Fifty Years of the Beatles poll

[Spiritinthesky]

Fifty Years of the Beatles poll - After all this time, what is your favourite Beatles album?
Vote here: http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/pages/favorite_beatles_album

[JF]

my fav : the white album, maybe the less "beatles" album but one of favs albums among beatles fans !

well, the vote show that it's Abbey road the winner for now

[vgonis]

JF, mine too. I also like another album, which is in fact a compilation of singles and non-album tracks, the magical mystery tour. Fantastic songs! I still wonder why they keep voting for sg.Pepper's as the best, but thankfully not on this one. And Abbey road has 2 weak moments. Maxwell's silver hammer and Octopus' garden. And I am not too thrilled about the mix of songs in side B. You never give me your money (pan intended) is fantastic, but the rest is average.

[JF]

I also like another album, which is in fact a compilation of singles and non-album tracks, the magical mystery tour. Fantastic songs! I still wonder why they keep voting for sg.Pepper's as the best, but thankfully not on this one.

Well, to be accurate (I like to be accurate  ), Magical Mystery Tour is NOT "a compilation of singles and non-album tracks".

the original UK release was a mini concept album, followed by a concept-film for the TV (ok you could say it was a holliday film  , but nevermind)

the first release 27/11/1967 was a double EP which contained :


Side A

1.    Magical Mystery Tour    2:51
2.    Your Mother Should Know    2:29

Side B

3.    I Am the Walrus    4:37

Side C

4.    The Fool on the Hill    3:00
5.    Flying    2:16

Side D

6.    Blue Jay Way 3:56

So it was clearly an album, in the same way as Sergent Pepper or Revolver, but it was a short, in fact a "mini" album



And then, the US release added 5 singles from 1967 ( with some tracks recorded during Sergent Pepper sessions : strawberry fileds, penny Lane and hello Goodbye) with track listing as follow :



Side A

1.    Magical Mystery Tour    2:51
2.    The Fool on the Hill    3:00
3.    Flying    2:16
4.    Blue Jay Way    3:56
5.    Your Mother Should Know    2:29
6.    I Am the Walrus    4:37

Side B

7.    Hello Goodbye   3:27
8.    Strawberry Fields Forever    4:10
9.    Penny Lane    3:03
10.    Baby, You're a Rich Man    3:03
11.    All You Need Is Love   3:48



The sales of the US release in UK were bigger than the EP ones, so the 4/12/1976, EMI released the "augmented" version which in fact was the 1967 US version, and then Magical Mystery Tour became "officially" the "album" we know and which was realeased on CD in the 80's

I still wonder why they keep voting for sg.Pepper's as the best, but thankfully not on this one.

I still think that Sergent Pepper  is THE rock album, THE concept album, THE best Beatles album, the more achieved one, even if it's not necessarily my fav one.

And Abbey road has 2 weak moments. Maxwell's silver hammer and Octopus' garden. And I am not too thrilled about the mix of songs in side B. You never give me your money (pan intended) is fantastic, but the rest is average.

Abbey Road is in fact my 2nd fav Beatles album, just after the white album.

I don't find Maxwell and Octopus weak
ironic lyrics on the first one feet very well with the music (Georges' moog synth), while George's guitar and John and Paul backing vocals on the 2nd one are gorgeous IMHO

The side B is awesome ! no skip for me
each song feet well (musically) with the one before and the one after

and the album contains one of best vocal harmonies in Beatles carreer, even if it's not in rock history : Because
check the accapella version on Love : awesome ! these guys knew how to sing 

[vgonis]

JF, talk about analyzing and leave nothing to drop!    Yes, I know all the facts that you mention, you have proven that you know them, too. I actually have the original US version of MMT which contain the singles that  I adore, and since the TV film was weak and only for fans (maybe not even for them, so it was actually a film for the fans that were on holidays, at a place where they couldn't watch it on TV    ) I consider it a compilation.  Strawberry fields/Penny Lane was a single, considered by many as their best, and possibly one of the best singles ever.

In Srg. Peppers, I fail to see the concept, just efforts to make it appear as one. I believe that the historical value has overshadowed the fact that there are many weak spots in either the concept or the actual compositions. Since Greece had its first private radio station in 1989, and the public radio and TV wasn't good at all on such subjects (like BBC) the echoes of those times never reached my ears, before I actually bought the records. So when I first heard the RED and BLUE compilations, I found the Red one nice and the blue fantastic. Revolver and Srg. Peppers were the crossover albums, and since Srg. Peppers followed and it gave the whole package of music, cover art, lyrics and whatever else - boosted with the hype, it is actually considered THE album.  But IMO apart from LSD and ADITL, it had more similarities with the older works. No matter. I understand your point of being the best Beatles album, though. It mostly has to do with expectations. What they were set out to do and what they have accomplished. And in this sense yes it was their masterpiece. After all the White album was merely a collaboration of the individual Beatles. (I still don't understand why they had to waste the D side with Revolution no.9... They had so many great songs in their archives. Even the B sides of their singes at that point were songs that today's artist would give their kidneys for. (They need their fingers.  )
 
Abbey road happens to be my second fav album, too, despite all my objections! Of course if MMT or Hey Jude compilations  were counting as proper albums they would be respectively second and third. And my third, would probably be Let it be, with revolver a close forth, but it depends on the mood. 

