Castle Rock Companion - The Mangler

The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour (album and film)

This album has some of my absolute favorite Beatles songs on it, and most of the rest are still pretty strong.  To give you an idea, all but two of the tracks here I have stored on my phone to listen to whenever I'd like. Of  course this is also technically a soundtrack album, but I always felt more like the movie was made to suit the songs rather than the other way around.  You'll see what I mean when I talk about the film.

1. "Magical Mystery Tour" - While certainly meant to be an intro into the film, I think the song still stands on its own.  I love the quality of the "roll up!" and how it sounds like the tape is warped and perhaps going to break at any moment.  It's also nice to hear a song where Paul, John and George all have individual singing parts on top of the harmonies (even though Paul obviously dominates the track).  It shows how they were developing their own distinct voices and I like moments like this where they all worked together.
2. "Fool on the Hill" - And of course, after I've said that, we now get Paul working alone.  That's not entirely true, as the other Beatles do play on the track, but this is most definitely his.  I enjoy the simplicity of the penny whistle in there, but it is a rather sleepy song so it's not one of my favorites.
3. "Flying" - A completely instrumental song, almost seemingly there to remind us that this is a soundtrack album.  It's not bad, but there's not much to it.  As you might have guessed, this is one I don't keep with me.
4. "Blue Jay Way" - While this one certainly still has Indian influence to it, it's a lot different than George's recent offerings.  It's slow and sleepy but the quality fits the song perfectly, and the inclusion of the cello means this is a song I really, really like. 
5. "Your Mother Should Know" - A fun, old timey sounding song.  The lyrics are pretty repetitive but it mostly suits the bouncy nature of the melody.  This kind of bouncy stuff is really what Paul is best at.
6. "I Am the Walrus" - I love this song so much.  It's so wonderfully absurd.  It doesn't make a lick of sense and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I remember when I was young, getting Beatle books from the library, trying to find some clue to what was going on here.  Instead I found John explaining that he wrote most of these lines while on acid.  Of course he did.  It's the kind of lovely nonsense that Lewis Carroll and T.S. Elliot would appreciate.  It's also interesting from a technical perspective, with the distorted vocals and the way they literally turned on a radio and twisted the dial until they found something.  My only criticism would be that the "Everybody's got one"/"Oompah oopmah stick it up your jumper" sequence goes on a bit too long.  But it's a pretty minor complaint.  Obviously, one of my favorite Beatles songs.
7. "Hello Goodbye" - And we move on to something completely different but just as wonderful.  It's a throwback to their early pop days while also displaying the musical maturity they've gained since then.  Paul's wonderful bass melody, a touch of George's slide guitar, and those wonderful contradicting backing vocals. I said it before in my anthology review, but the video for this one is just too cute.  I love the way they switch from the Pepper outfits to the collarless suits, the tiny and then oversized drums, and especially that ending dance sequence of them just being completely and utterly silly.  It's so very them and so very wonderful.
8. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - And on to another song I love, but in a completely different way.  There was a time when I would dismiss this as John leaning on more nonsense, but the deeper I looked at it the more these vocals spoke to me.  When I have those days that I feel so utterly alone and that no one is ever going to understand me, I put this on and suddenly I'm not so alone.  It's a little bitter toward the human race,  but that's pretty much what that feeling of isolation is all about, isn't it?  Beyond the lyrics it's musically both unique and beautiful, with so many things going on that it's hard to list them all.  It gives the track a dreamlike quality that I love.
9. "Penny Lane" - I don't think you can make it any clearer that Paul and John were starting to build a  bit of a rivalry here, where we've got two tracks in a row that mention areas they visited in their childhood.  It's a very different kind of song, naturally being a bit more light and playful than John's song.  I think what I found so surprising was when I found just how cheeky it is.  "He likes to keep his fire engine clean" and "Four of fish and finger pies."  It's an interesting thing to do for what sounds like such an innocent song otherwise.  Musically it's just all around very beautiful and a great song to listen to.
10. "Baby You're a Rich Man" - This is the other song I leave off.  It's even more repetitive than "Your Mother Should Know" and there's just not a whole lot to it.  It's not awful, it's just not something I ever feel much of an urge to listen to.
11. "All You Need is Love" - Admittedly, this one is also repetitive, but I think the message shines through strong enough to make it okay.  While it should be just as outdated as "The Word" was, I still like it, even if I think the idea is a bit naive.  Love won't fix all the world's problems, but a little kindness never hurt either.  I can understand how some people may find it a little too saccharine, but I enjoy it.  Especially the way Paul starts singing "Loved you, yeah, yeah yeah..." at the end.

While it's not my favorite era of the Beatles, it's definitely one of my favorite albums of theirs, just full of so much strong material.

