The Beatles

THE BEATLES

This post has loomed large and taken much time to think about let along begin to write. I mean, what do you say about the most important band in the world and my favourite band in the world. Everything has been written and I love them so much they could have a whole blog of their own - no doubt there are plenty already devoted to them. I would really like to write about them in detail - and I may well at some point - but for this, I will not bore you too much. I will simply list what I know to be true to me and how I feel about them, the things that have remained with me my entire life, the facts that never seem to change.

My dad loved The Beatles and it is his love of The Beatles and indeed music generally that has shaped my love of music - a fact I will be eternally grateful for. I grew up listening to The Beatles, they were and are more important to me than the usual songs you hear as a child - nursery rhymes, silly songs etc. I did go through a stage in my mid teens where I hated them, I think it was a rebellious thing and probably overkill - if Dad really likes something he goes a bit bananas (another trait I have inherited!). But by my late teens my fate was sealed, and they were it - pure and simple.

My favourite album (mostly) is Abbey Road - this does change from time to time, but it has come back to the No. 1 spot more times than the others - The White Album and Revolver, so it shall remain there at this point in time.

I prefer their later songs - more from The Blue Album period, but as you will see from what I have chosen there is much to love from the earlier period also.

My favourite song is Hey Jude - it has been for about ten years now and I seriously doubt that will ever change. I love the nakedness and sincerity of this, McCartney can go a little too sentimental at times, but he reigns this one in pretty well. When I am listening and more often than not singing this song I tend to chop off the end bits - I think they go on a little too much. In a group the na na na nana nana's are cool and fun, either way this is just a song I can (and do) listen to forever. Funnily enough, this is not on my best of best of best - it is just TOO good to include :)

My second favourite song - probably close to 5 years, and again I doubt this will change is Across the Universe - so sweet and spiritual, and perfectly encapsulating Lennon. I always feel calm and comforted listening to this, in fact most of their songs do that to me.

After those 2 all bets are off and songs come and go - I mean there are so many to choose from, which made this exercise so incredibly hard - more on that with the songs I ended up choosing.

My favourite Beatle is and always has been Paul McCartney - I think he is perfection and the closest to a musical genius I think anyone will find. I think he was edgier than Lennon - he just did not get shot... harsh but true. I did go through a Lennon stage in my teens, I think most fans do, but it was always Paul. I know he can be overly sentimental - and mostly it works. If you listen to some of his vocals and read about some of his experimentation you will understand where I am coming from. I like a lot of his work from Wings and his solo work and his new work with Firemen is fantastic. And, I knew that fucking Heather Mills was trouble from day 1 - I tell you - how dare she!!!!!

Having said that I have always said if I could go back in time only once I would go back to NYC and take the bullet - and I really mean that, well I would take it my leg or arm or belly - somewhere that would not kill me too, I mean that would be insane. There are 2 things that will really undo me in life. The first is the Holocaust and the second is Lennon's murder, so wrong and so unbelievably painful there are no words to describe it.

I always wanted to marry Julian Lennon - he just seems so sad, to have gone through what he has, I mean John was no saint, I think that is why Hey Jude resonates with me so much. Julian's story breaks my heart - the man deserves to be happy...

My favourite Beatles book is Geoff Emerick's Here, there and everywhere. He was one of their engineers, starting as an assistant in his mid teens. He transports you back to the studio and you feel you are there creating with them, magic - that is a writer and a gifted human being. He explains the processes behind the recording and a lot of the experimental ideas they used to create certain sounds, some of which he helped significantly with. He also helps you understand each Beatle and whilst it is obvious he is a McCartney fan, I feel the observations he makes generally are fair. If you only read one book about The Beatles, this is the one!

Finally, my most prized and treasured item is a ticket stub from when my dad saw The Beatles when they toured Australia. Saturday, June 20th to be exact at the Sydney Stadium, Section 7, Seat H25. It is a glorious musty pink and burgundy coloured ticket on the kind of cardboard that has kept it in pretty good condition all these years. Dad gave it to me many years ago, when he must have realised I shared his passion for this wonderful band. It is my favourite and most cherished 'thing', and I feel honoured and proud to have been given such a fabulous item from history. Yes, there was a lot of screaming, but it was great - I might try and get him to write a guest post one of these days!

So, as you can see I could write more, but on to the task at hand. Choosing the songs to include in this compilation - it took almost as long as it did for me to gather my thoughts above...a looooong time! A few years back I made a compilation of my favourite Beatles tracks at the time and these six tracks were included. I just went through the compilation and pulled out six tracks that covered what I love about their music, but found as I went to write why words have not come easily to me. It is hard to write about something so personal without sounding cliched or stupid. I hope I have not done that and I suspect if I were to choose six tracks today, some of those may not be included. I would really love to hear about everyone's favourite tracks, so don't be shy

TRACK SIXTEEN: She's a woman
I overdid the early stuff early on in my life so there are some tracks I prefer in moderation, it is the less known tracks I prefer these days. She's a woman is a perfect example - bright, quick, catchy, great back beat and good, quirky lyrics. The vocals are not perfect, but a little dirty and edgy, this is a preference.

TRACK SEVENTEEN: Slow Down
This is a great early Lennon vocal track, again coupled with She's a woman, this showcases early Beatles wonderfully. Raw, edgy, comical and ground breaking. Imagine (if you can) never hearing music of this type and hearing that scratchy arghhh halfway through the track - you wouldn't know what to think, I love this, makes you want to get up and dance!

TRACK EIGHTEEN: I should have known better
I seriously love this and I think it is my favourite early track. The harmonies are perfect, although they struggle a little with the top range, which I think adds to the originalness of the track. The tune is simple, the harmonica and guitar solo simple - yet simple as they are, make it unique. I totally love singing this song and love the sentiment behind it.

TRACK NINETEEN: Got to get you into my life
On the precipice of change, this is a truly imagined song. From the brassy beginning you know this is a going to be a great song, a great lyrical song with interesting rhythm. I love the syncopation and phrasing of "every single day of my life". They were not afraid to mix it up and begin to experiment at this stage. And the rawness of the chorus and the coda rock it out just a little.

TRACK TWENTY: Oh Darling
Speaking of rawness, this is one of the edgiest and rockiest songs if you just listen to McCartney's interpretation of it. Listen to his phrasing and vocal range, especially when he gets to "When you told me, you didn't need me anymore...", oh my god, you believe every, single word. It starts off raw with a little bit of sweet, but as the song moves through he gets rawer, and rawer and edgier and gutsier, to the point where you almost - but not quite - hear his vocal cords ripping...that my friends is a singer, and Ringo beats the shit out of those drums!!

TRACK TWENTY-ONE: Across the Universe
This is just a stunningly beautiful piece of love; perfect and pure John Lennon at his best. I do love Imagine, but give me Across the Universe any day. Humbly spiritual and sweet and innocent, the lyrics make me feel calm and content and eager to ensure I am true to myself and try not to let others change me for the worse! "inciting and inviting me...." glorious lyrics too...