Forum / Darryl on Beatles
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Darryl PriceSep 17, 08:30pmDarryl on the Beatles
by Darryl Price
Sgt. Pepper changed everything in an instant. Suddenly rock was high folk art and the Beatles were amazing poets. Everything was possible. These four young men were still only in their twenties! The gatefold alone was like opening a magical book of spells. Hidden treasures fell out in the shape of paper mustaches. It's not their best album, but it is their most important. It proved their point, there's nothing you can do that can't be done, anything can be made into a song, with a little help from your friends. Speaking of Pepper land, this album came out of every car window, every bedroom window at the time. It played on every radio station. It came up in every conversation. It became the clouds, the air that we breathed, the dreams we dared to dream. Unless you lived through it, you possibly can't understand the social significance, but I tell you as a witness, it was worldwide, immediate, monumental and profound. Young people suddenly had a voice that mattered. And it was beautiful, interesting, and unique to the very notion of sounds you could make. Now almost every innovation started by that one album's moment are taken for granted. Printed lyrics, art made by artists, even for the cover, even for inner psychedelics sleeves. Guaranteed to raise a smile. As promised. As delivered. And John and Paul's greatest collaboration to boot in A Day in the Life. I'm perplexed and have been all my life about the mixed feelings about George's Within You Without You, which I consider to be one of the greatest, most honest poems ever written about the human condition. A plea for sanity and compassion like so many of their greatest compositions. Delve again and be amazed when you pay attention to what's being said and entertained by the beautiful music at the same time. My personal favorite songs on this record are Fixing a Hole, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Within You Without You, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, She's Leaving Home and A Day in the Life. But I like and am thankful for every single moment of every song. How many records can you say that about? That's what I'm talking about.
As I said, this is not their best album. That distinction falls to Abbey Road. A stellar collection of songs that are unparalleled to this day, in my opinion. Even the much maligned Maxwell's Silver Hammer, which the Beatles hated because Paul wanted them to rehearse it to death, but the results are simply amazing. And letting their roadie Mal Evans hit the hammer on an anvil is genius, just like the background noises in Ringo's Octopus's Garden. This album is put together as a fine work of seamless art that stands the test of time with each and every new listen. It will be listened to and marveled at in 100 years by the whole wide world again and again. It is that good. But here we go again: John gets slogged off for his wonderful Sun King song, but the naysayers are just wrong. It's a great song. And he invented the foreign language you hear him sing on the track, but sings it with such conviction that you believe it must be real. For my money, the most beautiful track on the album is John's Because. It works as pure(no fat) poetry and the harmonies are nothing short of heavenly. Of course Paul's invention of the bass line for Come Together is genius, as is the side two symphonic melding of so many songs into a beautiful first on any record of a loving, bittersweet ending of a beloved band. But Paul handles it with grace and a friendly nod: In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. From beginning to end there is no weak spot for me. One of the perfect listening experiences you can have. George's Something and Here Comes the Sun proved once and for all that his skill as a Songwriter made him simply one of the best in history. My favorite tracks are Maxwell's Silver Hammer, I Want You(She's So Heavy), Because, Something, Here Comes the Sun, Oh, Darling, and She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. But again, I love every track on this amazing record. There's nothing on it that I would ever want to skip. I listen all the way through and am amazed each time by how much repeated listens to it can still give me such satisfying and immense joy.
Okay, let's get on down to it. I know many of you are saying, yeah, but what about Revolver, which many millions of us think of as the Beatles hands down best overall record next to Rubber Soul(George's favorite)? And it's certainly hard to deny anything about Revolver in any way. Even the cover is just so effing Cool! Okay? I love the record of course. It's one of my favorite records of all time and always will be. But there are problems with it for me, meaning songs that I don't really want to hear unless I'm in the right mood. That being said, what I do love about this record is that they sound like a band, not a bunch of grown up individual guys playing music together because it's all they know how to do. And there are many just perfect songs, perfectly played, perfectly sung, on this record that are still as good or maybe even better as the first time you ever heard them: For No One, And Your Bird Can Sing, Here There and Everywhere, Eleanor Rigby, Got to Get You Into My Life, Taxman and Tomorrow Never Knows. Certainly no serious collection can be complete without a copy of this Beatle record. They now owned music and made it in their image. There are moments of terrible beauty and surprising composition. That's what the Beatles did best at their best: surprised us with each new thing, each new song, each new step along the way. They loved discovery, experimentation, and invention. This album is full of it. It's wonderful, but still clunky in parts. That's all. But if this was their last record people would still know them as geniuses and innovators of the highest degree. My favorite songs: For No One and And Your Bird Can Sing. Two of the greatest songs ever written. By anyone at any time.