After being in two well made studio based films, the Beatles decided to try their own thing with Magical Mystery Tour.  There were no scripts written, and only the basic of plots planned out.  As such, this film is entirely experimental art film and not much else.  There are still song performances that are like music videos, but the rest is primarily like strange dream sequences.  If you prefer structure and logic to your movies, you're going to be immensely disappointed.

I managed to tape this movie off VH1 in the 90s.  It was released on DVD in 1997 but is now out of print. 

Richard Starkey and his Aunt Jessie are joining a ragtag group of individuals on a bus tour.  That's Ringo using his real name and actress Jessie Robins, not actually related to him in anyway.  John, Paul and George are also on the bus, though they don't necessarily seem to all know each other. The four of them and Mal Evans also portray some wizards in the sky watching over the bus that are sort of responsible for all of the crazy things that happen to them.

Beyond the fantastic music sequences, there are some fun scenes.  The scene of John with the little girl is very cute, and Ringo's comfortableness in front of the camera just shows, even if the dialogue is sincerely lacking.  Victor Spinetti is very funny as the army sergeant, even if they let the scene go on a bit too long.  My favorite is probably the scene of John shoveling spaghetti onto Aunt Jessie's plate.  His deranged look just makes it hysterical.

Of the music sequences, I really love “I Am the Walrus,” which manages to be just as zany and insane as the song itself, but I also really enjoy “Blue Jay Way.” The projection is a simple effect, but they put it to good use.  Also, how can you not love that ginormous sunflower John is wearing? (I've linked both of these videos above with the songs if you'd like to see them.)

For a movie that was originally shown on television, it's a little surprising to see a strip tease included, but then I guess British standards are different from American.  That scene also begs the question, what were the women doing while the men watched that?  By the way, the song being played during this scene is “Death Cab for Cutie,” and yes, that's where they got their name from.

During “Your Mother Should Know,” Paul is wearing a black carnation while the other Beatles sport red.  This has been used as a “Paul is dead” clue, and Paul's official defense is that they ran out of red flowers so he took a black.  I'm sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense.  I can accept him walking out of step on the cover of Abbey Road since he's left handed, but are you really going to tell me they only had three flowers of a very common color?  Which is not to say that I think Paul is actually dead, I'm just saying there's got to be a better reason there.

I realize this review is pretty disjointed but given the nature of the film, I don't really have a choice.  It's a complete mess.  My love of the Beatles allows me to enjoy it, but even then it's the kind of thing I probably would only watch once every five years or so.

The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

This album is largely considered mind blowing and many people will tell you that it "changed everything."  In an interesting contrast, my dad told me that he and his older brother took a trip to the record store.  His brother bought this album, and my dad got one by Herman and the Hermits.  They listened to this album once, then proceeded to listen to the Hermits album over and over again.  While it's certainly fair to mention that my dad was only 8 at the time, it still shows you that not everyone had their minds immediately changed when they heard the album back then.  I do however think it's a strong album, and certainly appeals to me as a clear predecessor to the rock music I grew up with.

1. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - A great guitar riff and a good driving drum beat make this song great.  It's near impossible to not also imagine the Beatles in their bright colored suits as you hear it too.  It's such an iconic image at this point, and the song is the proper backdrop for it.
2. "With a Little Help from My Friends" - I technically first heard this song via the Joe Cocker version that was the theme song to the Wonder Years.  So when I heard this much peppier version for the first time, I was confused.  But overtime I've really grown to enjoy it and I  think it's one of  the most enjoyable Beatles' songs that Ringo sings on.
3. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - I spent a lot of time in my youth wondering if John was telling the truth, if this really was just based on a drawing by Julian, or if it was in fact a tribute to LSD.  As I get older I've decided it doesn't truly matter.  The images and wordplay sound to me like a tribute to Lewis Carroll, and the dreamy quality of the organ and the filter on John's vocals just set the mood perfectly.  A really great song.
4. "Getting Better" - A song that perfectly encapsulates Paul the optimist and John the cynic into one simple line - "It's getting better all the time - It can't get no worse."  It's also just wonderfully upbeat in rhythm and a lot of fun to tap your foot to and sing along with.
5. "Fixing a Hole" - A slightly more abstract song from Paul that's still about staying positive and not letting the bad stuff get you down.  Musically I don't know how to describe it, but I do like it a lot.
6. "She's Leaving Home" - Definitely the one slow contribution from John & Paul, it's slow tempo and sad tone mean that it's one I have been known to pass over occasionally.  But I do find it very interesting that the point of view seems to be that it was good for this young girl to run away from home, despite the fact that her parents did not seem to be abusive in any way.  While there's certainly a detriment to spoiling your child, I'm not sure it warrants running away.
7. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" - I love the inspiration behind this one, the idea of finding such a great poster and then building a song around it.  The circus sound is just great and I really love the song.
8. "Within You Without You" - George's song of the album, Indian influenced and just not my thing at all.  This is  the one I definitely skip.
9. "When I'm Sixty Four" - Whimsical and silly, with a wonderful bouncy quality.  I dare you not to sing along with this one!
10. "Lovely Rita" - Similar to the one above, it's just silly and infectious and wonderful.
11. "Good Morning Good Morning" - A bit more dynamic than a lot of  the rest of the album, in a really good way.  I love the sort of monotone vocals John delivers on the verses followed by the shouting nature on the chorus, I can very easily see setting this as a song to wake up to.  Also, I love the parade of animals at the end, supposedly each one being followed by their natural predator.  The chicken being the last sound heard doesn't make any sense in that respect, but the chicken to guitar transition that takes us into the next song makes that worth it.
12. "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)" - Even more rocking than the original and therefore even more fun.  It leaves you wanting more.
13. "A Day in the Life" - Such an odd little song that feels like a concept album in and of itself in its own way.  The pieces of the song don't really mesh together all that well but there are enough proper transitions there that I don't mind it.  I also used to love turning the sound up to hear every last bit of that last piano chord ringing out.

