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The Beatles

deadonthestreetdeadonthestreet Registered User regular
edited September 2009 in Debate and/or Discourse
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.

deadonthestreet on
«1345

Posts

  • Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood My baby's in there someplace She crawled right inRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Yeah these guys are okay, I guess

    Clint Eastwood on
  • _J__J_ Pedant Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited September 2009
    The Beatles were more "first to do it" than "best at doing it".

    _J_ on
  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Cloudman wrote: »
    Yeah these guys are okay, I guess

    What you say with irony, I say with conviction.
    _J_ wrote: »
    The Beatles were more "first to do it" than "best at doing it".

    First to do what, exactly?

    Feral on
    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • SentrySentry Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Sentry on
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  • KanamitKanamit Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I really want to get one of the box sets but I can't decide whether I want the mono + the three stereo only albums or just the stereo box set.

    Kanamit on
  • Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood My baby's in there someplace She crawled right inRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Actually a store near me broke street date on the remasters so I picked up Rubber Soul, The Beatles, and Sgt. Pepper's last week. The new mixes are fantastic. Nice and crisp.

    Clint Eastwood on
  • _J__J_ Pedant Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited September 2009
    Feral wrote: »
    _J_ wrote: »
    The Beatles were more "first to do it" than "best at doing it".

    First to do what, exactly?

    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.

    _J_ on
  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Hey Beatles.

    Release that shit digitally already.

    Quid on
  • darthmixdarthmix Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Why's the White Album missing from the OP album list? Is there some complication of UK/US release history that accounts for this?

    Anyway, I saw Cirque du Soleil's tribute to the Beatles when I was in Vegas last year. It was pretty awesome.

    darthmix on
  • Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood My baby's in there someplace She crawled right inRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    darthmix wrote: »
    Why's the White Album missing from the OP album list? Is there some complication of UK/US release history that accounts for this?
    The title of that album is actually just The Beatles.

    Clint Eastwood on
  • OctoparrotOctoparrot Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    George was the best.

    Octoparrot on
  • darthmixdarthmix Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Cloudman wrote: »
    darthmix wrote: »
    Why's the White Album missing from the OP album list? Is there some complication of UK/US release history that accounts for this?
    The title of that album is actually just The Beatles.
    Ah, I see.

    This is why I ask these questions.

    darthmix on
  • saint2esaint2e Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    darthmix wrote: »
    Why's the White Album missing from the OP album list? Is there some complication of UK/US release history that accounts for this?

    Anyway, I saw Cirque du Soleil's tribute to the Beatles when I was in Vegas last year. It was pretty awesome.

    Really suggest this show. It's what really got me interested in The Beatles. Will have to pick up the Remastered stuff this week.

    saint2e on
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  • TheDeeManTheDeeMan Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Feral wrote: »
    Cloudman wrote: »
    Yeah these guys are okay, I guess

    What you say with irony, I say with conviction.
    _J_ wrote: »
    The Beatles were more "first to do it" than "best at doing it".

    First to do what, exactly?

    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

    TheDeeMan on
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  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    TheDeeMan wrote: »
    Feral wrote: »
    Cloudman wrote: »
    Yeah these guys are okay, I guess

    What you say with irony, I say with conviction.
    _J_ wrote: »
    The Beatles were more "first to do it" than "best at doing it".

    First to do what, exactly?

    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

    The beatles basically made the studio album what it is today.

    JebusUD on
    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
    but they're listening to every word I say
  • TachTach Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Greatest Rock/Pop band of all time.

    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.

    Tach on
  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    _J_ wrote: »
    Feral wrote: »
    _J_ wrote: »
    The Beatles were more "first to do it" than "best at doing it".

    First to do what, exactly?

    Be a commercially successful, internationally known and celebrated boy band.

    Well, you got me there.

    Feral on
    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • deadonthestreetdeadonthestreet Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    darthmix wrote: »
    Anyway, I saw Cirque du Soleil's tribute to the Beatles when I was in Vegas last year. It was pretty awesome.
    You can buy the soundtrack, it is called Love, and it is fantastic.

    deadonthestreet on
  • PhonehandPhonehand Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    let's not nitpick. besides their success and popularity, they were reeeeally good.

    Phonehand on
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  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Phonehand wrote: »
    let's not nitpick. besides their success and popularity, they were reeeeally good.

    It's true.

    JebusUD on
    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
    but they're listening to every word I say
  • KanamitKanamit Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    "Norwegian Wood (This Bird has Flown)" is the best song about arson ever.