And now, before I go, my own favorite Beatle Album is going to surprise you. It is Help. This album just holds a special place in my heart. My brother, Bob, and I went to the local movie theatre to see this movie when we were very young. They gave us free Help bandages at the door. But it was the music that I just loved. It moved me and made me feel so happy to be alive. I'll never forget the thrill of getting my own copy of the soundtrack. I kept it as one of the most precious of my possessions in my bedroom. And when I was feeling low it always brought me back to a sense of determination in my life. It's hard to explain, but it's the truth. Even today I have more copies of Help and Help merchandise than anything else in my collection. I once found a cassette version at a flea market and I was out of my mind happy for weeks after. Well, there you have it. Many friends have been asking me to do this for such a long time now knowing what a big fan I am of this band. I always thought, nay, it's all been said, what could I possibly add to the discussion? But here we are. Thanks and let me know your own favorites. dp
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David AckleySep 18, 03:12pmHands down, The White Album. No finer achievement than the cover in minimalist art. And "Blackbird," come on !
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Darryl PriceSep 18, 08:24pm
And don't forget While My Guitar Gently Weeps, I Will and Happiness is a Warm Gun. My favorite off the white album: Martha.
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Jeffrey S. CallicoSep 18, 08:56pmThe Beatles are, in my opinion, the best rock band of all time.
As for my favorite album, I'd have to also choose The White Album. It is four sides of indisputable sonic and creative excellence.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps is my favorite Beatles song, with Clapton's lead completely acceptable, of course. Other top-three favorites are Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End and The Long and Winding Road, even though it depresses the crap outta me.
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Darryl PriceSep 18, 09:14pm
I hear you, Jeffrey. But there's just something about Long and Winding Road that resonates so very deeply. It hurts but it also helps somehow. Strange magic. By the way, most people have also said to me that the White Album is their favorite. So far it is winning the poll by a long shot.
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stephen hastings-kingSep 19, 02:16pmBeatles trax I love: Tomorrow Never Knows, Paperback Writer, Long Long Long, Strawberry Fields (the piano chord), I am the Walrus. Lately I've been more interested in their earlier stuff when I hear them. Also All Things Must Pass (wall of sound!) That's probably b/c I played White Album, Abbey Road and Let It Be to death when I was younger.
But the greatest rock-n-roll band? I don't think so.(Big Star? Hello?) I guess it depends on what you mean by the rock-n-roll. I associate it with a being a great live band (The Beatlemania period band played gigs before sound-system design had figured out monitors, so they couldn't hear themselves) And even then it's hard, there have been so many (Stooges, Roxy Music esp early) (Stereolab was awesome live.) But these people:
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Jeffrey S. CallicoSep 19, 02:57pm
Hang on -- Big Star better than The Beatles? Hello? Not even close.
And of course The Beatles were a rock band. What other kind of band were they? Rock-n-roll.
They were phenomenal in studio and live. That's completely obvious.
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stephen hastings-kingSep 19, 03:06pm
By "the greatest" all anyone means here is "I like x a lot"...In my world, the Beatles have an overexposure problem. That may have bleached out some of their virtues,I don't know. Big Star was a fantastic pop band that made fantastic pop songs that I find myself putting on before the Beatles pretty often--but that's prolly over-exposure for the latter---but I simply enjoy them more.
In the studio for most of their run The Beatles also had George Martin, whose work I really love/admire and most (not all) of the Beatles songs I prefer bear distinct traces of his passage (that piano chord). Live they couldn't hear themselves. Sound systems had yet to be designed that included monitors up loud enough so they could hear what they were doing. God herself would be hard-pressed to do an excellent live set under such conditions.
The Ramones tho.
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Chris OkumSep 19, 07:40pmHow ironic it would be if the last Beatle standing is Ringo Starr.
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Jeffrey S. CallicoSep 19, 08:25pm
Paul once said he was most concerned about Ringo after the breakup. I think he did pretty well, considering.
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David AckleySep 20, 12:11am
Or Peter Best.
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Jeffrey S. CallicoSep 20, 02:22pm
Best as "the fifth Beatle" is debatable, to say the least. He got fired, so in my view doesn't exactly qualify. Semantics.
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stephen hastings-kingSep 20, 05:31pm
George Martin is usually called "the fifth Beatle" unless he isn't.
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Jeffrey S. CallicoSep 20, 05:38pm
That's true as well. It appears many were given that moniker. Ono included, I suppose.
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Darryl PriceSep 21, 01:28pm
I forgot to mention my favorite Help! tracks: You're Gonna Lose That Girl, Another Girl, Help, Ticket to Ride and Yesterday. I also love the Ramones and XTC.
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stephen hastings-kingSep 21, 04:42pm
XTC. Now there's another whole Thing. Drums and Wires remains a sentimental favorite, but their whole catalogue, even at its most Beatles-y, is full of great stuff.