The Beatles - Revolver

As I said, I see Rubber Soul and Revolver as being pretty tightly linked together.  Their sounds are very similar in a lot of ways.  I may listen to Rubber Soul slightly more often than Revolver, but not by much. 

1. "Taxman" - Remember how I said George's song writing would be getting better soon?  Well here it is.  A strong opener to the album and just an all around great song.
2. "Eleanor Rigby" - Such a depressing song.  It's interesting how Paul seems to operate at extremes, writing things that are really sad or overly sweet.  I tend to go back and forth on this song, but I think that has more to do with whether or not I'm in the mood for it.  It's very good for what it is.
3. "I'm Only Sleeping" - From the backwards guitar solo to the wonderful dreamlike quality of the vocals, I really like this song.  Don't we all wish we could be this lazy sometimes?
4. "Love You To" -I had no memory of this song and then I looked it up and saw it was one of George's Indian influenced songs, and it all made sense.  While I respect his willingness to try something different and he no doubt exposed many people to a style they otherwise never would have heard, I'm just not a fan of the droning nature of this type of music.  It's a little too sleep inducing for me.
5. "Here, There, and Everywhere" - Here's the sweet side of Paul's songwriting.  It's a pretty good one, though not really one of my favorites.
6. "Yellow Submarine" - I'm sure there are people out there who don't like this song, given how repetitive the chorus can be.  But for me it's just a silly bit of fun and I love the background voices of them mimicking the crew working on the submarine.
7. "She Said She Said" -Another strong one from John, showing him pushing that harder edge into their music that's always a lot of fun.  It also has quite the interesting story behind it.
8. "Good Day Sunshine" -This song kind of has the feel of a TV commercial jingle, which is why I'm pretty sure it's been used as one at some point.  It's just a good bouncy kind of song that's fun to sing along to. (I could not resist using the cartoon clip.  How adorable are the cartoon designs?)
9. "And Your Bird Can Sing" -Another one I first heard through that Shared Vision CD, and another one of my more obscure favorites.  There's also a  great outtake on the second Anthology that features John and Paul giggling hysterically while trying to record overdubs.
10. "For No One" - A somber song from Paul, which works so well because of its simplicity.  I think you can really hear the sadness of what he's feeling in it.
11. "Doctor Robert" - Definitely the most obvious of the drug inspired songs on the album, it always makes me wonder about what it was like to live in the 60s, when a lot of those drugs were new and no one really understood what they did or what the long term effects of using them would be, but let's just go for it.  It's such a difference from how things are today with a wealth of information being shared from both sides of the fence.  As far as the song itself, it's good with some great harmonies on that breakdown (middle eight?  I didn't take music theory so I'm guessing that's what it is.)
12. "I Want to Tell You" - Another one I didn't really remember at all until I heard it again. It's a George song, and it's okay.  I like the lyrics more than the music.
13. "Got to Get You into My Life" -The horns are really what make this one so distinctive.  It's enjoyable, though not one of my favorites.
14. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - For a really long time I never listened to this song.  It was too odd for me.  It was only much later that I came to appreciate it for the experimental piece that it is.  All the little tape loops are certainly a predecessor to the electronic music of today.  

So overall a pretty strong album, and another absolute recommendation for me.  While this is the end of my favorite era of the Beatles, we're not going to hit that sharp of a decline from here on out.