    Kanamit on
  • darthmixdarthmix Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    darthmix wrote: »
    Anyway, I saw Cirque du Soleil's tribute to the Beatles when I was in Vegas last year. It was pretty awesome.
    You can buy the soundtrack, it is called Love, and it is fantastic.
    It really is.

    Also, just for those less familiar with it, Love is also the title of the show itself, a detail I failed to mention.

    darthmix on
  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Tach wrote: »
    Greatest Rock/Pop band of all time.

    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.

    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.

    Feral on
    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • JokermanJokerman Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Kanamit wrote: »
    "Norwegian Wood (This Bird has Flown)" is the best song about infidelity ever.

    Jokerman on
  • EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    As someone who is not all that into rock music, it's hard to hate on the Beatles unless you have an agenda. They wrote some light pop music, they wrote some really weird rock music, and there's a good mix of stuff in between.

    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).

    EggyToast on
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  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I like the beatles because they did the opposite of modern pop. They Un-sold out. At first they were mostly generic boy bandish pop, and they weren't very good at their music. Then as they became more popular, they basically said "we are going to make whatever kind of music we want!" and then the really weird music gets made.

    JebusUD on
    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
    but they're listening to every word I say
  • NatheoNatheo Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Ringo was never really a stand out drummer, and while bringing the drums and bass out in the music might bring it inline with more recent stuff, I don't think it'd do a thing to improve it, or make it more enjoyable.

    Natheo on
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  • deadonthestreetdeadonthestreet Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    EggyToast wrote: »
    . 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).
    Yes, they did.

    deadonthestreet on
  • JokermanJokerman Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Natheo wrote: »
    Ringo was never really a stand out drummer, and while bringing the drums and bass out in the music might bring it inline with more recent stuff, I don't think it'd do a thing to improve it, or make it more enjoyable.

    Are you saying you like pete best, best?

    Jokerman on
  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    The Beatles were not a "boy band." Boy bands are manufactured. They most certainly were not.

    tsmvengy on
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  • KanamitKanamit Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Jokerman wrote: »
    Kanamit wrote: »
    "Norwegian Wood (This Bird has Flown)" is the best song about infidelity ever.
    Well, technically no infidelity actually took place.

    Kanamit on
  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    tsmvengy wrote: »
    The Beatles were not a "boy band." Boy bands are manufactured. They most certainly were not.

    I think that their early image was manufactured. Also, they started out not being very good at their instruments.

    JebusUD on
    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
    but they're listening to every word I say
  • TachTach Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Feral wrote: »
    Tach wrote: »
    Greatest Rock/Pop band of all time.

    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.

    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.
    Read it again, Mr. Contrarian.
    Tach wrote:
    I'm talking popularity and infulence.

    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.

    Tach on
  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    JebusUD wrote: »
    tsmvengy wrote: »
    The Beatles were not a "boy band." Boy bands are manufactured. They most certainly were not.

    I think that their early image was manufactured. Also, they started out not being very good at their instruments.

    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.

    tsmvengy on
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  • RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    You forgot to mention that Ringo later narrated Thomas the Tank Engine.

    For some reason, I always had a soft spot for "With a Little Help From My Friends".

    RMS Oceanic on
  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    By any chance, does this release have anything to do with EMI's copyright tantrums? I'll never forget The Grey Album fiasco.

    lol EMI.

    Cantido on
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  • NatheoNatheo Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Jokerman wrote: »
    Natheo wrote: »
    Ringo was never really a stand out drummer, and while bringing the drums and bass out in the music might bring it inline with more recent stuff, I don't think it'd do a thing to improve it, or make it more enjoyable.

    Are you saying you like pete best, best?

    I honestly don't know. D:

    Natheo on
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  • Torso BoyTorso Boy Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Overrated or not, The Beatles did one thing that no one else has ever done before or since: they were innovative, excellent and wildly popular all at once.

    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?

    Torso Boy on
  • a5ehrena5ehren AtlantaRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Tach wrote: »
    Feral wrote: »
    Tach wrote: »
    Greatest Rock/Pop band of all time.

    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.

    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.
    Read it again, Mr. Contrarian.
    Tach wrote:
    I'm talking popularity and infulence.

    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.

    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.

    a5ehren on
  • TheBlackWindTheBlackWind Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I just really have a hard time describing The Beatles as overrated, even with all the praise heaped on them. They had such a huge influence on everything from songwriting to concert performances to fashion, it's really hard to deny the lasting effects.

    TheBlackWind on
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