THE BEATLES

The Beatles were a product and a mirror of their time, digesting and reflecting all of the pop world in the '60s, resonant enough with a vast audience to become recognized as distinctly important above other performers, a force other acts never dared to challenge. If they had tried, it may not have been worth the trouble, for the Beatles enjoyed a force alien to their peers. Having performed in various forms since the British skiffle boom of the mid-'50s, they were not only indebted to the first generation of rock & rollers, in some ways they shared their expertise and experience. Beyond that, they rose to fame at a point when the guard was changing, and even with the superstars that descended in their wake -- of the best-known bands of the time, only the Beach Boys showed up before them -- the Beatles always had the virtue of a head start with an insecure generation in a bizarre time.

Their prowess and popularity was so great that it began to hamper them within a few years of their mythical landing in America (three months after the Kennedy assassination). The Beatles were so good, their audience swelling to an incomprehensible size, that scarcely anyone who knew who they were didn't love them, embraced for better or for worse, most likely the latter, by the establishment as much as the subversive youth. This trapped the band in a whirlwind of films, contrived concert appearances, promotional duties, even stage plays, but most of all it trapped them with their own music, and the difficulty and inevitable boredom that resulted forced them to change in ways that would not have otherwise come to them.

In this sense, and in the degree to which they offered a consistent portrait of evolution in a turbulent decade, the Beatles were not ahead of their time, as has so frequently been written. People who manage to grow more popular than even the most fondly established entertainers could not possibly be ahead of their time. Instead, the Beatles were wonderfully and assuredly of their time. In a very true sense, they were their time.

Years later it's no easy task to discern what caused this, but one factor is certain. With four distinct and talented personalities, each eradicating another's indulgent tendencies, the Beatles rarely took the kind of risks and leaps of faith that were the order of the day for so many others. Having said that, they were so beloved and undisputed that, to be fair, it was not actually possible for them to take risks. Anytime a change was made, it was embraced by the majority of their followers, and that is simply not their fault, but it resulted in their every move becoming so illuminated and aped that today much of their music lacks the urgency and vitality it must have had in its ideal era. [Note: I have come to feel differently about this; see below.]

For that reason, it is more important than ever to look at the Beatles as a band, not an institution, not an impersonal unnoticed creature on a pedestal. Their music has much more to offer than their legend.

Again, though, the Beatles' appeal remains of such a size that any two people who love the band could have entirely different ideals not only about what was great about them but, indeed, what is great about music and rock & roll, if they admit there is something great about rock & roll. Somehow they have attracted people who would otherwise only hear classical, or metal, or no music at all, and the list goes on forever. Perceptions of their music can stand in direct contradiction to one another.

This is mine.

And I should make clear before we press on some highly subjective beliefs of my own. It's not really debatable that all the (fascinating) peaks and valleys of the Beatles' career amounted to the story of a band that was led by John Lennon until the mid-'60s (REVOLVER, to be precise), when Paul began to take creative control and, eventually, management control as well. This is one of the many reasons for the above-noted paradox.

My own feeling is that John Lennon was three fourths of the Beatles, and in terms of their appeal to me personally, maybe more than that. Whether it's the writer in me or the belief in primal rock & roll in me or just the magnetism of the man's (frequently misdirected) passion, Lennon is what keeps me returning to the Beatles after hearing them with disturbing frequency throughout my life.

I also feel that the "evolution" of the Beatles work that was considered such an important leap in its time can be traced to what I noted above -- the intense desire to escape the imprisonment of their own stylistic tendencies as opposed to a conscious, natural cycle of change. Thus, it seems to me that the band's work after 1966 has not aged with the grace of their undiluted early albums. This is not a popularly shared opinion and I have attempted vainly to understand why, but I certainly would have disagreed earlier in my life when, with no exposure to much other music, the Beatles circa 1967 seemed like a new world to me. Let me say this much: I understand completely why REVOLVER and SGT. PEPPER were necessary albums to make, but I maintain that they make far less sense outside the context of their time than they once did.

