John Lennon - "Lennon Legend"

Hello readers, if there are any of you left, I greatly apologize for the long break I know it has been two months since my last post. It is one of those things where you suddenly get busy and start doing all these different things and the time seems to vanish. Wake up and before you know it it is time to sleep again.

After some special posts, one for Stephen Stills' birthday, I am returning to my alphabetical list of albums. This is the last CD I have by John Lennon. This 1997 single disc Best of compilation is really perfect. "Lennon Legend" subtitled "The Very Best of John Lennon" certainly lives up to it's subtitle.

Contained here are all his solo singles (even the ones released after his death) along with a few choice album tracks. Sure there are other good songs in his solo catalogue but this is the best of it.

After Lennon's first two solo albums, his remaining albums had a cobbled together and sometimes tossed off feel.  A few great tracks then some stuff he was just playing around with.  This grabs many of the best moments from "Walls and Bridges," "Mind Games," and "Milk and Honey."  Also included are songs like "Cold Turkey," "Give Peace a Chance," "Instant Karma," and "Happy Xmas" which never appeared on any album.

All four Beatles solo work actually had the same feel, a handful of great songs then the rest of the album was devoted to forgettable songs.  Each of the four had at least one excellent album though.  So their solo catalogues are prime arenas for compilations.

As I said before this is an excellent compilation showcasing Lennon's best solo work. It follows basically chronological order, but when it does move songs around it is with good taste and for good effect.  The sound is strong and the booklet contains many candid photographs and very brief information about each song.

I believe this compilation went out of print in 2010 when Lennon's entire catalogue was re-released in honor of what would have been his 70th birthday. Now the only compilations available are well packaged box-sets or a shorter compilation. The albums "Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine" are must haves but if there is one Lennon compilation to seek out it is this one.

George Harrison - "All Things Must Pass"

If I were to ask which of the four Beatles had the first number one single and biggest selling first solo album? Most people would probably guess John Lennon or Paul McCartney but they would be wrong. It is the quiet Beatle George Harrison with his landmark debut solo album "All Things Must Pass." The first triple disc record ever released (now on two CDs) made it even more astonishing because it was slightly more expensive than a regular length albums.

As the Beatles essentially disbanded at the start of 1970 Harrison joined forces with record producer Phil Spector and gathered a who's who of musicians. Largely gathered from Delaney and Bonnie's group the musicians included Eric Clapton and the soon to be Derek and the Dominos (Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon), Dave Mason. As well as Billy Preston, the band Badfinger, bass master Klaus Voorman, and drummer Jim Keltner. There are also brief appearances by Ginger Baker and an unknown Phil Collins.

Harrison had been writing a massive amount of songs during the last few years of the 1960s. However, Lennon/McCartney were so prolific that they only allowed Harrison two songs on every Beatle album. He thus built up a large backlog of written songs that had to be recorded the majority of them became "All Things Must Pass."

Harrison never had a strong or distinctive singing voice but it serves its purpose here and thanks to Spector's wall of sound production Harrison's voice sounds very good and fits into the mix perfectly. Harrison's songs are also very strong and prove that he was a writer in the same league with Lennon and McCartney. Harrison was always interested in spirituality, particularly the religions of India, thus this album focuses on themes and ideas of Spirituality. The music is so melodic and pop/rock oriented that the songs never cease to be accessible, despite sometimes having philosophical, religious, or spiritual content. He also for the most part is not direct about the spiritual connotations of the songs. Only "My Sweet Lord" and "Hear Me Lord" blatantly call up higher powers. The rest of the songs could just as easily be about the love of a woman, the state of the world, and the state of life itself.

Sure the album is long but for the most part everything is a keeper, I personally may have removed "I Dig Love," "Let it Down" and "Apple Scruffs" but even those are pretty entertaining. The real flaw is the Original Apple Jam that ends the album (originally the third disc of the Vinyl Record). The Jam consists of five instrumentals (two are ten minutes) in which Harrison and Derek and The Dominos along with certain guests for each track basically just, well, jam. I think I know why Harrison included them; he was never really allowed to jam with The Beatles. Beatles music was a very expertly structured and arranged entity and they never allowed Harrison to really break out and jam on the guitar. So these sessions are a way for him to let out all his pent up guitar fury that had been built up during The Beatles.

