & beautiful, an illuminating step between [49] "And I Love Her" & [85] "Yesterday."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>62. Mr. Moonlight [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The second cover song on <i>Beatles For Sale</i> was originally recorded by blues pianist Piano Red (born in 1911, the same year as Robert Johnson), who released the song as a B-side in 1962 under the name Dr. Feelgood & The Interns. Something of a cult favorite among British beat groups, The Beatles added a Latin rhythmic flair to it, added a minimalist organ solo, & hammed up the backing vocals. Other than balancing the sun of the previous track ([61] "I'll Follow The Sun"), the song added little to the album's overall quality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>63. Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As Lennon delivers the greatest Chuck Berry cover, McCartney follows suit with one of the greatest tributes to his vocal idol, Little Richard, his second of the year ([40] "Long Tall Sally"). Splicing together two Little Richard singles, 1959's "Kansas City" (#95 US / #26 UK) & 1958's "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey," the B-side of the mega-hit "Good Golly Miss Molly," The Beatles concocted a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts, driving home a tight groove where Little Richard sounded uncharacteristically unsteady.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>64. Eight Days A Week [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964; #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A meeting place of good-time rock & shimmering pop, "Eight Days A Week" is one of the pure delights in The Beatles' catalog--it is simply one of the happiest-sounding records ever made. Originally earmarked as a single until [55] "I Feel Fine" came along, their American label knew gold when they heard it & issued it as a single with [68] "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" as its flip. The result was a song that stayed at #1 even longer than [55] "I Feel Fine" had. Although much time & spirit went into its recording, The Beatles oddly didn't care much for it, & no Beatle ever played it live until McCartney introduced it to his setlist a few years ago. & even if the group initially viewed it as disposable pop, the then-unusual fade-in also found them pushing the experimental envelope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>65. Words Of Love [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles were huge Buddy Holly fans, dating back to Lennon, McCartney, & Harrison in the proto-Beatles Quarrymen making their first recording in 1958, a cover of Holly's "That'll Be The Day." Their affection did not wane--Lennon was said to be very shaken by Holly's premature death & McCartney eventually bought the rights to Holly's catalog. Originally issued as the non-hit follow-up to "That'll Be The Day," "Words Of Love" was a tender ballad that found Holly harmonizing with himself in an early double-tracked lead vocal. Here, Lennon & McCartney take the vocals but put in more reverence than delight. Given the breadth of Holly songs they covered in their heyday, it would have been interesting to hear them do a different song instead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>66. Honey Don't [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a stellar album of all-originals (<i>A Hard Day's Night</i>), the return to the 8 originals/6 covers format of <i>Please Please Me</i> & <i>With The Beatles</i> made <i>Beatles For Sale</i> felt like a retreat. This is because despite a few solid exceptions ([60], [63]), the covers felt like the weaker tracks. Weakest of all was this, the second of their three Carl Perkins' covers ([43], [70]), which was Starr's feature for the LP. The song dragged overall & Starr's vocal asides throughout only added to the awkwardness of the proceedings, the most desperate of all being when he name-checks their single [55] "I Feel Fine."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>67. Every Little Thing [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While far from a a masterpiece, this pretty song holds its own successfully on the album, showing a softer side to Lennon & displaying further evidence of the folk sound that would be further explored on the second side of <i>Help!</i> & the <i>Rubber Soul </i>sessions. But as solid as the vocals are, it's Harrison's guitar interlude that sounds timeless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>68. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964; #39 US] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An underrated UK album cut that just barely made the US Top 40. A country stomp redeemed by the sweet harmonies on its killer bridge. A rare Beatles song that remains hidden in plain sight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>69. What You're Doing [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If Harrison's guitar work in <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> gave Roger McGuinn the idea of using an electric 12-string guitar, this song taught him how to play it. What could easily be dismissed as a knock-off of The Byrds' classic sound actually predates it by several months, turning the influence on its head. Also noteworthy for its cold-open drums & a collective vocalizing on the first word of lines that both predicts & reverses the Run-D.M.C. style of of collectively closing in on the last word of a line. Or maybe it's just me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>70. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby [Album Track, <i>Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles' third & final Carl Perkins cover ([43], [66]) features a heavily-echoed Harrison vocal & an audible mistake in the opening riffs, courtesy of Lennon's infamous sense of rhythm (or lack thereof). While not stellar, it's not nearly as bad as some have made it out to be, borne out by the singer's deadpan wit. It later subsequently became a feature of their live act, famously performed at their Shea Stadium concert the following year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>71. Ticket To Ride [Single A-Side, 1965; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To modern Beatles fans, it's easy to forget just how revolutionary it was to have a band changing their sound so regularly & quickly. While there is no clean before & after cut-off point of the "old" & "new" sound, their first single of 1965, "Ticket To Ride," may just be closest thing. With its odd, off-kilter rhythm--magnificently held together by Starr's drum patterns--it was a slow rocker that switched to double-time for the bridge. Although it would eventually hit #1 on both sides of the Atlantic, it took a minute for fans to warm up to it, to meet it on its own terms. & if there were any doubts as to one of the main catalyst behind their shifting sensibilities, one had to look no further than the "I don't know why she's riding so high" line. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>72. Yes It Is [Single B-Side, 1965; #46 UK] **1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The third & final of their trilogy of three-part harmony ballads ([35], [47]), this was the weakest of the lot, built around a rather sickly melody & dragging beat. There are some who swear by it & the shift to the build in the bridge help it, as do the deceptively straightforward lyrics, but overall, this was one of their less memorable B-sides.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>73. Help! [Single A-Side, 1965; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like so many Beatles song, "Help!" is one that you hear so much that it is easy to forget how great it is. Clocking in at only a touch over two minutes, it packs a punch like few others, hanging on Lennon's at one turn lonely, at the next turn desperate vocal, with McCartney & Harrison proving themselves to be among the finest backup singers in rock, as they bob & weave their way through the tricky timing expertly. Harrison can still get it some clutch guitar licks as Starr drives the song through its various motions, at one point straight-ahead rock, at another a galloping country rhythm. It's a shimmering beauty of a song, & one of The Beatles' most perfect singles--which makes it one of rock's most perfect singles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>74. I'm Down [Single B-Side, 1965; #101 US] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On songs like [40] "Long Tall Sally" & [63] "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" we heard McCartney cover Little Richard; on "I'm Down," he draws him out from within. A sort of '50s rave-up pastiche, "I'm Down" was a joyous, four-on-the-floor rocker, with Lennon joining Harrison to return the favor of wonderful backing vocals as McCartney did on the single's flip [73]. Luckily nothing got too overworked along the way, resulting in one of their most spontaneous-sounding records, & a gem of a deep cut for a catalog where familiarity is the rule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>75. The Night Before [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The Night Before" played a similar role in <i>Help!</i> that [46] "I Should Have Known Better" played for <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>--the solidly tuneful second cut that would probably sound a lot better if it wasn't surrounded by phenomenal material. If the lyrics are a bit trite, one can once again sink their teeth into the backing vocals, showing that, for all the attention The Beatles get for lifting tricks from Dylan (which they certainly did as well), they were also keeping a keen eye on The Beach Boys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>76. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their first all-acoustic production was appropriately the farthest they had journeyed into the Dylan vibe. (Compare this with the previous year's more jokey [58] "I'm A Loser.") Built around one of their finest chord progressions, Lennon imbued the lyric with a jaded edge that spoke of a deeper kind of love than what they had previously sung about. Meanwhile, the flutes at the end showed the group was willing to take a song like this into sonic places that not even Dylan was interested in venturing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>77. I Need You [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Somehow "I Need You," the 77th song released by The Beatles, was only the second to be written by Harrison. It had been two albums & a string of singles since his last, [23] "Don't Bother Me," & he had grown by leaps & bounds. While still keeping his characteristically subdued feel, Harrison crafted a fine melody that gave way to proof that, like his senior partners in the band, he too could craft a worthy bridge. The backing vocals by Lennon & McCartney & the steady support by Starr shows that this was truly a group effort, with all parts reinforcing a greater whole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>78. Another Girl [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For all intents & purposes, "Another Girl" should be a throwaway, but I've always heard something bigger & better; even more than the average McCartney song, this is a study in pure melody, couched in harmony & giving way to a cascading bridge. Is it the greatest thing The Beatles ever did? Of course not. But no one ever said that pop for pop's sake ever had to apologize for itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>79. You're Going To Lose That Girl [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In [73] "Help!," the backing vocals were just part of the overall tapestry; here, they are the basis for an entire song. Crisscrossing between the solo lead (Lennon) & the backing harmonies (McCartney & Harrison), the effect is like a small Greek chorus guiding the singer through his warnings & pledges. It is also simply an interesting song, & holds up well, punctuated by one of Harrison's most offhandedly rewarding & expertly underplayed solos. If the girl ends up staying with the other guy after hearing this, she must be the biggest fool in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>80. Act Naturally [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965; #47 US] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles' most convincing performance as a country band came with Starr's cover of the 1963 song that made Buck Owens a country superstar (#1 Country). Nestled at the top of the second side of their second film album, "Act Naturally" was a clever choice with its clever movie-star-wanna-be lyrics, rendered earnestly by Starr. Though he would continually dip his toe into the country stream for the rest of his career (both with The Beatles--[96] "What Goes On," [161] "Don't Pass Me By"--& beyond), it was never more rewarding than here. Released as the flip side to the US-only single [85] "Yesterday," it even made the Top 50.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>81. It's Only Love [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although McCartney is generally thought of as the tunesmith in The Beatles, "It's Only Love" was proof that Lennon could craft a solid melody as well. With its light touch & acoustic-based sound, this was a coy, playful number, with an expert refrain that was built on a similar structure as the one found in [34] "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Perhaps that's why this song starts with the words "I get high"--the exact phrase Dylan <i>thought</i> he was hearing in the earlier tune.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>82. You Like Me Too Much [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] **1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the breakthrough of [77] "I Need You," Harrison's unprecedented second song for the <i>Help!</i> LP, "You Like Me Too Much," feels like a retreat. With its odd piano trills that open it & its unabashedly trite lyric, it was a tune that could not rise above Harrison's sour melodic tendencies. The song is most important for starting the trend of Harrison getting multiple cuts on an LP, & in this regard, it can best be seen as a stepping stone onto far greater things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>83. Tell Me What You See [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">McCartney was in an uncharacteristic songwriting slump for much of the initial recording of <i>Help!</i>, as evidenced by the fact that a Lennon song had gotten their last four A-sides ([44], [55], [71], [73]) & even a B-side too ([72]). In the meantime, McCartney had contributed some great material, but with diminishing results as time moved on. "Tell Me What You See" changed all that, kicking off a streak of winners ([84], [85]) that found McCartney at the peak of his game & helping to push The Beatles' sound further. Brimming with confidence, "Tell Me What You See" had the lived-in folk sound of current work, but was all tied around a straightforward & effective lyric & musical hook. It was McCartney proving he could deliver, once again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>84. I've Just Seen A Face [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the great deep cuts in The Beatles catalog, "I've Just Seen A Face" was McCartney crafting a song with the tenderness of a folk ballad but the excitement & drive of a rock song--with a clever lyric to match (which had more internal rhymes than you could throw a dictionary at). Buried on the second side of an LP in their native UK, the song received special prominence in the US where it was issued as the opening cut to their next album, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, in an apparent ploy to make the latter album sound "folkier." No matter what the context, the song stands out as a high-water mark of this period.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>85. Yesterday [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965; #8 UK* / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hard as it is to believe, the most covered song in the history of recorded sound was originally the second-to-last song on the second side of a film LP, not even released as a single in its own native land (until long after The Beatles disbanded). America knew better, where it was released on a 45 & easily made the top of the charts for a month. The origins are now the stuff of legend--McCartney waking up with the song in his head, convinced he didn't write it; showing it to George Martin with the lyric "Scrambled Eggs" before wisely changing it to "Yesterday"; Martin convincing McCartney to let a string quartet back him instead of his bandmates; the song subsequently getting covered by everyone from Elvis to Aretha to Brother Ray on down & virtually defining modern pop music in its most Platonic form.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>86. Dizzy Miss Lizzy [Album Track, <i>Help!</i>, 1965] **1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For all of its great music & innovations, <i>Help! </i>was ultimately one of the weaker links in The Beatles' early albums. Part of it had to do with the group being worn down by years of touring & recording (as well as the pot that was loosening their usually strict sense of quality), but part of it was simply that the songs weren't as good. Case in point was this track, initially recorded to appease their American label (see [119] "Bad Boy"). Originally released by Larry Williams in 1958 (US #69), "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" tried to cash in on his earlier rhyming hit "Bony Moronie." For whatever reason, Lennon liked the song & would sing it at his live concert in Toronto four years later. Here, it plays like poor man's [33] "Money (That's What I Want)."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>87. Day Tripper [Single A-Side, 1965; #1 UK / #5 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Built around one of the greatest riffs in rock history--only The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" has it beat, which likely inspired it in part--"Day Tripper" was a tale of love & drugs at the dawn of the psychedelic era. With McCartney's equally-commercial [88] "We Can Work It Out" as its competition in the band, The Beatles released the first of their three legendary "double A-side" singles. In the UK, where both sides of a single were counted as a single entity, both sides went to #1; in the US, where each side was counted individually in that period, its flip got more airplay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>88. We Can Work It Out [Single A-Side, 1965; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An ode to compromise by a band that seemed to function as a miraculous whole; if one had trouble imagining McCartney singing it to his bandmates, they could picture him singing it to his entire generation. In a master stroke of uniting lyric & melody, the song chugs along at its steady pace before giving way to a churning two-step rhythm when "fussing & fighting my friend" is broached. In a few short years, The Beatles would conclude that [35] "All You Need Is Love," but here a more pragmatic approach is taken. If it feels more complicated, that's because it is--& why it still holds up better than its Summer Of Love counterpart in the modern age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>89. Drive My Car [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A funky song that takes its place in the grand tradition of rock car songs that goes back to Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues" & on through Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me" & The Beach Boys' "I Get Around." Built around a tricky guitar riff played by McCartney &/or Harrison with some choice piano chords thrown in to pad out the lick, this was a <i>groove</i> the way few Beatles songs had been before--or after. It also set the tone for the effortless artistry that would fill out the album it kicked off, <i>Rubber Soul</i>. At least in the UK. The US version of the album cut this & three other songs ([92], [96], [101]) & put the mellower <i>Help!</i> tracks [84] "I've Just Seen A Face" & [81] "It's Only Love" at the top of Side 1 & Side 2, respectively, to try & convey a "Beatles gone folk" vibe that, while lovely in its own right, ultimately mutilated The Beatles' own vision for the album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>90. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are some songs in The Beatles catalog like [85] "Yesterday" that seem to come from everywhere at once, & then there are songs like this that could have come from nowhere else & from no one else. On paper, it shouldn't work at all--a 12/8 waltz with a tune that plays like a Dylan knock-off, with words about an affair & arson, all punctuated with the first sitar heard on a rock record. It should be a bizarre mess, but it all holds together brilliantly. It's at once timeless, mysterious, & funny, an instant folk song for a new era, a stunning meeting place of sound & vision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>91. You Won't See Me [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although <i>Rubber Soul</i> is often thought of a "folky" album, tracks like this one are better described as straight-ahead electric pop songs that are steeped in the trappings of folk, without falling into the genre per se. Another expertly-executed lyric & performance, "You Won't See Me" ultimately suffers from its length, as a reprise of the bridge makes the song overstay its welcome, whereas the less-is-more structure of [57] "No Reply," which could have repeated its bridge but did not, would have been preferred.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>92. Nowhere Man [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965; #3 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles' first foray into social criticism was skippered by Lennon (naturally) but depended on a unified front to see it through. Sung in three-part harmony by Lennon, McCartney, & Harrison & filled with lovely, chiming guitar work, the song plays like an existential riddle; if this is like one of Dylan's "finger-pointing songs," the finger is on a hand suspended in the air & pointing back onto itself. Held off of the US version of the LP to be released a single (presumably for its deep perspective), the song made the Top 3 & was eventually featured on the infamous <i>Yesterday...& Today</i> "Butcher Cover" album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>93. Think For Yourself [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After years of false starts & hiding behind covers, Harrison finally came to his own on <i>Rubber Soul</i>. His songs are at the very least equal of Lennon & McCartney's & all fit together to form a greater whole. Nowhere is this more true than in "Think For Yourself," where Harrison takes his dour approach but layers it with fuzzy guitar hooks & adds lyrics that finds his cynicism brushing up against his wit ("Try thinking more if just for your own sake"). The result is a churning put-down of a rocker that was the earliest indication that Harrison could write at the level of his bandmates.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>94. The Word [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the beginning...There was Love. & it was Good. The moment where The Beatles embrace psychedelic rock, if not fully sonically, then fully philosophically. This makes it an important turning point for the band, but as an actual song, it sounds hollow today, with its outmoded ideology & stronger material surrounding it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>95. Michelle [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Rubber Soul </i>was originally conceptualized a comedy album, the remnants of which can be heard in the punchlines of [89] "Drive My Car" & [90] "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)." But "Michelle" was the only song purely born out of comedy, with McCartney playing it at parties, introducing it as the little French song he had invented, ad-libbing the language while breaking out in the ridiculous "I love you, I love you, I love you" triplets. Well, something happened on the way to the record, because by the time "Michelle" was released, The Beatles had taken the time to get the French words right & recorded the whole thing in earnest. (If you don't think McCartney was taking this seriously, just listen to the killer bass work he does during the fade-out.) The joke, then, was on the music industry--although never released a single (The Overlanders took it to #1 in the UK the following year), it picked up a Grammy for Song Of The Year & has been lovingly covered ever since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>96. What Goes On [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965; #81 US] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The sole clunker on the original UK version of <i>Rubber Soul</i>, "What Goes On" was Starr's first writing credit (alongside Lennon & McCartney, who apparently couldn't save the song). Built on the country/western style that Starr always adored, it felt meandering & unfinished, with only Harrison channeling Carl Perkins with his guitar work giving it anything of interest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>97. Girl [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Rubber Soul</i> was a laboratory of new sounds & ideas for The Beatles, with "Girl" being one of the finest examples. Built around a German two-step, it kept up the international influence of the album (i.e., the Indian instrumentation of [90] "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," the French singing of [95] "Michelle), in the form of a wrenching ballad that spoke of the depths & limits of love. Lennon's vocal makes it, but even more memorable is the breathing in sound he makes on the refrain, which seems to emulate taking a hit of pot. A rich yet unsuspecting, & affecting, song.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>98. I'm Looking Through You [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A great & catchy song that works because, despite the implied surrealism of its lyric, it demands that you take its words entirely literally. When the singer sings that he is looking through the girl, he sounds as though she is simply made of glass. It's unlike anything else I've heard in a rock song. & with the organ blast coming at the end of each verse, it's a not-so-subtle reminder that when The Beatles called their work <i>Rubber Soul</i>, they were thinking of (& emulating) soul music, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>99. In My Life [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the most beautiful Beatles song of them all, "In My Life" was also their wisest, with Lennon showing wisdom far beyond his 25 years. It was a study of love & loss that was both heartfelt & bittersweet, at once a love song, a self-portrait, & a philosophy lesson. George Martin's sped-up Bach piece fit right into the proceedings during the instrumental bridge, but this was a Beatles show through & through. The best of their music is utterly timeless, & no song is more so than this one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>100. Wait [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first song to be recorded for <i>Rubber Soul</i> (it was actually a leftover from the <i>Help!</i> sessions), "Wait" is one of their most exciting pieces, using syncopation & rhythm tracks to build up the sense of urgency until it all but bleeds out the speakers. For any other band, it would be a major highlight, yet for The Beatles, it unfairly remains a relatively obscure cut. I'm also pretty sure it's what Odysseus sang to Penelope all the way home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>101. If I Needed Someone [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This song was proof that [93] "Think For Yourself" was no fluke, as Harrison delivers arguably his best song to date. Tunefully, witty, & wry--& filled with lovely guitar work--its melody winds through the song like a creek, rich harmonies embellishing it along the way. It should inspire anyone to carve their number on a wall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>102. Run For Your Life [Album Track, <i>Rubber Soul</i>, 1965] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Getting its first words from the last lines of the last verse of Elvis's "Baby, Let's Play House" (which Lennon performed on the day he met McCartney)--"I'd rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man"--"Run For Your Life" is caustic & a tad desperate, a spiritual sequel to Lennon's own [39] "You Can't Do That." But surrounded by the depths of <i>Rubber Soul</i>, the song sounds hollow, making for a surprisingly weak end to an otherwise nearly flawless album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>103. Paperback Writer [Single A-Side, 1966; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A McCartney song that took in The Beach Boys' complex overlaid harmonies & applied it to a tune about a guy who wants to write paperbacks. Lennon would later slam his partner for songs like this, but lyrics aside, the sound is so great that it defined its moment in pop music. (The Monkees' producers wrote their zillion-selling "Last Train To Clarksville" based on something they thought they heard in this song's fadeout.) Maybe because of its lyric, or just pot, Lennon & Harrison didn't take it very seriously, famously singing "Frere Jaques" as the backing vocals during the last verse. But with its riff, its hooks, & its harmonies, this was a calculated hit single, & with its hard-to-replicate-outside-of-the-studio sound, it was one step closer to retiring The Beatles as a touring outfit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>104. Rain [Single B-Side, 1966; #23 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lennon's first LSD-inspired song, generally considered to be Starr's finest performance on record. With its phased vocals, surreal lyrics, & washed-out guitars, it was the beginning of their next sonic phase, especially with the backwards part at the end (which began as a mistake--although when he heard it, Lennon was so excited, he wanted to release the entire song backwards). Also noteworthy is McCartney's restless bass part which at once holds down the sound while taking it to soaring new places--& reminds listeners that the McCartney/Starr rhythm section was the finest of its time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>105. Yellow Submarine [Single A-Side, 1966; #1 UK / #2 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A children's song, written by Lennon-McCartney but given to Starr to sing. George Martin dipped into his experience with novelty records to throw in all sorts of things that made it feel so alive & real that it literally inspired an entire animated film. It is also a sonic snapshot of 1966, a moment when everything was possible, & even a sing-along about the land of submarines could become a massive international hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>106. Eleanor Rigby [Single A-Side, 1966; #1 UK / #11 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the saddest song in the Beatles canon, it nonetheless was tuneful enough to grace one side of their string of double A-sided singles. For the first time, no Beatles played on the tracks, it was simply McCartney's vocal (& Lennon & Harrison's harmonies) with a double string quartet playing Martin's dramatic score. Lyrically, it was the tightest of all Beatles songs, using a few short verses to weave a tale of two lonely people who pass like ships in the night in the song's brilliant third verse. At once a statement on society & a well-crafted story, "Eleanor Rigby" was proof that The Beatles were something bigger than just a pop/rock band--as if anyone was still wondering at this point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>107. Taxman [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Starting with the best "1, 2, 3, 4" count-off ever heard in a rock song--a mirror to the count-off on [5] "I Saw Her Standing There," which kicked off their first LP--"Taxman" is the first & only Harrison song to initiate a Beatles LP, let alone one that many consider to be their finest. It's a very clever song that finds Harrison aiming his razor-sharp wit at government greed & the citizens who have to finance it. In another band's hands, it could have come off as angry or overwrought, but with The Beatles it sounds glorious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>108. I'm Only Sleeping [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For all the ink that has been spilled describing LSD as something that creates a moonbeam diamond marshmallow sky--for reasons both good & bad--it's easy to forget that the drug also simply heightened everyday existence (again, in ways good & bad). "I'm Only Sleeping" took a simple idea--waking up--& remade it into not just a song about the drowsy early morning, but the <i>feel</i> of the drowsy early morning. It was a lovely transition between the meditations on the world West ([106] "Eleanor Rigby") & East ([109] "Love You To"), but only in the UK. The US edition of <i>Revolver</i> cut this & two other Lennon songs ([113] "And Your Bird Can Sing," [115] "Doctor Robert"), as well as a Harrison cut ([116] "I Want To Tell You"), ruining its overall effect. Perhaps this was the straw that broke the camel's back, as it was the last time the US & UK studio LP releases weren't identical.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>109. Love You To [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Harrison's first full immersion into Eastern music remains one of his best, his often dour, nasal melodies hooking together naturally with the scales of Indian songwriting. It was one thing to feature a sitar ([90] "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"), but it was quite another to scrap the band for traditional Indian performers & musicians. What was jarring in 1966 has since become a bit of a cliche--any time a cheap advertisement needs to evoke the '60s, it just needs a beaded doorway & a couple of twangs on the sitar. This song was the first proof that, at least for Harrison (& by extension, The Beatles), the mood went far deeper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>110. Here, There, And Everywhere [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For all the flack that McCartney gets for writing, as he would later jokingly put it, "silly little love songs," it is easy to forget that he was perhaps the greatest melodist of his generation. [85] "Yesterday" is the obvious example, but if one needs something fresher & less overplayed, put on "Here, There, And Everywhere." With its beautifully sparse arrangement (& those finger-snaps making a late appearance in the third act!), it is a study in pure melody, thread through with the ideal accompanying lyrics to match its at once meandering yet focused tune. Like many of McCartney's finest tunes, it seems so obvious in both concept & lyric, but if it was so obvious, how did no one think of it first?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>111. She Said She Said [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lennon takes LSD & has an epic conversation with Peter Fonda about death. Which is to say, LSD was such an all-encompassing <i>experience</i> that it often left its takers with the notion that they had died & been born again. No song expresses this more succinctly than "She Said She Said," with its rich, overlaid guitars & Starr's masterfully tumbling drums (the latter of which was already becoming the norm after the breakthrough of [104] "Rain"). But just when one thinks it might become too esoteric for the average listener, it still employs the toolkit of The Beatles' core talents--a great hook, an effective bridge, & smart lyrics. The latter especially should give one pause. She says she knows what it's like to be dead, which makes him feel like he's never been born. This is perhaps the most perfectly impossible phrase this side of Dylan's "& you know that we will meet again, if your memory serves you well" in "This Wheel's On Fire."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>112. Good Day Sunshine [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the first side of <i>Revolver</i> ends with Lennon's personal, challenging [111] "She Said She Said," the second side opens with McCartney's open, optimistic "Good Day Sunshine." Make no mistake about it, this is still LSD-influenced music, only it works as an enhancement to reality, much like Lennon's earlier [108] "I'm Only Sleeping." Brimming with confidence, &, well, sunshine, this is The Beatles' equivalent of The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice," a city upon a hill of a bright sky & a fine-looking girl. The darkest thing to be found in the song is a flirtation with the sin of pride--"I'm so proud to know that she is mine"--but even this is a gesture of not taking another person for granted. Remember, this was 1966, & everything was still possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>113. And Your Bird Can Sing [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After The Beatles inspired Roger McGuinn to buy an electric 12-string guitar ([44] "A Hard Day's Night") & then taught him how to play it ([69] "What You're Doing"), this song finds The Beatles re-appropriating from The Byrds. Featuring winding & intricate guitar playing by Lennon & Harrison--some of their finest as a team--the song works because Lennon has crafted a wondrous melody that is enriched by Harrison & McCartney's luscious harmonies (& nowhere is this more apparent--or appropriate--than on the "Tell me that you've heard every sound there is..." final verse). The result could be described as Lennon's version of pop for pop's sake, albeit enriched by LSD. Let's remember that it was Lennon--not McCartney--who was the huge fan of Phil Spector. No wonder it sounded so good as the opening theme to the infamous Beatles' cartoon show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>114. For No One [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While <i>Revolver</i> showed Lennon absorbing LSD (figuratively & literally) & Harrison absorbing Eastern music (figuratively & philosophically), the LP found McCartney absorbing classical music, which neither he nor his bandmates had paid much attention to. Luckily for them, they had George Martin who could whip up a perfect score when need be, & none so effectively as he does here. Once again, the whole thing works because McCartney's sense of melody is effortlessly beautiful, & it uses the trick of playing the french horn first solo, & then over a verse, that ties it altogether musically as much as [106] "Eleanor Rigby" had done so lyrically. (It was also a trick they would employ again to great effect, such as the "sung trumpet" bridge in [144] "Lady Madonna.") Heartbreak rarely ever sounded so good, & with the mysterious tagline--is he saying the love should or shouldn't have lasted years, or both in different places?--it even involves a little listener participation to parse it out, which draws in the listener on a whole other level.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>115. Doctor Robert [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The closest thing <i>Revolver</i> has to a weak song, "Doctor Robert" is nonetheless at the very least, perfectly good. It also ties in the greater 1960s theme of the medicine man--a character who appears & reappears in Dylan's songs & harkens back to the turn of the century American popular entertainment of traveling medicine shows. Here the good doctor is reborn as a version of Timothy Leary, which plays like a radio jingle for the wonders of LSD (especially in the bridge). Years later, Leary would return the favor by adopting [186] "Come Together" as the theme of his presidential campaign.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>116. I Want To Tell You [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This song seems to give a window into Harrison's mysterious songwriting techniques, seemingly taking you through the winding logic of his melody & lyric, never being afraid to end on a line like "That is confusing things." To my ears, he would recast it over two decades later as a Traveling Wilbury in the catchier "Heading For The Light," but "I Want To Tell You" is still a solid piece of songcraft in its own right, even if it is a tad unpolished compared with his other contributions to the LP ([107] "Taxman," [109] "Love You To"). Only the sudden fadeout catches one off-guard as undercooked, as the more important thing being that Harrison received a third songwriting credit for the first time on a Beatles LP.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>117. Got To Get You Into My Life [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966; #7 US*] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While [111] "She Said She Said" found Lennon taking LSD & finding death, "Got To Get You Into My Life" finds McCartney taking the drug & reaffirming life. It's no coincidence that one is the flipside of the other, but it's interesting to see what each Beatle focuses on as their inspiration. As [106] "Eleanor Rigby" & [114] "For No One" studied loneliness, this song begins with that idea--"I was alone, I took a ride"--but then uses it to reach an epiphany of needing others. The brass only reinforces this, making it the second mind of [112] "Good Day Sunshine," or perhaps, the other way around. & McCartney strings it along with a deceptively simple melody hook--"<i>Ooh!</i>"--that drives the whole thing home. If anyone wondered whether this could be a hit, they found the following decade when it was released as a tie-in to the <i>Rock 'n' Roll Music</i> compilation, where the already 10-year-old it easily landed in the US Top 10.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>118. Tomorrow Never Knows [Album Track, <i>Revolver</i>, 1966] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last song to appear on Revolver was the first one to be recorded, Lennon's epic "Tomorrow Never Knows." He came in with no melody (the whole thing is essentially one C chord) & lines from the <i>Tibetan Book Of The Dead</i>, which was then used to guide LSD trips. The group constructed a virtual prophecy of modern music, employing tape loops (basically early "samples") to build the sound around Starr's drums & McCartney's bass, fading in & out various sped-up & slowed down clips of orchestras & laughter for a surreal effect. For the final verse, Lennon told George Martin that he wanted to sound like he was chanting from the mountain top with a thousand monks below him, at one point suggesting being suspended by the ceiling & spun so that his vocal would approach & recede from the listener for an undulating effect. They instead compromised by putting his vocal through a rotating speaker, which made it sound as though it was coming from above the proceedings. Although Lennon would later sing about revolution ([147]), this was perhaps the most revolutionary track of their career, bringing the experience of LSD to the average listener in a song that was still tight & interesting enough to stand on its own. If people were split on it when it was first release, hindsight has shown it to be one of their finest & most influential recordings ever since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>119. Bad Boy [Album Track, <i>A Collection Of Beatles Oldies</i>, 1966] *1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is a cruel piece of irony that, if you listen to The Beatles' catalog in the order in which it was released in their native UK, you get one of their very worst songs right in between what might just be their two finest ([118] "Tomorrow Never Knows" & [120] "Strawberry Fields Forever"). Some backstory: In 1965, The Beatles' American label needed two more cuts to fill out one of their bastardized albums, <i>The Beatles VI</i>. With no new material ready, the group begrudgingly obliged with two Larry Williams covers (their second & third--see [42] "Slow Down"), [86] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" & this, a non-charting 1959 B-side to "She Said Yeah," magnificently covered by The Rolling Stones. While [86] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" was deemed good enough to be included <i>Help!