The Beatles - Rubber Soul

Now we're really getting into the good stuff.  This is my personal favorite era of the Beatles, where they were first starting to experiment but not getting too weird and the lyrics were becoming much more personal.

1. "Drive My Car" - Well okay, I didn't mean they were all personal!  But there's no doubt this is a funny, catchy song and it's pretty hard to resist singing along with.
2. "Norwegian Wood" - It's the first appearance of the sitar on a Beatles' track and otherwise just a very strongly influenced Dylan tune.  I love the juxtaposition of such a mellow sounding song and the lyrics saying he's doing something as destructive as setting furniture on fire.
3. "You Won't See Me" - Paul is clearly still having trouble with Jane Asher at this point.  Can you imagine what it must be like, to hear your relationship problems recorded for all the world?  I imagine so many years later, both Jane and Cynthia Lennon have adjusted to this quite well, but at the time it must have been such a strange feeling.  As far as the song itself, I really like its somber yet poppy tone.
4. "Nowhere Man" - Harmonies, harmonies, oh how I love harmonies.  The subject matter is somehow sad and also hopeful at the same time.Or maybe not hopeful but at least comforting, the idea that while we all feel alone and going nowhere sometimes, the fact that it's a common experience means we're not really alone at all.  It's songs like this that make me love John as much as I do.
5. "Think for Yourself" - George now tries his hand at this newer style of song writing.  Musically it's pretty basic, and lyrically it sounds really jaded to me.  Which is probably a bit of honesty, as George never really seemed cut out for the huge amount of fame that the Beatles experienced.  I don't blame him, I don't know that I could handle that either.
6. "The Word" - The word I think of when I think about this song?  Hippies.  This kind of thinking just has not aged well at all, regardless of the good intentions behind it.
7. "Michelle" - I don't remember what comedian it was who talked about thinking that the words to this were "Someday monkey play piano song" but it's hard not to think about it when I hear the song.  Beyond that though, this is just a simple, sweet song, but it's one that I really enjoy.  I had a friend who was actually named after this song and she and I bonded over the Beatles quite a bit, so it may be happy memories coming back whenever I hear it.
8. "What Goes On" - This song is fairly unique in that it is credited to Lennon, McCartney, and Starkey, meaning that Ringo did help to write the song, though he admits that it was a pretty small contribution.Once again it's country so it's never going to be on my list of favorites,  but it's good for what it is.  There's also a moment where after Ringo sings "Tell me why" you can very faintly hear John say "We already told you why!" in reference to the song on the last album.  I have a habit of turning the track way up so I can hear it every time.
9. "Girl" - The song itself is a little too dreary for me most of the time, but there's no denying they did some interesting things with it.  It's a precursor to them really pushing the boundaries on their later albums.
10. "I'm Looking Through You" - Another bouncy song about a rather sad situation.  It seems to be a recurring theme here.  It's a good one.
11. "In My Life" - Probably the best love song John ever wrote.  The fact that it works both as a song for lovers and a song for friends, for people still living and those who have passed on, is part of what makes it so great.  Just an all around beautiful song. (I also couldn't resist linking to the fantastic edit of clips they used this song with in The Beatles Anthology)
12. "Wait"  - On an album with so many really strong songs, this one pales by comparison.  It's good for what it is, but it's not entirely special either.
13. "If I Needed Someone" - A slightly more positive sounding song than "Think for Yourself" but still nowhere near as strong as the Lennon-McCartney songs on the album.  Don't worry, George, you'll get better very soon.
14. "Run For Your Life" -  I could easily admonish John for once again threatening a woman when he's talking about cheating on other tracks on the album, but in the last couple years I heard something that changed how I view this song.  The line "I'd rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man," is ripped straight from an Elvis song "Baby Let's Play House" so you could almost see this song as some kind of strange tribute to such a twisted line.  I also have this strange fascination with songs where the person is threatening or talking about murdering someone, and this song definitely belongs on that list. (Toadies' "Possum Kingdom" and Soundgarden's "Burden in My Hand" are also on that playlist, if you're curious.)

I love this album, and consider it essential listening for Beatles appreciation.  I also consider it to be tightly connected to Revolver, which we'll be looking at next!

Castle Rock Companion - The Lawnmower Man

 Huge thanks to Noel for joining me this episode and putting up with my ribbing.

The Beatles - Help! (album and film)

Similar to A Hard Day's Night, Help's side A contains all music from the film, while side B features two covers and some more original songs.  But is it as strong overall as that other soundtrack album?  Let's see.

