Magical Mystery Tour

The Beatles***How does one compete with an album the likes of The Peppers?
Don't release it after Boxers day in Britain on T.V. & don't release it in black & white.

Many a great song on this album & yet another change of style visually. I have to admit that the animal things are on the edge, but it depends on your perception of reality.

I won't get into the musical nuance, it's really a great album. The morphing of the characters is yet another segue into something we know not of. Does one go forward or get back to roots.

It's all up to you & that's my two cents. But What Do I Know Anyway...*

All You Need Is Love

The Beatles***Off of their album Magical Mystery Tour, comes in at around 5:44 ; Considering the times of the Vietnam war, The band seems to be leading quite the opposite way.

The art of destruction, or the strongest power in the cosmos-[which means everything in all the universe(s)-Is Love.

Send the message out on a world wide satellite-[never had been done before-] Is pretty neat. Cool.
What else can I say as I've already said too much. But What Do I Know Anyway...*

A Day In The Life

The Beatles***Another walk in the dream window of Mr. Lennon. Imagination & concept have become something other, than what the band was first like at the beginning. It's full blown timeless art...*

S. P. L. H..C. B. (Reprise)

The Beatles***Why the reprise...; I like it better than the full song. At least I wish they would have done a complete version ; As they did in Revolution...per say.

Doesn't really matter anyway. Their ability to recreate themselves is as usual, astounding. But what else could one say...*

Within You Without You

The Beatles***A fine change of musical styles. George has melded both into one universal whole.

There's so much to be learned & listened to in other cultures ; A plethora of music on the globe within & without you. Other spiritual aspects we won't get in to that now.

God Bless You George. Godspeed Sir...*

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite

The Beatles***Off the Pepper album, coming in at an amazing time of 2:47. There's too much to say about this song.

I feel that this is one Mr. Lennon's finest songs & to come up with this type of arrangement, to production, though all of the various areas of the machination of this work of brilliance.

It's obvious to most, that The Beatles are way ahead of the pack, as they always have been. This song is light years away from the present. Then & now. I sure like that calliope & glockenspiel & what ever came upon the track.

The bands of the times were so intent on grabbing hold of a bullet train, it's not even funny. The song is a timeless piece of art. Visionary...

The plethora of sounds & instruments have quite an effect on a listener. Also a great production, in as much as George Martin & his engineers at work on this is sublime. John's imagination of composition is beyond my comprehension. A jewel...*

Fixing A Hole

The Beatles***Off of the pepper album ; Grand song with Mr. McCartney. An interesting display of many new instruments, If you will.

I always heard the song like a pleasant reflective kind of thing. But at my last listen a moment ago, He seems rather pissed off, which is fine for anyone.

I did at first hear it for a few seconds in stereo ; Again to say that separation is nice, but never comes near the way those songs were created & produced.

I'll have mine in mono HQ, you can decide for your self...*

Getting Better

The Beatles*** Thus began the long voyage into places & spaces that have not been musically discovered. Once in a blue moon, Mr. L & Mr. P. seem to be on the same airways. The same page for you neophytes.

A really great song from instrumentation to lyrics to production to arrangement...You get the drift in one way or another. Godspeed Sirs...*

You Won't See Me

The Beatles***Coming in over 3: 00 ; 3:17 actually, is something up until this point, didn't happen too often.

Paul is a genius, we all know that & I've been documenting John songs for the most part. I will go back I promise & extrapolate all of his excellent body of work. In a bit. George too...*

The lyrics on this song for me, pull a few to say the least, of heart-strings. Man, I sure have felt that way, many a time. Have you... ?

Help !

The Beatles *** Comes in around 2:20 in black & white. I believe that this is the one they used to open the second film with. That one was colored.

They look great, they sound great, they are great. What a great haircut. Who does Mr. Lennon's hair ? Give me his/her card. That's my 2 cents...*

I Keep On Lovin You

ZZ Hill*** Man It took me a long time to search this song out on the Web. When I first heard this song, I was sitting in a car back in the day. I was a teen & It only took one time for the song to play on the radio I was hooked to the 9th degree.