</i>, "Bad Boy" was held back, making it the only song released in America that had not appeared on a UK counterpart. When Christmas 1966 rolled around with no new Beatles LP ready (the first time this had happened), their label put out <i>A Collection Of Beatles Oldies</i>, which gathered many of their non-LP singles, a few LP tracks, & this song to lure listeners who already had everything else. While the album had some significant flaws (a jumbled running order, hits omitted, no consistency over album cuts vs. singles), none was worse than the inclusion of this number which played like a piece of coal in a goldmine. (It sounds much better when played directly after [86] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," like it was recorded, but I left it here for history's sake.) Oddly stripping out the titular phrase (Williams' original had a response part that said "He's a <i>bad boy</i>," in the style of The Everly Brothers' "Bird Dog"), the song falls apart, & despite some nice rock vocalizations (check out Lennon's "<i>ooo</i>!" after the line "Every dime that he gets"), it is clear that it was nothing more than the filler it was designed to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>120. Strawberry Fields Forever [Single A-side, 1967; #2 UK / #8 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Initially conceived as a finger-picking folk song, "Strawberry Fields" evolved to become The Beatles' finest recording. A lyrical meditation on a field near Lennon's childhood home, the song takes in elements of time, space, & memory to weave a singularly beautiful & effective track. Part of its effect comes with the fact that, after the tender Mellotron opening notes, it hits you straight off with the refrain, baptizing you in a wash of sound that finds all The Beatles contributing--Lennon's careening vocals, McCartney's bubbling bass, Harrison's cascading slide guitar, & Starr's stuttering drums, used to their greatest psychedelic impact. & of course, you have the great wizard of George Martin guiding the track to maximum effect. One verse is sung over suspended horns, in another portion, the strings take the lead. & then there is the sounds that can't be defined--the whirring, flickering noise in the final verse that appears to be sound for sound's sake. & of course, the backwards part at the end, echoing the earlier [104] "Rain"<b> </b>only further enriched by this track's musical colorfulness. Because despite the touches of classical (strings) & jazz (horns), make no mistake about it, this is a rock song played by a rock band, using virtually every trick in the book. But what should sound overcrowded or superfluous instead sounds complexly complete, as every part feeds back into the greater whole of the sound, a unified front of music & lyric that goes on forever. The result is more than just pop or rock, but an artistic a vision of freedom that in its own way, for the length of its own ephemeral existence, goes on forever. With all due respect to <i>Revolver</i> before it & <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> after, <i>this</i> is The Beatles at their creative peak. Which means it is the creative peak of rock, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>121. Penny Lane [Single A-Side, 1967; #2 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Often unfairly dismissed as the kinder, gentler, simpler side of [120] "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane" is a masterpiece in its own right, just as complex & surreal, albeit in a more subtle way. Part of this has to do with the fact that it's a classic McCartney third-person narrative, as opposed to Lennon's seemingly deeper first-person one, but songs like [106] "Eleanor Rigby" have proven that McCartney can be just as revelatory when spinning tales of others. Also like its flipside, "Penny Lane" was a rumination on childhood, featuring the intersecting memories of a barber, a banker, & a fireman, among others. As Ian MacDonald has pointed out in <i>Revolution In The Head</i>, the song is a masterpiece of paradox, as it creates a world where it is simultaneously clear-skied & pouring rain, summer & winter (the pretty nurse is selling poppies for Armistice Day), & childlike but filled with adult-level double-entendre. There is also the sonic enhancement of sound effects both obvious (the fireman's ringing bell) & subtle (the barber's chair buzzing up as the banker waits to have his haircut), not to mention the spontaneous-yet-perfect piccolo trumpet solo at its core. Once again, this only works because this deeply personal memory of childhood is a group effort, with all Beatles invested to making a greater whole. Because of its wit & tunefulness, it proved to be the more commercial side, hitting #1 in the US (where single sides were still split at the time, even though this was technically a "double A-side" single). & best of all was the line about the pretty nurse: "& though she feels as if she's in a play, she is anyway." Nothing is real, indeed. This & [120] "Strawberry Fields Forever" should have made the beginnings of a brilliant concept album about childhood & memory, but the lack of any new material since the previous summer's <i>Revolver</i> pressured the group to release this as a single in early 1967. The single market's gain was their next album's loss, as these songs would have anchored a classic album to have become even better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>122. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967; #63 UK* / #71 US*] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About four months of silence elapsed between the double-sided [120] "Strawberry Fields Forever" & [121] "Penny Lane" single, during which time rumors began to fly that The Beatles were falling apart, or already broken up. Since they had retired from touring the previous year, there was no way for them to connect with the outside world outside of new music being released on record. But when <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i> came out in the spring of 1967, The Beatles proved they were functioning as a cohesive unit better than ever. The title track to the LP has since become so overplayed that it's easy to forget how unusual & conceptually daring it was. Having "died" as a live act, The Beatles were re-born as a new act, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, for which this LP was the concert. This song introduced the idea, beginning with the orchestra warming up & sprinkled with applause & laughter throughout. It also was one of the tightest summations of The Beatles' flavor of psychedelic hard rock, all knit together in a two-minute rocker that had a tangible excitement for the proceedings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>123. With A Little Help From My Friends [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967; #63 UK* / #71 US*] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keeping with the <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> concert theme, the next song of the LP was sung by "Billy Shears" (in reality Starr, who if he didn't have the least-recognizable voice, surely had the least-utilized one). Appropriately, he sings about getting by with a little help from his friends, as this song was penned by Lennon-McCartney but would become his signature closer in decades to come. Masterfully bringing together a feeling of social togetherness as well as the influence of drugs ("I get high with a little help from my friends"), it was the perfect entryway into this landmark album of psychedelic community. That it was later immortalized by Joe Cocker at Woodstock only spoke to the richness of its message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>124. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& then, just three songs in, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i> falls apart. As Lennon later pointed out, none of his songs on the LP had to do with Sgt. Pepper & his band because he only knew how to write about himself. Point taken. But at least it gave way to music that <i>sounded</i> unified, even if it held up less well conceptually when put under scrutiny. Lennon's first exercise was this LSD classic (though he always held he had no idea that "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" literally abbreviated to "LSD"), perhaps the most evocative lyrical expression for those who had never (& would never) sample the drug itself. Like so many of the cuts on <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, it worked because it was a unified band performance, McCartney's bass underpinning Lennon's vocals, while Starr's confident drumbeat shifted between the waltz verse & the rock refrain. Lennon would write better songs about the LSD experience (my vote would be for [138] "I Am The Walrus," though you could just as easily argue [104] "Rain" or [118] "Tomorrow Never Knows"), but positioned as it was on this landmark LP, this was the most iconic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>125. Getting Better [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Part of what made <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> so revolutionary in its time (& so dated in ours) was its sunny optimism. No song shows this better than "Getting Better." A light & airy dose of McCartney pop, it is deepened (&, truth be told, darkened) by the contrasting Lennon parts--the "It can't get no worse" reply of the "It's getting better all the time" refrain, the final verse about domestic abuse. Furthermore, the use of clip-clop rhythms & buzzing droning further made it feel at one with the rest of the album, & one would believe, the world at large who heard its simple message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>126. Fixing A Hole [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the most trying programming on an original LP is "Fixing A Hole" between [125] "Getting Better" & [127] "She's Leaving Home," as the first side of their supposed "greatest" LP is weighed down by excess McCartney. Inspired by his own handiwork at his farm home, it is fine enough, but drags in comparison to its surroundings. Turns out its best to leave the philosophical thinking in The Beatles to Lennon & Harrison.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>127. She's Leaving Home [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A bittersweet song about the generation gap, "She's Leaving Home" is one The Beatles' most stirring & mainstream pop recordings, thanks to a dramatic string arrangement by Mike Leander (as opposed to the more subtle work of their usual arranger, George Martin). Like [106] "Eleanor Rigby," The Beatles themselves play no instruments on the recording, only vocals. When McCartney visited Beach Boy Brian Wilson in the studio while Wilson was recording his follow-up to <i>Pet Sounds</i>, McCartney played him this song, cheekily saying, "You better hurry up!" Wilson was wowed by this song (& perhaps intimidated by it), but to modern audiences, it feels more saccharine than effective. Still, Lennon's nagging refrain lines (supposedly taken from his Aunt Mimi's sayings) lift the spirits of the proceedings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>128. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The carnival lurks deep in the heart of 1960s psychedelic rock--whether it's Dylan's trailblazing "Desolation Row," The Rolling Stones' <i>Rock & Roll Circus</i> television special, or any number of Frank Zappa's celebrations of the freak sideshow. The Beatles blew its cover with this song, one of the most evocative songs ever produced in rock music. Lennon asked George Martin for a circus sound so authentic that you could smell the sawdust, & Martin delivered in spades. From the haunting organ to the swirling sounds of vendors & rides, it served as an ample reminder of the surrealism, nothing-is-real funhouse of the carnival was the perfect metaphor for the psychedelic experience. Tying it all together was Lennons' lyrics, taken largely verbatim from an antique circus poster he had found advertising the wonders of Mr. Kite's wondrous circus. While Martin's production values gave the song space to breathe, & Starr's one-two hi-hat & McCartney's snaking bassline helped to flesh out the world in which it existed, it was Lennon's central melody that kept the proceedings sound dark & nearly menacing--when he said that Mr. Kite was topping the bill, he made it sound like a plan for world domination. It also held the perfect summation of <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> as an album (despite Lennon's later detail that his songs had anything to do with it): "Having been some days in preparation, a splendid time is guaranteed for all."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>129. Within You Without You [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Upon realizing that his song [178] "Only A Northern Song" wasn't going to be included on the LP, Harrison went all for broke on "Within You Without You," his deepest exploration into Eastern music & philosophy on record. While it contains excellent performances by originally uncredited Indian musicians (along with Harrison on vocals & sitar), as well as iconic lyrics like "With our love we could save the world," the song drags to the Western ear, overstaying its welcome. Yet as an all-encompassing work of art, it works as a stand-alone piece, demanding you take it at its own terms. George Martin originally didn't know what to do with it (aside from adding strings at Harrison's request), so he put it at the top of the album's second side (a technique he did before for the square peg [96] "What Goes On" on <i>Rubber Soul</i>). If many found it trying initially, the general opinion of it has improved dramatically, although it still isn't a classic like some of its surroundings on the LP.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>130. When I'm Sixty-Four [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Contrasting Harrison's deep & moody Indian exercise [129] "Within You Without You," was "When I'm Sixty-Four," one of McCartney's earliest songs, although you'd never know it from the treatment it receives here. The first <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> song to be recorded (it was the third option for the [120] "Strawberry Fields Forever"/[121] "Penny Lane" single--George Martin later said he wished he had chosen this song & one of the others as so not to have wasted the two better songs), it fits into the LP remarkably well, providing a British music hall feel that one would expect a lonely hearts club band might play. It also broached the subject of old age, albeit in a very opposite way as the earlier [106] "Eleanor Rigby," a sort of [105] "Yellow Submarine" for the aged crowd. It must be remembered that part of <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>'s appeal was that it included all ages, & older-generation music fans that had never purchased a rock LP found themselves buying & listening to this one. Most tellingly, songs like this helped propel it to become the first rock album to win Album Of The Year at the Grammys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>131. Lovely Rita [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A perfectly fine if unremarkable track, "Lovely Rita" is proof that, song-for-song, <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> was a far weaker affair than their previous LP, <i>Revolver</i>. As Ian MacDonald held in <i>Revolution In The Head</i>, where <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> beat <i>Revolver</i> was in spirit, not musical quality. So where does that leave us with this song? Well, with a cursory glance at the proletariat, in this case a parking meter maid that tows the singer's heart away. Not the deepest of stuff, but high spirited & well-adjusted to the album overall, especially in its exciting, echoing build at the end that collapses into [132] "Good Morning Good Morning."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>132. Good Morning Good Morning [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When The Beatles' <i>Anthology</i> project came out some thirty years after <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, it gave away the secret how much production work was done to enhance otherwise straight-ahead rockers like this &, say, [150] "Glass Onion." Stripped of their orchestration, many Lennon songs from this era are little more than solid, if not always memorable driving rockers. They sound fine, but also more than just a little naked. But once the Salvation Army horns & barnyard animal sounds are thrown into the mix, the song transcends to the next level, making the best argument to split for the country this side of The Kinks' "Animal Farm." Nowhere is its carefree life & death perspective more deeply brought home than in the irreverent ending, in which Lennon insisted that each succeeding animal had to be capable of eating the one before it. Nothing to do to save her life, indeed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>133. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last song to be recorded for the LP, the idea for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" was broached when it was suggested that they still needed one song to really bring the album home. This did so in more ways than one, as it linked the opening title track, giving the air of a sophisticated song-cycle as opposed to a set of generic rock songs. As previously noted (by Lennon among others), if you look at it song-for-song, the whole concept breaks down, but it works because of its unifying sound & united spirit. Say what you will about the rest of the album, but once this song comes on, it is an exciting revelation. Perhaps no other Beatles song has as much tangible excitement as they are literally figuring out the album-oriented future of modern rock & roll, all singing together & making way for their--or rather, Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band's--epic finale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>134. A Day In The Life [Album Track, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, 1967] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the most accomplished & sophisticated Beatles song, & as some like to tell it, their finest song, <i>period</i>. (As you probably already figured out, my vote would go for [120] "Strawberry Fields Forever," but I digress.) Inspired by Lennon reading the morning paper, he hitched his somber folk song to a clip of a McCartney song going through his morning routine, which floated on a cloud & landed back in a double-time version of Lennon's ballad. All expertly tied together by Starr's magnificent drumming, only Harrison sits back on the song, contributing acoustic guitar & maracas. The finale is what makes it, though--unsure of how to end it, George Martin instructed an orchestra to climb from their lowest to their highest string in a cacophony of sound, stopping dead cold & landing with all four Beatles slamming the strings of a piano, which gave way to an inner-loop of a dog whistle & some backwards gibberish (at least in the UK edition of the LP). Many hold that this epic of a performance was their masterpiece, the moment at which the sum came together into an undeniable whole, officially turning pop into Art, & The Beatles into geniuses--at least in the eyes of Western Civilization.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>135. All You Need Is Love [Single A-Side, 1967; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> could be praised for its relative subtlety in message, "All You Need Is Love," their next subsequent release a little over a month later, blew its cover. Something of a victory lap in The Summer Of Love, the song was recorded in part for the UK's contribution to the global broadcast <i>Our World</i>, featuring a backing cast of thousands (including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, & countless others). Beginning with a joke quoting of "La Marseillaise" (which itself became a pivotal plot point to an entire film, 2011's <i>The Music Never Stopped</i>) & ending with a free-associative quoting of [18] "She Loves You" (making this the only #1 Beatles song to quote another #1 Beatles song), it conjured up a carefree & fun environment that few could touch. As a visual & musical message, it defined its era, which means it has since become defined by its era. Because of this, it's the rare song that holds the status of an anthem, but an anthem that many people nowadays don't particularly like. (Even The Beatles themselves seemed to be searching for their way out of psychedelic rock early the following year.) Yet one can't fault its intentions & its articulation of Andy Warhol's Pop idea (even if The Beatles had come up with it themselves): The idea that anyone can do anything. The song was included in the <i>Yellow Submarine</i> film & subsequently on every list of good Beatles songs for children, as though they make the ideal audience for its utopian ideals, which itself is a bit of a sad statement on the current state of the world. Still, I don't see how <i>Beat Bugs</i> could've picked a more appropriate theme song. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>136. Baby, You're A Rich Man [Single B-Side, 1967; #34 US] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a lackluster romp through the diamond sky of LSD-inspired music, "Baby, You're A Rich Man" marks the first time that cracks began to show in the facade. The song was at least partially inspired by manager Brian Epstein--legend has it that Lennon's original lyrics were "Baby, you're a rich fag Jew"--who died shortly after this song was recorded (eerily, they were working on it the last time he visited them at the studio). This left their business affairs in a messy state from which they never fully recovered. The song also is a comedown after <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, setting the course for the ill-fated<i> Magical Mystery Tour</i> project, their first self-produced (& self-managed) project, & their first failure. Still, one can hear a spirit in the song that redeems it, especially with Lennon's imaginative clavioline playing, Starr's bold drumming, & the fun they're having with the ridiculous chorus. But if its flipside [135] "All You Need Is Love" promised the beginning of a new age, "Baby, You're A Rich Man" held seeds that would undo it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>137. Hello, Goodbye [Single A-Side, 1967; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The third of three singles for 1967, "Hello, Goodbye" was a childlike study in opposites vaguely disguised as a love song. It was also catchy as hell. Throw in a bunch of horns & The Beatles re-donning their Sgt. Pepper uniforms to shoot the music video & you have one last trip down the [121] "Penny Lane" of their invincible year (at least until <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> debuted on the British telly). One missed opportunity pales over the proceedings however: The "Maori" surprise finale should've been "Aloha" (Hawaiian for both hello & goodbye), but no matter, most listeners assumed they were saying "Aloha" anyway. Bright, shiny, fun pop of 1967 just before the mad days of 1968 uprooted everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>138. I Am The Walrus [Single B-Side, 1967; #56 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For all that has been written about The Beatles' full-fledged psychedelic music, few seem to ever comment on how little there was of it. There was only one year of releases--1967--& then some leftovers on the <i>Yellow Submarine</i> soundtrack in early 1969. "I Am The Walrus" was the last masterpiece of the period, featuring Lennon going out with a bang (roughly six months later, he was already going to the back-to-basics rock of "Revolution," one of the most extreme about-faces in rock history ever.) Cobbled together from a mix of LSD, free-association, childhood rhymes, & an allusion to [124] "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (kicking off a lyrical trend of inter-song referrals, first hinted at by the ending of [135] "All You Need Is Love"), "I Am The Walrus" was powered by its own internal logic (or lack thereof), given a rocking accompaniment by the band overlaid with one of the haunting string arrangements ever heard in a rock song. (Not to mention the seemingly random jabbering throughout that emerges towards the end, which was taken from a BBC production of <i>King Lear</i>, decades before anyone thought of sampling a speech into a song.) "I Am The Walrus" stands as a testament to Lennon's own singular vision, as well as a tantalizing what-if, had The Beatles chosen to continue down this road of darker psychedelic music. But fate had other plans & we're left with this odd, brilliant song, which ended up doubling as Lennon's farewell to the diamond sky of psychedelic rock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>139. Magical Mystery Tour [Double-EP Track, <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>, 1967] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aside from the inclusion of "I Am The Walrus"--which was technically released as a B-side before <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> aired--the best part of the Beatles' ill-fated self-produced special was its music, most notably this title track. The first song they begun after <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, McCartney tried to go a "spontaneous" route before hammering down a more specific structure (which was for the best--if you need to hear the results of spontaneity in 1967, just put on The Rolling Stones' <i>Their Satanic Majesties Request</i>). Fluctuating between the driving verses & the lilting carousel of the refrain, "Magical Mystery Tour" was structurally more interesting than most of their work from this period & boasted enthusiastic vocals & an exciting horn arrangement. Only the meandering fade seemed like a story in search of a plot--which in hindsight made it the perfect theme song to <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>140. Your Mother Should Know [Double-EP Track, <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>, 1967] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With only six songs in <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>, The Beatles couldn't opt to do a full soundtrack album or a four-song EP. As a compromise, they chose to do a "double-EP," which consisted of two 7-inch records of three songs each. In America, where the EP market had long since evaporated, the six songs were released as the first side of a <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> LP, with the second side picking up other five single sides from the year ([120], [121], [135], [136], [137]). For the first & only time, the American version of a Beatles album usurped the UK edition, but for the purposes of this chronology, I am deferring to the original UK double-EP running order. Thus, instead of [141] "The Fool On The Hill," you get "Your Mother Should Know," a charming piece of filler that seems to hark back to the music hall sensibilities of "When I'm Sixty-Four" (& McCartney's father). With no bridge switching it up, the song sounds unfinished, yet at the same time extremely polished. It was proof that even though the song-for-song quality of their output was nothing like it had been a year earlier, their mastery of the studio could almost make up for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>141. The Fool On The Hill [Double-EP Track, <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>, 1967] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With apparently most of Lennon's energy going to [138] "I Am The Walrus," we get another McCartney song, "The Fool On The Hill." It remains one of the least-deserving of The Beatles' most famous songs, presumably because its catchy & inoffensive melody helps it to cross over into the mainstream music realm of [85] "Yesterday" & [106] "Eleanor Rigby." But where those songs are effortlessly lovely, "The Fool On The Hill" is more cloying than enjoyable. This is further hindered by the production, which prominently featured...bouncy flutes. 'Nuff said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>142. Flying [Double-EP Track, <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>, 1967] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The only instrumental of The Beatles' official catalog is also the only song credited to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, & Starr. It is also their first to be based on a 12-bar blues progression in quite some time (since [94] "The Word," perhaps?), which implies that it may have come out of a studio jam. Though seemingly forgettable at first listen, it actually contains some lovely tonal qualities, & rewards the listener who ventures back to it for repeated plays.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>143. Blue Jay Way [Double-EP Track, <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>, 1967] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the worst songs in The Beatles canon (despite the fact that recent criticism has seen its opinion rise greatly), "Blue Jay Way" is Harrison at his worst--listless, dull, & plodding. Filled with superfluous psychedelic chatter, it overstays its welcome. "Please don't be long," goes the refrain; the same could be said for the song itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>144. Lady Madonna [Single A-Side, 1968; #1 UK / #4 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most jarring transition in The Beatles' original UK releases comes as "Lady Madonna" bursts in after [143] "Blue Jay Way." A little over three months have passed since <i>The Magical Mystery Tour</i> aired on television & was universally panned, & The Beatles seem to be searching for an escape from the project--& by extension, the psychedelic music it prolonged. McCartney came to rescue with this piano-based boogie, which was so indebted to Fats Domino that "The Fat Man" himself recorded a version five months later which was his last charting hit to date (#100 US). It was a back-to-basics record that had a thick sound, carried by lyrics honoring motherhood as it rushed through the days of the week. (It also seemed to contain a link-back to [138] "I Am The Walrus" which, like that song, repeats the line "See how they run" several times.) One bridge contained vocalized trumpet sounds (itself perhaps inspired by a similar technique employed by Fats Domino <i>in </i>his 1949 hit, "The Fat Man"), followed by another pass that contained the vocalized trumpeting sound on top of additional lyrics (not unlike the real french horn/singing verse in [114] "For No One"). While it sounded great, it wasn't a <i>classic </i>the way nearly every single British UK single had been up to that point--perhaps this is why it became the first not to hit #1 in the US since [105] "Yellow Submarine" backed by [106] "Eleanor Rigby."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>145. The Inner Light [Single B-Side, 1968; #96 US] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Generally considered to be the finest of Harrison's Eastern-influenced songs, it was also (somehow) his first side on a UK single. With all of the instrumentation played by other musicians (with Harrison "directing"), he gets a lovely feel, giving insight into the wisdom of transcendental mediation & philosophy, right when The Beatles were at the height of their studies in it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>146. Hey Jude [Single A-Side, 1968; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The biggest hit of The Beatles career, "Hey Jude" was a groundbreaking epic, running for over seven minutes on most radio formats that rarely played songs that broke three-and-a-half. The first three minutes ranked with the finest melody ever heard on a Beatles song, while the following four were a long chorus of "nah-nah-nah"s, which, depending on your perspective, either made the song or ruined it. Either way, it wouldn't be "Hey Jude" without them. Originally written by McCartney to Lennon's son in the back of the car, they worked it up as a functional <i>band </i>in a way they had not really worked in months, which helped to inspire the ill-fated "Get Back" project. McCartney gives it a flawless, & then ridiculous, vocal, Starr provides some of the most satisfying playing of his career (just listen to the way he tumbles in for the first time), Harrison remains characteristically under-the-radar, & Lennon provides some of the worst bass playing ever heard on a top-selling international smash hit. (You can a hear him feign frustrated surprise with a "Whoa!" & then "Bloody hell!" as he fucks up his way towards the "nah-nah-nah"s; oddly, he would be given the chance to butcher another piano-based McCartney classic when he played bass on [215] "The Long & Winding Road.") Considered by many to be the greatest song The Beatles ever made, as a melody & a hook, it can't be beat--& stands as the textbook example of a natural hit if there ever was such a thing. & yet, the fact that no one less as Elvis tried his hand at it & failed miserably proves that at the same time, it was a singularly Beatles creation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>147. Revolution [Single B-Side, 1968; #12 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lennon's first song since [138] "I Am The Walrus" roughly nine months earlier, this was the last of the "Revolution" songs to be recorded ([172], [176]), but the first to be released. Inspired by the political upheaval of 1968, he laid his own rules for social engagement, with a measured skepticism ("You tell me it's the institutions...") & the tenets he carried with him that grew out of the previous year's psychedelic age & the current one's Eastern philosophies ("...you better free your mind instead!"). After all the tangerine trees & marshmallow skies of his LSD-laced recent work ([124)], this was a man who was now decidedly sober & working out his philosophies & realities. Serving as both a warning against & an inspiration for political revolutions of all kinds, it remains one of The Beatles' most timeless & effective rockers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>148. Back In The USSR [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968; #19 UK*] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles biggest album--self-titled <i>The Beatles</i>, but usually referred to as "The White Album"--opened with this cheeky Beach Boys pastiche, which in turn was also loosely based on Chuck Berry's "Back In The U.S.A.," at least in concept. This was an odd way to start an album (especially since The Beach Boys didn't make records like this in at least three years), but then again, "The White Album" is a pretty odd album. & if anyone can make a pseudo-surf rock parody about the Soviet Union work, it's The Beatles. It also set the course for the more straight-ahead sound of the album (after their psychedelic year) &, when it was released in the UK as a single tie-in to the Rock 'n' Roll compilation, eventually became a Top 20 hit in its own right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>149. Dear Prudence [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the most overrated song to regularly make the "most underrated" Beatles songs lists, "Dear Prudence" originated like many of the songs on "The White Album" from their trip to India. Lennon specifically sang it to Mia Farrow's kid sister, Prudence, using a folk finger-picking style likely picked up from Donovan, who was also in the fold. Given the rock treatment at Abbey Road (with McCartney filling in for Starr on drums, & doing quite well with the fill-filled finale), it's perfectly fine, but not the lost classic many cling to with misty eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>150. Glass Onion [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The pinnacle of Beatles' reference songs, "Glass Onion" refers to no less than five other songs--"I told you about Strawberry Fields..." [120]; 'The Walrus was Paul" (actually, it was Ringo) [138]; "Lady Madonna tryin' to make ends meet, yeah" [144]; "I told you about the Fool on the Hill..." [141]; "Fixing a hole in the ocean..." [126]--the song is an exercise in self-fulfilling prophecy disguised as an allusion-filled parlor game. It also smacks of a hangover from psychedelic rock, but the driving rock keeps the LSD-influenced sounds away (mostly), until George Martin's haunting snippet of strings that end it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>151. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968; #49 US*] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first major white exercise into Jamaican ska music, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" divided The Beatles while recording it--& has divided fans ever since. Despite its carefree sound, McCartney's perfectionism in getting it down drove his bandmates mad, famously resulting in Lennon's wild piano opening out of exasperation. McCartney was so keen on presenting a sense of spontaneity, when he mixed up the line about Desmond staying at home to do her pretty face (it should've been Molly), he left the mistake intact. The song was the most obvious choice for a single from "The White Album," but McCartney was vetoed by the others, even though it was released a single in numerous other countries outside of the US & UK (it hit #1 in Australia, Austria, Germany, & Switzerland); the Scottish band Marmalade swooped in & got a #1 hit out of in the UK. To my ears, it still plays great, although that may just be my childhood nostalgia talking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>152. Wild Honey Pie [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is barely even a song--it's more of an interlude as McCartney just says "Honey pie" over a weird syncopated beat. It is the first evidence on "The White Album" that randomness is the rule of the day, with many weird inter-tracks & codas that often do little more than link songs together. But unlike the music on say, the second side of <i>Abbey Road</i>, these interludes fall apart when taken away from the context of the greater album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>153. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The White Album" seemed to touch upon all facets of music--or at least The Beatles' version of it--rock [148], blues [166], country [161], folk [167], ska [151], heavy metal [170], & even postmodern art [176]. On "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill," they seem to broach a children's song, telling the story of a Wild Western cowboy going hunting for tigers. With its odd turns of phrase ("If looks could kill it would've been us instead of him) & jaunty refrain, the track holds up, as carried by Lennon's irreverent vocal. <i>All the children sing!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>154. While My Guitar Gently Weeps [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Generally considered the finest song on "The White Album," Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" began its life as finger-picked folk song before working its way up to full-band orchestration, the first of which, featuring fancy weeping-guitar effects, was scrapped entirely. Harrison rebuilt the song from scratch, calling in an uncredited Eric Clapton to play lead, as his fluid-playing style was more effective at emulating weeping than any production tricks. A characteristically introspective study on rumination, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" fleshes out a thoughtful lyric with a haunting melody line & as great of a bridge as Harrison would ever write. Coming out of Clapton's solo into the final "diverted" verse is an especially transcendent experience. & therein lies the magic of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps": Where Indian-inspired songs like [129] "Within You Without You" delivered transcendence through lyrical philosophy, this song delivers it through its sheer sound. Deservedly celebrated as one of The Beatles' greatest recordings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>155. Happiness Is A Warm Gun [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The party line on "The White Album" is that it's a double-LP preview for the coming attractions of The Beatles' solo careers. & while that's the case for many of the songs, it certainly isn't the case for all them. The biggest exception to the rule is "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," Lennon's mini-rock opera that begins as a folk ballad ("She's not a girl..."), grows into a rocker ("She's well acquainted..."), & kicks it up a notch ("Mother Superior jumped the gun"), before cascading into a '50s pastiche ("Happiness is a warm gun..."). All of the twists & turns of the song required the group to work as fully-functioning whole, given the many shifts in tempo, timing, & feel. The fact that they delivered so completely proves that they were still capable of functioning better than any other band in history, even as the first major fissures were occurring in their outfit. By turns sexy & ridiculous, Lennon's doo-wop-flavored finale brings it all home in more ways than one, ending the first side of "The White Album" masterfully.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>156. Martha My Dear [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An ode to a sheepdog, this is McCartney at his most cloyingly catchy, accompanied by a strings-&-brass section courtesy of George Martin. Tellingly, he is the only Beatle who appears on the recording. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>157. I'm So Tired [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A document of Lennon's insomnia, sung lying on the studio floor with a microphone suspended from above. But when he sings "I'll give you everything I got for a little piece of mind," he means it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>158. Blackbird [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like [85] "Yesterday," "Blackbird" is one of those McCartney ballads that is so timeless it's insane think that it ever didn't exist. Working his way up & down the guitar neck with some simple figures (as in [84] "I've Just Seen A Face"), McCartney spins one of his loveliest melodies, which has been alternatively interpreted as a song about love, a song about death, a song about the environment, or a song about the Civil Rights Movement, among other things. The fact that it is open to such interpretations speaks to its effectiveness, although for people in my generation, it will always remain tied with the closing title cards of <i>The Compleat Beatles</i> documentary, summing up each one's work after splitting up, & ending with Lennon's assassination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>159. Piggies [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] *1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Programming is everything on "The White Album," so it only goes to figure that a song about a blackbird ([158]) gives way to a song about "Piggies" (which in turn gives way to a song about a racoon([160]).) Laced with harpsichord and pig sound effects, it was written as a quasi-social commentary with a lyrical assist from his mother ("What they need's a damn good whacking!"). It remains one of Harrison's weakest songs in The Beatles canon, & has only become all the more infamous once Charles Manson cited it as part of the inspiration for his murders the following year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>160. Rocky Racoon [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] **1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A galloping Dylan rip-off that quickly gives way to a conventional folk ballad, backed with drums & barrelhouse piano. Many grow nostalgic for its wit & charm, but for a song so focused on lyric, it fails to deliver any kind of punch to redeems its tediousness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>161. Don't Pass Me By [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& now a folk ballad ([160]) gives way to a country song. Starr's first solo composition for The Beatles (of which there would be only one more, the far better [190] "Octopus's Garden"), "Don't Pass Me By" remains a plodding track that ranks with the worst music The Beatles ever recorded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>162. Why Don't We Do It In The Road [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& now the drums of a half-baked country song give way to a half-baked blues rocker. Little more than one verse (& by extension, one idea), "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" was perhaps the most Lennon-like song that McCartney ever wrote. Simple, stomping, & unabashedly sexual, its one-note joke exercise in over-zealousness can't hide how half-baked it is, spirited or not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>163. I Will [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A deceptively-simple sounding love song that, while basic in structure, took McCartney hours of painstaking trial & error to reach the exact sense of softness the song conveys (down to his lovely sung bass part). That it works as well as it does is a testament to McCartney's perfectionism--& his patience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>164. Julia [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lennon's mother Julia died when he was in his late teens from a car accident. Lennon was deeply affected by her death & she remained a muse for the rest of his career. (It also became a bonding point for McCartney, who lost his mother, Mary, two years earlier [204].) "Julia" was a hauntingly beautiful evocation of her that seemed to sing to all of us (even if Lennon was primarily thinking of her): "Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to reach you."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>165. Birthday [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If the first LP of "The White Album" was the "hits" record, with several songs that became minor hits ([148], [151]) or radio classics ([154], [158]) in their own right; the second was the "cult" record with the more obscure & challenging music, but also with some of the most rewarding. One of the great Beatles parlor games is whether "The White Album" should have been issued as a single LP (as George Martin wanted), or if it works better as a whole. Regardless of your belief, just like it wouldn't be [146] "Hey Jude" without the "nah-nah-nah," it wouldn't be "The White Album" without the sprawl. The second record starts off with this raucous throwaway, penned after watching the Little Richard film <i>The Girl Can't Help It</i>. The simplicity & (dare I say) stupidity has made it a favorite on children's mixes for years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>166. Yer Blues [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keeping with the stream-of-conscious masterful programming of "The White Album," a song about your birthday is followed by a song about wanting to die. Recording at ear-bleeding levels, this was The Beatles' version of blues-riff based hard rock, which was being shaped into heavy metal by contemporaries Led Zeppelin right around the time this was waxed. It's good enough as an explosive rocker, but fans of Lennon should do themselves a favor & check out the version cut later in the year for The Rolling Stones' <i>Rock & Roll Circus</i> television special, where Lennon sang it with "The Dirty Mac," featuring Keith Richards on bass, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, & Mitch Mitchell on drums, for what is generally considered the better (& more interesting) version. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>167. Mother Nature's Son [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Future vegetarian-extrodinaire McCartney sang this song right at the moment when environmentalism was becoming a thing; it would not be the last time The Beatles would lend their talents to such endeavors ([203]). Unlike several "White Album" songs that began as folk ballads & morphed into other things ([154], [155]), "Mother Nature's Son" kept its shape intact, its sound brimming with a confident, swinging acoustic vibe. In [118] "Tomorrow Never Knows," Lennon wanted to sound like he was coming from a high mountaintop, here, McCartney sounds like he's sitting on one by virtue of his performance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>168. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me & My Monkey [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the most boisterous songs on "The White Album," "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me & My Monkey" pits rhythms & guitars against each other such that the listener is rattling in between in a way that is viscerally exciting. If the lyric was less-than-genius, they didn't need to be. Like so much '50s rock, this song is about a feeling (& probably sex!), albeit in a very different way than Little Richard or Elvis Presley might have recorded it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>169. Sexy Sadie [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A mysterious, settled track, grounded on one of the prettiest chord progressions Lennon would ever craft. Originally inspired by disenchantment with the Maharishi, traces of this original lyric remain ("You made a fool of everyone"), while the titular character morphed into "Sexy Sadie" to avoid any lawsuits. The Maharishi's loss is our gain; now recast as a sort of love song, it captures the bewilderment that accompanies the devolution of a lover from a magical being to something far more secular--& the struggle to come to terms with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>170. Helter Skelter [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If [166] "Yer Blues" was Lennon's version of heavy metal, "Helter Skelter" is McCartney's version of it. Depending on who you ask, it's either one of the greatest or one of the worst Beatles songs of all-time, while its infamy with being associated with the Charles Manson murders of 1969 (along with Harrison's [159] "Piggies") adding another layer to the puzzle. To these ears, it's always sounded overwrought--noise for noise's sake, the kind of music the old parents always yell at the kids to turn down in the movies--but that's probably the point. Plus, it's got one of the great endings in The Beatles' cannon: "<i>I got blisters on my fingers!</i>" </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>171. Long, Long, Long [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This being "The White Album," it only figures that one of the loudest songs on the LP ([170]), is followed by the very quietest. Harrison's third of four compositions, this is the finest after [154] "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." It plays like its own secret, a whispered hush that demands to be leaned into, & rewards every listener with its gentle grace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>172. Revolution 1 [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last side of "The White Album" opens with the earliest version of Lennon's "Revolution" series. (It was, in fact, the first song began for "The White Album.") He originally wanted this to be a single, but it was deemed too slow, hence the faster rock version ([147]) that was released as the B-side to [146] "Hey Jude." This was a charming blues shuffle that finds the group coming down from the heady days of psychedelic rock by getting their feet wet in a slow, socially-conscious boogie. If there was any wonder whether they were looking to get back to their '50s rock roots, the "shoobie-doo-wah" backing vocals seem to confirm that they were.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>173. Honey Pie [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another flirtation in the dancehall style (like [130] "When I'm Sixty-Four") found The Beatles doing the most Hollywood-focused song they would ever write (the only thing close would be [80] "Act Naturally," which was a Buck Owens cover). Keeping with theme of pastiche, McCartney made it have a silver screen, silent era feel; keeping with the theme of interconnected songs, its subject seems to be a very different kind of muse in the throwaway [152] "Wild Honey Pie." Unlike some of McCartney's more self-indulgent work, this brings him to the edge of embarrassing self-parody (especially his utterances during the musical break) but is saved by its inherent charm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>174. Savoy Truffle [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ever wonder what it would sound like if The Beatles recorded a song about a box of chocolates? Look no further than "Savoy Truffle," inspired by Harrison & Eric Clapton's late-night gluttonous candy box binges. Enhanced by a funky horn section, production values can't mask the fact it's essentially Harrison reading a list of candy flavors--except for when he keeps up with "The White Album" name game by alluding to [151] "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>175. Cry Baby Cry [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A nursery rhyme wrapped in a haunting folk song, "Cry Baby Cry" is one of the most oddly affecting pieces on "The White Album," tucked away on its final side. & just when you think it's stopped dead cold at the end, McCartney's even more haunting "Can You Take Me Back?" snippet appears out of the ether, perfectly answering his partner's counterpart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>176. Revolution 9 [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Clocking in at nearly eight & a half minutes, "Revolution 9" is the longest song The Beatles ever released. Except that it's not even really a song by normal standards (despite the fact it's officially a Lennon-McCartney composition). "Revolution 9" is a sound collage assembled by Lennon with an assist by Harrison, inspired by the avant-garde work of Lennon's lover/muse, Yoko Ono. As a piece of art, it remains the most radical thing to be included on a #1 album that sold millions of copies, & that alone should be seen as an achievement. It is also an appropriate sonic encapsulation of 1968, a "revolution" song that was actually lived up to its name. But is it any good? If it was, say, cut to the last two minutes or so, I think it'd be a very fascinating extended interlude on the album, but given its unwieldy length, it is simply too long to hold up for repeat listenings. & given the lackluster quality of the closing song on "The White Album," I'd hazard to guess that most listeners turn the album off after "Cry Baby Cry" & consider those 28 songs to be "The White Album."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>177. Good Night [Album Track, <i>The Beatles</i>, 1968] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From Elvis & Ray Charles on down, even the best rockers have flirted with schmaltz, if not went through major periods of making it (see: Elvis & Ray Charles). The closest The Beatles ever came was "Good Night," which, like [156] "Martha My Dear," features only one Beatle on the recording--a vocal by Starr--all of the instrumentation is an arrangement that can only be described as "Disney strings." If Starr is game enough (it seems to be a preview for his album of standards he would later record for his mother), his clumsy croon adds little to the song, which was originally written by Lennon for his son. He probably should have kept it between them, as this is the weakest close to a Beatles album--& probably the weakest close to any "great" album, period.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>178. Only A Northern Song [Album Track, <i>Yellow Submarine</i>, 1969] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles' animated feature <i>Yellow Submarine</i> was released while the group was working on "The White Album," but the soundtrack release was delayed to early 1969, as not to compete with their big-ticket double-LP. But in fact, <i>Yellow Submarine</i> was hardly an album in its own right--it featured six Beatles songs (two of which, the title track & "All You Need Is Love") had already been released, with the remainder of the album filled out by The George Martin Orchestra. That meant there were only four new songs on the LP, three of which were leftovers from the psychedelic era & sounded like it. "Only A Northern Song" was Harrison's first composition for <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, but was cast aside presumably for its sardonic tone (Northern Songs were Lennon & McCartney's songwriting publisher, under which Harrison was then currently employed.) Though many overlook it, I hear a caustic wit that is not unlike the vibe of [107] "Taxman," bringing the song into a darker place than the group's usual psychedelic fare. To these ears, it plays at least as well as half the stuff that made it to <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> in its place--including Harrison's replacement composition for the LP, [129] "Within You Without You."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>179. All Together Now [Album Track, <i>Yellow Submarine</i>, 1969] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A children's song, which is often overlooked by purists for reasons that can only be snobbery. "All Together Now" is not trying to be anything more than it is--a children's song--& in this, it succeeds wonderfully. & with McCartney & Starr bashing about on various percussion & Lennon's ukulele brought up high in the mix, it is the rare Beatles song from this otherwise very serious period that sounds utterly <i>carefree</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>180. Hey Bulldog [Album Track, <i>Yellow Submarine</i>, 1969] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The lost Beatles masterpiece? Buried away on a half-filled soundtrack for a film in which it doesn't even appear, "Hey Bulldog" was heard by many people for the first time when it was saved from obscurity by its inclusion on The Beatles' <i>Rock 'n' Roll Music</i> double-LP in 1976. Ever since, it's legend had been growing. Perhaps the funkiest thing the group ever cut, it sounds at once tossed-off & deeply focused, a song that, like [144] "Lady Madonna," finds them rediscovering their groove after their psychedelic period. & yet, the "You can talk to me" chorus rings out as both heartfelt & desperate, a gesture in rock that is only beaten by The Four Tops' "Reach Out (I'll Be There)." The random chatter at the end brings down the track a little bit, but even that remains fascinating in an off-the-cuff manner. For many latter-day Beatles fans, "Hey Bulldog" is the rarest of rarities--a song that is so unknown, so underplayed, it feels like an entirely undiscovered fresh listening experience, just for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>181. It's All Too Much [Album Track, <i>Yellow Submarine</i>, 1969] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As luck would have it, the best song on <i>Yellow Submarine</i> ([180]) is followed by the worst. This was presumably done to separate the two Harrison songs, which in turn were arranged to separate the two previously-released songs. But no matter how you cut it, "It's All Too Much" is one of the worst things The Beatles ever recorded. With its unwelcoming "To your mother--" opening (perhaps a reference to [140] "Your Mother Should Know," recorded in this same period?), it seems to be redeemed by the organ intro, but it is soon weighed down by an over-compressed, over-long song that should have never been released in the first place. The other new songs on <i>Yellow Submarine</i> played like neat little curiosities; "It's All Too Much" sounds like the psychedelic reject that it was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>182. Get Back [Single A-Side, 1969; #1 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Inspired by the <i>fun</i> (remember that?) they had recording the [146] "Hey Jude" promo film, The Beatles embarked upon their ill-fated "Get Back" project, where they were going to document themselves writing & recording a new album, which might be performed & released as a concert. Following the lead of Dylan's <i>John Wesley Harding</i> & The Rolling Stones' <i>Beggars Banquet</i>, as well as the emergence of The Band (who Harrison once described as the greatest band in the universe), this was to be a no-frills, no-effects, no-bullshit affair. But, as has often been written, instead of making a document of their return to their performing roots, they were making a document of themselves falling apart. For all the hours of video & studio recordings yielded by the group in early 1969, only two songs were released contemporaneously, "Get Back," & its B-side [183] "Don't Let Me Down." "Get Back" was intended to be the title track & philosophical ethos of the project, a driving rock boogie built on a few chords & some nice lead work by Lennon. In part to keep everyone on their best behavior, Harrison had brought African-American R&B musician Billy Preston to the studio with him to play electric piano, making this & its flip the only Beatles songs to be released as a collaboration: "The Beatles with Billy Preston" (leading Preston to become "The Fifth Beatle," along with about 37 other people). An instant classic that addressed transvestism while Lou Reed was still trying to figure out what to do with The Velvet Underground, it proved that, some seven years after the fact, The Beatles could hold their own against any pub band out there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>183. Don't Let Me Down [Single B-Side, 1969; #35 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A love song to Yoko by Lennon that continues the literal streak in his songwriting initiated by [147] "Revolution," which also makes it one of the sexiest (or at least most suggestive, depending on your perspective) Beatles songs out there. Cultural critic Greil Marcus also heard the song as a worthy farewell to fans--& the last essential music by them worth hearing--even though a more formal farewell, <i>Abbey Road</i>, would follow. Oddly, the song was left off of the Phil Spector-produced <i>Let It Be</i> album, an oversight that was remedied by McCartney's latter-day <i>Let It Be...Naked</i> remix of it a few decades later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>184. The Ballad Of John & Yoko [Single A-Side, 1969; #1 UK / #8 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The peak of Lennon's literalism as a songwriting Beatle came with this, the what-you-see-is-what-you-get "The Ballad Of John & Yoko." Despite all the infighting at this point in the group (about music, about money, about everything) between the two principles, Lennon wrote this song, got inspired, called McCartney to the studio, & the two of them had a great time banging it out, seeming to prove that even in the darkest of times, The Beatles had an essential spirit of love & friendship that could override everything else. Lennon sang lead & played the guitars while McCartney sang harmony & played all the other instruments. With the 12-bar blues at its core & two bridges thrown in to split it up, "The Ballad Of John & Yoko" is an infectious rocker, even if it among the least essential singles they ever cut (along with [144] "Lady Madonna"). Its references to crucifixion made it controversial in America, but it easily made #1 in literally every other major country with an official music chart, & holds the distinction of being The Beatles' last #1 single in their native UK.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>185. Old Brown Shoe [Single B-Side, 1969] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Harrison doubles down on a blues boogie, crafting some sly lyrics ("I want a love that's right but right is only half of what's wrong") & some great playing that is matched by the enthusiasm of his bandmates (especially Lennon, who can be heard shouting for joy in the background). It was so good that it somehow made it on "The Blue Album," although it shouldn't have since it wasn't a hit & didn't belong in any sort of comprehensive overview. But as an explosion of quality & joy, it sounds better & better with every listen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>186. Come Together [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969; #4 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is one of those songs that is so overly familiar that it's easy to forget just how strange it is. Like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" over two decades later, the main verses are sung over primarily drums and bass, with Lennon's free-associative lyrics describing some sort of a hippie like he was a creature from outer space. He also subconsciously took the opening lines ("He come on flattop, he come groovin' up slowly") from Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me," which resulted in a lawsuit. Released as the flip-side to [187] "Something," the only Beatles single to be released of previously-released material (in a ploy to get some money concocted by then-manager Allen Klein), "Come Together" was actually the more popular side. Although he would release other fine songs in the short remainder of The Beatles' career, "Come Together" was Lennon's final masterpiece, which is made all the more ominous by the "shoot me" riff that starts off & continues through the song.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>187. Something [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969; #4 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After [85] "Yesterday," the most covered song in the history of recorded sound is Harrison's "Something." With its main phrase lifted from then-Apple recording artist James Taylor's song "Something In The Way She Moves," the is a work of wistful beauty that builds to a charging rocker bridge. It also features fines lead guitar work by Harrison, who is sounding more & more like his best friend Eric Clapton every day. Its quality was rewarded by being the only Harrison song to grace the A-side of a Beatles single, even though the single came out after the song had been released on <i>Abbey Road</i>. Thanks to its flip, [186] "Come Together," making the top of the chart in America, it could be sneaked onto The Beatles' massively-selling compilation <i>1</i>, as the only Harrison track.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>188. Maxwell's Silver Hammer [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Never a favorite within The Beatles, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" catches McCartney at his worst both musically (the over-perfectionism that drove his bandmates crazy) & lyrically (this was essentially a novelty song about a psycho killer). & yet, the fact that a song so potentially tasteless arguably works is <i>because</i> of its sterling production values, causing its sick humor to skate by undetected as light pop. Still, McCartney's bandmates were right in vetoing it as the group's next single, as McCartney had initially lobbied.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>189. Oh! Darling [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">McCartney channels Elvis in this song, which, like most of the songs that would appear on <i>Abbey Road</i>, originally dated from the abandoned "Get Back" sessions. After the latter fell apart, George Martin said he would re-team with The Beatles for another album, which for all intents & purposes looked to be their final one. The resulting <i>Abbey Road</i> was often choppy during the sessions (at one point, Lennon wanted all of his songs on one side & all of McCartney's on the other), but they pulled through for one last magnum opus swan song. The result was the best-<i>sounding</i> Beatles album, which helped elevate a song like "Oh! Darling," which would have sounded like a '50s pastiche on an earlier record, to stunning show of force in its own right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>190. Octopus's Garden [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Starr's second & final solo composition for The Beatles was his finest, showing he had grown leaps & bounds over his previous [161] "Don't Pass Me By," as well as collaborations like the lackluster [96] "What Goes On." After learning that octopuses made little gardens out of stones at the bottom of the sea, he put together this harmless little country rocker. It worked because not only was it a decent song, but also because his bandmates sound fully engaged with fleshing out their parts (especially Harrison's lead work), which in turn made it not come off as second-rate corn-&-country, as his previous work often did. The wonderful solo hit "It Don't Come Easy" was just around the corner. Included on "The Blue Album" compilation (presumably to get a Starr composition on there), it didn't deserve to be, but still blended in with its surroundings better than anyone might have imagined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>191. I Want You (She's So Heavy) [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Clocking in at nearly eight minutes, "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" was the longest Beatles song that was actually a traditional song (only the sound collage [176] "Revolution 9" beats it); it was also among the most amount of studio time The Beatles spent working on a song. Featuring the twin lead progressions of Lennon & Harrison, it plays like a farewell to their underrated guitar chemistry, broken up as it is by only a few short phrases that total only 14 different words. It also features a Santana-style jam before returning to the main undulating progression, which plays over increasing wind machine sound effects until it surprises the listener by cutting off cold (insisted on by Lennon). Originally intended to be the end <i>Abbey Road</i>, The Beatles wisely flipped the sides at the last minute, allowing it to end with the more appropriate [201] "The End," which came with its own surprise ([202] "Her Majesty").</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>192. Here Comes The Sun [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ironically, one of the most optimistic songs of The Beatles career was a song they recorded while bitterly falling apart. Harrison's other masterpiece on the album (along with [187] "Something") showed that he could now write songs that were not only top-notch, but arguably better than the recent material of his bandmates. He was more than ready to go his own way, as his triple-album solo debut would confirm. "Here Comes The Sun" is also perhaps the most iconic Beatles song to never be released as a single--& it deserved to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>193. Because [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A Lennon song that featured the most complex harmonies ever heard in a Beatles song, this was the equivalent of [35] "This Boy" cubed, with Lennon, McCartney, & Harrison contributing three overdubbed vocals each. This was the final song recorded for <i>Abbey Road</i>, & by extension, the final song recorded by The Beatles, outside of [209] "I Me Mine," which didn't feature Lennon. It was a worthy farewell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>194. You Never Give Me Your Money [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A Brief History Of The Twilight Of The Beatles. Taking the form of a mini-rock opera, "You Never Give Me Your Money" shifts from a ballad ("You never give me your money...") to a rock boogie ("Out of college...") to something more majestic ("But oh that magic feeling...") before finally resolving on a transcendent nursery rhyme ("One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..."). It is among the most sophisticated songs that McCartney would ever pen, & holds together better than most of the similar-type variations he penned in his long solo career. As a single work, it plays like his version of Lennon's [155] "Happiness Is A Warm Gun." It was also the first indication that the second side of <i>Abbey Road</i> was going to be something special.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>195. Sun King [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The sole bum track on the otherwise near-perfect second side of <i>Abbey Road</i>, "Sun King" finds the group singing in Italian, the most foreign tongue featured in a Beatles record since [36] "<span style="text-align: justify;">Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" & [37] "Sie Liebt Dich." It nearly drags the proceedings to a halt, but luckily the songs that surround it more than make up for its relative folly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>196. Mean Mr. Mustard [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A song by Lennon that dated from their India trip before recording "The White Album," "Mean Mr. Mustard" was little more than a jingle, featuring a sister "Shirley" until he changed it to "Pam" so that it could segue into [197] "Polythene Pam." These two songs represent Lennon's only songwriting contributions to <i>Abbey Road</i>'s "long medley."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>197. Polythene Pam [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ***1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Originally conceived of as its own song until Lennon discovered he could segue [196] "Mean Mr. Mustard" into it, "Polythene Pam" was a cool burst of adrenaline that featured some of Lennon's sharpest late-period lyrics ("She's the kind of the girl who makes <i>The News Of The World</i>, yes, you could say she was attractively built").</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>198. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lennon always blamed McCartney for writing songs about other people, but in pieces like "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," it worked wonderfully. First off, the title is simply a great idea (perhaps a sequel to Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"), weaving a tale of retired policemen, self-proclaimed dancers, & the days of the week calling each other on the phone. This song had the kind of solid craftsmanship & performance that The Beatles created so effortlessly, turning what would be dismissed as filler in someone else's hands as something polished & compelling in its own right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>199. Golden Slumbers [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ****1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A beautiful ballad by McCartney that ranks with the most tuneful & moving work he's ever written. The fact that it also seemed to be a lullaby to be played as they put The Beatles to sleep only added another layer to the emotion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>200. Carry That Weight [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the rocking resolution to [199] "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" appeared to be about the legacy of The Beatles on the group member's impending solo careers. Working in a piece of [194] "You Never Give Me Your Money" only added to sense of cohesion; where <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> appeared to be a singular, unified work, the "long medley" of <i>Abbey Road</i>'s second side actually was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>201. The End [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Picking up on a modulation upwards from [200] "Carry That Weight," "The End" began with a rocking opening, before making way for the only drum solo on a Beatles record. This in turn made way for the three Beatles guitarists rotating licks (McCartney plays it straight, Harrison plays like Clapton, & Lennon bangs around like a proto-punk), before leaving one final kernel of wisdom--"& in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"--winding to an elegant finale. It appeared to bring the <i>Abbey Road</i>, & by extension, The Beatles as a recording act, to a perfect close.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>202. Her Majesty [Album Track, <i>Abbey Road</i>, 1969] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& then, after 17 seconds of silence following [201] "The End," "Her Majesty" appears. Originally planned to go in between [196] "Mean Mr. Mustard" & [197] "Polythene Pam" (presumably illustrating the "takes him out to look at the Queen" lyric), McCartney asked for it to be discarded, so the engineer edited it to the end of the tape. When listening to a play-through, McCartney liked how the song then appeared out of nowhere at the end & decided to keep it right there. Coming at the end of, well, "The End," the song plays like a wink, as though nothing is ever really finished. & sure enough, another album's worth of Beatles material waited in the wings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>203. Across The Universe [Wildlife Version] [Benefit Album Track, <i>No One's Gonna Change Our World</i>, 1969] **1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the most overrated of the "great" Beatles songs, "Across The Universe" was thought very highly by its author, Lennon, who initially wanted to release it as a single. When [144] "Lady Madonna" got the nod instead, this song sat on the shelf until Lennon gave it to <i>The Goon Show</i> veteran Spike Mulligan, who was assembling a charity album for the World Wildlife Foundation that was released a month after <i>Abbey Road</i>, in December 1969. With this song in tow, the collection was named <i>No One's Gonna Change Our World</i> & opened with "Across The Universe," hence the wildlife sound effects at its start. As the final song released by The Beatles in the '60s, it was less than stellar, especially with the two teenage girls Lennon called in from the street to sing backing vocals--two "Apple Scruffs" who spent all day waiting outside of Apple studios for a glimpse of The Beatles. Despite some lovely lyrical images, the song drags (even though this version was sped up slightly from its original recording tempo to little avail), & after the official release a few months later ([208]), this inferior version remains little more than a curiosity for Beatles fans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>204. Let It Be [Single Version] [Single A-Side, 1970; #2 UK / #1 US] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Let It Be" was the final single released by The Beatles before they ceased to be a band. Originally recorded over a year earlier with the "Get Back" sessions, the song was inspired by a dream in which McCartney's dead mother, Mary, told him to "let it be." Given the level of chaos & frustration in that period of The Beatles' career, they were indeed words of wisdom. Nearly identical to the album version released a few months later ([211]), the single mix of "Let It Be" featured a different guitar solo, less prominent orchestration, & a shorter running time. It is generally considered to be the better of the two versions. As a whole, this is The Beatles' final masterpiece, & as much a worthy farewell as a single as <i>Abbey Road</i> had been as an album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>205. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) [Single B-Side, 1970] *1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Strangely, the last song issued as The Beatles while they were still a band was this bizarre novelty, "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)." Originally dating from the psychedelic days of 1967 (where it makes much more sense in context), the song was left on the shelf & tinkered with over the years until it was finally released as the B-side to [204] "Let It Be." Beginning as a psychedelic chant, the song first shifts into an amusing nightclub act parody featuring one "Dennis O'Bell" (actually McCartney), to gossiping lower-class housewives (actually Lennon), until it becomes a jazz combo with what sounds like a monster snorting & heaving over the song (Lennon again). The only Beatles song to feature a belch, it also featured The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones on alto sax. As a whole, the song spoke to The Beatles' often overlooked irreverent humor, but made an embarrassing farewell track for an amazing band. Easily their worst B-side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>206. Two Of Us [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On April 10, 1970--a little over a month after the "Let It Be" single was released--McCartney announced that The Beatles was no longer a band. Meanwhile, the "Get Back" sessions from early 1969 had still only seen three songs released from the dozens they recorded: [182] "Get Back," [183] "Don't Let Me Down," & [204] "Let It Be." To McCartney's chagrin, Lennon gave the unfinished masters to legendary producer Phil Spector, who assembled <i>Let It Be</i> to match with the release of the documentary film chronicling the project. The resulting <i>Let It Be</i> album was incredibly controversial upon its release in May 1970s, with Spector's mixes seen as ruining The Beatles' music. Hindsight has shown the criticism to be mostly overblown, as it's a fine album & with a closer look, Spector's touches have as much to do with covering up imperfections on the tapes than him imposing himself on things. One of the most affecting songs on the LP is the first, "Two Of Us," which finds Lennon & McCartney hitting an Everly Brothers vibe as they seemingly sing to each other in an effort to make their way back home. (Perhaps the opening lines of [199] "Golden Slumbers" answers this prospect.) It is a quiet opening to an LP made under stormy conditions, & perhaps the most sublime (& least-known) opening numbers to a Beatles album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>207. Dig A Pony [Album Track,<i> Let It Be</i>, 1970] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To provide a finale for the <i>Let It Be</i> film (& the "Get Back" project), The Beatles played a set on the rooftop of their Apple Corps building on January 30, 1969. It was the final time The Beatles ever performed as a live band. Many of the songs (& dialog snippets) on <i>Let It Be</i> were taken from this concert, the first of which being Lennon's "Dig A Pony." After a false start (Starr had to blow his nose), the song begins as a winding, boogie-based rocker with free-associative lyrics by Lennon. If the song is not one of his greatest overall, the performance elevates it with visceral energy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>208. Across The Universe [Album Version] [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though technically not recorded as part of the "Get Back" project (the main vocal takes were recorded before "The White Album" sessions in early 1968), "Across The Universe" still didn't have a proper home on a Beatles album, as it had only seen the light of day on a wildlife charity album ([203]). Spector wisely disregarded the wildlife sound effects as well as the teenage girls' backing vocals, & overdubbed strings to fill out the sound. While vastly improved, the song was still not the masterpiece that many (Lennon included) have made it out to be. Quite simply, its esoteric "Jai guru deva om" mantra is no replacement for McCartney's simpler, more effective [204] "Let It Be."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>209. I Me Mine [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] **1/2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the final edit of the <i>Let It Be</i> film contained a scene of Harrison demonstrating this song to Starr, it was decided that a finished version should be made for the accompanying LP. With Lennon with Yoko Ono in Denmark, Harrison, McCartney, & Starr convened for The Beatles' final recording session on January 3, their only one to take place in the 1970s. They fleshed out the song with a short 1:34 minute running time; for the album release, the bridge & following section were repeated to fill out the length. & so, coming after some four months after the last song with Lennon--the infinitely better [193] "Because"--"I Me Mine" holds the distinction of being the final Beatles song to be recorded. It's bitter lyric has long been interpreted to describe greed that tore The Beatles apart, which was less caustically documented in [194] "You Never Give Me Your Money." This is a song that would be entirely looked over if not for its historical significance as The Last Beatles Song.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>210. Dig It [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] *</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A stream-of-conscious riff that was edited down from a much longer jam, "Dig It" is essentially a throwaway interlude on <i>Let It Be</i> that allowed Lennon to further insult McCartney by putting on a mock schoolboy voice to introduce the title track.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>211. Let It Be [Album Version] [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] *****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A subtly different version from the single version [204], which contains an alternate, more stinging guitar solo, greater orchestration, & a longer length. As noted earlier, this is generally considered the slightly inferior version, although most would have to strain to hear the difference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>212. Maggie Mae [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] **</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another piece of spiteful programming by Lennon, which had McCartney's tribute to his mother followed by a folksong about a Liverpudlian whore. Of all the cover songs to be tested during the "Get Back" sessions, this was a lively but odd choice, & holds the distinction of being the only non-original released Beatles song since [119] "Bad Boy" & recorded since [80] "Act Naturally."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>213. I've Got A Feeling [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the final clearly-split Lennon-McCartney composition, "I've Got A Feeling" features McCartney's gospel-tinged blue-eyed soul rocker making way for Lennon's street-wise cool-down. They wisely chose the take originating from the rooftop concert, mistakes & all, which had a warm-&-ragged quality to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>214. The One After 909 [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the earliest Lennon-McCartney songs to be written, it was first attempted in 1963 in the session that produced [16] "From Me To You" & [17] "Thank You Girl." They breathed new life in it here as part of the rooftop concert, with Billy Preston filling in some great electric piano work. In many ways, this plays like the ultimate song from the "Get Back" project--a rockabilly song that actually dated from when The Beatles were still a rockabilly band, a reminder that this was a band with real history & camaraderie. The thick, rocking groove they hit for this sounds like old masters conjuring the ghost of the earlier incarnation of their pub-band selves. I have a feeling their teenage selves would have been aptly impressed. It is also, oddly, the only Beatles song about a train.