Tuesday, July 24, 2007
they're gonna crucify me
For all my music nerdery, I have one rather freaky blind spot: I know next to nothing about the Beatles. Well, that's an exaggeration. I know as much about them as any reasonably observant music enthusiast would without actually investigating them intentionally. But as I've been known to point out to people on a regular basis, I know more about the Monkees than I do about the Beatles. And I'm not that freaked out about it from a music knowledge standpoint. But lately I have been thinking that maybe I would like to actually listen to some Beatles records, not out of obligation but because I might really enjoy them.
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4 comments:
As long as Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd. is one of the Monkees albums you own, you are on safe ground.
I can burn you some late-era Beatles albums if you want. My favorites are The Beatles (the white album) and Past Masters Volume II, which is all singles and b-sides.
Yes, I know what you mean - "the Beatles" are a brand name, a sacred cow, something to stick on the cover of Uncut/Mojo every 6 months as a surefire way of bringing in some extra baby-boomer dollars. And yet... When all is said and done, there remains something irreducible about some of the Beatles music - but despite the millions of words written about them, there's very little of any real worth or interest that has been written about the Beatles' music. I would suggest listening to "Sgt Pepper" or the recent "Love" remix album as a way in. And listen closely to the details: the particular sounds used, the placement in the mix, the effects, the words, the vocal stresses, the electronic sleight-of-hand etc etc. It is possible to listen to the Beatles with new ears, but you do need to work at it. Read vol 1 of Grant Morrison's "The Invisibles" for a whole new way of perceiving John Lennon...
I think the later Beatles has been made sooo classic that it's hard to hear it with fresh ears and I think the early pop era is conversely a bit under-rated. try Beatles For Sale. It's likely to have some songs you haven't heard and can appreciate.
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