1. "Help!" - Let's hit the ground running with a great one, right?  The story goes that the film was going to be called Eight Arms to Hold You until John ended up writing this song.  It fits the film well with the Beatles constantly running away from Ringo's dilemma and it's just a great song besides.  It's also a great intro to this start of a new direction for the Beatles.  While the songs are still largely about relationships, they're becoming more about specific instances rather than just general I love you/I miss you kind of things.
2. "The Night Before" - Before Linda came along Paul had a long standing relationship with Jane Asher, and it's pretty clear that around this time they were having quite a bit of trouble.  Nearly all of his songs are about such troubles.  This one is not fantastic, but still a pretty strong one.
3. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" - Reportedly a song John wrote for their gay manager Brian Epstein, it's a wonderfully sad song that always tugs at my heartstrings.  I love the strong presence of the acoustic guitar and the flute.  Paul described this as John mocking Bob Dylan, and you can certainly hear the resemblance. Bonus fun: Listen to the first 30 seconds of this clip where Paul breaks a glass in the background and John makes up a silly song on the spot.
4. "I Need You" - It's time for George's song.  It's average.  There's some neat little percussion bits in there, but overall it's a kind of sleeper song.
5. "Another Girl" - This is sort of Paul's version of "If I Fell," except he's speaking directly to the ex rather than the new girl.  It's certainly a much more positive take on the issue.  He's still trying to make the old girl jealous, but he's doing it largely by telling her how great the new one is.  It's also fun and upbeat and very catchy.
6. "You're Going to Lose That Girl" - Another love triangle song, but now it's about threatening to take a girl away if you don't treat her right, so I guess we're on a better track here.  The harmonies and percussion are really what shine in this song to me.
7. "Ticket to Ride" - John once called this the first heavy metal song.  At first listen, that may sound far fetched, but I think if you listen to both the guitars and way he's singing, you can hear how this could have influenced the metal singers of the 70s.  Regardless it's a great song and a great way to end side A.
8. "Act Naturally" - Ringo sings the first of the two covers on this album, no doubt because he wasn't quite ready to write his own songs yet.  Once again it suits his voice really well and I think it's one of my favorite Ringo songs.  Listening to the original, they didn't deviate too much from it.  That one has just a little too much twang in it for my tastes though.
9. "It's Only Love" - Another somber one from John, and another one I've always really enjoyed.  I love the way he goes crooner level high at some parts.
10. "You Like Me Too Much" - This song sounds more like their earlier albums.  It's another George song, and it makes me think that in terms of writing he wasn't quite ready to leave that style just yet.
11. "Tell Me What You See" - I had to look this one up because I couldn't remember it.  A few seconds in I found myself getting the urge to skip it, because apparently that's what I always did when listening to this album.  It's just really boring.
12. "I've Just Seen a Face" - I've always really liked the fast pace of this one.  It's a different spin from most country songs you normally here.
13. "Yesterday" - I don't have to tell you about this one.  You've heard it, you've heard it covered ten million times no doubt, you probably already know it's the first Beatles song that contained only one Beatle and just backing musicians.  At the time it sparked rumors that Paul would go solo.  To be quite honest I'm downright bored with it by now from hearing it so often, but there's no denying it's good for what it is.  I learned how to play the basic melody of this one on the keyboard way back in 8th grade, so I obviously liked it a bit more back then.
14. "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" - Well hello oddball cover track that doesn't belong on this album.  Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen a more obvious instance where they had to fill up the rest of the record space so they fired off one more quick cover.  I always assumed this was a Little Richard song, but in fact it was sung by Larry Williams.  So now we all know.

After A Hard Day's Night was such a huge success, they decided to take a few more chances and go a bit more theatrical for their second film.  The result is a far zanier film, a more obvious comedy, and not something that could be labeled an art film very easily.  But that doesn't mean it isn't good.

The plot is simple if not a bit ludicrous - a girl who is part of a sacrificial cult sends Ringo their symbolic ring to avoid her own sacrifice.  Yeah, that's the one problematic part of the film, where the enemy is made up of "Easterners" and of course are all played by European actors.  But this was made in the 1960s after all.  Ringo puts on the ring not knowing what it is, and then can't get it off once he finds out.  He and the other Beatles spend the film trying to run away from the cult members, who chase them all over the world.  It feels a lot like an English comedy sketch show like Monty Python, and it should, because both that series and this film were inspired by the English radio program The Goon Show.

I love this style of humor so it's no surprise that I also love this film.  It's silly, it's random, and it has all kinds of crazy moments.  I love the set up of the house where the Beatles supposedly live and so many of the gags just thrown in throughout.  "The Exciting Adventure of Paul on the Floor" may be one of my favorite moments, but really the whole film is just so funny.