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>215. The Long & Winding Road [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970; #1 US*] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The Long & Winding Road" is often cited as the proof that Phil Spector ruined <i>Let It Be</i>. In truth, the version at the core of the take featured only McCartney singing & on piano, with Lennon playing the most incompetent bass part ever heard on a Beatles song. (Only his bare-bones bass playing on [146] "Hey Jude" comes close.) With The Beatles far from a state to participate as active partners on the project, Spector had to make do with what he had. In part to mask Lennon's ineptitude, Spector overdubbed a zillion strings & what sounds like a choir over it, which, while turning it into a syrupy, saccharine mess, did its job in hiding the errors at the song's core. Released a single after the fact in the US, the song hit #1 for two weeks. One has to wonder if this had more to with nostalgia about The Beatles' breaking up (& the '00s ending) than the inherent quality of the song. One would do best to just end their hit singles with the last one they released while together, [204] "Let It Be."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>216. For You Blue [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] ***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Harrison's final Beatles song to be released was "For You Blue," a 12-bar blues featuring Lennon on lap-steel slide guitar with Harrison egging him on. It proved to be a low-key finale for the most low-key Beatle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>217. Get Back [Album Version] [Album Track, <i>Let It Be</i>, 1970] ****</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is the exact same take as the one used on the single version ([182]), minus the reverb & with studio chatter before & rooftop chatter afterwards to create the impression of a different version. While not exactly improving the single version, it doesn't really detract from it either, although the single version is the default standard. Still, it's hard to argue with the desire to end the album--& The Beatles' official recorded catalog--with Lennon's famous words at the close of the rooftop concert: "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group & ourselves, & I hope we passed the audition."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Audition, consider yourself passed.</span>Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-35426636339122600992017-06-02T06:29:00.000-04:002017-06-04T12:48:45.245-04:00It Was 50 Years Ago Today.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jJ7COQediJaS3o-rvLjoShHh_cdI7iuD_foMner9gRgm1Igluvc3QPdSFvrB1IkOwzrpLsZroptsqpgwpfowzjmE89wMocwzKVKFksKOh1by6bITNFyimGmHqvbuRqBtlqkWtWDIwab3/s1600/Beatles_SgtPepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="930" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jJ7COQediJaS3o-rvLjoShHh_cdI7iuD_foMner9gRgm1Igluvc3QPdSFvrB1IkOwzrpLsZroptsqpgwpfowzjmE89wMocwzKVKFksKOh1by6bITNFyimGmHqvbuRqBtlqkWtWDIwab3/s320/Beatles_SgtPepper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On June 2, 1967, The Beatles released <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From the moment <i>Sgt. Pepper </i>came out, it was hailed a watershed moment in rock history, with the London <i>Times </i>famously declaring it "a decisive moment in the history of Western civilization."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It has long since become the default answer to The Greatest Album Of All Time, much the way <i>Citizen Kane</i> is the default Greatest Film Of All Time. Pretty much every major critical rock poll from the <a href="http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/world_critics_lists.htm">World Critic Lists of 1978 & 1987</a> on down has ranked it on top, with the epicenter of rock criticism <i>Rolling Stone</i> declaring the <a href="http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#albums">greatest album of the last 20 years</a> in 1987 & then as the greatest album of all-time in their much-celebrated <a href="http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rs200.html#Top%20500%20Albums">list of the 500 greatest albums</a> in 2003.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& yet, in recent years, its stature has fallen greatly. Just as it was once automatic to put it on top of any album list, it has now become fashionable to let it tumble 20 or 50 spots, or to leave it off completely. In the last 20 years, The Beatles' own <i>Revolver </i>has often kicked it off its throne, but other candidates have ranged from The Beach Boys' <i>Pet Sounds</i> to Nirvana's <i>Nevermind </i>to Radiohead's <i>OK Computer</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So which one is it? Is <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> a major cultural landmark or an overrated psychedelic relic?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The answer is as simple as it is complex--it is both.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Part 1: Sgt. Pepper Is Genius.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Sgt. Pepper</i> began in the heady late days of 1966, some six months after The Beatles released <i>Revolver</i>. For the first time in The Beatles' short recording history, there was no new album of material ready for the Christmas season. Their UK label filled the gap with <i>A Collection Of Beatles Oldies</i>--a compilation of hits that itself was never really much of a hit itself, probably because fans already owned most of the material.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Come February 1967, three songs were completed, two of which ranked as their finest work to date: John Lennon's "Strawberry Fields Forever" & Paul McCartney's "Penny Lane." The third song, McCartney's "When I'm Sixty-Four" was fine, but not even close to the standards of the other two. Faced with pressure from their label, producer George Martin was tasked to release a single of new material. In what he later called the biggest regret of his professional career, he chose the two best songs, "Strawberry Fields Forever" & "Penny Lane," & released them as a single. While the long-term has proven it to be literally the greatest single of all-time, the short-term upshot was that The Beatles were back to square one for their new album (this still being the era when singles & LPs were largely treated as separate entities).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With their finest work taken from them, they could have gone into a frustrated stupor; instead, as the story is told, they turned around & began work on the song that many believe to be their masterpiece: "A Day In The Life."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Months of studio time followed. As The Beatles locked themselves into the studio world, the outside world raged on, wondering at their silence. Having retired from touring the previous year, there was little evidence that they were a band, let alone the greatest one in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But when <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club's Band</i> came out on June 2, 1967 (& May 26, 1967, in the UK), The Beatles got the last laugh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They were reborn as a new band--Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--& now the album was the concert. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was the opening theme; "With A Little Help From My Friends" was the call to community (sung by "Billy Shears"); "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" was a trip-within-a-trip; "Getting Better" was their version of The Great Society; "Fixing A Hole" was their retreat into solitary contemplation; "She's Leaving Home" was the generation gap; "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!" was the psychedelic carnival fairground; "Within You Without You" was the philosophy lesson; "When I'm Sixty-Four" was the invocation of the elderly; "Lovely Rita" was the celebration of the proletariat; "Good Morning Good Morning" was the agricultural frontier; "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" was the close of the show; & "A Day In The Life" was the epic finale as state-of-the-art Lennon/McCartney rock & roll. Theirs was a complete world that included all & excluded no one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Sgt. Pepper</i> was NOT the first concept album, but it was the first to be universally recognized as one, given its obvious structure (Sgt. Pepper & his band) & all-for-one spirit. For the first time, a rock album was treated as a single work, played in entirety on radio & studied over headphones, as one would listen to a symphony.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Part of the shock of its quality came from the fact that, for the first time, The Beatles were given control over their US releases such that they could release the same version of an album on both sides of the Atlantic. Prior to this, the American Beatles albums truncated & mixed up The Beatles' music in a cheap ploy to get more albums out of them. Just look at their previous album, <i>Revolver</i>, which was missing three whole songs--"I'm Only Sleeping," "And Your Bird Can Sing," & "Doctor Robert"--all of which were Lennon's, which meant that the album had a completely different (& less effective) shape. Furthermore, with no singles culled from <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> (whereas <i>Revolver</i> contained the tracks of the double-sided single "Yellow Submarine" & "Eleanor Rigby"), it felt more like a single work, with all tracks contributing to a single make-believe concert.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& all of this was reinforced by the packaging. For the first time, full lyrics were printed in an album, encouraging closer readings of the music. The LP pressings also contained little Sgt. Pepper novelty cut-outs that reinforced the carnival feel. & then of course there was the cover, designed by pop artist Peter Blake, which remains the finest album cover in history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Blake asked The Beatles to makes lists of who they most would want to attend a Beatles show & then took their answers & made the now-famous crowd behind them. Most striking are the wax models of the Beatlemania-era Beatles, looking down at THE BEATLES written out in the flowers below the Sgt. Pepper bass drum. It is with them that the show goes from a concert to a funeral, as The Beatles are reborn as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Sgt. Pepper</i> didn't so much change rock history as much as it broke it in half, perfectly capturing a peace-&-love era right at the moment of its formation, & closing it off into a utopian bubble. Almost all of the albums that tried to respond to on its own terms failed miserably--check out The Rolling Stones' <i>Their Satanic Majesties Request</i> (better yet, don't)--& only further reinforced how special The Beatles really were. The Beatles themselves never fully recovered from it either. Their next project,<i> Magical Mystery Tour</i>, was their first grand failure, while The Beatles (A.K.A. "The White Album") began the long splintering of the group that would continue through the ill-fated "Get Back" project (later released as <i>Let It Be</i>) & the swan-song <i>Abbey Road</i>. Glimmers of unity remained, but they were usually isolated exceptions to the rule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not that you can blame The Beatles. With <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, The Beatles elevated rock music to the level of Art, which was to be enjoyed, ingested, studied, & even revered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It showed that something as seemingly ephemeral & disposable as rock music could create something that was meant to last.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or did it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Part 2: Sgt. Pepper Sucks.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the definitive Beatles wall-to-wall masterpiece, <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i> began falling out of favor around 1987, when The Beatles' catalog was first released on CD. The living ex-Beatles insisted on issuing the albums in their UK formats only, which meant that American audiences were hearing the way they were supposed to sound for the first time. It quickly became apparent that a little album called <i>Revolver</i> could give <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> a run for its money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That can (& will & is) debated elsewhere, but I've always defaulted to the mystic Beatles' chronologer Ian MacDonald whose must-read analysis of The Beatles (& their music & the '60s) <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Head-Beatles-Records-Sixties/dp/1556527330/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496398628&sr=8-1&keywords=revolution+in+the+head">Revolution In The Head</a></i> posited that song-for-song, <i>Revolver</i> is their finest album, but where <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> beats it is in spirit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This has always made sense to me. When you listen to <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> as an isolated entity, it works, it comes around, it feels united--as evidenced by when the title song's reprise collapses into "A Day In The Life." But this is as a stand-alone piece. Time has shown the '60s dream-land of <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> itself collapsed into the '70s wasteland of punk & the postpunk music that would follow. In capturing the '60s spirit, it has become a spirit in a different sense of the word: A ghost that is dead-on-arrival in the modern age.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When you try to dissect it, it falls apart. The only songs about Sgt. Pepper & his band are evidenced in the title track, "With A Little Help From My Friends," the reprise, & "A Day In The Life." Otherwise, the songs simply don't hold together. Also, the album suffers from <i>a lot</i> of Paul McCartney. The Side 1 stretch of "Getting Better" to "Fixing A Hole" to "She's Leaving Home" has always bored me, even when I know I'm intellectually supposed to love it. George Harrison's sole contribution, "Within You Without You," also bores me, even though recent criticism has elevated its quality substantially. (I would have preferred Harrison's first song recorded in the sessions, the cynical "Only A Northern Song," which was shelved & finally released on the <i>Yellow Submarine</i> soundtrack in 1969.) What makes the album for me, then, is the Lennon parts: The free vibe of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," the haunting atmosphere of "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!," the anything-goes merriment of "Good Morning Good Morning." The rest of the album I could take or leave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& that includes "A Day In The Life." I've always found that song boring too--too long, too pretentious, too filled with things I don't care about. It works as a capper, but I'd never want to listen to it by itself. I'd much rather hear the allusion to it in David Bowie's "Young Americans."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& I get it. I was born over a decade after <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> came out, so I wasn't there. But what good is art if it can't be universally understood & appreciated? Furthermore, there's psychedelic music I love, such as The Beach Boys' <i>SMiLE</i> outtakes, The Rolling Stones' 1966-era work, & the early Pink Floyd singles, all of which hold up with the greatest rock ever recorded. I just feel that <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> itself is a brilliant, but ultimately hollow, shell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Which brings us back to my two favorite psychedelic songs, the vibrant & timeless "Strawberry Fields Forever" & "Penny Lane." If The Beatles had only included those over say, "Fixing A Hole" & "Lovely Rita," then I could see a strong argument for The Greatest Album Ever Made.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But then again, what do I know?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think that The Beach Boys should've waited & put "Good Vibrations" on <i>Pet Sounds</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Part 3: Sgt. Pepper Remade.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So where does that leave us? Well, appropriately everywhere & nowhere. I would like to close with my own take on Sgt. Pepper, which I like to call "Sgt. Better," which I think of as the album that should've been had The Beatles not been so strict about albums & singles:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Side 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. With A Little Help From My Friends</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Getting Better</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Only A Northern Song</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. She's Leaving Home</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Side 2</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Strawberry Fields Forever</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Penny Lane</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. When I'm Sixty-Four</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Good Morning Good Morning</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. A Day In The Life</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With all due respect to The Beatles' official <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i>, <i>THIS</i> is the masterpiece I'd want to hear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After all, if <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>'s is ultimately a make-believe show, then it's only keeping with its original spirit to make your own make-believe show out of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So to quote Sgt. Pepper's band themselves, we hope you will enjoy the show.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-71563816399049742982017-05-21T19:58:00.000-04:002017-06-18T20:59:55.913-04:00The Beatles: The Complete Discography.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90QBoQeWud-vf15R6TlpcBdvjxOvQyoXYJaN_QVsCJHjJ8mLEuah5h7Nu1nT6vkbzGMiE31bnLwKrEQUGVLhy-geX6cmIXh9cd2wZqeWpwDQUcWuhxGx-kepuumcIVJwZ_rOq_EgyADQb/s1600/Beatles_Portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90QBoQeWud-vf15R6TlpcBdvjxOvQyoXYJaN_QVsCJHjJ8mLEuah5h7Nu1nT6vkbzGMiE31bnLwKrEQUGVLhy-geX6cmIXh9cd2wZqeWpwDQUcWuhxGx-kepuumcIVJwZ_rOq_EgyADQb/s320/Beatles_Portrait.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles are the greatest band in the world, in no small part because of both their quality & economy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They were a working band in their classic line-up for about a decade, during which they officially released a mere 217 songs across 13 studio albums (& two albums worth of orphan tracks).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That is not very much. Check out Elvis Presley--the only real challenge to The Beatles' superior influence--who released several hundred songs across 72 albums during his lifetime. (No seriously, check him out--I reviewed his complete discography <a href="http://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2015/02/elvis-presley-complete-discography.html">here</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On one level, it's almost a silly exercise to review The Beatles' albums because they are so great; they pretty much could all get five stars with a straight face. It's a bit like reviewing Shakespeare's plays--sure, some are better than others, but even at its worst, it's still Shakespeare.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To rate these albums, I used the standard <i>Rolling Stone</i>/AllMusic five-star system:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">***** = Classic</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">**** = Great</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">*** = Good</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">** = Fair</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">* = Poor</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I went by the classic UK discography because this is how <i>they</i> issued the music & how it has always appeared on CD. While some get misty-eyed over the US releases (& I get it, I hold a soft place in my heart for both <i>Meet The Beatles!</i> & the US version of <i>Rubber Soul</i>), they ultimately jumble a story that is most remarkable not just for its excellence, but its clarity. Besides, to truly understand The Beatles, we should be looking at their music the way that they did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I included a few classic collections, either because they were officially issued along with The Beatles catalog or have remained in print into the modern era, or both. I also did the <i>Past Masters </i>albums that rounded up the songs for the CD edition, & the <i>1</i> collection which has brought the group into the modern age. Officially-licensed but long out-of-print collections like <i>Rock 'n' Roll Music</i> & <i>Love Songs</i> were left off because they came after The Beatles ceased to be a group & add little to nothing to the greater story. Finally, I left off the BBC & <i>Anthology</i> sets, which I consider to be their own beasts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So without further ado, here is the complete Beatles catalog, rated & reviewed. I hope you will enjoy the show:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Please Please Me [Parlophone, 1963] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBYgAN5P0tIdb0FsQLShD1zeW-7Hp3bjr7vqxDn70VB6sidLaAomhOiEO6DQEhVmmPEbRRvwKfb7Ker517Nh5ga6A7Qebfg-_J5Pytaiq__5cHMUUAWup_Rh9mFSEjmdEzAhCiryAcGcR/s1600/Beatles_PleasePleaseMe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBYgAN5P0tIdb0FsQLShD1zeW-7Hp3bjr7vqxDn70VB6sidLaAomhOiEO6DQEhVmmPEbRRvwKfb7Ker517Nh5ga6A7Qebfg-_J5Pytaiq__5cHMUUAWup_Rh9mFSEjmdEzAhCiryAcGcR/s320/Beatles_PleasePleaseMe.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Modern rock begins here. Fourteen songs--a then-shocking 8 of which were written by the group themselves--most of which were recorded in a single 12-hour session, The Beatles hit the ground running, easily outclassing everything else of their time & most things that had come before them, too. From the opening count-off of "I Saw Her Standing There" through to the hard-rock closer "Twist & Shout," this was a 30-minute masterpiece, upon which much of their Beatlemania legend would be built. The title track & "Love Me Do" were the hits (as well as "Twist & Shout" & "Do You Want To Know A Secret," both of which hit #2 on the US charts), but carefully-chosen covers like "A Taste Of Honey" & "Anna (Go To Him)" alongside original rockers like "Misery" & "There's A Place" were proof that there was already-budding ambition & sophistication. Although not released in the US until the CD age, it was a smash in the UK, remaining at #1 on the album charts for an astonishing 30 straight weeks, until it was displaced by...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">With The Beatles [Parlophone, 1963] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEglMvqkGAjVqzzZqJHXxrSHQkaayyrmW0UfauhShIQzySlhgTJgHALdqkx_bo_TilkpfqVQGGalq7J1JUvBFF-IwVn4rsxFjaBOI2LwQdBVMJYCUfwpzgmfKEBSHy22IiSA5kB1EULFh/s1600/Beatles_WithTheBeatles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEglMvqkGAjVqzzZqJHXxrSHQkaayyrmW0UfauhShIQzySlhgTJgHALdqkx_bo_TilkpfqVQGGalq7J1JUvBFF-IwVn4rsxFjaBOI2LwQdBVMJYCUfwpzgmfKEBSHy22IiSA5kB1EULFh/s320/Beatles_WithTheBeatles.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rare sophomore album to build upon the foundation of its predecessor, deepening the sound while growing in style. With no singles culled from it (although the classic "All My Loving" could have been--& was in the US), this was their first album of all-new material (not to mention their first iconic album cover). It used the template of <i>Please Please Me</i>--8 originals & 6 covers, a rocking original opener ("It Won't Be Long"), a barnstorming cover closer ("Money (That's What I Want")"), with lots of state-of-the-art music between. The originals became the backbone of the classic US edition, <i>Meet The Beatles!</i>, which put them on the international map, as upbeat tunes like "Little Child" & "I Wanna Be Your Man" kept the party going while "All I've Got To Do" & "Not A Second Time" hinted at the greater growth to come. Meanwhile, the covers paid homage to their R&B roots, from Chuck Berry ("Roll Over Beethoven") to Motown ("Please Mister Postman," "You've Really Got A Hold On Me"). It all sits together even more cohesively than its predecessor, which is perhaps why it spent the next 21 weeks at the top of the UK album charts.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">A Hard Day's Night [Parlophone, 1964] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JMspkbN2rijXRMlBg0b_ozmUTSNVhS0teS29QUy-17mNnmfTf3o-C5yTA_oKg_R-zrvNVKYerAHZ9q4SfyLGWGrNkXAci6DTzRP7b644fA0rG1U20Ek_SxcCGVyzNeFJbmh0CgvU714n/s1600/Beatles_AHardDaysNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JMspkbN2rijXRMlBg0b_ozmUTSNVhS0teS29QUy-17mNnmfTf3o-C5yTA_oKg_R-zrvNVKYerAHZ9q4SfyLGWGrNkXAci6DTzRP7b644fA0rG1U20Ek_SxcCGVyzNeFJbmh0CgvU714n/s320/Beatles_AHardDaysNight.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The vintage Beatles' masterpiece. This is the finest straight-up rock album The Beatles would ever release, & not coincidentally was also their first album of all original material (& the only album to be comprised solely of Lennon-McCartney songs). Side 1 was the movie music, & it was flawless--the rocking title track, the reeling "I Should Have Known Better," the irresistible "Can't Buy Me Love," plus their first great ballad, "And I Love Her," & the finest (three-part) harmonies to date in "If I Fell." Even "I'm Happy To Dance With You" was as infectious musically as "Tell Me Why" was sonically. Side 2 found the group digging deeper into their musical ambition, from the storming "Any Time At All," the wistful "Things We Said Today" & the stirring "I'll Be Back." In short, Side 1 proved they had mastered the genre of rock, while Side 2 found them pioneering where to go next, leading the way on a mixture of raw talent & pure charisma.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Beatles For Sale [Parlophone, 1964] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh109JKJpwMcn176wGcPVWVLXIjcKntrRzSiXJDr1iEwysERu8lsIwhP5lmTnA8NvgXwikJryt84w3IZK8VR9PDbTj8Q9C-5k3nUT1MG4X5i6oky1H4NzqJIybRvWf0L8goT3VnkQZ8t2Xg/s1600/Beatles_BeatlesForSale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh109JKJpwMcn176wGcPVWVLXIjcKntrRzSiXJDr1iEwysERu8lsIwhP5lmTnA8NvgXwikJryt84w3IZK8VR9PDbTj8Q9C-5k3nUT1MG4X5i6oky1H4NzqJIybRvWf0L8goT3VnkQZ8t2Xg/s320/Beatles_BeatlesForSale.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beatlemania takes its toll. After conquering the worlds of music, television, & film, the group pulls back a bit in their fourth album. After the all-original breakthrough of <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, <i>Beatles For Sale</i> feels like a bit of a retreat, returning to the 8 originals/6 covers template of their first two albums. But from the first doomed lines of "No Reply," The Beatles strike a more world-weary tone, with more acoustic guitars that speak of the contemporary influence of Dylan & predict the sound of <i>Rubber Soul</i> to come. It plays like the Beatlemania folk album, with standouts like the cynical "I'm A Loser" & the hopeful "I'll Follow The Sun." & yet, spliced in between is some of the hardest rock the group ever cut--their atomic take on "Rock & Roll Music" is the finest Chuck Berry cover ever cut, while McCartney matches (if not surpasses) his idol Little Richard's version of "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey." & in the middle, they predict the folk-rock sound of The Byrds in "Every Little Thing" & master the balance between pop & rock with "Eight Days A Week." The latter was held back as a single in favor of the non-album "I Feel Fine," but it made easily #1 for two weeks in the US. In the UK, it just had to be content as the centerpiece of a masterful album.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Help! [Parlophone, 1965] ****1/2</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDT3mfxUURP6uN0xIu9Wc3iox2-DIlFqM3UaOEXS-tSsFnTZQ3CZpc0Tx-EwUuwVYYVkn_Zi4DArg_nHH5mgpWTbNKXGqVtj5M24083jQqnJKOBChrlKQmz6ToeqhIEyrgK2FCp8RQp24/s1600/Beatles_Help.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDT3mfxUURP6uN0xIu9Wc3iox2-DIlFqM3UaOEXS-tSsFnTZQ3CZpc0Tx-EwUuwVYYVkn_Zi4DArg_nHH5mgpWTbNKXGqVtj5M24083jQqnJKOBChrlKQmz6ToeqhIEyrgK2FCp8RQp24/s320/Beatles_Help.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first not universally-acknowledged masterpiece in The Beatles catalog. (That said, it would be virtually any other group's finest album.) If <i>Beatles For Sale</i> found the weariness of the world affecting its sound, <i>Help!</i> found it affecting its vision. Like the film it provides the soundtrack to, Help! was a lesser effort that proved the group was quickly outgrowing its mop-top Beatlemania personas. It was also proof of a new influence on the group: Marijuana. Turned on to the drug by Dylan, The Beatles were partaking in its wonders regularly by the time this music was waxed. Classics still abound--the title track took the world-weary perspective of their recent work & married it to driving rock, while "Ticket To Ride" was a lovely piece of lop-sided pop that was their first major foray away from their previous more straightforward pop sound. Other cuts like "It's Only Love" & "I've Just Seen A Face" so clearly indicated the acoustic-based direction they would take next, they effortlessly blended into the American version of <i>Rubber Soul</i> later in the year. & in yet another #1 US hit single that was never released as one in the UK, "Yesterday" would go onto become the most covered song in recorded sound. Other songs like "You Like Me Too Much" & "Tell Me What You See" found The Beatles treading water, keeping the album from being a masterpiece. But their next one would more than make up for that.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rubber Soul [Parlophone, 1965] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhSWTA1n6pzGQtAqbZl3IPkYs6852rpnnT9XKhry5U4DNGbu7OIoDnlnSHEzGUym6Iw9DFY_tXtgMQAXXvgHWAWb4DBToPBP1oWUp7uv2Ubqrr1U3V5l1v30QJXajRNSIlar0LCFkSHDC/s1600/Beatles_RubberSoul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhSWTA1n6pzGQtAqbZl3IPkYs6852rpnnT9XKhry5U4DNGbu7OIoDnlnSHEzGUym6Iw9DFY_tXtgMQAXXvgHWAWb4DBToPBP1oWUp7uv2Ubqrr1U3V5l1v30QJXajRNSIlar0LCFkSHDC/s320/Beatles_RubberSoul.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles' first universal masterpiece. When released towards the end of 1965, <i>Rubber Soul</i> was better than any other album The Beatles had released--& with the possible exception of Dylan's <i>Highway 61 Revisited</i>, was the finest rock album up to that point, period. By this time, The Beatles had absorbed the lessons of Dylan (both lyrically & medicinally) & their other contemporaries to look into themselves for inspiration, & the results were stunning. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" found them working in new sounds with Harrison's use of a sitar, while "Nowhere Man" was Lennon's first masterpiece of social criticism. Meanwhile, McCartney honed his pop songcraft with "Michelle," which made it the third straight album to have a potential single that would reach #1 elsewhere (this time in a cover by The Overlanders in the UK). Flashes of humor like "Drive My Car" sat comfortably next to testimonials like "Girl," anthems like "The Word," & philosophical exercises like "If I Needed Someone." But it was Lennon's "In My Life," that took in the scope of the world--including love & loss, memory & regret, sadness & hope--& cemented The Beatles as the leaders of the young music. "A whole album of good stuff," Brian Wilson marveled upon hearing this LP. Then he went & made <i>Pet Sounds</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Revolver [Parlophone, 1966] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9lrx6uOBv0S8SqWwRylI4N47QyXnvt9wK0V25QolzzL5G4m2Q9U-xTWz0hOcUUUpE4fZu-B8J7w5A88JOSH5XazsOAKlkf47C89O0_dvRvCBsxPRKJ8F8dpruk1ou8k7QTPwWBROeKbi/s1600/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9lrx6uOBv0S8SqWwRylI4N47QyXnvt9wK0V25QolzzL5G4m2Q9U-xTWz0hOcUUUpE4fZu-B8J7w5A88JOSH5XazsOAKlkf47C89O0_dvRvCBsxPRKJ8F8dpruk1ou8k7QTPwWBROeKbi/s320/Beatles_Revolver.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their finest album--& as some like to tell it, rock's finest album, <i>period</i>. Revolver caught the group just as they each began to branch out into their own interests, but weren't so disparate that they couldn't come together as a great band. & so, Lennon discovered LSD ("She Said She Said," "Tomorrow Never Knows"), McCartney discovered classical music ("Eleanor Rigby," "For No One"), Harrison discovered Indian mysticism ("Love You To"), & Starr sang a children's song that went to #1 ("Yellow Submarine"). In other places, they supported each other with a sense of cohesion & purpose even further than their previous music--Harrison's caustic opener "Taxman," Lennon's deeply-felt "I'm Only Sleeping," McCartney's blue-eyed soul "Got To Get You Into My Life." But it was the epic closer, "Tomorrow Never Knows," that in using tape loops & early sampling, worked not just as the high-water mark for psychedelic music, but a prophecy of the next 50 years to come.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">A Collection Of Beatles Oldies [Parlophone, 1966] ***</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19tOaz62-qGXaSTDcswy9EYX6SS43TuZp4HcNzYdsA21WJzaMM6IOAYGNEzr5T_oBV0jArxw-_-pmKsLz_80MyMKLFQO2x4YIHiacgNVLYLd22ay_SifzWJ88LOA-yuoO_snY-wZDImUO/s1600/Beatles_Oldies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19tOaz62-qGXaSTDcswy9EYX6SS43TuZp4HcNzYdsA21WJzaMM6IOAYGNEzr5T_oBV0jArxw-_-pmKsLz_80MyMKLFQO2x4YIHiacgNVLYLd22ay_SifzWJ88LOA-yuoO_snY-wZDImUO/s320/Beatles_Oldies.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first collection. By the end of 1966, <i>Revolver</i> was six months old & The Beatles were nowhere near finishing a new album of material. So their label concocted this, the awkwardly-titled, hideously-covered <i>A Collection Of Beatles Oldies</i> for the UK Christmas market, which collected many of their hit singles (many of which had never appeared on LP) & one song that had previously only appeared in the US-only <i>Beatles VI</i> (the fine but unremarkable R&B cover "Bad Boy"). While one cannot fault any of the material here, the whole album feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. What could have been the definitive chronicle of The Beatles' first era was compromised by the exclusion of their earliest hits ("Love Me Do" & "Please Please Me," presumably because they had both already appeared on the <i>Please Please Me</i> LP) in favor of recent material like "Paperback Writer," "Eleanor Rigby," & "Yellow Submarine," all of which were less than six months old. Meanwhile, other album cuts that were never singles--"Michelle" & "Yesterday"--were included, further confusing the scope. In the end, only three of the 16 songs--"From Me To You," "She Loves You," & "I Want To Hold Your Hand"--came before 1964, while the running order at once scattershot & random whereas a strict chronological order would have worked better. It remained in print for decades, but was retired by the CD age to make way for the more logical (& successful) <i>1</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Parlophone, 1967] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TJfK1DEPuIvVfB0RGaTk-KNemaTXjjGlApOv78CkyMq7nB5dzuLX2UYLX_hjmmpqhMKc8cqKXEH8InOrMNPpP-UCj80Yn-aoiarPLEf80Bp2QfpD0is6DK6ORRr4RA0PJlNm5l74yFrj/s1600/Beatles_SgtPepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TJfK1DEPuIvVfB0RGaTk-KNemaTXjjGlApOv78CkyMq7nB5dzuLX2UYLX_hjmmpqhMKc8cqKXEH8InOrMNPpP-UCj80Yn-aoiarPLEf80Bp2QfpD0is6DK6ORRr4RA0PJlNm5l74yFrj/s320/Beatles_SgtPepper.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The <i>Citizen Kane</i> of rock & roll--which is to say, if it isn't <i>actually</i> the greatest album of all-time, it's the default standard. Beatles writer/historian/philosopher Ian MacDonald put it best when he said that song-for-song, <i>Revolver</i> is their finest, but <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> beats it in spirit. In this way, the album works a bit like an illusion, seeming to hold together better than it actually does when held under harder scrutiny. This is because of its simple yet effective "concept" of The Beatles reborn as a new band--Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--& the album is a document of their concert. The fact that The Beatles had quit touring within a year of this project added extra heft to its execution, as did the prevalence of psychedelic drugs during its making & release. Here was real band that retreated to the studio to become a fantasy band giving the concert. Pretty heady, clever stuff. & the key points all hold together marvelously--the opening "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club" song, the segue into "With A Little Help From My Friends," which in tun gives way to "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"; the carnival centerpiece of "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!," which was the most evocative music they would ever record; the closing reprise of the "Sgt. Pepper" song collapsing into the finale to end all finales, "A Day In The Life" (which many hold as The Beatles' finest song, period. If songs like "Fixing A Hole" & "Lovely Rita" didn't exactly live up that promise, they didn't have to; there was enough quality in the over execution & programming to more than make up for it. Besides, <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> was a moment that was bigger than the mere album itself--it was a (counter-) cultural watershed that put The Beatles--& in turn, rock music--at the center of Western Civilization. Haters will hate (& they have for the last 25 years, as <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>'s cultural stock has fallen somewhat in the rock canon), but this was the moment at which Pop became Art.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Magical Mystery Tour [Parlophone, 1967] ****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF42PZf_5nzmUdHAJ-c3b8SnFG44wYKCHp3p1AsziwYb251u3j-Ata50M5_xkO35Y93-K0UweInbfWdUWs_loOLkOUQr1OKWJaEgG2RgLXeTBJfAMaEu2pCQpIf7cWfiwIuiG0p6J0a-ms/s1600/Beatles_MagicalMysteryTour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF42PZf_5nzmUdHAJ-c3b8SnFG44wYKCHp3p1AsziwYb251u3j-Ata50M5_xkO35Y93-K0UweInbfWdUWs_loOLkOUQr1OKWJaEgG2RgLXeTBJfAMaEu2pCQpIf7cWfiwIuiG0p6J0a-ms/s320/Beatles_MagicalMysteryTour.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The soundtrack to their first misstep. It would have been hard for anyone to not disappoint after <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, & <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> proved that The Beatles were mere mortals after all. After conquering the world of rock, they felt their way into film, self-producing a television movie loosely based around a cross between Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters & the mystic tours of days of yore, or something like that. The resulting film was nearly unwatchable (although it did help to predict the road-trip genre), but the music, while far from their peak, was still quite good. Released as a double-EP in the UK, the album version in the US (where EPs were dying a commercial format) improved things by including both sides of their three classic 1967 singles, & by the CD age had become the "official" version. The six <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> songs range from exciting rockers like the title track to lovely filler like the instrumental "Flying" to the tedious "Blue Jay Way," the first real clunker in The Beatles' catalog. The only masterpiece is Lennon's "I Am The Walrus," a fascinating slice of dark psychedelic rock that shows where the music could have kept going had Lennon & co. hadn't have been scared straight (in part, perhaps because of the fallout of this project). "Walrus" was first issued as the B-side of "Hello, Goodbye," so the remainder of the album trots out the singles that surround <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>. Of most note is the inclusion of "Strawberry Fields Forever" & "Penny Lane," which were cut during the <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> sessions but released as a single beforehand. That single was the greatest release of The Beatles' career & would have made <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> the masterpiece that to many modern listeners yields diminishing returns. But <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>'s loss is <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i>'s gain, as those songs--evocative studies of childhood through modern psychedelics--anchor the second side & help redeem the first. By the time "All You Need Is Love" closes out the proceedings, one can see how <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> actually has become the rare classic rock album to improve its standing among modern listeners, looking for something deeper (& perhaps darker) than the standard mid-'60s psychedelic fare. In this regard, <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> delivers.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles [A.K.A. "The White Album"] [Apple, 1968] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XKFfgCv_IEnb2KEzfqwG4OpXEYeLxXhAjN4wmb_rrRQC7fBwY_kkqDR7Sa4TMg8xPnUfUUoII8xSZsm-_rP2YYPSFOtxSzsgr24ZNRHTdIwLVc8RSpkVCDJ_6fy3TrB_BnEA7idWinoL/s1600/Beatles_WhiteAlbum.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XKFfgCv_IEnb2KEzfqwG4OpXEYeLxXhAjN4wmb_rrRQC7fBwY_kkqDR7Sa4TMg8xPnUfUUoII8xSZsm-_rP2YYPSFOtxSzsgr24ZNRHTdIwLVc8RSpkVCDJ_6fy3TrB_BnEA7idWinoL/s1600/Beatles_WhiteAlbum.png" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The sprawling masterpiece. When <i>The Beatles</i>--soon nicknamed "The White Album" for its blank of a cover--was first released in 1968, it was hard to know what to make of it. It was a double-record set that sprawled the gamut of popular music from rock ("Back In The USSR") to blues ("Yer Blues") to country ("Don't Pass Me By") to folk ("Mother Nature's Son") to music concrete ("Revolution 9") to flirtatious with acid rock ("Glass Onion"), heavy metal ("Helter Skelter"), & even ska-based reggae ("Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"). Producer George Martin is famous for saying that he wished they had released one completely excellent instead of two middling ones, but then it wouldn't be "The White Album," then would it? The genius of the album(s) is in its sprawl, as well as the way it hangs together, even in places where it shouldn't. The way the childhood sing-along "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill" collapses so naturally into the stunning "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," or how "Helter Skelter" crashes into the elegant "Long, Long, Long" all speak to the slight-of-hand magic of great programming. For all of its variant peaks & valleys, "The White Album" is often described as a preview of The Beatles' solo careers, & while it has that--the blunt savageness of Lennon, the whimsical pop of McCartney, & the mystic virtuosity of Harrison--some of its finest moments come from a united front, a pop group still working all for one & one for all. Nowhere is this more apparent on Lennon's "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," a folksong-turned-rocker-turned-'50s pastiche. It almost serves like a mini-"White Album" unto itself, different pieces hung together by the sheer mastery of the music & talent of the musicians. Hindsight has shown it to be a rich playground of ideas, melody, & performance--as well as the beginning of the end as The Beatles as a working rock band.