As is the catalog of Robyn Hitchcock, who is when you talk with him all about the Beatles as if the Syd Barrett that's also everywhere is too obvious to mention at this late date (also there's a collab EP with Robyn Hitchcock and Andy Partridge that I keep forgetting to check out) (Don't make the same mistake)...
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Jeffrey S. CallicoSep 21, 06:05pm
Now that we're on Beatles-influenced artists -- only my perspective: ELO (Jeff Lynne) and early Tears for Fears. Others?
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Tim G. YoungSep 22, 04:46amThe Beatles performance on the roof of Abbey Road, to me, demonstrates their total power as a rock n roll band. It's a must see. Some of it is on You Tube. The entire footage is on the end of the Get Back doc. Amazing rock. It is just so cool to see the four of them bashing it out! Oh, and if you want to mention a fifth Beatle, then the name Billy Preston must appear!
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Darryl PriceSep 22, 04:21pm
XTC fun mix--Senses Working Overtime, Mayor of Simpleton, Peter Pumpkin Head, Grass, Dear God, and one deep cut--Melt the Guns!
I give the Beatles credit for being the Beatles. Sure, George Martin helped them realize the sounds in their heads, but it was their ideas, their songs, their artistry that made it all happen. The fifth Beatles was none other than you and me--anyone who embraced the living entity known as the Beatles while they were still alive and kicking. But too much of anything--including Love--can become a danger and a burden to your health. I'll always remember, admire and be thankful for the music, the fun and the strange, wonderful adventure of this band. Much always thanks now and always remembering with great affection especially to our friends John and George.
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Chris OkumSep 22, 07:41pm
The best book ever written about the Beatles is "Magic Circles: The Beatles in Dream and History," by Devin McKinney. Even if you think you've read enough about the Beatles, you should still read it.
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Darryl PriceSep 22, 08:01pm
I'm going with Dreaming the Beatles by Rob Sheffield.
An NPR Best Book of the Year • Winner of the Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism “This is the best book about the Beatles ever written”
That's the thing about this beast called the Beatles, everyone has got an opinion depending on where you are placing your hand. That's why I just had to write something/Anything before I missed the chance.
Big Thanks to everyone for engaging in the conversation. Really fun! Nice to forget all the heavy news for awhile.
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Chris OkumSep 23, 06:38am
The best movie about the Beatles is "The Rutles." Because it's funny.
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stephen hastings-kingSep 23, 03:15pm
Has anyone seen the new re-cut of Let It Be? The Peter Jackson thing. I've not gotten around to it....
Also an XTC list could include: Life Begins at the Hop, Complicated Game (last track), Respectable Street, Roads Girdle the Globe (Generals and Majors as an alternative to Melt the Guns).
We should do Soft Machine sometime:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs441a1O658 -
Tim G. YoungSep 27, 06:08am
I'm a big fan of the film Backbeat. It's about the early Beatles in Hamburg. Stu Sutcliffe, Lennon's best friend and his tragic end. No Beatles appear in the movie or original Beatle music, but the covers by the band in the film are no doubt inspired. Released 1994.
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Chris OkumSep 27, 08:25pm
Tim, if you can stomach two hours of Stephen Dorff then you are a far bigger man than I.
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Tim G. YoungSep 28, 06:31pm
Chris, well then, Let it Be!
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Darryl PriceOct 08, 09:09pm
Best Beatle Songs for me: Strawberry Fields, I am the Walrus, Please Please Me, The Fool on the Hill, Here, There and Everywhere, For No One, Eleanor Rigby, A Day in the Life, I'm Only Sleeping. And Your Bird Can Sing, We Can Work It Out, Penny Lane, In My Life, Nowhere Man, Across the Universe, Let It Be, the Long and Winding Road, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Blackbird, I Want You(She's So Heavy), She's Leaving Home, Here Comes the Sun..
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Tim G. YoungOct 09, 04:06am
OK. Best Beatles songs for me: Please Please Me, I Want to Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There, When I Get Home, And I Love Her, You're Gonna Lose That Girl, The Night Before, Girl, Norwegian Wood, Taxman, Help, A Hard Day's Night, Sgt. Pepper's reprise into A Day in the Life, Lovely Rita, Magical Mystery Tour, Blue Jay Way, Sexy Sadie, Revolution, I've Got a Feeling, I'm Down!!!
And that ain't all...
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Darryl PriceOct 11, 06:25pm
Oh, man, I really love I'm Down. As a kid I played it as often as Help. Yeah, Tim, these lists change all the time whenever I listen again. Wish the world had this kind of light in it again. We sure need it. Seems like hearts just get harder all the time--entrenched in hate instead of hope, man's inhumanity to man still on full display in another war.
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