[JF]

Strawberry fields/Penny Lane was a single, considered by many as their best, and possibly one of the best singles ever.

the best single has to be Hey jude / Revolution !

dwanm ! the best satured tone I've ever heard !
In fact it wasn't a fuzz, or a crancked tube amp, the guitars were directly plugged.....into the desk !:o
I would love to see EMI sound engineers head during this session


I like Let it be too, but never listen to the whole "naked" version
only heard the long and widding road, and I just felt it lacks the orchestra
did you know that words spoken before and after Get back are from the rooftop concert, but the song version isn't

[vgonis]

Hey Jude is a fantastic song and Revolution is a fantastic rocker! But surely, they are much more conventional than Strawberry fields. And Penny Lane shines with the fantastic production that is actually more complex than it sounds. And of course it carries the odor of a whole era! Hey Jude is fantastic because it is very long and repetitive, but I don't really care. In fact I feel sorry when it ends. And Revolution, yes the "fuzzy" guitar version of the single is a thing I would like to re-create with my guitar! Many artists record straight to the mixing desk. I record plugged straight into my Mac! (OK, I use my pedal and Marshall in between, but no microphone.)
The naked version was too little , too late. It is too hard after 40 years to enjoy the same songs, with another production. And yes, The long and winding road, brings tear to my eyes only with the orchestra.    (but really) But I bought it and only heard it a couple of times.

I have read so many things about The Beatles, so long ago, that every piece of info, seems new to me! Thank you. (In the Steve Matteo book "Let it be" I read: ...There were several additional performances(from the rooftop, but not included in the film) including two more takes of "Get back") So after all it was a rooftop version, but not the one that was filmed!
 I really enjoy about music I love. Carry on!
Another useless information:

Paul married Linda on the 12th of March, during the Let it be sessions, and John married Yoko on the 20th!

[JF]

So after all it was a rooftop version, but not the one that was filmed!

no, no, the version is a studio version, recorded "live" (without overdubs) on 28/01/1969, but not on the rooftop

its is exactly the same version as on past masters vol2, but edited
the version on past masters vol2 is longer with the outro, while on let it be the outro was edited and replaced by John's famous joke :" I think we past the audition ! " (from the rooftop concert) 

the version filmed can be heard on the film, and other rooftops versions, I did'nt know about it

you're right for strwaberry/penny lane, but revolution is my Beatles gem

of course many artist record directly through the desk, but I don't know other example of so such warm-saturated-screaming tones obtained without amp or pedals.

most of the time, tones directly through the desk are thinner, cold, metallic (e.g. Gilmour on  Another brick part 1), and normally you're not supposed to sature the amp gain of the desk like they did !

[vgonis]

George might have used a pedal but no amp, couldn't he? It is a very "tempered" sound to be just a guitar.
George Martin is a genius. I think hat he was indeed the 5th Beatle and without him they would have ended up like Rolling stones (Of course this is a paradox, since the rolling stones were immensely influenced by the Beatles. I very much like "their satanic majesties request" album, which is supposed to be their reply to the srg.Peppers. Even John and Paul participate in it, at the last song of side A "Sing this all together").

Another great group that would have been greatly benefited by a different producer, are the Kinks. I like them very much, After the Beatles and hmmmm- dire straits, they are the greatest band coming from the UK. In fact their sound and lyrics is much more English that anything the Rolling stones even recorded.

[JF]

I don't think that any pedal was used.

here's a quote from an EMI sound technician, found in Wikipedia :

Pour obtenir cet effet avec les deux guitares de John Lennon et George Harrison, le personnel technique d'EMI les branche directement sur la console.

[vgonis]

Maybe they were playing with the  monitor speaker too close.

Have you heard the George Martin album where he collaborates with well known musicians and actors to interpret Beatles songs? It is very good! Jeff Beck playing the A day in the life is fascinating. And Jim Carey singing... I don't want to spoil the surprise, in case you haven't heard it.

Satanic majesties is a bit weak, but very enjoyable. I actually like it more than Beggars banquet, but I agree that the Mick Taylor era (sticky fingers, Exile and  Let it bleed-OK not exactly a Mick  Taylor era album) is the best. I think Brian Jones also played saxophone on " You know my name look up my number" piece by the Beatles.

But I think that the Kinks would be bigger by the stones if they had a better production, no matter, or exactly because of their englishness.
and that's why I like Jimi Hendrix.  and of course DS/MK.