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Yellow Submarine [Apple, 1969] **</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-67KPIVtNJMc_OXgrfj81TGNr6bL-5h4uD3cMeN-GX7EV2pGU0d9eFCSRE5jskmluc_m4FCxCBKpcNyQ98cfgFdxRl7UUAiNXLiG9ddaGG-_Y3BBr6Rk_DPpVM903mxpnEA_Cl_WBAsu/s1600/Beatles_YellowSubmarine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-67KPIVtNJMc_OXgrfj81TGNr6bL-5h4uD3cMeN-GX7EV2pGU0d9eFCSRE5jskmluc_m4FCxCBKpcNyQ98cfgFdxRl7UUAiNXLiG9ddaGG-_Y3BBr6Rk_DPpVM903mxpnEA_Cl_WBAsu/s320/Beatles_YellowSubmarine.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A rip-off. Despite the quality of the film, its accompanying soundtrack was a cheat, with only Side 1 consisting of Beatles music, while Side 2 had instrumental film music from The George Martin Orchestra. Thus, it's not really a Beatles album at all--more like half of one. For the 6 Beatles songs that are on it, two of the songs ("Yellow Submarine" & "All You Need Is Love") had previously appeared elsewhere, leaving only four new songs to get on this LP: The charming children's song "All Together Now," the caustic <i>Pepper</i>-era outtake "Only A Northern Song," the driving "Hey Bulldog" & the near-unlistenable "It's All Too Much." Of the quartet, only "Hey Bulldog" is a stunner, it's heavy riffs & slicing guitars combining to deliver a delicious hook. Held back some six months from release as not to interfere with "The White Album," <i>Yellow Submarine</i> plays like the psychedelic leftover swap-sale that it is, & remains the only album in their catalog that cannot be considered essential.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Abbey Road [Apple, 1969] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJqa-WXdeU7snuCZSFxqlAnIP6AqtsPoHDmrAXsLi8tINSLlNnlHq1Ik0MMMwwCk1H61eWZzrb56v4wQZp_ZG44WLcsDalyaKgDL10cVfrITZUIay5oU0wgDogGNKiT93XTYaTmhPu6Ol/s1600/Beatles_AbbeyRoad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJqa-WXdeU7snuCZSFxqlAnIP6AqtsPoHDmrAXsLi8tINSLlNnlHq1Ik0MMMwwCk1H61eWZzrb56v4wQZp_ZG44WLcsDalyaKgDL10cVfrITZUIay5oU0wgDogGNKiT93XTYaTmhPu6Ol/s320/Beatles_AbbeyRoad.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The official swan-song. After the "Get Back" sessions collapsed into a pile of tapes that nobody wanted to touch, The Beatles regrouped for one last masterpiece in their beloved Abbey Road studio. With George Martin back at the helm, the group sounded better than they ever had before--in terms of sheer sound, <i>Abbey Road</i> is their masterpiece. It didn't hurt that they were still able to deliver a handful of classics despite deepening conflict amongst the band members: Lennon's anthemic "Come Together," Harrison's beautiful "Something" (the second-most covered song in recorded sound, after McCartney's "Yesterday") & surprisingly optimistic "Here Comes The Sun," & of course, McCartney's suite of songs on the second side. Even Starr delivered "Octopus's Garden," the finest song he would ever pen while a Beatle. The power of these songs coupled with the sweeping second side helped to overshadow the filler that cropped up elsewhere. The second side suite is truly what makes the album, with the medley of the gorgeous "Golden Slumbers," the storming "Carry That Weight," & the bittersweet "The End," before the surprise finale of "Her Majesty." No band has ever recorded a finer farewell, & <i>Abbey Road</i> found The Beatles going out on top. Even if they would still technically exist as a group for another six months after this release, for all intents & purposes, this was their finale.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Let It Be [Apple, 1970] ****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFo4Gfr4g0xnnjFjHCi8RVGRefpuCfQkQlJD77dHvNkO2UQb3FoxwwyBaPRHty5zJHUmo21j6Y3y0omCnSdr6Locn7KnAZG06lQRqMKsTVcmwd7_NvWNGq8MDDV3lkXMTWITZc-YopO8k4/s1600/Beatles_LetItBe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFo4Gfr4g0xnnjFjHCi8RVGRefpuCfQkQlJD77dHvNkO2UQb3FoxwwyBaPRHty5zJHUmo21j6Y3y0omCnSdr6Locn7KnAZG06lQRqMKsTVcmwd7_NvWNGq8MDDV3lkXMTWITZc-YopO8k4/s320/Beatles_LetItBe.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The encore. When Paul McCartney announced The Beatles no longer existed in April 1970, at least one album's worth of songs were sitting around from the aborted "Get Back" sessions of early 1969. Originally intended to be a return to live performing that was to be filmed from rehearsals through final concert, it soon devolved into a movie about a band breaking up. Aside from the "Get Back" single in 1969 & the "Let It Be" single in 1970, no music from the sessions were released, & as a film was being cobbled together, an accompanying album was needed. After George Martin had long since thrown his hands up at the project, the box of tapes were given to Phil Spector (over McCartney's loud objections). Spector went to work sweetening up the the tapes in a style that has been criticized for ruining the back-to-basics simplicity of the mission, but in reality was just as much to mask the many mistakes made in the recordings. But in the end, The Beatles are The Beatles, & <i>Let It Be</i> proved that, even when squabbling & splintering, they still made wonderful music. The album versions of the title track, "Get Back," & "Across The Universe" were the classics, while "The Long & Winding Road" proved that The Beatles could still do schmaltz & wind up with a #1 hit (in the US, anyway). More interesting however, are rockers like McCartney's acoustic reverie "Two Of Us," Lennon's storming "Dig A Pony," & the split "I've Got A Feeling," perhaps the last 50/50 effort of the Lennon/McCartney catalog. There were also goofs & jokes like Lennon's free-associative "Dig It" or the snippet of the Liverpudlian whore "Maggie Mae" (the last cover The Beatles released), which were included to try to capture the freewheeling nature of the sessions. More on point was their version of their oft-tried but never completed "One After 909," an early Lennon/McCartney song that gets remade into a hurricane of rockabilly. It is in this music that the band truly returns to their roots & reclaim the music. Also included is Harrison's "I Me Mine," which, perhaps appropriately, given its one-for-me outlook, was the last Beatles song ever cut. For the next decade, fans would hold out hopes for a reunion, but Let It Be was the last new music they ever officially released as a band.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1962-1966 [A.K.A. "The Red Album"] [Apple, 1973] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhex6Z9Nu2s_1xbkBMyRrfSYwqdk70_4XyGfEqv4WMGCdcqheerXFAcTb-_LjXKG7KAOPYQdDLYWQhGEJlwiDKe1TAUfr35KJ82FhfXCg2ZI1_f1x4QsCauH7t30N2dZmWbeOrsoHUozh79/s1600/Beatles_Red_Album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhex6Z9Nu2s_1xbkBMyRrfSYwqdk70_4XyGfEqv4WMGCdcqheerXFAcTb-_LjXKG7KAOPYQdDLYWQhGEJlwiDKe1TAUfr35KJ82FhfXCg2ZI1_f1x4QsCauH7t30N2dZmWbeOrsoHUozh79/s320/Beatles_Red_Album.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Canon, Part 1. Three years after The Beatles disbanded & no hits collection in sight, bootleggers emerged with the <i>Alpha Omega</i> collection, which collected 60 Beatles hits (& a few solo numbers), arranged them alphabetically (mostly), & spread them over four LPs. The Beatles responded with <i>1962-1966</i> & its sister companion, <i>1967-1970</i>, affectionately known as "The Red Album" & "The Blue Album" in response, markedly advertising them as the only authorized Beatles collection. They were also the first time that every UK A-side was compiled in a single place. "The Red Album" contained 26 songs over five years, from their very first single, "Love Me Do," through "Eleanor Rigby" & "Yellow Submarine," from <i>Revolver</i>. Overall, the album does its work very well. You can't argue with the song selection here, it's just too bad that they didn't fit more in. With a running time of a little over an hour, it could fit on a single CD, but modern packages keep it at two discs to match its parent LP set. Also, the breakdown of the albums can feel a bit off. For instance, no album is represented by more than three or four songs until <i>Rubber Soul</i> features a whopping six. This is all the more bizarre since the following <i>Revolver</i> (generally considered its superior) only has two songs, although this might speak more to how the albums have shaped up to modern listeners as opposed to people in 1973. The brilliance of the album is though that you would never notice this until you sit & break it all down (you're welcome) because they move at a perfect clip through time. & because "The Red Album" covered the earlier time period (i.e., the Beatlemania singles), it was seen as the more important set, & by the early '90s, had become something of a minor classic in the lists of essential music albums.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1967-1970 [A.K.A. "The Blue Album"] [Apple, 1973] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFO98NRL_RRllzAcaYetqdH1YvytUE5I3n-tsmisGXpLirZNY6jtIyKPWln-1v0f1LM-tIAPThDHan1OGKyqZsSTHJJyEWS0vTv_V2mNjOZssMAnWbJzKOChMaxjMj5BsreuUFYUqOg1ya/s1600/Beatles_BlueAlbum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFO98NRL_RRllzAcaYetqdH1YvytUE5I3n-tsmisGXpLirZNY6jtIyKPWln-1v0f1LM-tIAPThDHan1OGKyqZsSTHJJyEWS0vTv_V2mNjOZssMAnWbJzKOChMaxjMj5BsreuUFYUqOg1ya/s320/Beatles_BlueAlbum.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Canon, Part 2. The companion piece to "The Red Album," featuring 28 songs over four years. One would think that with this album covering the smaller set of time with songs that overall ran greater lengths it would have less music than its twin, but not so. Perhaps this is nod given to The Beatles late "great period" that had the "serious" music, & it's true that the first disc of the set ("Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" through "Revolution") is a pretty flawless document of music, & the best single disc of the set. But songs like "The Fool On The Hill" & "Old Brown Shoe" come off as needless filler, especially compared to the economy of "The Red Album." But that said, "The Blue Album" strikes a better balance (mostly), with four songs apiece from <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> & <i>Abbey Road</i>, & three apiece from "The White Album" & <i>Let It Be</i>. & once again, the pacing masks any inconsistencies, as the album moves at a clip that still feels like it hits all the essentials. & therein is perhaps the most telling part of The Beatles--whereas most bands can fit all of their essential music into one LP's worth of song or less, this & "The Red Album" prove The Beatles need at least 50.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Past Masters Volume One [Apple, 1988] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsH4msRSHxU-i58jhCIFaIz_lSfx7o7dCuTFQCq5DaNdvqNZ4hf1XYcqbeFOixLcb2s9KZoSs-A2tfdNuXclrqh5t6p46pN6p7ul0DXillRF0pDZdn1DftTSLbPdWv_UewIfDzZswlY-c/s1600/Beatles_PastMasters1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsH4msRSHxU-i58jhCIFaIz_lSfx7o7dCuTFQCq5DaNdvqNZ4hf1XYcqbeFOixLcb2s9KZoSs-A2tfdNuXclrqh5t6p46pN6p7ul0DXillRF0pDZdn1DftTSLbPdWv_UewIfDzZswlY-c/s320/Beatles_PastMasters1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The collection-completer, volume one. When The Beatles catalog was finally issued on CD in the late '80s, the group had a dilemma: Of their 217 official songs, 32 of them were never issued on a regular UK studio album. This meant they could go one of two ways: They could add bonus tracks to the albums where need be, or they could collect all of the orphan songs onto a two-disc set. <i>Past Masters</i> was their way of doing the latter. In hindsight, it was the right decision, as their albums were masterpieces that would have been bogged down by extra music, diluting their original punch. Plus, although these were orphan songs, they in no way corresponded with mere leftovers. In fact, some of their biggest hits, including "She Loves You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," & "Hey Jude" were never issued on a studio album. Past Masters Volume One covers the earlier period from 1962 through 1965, getting all of their non-LP A-sides ("From Me To You," "She Loves You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine"), their wonderful UK flips ("Thank You Girl," "I'll Get You," "This Boy," "She's A Woman"), & all four tracks of the non-album <i>Long Tall Sally</i> EP. The only real losers in the set are the tedious German remakes of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" & "She Loves You," included for completists only. But as an 18-song collection, it is nearly good enough to feel like a greatest hits, leaving you wanting more with the excellent & innovative <i>Help!</i> B-sides "Yes It Is" & "I'm Down." Luckily, there was more to be found.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Past Masters, Volume Two [Apple, 1988] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwP-LxBaudydqeOL6ftH_7oxB71fqe2DnojnPIl6Y1X3Hp6jXf1qGN1ewalLjxPfuYK86pkpu-y-wwVJXpwoUIQuDinejc2_RaYl0XmggorfZtDQqHe8MJNPI9E4iSfyWs2AHlGRYecQOX/s1600/Beatles_PastMasters2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwP-LxBaudydqeOL6ftH_7oxB71fqe2DnojnPIl6Y1X3Hp6jXf1qGN1ewalLjxPfuYK86pkpu-y-wwVJXpwoUIQuDinejc2_RaYl0XmggorfZtDQqHe8MJNPI9E4iSfyWs2AHlGRYecQOX/s320/Beatles_PastMasters2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The collection-completer, volume two. The sister companion to Past Masters Volume One, this album collected the remaining 15 songs never issued on an original UK studio LP. Again, you get many big A-sides (the double A-sided "Day Tripper" & "We Can Work It Out," "Paperback Writer," "Lady Madonna," "Hey Jude," "Get Back") & their fine slips ("Rain," "The Inner Light," "Revolution," "Don't Let Me Down"), as well as some miscellany such as the "wildlife" version of "Across The Universe" that was originally issued on a benefit LP <i>No One's Gonna Change Our World</i>. It's also the only place to get their final UK B-side, the long, winding, & bizarre "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)," a four-&-a-half minute goof that the group worked on literally for years. The fact that, if you play their catalog, followed by the <i>Past Masters</i> albums, this is the final song you hear, reminds you that it wasn't necessarily their musicianship that got them signed by George Martin on that fateful day in 1962--it was their humor.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1 [Apple, 2000] *****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlI9FXhm7rcNkRItMc8eRy3-raweceQZ96SxZeFcJPezI_9e5PC3e59EYgIl-ZoDuhJ-zg2ZS1GKDBolbAxEYrBPFdeGGNavDeX8ZUlhbt5CkFFy1PrvMtUkwkK7hZScvGssX9fllfXIZ/s1600/Beatles_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlI9FXhm7rcNkRItMc8eRy3-raweceQZ96SxZeFcJPezI_9e5PC3e59EYgIl-ZoDuhJ-zg2ZS1GKDBolbAxEYrBPFdeGGNavDeX8ZUlhbt5CkFFy1PrvMtUkwkK7hZScvGssX9fllfXIZ/s320/Beatles_1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The summary. Just when you thought The Beatles had finished leading the way for the last 30 years, they issued this, a one-disc collection purporting to be all of their UK & US #1 singles. Whether you were a lifetime fan buying the music again (in newly remastered sound) or hearing it for the first time, it clicked, & became the best-selling album of the first decade of the new millennium. Other artists like Elvis Presley & Michael Jackson began following suit to issue their albums of only #1 hits, followed by many lesser ones just trying to make their own definitive 80-minute playlist. As it turns out, according to this album, of the 26 Beatles songs originally issued as UK A-sides, all but two of them hit #1 in the UK &/or US with the exception of two--"Please Please Me," which actually did hit #1 on both the <i>New Music Express</i> & <i>Melody Maker</i> charts (but only hit #2 on the <i>Record Retailer </i>chart that evolved into the official UK one) & "Strawberry Fields Forever," which was issued as a double A-side with "Penny Lane," which did hit #1.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is because for a stretch of time in the 1960s, it was possible for two different sides of a single to reach different chart rankings in the US. In the UK, however, this was not the case. Hence, when double A-sides like "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" & "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" hit #1 in the UK, they are counted as four #1s, as opposed to two. Thus, the "Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" single stalled at #2 in the UK, while the songs hit #8 & #1, respectively, in the US, resulting in only one #1 song. OK, fine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But then the set plays favorites with the "Come Together"/"Something" double A-side, which DID NOT hit #1 in the UK (fun fact: The last Beatles UK #1 was "The Ballad Of John & Yoko"), but did hit #1 & #4, respectively, in the US. Going by the rest of the album, then, "Something" should not be included on this album. But it is, presumably because George Harrison should be represented & it's the second-most covered song in the history of recorded sound.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All of which is to say that I consider this album purporting to be 27 #1 songs in fact 26 #1 songs & "Something," if we're being technical. Of the three songs that were never issued as singles in the UK but hit #1 in the US, two are essential ("Yesterday" & "Eight Days A Week") & one is pure sentimental dreck ("The Long & Winding Road"). It is likely my bitterness for the latter that makes me wish they'd cut it from this album in favor of "Strawberry Fields Forever," which is otherwise unavailable unless you get the <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, as a purist/Beatles nerd, I personally have my own version of 1 that I have compiled, which includes all 26 Beatles A-sides plus the most covered song in the history of recorded sound:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Love Me Do</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Please Please Me</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. From Me To You</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">4. She Loves You</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. I Want To Hold Your Hand</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. Can't Buy Me Love</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. A Hard Day's Night</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. I Feel Fine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">9. Ticket To Ride</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">10. Help!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">11. Yesterday</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">12. Day Tripper</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">13. We Can Work It Out</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">14. Paperback Writer</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">15. Yellow Submarine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">16. Eleanor Rigby</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">17. Strawberry Fields Forever</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">18. Penny Lane</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">19. All You Need Is Love</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">20. Hello Goodbye</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">21. Lady Madonna</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">22. Hey Jude</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">23. Get Back</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">24. The Ballad Of John & Yoko</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">25. Come Together</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">26. Something</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">27. Let It Be</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, you miss the lovely #1 US A-side "Eight Days A Week," but literally nothing else essential. Plus, The Beatles always hated "Eight Days A Week." That's why "I Feel Fine" was issued as a single in the first place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That & the opening feedback sound.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that's a whole other story.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-53405578364349290452017-05-16T13:23:00.000-04:002017-05-16T13:23:11.990-04:00The Beatles: The Purple Album.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wuuXFiFmI7QgOYa0VWRHmkdsBvcjzGE4zFwBYzUbOyQJtC96Frkwcxc12OtCTX0MishBF9I_Vi3dHZO0p1byfUAjgCHfFg4qvTNDNl9VXxhzQ10YiFmGrDojQ8e-fnsq1sJ5xzNA1ccy/s1600/Beatles_Red_Album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wuuXFiFmI7QgOYa0VWRHmkdsBvcjzGE4zFwBYzUbOyQJtC96Frkwcxc12OtCTX0MishBF9I_Vi3dHZO0p1byfUAjgCHfFg4qvTNDNl9VXxhzQ10YiFmGrDojQ8e-fnsq1sJ5xzNA1ccy/s320/Beatles_Red_Album.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the ways in which The Beatles were revolutionary was that they defied greatest hits collections.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most bands at the very least bank on them, & at most live off of them. Even artists as influential, established, album-centered, & varied as The Byrds, Sly & The Family Stone, Al Green, & Simon & Garfunkel have released essential greatest hits albums, which have become staples of their catalog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not so with The Beatles. While they were together, they authorized only one greatest hits collection, the UK-only <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Collection_of_Beatles_Oldies">A Collection Of Beatles Oldies</a></i>, which was released for the 1966 Christmas season once it became apparent that no proper studio album would be ready.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>A Collection Of Beatles Oldies</i> was something of a missed opportunity. What could have been a definitive summation of their vintage years was instead bogged down by recent material that already had been released on LP, such as the (only) six-month-old "Yellow Submarine" & "Eleanor Rigby," plus non-single cuts like "Michelle" and "Yesterday." Meanwhile, vintage bona fide hits like "Love Me Do" & "Please Please Me" were omitted altogether (probably because they had been released on the <i>Please Please Me</i> LP), along with fine B-sides like "Thank You Girl," "I'll Get You," & "This Boy," none of which had ever appeared on a proper Beatles album. <i>A Collection Of Beatles Oldies</i> tried to split the difference between the old & the new, but in trying to appease both sides, satisfied neither.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With the wealth of Beatles' hits, you can't blame them for not even trying again for the remainder of their career. The only exception was the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Jude_(Beatles_album)">Hey Jude</a></i> LP, released in February 1970, which contained more recent hit single-only sides like "Get Back," "Lady Madonna," "The Ballad Of John & Yoko," & the title track, along with, oddly enough, the 1964 chestnuts "Can't Buy Me Love" & "I Should Have Known Better," for some reason. It too felt like a bit of missed opportunity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& then...nothing. The Beatles broke up a few months after <i>Hey Jude</i> hit the album racks & all four Beatles went their separate ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the temptation was just too great. Then, in 1972, the <i><a href="http://aboutthebeatles.com/beatles-alpha-omega">Alpha Omega</a></i> bootleg came out, an unauthorized four-LP set that contained eight sides of Beatles hits (plus a few solo ones), arranged largely alphabetically. TV exposure made it increasingly popular, so something had to be done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beatles manager Allen Klein is credited with putting together <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962%E2%80%931966">1962-1966</a></i> & <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967%E2%80%931970">1967-1970</a></i>, a pair of double-LP sets that tell The Beatles story over 54 tracks. They have since come to be known as "The Red Album" & "The Blue Album," named for the borders around their matching looking-down-the-stairs shots at opposite ends of The Beatles' career. ("The Red Album" cover photo was the cover of their first LP, <i>Please Please Me</i>, while "The Blue Album" cover photo had been planned for the appropriately-titled "Get Back" LP that was eventually released in a different form as <i>Let It Be</i>.) It was actually sequenced by then-Klein employee Allan Steckler, who had previously programmed the <i>Hey Jude</i> LP as well as The Rolling Stones' classic <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Rocks_1964%E2%80%931971">Hot Rocks</a></i> compilation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Initially touted as "the only authorized collection of The Beatles," both sets were released on April 2, 1973, & were major hits on both sides of the Atlantic. The albums remain the only place where you could get get all of The Beatles' original (UK) A-sides, as well as countless songs that were never released as singles, but are just as recognizable as ones that had. Plus, they had at least one song off of each studio album, giving a balanced collection of The Beatles' discography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The set's successes & setbacks are tied to two ends of the same issue: Time. In terms of time as a linear historical element, the albums do their job beautifully, continuing at a pace that is at once succinct & yet hits all of the key points. Yet in the digital age, another kind of time has become a drawback for the set: The length of a CD. Like most rock & roll artists, as time continued linearly, The Beatles' songs increased in length. The 26 songs that comprise "The Red Album" clock in at under 65 minutes, while the 28 songs that comprise "The Blue Album" come to nearly 100 minutes. Given the modern 80-minute disc as a template, "The Red Album" easily fits on a single disc while "The Blue Album" does not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In order to keep the aesthetics of the set (& the cashflow of a 2-disc priced collection), both "The Red Album" & "The Blue Album" were released on double-disc sets in both the initial 1993 CD release as well as the 2010 remaster. Although loads of bonus tracks could have been added at either point, they never were, thus further cementing the two sets as the (Apple?) core of The Beatles' canon. & with these releases as the only extensive greatest-hits releases authorized by the band themselves, it's unlikely this will ever change. They are, then, more than just a hits collection, but a self-portrait in the form of an archetypal boxed set.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With only 217 songs officially released while they were together, "The Red Album" & "The Blue Album" comprise nearly a quarter of them, such that there are two kinds of Beatles songs: Ones that were on these albums & ones that wasn't. I know that songs like "Twist & Shout" & "Do You Want To Know A Secret" were major US hits; "Rain," "Tomorrow Never Knows" & "Helter Skelter" were massively influential; & album cuts from the opening song of their first UK album, "I Saw Her Standing There," all the way through to the medley that closes the last album they would ever cut, "The <i>Abbey Road</i> Medley," are all key parts of The Beatles' story, but they are not stone-cold essentials because they are all absent from this collection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& yet, there are drawbacks to the LPs. Although "The Red Album" covered a slightly longer period of time (with songs that generally shorter than their later counterparts), it contained slightly less tracks, 26 songs to 28 song on "The Blue Album." The former is all the more bizarre when you consider that <i>Revolver</i>--which many consider to be their finest album (if not the finest album EVER)--is represented by a mere pair of tracks, both sides of its "Yellow Submarine" & "Eleanor Rigby" single. Considering that <i>Rubber Soul</i> gets six cuts, one would think they could have thrown on at least two more from <i>Revolver</i> to make each LP set an equal 28 songs.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">On the other hand, to my ears "The Blue Album" always contained two songs that were not deserving of this Beatles Canon: "The Fool On The Hill" & "Old Brown Shoe." Both are great songs in their own ways, but not classics in their own right. (I looked the other way on a third arguably dubious choice, "Octopus's Garden," because it's obvious a ploy to get a Ringo composition in there, but it also fills out <i>Abbey Road</i>'s representation to four songs.) If you take out "Fool" & "Shoe," you get an equal 26 songs for both albums.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But in my Beatles analysis, I went a slightly different way. I realized that when you shaved off two of the <i>Rubber Soul</i> cuts from "The Red Album" (I opted for the fine-but-least-essential "Drive My Car" & "Girl) & "The Fool On The Hill" & "Old Brown Shoe" from "The Blue Album," you are left with 50 songs. Furthermore, if you move all of the material through <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> onto the first collection, you get a neat 30 songs for "The Red Album" & 20 songs for "The Blue Album," making each fit on a single disc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I did some nitpicking around with the running order, such as placing "All My Loving" between "She Loves You" & "I Want To Hold Your Hand," since it was released between those two songs, whereas the original running order of "The Red Album" places "I Want To Hold Your Hand" first. I also moved around the order of "Help!" & "Yesterday" to match with these chronologies. For "The Blue Album," I put "I Am The Walrus" after "Hello, Goodbye," since "Walrus" was the B-side & "Here Comes The Sun" after the other <i>Abbey Road</i> cuts to match the running order of the original LP. All are relatively minor switches, but for me tell the more accurate story. & these songs are nothing if not an epic in rock & roll storytelling--collectively, they quite literally tell the story of modern rock itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I therefore present "The Purple Album," which is simply my tinkering of "The Red Album" & "The Blue Album" reconfigured into a two-disc set (or two playlists if you will):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Disc 1: 1962-1967</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Love Me Do</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Please Please Me</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. From Me To You</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. She Loves You</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. All My Loving</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. I Want To Hold Your Hand</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Can't Buy Me Love</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. A Hard Day's Night</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. And I Love Her</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. Eight Days A Week</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">11. I Feel Fine</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">12. Ticket To Ride</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">13. Help!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">14. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">15. Yesterday</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">16. Day Tripper</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">17. We Can Work It Out</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">18. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Had Flown)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">19. Nowhere Man</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">20. Michelle</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">21. In My Life</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">22. Paperback Writer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">23. Eleanor Rigby</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">24. Yellow Submarine</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">25. Strawberry Fields Forever</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">26. Penny Lane</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">27. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">28. With A Little Help From My Friends</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">29. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">30. A Day In The Life</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Disc 2: 1967-1970</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. All You Need Is Love</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Hello, Goodbye</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. I Am The Walrus</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Magical Mystery Tour</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Lady Madonna</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. Hey Jude</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Revolution</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. Back In The USSR</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. While My Guitar Gently Weeps</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">11. Get Back</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">12. Don't Let Me Down</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">13. The Ballad Of John & Yoko</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">14. Come Together</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">15. Something</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">16. Octopus's Garden</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">17. Here Comes The Sun</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">18. Across The Universe</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">20. The Long & Winding Road</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The result is the 50 songs that comprise the official Beatles Canon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You get every UK A-side & every UK & US #1 hit, plus four cuts apiece from <i>Help!</i>,<i> Rubber Soul</i>, <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, <i>Abbey Road</i>, & three cuts apiece from <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, "The White Album," & <i>Let It Be</i>. Only <i>Revolver </i>gets underrepresented with two songs, but that's just a flaw in the initial program.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's hard to go much lower than 50 songs when it comes to The Beatles, because then you have to start choosing between hit singles & key album tracks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& once your down to one disc's worth, that's why <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_(Beatles_album)">1</a></i> was invented.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even though I will always hold a strike against it for omitting "Strawberry Fields Forever"--but that's a whole other story.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-24621868382775415402017-05-07T15:33:00.000-04:002017-09-10T13:43:58.139-04:00The Top 10 Greatest Bob Dylan Covers Of All-Time.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">As Bob Dylan turns 76 this month, I thought it was as good a time as any to look back at the finest covers his music has inspired.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a daunting task. Dylan is the greatest rock songwriter of all-time, & his songs have become a kind of cultural currency that transcend rock music itself, or any other genre for that matter. As this list shows, Dylan's work has been remade not just in rock, but in pop, folk, jazz, & country, by women & men, black & white, Americans & foreigners, legendary & obscure, & in music that was major hits or hidden deep within the grooves of an LP.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dylan himself has always been a shapeshifter, altering his sound, style, & voice on little more than whim. It only makes sense that his music has become a template for such a wide range of performers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of the many that didn't make it, there are three in particular I'd like to name--Jim James & Calexico's lovely mariachi remake of "Goin' To Acapulco," Guns N' Roses' absurd hard rock take on "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," & Nico's bittersweet version of "I'll Keep It With Mine"--all of which nearly made the list, & perhaps on a different day, or in a different mood, would have.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I only put out a few simple rules to govern this list: Only one song per artist, only one version of a song per list. There's so much good music to choose from, I didn't want to let this get overcrowded by an artist or a song. Other than that, anything was game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the list:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. Elvis Presley: "Tomorrow Is Such A Long Time," 1966.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bob Dylan once told <i>Rolling Stone</i> that Elvis Presley's cover of "Tomorrow Is Such A Long Time" was "the one recording I treasure the most." Dylan was a huge fan of Elvis early on & Elvis was certainly aware of Dylan, but rarely ever covered him because The Colonel largely forced him to record songs from the Hill & Range songwriting stable (which the owned stock in). One of the few times Elvis strayed was to record this as a bonus track for the <i>Spinout</i> soundtrack, resulting in a rare gem of his otherwise lackluster pre-comeback years. Just as Dylan's gift was his words, Elvis's gift was his feeling, & when the material was worth feeling, as it is here, Elvis gave it his all & made you believe every single word. The only bad thing that can be said about this performance is that it remains a tantalizing hint at would could have been had Elvis recorded more songs like this one.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9: PJ Harvey: "Highway 61 Revisited," 1993.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For her 1993 album <i>Rid Of Me</i>, PJ Harvey took her band & legendary producer Steve Albini & went on an errand into the wilderness of Minnesota in the dead of winter & recorded most of the album live in the studio in a matter of days. The only song Harvey didn't write on it was the title track to Dylan's <i>Highway 61 Revisited</i> album, proving that the titular stretch of road could crop up pretty much anywhere. Harvey didn't so much cover the song as she tore it apart & made it new again, breaking off words & sounds & reassembling them with a range of dynamics that was at once raw, surprising, & beautiful. This is the moment at which Dylan, the great modernist songwriter of our time, goes postmodern.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Jeff Buckley: "Mama, You've Been On My Mind," 1993 [Released 2004].</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Bob Dylan's <i>The Bootleg Series Volume 1-3</i> came out in 1991, it was a virtual treasure trove of music, song & demos that had circulated like secrets & rumors for years finally gathered in a single place for a set that proved Dylan's discarded music could rival his officially-released songs of virtually any era. It was around this time that a young Jeff Buckley began covering this song in his legendary early sets around New York City in The Sin-e & The Knitting Factory. Dylan himself played it live as an upbeat country stomp in the Rolling Thunder Review tours of the 1970s, but Buckley wisely goes by Dylan's original 1964 version (an outtake from <i>Another Side Of Bob Dylan</i>), a slow & stately rumination on how love can linger even once its source has gone. Buckley turns it from a measured dirge into an etherial psalm, which sounds all the more haunting now that it is Buckley who has long since gone.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. Them: "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," 1966.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dylan's first kiss-off to the folk scene was covered the following year by Them, Van Morrison's original band, a bunch of Irish kids who snuck into American radios with the British Invasion. They (or rather, Them) recast the song as easy, chiming pop, which serves as the perfect counterpart to Morrison's rough-hewed vocals. It is easy to hear how the song was more than just a cover for Them, but as a template for Morrison, given works like <i>Astral Weeks</i>, which would follow just a few short years later. Plus, it provided Beck with a hot hook for "Jack-Ass" on his classic 1993 album <i>Odelay</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. Nina Simone: "Just Like A Woman," 1971.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I spent quite some time deliberating between Nina Simone's version of "Just Like A Woman" & the one by Richie Havens, but decided to go with this one. First of all, I think the song is all the more fascinating from a female's perspective, which casts the lyrics & melody into a new light. But while Havens' cover strikes no false notes, it ultimately is just that--a cover--whereas Nina Simone never really covered songs in a traditional sense. She was a true stylist, one who remade everything into her image. This remains true for all of her signature work, including this Dylan cover, which sounds at once passionate yet understated. In the end, she doesn't so much sing the song as she does report it as one more undeniable truth.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. The Fairport Convention: "Percy's Song," 1969.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the late '60s, <i>Rolling Stone</i> asked Phil Spector what artist he would most like to produce. He answered Dylan because, in his opinion, Dylan had been recorded but never <i>produced</i>. Around the time Spector was saying this, British folk-rock pioneers The Fairport Convention were working out their own version of Dylan-as-a-production-project & the results are staggering. Here, they take Dylan's unreleased 1963 sketch of demo, which was just that--a sketch--& fill it out with the most majestic oil paints imaginable. Built around Sandy Denny's stunning vocal, the voices & instruments build up & wind down, such that the one thing that made Dylan's version a bit of a chore--its verse-stacked-on-verse simplicity--made it the perfect setting for dynamics & drama. Harmonies that rival The Beach Boys' finest work are filled out by a sound that predicts The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's supergroup country opus <i>Will The Circle Be Unbroken</i>, all to tell the tale of a mis-charged youth facing a cold, cruel world. Only by the time The Fairport Convention are done with it, the song sounds like a beacon of warm hope.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Manfred Mann: "Mighty Quinn," 1968.