The music segments here are all straight up music videos, which makes sense as by this point they were making promotional videos to send out to television stations quite regularly.  This comes from my favorite era of Beatles history, and therefore I particularly love most of the songs here, Ticket to Ride perhaps being the best, both in song and performance.  We also once again get instrumental Beatles songs in the score.

This film may not be as easily accessible as A Hard Day's Night, but I think fans of British humor will enjoy it immensely.

The Beatles - Beatles for Sale

This album was recorded at the height of the Beatles popularity, and its name is as tongue in cheek as the Beatles often were.  The record company wanted to push out another album to cash in on their success, and so they quickly recorded these songs with a large number of covers included to pad out the album.  But that doesn't mean it's all fluff.

1. "No Reply" - Case in point, this is a good one.  There's an adorable outtake on the Beatles Anthology for this one where they flub the words halfway through and then continue the joke through to the end. 
2. "I'm a Loser" - I find that whenever I'm home alone on a Friday or Saturday night for whatever reason while everyone else is out, I find myself singing the chorus of this song.  It doesn't really fit at all, because he's singing about being dumped, but the way they stretch out the O in loser just makes it so fun and generally makes me feel a little better even though I'm not out having fun.
3. "Baby's In Black" - I don't really care for this too much.  There's some clever stuff going on here in the lyrics, but it just doesn't grab me like a lot of their other songs do.
4. "Rock and Roll Music" - The first cover, originally a Chuck Berry song, which if you've been paying attention you know means I like it more than the original.  John just puts an energy to it that I find Berry's version lacking.
5. "I'll Follow the Sun" - It's another somber Paul song.  It's not bad, not great.  It is very easy to sing along with.
6. "Mr. Moonlight" - Another cover, and this one is just plain mediocre.  I blame the song itself rather than their performance.  Hear the original and see how close it is.
7. "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!" - Putting all these covers in a row just really makes it kind of painful to get through.  Though this is the perfect time to point out that Paul McCartney obviously secretly wished he was Little Richard around this time.
8. "Eight Days a Week" - I like the way this one seems to never really start or end, with the fade in and fade out.  But of course the danger of that is it can essentially get stuck in your head repeating forever.
9. "Words of Love" - A cover of a Buddy Holly song that has his distinctive style to it.  It's odd to hear the Beatles emulating it so closely.  It's not bad, it's just clearly not their song.
10. "Honey Don't" - This cover is originally by Carl Perkins, and this is Ringo's token song of the album.  While I'm not much of a fan of country, there's no denying that it suits Ringo well.
11. "Every Little Thing" - I had zero memory of this song when I started this review.  Hearing the chorus brings it back to me, but it is pretty forgettable over all.
12. "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" - I am bothered by that title.  I'm not exactly sure why, though it does sound whiny.  The song itself is a little too country for my tastes.
13. "What You're Doing" - I had no memory of this one either.  Stylistically it reminds of songs that Paul would write better on the later albums.  So I guess it serves well as a predecessor, but I'd rather listen to the other songs instead.
14. "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" - Another cover of a Carl Perkins song, this one sung by George.  While the lyrics don't really seem to suit him, I do like the way he sings it and I like the upbeat nature of the song.  It also makes me wonder if its just coincidence that George and Ringo both sang Perkins songs or not.  Maybe they were both listening to his albums together around that time.  BONUS: Carl Perkins and George playing the song together!

Overall it's a weak album, but there are a few decent songs tucked in there.  It certainly doesn't belong on a list of essential Beatles albums, but I think it's worth at least one listen before moving on.

The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (album and film)

I'm pretty sure I watched the movie before I bought the album, as I have memories of renting the film and it having a promo of sorts in front of the film that played the song "I'll Cry Instead." It was new to me at the time and I'm pretty sure that it combined with what I saw guaranteed I would also buy the album. So I guess I should go in the order that I first experienced these?

When the Beatles popularity become so huge it had its own name, it was logical that they would inevitably appear in film. Elvis had proved to be just as popular a movie star as a singer, even if most of those films aren't very good. But the Beatles had watched those films and loved them, so they wanted to try it for themselves. For their first film, they decided to create a sort of fictionalized account of what their life was like, and for four completely inexperienced actors that was a wise choice. It was also very wise of them to have screenwriter Alun Owen actually follow the Beatles around and get to know them before he wrote it. As such, we get a story that is equal parts fiction and real, because while the situations are made up, this is largely how the Beatles themselves would act in the situation. And of course there are plenty of musical breaks thrown in as well.

It's both a musical and a comedy, two genres that were often combined in the early days of film. But while some Marx Brothers films have me scratching my head with their random music breaks, the combination makes perfect sense here. The Beatles have an amazing charm that makes them naturally funny, and of course they're fantastic musicians. The movie is basically one of the easiest ways for a person to see why they were so popular.