The problem I find with the Apple Jam is that they are not all that interesting simply because there is too much going on at once. The 60s and 70s groups that jammed the best often were very small; like Cream Clapton was the main focus, Hendrix, CSNY focused largely on Stills and Young during their live jams. Harrison, however, often has seven or more people playing on the jams. Perhaps in a nod to Delaney and Bonnie's large band and Spector's wall of sound the music is very encompassing and thus makes it hard for any particular element to stand out, because there is so much going on at once. So often the jams are kind of boring and repetitive and are probably hardly listened to by many owners of this album.

None the less the 2001 remastered set makes everything at least listenable. The remastering makes all the difference. I remember I borrowed the original late 80s early 90s CD version of this album from my friend and I thought the album was awful. But when I heard all the glowing reviews of the 2001 remaster I decided to pick up the album and the thing sounds spectacular. Amazing what remastered sound can do; turning what I thought was awful into a great album. There is a wonderful booklet inside as well as one new song bonus track (that should have been on the original album), some alternate takes and a new version of "My Sweet Lord." The 2001 remaster is a great addition to any Beatle fan's music library.

The Beatles "1"

This will be my last Beatles post. Their 2000 compilation of 27 of their number one singles is a pretty good place to start for the uninitiated. It covers their whole career and since this is a singles collection a handful of these songs do not appear on any regular album. There is no way a single compilation could contain all the best Beatles songs, but this does a pretty good job and if you have not listened to the Beatles this CD will probably make you a fan.

The Beatles "1967-1970"

This compilation I believe was the very first Beatles music I ever owned. I think I got it at Costco but I don't really remember. Anyway this is a double CD compilation of the later years of the Beatles career. Even though I have bought individual albums there is still tracks on here that justify keeping it. There are a number of songs that appear here that do not appear on other Beatles compilations, simply because most Beatles compilations are singles compilations and not all their albums contained singles. Songs from Sgt. Pepper and The White Album are both skipped over on other compilations because those albums contained no singles. Also the version of the song "Revolution" presented here is the finished studio version which does not appear on The White Album (it is a rehearsal take on the White Album).

There is a booklet that contains some photographs but is mainly song lyrics. This along with its companion album "The Bealtes/1962-1966" are perfect for the listener who would like a thorough overview of the band's work but does not want to invest in individual albums.

The Beatles "Let It Be... Naked"

In 2003 "Let It Be" was re-released in a new version. The tracks were remixed stripping away Phil Spector's contributions, they also deleted "Maggie Mae" and "Dig It" and added "Don't Let Me Down," which was recorded during the session but only released as a single. The album has also been completely reordered.

I got this album as a Christmas Gift in 2003. It is not necessarily better or worse than the original "Let It Be" album but it seems more complete as all the songs now appear finished. The new sequencing also gives a more completed feel to the album. "The Long and Winding Road" is returned to its original incarnation without the choir and orchestra. The songs are as good as they were before so depending on your personal opinion of this album will determine if that is a good or bad thing. There is a good booklet with lots of photos from the recording sessions and very good liner notes about the history of the "Let It Be" recording/album. What most Beatles fans will find interesting is the bonus CD titled "Fly on the Wall" which is 22 minutes of recordings edited from hours of tape that captures the Beatles discussing their final concert (which ended up being on the roof of Apple Studio) and rehearsing various songs. There is even a rehearsal of "All Things Must Pass" which is particularly intriguing considering it became a Harrison solo song. Its a nice addition for the collectors and fanatics.

This redo is simply another version of an often controversial album. I don't listen to it all the time but I am not sorry I have it. In the end I guess it is best to just let it be.

The Beatles "Let It Be"

The "final" release of The Beatles career. This album was a gift from my mom I think in 2002 or so. As many already know and as I mentioned in my last post this was recorded before "Abbey Road" but released after it in 1970. Originally intended as a large concept album that would coincide with a movie documentary. The idea of the album, originally titled "Get Back," was to capture the Beatles in studio rehearsing and recording. The original album was supposed to be a mix of demos, dialogue, rehearsals and finished songs. The theory seems similar to their "Anthology" albums that were released in the 1990s.

The "Let it Be/Get Back" recording sessions collapsed under its own weight and the Fab Four were barely speaking to each other. They had days of music recorded but none of them wanted to deal with it, so they gave all the recordings to super producer Phil Spector, a friend of Lennon and Harrison, to try and make an album out of it.

He eventually created the "Let It Be" album as we know it. Spector has received a lot of grief over the album but really he was not working with the best Beatles material, the title track, "Get Back" and "Two of Us" are some of their best songs but the majority of the album is not up to par; "Dig it" and "Maggie Mae" are just outtakes and in a way these throw away songs coincide with the original idea of having demos and rehearsals mixed with finished songs. The only song Spector really changed was "The Long and Winding Road," by adding an orchestra and choir over Paul's vocals. Paul complained about this version until the original was released in the 1990s. Also the version of the song "Let it Be" as it appears on this album is different from the single version. The guitar he is much more pronounced and much more raw sounding.