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Purists will probably balk at this choice (let alone at #4), but at the end of the day, pop is pop. With so many serious singers who can seriously sing on this list--Elvis Presley, Jeff Buckley, Nina Simone--Manfred Mann tells the other side of the story, one in which the meaning of the words are sacrificed in favor of the tune, where dancing is held higher than introspection. Appropriately, they chose a Basement Tapes song, where Dylan's lyrical surreal absurdity was a peak, thanks to a casual way to life with friends & a whole lot of booze. Although (or perhaps because) it was perhaps the best-known of the Basement Tapes compositions, it was left off the official 1975 <i>Basement Tapes</i> LP, although it resurfaced over the years on various collections in various versions. & with lines like "it ain't my cup of meat," it's a very weird song. But listening to Manfred Mann sing it, you'd hardly notice--it's only once you slow it down & listening to the words streaming by that you realize how strong it really is. When Dylan heard The Beatles & decided to plug in & get a band in 1965, it was in a gesture to achieve pop greatness. By the time "The Mighty Quinn" was released in the first days of 1968, Dylan's pop idea had already come full-circle.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Johnny & June Carter Cash: "It Ain't Me Babe," 1964.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On some of the earliest known recordings of Bob Dylan in 1958, he complains about Johnny Cash being boring as compared to rhythm & blues singers like Little Richard. The following decade, Dylan changed his tune, as evidenced by a film of Dylan & Cash singing a version of Hank Williams' "Lost Highway" backstage in 1965 & even recording a duet for Dylan's 1969 Nashville Skyline album. Around that same time, Dylan made one of his precious few TV appearances on <i>The Johnny Cash Show</i>. One imagines that whatever qualms Dylan had about Cash had more to do with the staid whitebread tastes of his community than Cash himself. Johnny Cash is a rare American music icon, an instantly-recognizable, genre-defying pioneer of popular music. It was only a matter of time before Cash started singing some of Dylan's songs, & the first & best was his cover of "It Ain't Me Babe," sung with future wife June Carter. Cash is able to use the song to strike a deft balance between the deadly serious & the seriously comical, delivering the withering verses like an assassin, before landing on the "Babe" of the refrain with an absurd glee that does nothing to derail the performance. Perhaps it's the budding romance with June, perhaps it's the use of the then-hip lingo "Babe," but the song injects an energy into Cash just as he was beginning to get bogged down by the mid-'60s Nashville sound. It was also a major hit, easily making the Country Top 5, a year before Dylan picked up an electric guitar.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. The Byrds: "Mr. Tambourine Man," 1965.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Byrds covered Dylan so many times that you could make a Top 10 list of just Byrd covers (& Columbia Records once essentially did just that with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Byrds_Play_Dylan">The Byrds Play Dylan</a> compilation). & while The Byrds' versions of "Chimes Of Freedom," "My Back Pages," & "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" are all tempting for various reasons, it has to be "Mr. Tambourine Man." Few songs are as influential in rock history--The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" all but launched an entire genre, folk-rock, marrying Dylan's lyrics to The Beatles sound, fleshed out with their own shimmering guitars. (The legend is that, when called "folk-rock," Dylan once quipped, "When did I ever jingle-jangle?") In the end, The Byrds didn't cover the song as much as they stripped it for parts: When held up against Dylan's sprawling original, The Byrds scrap everything except for a single verse & a few go-rounds of the refrain, but it's all wrapped up in such a delectable package that you'd never notice unless you were a investigative Dylan reporter (you're welcome). With Gene Clark's straightforward vocal, Roger McGuinn's shining electric twelve-string, & David Crosby's inventive harmonies, it not only established Dylan in rock in the months before Dylan plugged in, but it established The Byrds as one of the most influential groups of all-time. & as for the Dylan covers of the folk-rock genre--Simon & Garfunkel's "The Times They Are A-Changin'," The Turtles' "It Ain't Me Babe," Peter, Paul, & Mary's "Too Much Of Nothing," to name but a few--The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" stands head & shoulders above the rest.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Jimi Hendrix: "All Along The Watchtower," 1968.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A list like this can have no suspense. There is only one Number 1. & this is it: Jimi Hendrix's "All Along The Watchtower." Dylan released his original version on <i>John Wesley Harding</i> in the waning days of 1967, his first album since his motorcycle crash. For all of those waiting for The Next Big Thing, they were shocked by a quiet little country record filled with mysterious songs that played like parables with no refrains. Gone were the Nashville studio musicians of <i>Blonde On Blonde</i> or the-soon-to-be-renamed The Band; in their place was Gordon Lightfoot's rhythm section & Dylan leading the group with acoustic guitar & harmonica. One of the first people to buy a copy was Jimi Hendrix, who devoured "All Along The Watchtower" & recast it from a sepia-tone little demo on <i>John Wesley Harding</i> to a shocking exercise in Day-Glo Technicolor. From the clattering opening riff through the wild flames of burning guitar throughout--at some moments crackling with heat, other moments scraping down into charred remains--Hendrix simply <i>owned</i> the song, tossing off the verses in his offhanded talk/sing style that made the words feel even more like his own. Dylan's original only hinted at Bible; Hendrix made the song into a maelstrom of biblical proportions. </span><span style="font-size: large;">He also enshrined it as a rock standard ever since. Countless bands from international arena tours on down through some kids in the garage up the street from you right now play the song, so deceptively simple in structure, but limitless in meaning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& among the many to follow Hendrix's lead was Dylan himself. After he heard Hendrix's "All Along The Watchtower," Dylan realized that this was the way the song was always meant to sound & to this day, hasn't performed it with an acoustic guitar since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because, as the man said, Don't Look Back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">[Postscript: If you dug reading through this list, check out <a href="http://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-top-10-greatest-dylan-rip-offs.html">The Top 10 Greatest Dylan Rip-Offs</a>.]</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-91487308362006530152017-04-24T21:27:00.000-04:002017-04-25T20:29:38.776-04:00The Great Forty-Seven.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTrC3P_pyPRRHl7A2JzXZR9tbaRbRZR5MsnxkQPFnSAb9yYPLp8-jB_rf83LZ4myjdoXugBsBVd8V159YhwPg6xPeSi1o3tpAv-9jK9Z4bBk9lXAs0P6hbZbMxjzqEhkTdCc1iSUJGXNE/s1600/Berry_Legend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTrC3P_pyPRRHl7A2JzXZR9tbaRbRZR5MsnxkQPFnSAb9yYPLp8-jB_rf83LZ4myjdoXugBsBVd8V159YhwPg6xPeSi1o3tpAv-9jK9Z4bBk9lXAs0P6hbZbMxjzqEhkTdCc1iSUJGXNE/s320/Berry_Legend.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I've listened to Chuck Berry over the past month & a half, I was shocked to realize how small his initial output was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In his most classic & influential decade--the 1950s--he released a mere 47 songs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Originally issued on three LPs connected by a string of singles, these songs helped to provide the backbone of rock & roll, defining its sound & style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Until The Beatles hit, only Elvis's discography would be more influential, & even that had over twice as many releases in the '50s than Chuck Berry's did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But as rock's first great songwriter & guitarist, Berry's '50s discography is a tighter, more precise document. It also speaks of the breadth of rock as a music & source of subject-matter. Over the course of these 47 recordings you can find driving rock, deep blues, country stomps, Latin jams, Christmas songs, & 1940s-style pop crooning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can also find songs about cars--buying cars & riding in cars, shiny new Cadillac cars & old broken-down Ford cars, racing cars & flying in cars. You can find songs about girls--getting girls & losing girls, dancing with girls & flirting with girls, thinking about girls & shying away from girls. You can find songs about school--going to school & getting out of school, complaining about school & celebrating school, walking to school & talking about school. & you can find songs about rock--singing about rock & dancing to rock, adoring rock & rebelling to rock, describing rock & listening to rock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cars, girls, school, & rock--it doesn't get more elemental than that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But there is so much more. Chuck Berry's music solidifies a decided American music with a decidedly American vision. Along the way, there are not just teens & guitars, but hamburgers, gas stations, & baseball diamonds; blacks, whites, Jews, Italians, Hawaiians, Cubans, Mexicans, & American Indians; people like Ludwig Van Beethoven, Venus De Milo, Geronimo, Santa Claus, Beautiful Delilah, Jackie Robinson, & Satan populating the land alongside the likes of homegrown heroes Maybellene, Sweet Little Sixteen, & Johnny B. Goode; </span><span style="font-size: large;">locations as diverse as the San Francisco Bay & deep in the heart of Texas, way down in New Orleans & all over St. Louis, Chattanooga & Detroit, Boston & Baton Rogue, Philadelphia & Pittsburgh, the New Jersey Turnpike & Portland, Maine. People touch ground on runways, they race each other in the streets, they chase biblical temptresses, they are scared straight by visions of hell, they call up district attorneys, they dance on television. People are born poor & dream of a better life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the end, these 47 songs aren't just a (or perhaps the) foundation of rock, they are the foundation of modern America.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What follows is the stats for each song, along with a short review & a ranking on a five-star scale:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">***** = Classic</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">**** = Great</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">*** = Good</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">** = Fair</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">* = Poor</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">'Cuz like the man said, you gotta hear something that's really hot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Maybellene [Single A-Side, 1955; #5 US / #1 R&B] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most influential debut single of a major rock star, period. This song changed everything as Berry readapted the country tune "Ida Red" into a song about rock's two founding subjects--cars & girls--& all but invented rock guitar in between.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Wee Wee Hours [Single B-Side, 1955; #10 R&B] ****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Berry would take many excursions into the blues over the years, but this was his first & finest. "One little song for a fading memory," he sings, proving that you didn't have to wait another decade before rock music contained poetry.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Thirty Days [Single A-Side 1955; #2 R&B] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A country romp with just enough blues to bubble over into one of the hardest records of its time. & if it wasn't amazing enough on its own merit, it will always be of paramount historical importance for containing the line that inspired the titular phrase "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Together (We Will Always Be) [Single B-Side, 1955] **1/2</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Berry reaches for Nat King Cole (& not for the last time) on this long-forgotten B-side, which Berry himself would have loved to see buried. It's not all that bad from a historical perspective but is far from his most memorable work.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. No Money Down [Single A-Side, 1955; #8 R&B] ***</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The great lost Berry A-side from his otherwise flawless streak through to the end of 1958, & oddly a fairly big R&B hit to boot. The stop-start blues pattern may have made it seem not rocking enough, but the car-obsessed subject matter was already intact, down to the smallest detail.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. The Downbound Train [Single B-Side, 1955] ****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fierce, spooky rockabilly that could go up against anything that Warren Smith cut at Sun Records. It remains one of the finest train songs of the 1950s, & even came complete with a moral.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. Roll Over Beethoven [Single A-side, 1956; #29 US / #2 R&B] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A rock & roll call-to-arms, brilliant in concept, flawless in execution.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Drifting Heart [Single B-Side, 1956] **1/2</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The title was country & the chords were jazz, but the tempo was a dinner-club shuffle. It's tempting to call it a glimpse into the music that Berry would've kept making if he hadn't stumbled upon "Maybellene."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9. Too Much Monkey Business [Single A-Side, 1956; #4 R&B] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Berry perfects rock & roll's teenage-subject vantage point, filled with fast, witty lines about the "botheration" of modern life. Played today, you can hear both the restlessness of a plugged-in Dylan & the hunger of a young Springsteen.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. Brown-Eyed Handsome Man [Single B-Side, 1956] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rock's first protest song (the first words are literally "Arrested on charges of unemployment"), cleverly disguised it as love song. The scope is staggering--it goes from the courtroom to the desert to way back in history before landing on Jackie Robinson hitting a homer, as women everywhere chase that elusive Brown-Eyed Handsome Man.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">11. You Can't Catch Me [Single A-Side, 1956] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The hit that should've been, taking the Platonic car of "No Money Down," giving it wings, & using phraseology so perfect that John Lennon would later get sued for lifting it in "Come Together." Not that you could blame him.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">12. Havana Moon [Single B-Side, 1956] ****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A proto-Jamaican groove with pidgin English that would directly inspire the original version of "Louie, Louie." & its deceptively simple tale of love, loss, & rum could nearly double as a Hemingway short story.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">13. School Days [Single A-Side, 1957; #3 US / #1 R&B / #24 UK] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A driving stop-&-start stomp that tells the agony of the school day, followed by the ecstasy of the three o'clock bell, perfectly captured in a victory dance with words that have long since echoed through the core of the popular music canon: "Hail, hail rock & roll!"</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">14. Deep Feeling [Single B-Side, 1957] ***</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first of many Berry instrumentals was also one of the best. With the words put away & the tempo slowed to a blues, he could stretch out his strings in a way that was just as articulate as his finest lyrics.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">15. Roly Poly [Album Track, <i>After School Session</i>, 1957] **</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lesser instrumental.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">16. Berry Pickin' [Album Track, <i>After School Session</i>, 1957] ***</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another fine instrumental, built around a Latin shuffle that shows off his way around a groove.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">17. Oh Baby Doll [Single A-Side, 1957; #57 US / #12 R&B] ***</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although it wasn't too much of a hit, someone at Chess must've liked it because it appears on nearly all of the early Chuck Berry compilations. Now its creaky references to singing "old alma matter" & vaudevillian shuffle make it one of the few Berry classics that hasn't aged well.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">18. La Jaunda [Single B-Side, 1957] *</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An endless Mexican ballad that ranks as Berry's first real clunker, but judging by the sound of it, it may have inspired Jay & The Americans' "Come A Little Bit Closer."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">19. Rock & Roll Music [Single A-Side, 1957; #8 US / #6 R&B] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A tour of a burgeoning young music that takes in a brave, new world & misses nothing. No wonder The Beatles couldn't get enough of it.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">20. Blue Feeling [Single B-Side, 1957] **1/2</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another lesser instrumental, redeemed by the charging chords midway through.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">21. Sweet Little Sixteen [Single A-Side, 1958; #2 US / #1 R&B / #16 UK] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All corners of the rock globe closing in on a Sweet Little Sixteen dancer, apparently on <i>American Bandstand</i>. & with the tumbling drums and the ringing piano, a reminder that Berry also had one of the best bands in the business.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">22. Reelin' & Rockin' [Single B-Side, 1958] ****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Rock Around The Clock," stripped of its cuteness & filled with hot licks & cool irony. In the 1970s, Berry would blow its cover & re-record it as a song about sex, but it's the original dance-floor version that he revived & sang into his old age.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">23. Rockin' At The Philharmonic [Album Track, <i>One Dozen Berrys</i>, 1958] **</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As an album track, it's filler, but as a historical document, it's a revelation: A cover of the first entry in Jim Dawson & Steve Propes' <i>What Was The First Rock & Roll Record?</i>, "Blues, Part 2" by Jazz at the Philharmonic: Illinois Jacquet & Jack McVea, J.J. Johnson, Nat King Cole, Les Paul, Johnny Miller, & Lee Young, 1944.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">24. Guitar Boogie [Album Track, <i>One Dozen Berrys</i>, 1958] ***</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rare Berry instrumental that was more than the sum of its parts--as aerobic a workout as the electric guitar would get until Jimi Hendrix came along nearly a decade later; it's little wonder that the same year he burst upon the UK scene, The Jeff Beck-era Yardbirds laced it in acid to produce "Beck's Boogie."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">25. In-Go [Album Track, <i>One Dozen Berrys</i>, 1958] **</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Berry used instrumental cuts in the '50s the same way that Elvis would use movie songs in the '60s: A quick way to fill up LPs. & so, after the flash of brilliance in "Guitar Boogie," we're back to a forgettable R&B shuffle.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">26. How You've Changed [Album Track, <i>One Dozen Berrys</i>, 1958] **</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another venture into Nat King Cole territory that no one asked for & no one needed.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">27. Low Feeling [Album Track,<i> One Dozen Berrys</i>, 1958] *</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A cheat--"Blue Feeling" slowed down & issued as a new track. Philosophically speaking, it was the worst song Berry would release all decade.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">28. It Don't Take But A Few Minutes [Album Track, <i>One Dozen Berrys</i>, 1958] ***</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the swindle of "Low Feeling," <i>One Dozen Berrys</i> is revived by this cut, which mysteriously emerges out of & reemerges back into the ether like a Bob Dylan basement tape. & conceived as a jaunty celebration of a Jewish girl who dared to track down Berry at the colored-only hotels in the Deep South, it is another slice of his complex Americana.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">29. Johnny B. Goode [Single A-Side, 1958; #8 US / #2 R&B] *****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rock & roll's greatest record, period. Anyone getting misty-eyed over "Like A Rolling Stone" or "Satisfaction" or "A Day In The Life" doesn't know what they're talking about. Not coincidentally, it's also rock's first (& finest) articulation of The American Dream.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">30: Around & Around [Single B-Side, 1958] ****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A call-&-response dance floor rocker that was so irresistible, it was covered by The Rolling Stones. & The Animals. & David Bowie. & The Grateful Dead. & The Germs. & Guided By Voices. You get the picture.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">31. Beautiful Delilah [Single A-Side, 1958; #81 US] ***</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The sole non-holiday Berry A-side not to appear on an LP until the 1960s, it is the closest thing he has to a forgotten classic--perhaps this is what attracted the future kultist Kinks to it. It is also the closest Berry would step into biblical territory, with the archetypal vixen as its focus.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">32. Vacation Time [Single B-Side, 1958] **</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A forgotten B-side that, unlike its flip, deserves to be forgotten.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">33. Carol [Single A-Side, 1958; #18 US / #9 R&B] ****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A breakneck rocker about learning to dance to impress a girl, filled with enough hot licks to make Keith Richards work overtime. Also one of the few songs in history to be covered by both The Beatles & The Rolling Stones.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">34. Hey Pedro [Single B-Side, 1958] *</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Barely a song, this two-minute groove ventures into sleeping-under-a-large-sombrero near-racism that remains Berry's worst original song of the decade. Oddly, it still made it onto his finest album, over superior songs like "Beautiful Delilah."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">35. Sweet Little Rock & Roller [Single A-Side, 1958; #47 US / #13 R&B] ***</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A single for the Christmas season that finds Berry in solid form, but recycling lyrical tropes like the young rocker better used in "Sweet Little Sixteen" & musical tropes like the sharp, driving intro better used in "Carol."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">36. Jo Jo Gunne [Single B-Side, 1958; #71 US] **</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Berry ventures back to 4000 B.C. for this jungle fable that's chockfull of quick, clever lyrics, but lacks the overall punch of his finest material.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">37. Run Rudolph Run [Single A-Side, 1958; #69 US / #36 UK] ****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sure, it sounds like the rest of his hits, but when Berry applied himself, as he does here, what a sound! Also may be the first yuletide song by a rock singer-songwriter; only <i>Elvis' Christmas Album</i> comes before it in the rock canon, & you know that none of those songs were written by Elvis.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">38. Merry Christmas Baby [Single B-Side, 1958; #71 US] ***</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A fine cover of Charles Brown's laid-back Christmas fare that has been overshadowed by Elvis's dirty version recorded a dozen Christmases later.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">39. Anthony Boy [Single A-Side, 1959; #60 US] **</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Label chief Leonard Chess asked Berry to write a song for "the Italian market" & Berry came up with this bouncy concoction, his shortest record of the '50s & not much of a hit. It didn't deserve to be--easily his weakest A-side of the decade.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">40. That's My Desire [Single B-Side, 1959] **</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A cha-cha flip-side that sounds like more like studio musicians latching onto a new style than a rock combo crafting great music. Sam Cooke's "Everybody Loves To Cha Cha Cha" released earlier that year proved that it was possible to do both.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">41. Almost Grown [Single A-Side, 1959; #32 US / #3 R&B] ****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A coming-of-age tale, backed by The Moonglows, featuring a young Marvin Gaye, who himself was coming-of-age. Maybe it was his spirit that helped carry the song--whatever it was, over-30-year-old Berry sings it like a dragster's dare.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">42. Little Queenie [Single B-Side, 1959; #80 US] ****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of Berry's finest B-sides, featuring one of rock's great internal monologues. So driving & clever that Jerry Lee Lewis would try to make it his own, but to my ears it lives on as a secret inspiration for The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">43. Blues For Hawaiians [Album Track, <i>Chuck Berry Is On Top</i>, 1959] **1/2</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Clocking in at nearly three-&-a-half minutes, this was Berry's longest song of the decade, & spoke to his fascination with slide guitar. Never one to miss a beat, Chess would retitle & repackage it the following decade as "Surfing Steel."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">44. Back In The U.S.A. [Single A-Side, 1959; #37 US / #16 R&B] ****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">An unabashed celebration of The Land Of The Free, which, as Greil Marcus has pointed out, is stunning for its lack of irony. This is all the more remarkable since Berry wrote it while struggling with his country's racist judicial system.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">45. Memphis, Tennessee [Single B-Side, 1959; #6 UK] *****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A sleeper flip-side that sounded like country & would go onto become of Berry's most-covered songs ever. It also spoke to his mastery of songwriting: Set up like a folksong, it held a surprise twist ending--the girl that was its focus was not a spurned lover, but a six-year-old girl he longed to reconnect with. (& in the minor '60s hit, "Little Marie," he does.)</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">46. Broken Arrow [Single A-Side, 1959; #108 US] **</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Berry ended the 1950s with his first A-side not to make the US Pop or R&B Top 100 since "You Can't Catch Me," which was perhaps a harbinger of tough times to come for the '50s rockers in the new decade. & if its Indian-savage first verse hasn't aged particularly well, the quick wit of the other verses redeem it--even if it was based on "Old MacDonald Had A Farm."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">47. Childhood Sweetheart [Single B-Side, 1959] ***</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Berry closes the decade with a tune of wistful nostalgia, in a fine cut that finds him seeking solidarity in the harmonies of doo-wop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 47 songs, Chuck Berry defined a music & a country for a new age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For this, he is & shall always remain an iconic legend of rock & roll whose finest music will never age a day.</span></div>
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Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-70238471187789567422017-04-16T15:33:00.000-04:002017-04-18T10:25:53.184-04:00Big Little Elvises.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RD1KDhi_OCvQ9lIFhw1ujUCnnpxBqxIhfoWVCWhH-SHePARlPizFY-TDtd5fP2o4OeLQSGXeWt0SBY3w_0TcLkP3U53i4Wj425YXNrLCarvsguPtC3klxiePcueQc9r8bOh0BplGYPnd/s1600/BLL_Scott_Elvis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RD1KDhi_OCvQ9lIFhw1ujUCnnpxBqxIhfoWVCWhH-SHePARlPizFY-TDtd5fP2o4OeLQSGXeWt0SBY3w_0TcLkP3U53i4Wj425YXNrLCarvsguPtC3klxiePcueQc9r8bOh0BplGYPnd/s320/BLL_Scott_Elvis.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">[WARNING: This article contains a hunka-hunka burnin' SPOILERS.]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last night I finally got caught up with <i>Big Little Lies</i> & like so many others, I was shocked--SHOCKED!--by the revelation in the finale: THERE WAS SO MUCH ELVIS!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have never seen Elvis embodied so thoroughly, so accurately, so lovingly, & with so much variety, as here & yet in a way that was <i>completely tangental to the main plot</i>. Which is to say, if you take Elvis out of the story, the story remains entirely intact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Based on the Liane Moriarty novel of the same name, <i>Big Little Lies</i> follows a group of deeply unhappy women in Monterey & the darkness that lies beneath their seemingly idyllic & lavish California lives. The fact that the climax occurs at an Elvis & Audrey trivia night (dads dress as Presley, moms dress as Hepburn) for their children's school is somewhat incidental; it could have happened at a normal dress-up fundraiser. Perhaps it was a statement on their rich lives or post-'60s masculinity & femininity, or maybe it was an excuse to get that spooky-but-awesome line of Audreys used in the opening montage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At any rate, someone on the show LOVES Elvis because they got things done with so much loving detail that it made me wonder if every dad in Monterey was an Elvis expert. I mean, the show could've just as easily put everyone in jumpsuits & nobody would have faulted the show, let alone noticed. &, as an added bonus, there was a Elvis singing contest that three of characters entered, which meant that Elvis songs were sang throughout.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But this finale episode was different, & spoke to the ubiquity & pop culture saturation of Elvis in a way that no other modern figure can touch. Is there anyone else who is so iconic in so many different looks from so many different eras?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So let's take a look, with a special thanks to <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2017/04/big-little-lies-elvis-audrey-costume-guide.html">Vulture</a>, who already briefly mined this territory & from whom I lifted the pictures below to save time, energy, & sanity (thanks, Vulture!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let's go in chronological order...of Elvis!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">James Tupper as Nathan Carlson As Jailhouse Rock Elvis (1958).</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaEWUfP_b8QafN56-Y8ZW8GbMImwOFjvge_37bWtcoP_R3EzBWFt3b-ZUYmlKkQN01cWT0tfGqqldgxZoamLaUH92D90rvPq_hVeKeRXCNsWW4NfdXDNwY75IIONOnB11cvMSx_1xUoiO/s1600/BLL_Elvis3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaEWUfP_b8QafN56-Y8ZW8GbMImwOFjvge_37bWtcoP_R3EzBWFt3b-ZUYmlKkQN01cWT0tfGqqldgxZoamLaUH92D90rvPq_hVeKeRXCNsWW4NfdXDNwY75IIONOnB11cvMSx_1xUoiO/s320/BLL_Elvis3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Confident & cocky James Tupper's Nathan Carlson chose to be Elvis in <i>Jailhouse Rock</i>, the film in which Elvis plays Vince Everett, a confident & cocky prison inmate who, rashness aside, is a decent guy underneath it all. Pretty good choice for macho, salt-of-the-earth Nathan, with a costume that's correct down through the stenciled 6240 prison number. Only strange part is that he doesn't actually sing "Jailhouse Rock" in the contest. After an earlier scene finds him testing out the brooding "Burning Love" & "Trouble" but he ends up crooning "How's The World Treating You?", a lackluster ballad from Elvis's second album <i>Elvis</i> in 1956. Of course, his song seems to occur during the dramatic murder sequence, so maybe it was put in to represent a voice of fate, although others hear it as a diss track to his rival Adam Scott's Ed. Still, it's a weird choice since only the most devoted Elvis fans would've known it--in real life, the dance floor would've been filled with the idle chatter of the disinterested.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Jeffrey Nordling as Gordon Klein As Gold Lame' Suit Elvis (1959).</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zgTB6euhyDhCIRN4vJdJqYf7hTWCB3zB78JAkCtytpGnCnihSEyC5cIpBp_EgjDOXNbFHyYIRWVqeLjfo3yPcB632xR7Bi-LtxtmxuY8sLIBp-IAEGcBNnagsaD_PXxZUhxaDhUHs1_k/s1600/BLL_Elvis4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zgTB6euhyDhCIRN4vJdJqYf7hTWCB3zB78JAkCtytpGnCnihSEyC5cIpBp_EgjDOXNbFHyYIRWVqeLjfo3yPcB632xR7Bi-LtxtmxuY8sLIBp-IAEGcBNnagsaD_PXxZUhxaDhUHs1_k/s320/BLL_Elvis4.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jeffrey Nordling's Gordon Klein takes on his version of Elvis's gold lame'<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> suit, which he wore on the cover of 1959's <i>50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong: Elvis' Gold Records, Vol. 2</i>. It feels like a pretty flat choice for a pretty flat character: His main appeal is his massive amount of money; it's hard to figure out why else Laura Dern's Renata would put up with him otherwise. He's a drip in search of a backbone, but he's rich so, sure, why not, do the gold lame' suit thing? It's also the least-accurate of the costumes, what with the black undershirt & gold chains that Elvis wouldn't wear for at least another decade. & he didn't even bother to shave his beard.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Adam Scott as Ed Mackenzie As Blue Hawaii Elvis (1961).</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLEaLk6xNhYrga9MihZYVtFaMBtl1hmgZ88auw-R4lbQEXwiZK26nKCEwpTinc3K6Xnapo9RkizJhdNSwCXL_GEAoGjDri0dGeNM6-xEpc2t295tGz6HnNKwFcOZS7L7IZeMXx7d0dvBG/s1600/PLL_Elvis1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLEaLk6xNhYrga9MihZYVtFaMBtl1hmgZ88auw-R4lbQEXwiZK26nKCEwpTinc3K6Xnapo9RkizJhdNSwCXL_GEAoGjDri0dGeNM6-xEpc2t295tGz6HnNKwFcOZS7L7IZeMXx7d0dvBG/s320/PLL_Elvis1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After an earlier scene teased us with Adam Scott's Ed Mackenzie wearing a '70s Vegas jumpsuit costume & crooning "One Night" before his daughter suggests the less-obvious (& less-good) "Pocket Full Of Rainbows." Based on this, I assumed Ed would be dressed in a jumpsuit & singing "Rainbows," but he ended up surprising us all. He instead shaved his beard (!), slipped into a Hawaiian shirt & lei (after all, Ed did say that he <i>loves</i> costumes). For the talent competition, Ed sang a lovely rendition of "The Wonder Of You," a beautiful song that actually did date from the jumpsuit era. Like everyone else who was watching, I wondered if it was/wanted it to be Adam Scott singing, but alas, <a href="http://jezebel.com/adam-scott-had-to-lip-sync-on-big-little-lies-because-h-1793964998">it was not</a>. Carefully sung as a tender ballad (Ed is smart enough to know that no one could touch Elvis's overwrought storm of a reading), it spoke of his simple devotion to Reese Witherspoon's Madeline, who gets it & is so touched that she cuts out in the middle of the song. We are left to assume that Ed Mackenzie is the only nice person with a y-chromosone in Monterey.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Alexander Skarsgard as Perry Wright As '68 Comeback Special Elvis (1968).</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnmu3swGG8HEbJ_UxAYbmCkg1qw8HNb4d5ay7J7kcNB1It3sLRF8jhig1IZuISaJT8f_kOFjZI24X23nANpvLKTyP2TPzIQUf_pulPKUmVIEUpev_T0e9Kn5M0OXZgqTHBnfoMDoyexE-/s1600/BLL_Elvis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnmu3swGG8HEbJ_UxAYbmCkg1qw8HNb4d5ay7J7kcNB1It3sLRF8jhig1IZuISaJT8f_kOFjZI24X23nANpvLKTyP2TPzIQUf_pulPKUmVIEUpev_T0e9Kn5M0OXZgqTHBnfoMDoyexE-/s320/BLL_Elvis2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was fascinated by the fact that Alexander Skarsgard's Perry Wright was the Comeback Elvis. For starters, his character is constantly leaving & coming back, both physically, as work often takes him on trips (probably) & psychologically, as he turns from a seemingly devoted husband into a rage-filled monster just as frequently. Thus, his whole character is about coming back &, as his long-suffering wife, Nicole Kidman's Celeste finally acknowledges in this episode, will keep coming back until she leaves him. If you listen to Elvis's best music from & directly after The Comeback Special, much of it seems to contain a thinly-veiled layer of rage--just check out "Guitar Man" or "Wearin' That Loved On Look." It is the music of a displaced man & part of its thrill lies in its intensity, the terror at which Elvis feels his convictions. With Neil Young's "Helpless" playing over an earlier scene of Celeste's abuse & The Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" being lip-synched by fatherless child Ziggy in an earlier episode, one cannot help but wonder what song Perry would have sung had he not been brutally murdered by Bonnie. (Which makes him the only character to also play an equally influential Elvis: Dead Elvis.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh yes, & Bonnie. Zoe </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kravitz's Bonnie is the only Audrey Hepburn to sing at the event, as she croons a beautiful rendition of "Don't," Elvis's last single before he went into the Army. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4KILFq4ucVtdc5eSiSR8oJzQf9jiK_w1vqP546vIo3ePl_hgXtHJsuAUmuQ71OaQFhWWXXAqIjDrMJzToJ7sopAFHWYOfBEyMUUGxmrmd62t7P_Nj14PYyZQLbYgBS28_Az60h7v5gWe/s1600/BLL_Bonnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4KILFq4ucVtdc5eSiSR8oJzQf9jiK_w1vqP546vIo3ePl_hgXtHJsuAUmuQ71OaQFhWWXXAqIjDrMJzToJ7sopAFHWYOfBEyMUUGxmrmd62t7P_Nj14PYyZQLbYgBS28_Az60h7v5gWe/s320/BLL_Bonnie.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She is also the only actor who didn't have to lip-sync to another singer (as the daughter of Lenny Kravitz & Lisa Bonet, she didn't need to). She gives a performance that is completely sultry & feminine, reminding you just how gentle Elvis could be to impress the ladies. It is also a reminder of how great the oft-overlooked "Don't" is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& although I can't find a picture of it, Santiago Cabrera's Joseph was a great '50s Elvis, dressed in the black-&-white suit Elvis often wore onstage & on TV. Out of all the actors, he is the one who naturally <i>looks</i> the most like Elvis, so for him, it felt like less of a costume than as a second skin. Given his stage background, one wonders if crooned elsewhere in the night too. Maybe he too was planning to sing "The Wonder Of You" to Madeline, although "Suspicious Minds" would've been the more appropriate choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also love the Elvises that we only saw glimpses of--the African-American purple Vegas Elvis who we see sing the end of a slow-burn "Treat Me Nice"; the military Private Elvis we see in one shot as people are walking in; all the half-assed Elvises who simply threw on glasses & or fake sideburns because they didn't care enough to do any better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& perhaps that speaks to the depth of the Elvis well. Iconic & versatile as she was, Audrey never had a chance against Elvis. Most of the women were variations on <i>Breakfast At Tiffany's</i> with a few <i>My Fair </i>"Ladies" thrown in, although I was rewarded in a long-shot of a <i>Sabrina</i>. For so many different men to delve into so many different Elvises, it begs the question, if you were attending this party, which Elvis would you go as? Or more directly, which Elvis are <i>you</i>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've often held that Elvis is a figure like William Shakespeare or Abraham Lincoln--we project onto him how we would like to see ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Much to my surprise & delight, the finale of <i>Big Little Lies</i> showed what a multi-layered & multi-faceted exercise this could be.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-84817404904146602782017-04-15T14:31:00.000-04:002017-04-24T21:30:27.232-04:00Chuck Berry: The Complete Discography, 1955-1964.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiDD2I1MlSVvv0CzSTYHKt4tPCZP75ZjmYuCWPBNoCCsS7gdLhg-ZXPgvwqXxLWSu_OqNztnNK0n3YiKOSEvuYc9ow3xO70mqat-Pb-BdugBcrAjJk7cVULaKsXSgrPYbJJBQk76yFYrTk/s1600/Berry_NewJukeBoxHits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiDD2I1MlSVvv0CzSTYHKt4tPCZP75ZjmYuCWPBNoCCsS7gdLhg-ZXPgvwqXxLWSu_OqNztnNK0n3YiKOSEvuYc9ow3xO70mqat-Pb-BdugBcrAjJk7cVULaKsXSgrPYbJJBQk76yFYrTk/s320/Berry_NewJukeBoxHits.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since Chuck Berry died a month ago, I've been listening to nothing but his music. It is easy music, in that it doesn't demand much & rewards the listener tenfold. There is also not that much of it, in the classic period anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">11 albums, to be specific.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& of those 11 albums, one is a multi-artist compilation, one is a duet record, & two are greatest hits LPs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So it's really more like 7 records. Of which one is a poorly-masquerading "live" album of mostly-previously-released material.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So 6 records. At any rate, you get the picture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry's first decade of music from "Maybellene" in 1955 through "Promised Land" in 1964 will always be his paramount era that the rest of his career (& most other rockers' careers) will be held against. It was all released on Chess Records & it was all classic. You can hear him hit the ground running (literally, in a song about a car) with a fresh new sound in the middle of the '50s, chase it over the course of a string of hits over the remainder of the '50s, try to find new roads in the early '60s, get thrown in jail for a few years, & then rebound upon release with some of his finest music in 1964.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Soon after 1964, his music lost its steam; only one song after this period--"Let Me Be Your Driver"--is considered a Chuck Berry classic, & it's essentially a rewrite of a song from this period. It's no wonder that by 1966, Berry had jumped ship to Mercury Records, where he recorded a few minor gems (& far more inferior re-recordings of his earlier hits), found his way back home to Chess Records like the prodigal son of a Brown-Eyed Handsome Man, & scored a fluke hit with the throwaway novelty "My Ding-A-Ling" in 1972, but by then, he was already living off of his back catalog, all of which is included here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What follows is reviews of all the albums he released in his first decade of music-making--or, the albums to first contain this music. Not every song that he released in this period is here; by my count there are five MIAs: Both sides of the "Beautiful Delilah"/"Vacation Time" single, the Christmas tune "Run Rudolph Run," & the B-sides "That's My Desire" & "O Rangutang," which were issued as the flips of "Anthony Boy" & "Nadine," respectively. None are truly essential, although "Beautiful Delilah" & "Run Rudolph Run" remain fine classics that are readily available in the digital era.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But for our purposes here, we will focus on the albums as, incidental as it may have been in rock's infancy, they are the way in which rock music has been packaged for the last 50 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& it goes without saying that Chuck Berry has contributed more than a few classics to the genre.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All of these albums are ranked on the following five-star scale:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">***** = Classic</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">**** = Great</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There's more than enough here to keep your heart beatin' rhythm & your soul keep a-singin' the blues.</span></div>