Ever since then, I have been looking for this cut & I finally found it. It's in the pocket, straight ahead. A great R& B song, or what ever you choose to call it.

You don't heard this slam rack tune anymore on commercial radio. If you still listen to commercial radio. Check this cut, sweet blue R & B old school is it...*

Think For Yourself

The Beatles***A George ditty with some acerbic thoughts on his mind, to go along with the fuzz guitar effect. George is an extremely deep person & I would never even attempt to try. So I suppose some people will read the memoirs of his first wife.

I don't want to get into that crossfire, But on many cuts George had some moody lyrics on his mind & it comes out in his composing. Godspeed Sir...*

Love Me Do

The Beatles first number coming in at #17 on the British Charts. You might hear some Everly Brothers & Roy Orbison. The Everly Brothers are a real influence with the double harmonies.

The song is a bit odd, even a blending of Country music & Motown in these first earlier works. On following albums you see the covers disappear & the fellows basically compose their own stuff.

Covers can look a few multiple ways-[I mean album covers] ; Depending on which country & which label. No point in getting into the politics of all of this shenanigans ; Leave to say that payola, politics-[including a great all consuming greed]-; & Nepotism were & are-[barely]- still in force.

Did I say that ? Nothing personal to the crumbled facade that is running around like ants, trying to forge for something left. Ah technology...how sweet it is. But What Do I Know Anyway...*

She Said She Said

The Beatles*** Another John song, I'm I leaning most of the time on Mr. Lennon's work ? What do you think ... . ; It seems that Mr. Lennon can write about anything on the fly. John is the Beatles...Have you ever heard that before ? What an outlandish thought.

All this other tommy-rot about empty swimming pools & Peter Fonda & LSD...; I don't know anything of that. I was not even invited...*

Id go with HQ mono on these, unless you want set the recording process into draconian times.What a great picture...Godspeed Sirs...*

Taxman

The Beatles***A nice cut from George, vocals & all ; Think he's using the new at that time-[Gibson SG]-Has a nice sharp clean sound variations being, whether It's the one pickup or the two pickup. I used the former , many a year...But What Do I know Anyway.

Great utilization(I like that word) of seventh chords, leading the effect a bit on the hard side. Mr. Harrison seems to be writing more & singing solo more, as the band continues onwards into the Revolver album...*

In My Life

The Beatles***From the Rubber Soul album, comes in at 2:27, as Mr. Lennon spins them off effortlessly.

Working again with more interior & reflective songs ; Finds a good deal of vocal work again is actually Mr. Harrison ; With plenty of three-part harmonies. The song is like reading a book...*

This track was re-mastered in 2009, in mono...Who did it..I have not a clue...*

Day Tripper

The Beatles***From the Yesterday & Today album ; Though there were different tracks on different albums, depending on what country you were in. If they looked pissed off to you, they are.

Some of the live footage of the band playing in Tokyo, Japan for instance : Around the 1966 time. The song clocked in at about 2:45 ; As you see, the guitars are going in the direction of semi-hollow body. Like may be Harmony or Epiphone & perhaps even Gibson 335's.

Utilizing these types of guitar with Vox tube amplifiers, delivers a nice thick & crisp sound. What you are in effect watching, is the last stages of live performances in the huge arenas ; Ending up in 1966 in San Fransisco.

Even with draconian equipment, they make a great go of it. If they could hear themselves. cause there were no monitors, head-set mixes through antiquated public address systems ; In which case they would mike the amps & there you go fellows.

Of other primitive equipment, that was the best that were available at the time, did not enhance their sound, but they gutted it out & said, that's enough for now. As for the lyrics, don't ask me ; Because What Do I Know Anyway...*

Doctor Robert

The Beatles***Some 7ths' & suspended 2s' & 4ths' turn this song & the general direction again. If they wanted to play more on the hard side, they could easily do it.

But no one had the diversity anywhere, not even close. Because they're always ahead of the curb & most everyone else, was running quite hard to keep up with them ; Even down to the look. I was there then & even now. Is that a herd mentality...you tell me.

