The Beatles Interlude - An Introduction

I've reached the point in my journey where I have to review a Beatles album off of The Big List. For some reason I am a bit perturbed about this prospect. I've heard plenty of Beatles music in my life and honestly have not really liked most of it. That doesn't mean I don't think some of it is good, I just never caught on with what the big deal is.



It was clearly a BIG effing deal.

It's no question The Beatles were a collection of great musicians who could write a good tune. But with respect to the rest of the field, especially their contemporaries, as musicians did The Beatles ever do more than get the job done? Not that getting the job done is any small feat. I am just always hoping to find that one Beatles performance that makes me say, "Holy shit!" like Jimmy Page's solo in "Black Dog" or John Entwistle's bassline in "The Real Me" or Pick Withers' drumming on "Sultans of Swing". The only way to know for sure is to listen to The Beatles' music.



Because asking a well-adjusted fan is not an option.

The thing is The Beatles' catalogue is pretty extensive, and my number one source for Beatles music, classic rock stations, only play a smattering of their hits. This makes me feel maybe I'm judging The Beatles too harshly. I get the feeling that I don't have a clear picture of what The Beatles really were. As The Big List contains only 7 Beatles albums out of 12 they officially released, I'll wind up missing a lot of Beatles music that might settle this issue for me.

I've decided on a rules change in this special case. Since in the end I'll have to listen to 7 of the Beatles studio albums I've decided to just go ahead and listen to them all. This is a legendary band that is considered by many to be the best musical act of all time. If I'm going to argue for or against that premise, I really have to do my homework.

I have a feeling some people will not enjoy the majority of my commentary.

My plan is to listen to the entire Beatles catalogue in chronological order. To me this is the only way to get an accurate sense of the band's musical evolution. In the last couple years I grew to really love The Who after hearing their "middle three" albums. When I went back and listened to their earlier albums I felt let down because the music wasn't nearly as awesome. I want to give The Beatles a completely fair shake, so starting at the beginning and working my way in might allow their music to grow on me.

Now the challenge: to identify and locate every original Beatles release and listen to them in chronological order. There are two potential hangups. First many of the Beatles biggest hits were released only as singles and thus don't appear on any official album. They do appear on numerous compilations, but I want the original release versions along with their b-sides. That might not be quite as easy as locating the original albums.

Or as easy as finding really dumb-looking pictures

Second when the Beatles music "crossed over" from the UK it was repackaged by various record companies into several completely different albums. To give you an idea, by the time The Beatles released their fifth album in their homeland, the US had already seen 9 albums released. Being a purist I want to go with the original UK release. That way I hope to avoid most of the repackaging that probably wound up putting the same songs on several different albums.

I should also clarify that when I say "the entire Beatles catalogue" I mean all the official studio releases made while the band was active. This means every single, EP, and LP released between the October, 1962 release of "Love Me Do" to the May, 1970 release of Let It Be, though I will be ignoring singles or EPs of songs released after they appear on albums. If I were to try and locate everything recorded or released under the name "The Beatles" I may be doing this project for the rest of my life. Besides, The Beatles didn't get famous on the stuff they released after they broke up, so I feel safe ignoring it.

My blog could use some more screaming women fans.

Anyway, I've at least identified the songs in chronological order and for the most part have uncovered copies for listening. Now to get to work.

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