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<b>Rock, Rock, Rock [Chess, 1956] ***</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry's first appearance on an LP was also Chess Records' first LP, period--which says a lot about the mid-1950s R&B/blues market since they were the home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, & many more. But the occasion of Berry's appearance in the film <i>Rock, Rock, Rock--</i>along with Chess & (Chess subsidiary) Checker--label-mates The Moonglows & The Flamingos) was reason enough to put an LP together, & they came up with this, the archetypal rock soundtrack. Although Berry only sang one song in the film, "You Can't Catch Me," he gets his three other biggest hits up to that point to round out the LP, "Maybellene," Thirty Days," & "Roll Over Beethoven," along with other songs by The Moonglows & Flamingos that similarly did & did not appear in the film. As we will see, the strictness of the 1950s LP market prevented these classics to be MIA from Berry's first several albums, with "Thirty Days" not making an LP until the following decade. But his own LP catalog's loss is this LP's gain, as it stands as a snapshot of African-American rock the year that Elvis broke the music through. That said, it's interest is primarily a historical one, with Berry's tunes sticking out like lightning & pointing the way to the future that none of the artists could have ever imagined.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">After School Session [Chess, 1957] ****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Six months after <i>Rock, Rock, Rock</i>, Berry got his own full-length album debut <i>After School Session</i>, & it stands as one of the classic debuts in rock history. Stripped of hits like "Maybellene," "Thirty Days," & "Roll Over Beethoven" (all of which were culled for the <i>Rock, Rock, Rock</i> soundtrack), <i>After School Session</i> does its job quite well & is a testament to the high quality of Berry's initial output. The album is remarkably well-paced, with up-tempo rockers alternating between mid-tempo blues for a variety that one might not expect when you only hear Berry's big hits. The opening run of the anthemic "School Days," the lovely instrumental "Deep Feeling," the fast & sly "Too Much Monkey Business," & the sweet blues of "Wee Wee Hours" get things off to an especially remarkable start. If the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to these, few albums could. "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" finds Berry dipping his toe into politics, "Havana Moon" is a near proto-Jamacian style groove, & "Downtown Train" is as terrifying a rockabilly number as has ever been waxed. But it's the odd deep cuts, like the long-forgotten '50s ballad "Together (We Will Always Be)" & the jazz-inspired "Drifting Heart" that show both where this new music Berry was helping to shape had come from--& hints at other places it could have gone.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">One Dozen Berrys [Chess, 1958] ***</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As one of rock's first major artists, Chuck Berry also experienced one of rock's major curses: The second album sophomore slump. In his case, it isn't bad per se--no album with "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Rock & Roll Music," & "Reelin' & Rockin'" could be--but it definitely feels like a holding pattern as opposed to a leap ahead. Aside from the aforementioned hits, the Chuck Berry classic to make the LP was the minor hit "Oh Baby Doll," which has aged worse than any other of his early string of hits. The album is filled out by, well, filler--instrumentals and B-sides, & little of note. The only exceptions are "Guitar Boogie" (the godfather of The Yardbirds' "Beck's Boogie"), which serves as a aerobic workout for rock guitar, & "It Don't Take But A Few Minutes," which shows that Berry could throw a decent rocker together in what sounds like was no more than a few minutes. Worst of all is "Low Feeling," a slowed-down playback of the B-side "Blue Feeling" (which also appears earlier on this album), just shows how much they were scrounging for material. But they shouldn't have been. Like <i>After School Session</i>, <i>One Dozen Berrys</i> could have been greatly improved by the singles that already had appeared on <i>Rock, Rock, Rock</i>, but for the second time in a row, the absence of these songs when held up against the filler that took their place denied Berry of a great record. Luckily, this wouldn't happen again.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry Is On Top [Chess, 1959] *****</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry's masterpiece is rock's great lost masterpiece. Although it rarely makes a "great album" list, the stupidly-titled, ugly-designed <i>Chuck Berry Is On Top</i> at the very least holds its own with his peers' '50s masterpieces like <i>Elvis Presley</i>, <i>Here's Little Richard</i>, & Buddy Holly's <i>The "Chirping" Crickets</i>, & might even beat all three. Finally--FINALLY!--whatever powers-that-be at Chess realized they were shooting themselves in the foot for withholding the songs from <i>Rock, Rock, Rock</i>, so for the first time, "Maybellene" & "Roll Over Beethoven" appeared on a Chuck Berry LP. This may not be worth much except for the fact that the rest of the newer material found him mostly matching if not surpassing this material. "Carol," "Little Queenie," & "Around & Around" are all classics, but it's the epic "Johnny B. Goode" at the end of the first side that blows the roof off the joint & stamps this album as a classic. Even "Anthony Boy" & "Jo Jo Gunne" are minor classics in the Chuck Berry canon. The only cutoff in quality comes at the tail end, with the borderline racist "Hey Pedro" & the fine-but-not-amazing instrumental "Blues For Hawaiians." They feel more like a coda that wasn't needed, but do nothing to blunt the whole record's impact. Which is a huge one.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rockin' At The Hops [Chess, 1960] ***1/2</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWzWb_4zO0394dn5_QL3jogZyBaoiXnhVdkXlwWh7BdPFCiiUiHQTTfiQAEtnu6SRSQDnMSF8ms7OksjSBBa3BQIPtmJ7L_lRNmunSEPiCkXxObFAJZjU2K6lenMQcEcpgCbL2HuL12Nz/s1600/Berry_RockinAtTheHops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWzWb_4zO0394dn5_QL3jogZyBaoiXnhVdkXlwWh7BdPFCiiUiHQTTfiQAEtnu6SRSQDnMSF8ms7OksjSBBa3BQIPtmJ7L_lRNmunSEPiCkXxObFAJZjU2K6lenMQcEcpgCbL2HuL12Nz/s320/Berry_RockinAtTheHops.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you need evidence whether The Rolling Stones are impossible without Chuck Berry, look no further than this record. They covered three out of the first four songs that appear on it--the "Johnny B. Goode sequel "Bye Bye Johnny," the juke joint romp "Down The Road Apiece" & the blues standard "Confessin' The Blues"--in their early years. Even better is Berry's slashing cover of "Worried Life Blues," one of his finest blues covers, which perhaps was too good for even The Stones to touch. The rest of the album is filled out by the cool "Mad Lad," one of his most interesting instrumentals, the insipid "Too Pooped To Pop," somehow the biggest actual hit from the album, & some non-hit singles leftovers, the weird "Broken Arrow" (based on "Old MacDonald Had A Farm") & the sweet "Childhood Sweetheart." The Stones also covered the album's closer--the searing "Let It Rock"--which appeared as the live B-side to "Brown Sugar" in the UK. It is the best song on the album, & one of Berry's finest songs, period. Clocking in at under two minutes & oddly not containing its titular phrase, "Let It Rock" tells of a bunch of train workers shooting dice in a teepee on the track as a train comes & cannot stop. The song ends with the workers scrambling to leave & the train failing to break, but gives no indication to anyone's fate. More than any other song Berry ever wrote, it plays like a folk song, effortlessly tying together workingmen, gambling, & trains, in an unresolved cloud of mystery. No wonder The Stones loved it. Apparently along with the rest of the album.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">New Juke Box Hits [Chess, 1961] **</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ij0HjNxRxpcJuqhaUSsElevwei84YMbOu-Kmv7prss5xR3npTjQdQTdsy1zrqST43n9BY1jdg-Ap5EdM8D7m0srZhe0I80Ztpmx17WiQiTLzmnMQAnz2WQhuILkjcOUh2gv8lYXPziPc/s1600/Berry_NewJukeBoxHits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ij0HjNxRxpcJuqhaUSsElevwei84YMbOu-Kmv7prss5xR3npTjQdQTdsy1zrqST43n9BY1jdg-Ap5EdM8D7m0srZhe0I80Ztpmx17WiQiTLzmnMQAnz2WQhuILkjcOUh2gv8lYXPziPc/s320/Berry_NewJukeBoxHits.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ironically, the album titled <i>New Juke Box Hits</i> was the first Chuck Berry album to not contain a single charting record. The album's driving opener, "I'm Talking About You"--also covered by The Stones--was its lead single & should have been a hit, but everything else on the LP pales in comparison. The best Chuck Berry music is utterly timeless; everything on this record that is not "I'm Talking About You" sounds like 1961. Desperate to stay competitive as the first wave of rock & roll crashed into the teen idol music of the new decade, this album added backing choruses and smooth saxophones to the sound, taming it for a pop audience that didn't care. (Just check out the spoken intro to the maudlin "Little Star"--on second thought, don't.) Only a few stray places does Berry's wit & style come to the surface, but these were fleeting glimpses. This isn't necessarily a terrible record, it's something that's arguably even worse--near forgettable, disposable pop.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry Twist [Chess, 1962] *****</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBd_I7VUAYezteA4SJHJ_ErkPoPbSnDrqKkJSai_4bDzqDdoJjZnP8BiPkgexgBHbEHgH5UyntMdhYwbHiFoVfCpkvijTTXvRxq2jPSoQP7hwGGyHjbts7YpwzgCV4BWmGMhSA6qWC-BgJ/s1600/Berry_Twist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBd_I7VUAYezteA4SJHJ_ErkPoPbSnDrqKkJSai_4bDzqDdoJjZnP8BiPkgexgBHbEHgH5UyntMdhYwbHiFoVfCpkvijTTXvRxq2jPSoQP7hwGGyHjbts7YpwzgCV4BWmGMhSA6qWC-BgJ/s320/Berry_Twist.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the time that <i>Chuck Berry Twist</i> appeared, Berry was in jail serving time for driving an underaged girl across state lines in a violation of the ancient & racist Mann Act. & just like RCA Records put out <i>Elvis' Golden Records</i> when he went into the Army, Chess used the break in new material to issue the first Chuck Berry compilation--& like <i>Elvis' Golden Records</i>, it stands as one of the finest collections ever issued. While there would be bigger & more comprehensive Chuck Berry anthologies, none were better programmed than this: From the opening "Maybellene" & "Roll Over Beethoven" through the masterful closing suite of "Johnny B. Goode," "Rock & Roll Music," & "Back In The U.S.A." The latter makes its debut on a Chuck Berry album, along with "Come On" & "Thirty Days." Sure, there are some nuggets missing--most notably, "Too Much Monkey Business," "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," & "You Can't Catch Me"--but they aren't noticed with the aforementioned cuts, as well as "Around & Around," "Come On," "Let It Rock," & the second-side opener "School Days." If you don't believe me, take your copy of <i>The Great Twenty-Eight</i> or <i>The Definitive Chuck Berry</i> & construct a playlist to <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry_Twist">Chuck Berry Twist</a></i>. You'll thank me.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry On Stage [Chess, 1963] *</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsgRIcQ7F0XHCIjt4HbcfEhyphenhyphenCnJ0uI9bknodmUvfLFU1_AvMoLcOuY7cIaiGwG4pNpJsHjUSxiJN9GXc4gBOqb1rXnnSMg7rXnGSz6_lImwANIiaIeka9G9kIbW5bbBcVYokdkm4jdkS0/s1600/Berry_OnStage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsgRIcQ7F0XHCIjt4HbcfEhyphenhyphenCnJ0uI9bknodmUvfLFU1_AvMoLcOuY7cIaiGwG4pNpJsHjUSxiJN9GXc4gBOqb1rXnnSMg7rXnGSz6_lImwANIiaIeka9G9kIbW5bbBcVYokdkm4jdkS0/s320/Berry_OnStage.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With Berry still in jail, this is the point where Chess Records goes from being crafty (<i>Chuck Berry Twist</i>) to desperate (this LP). Quite simply, every element of this album reeks of desperation. For starters, it isn't a live album at all, but a collection of studio recordings (oldies, leftovers, & outtakes) with overdubbed applause to give the impression of a live album. Eight of its 13 tracks had been previously released (albeit without fake clapping), & of the 5 that weren't, one of them--"Brown-Eyed Handsome Man"--was an inferior alternate take of a released song. Most pathetically, two of the songs get renamed--"Sweet Little Sixteen" & "Blues For Hawaiians," as "Surfin' U.S.A." & "Surfin' Steel," respectively--to try & cash in on the surf music craze that Berry helped to inspire. (& yes, "Surfin' U.S.A." is a rewrite of "Sweet Little Sixteen," but it was still misleading to boast the former on the LP cover & only contain the latter.) Of the four previously unreleased songs, only "I Just Want To Make Love To You" is worth seeking out, but even then, as the original studio undubbed version. In an apparent attempt to atone for their sins, Chess Records now has <i>Chuck Berry On Stage</i> available on iTunes in a double-length version: The original LP, followed by the original versions of the songs, unedited. But the original LP of retitled surf songs with false applause is an almost meta act of rock packaging: A masquerade that double-backs & masquerades on itself.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry's Greatest Hits [Chess, 1964] ***</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Two months after <i>Chuck Berry On Stage</i> was released, Berry was released from prison. In April, this LP appeared, only two years & two months after <i>Chuck Berry Twist</i>. This was presumably to account for two songs that were missing from <i>Twist</i>--"Memphis, Tennessee," which was a hit for Johnny Rivers that same year & "Nadine," which was Berry's first post-jail single. It's a shame they didn't wait until later in the year, when "No Particular Place To Go" proved to be Berry's REAL comeback hit, but they couldn't have known that then. At any rate, <i>Greatest Hits</i> was the lesser of the two collections--in part because it only had 12 songs to <i>Twist</i>'s 14, but also because its running order was too top-heavy, opening with "Roll Over Beethoven," "School Days," "Rock & Roll Music," "Too Much Monkey Business," & "Johnny B. Goode," instead of spreading the goods out more evenly. One perk though--both "Too Much Monkey Business" & "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" now made the cut (both could have been on <i>Twist</i>), along with "Memphis" & "Nadine." The other eight songs are the same, as both oddly include "Oh Baby Doll," which was apparently considered a major hit for him back in the day. & unlike every other Chuck Berry album thus far, this one made the charts at a cool #34, making it his first charting album. It's little wonder that Chess kept in print for decades to come.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Two Great Guitars [Checker, 1964] **</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiAYDMFk9EvROrVkwb_pkEHYwp8wpjnSLBBJQ9breqzDEFeKP7-1axLZ-1BhsHqzBXZy2UYgcWRCJISJEyf8OJtVRdua1GcCG_3Rwooa33b1Hg1mn0Iipyc9V_m6ZsgzFzrpl5TSkKs1Z/s1600/Berry_TwoGreatGuitars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiAYDMFk9EvROrVkwb_pkEHYwp8wpjnSLBBJQ9breqzDEFeKP7-1axLZ-1BhsHqzBXZy2UYgcWRCJISJEyf8OJtVRdua1GcCG_3Rwooa33b1Hg1mn0Iipyc9V_m6ZsgzFzrpl5TSkKs1Z/s320/Berry_TwoGreatGuitars.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry's first studio album released after he was released from prison was a duet album with Bo Diddley, in which Berry was the featured artist (hence it was released on Chess subsidiary Checker, to which Diddley was signed). This may speak to Berry's popularity fading while in prison, but it is still odd to think of Bo Diddley as being the bigger artist, influential though he was. Perhaps that's why Berry gets the first side & Diddley gets the second; each side contains one regular-length, recently-recorded instrumental, followed by a long jam with the two of them. On Chuck's side, it's "Liverpool Drive"--which also would be included on his next LP--& the ten-minute "Chuck's Beat," which would be edited as the album's (non-charting single) single. It's a pretty cool track, as winding jams go, with Chuck's "chugga-chugga-chugga" rhythm taking center stage & allowing Berry some space to let loose on some licks that sound loose & ripe enough for a young Keith Richards to pick. Solid stuff, but not really <i>a Chuck Berry record</i> in the true sense, as given away by the side two closer, "Bo's Beat," which is of course built around Bo Diddley's signature rhythm. Clearly, this was all set up as a showcase for Diddley, but Berry is a ready & willing accomplice, fresh out of jail & ready to trade hot licks with the other guitar rock legend on his label.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">From St. Louis To Liverpool [Chess, 1964] *****</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPPgwGmj7iOh6hRaZquEdmVNcEBpvUlRRnISkHSs0xzlYZYvuRnh7HEHcHhK-Qw9UmSkQnIbGHwn5IqDnMC5t1RMJ0qQGCP9jmS1DKL8O4Cn1RXowdB-PiSDikXi9XuxazK5u-bFRAsrW/s1600/Berry_StLouisToLiverpool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPPgwGmj7iOh6hRaZquEdmVNcEBpvUlRRnISkHSs0xzlYZYvuRnh7HEHcHhK-Qw9UmSkQnIbGHwn5IqDnMC5t1RMJ0qQGCP9jmS1DKL8O4Cn1RXowdB-PiSDikXi9XuxazK5u-bFRAsrW/s320/Berry_StLouisToLiverpool.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As some like to tell it, this is Berry's studio masterpiece. The Beatles & The Rolling Stones had clearly reinvigorated his music (& his own tours of England had reinvigorated his energy), with Berry's first post-jail LP of original material the studio album of his career to beat. It didn't hurt that it contained some of the strongest material he would ever wax: "No Particular Place To Go," the stop-&-start car-&-romance lament that sounded so good & original you'd never notice it was based around the structure of "School Days" (or that it could be read as a tongue-&-cheek take on his crime that landed him in prison in the first place); "Promised Land," which told the story of east to west, rich to poor, & obscurity to fame, in a spiritual-quoting rocker with a folksong structure; & "You Never Can Tell," a hot, uncharacteristically guitar-less (in its central instrumentation, anyway) tale of two young newlyweds charting their life on their own cool terms. All made the charts & deserved to; also charting was "Little Marie," a sequel to "Memphis, Tennessee" in which the singer reunites with his lost lover & little girl. If the rest of the album sounded like B-sides in comparison, that's because they were, although none brought down the overall quality. "Our Little Rendezvous" was the flip to the minor hit "Jaguar & Thunderbird" (released on <i>Chuck Berry On Stage</i>), which would sound better rewritten as "Let Me Be Your Driver" the following year; "Go Bobby Soxer" was an ode to the new British Invasion teens who used to scream for Berry (& would scream for him again); "You Two" was a smooth swinger that reached for the style of Nat King Cole; only "Things I Used To Do" reached the mark of excellent, finding Berry in his most confident blues mode. Most bizarre was the inclusion of 1958's "Merry Christmas Baby," presumably because the album was released in November, but otherwise does not fit in with the rest of the proceedings. Luckily, there's more than enough strong recent material to cancel out any head-scratching it may have caused. As an album in the traditional sense--which is to say, all new, recently-recorded material (minus "Merry Christmas Baby")--this was the Berry album to beat, & so far he hasn't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We'll have to see how <i>Chuck</i> sounds when it comes out later this year.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-12593202521324192012017-04-01T21:27:00.000-04:002017-04-01T21:42:33.118-04:00The Essential Chuck Berry.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNdPoy_lZhA8xljLBLZSLuLh7Xj8LOe4nmTVkHB-2DYmOJVI8WmkLDnYYb2T6YjD-1Ans9GzGPqF4q00b3jP84216xvWCfFcOvecyiK03EbaFDT4U95DcqsXXYHLHvUYQXbD71F-PN6HE/s1600/Berry_Studio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNdPoy_lZhA8xljLBLZSLuLh7Xj8LOe4nmTVkHB-2DYmOJVI8WmkLDnYYb2T6YjD-1Ans9GzGPqF4q00b3jP84216xvWCfFcOvecyiK03EbaFDT4U95DcqsXXYHLHvUYQXbD71F-PN6HE/s320/Berry_Studio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There have been literally hundreds of Chuck Berry collections over the years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To try & narrow his music down to the definitive canon, I investigated what I consider to be the 10 standard anthologies. What follows is a rating (on a five-star scale) & brief review of each, followed by the songs that appear most frequently on all of them. Many of these collections are out-of-print, but with the comeback of vinyl & the back catalog of iTunes, they may be easier to encounter than one might think.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because, like the man said, "You gotta hear something that's really hot."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry Twist: The Original Collection (1962). ****</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJY8cPuNQ8MySuM4UD7Oxh9rcCLOQpH-RcR9_UIQshPE1pAfF7WOtbPOIHMVptxwg6EeS5firlT-CLzOOYZFp6qhDyvEbz3Yxn7ZZZfYnN6i7CvrW2RKeECGEh-sTR2ZkKmpktSa8C0TB/s1600/Berry_Twist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJY8cPuNQ8MySuM4UD7Oxh9rcCLOQpH-RcR9_UIQshPE1pAfF7WOtbPOIHMVptxwg6EeS5firlT-CLzOOYZFp6qhDyvEbz3Yxn7ZZZfYnN6i7CvrW2RKeECGEh-sTR2ZkKmpktSa8C0TB/s320/Berry_Twist.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry_Twist">Chuck Berry Twist</a></i> was released by Chess Records while Berry was in jail, in a brazen attempt to get some product going for their artist as well as cash in on the omnipresent twist craze. </span><span style="font-size: large;">It was the first anthology of his music, & as some like to tell it, the best, <i>period</i>. Rock criticism's old guard have paid it particular tribute, with Greil Marcus listing it in his classic rock discography in the back of <i>Stranded</i> and Robert Christgau once listing it as the fourth greatest record <i>ever</i>. As a listening experience, it simply rocks, but to my modern ears, it is lacking for omitting "Too Much Monkey Business" & "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" in favor of lighter fare like "Oh Baby Doll" & "Come On." However, the running order more than makes up for this; you'll be hard-pressed to find a better Side 1 opener than "Maybellene," a better Side 1 closer than "Reelin' & Rockin'," a better Side 2 opener than "School Day," & a better Side 2 closer than "Back In The U.S.A." </span><span style="font-size: large;">All of which makes it seminal collection--no wonder it's still available on iTunes.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry's Greatest Hits: The Long-Time LP Standard (1964). ***</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxcgQnzF67w48rO-h5RTC23tKsMl6FrQ3YEzRGUJGHaRoWdRuVNidA6s6t4DAMXMv7kqB-eQCd76syHk8YDkl9FJLr5x34ls_q1BaCR07b8DX62DrLW0YcqbQMQ-MYAtl8tvYypDqtE2C/s1600/Berry_GH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxcgQnzF67w48rO-h5RTC23tKsMl6FrQ3YEzRGUJGHaRoWdRuVNidA6s6t4DAMXMv7kqB-eQCd76syHk8YDkl9FJLr5x34ls_q1BaCR07b8DX62DrLW0YcqbQMQ-MYAtl8tvYypDqtE2C/s320/Berry_GH.jpg" width="318" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Chuck-Berry-Chuck-Berrys-Greatest-Hits/master/384021">Chuck Berry's Greatest Hits</a></i> came along two years after <i>Chuck Berry Twist</i>, but apparently too early in the year to catch his massive hit, "No Particular Place To Go." Featuring 12 cuts to <i>Twist</i>'s 14, it cut some tunes to make room for the previously-M.I.A. "Too Much Monkey Business" & "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," as well as the classic "Nadine" & the big-hit-by-that-point (thanks to Johnny Rivers) "Memphis." Still, the running order felt top-heavy & clunky after the expert flow of <i>Twist</i>, diminishing the effect of what could have been a smoother, streamlined set. </span><span style="font-size: large;">All of this made it a perfectly fine collection, </span><span style="font-size: large;">but not the phenomenon that Chuck Berry deserved. Luckily, better ones would come along.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry's Golden Decade: The First Multiple-LP Set (1967). **</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUq-_1YMW-pYzXhZgguuDFtb3SvMsjz_8uyO65ThX99mURQ3SyzxCWbxTmG8TyQk6v1LhYjIp7jIrQIMUMUGd9RuPU3P-ZElzc5ytGNx1qWDplv809n4gDz9fIReSRH6NBdp3mYwV54GiD/s1600/Berry_Golden_Decade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUq-_1YMW-pYzXhZgguuDFtb3SvMsjz_8uyO65ThX99mURQ3SyzxCWbxTmG8TyQk6v1LhYjIp7jIrQIMUMUGd9RuPU3P-ZElzc5ytGNx1qWDplv809n4gDz9fIReSRH6NBdp3mYwV54GiD/s1600/Berry_Golden_Decade.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry%27s_Golden_Decade">Chuck Berry's Golden Decade</a></i> was apparently conceived as the one-stop shop of the vinyl era. In 1967, Berry had left Chess Records for Mercury, & the latter label quickly tried to cash in on their new acquisition by issuing an LP of re-recorded versions of hits masquerading as the originals under the deceptive title <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry%27s_Golden_Hits" style="font-style: italic;">Chuck Berry's Golden Hits</a>; the fact it remained in print well into the CD age just shows the ruthlessness of the music industry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mercury's greed had one good result, however--it forced Chess Records' hand to issue <i>Chuck Berry's Golden Decade</i> & gave him his first substantial anthology. (Mercury subsidiary Smash Records pulled the same trick with Jerry Lee Lewis a few years earlier; after issuing the re-recorded <i>Golden Hits Of Jerry Lee Lewis</i>, Sun Records responded with their first Lewis collection, <i>Original Golden Hits</i>, but I digress.) <i>Golden Decade</i> featured</span><span style="font-size: large;"> 24 songs over two LPs & remained a staple of essential rock LP lists well into the 1970s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At first glance, it does its job, but then one look at the <i>Volume 2 </i>(1973) & <i>Volume 3 </i>(1974) that were to follow in the next decade, some glaring omissions can be found. For starters, two of Berry's best songs, "You Never Can Tell" & "Promised Land," are missing (although they all but make the second volume almost worth getting if you already have the first). But then again, so are "Carol," "Let It Rock," "Little Queenie," & "Come On." & what's taking these songs' places on <i>Volume 1</i>? Stuff like "Deep Feeling," "Too Pooped To Pop," & "Anthony Boy"--nothing detrimental, but also nothing that should make it into the first 24 classics over the songs that landed on <i>Volume 2</i>. All & all, a missed opportunity--no wonder it's long out-of-print.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Great Twenty-Eight: The Classic (1982). *****</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-9TeUOU3m7-gHRem1vqEb4S3vEPvyTxXEVPdWNieLMUm4PAc7EpDX2cb4SEDsBi3WCL2nbVNsNMk8SxylYRXMMLxODmDM8r7XvyXq8ApO-RfdeYx2hZjGqiLZDeFk3Tkit9IBDAe7bNX/s1600/Berry_Great28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-9TeUOU3m7-gHRem1vqEb4S3vEPvyTxXEVPdWNieLMUm4PAc7EpDX2cb4SEDsBi3WCL2nbVNsNMk8SxylYRXMMLxODmDM8r7XvyXq8ApO-RfdeYx2hZjGqiLZDeFk3Tkit9IBDAe7bNX/s320/Berry_Great28.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Twenty-Eight">The Great Twenty-Eight</a></i> has been making best-of rock lists in the obligatory Chuck Berry slot, at least since it was issued on CD in the '80s on a single disc. For much of the initial CD era, it was <i>the</i> disc to pick, especially since most stores only ever stocked the dreadful Mercury 1967 album <i>Chuck Berry's Golden Hits</i> of re-recordings. <i>The Great Twenty-Eight</i> came at a higher price point, but it was the greatest collection around; even after it lapsed in print by the late-'90s, it's continued to pop up on lists like <i>Rolling Stone</i>'s original 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time (#21), <i>TIME</i>'s Albums Of The Century & <i>Entertainment Weekly</i>'s 100 Greatest Albums (the latter all the more astounding since it includes almost entirely studio albums, as opposed to greatest-hits collections).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& yet...I have always held a grudge against it for omitting two of Berry's stone-cold (albeit slightly later-period) classics: "You Never Can Tell" & "Promised Land." This is especially since both songs fit on a single CD along with the other 28 tracks. Why not put them on as bonus tracks, like The Beach Boys' <i>Endless Summer</i> did with "Good Vibrations"? The fact that "I Want To Be Your Driver," which was never even issued a single made the cut but these other two didn't only adds to the frustration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, if you can overlook these two songs, this is the phenomenal compilation that Chuck Berry always deserved. The running order is flawless--chronological (by recording), mostly--& it is little wonder that it is the default favorite of fans & critics all around the world.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Chess Box: The Boxed Set (1988). *****</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7G_JxuENTHhcSS1P3KlN3MDK2uAGeJOhSQUbuDgan4sDYBA9h5Su0bL-cKiC6lhRLnuLuujT0uJ-4WOp1ElfdJgE9us9cTuaIfX7-oWLzkrrv78MEo8ciXHLFabuWnlKYZaWH2Q631UV/s1600/Berry_Chess_Box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7G_JxuENTHhcSS1P3KlN3MDK2uAGeJOhSQUbuDgan4sDYBA9h5Su0bL-cKiC6lhRLnuLuujT0uJ-4WOp1ElfdJgE9us9cTuaIfX7-oWLzkrrv78MEo8ciXHLFabuWnlKYZaWH2Q631UV/s1600/Berry_Chess_Box.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chess_Box">The Chess Box</a></i> arrived in the late '80s with the first wave of CD boxed sets, along with other "Chess Box" masterpiece compilations of Berry label-mates like Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, & Howlin' Wolf. There has probably never been a better series of boxed sets in rock history. It also shocks me to write this, but <i>The Chess Box</i> is also the only collection TO THIS DAY that includes every one of Chuck Berry's US & UK charting hits. There have only ever been 33 of them. Sure, that's a bit too many for a single-disc, but surely with the double-disc sets, they must've thrown them all in right? Nope. Granted, some of his most classic standards like "You Can't Catch Me," "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," & "I'm Talking About You" never charted while non-essential tunes like "Little Marie" & "Dear Dad" did, but once you're past the length of a single disc, you think it would be second nature to put them all together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, the only where this was ever done is <i>The Chess Box</i>. But it also has so much more: Deep cuts, jazz covers, & instrumentals; the only thing missing is the Mercury recordings from the mid-to-late-'60s (for obvious reasons), which only yielded two near-classics (at least in the relative world of Chuck Berry): "Club Nitty Gritty" & "Back To Memphis" (neither of which charted). Otherwise, Chess has it all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Among the things this collection has is "My Ding-A-Ling," the 1972 live novelty recording that to this day is Chuck Berry's only #1 US (& UK) Pop hit. (Adding insult to injury, Berry's "My Ding-A-Ling" kept Elvis's "Burning Love" from the top spot, a far-superior song that should've been The King's final US #1.) Most rock scholars either ignore the song entirely or sit around chastising it (there is literally a book that picks it as The Worst Rock & Roll Single Of All-Time), but rock snobbery or not, it is an essential part of The Chuck Berry Story. I mean, even Bob Dylan is still waiting for his first US #1 Pop hit. & <i>The Chess Box</i> is the first official collection to include it. (Come to think of it, perhaps this is why everyone loves <i>The Great Twenty-Eight</i> so much--"My Ding-A-Ling" is nowhere in sight.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Where other Berry albums are a cursory glance at the hits, this remains </span><i><span style="font-size: large;">the</span></i><span style="font-size: large;"> full portrait of an American icon. Even though--or perhaps because--it contains "My Ding-A-Ling."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">His Best, Volume 1 & Volume 2: The First Two Volume Collection Of The CD Age (1996-1997). ***</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzDulgp4WjhUxz4BzDtUJlZRFvD44Q1IRyc0WZcgOEaoWFIfk_CtYj0GK2E0DUB-WIp3uSv6cKBSP_1OakeVeNiiAUl4lyLOpG-nyUvQQLEC9LWcwy3CNSn818rkXka76Vl8P239NqnBt/s1600/Berry_His_Best.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzDulgp4WjhUxz4BzDtUJlZRFvD44Q1IRyc0WZcgOEaoWFIfk_CtYj0GK2E0DUB-WIp3uSv6cKBSP_1OakeVeNiiAUl4lyLOpG-nyUvQQLEC9LWcwy3CNSn818rkXka76Vl8P239NqnBt/s320/Berry_His_Best.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Chuck-Berry-His-Best-Volume-1/master/557789">His Best, Volume 1</a></i> & <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Chuck-Berry-His-Best-Volume-2/release/1304462">Volume 2</a></i> are the result of Chess Records' 50th Anniversary, where they issued (mostly) one-disc, 20-song summaries of their biggest names: Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, & others. Of all the artists on their roster, only two were granted two-volume "His Best" sets: One was Muddy Waters. & the other was Chuck Berry. The result is a cross between <i>The Great Twenty-Eight </i>& <i>The Chess Box</i>, but lacks both the punch of the former & the depth of the latter. It misses the Top 10 R&B hit "No Money Down" as well as the fine "Run Rudolph Run" Christmas song, while including stuff like "Anthony Boy" & "Jo Jo Gunne." The second disc does a fine enough job running through the latter years, taking us up to "No Particular Place To Go" before soon dropping us off with "My Ding-A-Ling," as most modern sets would do. But in the end, it is the split nature of <i>His Best</i> that ultimately ruins it. Unlike an act like The Beatles, Berry's hits came very early on & there is no reason to buy <i>Volume 2</i> unless you already owned <i>Volume 1</i>. Did Chess Records think anyone was gonna just get the volume with "Sweet Little Rock & Roller" & "Come On" at the expense of the one with "Johnny B. Goode" & "Maybellene"? Perhaps that's why they were issued a year apart.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Anthology</i>: The Standard Two-Disc Set (2000; Later Issued As <i>Gold</i> in 2005). *****</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvy3cfQNw3m_DBTGgpdakUtF_L00hgOKK128Nsh60jjVdKW_adlKq8nzoa8MEtjMIbzZzZwYLOwdYFdcVAHt_ilJKRL014r0pcPBt9-iKf74-cYDynHEzyKt37ziNrhBYbJsM0sJFh2H0/s1600/Berry_Anthology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvy3cfQNw3m_DBTGgpdakUtF_L00hgOKK128Nsh60jjVdKW_adlKq8nzoa8MEtjMIbzZzZwYLOwdYFdcVAHt_ilJKRL014r0pcPBt9-iKf74-cYDynHEzyKt37ziNrhBYbJsM0sJFh2H0/s320/Berry_Anthology.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthology_(Chuck_Berry_album)">The Anthology/Gold</a></i> picks up the mantle from <i>His Best</i>, adds ten tracks for a cool 50, & sells it in a single two-disc package. Of the 40 tracks of <i>His Best</i>, only one fails to make the cut to <i>Anthology</i>, the less-than-stellar (but still charting) "Anthony Boy," which, while far from essential, is at least as good as "Jo Jo Gunne" & a few others that DID make the cut. The eleven additional tracks, however, do a lot to fill out the story: Among them, "No Money Down" is an oft-overlooked Top 10 R&B hit that finds the rock sound still coalescing from the blues; "Guitar Boogie" is the blueprint for Jeff Beck's "Beck's Boogie" with The Yardbirds; "House Of Blue Lights" gives a taste of Berry's classic R&B covers; & "Dear Dad" & "Bio" help to fill out the picture of his latter days at Chess. Any quibbles have to do more with what isn't here than what is--with the length of CDs, a few more tracks could have easily fit, so why not include "Anthony Boy," plus "Run Rudolph Run," "Merry Christmas Baby," & "Little Marie," which would have covered all of his charting hits, as well as all of his solo A-sides from 1955 to 1965? But in the end, these are quibbles & proof of the set's worthiness is that when <i>Rolling Stone</i> updated its 500 Greatest Albums list, they included this in the place of <i>The Great Twenty Eight</i>, because at that point the latter had gone out-of-print. & to this day, <i>Anthology</i> remains the best full-scope collection to get--although you now have to do it in the gaudily-repacked <i>Gold</i> edition.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Best Of Chuck Berry (20th Century Masters) & Icon: The Single-Disc Samplers (1999 & 2011). ***</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuUJjJhQ-dl0YYUAn1B6dgDkXp1FfGfQMMIQRkR2DdwcWkOQXZaFPYndTEownIcIgiq-gkg5zwqvqwzlolYYX7A9anHOxmCdzUu6Q2iFsN3mu1ddePnMeBXS10X0iDodop4WmdesV4Uou/s1600/Berry_20th_Century.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuUJjJhQ-dl0YYUAn1B6dgDkXp1FfGfQMMIQRkR2DdwcWkOQXZaFPYndTEownIcIgiq-gkg5zwqvqwzlolYYX7A9anHOxmCdzUu6Q2iFsN3mu1ddePnMeBXS10X0iDodop4WmdesV4Uou/s320/Berry_20th_Century.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Chuck-Berry-The-Best-Of-Chuck-Berry/master/447063">The Best Of Chuck Berry (20th Century Masters)</a></i> & <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Chuck-Berry-Icon/release/5272588">Icon</a></i> are lumped together because they are nearly-identical sets that conceived of & made for the budget racks for those people who need some Chuck in their lives but can't bring themselves to cough up more than $4.99 to do so. In this regard, they do their jobs fine; <i>The Best Of </i>contains all of his Top 20 US Pop hits in 11 tracks; <i>Icon</i> includes these exact 11 tracks & adds a 12th, the #23 hit "Nadine," which now means it includes all of his Top 25 US Pop hits. There's nothing wrong with either, although it is a bit depressing to see "My Ding-A-Ling" get a slot over smaller but better hits like "Thirty Days," "You Can't Catch Me," "Memphis," "Almost Grown," "Back In The U.S.A.," "Promised Land," or about a half dozen others (even if "My Ding-A-Ling" is his only #1 Pop hit). Again, there's nothing wrong with these sets, but if anyone is worth shelling out a few more bucks for, it's Chuck Berry.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Definitive Collection: The Current Standard One-Disc Set (2006). *****</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Chuck-Berry-The-Definitive-Collection/master/711197">The Definitive Collection</a></i> seems to have come about from when the Universal Music conglomerate were issuing their Definitive Collection series & realized that <i>The Great Twenty-Eight</i> had gone out-of-print. The solution? This disc, which they might as well have named <i>The Definitive Thirty</i>. A whopping 27 of the 28 tracks of <i>The Great Twenty-Eight</i> make the cut, in nearly the exact running order, with only "Bye Bye Johnny" cut (even though it could have been included as a 31st track). Rounding out the set is the criminally-absent "You Never Can Tell" & "Promised Land" (oddly coming before "No Particular Place To Go," since the latter was the lead single off of the album that held all three), & the infamous "My Ding-A-Ling," in the live single edit. Thus, for the first time, all of Berry's Top 25 US Pop hits were gathered in a single place on a single CD (since the above-discussed <i>Icon</i> wasn't released until 2011). While <i>The Great Twenty-Eight</i> is the sentimental classic, this is the pragmatic choice of the modern age, if only because it includes "You Never Can Tell" & "Promised Land." &, oh yeah, his only #1 hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Collectively, these 10 anthologies collective feature over 75 different Chuck Berry songs. I polled them all & found that of these, there are 32 songs that appear on 4 anthologies or more. These I consider to be the Chuck Berry canon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Maybellene</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Thirty Days</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. You Can't Catch Me</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Too Much Monkey Business</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Brown-Eyed Handsome Man</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. Roll Over Beethoven</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. Havana Moon</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8. School Days</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>9. Rock & Roll Music</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>10. Oh Baby Doll</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>11. Reelin' & Rockin'</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>12. Sweet Little Sixteen</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>13. Johnny B. Goode</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>14. Around & Around</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>15. Beautiful Delilah</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>16. Carol</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>17. Memphis</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>18. Sweet Little Rock & Roller</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>19. Little Queenie</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>20. Almost Grown</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>21. Back In The U.S.A.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>22. Let It Rock</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>23. Too Pooped To Pop</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>24. Bye Bye Johnny</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>25. I'm Talking About You</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>26. Come On</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>27. Nadine</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>28. You Never Can Tell</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>29. Promised Land</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>30. No Particular Place To Go</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>31. I Want To Be Your Driver</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>32. My Ding-A-Ling [Live]</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These 32 songs run exactly 82 minutes, so if you're making a playlist, you're fine, but if you're burning a single disc, you need to kick one or two off. My vote would be for "Too Pooped To Pop," in part because it's really, really dumb, but more expressly, it is the only song on the list not written by Chuck Berry. For all that has been said about Chuck Berry's pioneer sound & guitar playing, it is easy to forget that he was rock's first great singer-songwriter, a feat that would go unrivaled until Bob Dylan came along in the 1960s. But, of course, if you want to keep it in Berry's "Golden Decade" of 1955-1965 & boot off "My Ding-A-Ling," I wouldn't hold it against you. In fact, I might even encourage it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So for those keeping score, 6 songs appear on all 10 collections: "Maybellene," Roll Over Beethoven," "School Days," Rock & Roll Music," "Sweet Little Sixteen," & "Johnny B. Goode." These are the core of the Chuck Berry Canon & should be considered essential rock & roll listening alongside the likes of <i>Sgt. Pepper</i>, <i>Highway 61 Revisited</i>, & <i>Exile On Main Street</i>--or more tellingly, Elvis's Sun & early RCA sides, Jerry Lee Lewis's early Sun sides, & Little Richard's records for Specialty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Long live rock & roll.</span><br />