Most people interested in The Beatles will have this album and there is some great music on it but it is one of their more scattered and lesser works.

The Beatles "Abbey Road"

I first heard the Abbey Road album when I was a senior in High School. A friend of mine had received the album of as a gift and he did not really care for The Beatles, he liked underground music I think solely because it was underground. Anyway he did not want the album and thus gave it to me, without the case which he lost the case somewhere along the line. Anyway I listened to it for the first time that day. I thought the album was excellent, sure I could do without "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "I Want You (She's so Heavy)," but other than that I thought the album was excellent. I still think it is excellent

By now most know the story of this album's creation, it was their last album to be recorded but not the last to be released. After the painful "Let It Be/Get Back" recording sessions the group was ready to break up but decided to record one last time and return to their earlier style of recording. Abbey Road is my favorite Beatles album and what I consider their most unified and concept oriented work. The first eight tracks (side one of the original record) are individual songs and the next eight tracks (side two) are one long song suite where individual songs link to make a larger piece of music.

The reason I call this their most complete album is that ideas and sounds from the album's previous songs appear in later parts of the album. The lyrics from "Here Comes the Sun" appear in "Sun King" although slightly altered and sung completely different. The lyrics and instrumentals from "You Never Give me your Money" appear in "Golden Slumbers" and "Carry That Weight." The harmonies from "Because" appear in "You Never Give me Your Money" and "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window." The characters in the songs also interact "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam" are siblings, "You Never Give me Your Money," "She Came in through the Bathroom Window," "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," and "The End" seem to all be about the same two people though they are never named. There are probably numerous other ideas and concepts in the songs that I have yet to find but whether you search for ideas of not the music is some of the finest ever recorded by the greatest group in Rock History. The Beatles certainly went out on a high note.

I love this album and like the Fab Four said, "In the End the Love you take is Equal to the Love you Make."

The Beatles "The White Album"

After the psychedelic excesses, particularly of Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles return to a more rock based sound. They have not completely abandoned excess though, as this is their only double album. Many have often argued that this would work better as a single album. I will admit half the album is superb while half is often near parody and sometimes downright silly. I don't know in my opinion even the seemingly throwaway songs are quite enjoyable. In fact this is my second favorite Beatles album, after Abbey Road.

As history has shown us the group was splintering and wanting to go in their own directions by the time this album was being recorded. Ringo quit the group for a period during the recording sessions. The album does have a bit of a scattered feel as the Fab Four perform in every style they can think of from rock to country to 1930s pop. The four Beatles individual musical tastes really come through and many of the tracks seem like they were recorded without the input of each other. Many of the songs feature one Beatle on lead and it is hard to discern if the others were involved and if the others are involved they often act as backup. A number of McCartney's song seem to be him alone with an acoustic guitar. Most of the songs are Lennon and McCartney tunes but Harrison gets in four tracks, including "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and Ringo gives us his first song writing with "Don't Pass Me By."

I think that is why I like this album each member gets to show his own interests and they run all through the face of music. There are also some spectacular songs here. Heck I recommend this album I think its great.

The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

Considered by many, including Rolling Stone Magazine, to be the Greatest Album of all time. Well, it is certainly a valid title for this album. Though it is probably my third favorite Beatles album there is no ignoring Pepper's cultural and historical importance as well as just being a bunch of great songs.

John Lennon once said, in regards to this album being heralded as a concept story album, that aside from the first two tracks and the Reprise near the end all the songs are individual and could have appeared on any album. Lennon is right to a degree, but because the concept story is about a long time band that play all different styles it pulls the varied musical ideas together.

Paul McCartney's brain child, inspired by The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, he writes and sings a number of the lead vocals. Lennon and Harrison also get in some fine tunes as well. Also since there were on singles taken directly from this album, these songs do not appear on any other compilation (aside from The Blue Album compilation). Listing good songs would be pointless. People will forever argue whether or not this is the Greatest Album of all time. Sgt. Pepper broke all the rules and made way for more adventurous music and bigger concept albums. If you need me to tell you this album is good or if you have never heard of it, you probably don't like this type of music or have been hiding under a rock.

The Beatles "Revolver"

Back in the early 2000s VH1 had a week long TV special which chronicled the 100 Greatest Albums of all time. The special listed The Beatles album "Revolver" as number one, the greatest album of all time. As I mentioned in a previous post there was a time when I was really obsessed with The Beatles, I had not heard of this album. Since it was listed as the greatest album of all time I was interested in hearing it, so I picked it up on sale at Tower Records.