In these essays an unsubtle attempt has been made to shed more light on what the early Beatles recordings mean to me and why, and to commemorate what is special about those that have nonetheless faded in importance for me. I have tried to be completely lucid, which is always a task and is doubly difficult for music that, all told, is second nature to me and is so imprinted in my mind that it was often not necessary to even listen to the CDs in order to review them. Even if you do not agree with my viewpoints, what I'm shooting for is that you might walk away with at least an understanding of them, and -- I hope -- of your own as well.

2006 note: I have a number of things I would like to say about the reviews linked below. This is the short version; HERE is a lengthier response; please check it out if you get the chance. I have come to feel that the achievements of the Beatles from the beginning of their career to the end are equally tremendous and that my impressions at the time I wrote these reviews of SGT. PEPPER, ABBEY ROAD, and especially REVOLVER not having aged well were mostly reflections of my extreme desire to elevate, as much as I could, the reputation of the Beatles' early work, which I believe to be perhaps the finest rock & roll ever recorded. While I was indeed extremely skeptical about the Beatles' later work at the time, I no longer feel this way, though I do still agree that there is a mysticism attached to it which takes away from the ability to assess it in a neutral fashion. The Beatles were always everything a rock band should be, and they are in nearly every way not just the greatest rock band that has existed but the greatest rock band that COULD exist, and their entire body of work is endlessly revelatory and delightful, and I can say that for certain having known it well for my entire life and being now more in love with it than ever, having become even more of a fan in the time since I wrote these essays. Rather than clutter up the reviews with my modern reappraisals, I simply ask that this notice and the "Beatles revisited" document linked below be considered as a supplement to them. Certainly the views exhibited here are quite valid and interesting, even when, on occasion, I no longer agree with them. I remain very proud of these reviews and I hope you enjoy them.

The "grades" next to the album titles below reflect my current opinions, not the reviews themselves, which I do not plan to revise, as they remain fairly accurate in terms of my beliefs about the group.

ANNOTATED DISCOGRAPHY

ALBUMS REVIEWED:
Please Please Me (1963) [A]
With the Beatles (1963) [A+]
A Hard Day's Night (1964) [A+]
Beatles for Sale (1964) [A+]
Help! (1965) [A]
Rubber Soul (1965) [A+]
Revolver (1966) [A+]
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) [A+]
Magical Mystery Tour (1967) [A-]
The Beatles (1968) [A+]
Yellow Submarine (1969) [B]
Abbey Road (1969) [A+]
Let It Be (1970) [A-]

LIVE ALBUMS
Live! At the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962 (1977) [B+]
The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl (1977) [B]

COMPILATIONS
A Collection of Beatles Oldies (1966) [A-]
Hey Jude (1969) [B]
The Beatles 1962-1966 (1973) [A-]
The Beatles 1967-1970 (1973) [A-]
Rock & Roll Music (1976) [B-]
Love Songs (1978) [C-]
The Beatles Ballads (1980) [D]
Reel Music (1982) [D-]
20 Greatest Hits (1982) [B+]
Beatles 1 (2000) [A]

RARITIES COLLECTIONS
In the Beginning (1970) [B-]
Rarities (1979) [B]
The Decca Audition Tape (1982) [B-]
Past Masters Volume One (1988) [A+]
Past Masters Volume Two (1988) [A+]
Live at the BBC (1994) [A]
Anthology 1 (1995) [A-]
Anthology 2 (1996) [A-]
Anthology 3 (1996) [A]
Yellow Submarine Songtrack (1999) [B+]
Let It Be Naked (2003) [D]

BOXED SETS
The Capitol Albums Vol. 1 (2004) [A-]

EP'S
The Beatles' Hits (1963) [A-]
Twist and Shout (1963) [A-]
The Beatles No. 1 (1963) [B+]
All My Loving (1963) [A-]
Long Tall Sally (1964) [A+]
Extracts from the Film "A Hard Day's Night" (1964) [A-]
Extracts from the Album "A Hard Day's Night" (1964) [A-]
Beatles for Sale No. 1 (1964) [B+]
Beatles for Sale No. 2 (1965) [B+]
The Beatles' Million Sellers (1965) [A]
Yesterday (1965) [A-]
Nowhere Man (1966) [A-]