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Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-33458893035751078082017-03-25T15:33:00.000-04:002017-03-25T21:20:00.047-04:00The Top 10 Greatest Chuck Berry Songs.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">A week ago today, the great Chuck Berry passed away. He was one of the most influential icons of the music, as well as its first great singer-songwriter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of the scores of classics that would flow from his pen & guitar, these are the ten greatest.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. "Too Much Monkey Business," Single A-Side, 1956; #4 R&B.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If rock & roll long has been the outlet of "awkward teenage blues," it was Chuck Berry who first made it that way. Although he was a married man in his early 30s by the time he was a major star, he could <i>think</i> like a teenager, & turn the woes of adolescence into poetry. "Too Much Monkey Business" was his breakthrough in doing so, articulating the every day trials of going to school, the monotony of low-paying jobs, the annoyances of billings & payments, the frustrations in pursuit of romance. He also filled the allegedly simple music with more words than anyone could cram into a verse until a Bob Dylan plugged in nearly a decade later. Before Dylan turned to folk, you know the young teenage rocker from Duluth was studying songs like this one.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9. "You Never Can Tell," Single A-Side, 1964; #14 Pop / #14 R&B / #23 UK.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Lost Generation for the Rock & Roll Generation, as a couple of ex-pat Americans get married in France, swapping New Orleans for Orleans. The details of teenage life were still intact--the hi-fi phono, the coolerator with TV dinners & ginger ale--but this was also a signal of a changing of the guards, finding the young characters growing up & getting married; appropriately, it was released the year The Beatles invaded America, as rock was transitioning from its first to second generation. It also had a structure closer to a folk song than Berry's usual blues-based fare. Perhaps this is why it sounded as fresh in 1964 as it did in the famous twist contest scene in <i>Pulp Fiction</i> some 30 years later--its sheer timelessness.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. "Sweet Little Sixteen," Single A-Side, 1958; #2 Pop / #1 R&B / #16 UK.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Three years before James Brown hopped onboard the "Night Train," Chuck Berry was using rock music to unite the country by calling out cities until they became one big dance party, all centered around a sweet little sixteen-year-old rock and roll super fan. The idea was too irresistible not to lift, & so Brian Wilson used it as the template of surf rock's national anthem, "Surfin' U.S.A.," replacing the cities with beaches & adding six-part harmony. Never one to miss a trick, Berry sued him over it & currently holds a songwriting co-credit. Yet Wilson is not one to hold a grudge--after Berry's death this week, he said that it was Berry who taught him how to write a rock & roll song.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. "School Days," Single A-Side, 1957; #3 Pop / #1 R&B / #24 UK.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If "Too Much Monkey Business" found Chuck Berry first articulating the language of youth, "School Days" found him perfecting it. Built upon a now-classic call-&-response blues structure (which Berry would use for another major hit in the following decade, "No Particular Place To Go"), "School Days" was two songs in one: A lament of life in the classroom, followed by the freedom of the after-school juke joint. The escape to freedom was reinforced with lines like "As soon as three o'clock rolls around/You finally lay your burden down," shrewdly borrowing a phrase from the old spiritual "Down By The Riverside." But the finest lines come at the end, & they rank among the most iconic in all of rock phraseology: "Hail, hail rock & roll/Deliver me from the days of old!" With "School Days," these words were a self-fulfilling prophecy.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," Single B-Side, 1956.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The party line is that rock didn't get political until the mid-'60s, when Bob Dylan brought the consciousness of folk into the music. But "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" shoots this narrative down. In the midst of the Civil Rights struggle, Berry wrote one of rock's slyest protest songs, & pulling off the rare feat of making it both funny & sexy. While the deeper layer of social commentary might have missed many of his white listeners, his African-American fans knew the song was code for a brown-skinned handsome man. Why else would the central character get "arrested on charges of unemployment"? Best of all was the final verse, which seemingly paid tribute to Jackie Robinson, winning the game like the brown-eyed handsome American hero he was.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. "Promised Land," Single A-Side, 1964; #41 Pop / #41 R&B / #26 UK.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;">"This is the map, as 'The Poor
Boy' sets out from Norfolk, Virginia, to discover the country: a journey that
moves from poverty to wealth, from a bus to a plane setting down at LAX. All
pop music that takes America as a subject—whether winding toward tragedy or
toward an even sweeter harmony—runs off this mountain. Written when Berry was
in prison; he needed an atlas to get the geography right, and when he requested
one from the prison library, word went out that he was plotting an escape—which,
of course, he was." </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;">-- Greil Marcus, "Promised Land: Thirty Records About Americ</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">a," </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Rolling Stone</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">, Ma</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;">y 28, 1998.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;">I got nothing to add, except, perhaps, I love his evocation of the old slave spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" at the end.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. "Rock & Roll Music," Single A-Side, 1957; #8 Pop / #6 R&B.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first great rock and roll song <i>about</i> rock and roll songs. In just two-and-a-half minutes, Berry characteristically covers A LOT of ground: He disses symphonies, clarifies his stance on modern jazz, and overlooks tangos; he praises the backbeat of the drums, the wailing saxophone, & the rocking piano; he goes across the tracks, way down South, a spiritual jubilee, & a honky-tonk jamboree; he dances, he gets shook up, he drinks home-brew from a wooden cup with a bunch of hillbillies. It all adds up to a sound that, like the sax player mentioned in the song, blows like a hurricane. No wonder The Beatles loved this song--& eventually turned it into one of their finest classic rock covers.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. "Roll Over Beethoven," Single A-Side, 1956; #29 Pop / #2 R&B.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A changing of the guards. As a record, it was pioneering rock & roll, but as a message, it was pure punk rock. For centuries, great music meant Bach, Mozart, & Beethoven, but with everything else in the post-WWII era, music demanded to get bigger, louder, & more modern. More than any other song, "Roll Over Beethoven" extended the new generation's middle finger to the old generation's aesthetics, righteously declaring their own new music would unseat the old. & most astonishingly, it did--at least, as much as a new music can. Rock has taken over classical--&/or all other refined musics--as the mainstream default for listeners of all ages & generations. It was Chuck Berry who was more than just a leader of the new sound, but a modern arts visionary. Tell Tchaikovsky the news, indeed. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. "Maybellene," Single A-Side, 1955; #5 Pop / #1 R&B.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Maybellene" is one of those records that simply changed everything. While Elvis gets credit for being the "hillbilly cat" who stepped into the blues with "That's All Right" in 1954, his song was a regional hit that never made it to the national charts, & is much better-known today. However, Berry's first record, "Maybellene," was one of the biggest hits of his career, & found that it was just as revolutionary for an African-American man to discover country. Built around the one-two country stomp of "Ida Red," Berry appears to have taken the refrain of a love song & wed it to the verse of a car-race song. While it shouldn't work--is Maybellene a car? A girl in his car? A girl in the other car? Someone else entirely?--it does, & all but single-handedly establishes the subject-matter of the car & the sound of the guitar as central to rock & roll music. When "Maybellene" came out, the piano & saxophone were still rivaling the guitar as its signature instrument. After "Maybellene," & the future Chuck Berry hits it enabled, the guitar was enshrined at rock & roll's core.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. "Johnny B. Goode," Single A-Side, 1958; #8 Pop / #2 R&B.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The gateway from freedom, I was led to understand, was somewhere 'close to New Orleans' where most Africans were sorted through and sold," Berry wrote in his 1987 autobiography. "I'd been told my great grandfather lived 'way back up in the woods among the evergreens' in a log cabin. I revived the era with a story about a 'colored boy name [sic] Johnny B. Goode.' My first thought was to make his life follow as my own had come along, but I thought it would seem biased to white fans to say 'colored boy' and changed it to 'country boy.' As it turned out, my name was in lights and it is a fact that 'Johnny B. Goode' is most instrumental in causing it to B."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry's signature triumph is a recasting of The American Dream as a rock & roll fantasy, going to the deepest origin of American slavery and using a guitar as the gateway to the sweetest freedom. It is also, not coincidentally, his finest guitar playing; though countless Chuck Berry songs begin with a guitar intro, none drive it home like this one, such that the double (!) guitar solo in the middle feels like a homecoming followed by a victory lap. & while many of his original recordings sound almost loose & sluggish to modern ears raised on the tightness of The Beatles & Rolling Stones covers that helped to familiarize these songs for the last 50 years, "Johnny B. Goode" is an exception--it is a tight, <i>rocking</i> performance that never gets old, often covered but never improved upon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is not only Chuck Berry's greatest song, but the greatest rock & roll record of them all.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-41057321227989400962017-03-19T15:27:00.000-04:002017-03-19T15:27:26.914-04:00The Top 10 Greatest Chuck Berry Covers.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I wrote in my <a href="http://american-wolf.blogspot.com/2017/03/last-thoughts-on-chuck-berry-1926-2017.html">Last Thoughts On Chuck Berry</a>, Chuck Berry's songbook <i>is</i> the rock & roll songbook. Only Bob Dylan is more covered than he is, but with 10 years on him, Chuck Berry's covers have the wider scope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">While I'm now listening to a lot of Chuck Berry, & a greatest list of his own best recordings is to come, I thought there was no finer tribute to his life & influence than the ways in which others have breathed life into his art. Hence this list, which attempts to fight through the countless Chuck Berry covers out there to make a definitive Top 10 list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I tried to go by the quality of the recording (or in the case of The Sex Pistols, lack thereof), not who was doing it. I was very tempted by Bob Dylan's version of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlHux9TZRZw">Nadine</a>," David Bowie's version of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDzSys1fPok">Round & Round</a>," & Jerry Lee Lewis's "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzKFdXmk7VY">Little Queenie</a>," but ultimately left them all off because it would have been more about including those artists on the list, as opposed to their versions of Chuck Berry's songs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of these songs were major career-defining hits, others were shelved outtakes or rough demos; some appeared at the dawn of an artist's career, others in the twilight. What they all have in common is a love for Chuck Berry--which is to say, a love for rock & roll itself.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. The Sex Pistols: "Johnny B. Goode," Demo, c. 1975.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the time The Sex Pistols emerged in the mid-'70s, the once-raw genre of rock & roll that Chuck Berry helped usher into the world had become lifeless & bloated. The Pistols helped to rebuild the genre by tearing it down to its studs, & here in a classic early demo later released on <i>The Great Rock & Roll Swindle</i> soundtrack, they take on Rock Version 1.0, wherein they attempt to play "Johnny B. Goode," the greatest rock song of all. SPOILER: THEY CAN'T. But if they sound like a bunch of no-talent snotty kids banging around in the garage that's the point. & even though they had yet to release their first single, singer Johnny Rotten's venom is already fully-intact, bluffing his way through the words like they were caustic nails. It was this same hellfire that helped to reignite rock for the next 35 years & counting.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9. The Band: "Back To Memphis," Studio Outtake, 1973.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As if anyone needed evidence of the range of Chuck Berry's appeal, look no further to one of the least-talented rock bands (above), followed by one of the most-talented ones here. Initially recorded for their 1973 album of classic rock covers, <i>Moondog Matinee</i>, this Berry super deep-cut was shelved in favor of a solid-but-unremarkable version "Promised Land." By the late 1980s, however, the reissue powers-that-be were reissuing this song on Band compilations everywhere, after dubbing in fake crowd fanfare to pass it off as a live performance. Here is the undoubted original studio recording, which shows why no one questioned the authenticity of the fanfare--it's the rare Band studio recordings that capture their contagious onstage energy.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Johnny Rivers: "Memphis," <i>At The Whiskey A Go Go</i>, 1964; #2 US.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This could be a sequel to "Back To Memphis" if it wasn't recorded nearly a decade earlier. It is also probably the most classic Chuck Berry song that no one realized was originally a Chuck Berry song. A down-home country ballad of a man pleading with a long-distance operator, it was remade into a minor rock classic with Johnny Rivers' live version here (it also interestingly inverts The Band's recording above in that instead of featuring a fake crowd on a studio recording, this is a real live recording that sounds like a fake one). & for those wondering how Johnny Rivers made a list with greater rock idols, perhaps he is a secret weapon of rock covers--when pressed for his favorite cover of one of his songs, Bob Dylan famously said Johnny Rivers version of "Positively 4th Street." So maybe his presence here isn't so strange after all.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. The Beatles: "Roll Over Beethoven," <i>With The Beatles</i>, 1963; #68 US.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To modern ears, Chuck Berry's original versions can sometimes drag a bit, even when the singing & playing are top-notch ("Johnny B. Goode," of course, is an exception to this). Often, when you name a classic like "Roll Over Beethoven," people are actually thinking of The Beatles cover of it, not because it is necessarily better, but simply tighter, faster, & more modern. In one of George Harrison's earliest vocals, he tries his hand at this classic & announces the arrival of a second generation of rock & rollers. Within a few years, albums like <i>Revolver</i> & <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> would be hailed as artistic achievements that actually would rival Beethoven in a very real way. But here, they're still having fun in a track that was strong enough to kick off their second American album & even be a minor hit on this side of the pond.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">WARNING: THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL STUDIO VERSION OF THE SONG, BUT THE LIVE BBC VERSION. IT IS VERY CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL, BUT THE ORIGINAL VERSION SHOULD BE SOUGHT OUT. IT IS BEST HEARD ON <i>WITH THE BEATLES</i> OR ON THE OLD 1970s DOUBLE-LP BEATLES COMPILATION <i>ROCK & ROLL MUSIC</i>.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. The Rolling Stones: "Bye Bye Johnny," <i>The Rolling Stones [EP]</i>, 1964.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's not easy picking an early Rolling Stones cover of a Chuck Berry song; there were simply so many. "Carol" was strong enough to be released as a Top 10 hit in France, while "Around & Around" was a fine tribute recorded at Berry's own Chess Records. But their cover of Berry's little-known sequel record to "Johnny B. Goode" is the best to my ears, released on their first EP in 1963. It documents The Stones as raw & hungry, at once near-amateurish compared to the production values of their rival Beatles, yet able to provide a dense onslaught of sound that already full of toughness & swagger. Plus, lead guitarist Keith Richards already establishes himself as Berry's spiritual eager kid brother. They would record bigger & more popular Berry covers in the years to come, but the sheer <i>sound</i> of this one leaves the others in the dust.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. The Yardbirds: "Too Much Monkey Business," <i>Five Live Yardbirds</i>, 1964.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Long before the likes of Cream, Derek & The Dominoes, & a sprawling solo career, Eric Clapton was a scrawny guitar hero in The Yardbirds. He was nicknamed "Slowhand" because he played his guitar so fast that he'd break strings & have to change them to the sound of a slow handclap; within months, "Clapton is God" graffiti began appearing in the London subway halls (much to Clapton's embarrassment). Before he left The Yardbirds for more greener (or rather, blues-ier) pastures, he left this searing document, taken from their sets at the Marquee Club. This song was their opener & they all but blow the roof off the top of it in the performance. While everything revolves around Clapton, I'm always most tickled by Keith Relf's vocals, solidly singing the words in verse, shouting them in another, & then dutifully reciting them in a detached sense of boredom that cuts to the teenage blues at the heart of the song. Before getting obliterated once again by those guitar solos.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. The Million Dollar Quartet: "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," Studio Jam, 1956.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Long before the likes of Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry was rock & roll's premiere wordsmith. Compared to contemporaries like Elvis or Fats Domino, Berry's songs were epics where the others' were merely three-stanza poems. Berry was a man who truly loved <i>words</i> & putting them together in memorable ways. One realizes this when listening to the famous Million Dollar Quartet jam session where Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, & Johnny Cash turned to Berry's "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man." For several takes, you can hear them collectively honing in on the song, different people remembering different parts of different verses, until it all comes together here. If one needs any further evidence of strongly Berry was on the rock founders' minds, look no further than the fact that aside from "Don't Be Cruel," this is the only rock song sung by The Million Dollar Quartet for the nearly 80-minute session.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Buddy Holly: "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," <i>Reminiscing</i>, c. 1956; #113 US, #3 UK.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An opposite take on "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" by no less of a founding rock god. Precise where The Million Dollar Quartet was loose, & rocking where they were almost folksy, Buddy Holly's version of the song reshapes it into a driving rockabilly masterpiece (with a seeming tip of the hat to The Champs' "Tequila," although Berry himself loved a good Latin groove as well). & when the snare drum hits to emulate the high-fly being hit into the stands, it is a subtle use of sound effects that presages songs like "Penny Lane" by a decade. Although not originally released during Holly's lifetime, it saw the light of day just before The Beatles invaded America, even making the Top 5 in the Holly-loving UK.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Elvis Presley: "Promised Land," <i>Promised Land</i>, 1974; #14 US.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elvis's last truly classic recording was also his first great cover of a Chuck Berry song. He had tried in overeager readings of "Maybellene" at the <i>Louisiana Hayride</i> & later in listless recitations of "Johnny B. Goode" in Las Vegas, but only his mid-'60s country take on "Too Much Monkey Business" was close to interesting, & only then because it was the only Elvis recording to feature the word "Vietnam." But in 1974, Elvis showed he still had something left to prove when he attacked Berry's "Promised Land." Perhaps it was because the song contained an idea as big as Elvis--THE Promised Land--that he was up for the challenge, but its rock star travelogue version of The American Dream never sounded better than in Elvis's telling. Cut at Stax Records, it provided Elvis with the last Top 15 pop hit of his lifetime, although it deserved to go all the way to #1.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. The Beatles: "Rock & Roll Music," <i>The Beatles For Sale</i>, 1964.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles' cover of Chuck Berry's "Rock & Roll Music" is easily the greatest Berry cover of all time. It encompasses all of the key elements that can be found in the other songs listed above--a sense of rawness, of quality, of reinvention, of tightness, of fun, & of simple, irreverent joy. Like they already had with "Roll Over Beethoven" the year before, The Beatles took Chuck Berry's original & tightened it up, locking it together in a way that the original version merely suggested. The words were never the problem in Berry's original--it was that the music never matched their promise. The Beatles fixed all of that. With Lennon shouting his finest vocal this side of "Twist & Shout," the group shows that even in the wistful, post-<i>A Hard Day's Night</i> period of late 1964, they could still rock out with the best of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& in doing so, more than hold their own against none other than their idol, Chuck Berry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>WARNING: THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL STUDIO VERSION OF THE SONG BUT A CRAPPY LIVE VERSION. (THANKS, BEATLE LAWYERS!) THE ORIGINAL VERSION MUST BE SOUGHT OUT. IT IS BEST HEARD ON THE ORIGINAL <i>BEATLES FOR SALE</i> LP OR THE OLD 1970s DOUBLE-LP BEATLES COMPILATION <i>ROCK & ROLL MUSIC</i> THAT BARES ITS NAME.</b></span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-33384464320476359182017-03-18T22:10:00.000-04:002017-03-19T17:33:04.629-04:00Last Thoughts On Chuck Berry, 1926-2017.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLqa3rU3E-QR_Zm2tFC0RV_C71c1cG2CLUA1dp42sVad9VXKQ_A6Npp0xv_MIgu8NlIg3uJRZJvHRG-bhGlEfcTQs8ZCN1ZvZ-cLdyXwkzXCSxK0HmyhY-gCvB56q7kMer7bJ0fVKDuA7/s1600/Berry_Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLqa3rU3E-QR_Zm2tFC0RV_C71c1cG2CLUA1dp42sVad9VXKQ_A6Npp0xv_MIgu8NlIg3uJRZJvHRG-bhGlEfcTQs8ZCN1ZvZ-cLdyXwkzXCSxK0HmyhY-gCvB56q7kMer7bJ0fVKDuA7/s320/Berry_Crop.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Years ago, I once read that Chuck Berry is the rock upon which rock & roll rests; to this day, I cannot think of a better way to put his influence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only The Beatles, Elvis, Dylan, & The Rolling Stones can rival him in influence, & of those 4, only Elvis is conceivable without him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Simply put, Chuck Berry <i>is</i> rock & roll.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The depth, range, & influence of artists who have covered him is staggering: The Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Sex Pistols, Jerry Lee Lewis, David Bowie, The Animals, The Kinks, The Band--& that's just off the top of my head & only counting songs that were officially released on official albums. Throw in live recordings, jam sessions, & bootlegs, & you'd have basically everyone ever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His music is the blood that flows through the veins of rock & roll; take it away, & the history of the music dies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beatles cut their teeth on his records. They paid credit both directly, with blistering covers of "Roll Over Beethoven" & "Rock & Roll Music," but also indirectly, when Lennon lifted the "Here come ol' flat top, he come groovin' up slowly" from Berry's "You Can't Catch Me" to begin his classic "Come Together." Lennon could be forgiven though; it was simply proof that by 1969, Chuck Berry was simply rock's second mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Rolling Stones' first single was a cover of Berry's "Come On," while one of their early standout covers was "Carol." They also went to Chess Records, the temple where Chuck recorded, & laid down a great version of "Around & Around," which was also covered by The Animals that same year. (David Bowie cut a version of the same song seven years later; it was originally slated to go on the <i>Ziggy Stardust </i>album.) Did I write that Chuck Berry was rock's second mind by 1969? I take that back. By 1965, Mick Jagger took the line "I can't get no satisfaction from the judge" from Berry's "Thirty Days" & wrote what many consider to be rock's definitive anthem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Those people are wrong, though. Rock's definitive anthem came seven years earlier when Chuck Berry released "Johnny B. Goode."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From the blazing guitar intro through the lyrics and the solo, no one could ever beat it, not even Chuck himself. It was the story of the American Dream told through the eyes of a young guitarist, highlighted by those two-note driving solos that Berry used build rock guitar's (which is to say, rock's) basic vocabulary. Any time you hear someone blasting out those double-note riffs, they are reaching for Chuck Berry's performance in "Johnny B. Goode."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yet that said, "Johnny B. Goode" was not surprisingly the toughest Chuck Berry song to cover. Both The Beatles & Elvis made passes on it in live performances, but neither could come close. To best illustrate the point, listen to The Sex Pistols set it aflame in an early demo where they can't play it & Johnny Rotten doesn't know the words. They end up shouting "Go! Go! Go!" because it's all they can do. It's a pathetic mess, but in its own raw way, it blows away those versions by The Beatles & Elvis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elvis couldn't do a Chuck Berry song justice until he tackled "Promised Land" in 1975, & it was his last truly classic recording. Berry had written it in jail some fifteen years earlier & like "Johnny B. Goode" before it, it too told a version of the American Dream, only this time from East Coast to West, &, as Greil Marcus pointed out when he called it the greatest American song of all time (as in, song about America), rags to riches. It's like one big musical montage that ends with a phone call to the folks back home where it all began.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Elvis had the famous Million Dollar Quartet jam session with Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, & Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry was virtually the only rock on the menu that wasn't someone already in the room. The majority of the session leaned on gospel, country, & blues, but there was a hilarious stretch where they try to remember the words to "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" & piece it together in a gesture of love & admiration, with Elvis strumming away frantically on the acoustic guitar. Once they finally get it, Carl goes into a story about coming off of tour with Chuck Berry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry touring was an interesting thing by the 1980s, where Berry would show up to a club with his guitar in hand, get his money, then go onstage & play with whatever band was there. Every band knows his songs, he rationalized, because his songs are the rock & roll songbook. A young Bruce Springsteen was in one of these bands in the 1970s; twenty years later, he would back Berry at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Concert in 1995. In the years in between, he released a live version of "Run, Run Rudolph," proving even Berry's Christmas songs were nothing to be ignored.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& then there are the Chuck Berry songs that lead to other songs. Brian Wilson so clearly lifted Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" for The Beach Boys' 1963 breakthrough "Surfin' U.S.A." that Wilson eventually had to give him a co-authorship credit; years earlier, rhythm & blues singer Richard Berry (no relation) used the pidgin English of Chuck's "Havana Moon" as a main inspiration for "Louie, Louie," later immortalized by The Kingsmen in a song that all but invented punk rock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& then there is the popular memory. <i>Back To The Future</i> (Marty McFly playing "Johnny B. Goode" while the film's greatest line is spoken: "Hey Chuck, this is your cousin Marvin, Marvin Berry! You know that new sound you've been looking for? Well listen to THIS!") & <i>Pulp Fiction</i> (the twist dance contest scene, set to "You Never Can Tell") put Chuck Berry into motion picture history in a way that even his own <i>Hail, Hail Rock & Roll</i> documentary could not. When John Lennon & Yoko Ono cohosted <i>The Mike Douglas Show</i> in the 1970s, they jumped at the chance to have Chuck Berry on, & then jumped at the chance to play with him on stage (it serves as a reminder that for everything that Lennon's presence supposedly represented about the counterculture, he was still most wowed by '50s rock & roll). & when NASA shot a rocket into space representing human culture, Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" was among its artifacts. <i>Saturday Night Live</i> famously quipped that the first response from alien life has been received & it is: "Send more Chuck Berry."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">& as some like to tell it, Chuck Berry's 1955 first hit single, "Maybellene," was the first rock & roll record of them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The one & only time I ever saw Chuck Berry was 50 years to the day after "Maybellene" was released, in August of 2005, at the nightclub he owned in St. Louis, Blueberry Hill, which oddly named after a Fats Domino song. Even odder was that, after much fanfare about this being the 50th anniversary of "Maybellene," he didn't even play the song. My sister & I had gotten there early, stood in line for a few hours, & sat in the front row. Even though he was in his 80s, he came out like a king & was rock royalty in a way I have only ever seen in person from his contemporaries like Jerry Lee Lewis & B.B. King--those pre-television legends who could really <i>hold a stage</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With his son leading the band, Berry played 10 songs in 60 minutes, 9 of his classics & one Jimmy Reed cover. He was spry, sprightly, having fun, & basking in the glow, & during "Johnny B. Goode," he even duckwalked, to my astonishment. He closed with "Reelin' & Rockin'," never one of my favorites at that time, but a favorite ever since. His band shrewdly pulled up girls onstage to dance (of which my sister was thrilled to be among the first, invited up by none other than Chuck Berry, Jr.), which allowed him to sneak out the back behind the wall of dancing girls. It was the rock & roll equivalent of disappearing in a cloud of smoke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now Chuck Berry is truly gone. It may be cliche, but it seems like there is nowhere else to end but with the final verse of "School Day," yet another song that, like so many others, is so vital to rock's repertoire but escaped my stream-of-conscious words above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the man said:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Hail, hail rock & roll</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Deliver me from the days of old</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Long live rock & roll</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">The beat of the drums, loud & bold</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Rock, rock, rock & roll</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">The feeling is there, body & soul</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chuck Berry is dead. Long live Chuck Berry.</span></div>
Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4222105950707204322.post-57525429652611790252017-03-17T21:15:00.001-04:002017-03-17T21:18:39.013-04:00The Top 10 Band Songs.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp1_xMURVL3K_z1HUmmmcuFCXncPy_58wFzodwD98_mfsnNepYCFEoR_xBtD6d04HQ19abRxReBNtIQAJEGgWQ36CEVm6DxLH1dkIRI3EgepHEak4bbA8jMYH2fPQl55-RhOEcOHlYTmx/s1600/Band_ST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp1_xMURVL3K_z1HUmmmcuFCXncPy_58wFzodwD98_mfsnNepYCFEoR_xBtD6d04HQ19abRxReBNtIQAJEGgWQ36CEVm6DxLH1dkIRI3EgepHEak4bbA8jMYH2fPQl55-RhOEcOHlYTmx/s320/Band_ST.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Band--guitarist Robbie Robertson, drummer Levon Helm, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel, and organist Garth Hudson (all of whom sang except for Hudson)--remain one of the most influential bands of all-time, pioneering what has since become known as Americana; ironic since they are 4/5ths Canadian. But then again, it was their outsider status that made them see America as those within never could.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With about a half-dozen "Best Of"s lists out there for The Band, I figured I'd add my own. I could add another 20 songs, but 10 keeps it more manageable; regardless, honorable mentions go to "Yazoo Street Scandal," the stripped-down version of "Twilight," & the lovely "It Makes No Difference," the latter of which makes nearly every other list (& even tops one), but is left off because its alto-sax-&-guitar coda is endless & hasn't aged very well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With that out of the way, let's get to the list.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. "Bessie Smith," <i>The Basement Tapes</i>, 1975 (Album Track).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A beautiful ballad that is striking in its seeming desire to be taken literally: When the singer sings that they are going down the road to meet Bessie Smith, you believe him, even if he too has no idea what he'll do once he gets there; meanwhile, Hudson's sense of atmosphere--always The Band's secret weapon--has never been on better display.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9. "Stage Fright," Stage Fright, 1970 (Album Track).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From the seclusion of their beloved Big Pink home to the audience they never quite knew how to face, this is the closest thing The Band ever came to an autobiography, sung by Danko in his most earnest performance at the microphone.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. "We Can Talk," Music From Big Pink, 1968 (Album Track).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As with rock & roll itself, gospel had always been a secret engine driving The Band, & here it comes to full fruition in the piano-&-organ testimony found here, filled with overlapping vocals & call-&-response; it also features Robertson's sharpest set of vocals, a panorama of milking cows in Sunday suits, flames turning to chalk, and whips buried in the grave.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. "Ophelia," <i>Northern Lights -- Southern Cross</i>, 1975 (#62 US).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the most haunting mystery of Hamlet is whether Ophelia commits suicide, & this song not only runs with it--with the great line "Ashes of laughter/The ghost is clear," it seems to answer it; also features their best use of the ubiquitous horns that appear in the latter part of their career, driving home an icon of Shakespearean tragedy into a joyous funeral band march of the Dixieland South.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. "The Shape I'm In," <i>Stage Fright</i>, 1970 (#121 US).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Band always treated this song like it was the hit that it never really was (hence it's the second song in both <i>The Last Waltz </i>& their classic <i>Best Of </i>LP), but no matter--it kicks like the man sprung free from jail it portrays, & features the tragic Richard Manuel singing the most eerily foreshadowing lines Robertson ever wrote him: "Out of nine lives, I spent seven/Now how in the world do you get to Heaven?"</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. "Ain't No More Cain," <i>The Basement Tapes</i>, 1975 (Album Track).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An old chain-gang spiritual with all four vocalists trading verses (the order is: Helm, Robertson, Danko, & Manuel) while Hudson plays some down-home accordion; this is The Band at their most relaxed, natural, demographic, & effortlessly American--which is to say, their most Band-iest.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">WARNING: THE VIDEO ABOVE IS NOT THE RIGHT VERSION OF THIS SONG. PLEASE SEEK OUT THE CLASSIC VERSION FIRST RELEASED ON DYLAN & THE BAND'S BASEMENT TAPES ALBUM, & NOW ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE BAND'S MUSICAL HISTORY BOXED SET & "BEST OF A MUSICAL HISTORY" ONE-DISC SAMPLER.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. "Don't Do It," <i>Rock Of Ages</i>, 1972 (#34 US, #11 CA).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their finest performance (& second-biggest hit), which remakes a minor Marvin Gaye song into a rock & roll history lesson: With The Bo Diddley Beat at its base, they add shouted vocals, funky guitar riffs, bluesy piano triplets, & country harmonies, all topped with New Orleans-styles horn charts from none other than the late, great Allen Toussaint.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. "Up On Cripple Creek," <i>The Band</i>, 1969 (#25 US; #10 CA).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Band's biggest hit & funkiest track, chockfull of accurate geography, horse races, Spike Jones records, and adultery.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. "The Weight," <i>Music From Big Pink</i>, 1968 (#63 US; #35 CA).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Band's most famous song; a quasi-religious pilgrimage through America about the burden of sin & the price of obligation, featuring the Devil, Miss Moses, & Crazy Chester's Dog.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," <i>The Band</i>, 1969 (B-Side Of "Up On Cripple Creek).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The finest rock song about The Civil War ever written--all the more impressive that it was written by a Canadian (Robertson), albeit based on the stories of his Arkansas bandmate (Helm). Like all classic American Civil War epics--<i>The Birth Of A Nation</i>, <i>The General</i>, & <i>Gone With The Wind</i>--it told its tale from the Southern perspective, heightening the "brother against brother" narrative that we love to tell ourselves when the real narrative--SLAVERY--gets too ugly & disturbing. Of the many celebrated lines, such as Virgil Cane seeing Robert E. Lee or the bells ringing in the refrain, the one that always does it for me is "In the winter of '65/We were hungry, just barely alive." A casual listener would assume that this was 1965 (as the song was only recorded four years later), but in fact it is 1865.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">& therein lies the magic of The Band: Their utter timelessness; & no song shows it better than this one, which could have been sung in 1965--or 1865.</span><br />
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Eric Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821235157752539982noreply@blogger.com0