So this week, The Beatles rereleased their entire catalog, completely remastered. They also released a video game, Beatles Rock Band. I don't know much about that.
But I do know about their music and it's really good. And hey, maybe you've never really given them much of a chance. You listened to Yellow Submarine on the radio and were like "that's stupid." Well, yeah, it kind of is.
But it doesn't give a full and complete view of what the band is. To really get them, you have to listen to an album. What album? Well, I guess that's up to you.
Their albums are, in order of release (it's actually way more complicated than this because they released different albums in the US and the UK, and released tons of singles, but for our purposes it'll do):
Plus Past Masters, a collection of singles not found on the albums.
If you've never listened to them, and want to try, maybe start with Abbey Road, the new remaster is truly fantastic. Failing that, Let It Be...Naked is a pretty decent introduction to the band. It's Let It Be, but stripped down to just the guys, without any ornate orchestration.
Speaking of the guys, who are they.
Well, there's John, who you probably know. He played guitar and sang songs like Across the Universe. He's dead now, got shot.
Ringo played percussion, and sang stuff like Octopus's Garden.
Paul's maybe the most prolific. He was the bass player, and sang songs like Hey Jude.
George played guitar and was big into Indian stuff. He sang stuff like Here Comes the Sun. He's also dead now.
Anyway this is a thread in which to discuss one of the best bands ever, the new remasters, and the stupidity that is their handling of the mono release. And hopefully to convert a few people who aren't fans, yet.
Posts
What you say with irony, I say with conviction.
First to do what, exactly?
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Be a commercially successful, internationally known and celebrated boy band.
I'm not saying they sucked, mind you. I'm just saying most of their celebrity comes from their being the first to do what they did.
Release that shit digitally already.
Anyway, I saw Cirque du Soleil's tribute to the Beatles when I was in Vegas last year. It was pretty awesome.
This is why I ask these questions.
Really suggest this show. It's what really got me interested in The Beatles. Will have to pick up the Remastered stuff this week.
For real. Not trying to crap on the Beatles but they spent a lot of time trying to out shine what the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan did FIRST and they tried to top it.
Dee
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/moniquem/continentals/series.php
Updates on Mondays
The beatles basically made the studio album what it is today.
but they're listening to every word I say
Yep. Of All Time.
I'm not talking sales, or charts. I'm talking popularity and infulence. There never has been and never will be a band that is more infulential then John, Paul, George and Ringo. Anyone currently producing commercial music today can trace their infulences back to the Fab Four.
The were bigger than Jesus, and probably still are.
Well, you got me there.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
It's true.
but they're listening to every word I say
Also, just for those less familiar with it, Love is also the title of the show itself, a detail I failed to mention.
This sort of thing is the reason I act as contrarian against Beatles fans.
I could just as easily argue that anybody producing commercial music today can trace their influences to Buddy Holly, or Les Paul, or Afrika Bambaataa.
However, I'm not going to declare any of the above the greatest band of all time. First, such declarations are impossible to justify. Greatest at being what? Popular? Good? Sexy? Having mod hair? Second, it actually drags discussion down by being vague. What did the Beatles do well? Well, for instance, they wrote their own songs - not the first band to do that by any stretch, but their career definitely helped to shift the paradigm away from the way songwriters shopped songs around to pop acts in the prior decades. Finally, it does kind of shit on other major artists who also evolved music at the same time. There was unfathomable creativity during the 1960s and so many artists, more than we could possibly name, deserve their due credit but sometimes it feels like Beatles fandom drowns everything else out.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I think one thing that's always stood out to me is that none of the Beatles were virtuosos in any way. They were not spectacular guitar players, drummers, singers. Their lyrics are not incredibly layered and profound. But they still made some fantastic music. I've always appreciated the later stuff more, when they were less "boy band," and thought that the remastering/fixing of "Let it Be" was quite good, as you could actually hear the instruments and the music. I must admit that I'm curious if the remasters fix a lot of the production elements common in the 60s (very low mixing of drums and bass) to make the songs fit in better with more recent music (not the overcompression, rather the fact that songs with drums and or bass let you actually hear those elements).
but they're listening to every word I say
Are you saying you like pete best, best?
I think that their early image was manufactured. Also, they started out not being very good at their instruments.
but they're listening to every word I say
Name me one other band that had the monumental infulence that still rings out today. Name me one other group of singer/songwriters that has millions of people salavating over a video game 40 years after they broke up.
Yes, the 60's produced a lot of good and great artists and acts that sometimes get brushed aside when talking about fandom or popularity. But that's exactly why the Beatles stand out. They shine brighter than almost everyone else out of that decade. Every generation has their great musical influences and stars, as far back as Bach and Beethoven and Mozart. Lennon/McCartney will probably be remembered as they are.
But they were also not assembled by some corporate entity and were actual musicians. Beyond the fact that they had lots of teenage fans and their look during the Beatlemania phase I don't think the comparison is apt at all.
For some reason, I always had a soft spot for "With a Little Help From My Friends".
lol EMI.
I honestly don't know.
I work with this waste of skin in an electronics department, and one day I mentioned The Beatles.
"Yeah?" she said. "What songs do they sing?"
I pretty much blathered on like a fan would, probably failing to clarify anything at all. How would you reply, to be as concise and as fair as possible?
I think a game with Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones would probably sell as well as Beatles:RB is going to. That said, the Beatles are way bigger in the collective memory of the world than either of those bands.