SINGLES

OTHER WRITING
The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit [64/04] DVD review (2007)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 40th Anniversary (2007)
Mick Jagger on "I Wangt to Hold Your Hand" (2007)
Another Look at My Beatles reviews (2006)

ESSAYS:
John Lennon 1940-1980 (2005)

FILM & VIDEO REVIEWS:
Beatles Anthology review
A Hard Day's Night (film review)
A Hard Day's Night (second review)
A Hard Day's Night (DVD review)
Yellow Submarine (film review)

WEBBLOG ARCHIVE:
(Boldfaced links actually contain Beatles-related material; others are just passing mentions.)
Help! announcement
Imagine: John Lennon companion book
Feist: Let It Die
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Paul McCartney: Memory Almost Full
Bergman
current music
Wuzzon #9
Village Green Preservation Society
Rain / Help!
songs I skip on Beatles 1
This Is The The Savage Young Beatles
Ratatouille thoughts
Paul McCartney interview in New Yorker
Dick Dale and His Del-Tones
The Beach Boys: Warmth of the Sun
Passengers: Original Soundtracks 1
The Rolling Stones: Between the Buttons
bad jokes rant
Love: Story
John Lennon: Mind Games
Everything But the Girl
internet radio
Ringo Starr interviewed in RS
Ringo
anybody want a mix
my brother
Easy Rider
Sweet Little Sixteen in Hamburg
top 10 of week
mention of merch collecting
Zombies / Love
tom courtenay video
1000th post
best DVDs of 2006 / most wanted films on DVD
George Martin in top ten of week
Brian Wilson: Smile
Fanny & Alexander debate
Prisoner DVD review
Marvelettes
top 10 of week
Sexy Sadie at dentist
The Prisoner
comments on US vs. John Lennon
note on David Leaf
Yo La Tengo review
top 10 of week
DVD reviews
US vs. John Lennon
YLT comparison
new releases
Wuzzon #8
Kind Hearts & Coronets DVD review
yoko's hat is crazy!!!!!
Billy Preston obit
double album talk
some talk re: rock books
Buddy Holly & Stevie Wonder capsules
Schizopolis review
Wuzzon #6
current music
How I Won the War review
current music
Wuzzon #5
some notes on Band on the Run
Rolling Stones: Aftermath review
Wuzzon #4
Beck essay
Beatles in Year in Music
comments on Beatles Anthology
mention in Radiohead review
Beatles flag and other Beatles merch
exchanging cd's
mention in Depeche Mode review
Jim & the Beatles
Paul McCartney: Chaos & Creation + mention in My Bloody Valentine review
Playing the Angel comments
Paul McCartney in Rolling Stone
John Lennon 1940-1980 take 1
Beatles vs. other music
metion in Jules & Jim review
mention in discussion of end of CBGB's
Beatles and solitude
IMAGINE being released on DVD
Coming Home review
metion in Mr. Tambourine Man essay
metion in Dennis Prager rant
my new Beatles phase II
my new Beatles phase
addendum re: Capitol Albums box
reaction to Capitol Albums box
found Lewisohn's Recording Sessions book!
mention in Jerry Beck's Pixar essay
mention in another Incredibles comment
mention in Incredibles comment
very minor mention
cancellation of Obsessive Fan HSN
more on Capitol Albums
Capitol Albums announcement
mention in idea about scholarly PHP
mention of abandoned site feature
Wuzzon #2
Brian's Back? essay
mention in Big Star reunion announcement
Blender's 50 Worst Songs list
mention in Spector box review
mention in rant about LA Times article
mention in The Ring review
Beatles in NYC anniversary
mention in Beach Boys articles
mention in vail Trail revisited
Beatles reviews posted
Vail Trail
brief mention in Simpsons rant
brief mention in Peanuts announcement
open letter to music industry
Let It Be Naked complaints
Philip Norman's McCartney rant
Let It Be Naked reaction
website work
Television: The Blow Up
200 bands assessed III
200 bands assessed II
200 bands assessed
Nirvana essay
Beach Boys complaining
Seattle
Charles Manson
mention of John Lennon in Tori Amos concert review