While about half of the music sequences are set up to look like live performances or rehearsals, we also get some pre-cursors to the modern music video, with scenes like the spontaneous singing on the train or the Beatles running in the field. The musical score is also based on Beatles songs, arranged by George Martin himself.

But while I love the songs I have to say I'm partial to the comedy sequences. The scene of them pestering the old man on the train seems like something right out of a Marx Brothers film. Their various solo scenes are fantastic. I also think the ongoing teasing John gives their manager is adorable. A lot of credit gets given to Ringo for his big solo moment, but I think I prefer the subtle humor and commentary of George's scene in the modeling agency or the fun word play with John and the woman in the hallway. Paul had his own solo scene but it was cut from the movie, apparently mostly for pacing reasons.

I believe the addition of Paul's grandfather was probably put there both to give them an antagonist and also someone to help built a plot around more complex then "the Beatles give a live performance on television." But while you certainly could ask yourself why a band member's relative would be tagging along, he actually fits in pretty well with the cast, and is just plain funny. Apparently the reason they continually refer to him as "clean" is a joke based on the character he was playing in a sitcom on television at that time, but not knowing that particular in joke has never stopped me from enjoying the film before now.

While the long musical sequences might make it hard for a non-Beatles fan to enjoy, I think this holds up as a great film and not just a vanity picture.

This album is not a soundtrack in the way that we normally think of them today, because while it does include all the songs included in the film, it also contains additional ones.  I imagine if this film was made today, they would have slapped in some of those instrumental arrangements George Martin did and then kept the other songs for another release.

"A Hard Day's Night" - Is there a better way to start an album, song, or even film for that matter?  That one harsh cord is all you need before you dive right into the song.  It's distinctive and amazing.  The rest of the song is also strong and just great pop music.  I imagine most people know by now that the name is taken from one of Ringo's malapropisms.  They feature so prominently in Beatles songs and albums that I'm surprised he never took a chance at trying to create a song based off them himself.

"I Should Have Known Better" - I have a hard time separating this song from the adorable scene in the film of them playing cards together on the train.  There's nothing uniquely special about this one compared to a lot of the others they wrote around this time, but it makes me smile because that scene just seems so natural and fun.

"If I Fell" - Back in the day when my devotion was at its strongest and I loved John more than anyone else on this earth, I adored this song and listened to it repeatedly.  Being a little older and wiser, I can't help but find the lyrics problematic.  He's not being romantic at all, he just wants to make the other girl jealous.  I still love the song, but I can't help but shake my head at the words.

"I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" - George has once again left the song writing to John and Paul and so they give him a song that to me doesn't really fit his personality at all.  I sometimes have to remind myself that he's the one that sings it, just because it's so very a Lennon McCartney song.  But I do think his vocals give it a sweet and almost melancholy sound that they wouldn't have provided.

"And I Love Her" - ... hm?  What?  Oh, I'm sure you do, Paul.  Excuse me while I drift back off to sleep.

"Tell Me Why" - So on Please Please Me we had "Ask Me Why" and not we're telling instead.  That's kind of lazy, isn't it?  Anyway, it's a good song, though there isn't much to it.

"Can't Buy Me Love" - I appreciate the sentiments behind this one.  It's also of course incredibly catchy and I really don't have to tell you a thing about it because you already know.

"Any Time at All"  - That snare hit is another strong opening and works great as the intro to the chorus to.  Overall just a good song.  Sometimes its hard to say something distinctive beyond "I like it!"

"I'll Cry Instead" - This one has a bit of a country feel to it, which seems fitting for the lyrics as well. As I said, this was the song that made me want to buy this album sooner rather than later.  I feel like this song predates "If I Fell" chronologically in a break up.  He sings this and when he's slightly read to move on, he sings that one.

"Things We Said Today" - Since I can be really harsh on Paul, I should also give him credit when he deserves it, and I think this is a great melancholy our-relationship-is-dying kind of song.  He's as good at these as he is at the overly sappy stuff, and this song is a prime example of that.

"When I Get Home" - This song starts off sounding sweet and then it gets to the line "I've got no business being here with you this way" and you just want to smack the hell out of him, don't you?  Beyond that it's repetitive and really the only thing I like is that he actually uses the phrase "till the cows come home" which is such a kid's phrase, isn't it?

"You Can't Do That" - Oh John, you big damn hypocrite.  Surely this had to be intentional, right?  They put these two songs back to back for crying out loud!  As someone who understands jealousy I can understand the feelings behind this song, even if I don't endorse all the words.  I also can't help but admit that the music and arrangement makes it pretty catchy.  This is another one of those that I like despite its lyrics.

