Reblogged » 12 Essential Records Loved by Audio Nerds
“Listening to vinyl isn’t the easiest way to listen to music, especially by today’s streaming standards. Nor does it guarantee the highest-quality listening experience anymore, as…
Book Review – You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup
“I don’t want to be on the other side of this.” ~ My wife quoting me as to why it took so long to finish this book…
“When I Get Older…”
When I get older losing my hair Many years from now Will you still be sending me a Valentine Birthday greetings bottle of wine While doing…
Best Album Covers: Meet the Beatles
This is the next entry in Best Album Covers, a series begun right here. The first successful long-playing microgroove record for the phonograph was introduced by Columbia Records back in June of…
Book Review – The Beatles’ Second Album (Rock of Ages) by Dave Marsh
At this very moment, playing on the vintage (almost forty year-old) Technics turntable as I write this is an artifact of my youth. A five decades-old LP — okay, the…
Labor Day Special: Beatles Mixtape for Joe
Yesterday, friend and author Joe Maddrey over at his blog, Movies Made Me, noted this in his enjoyably contemplative Music Made Me #1: Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam post:…
TMT: “I now declare this bridge open!”
This is the next entry in a Theatre… a Movie… and a Time, a series that was begun here. It will be a special record in this ongoing mini-memoir of…
Reprise » Because of Him :: Greatest Guitar Riffs
Some years ago, our local oldies station, KRTH, posed a question to its listeners. Call in and list your favorite guitar riffs. All in honor of the…
The Long and Winding Road Back
While I’m up at the landmark Capitol Records Building for today’s The Beatles Hollywood 50th Public Commemoration, I thought I’d share Tape Op Magazine‘s photo. It’s perfect…
Reprise » My Only and One: Past Masters
Past Masters contains 33 non-album Beatles tracks – ranging from classic A-sides to hits sung in German – two CDs were released in 1988 called Past Masters Volume One and Volume Two. Although originally featuring a combination of mono and stereo versions, the remastered Past masters compilation contains only the stereo mixes, if they exist.
Reprise » My Only and One: Abbey Road
With this month’s release of The Beatles U.S. albums by Capitol Records and my ongoing re-appreciation of the group’s library of songs, I’ve decided to reprise a series…
Reprise » My Only and One: Let It Be
The last released Beatles album, Let It Be, landed on 8th May, 1970. Originally intended as the eleventh LP for mid-1969 as Get Back, The Beatles held it up. Unhappy with the version Glyn Johns mixed, it was temporarily shelved. A new version of the album was created by Phil Spector in 1970, and was finally released with the launch of the cinema film of the same name. Serving as its soundtrack, and its own lament.
Reprise » My Only and One: Yellow Submarine
17 January 1969 saw the release of the Yellow Submarine album, which was the movie soundtrack to an animated film which had received its UK premiere back in July 1968. As before, only one side of the record contained songs performed by the Beatles. And of those six tracks, only four were new, and the remaining pair came from previous albums.
Reprise » My Only and One: Magical Mystery Tour
My thoughts about the album cover art aside, in 1967 The Beatles wrote and directed a TV film for a BBC broadcast at Christmas. For its American release, Magical Mystery Tour included the six songs from the British EP soundtrack on one side, and paired with singles on the other. The latter U.S. configuration eventually incorporated as official in their discography.
Reprise » My Only and One: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club album’s vital stats: Recorded December 1966 through April 1967. Released 2nd June, 1967. Weeks at #1 27 (UK) and 15 (U.S.), with 175 week on the charts. And NYT critic Richard Goldstein labeled it “fraudulent”. What can I say, he was definitively and for all-time, wrong.
Reprise » My Only and One: Revolver
The Beatles Revolver album, their seventh, was released in early August 1966. It followed closely on the heels of Rubber Soul, yet the group had embarked on something altogether different.
Reprise » My Only and One: Rubber Soul
With this month’s release of The Beatles U.S. albums by Capitol Records and my ongoing re-appreciation of the group’s library of songs, I’ve decided to reprise a series…
Reprise » My Only and One: Help!
Hoping lightning would strike twice, emulating A Hard Day’s Night, Help! (released on 6th August, 1965) contained the songs from the ’65 film on side one of the album, with the other side devoted to other new material. Moreover, prodded by others’ success, The Beatles began to push at fans’ and critics’ expectations.
Reprise » My Only and One: Beatles For Sale
The group’s more somber Beatles For Sale album, coming off their hectic touring/filming/appearance schedule, set a more cynical tone for its 4 December 1964 release. Still, it represented a maturing work, and another highly successful LP in the UK (eleven weeks at #1).