Personally I don't think this is the greatest album of all time, its a really good album but personally my favorite Beatles album is Abbey Road. However, this is a major stepping stone for the band. Revolver is really the album where you see them transitioning from their earlier style to the more eclectic style of their later years. The cover is definitely a precursor to Sgt. Pepper's famous cover that would be seen about a year after this album's release. The Beatles here expand from writing only love songs to include slice of life stories, "Eleanor Rigby" and "Doctor Robert," and pure fantasy songs like "Yellow Submarine." Lennon also forays, for the first time, into tape loops and sound collages with the album's disturbing closer "Tomorrow Never Knows." Harrison begins his forays into the indian music that would forever impact his art and life. McCartney also writes a number of gems like "Good Day Sunshine," "Here, There and Everywhere" and "Got to Get You into My Life." Revolver has great historical importance as the beginning of the Beatles abandoning of rules and styles and creating new music, it also has some great tracks along the way.

The Beatles "Rubber Soul"

There has been so much written, said and documented about The Beatles that it is hard for me to know where to begin, let alone what to say.

Let me start by saying that I purchased this album at Tower Records on sale. I was going through that Beatles discovery period that many (if not all) teenagers go through. Where we find out musical identity whether it be rock, pop, classical, jazz, or something else or some combination. Anyway at this point in time I was really into The Beatles, reading books about them, wearing a t-shirt with John Lennon's picture and the phrase "Give Peace a Chance" scrawled across the bottom.

Anyway back to the album, Rubber Soul was actually one of the last Beatles albums that I purchased. I enjoy their later album much more, particularly Abbey Road and The White Album, but this is still an excellent album. I think I originally purchased this because my Dad and I really like the song "Drive My Car" which is the opening track here. But basically every track is a highlight including George Harrison's first great song "If I Needed Someone." Their lyrics were getting more complex and this was where they began to expand their context and musical ideas outside of just straight love songs. All in all I have passed my Beatles phase, I still love their music but it is not the only music I listen to. I will always be glad to have their albums as part of my collection.

My First one

Hello,

Ok so I have never done one of these before so I guess I will start with saying what this blog will hopefully be about. I am planning on focusing on music, possibly mainly the music of Hawaii, maybe if this goes well I could expand to include all kinds of entertainment (movies, music, books, comics, dance, etc.) but lets see what happens. Before I start I just wanted to say thanks to the lovely lady who writes the Hot Robot blog for all her help in getting me started with this blog stuff. Well here goes.

Beatles for Sale

So the big news in the music world over the last week was that The Beatles catalogue has been re-released in special edition remastered CDs. The process of remastering, according to reports, has taken nearly four years and done by George Martin (the man behind the scenes of all the original Beatles recordings including the recent "Love" CD).

What is the difference between these new Remastered CDs and the original CD releases from 1987 (which have been the only available Beatles music for quite some time)?

1. The sound of the new releases are louder than the 1987 releases

2. McCartney's bass guitar is much clearer on the new releases

3. On certain albums it is much easier to hear the different instruments being played

4. All the new releases come with new archival photos and brief liner notes, which were sorely lacking on the 1987 releases.

5. Each new release CD has a four minute "mini-documentary" about the making of the album which is playable on Quicktime in your computer.*

6. New cardboard digipack cases instead of the plastic jewel cases.

*one complaint I read about these "mini-documentarys" is that when the disc is put into the computer for instance to load the songs into iTunes the documentary pops up and makes it difficult to download the songs into iTunes.

So if you already have all the 1987 CDs, these New Releases may not be worth all the money. Except for the most diligent listeners most people will not be able to spot vast differences unless they play the 1987 and the New discs back to back. As the music has thankfully not been remixed so drastically that the songs no longer resemble the ones we know and love. If you don't own any of the Beatles albums (sad but it can happen) these will certainly please your ears. The Beatles catalogue contains some of the finest rock and pop music to ever be recorded and judging from the bestseller list on sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble many people are snatching up these new releases. If you're a Beatles Fanatic (you know who you are) you probably already have bought these new releases weeks ago and if you are a fanatic and have not bought them the new liner notes and mini-documentarys are some prime incentives.

If you are a casual listener and already own the 1987 CDs you'll be fine, but if you are really curious to hear the difference borrow the new Remasters from a Beatles Fanatic near you, come on we all know at least one Beatles Fanatic.

take care and thanks for reading.