"I'll Be Back"  This one is kind of the lyrical opposite of "Not a Second Time."   But there's something about its sad tone that really appeals to me.  The change in the middle is also nice.   There's a great failed take of this on the Anthology.  It's nice to hear people who make a living out of singing screw up sometimes, because it makes me feel a little better when I hit a bad note.  The sadness of this song doesn't exactly make for a great end to an album though.  It's like ending with a whimper rather than a bang.


Overall just a really good album from start to finish.  There's one or two weak ones, sure, but its definitely I could put on and sing along with the whole way through without skipping.

The Beatles - With the Beatles

This may be the first Beatles album I ever bought past the Anthology discs.  I want to say that my boyfriend at the time got Please Please Me and I bought this one, and we listened to them both together.  My parents also just got me a decal based on this cover that is currently on my laptop.

1. "It Won't Be Long" - Just an all around great pop song with that "yeah!" callback on the chorus.  The first time I ever heard this song, it was a cover version on an album called Shared Vision.  I can't remember who sang it and the Amazon description doesn't say.  But for whatever reason that album's existence just popped into my head again, so I'm sharing it with you.
2. "All I've Got to Do" - I'm not as much a fan of this song, and I think it has a lot to do with the minimal instrumentation.  The vocals are great, but having the drums dominate the recording just doesn't work for me at all.
3. "All My Loving" - Another classic, and another overly sweet Paul song.  For whatever reason it doesn't bother me as much on this one.  Maybe it's just repetition that means I barely think about what the words are saying anymore.  Or maybe the strong harmonies mean I don't care.
4. "Don't Bother Me" - It's George's first song, and it's pretty good.  Having to share space with a powerhouse writing duo like Lennon/McCartney is pretty much guaranteed to make you pale by comparison, especially when you're first starting out writing.  But for a first effort this is really good.
5. "Little Child" - I think I forgot about this song until I heard it again because it's the kind of a song that has similarities to others but nothing to really claim as its own.  The harmonica is back and the theme is dancing and there are better Beatles songs that contain both.
6. "Till There Was You" - The first cover that appears on the album, originally from The Music Man but this is styled after the way Peggy Lee sang it.  I think it suits Paul's voice and style really well and I enjoy it.
7. "Please Mr. Postman" - Another cover, and one that I don't really like.  It's not a bad song in and of itself, but it gets stuck in my head and I just want it to go away.  So I suppose it fulfills its job as an earworm, it just does it a little too well.
8. "Roll Over Beethoven" - The covers just keep on coming!  This is a Chuck Berry song, and I'll tell you right now that I greatly prefer every Beatles cover of Chuck Berry over his own versions.  His versions just tend to be a little too slow and repetitive for me.
9. "Hold Me Tight" - This is one of their older songs that I actually do like quite a bit but find myself rarely ever listening to.  I have no reason why.  It's pretty typical for the rest of the album so I guess it's easy for it to get lost, but it is good enough to stand on its own. 
10. "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" - Another cover where I really prefer this version to the original, though the original is also good.  There's just something about the way John sings this one that really tugs at my heart strings.  It's sad and sweet and soulful all at the same time and I just love it.
11. "I Wanna Be Your Man" - Written by Lennon/McCartney, donated to The Rolling Stones as a single that was released a few weeks before this version by Ringo.  I doubt I will surprise you in saying that I prefer this version.  It's not a great song by any means, as it barely has any words to it and I've never been a fan of songs that just repeat two or three phrases over and over.  But it's good for what it is.
12. "Devil in Her Heart" - A cover originally done by The Donays, another female group.  The gender pronoun has been changed, obviously.  It's okay, but it's also a little boring.  It feels like pretty generic mid-60s pop, which it is. 
13. "Not a Second Time" - Another one of my favorites.  It's hard to describe why, other than that I really just love the sound of it.  The lyrics are also pretty good.  It's always nice to hear a pop song where the person is standing up for themselves rather than just being a fool for love.
14. "Money (That's What I Want)" - Another solid cover performed by John.  It's interesting that this has similarities with "Twist and Shout" and both were chosen to end their respective albums. In the liner notes of Anthology 1, the critic claims John inserted the line "I want to be free" but if you listen to the original Barrett Strong version you tell me if he's saying that or something like "I mean green" toward the end.  It's pretty hard to make out.

Overall this is a much stronger album than Please Please Me, but still very much full of those cover songs that dominated the time period.  At least most of them are stronger ones.  I would recommend the album to anyone who enjoys their early work, as a lot of the non-singles here would probably be new to the casual fan but are good enough to add to your playlists for repeated listens.

My review of Hard Day's Night will be up later this week!