Their direction & lyric imaginations, not to mention their own adroit chops ; Adding other instruments or an orchestra or what ever they could come up with.

It's the difference of the herd mentality vs the creator, ever moving & morphing. The name of the game is creativity. Who plays that way nowadays...U2...? maybe...Ah well, that's my 2 cents.

Nowhere Man

The Beatles***A fine John song ; Getting a notch more into the inner world of sights,thoughts moods & feelings. Post modern poetry if you will.

The textured sound of Mr. Harrison's guitar, at certain junctures, I believe is a Gibson SG : One that he will use more often on the next album, along with the semi-hollow-bodied Harmony ; seen live around 1966 & the Epiphone later seen around the studio around 1969.

So now that I have bored you to death, unless you are a guitar player ; Sorry for the segue, But What Do I Know Anyway...*

By the way...this one has been stereo remixed by whom I don't know. Try your mono button on this one, as compared to the stereo sound.

Drive My Car

The Beatles***From the Yesterday & Today album ; A fine Paul song comes in at about 2:31.

No point to mention the original cover ; All I can say myself, is I think it was about the war in Vietnam ; All of the women, babies & civilians being killed. That's about as far as I'll go to that.

My father told me one time, there are two subjects that you don't mention at the dinner table. Politics & religion.

By the way, 4 million Vietnamese were killed ; Which would roughly equal about 16 million Americans ; As the Vietnamese were fighting an invading foreign country. But What Do I Know Anyway...*

If I Needed Someone

The Beatles***Off of Rubber Soul, with Mr. Harrison taking lead vocal. I've heard quite a many songs that have been re-mastered ; I myself tend to play the material in mono, as was the way it was originally recorded.

Fine to listen to re-mastered songs, but to get the music on one side & the vocals on the other, is a drag. The vocals going straight up the middle is much more effective.

Re-mastered in -[HD]- mono is fine. But some of this material, actually quite a lot, making the stereo re-master does not do it. That's my two cents.

It gets into production & engineering ; Who doing what with each song. I myself. haven't got a clue. My ears are good & putting the vocals as an example on one side of the mix, sounds odd. Not the real deal at all.

I'm not into the legal aspects of all of this, I'll leave that to Apple or whoever. But anyone with a decent set of headphones could easily hear what has more of a projection. Sometimes, for the sake of stereo, some of the sides sound almost naked. Turn on the mono switch & tell me, what sounds better.But What Do I Know Anyway...*

Wait

The Beatles***From the album Rubber Soul. Some material has become a bit longer in running time ; The work is becoming more intimate & perceptual.

John has another one up his sleeve & there's no stopping him at this point. They've turned the corner & out-did themselves again. God Speed Sirs...*

Nowhwere Man

The Beatles*** Again off of the Rubber Soul album. A bit more self reflection of moods on this album. Even a bit up close & personal.

Philosophical lyrics & lots oh acoustic guitars to go along with Mr. Harrison's electrics. At this stage, working towards their 1966 perspectives of playing live & all of the other reasons, they decide to hop back into the studio.

The Interior security & sound checks had a lot to do with it , but no use to get into that right now. Besides, What Do I Know Anyway...*

Norwegian Wood

The Beatles***Comes in at 2: 05 or so, off the Rubber Soul album. Like many many others by the band, this was were written by Mr. Lennon. Paul helps on brides-[middle eight] ;

Another way to know a bit about who's leading the song, Is by who's singing it; A nice Sitar injected into the work & a nice warm acoustic feeling.

Don't ask me about the lyrics. All I can say is "bird" is English slang for a female. As to her having flown, might indicate she has left the previous nights' residence. Very auto-biographical.

But What Do I Know Anyway...*

Drive My Car

The Beatles***Off of the Rubber Soul album, coming in at about 2:30 ; This is a walk down a curved path, as the compositions are of a different nature than the earlier work.

The use of seventh chords right off the bat, to a more pushing pseudo-blues. In fact the whole album would be a departure of the earlier Power Pop , to more of an internal opening of their thoughts & feelings ; Sort of, a bit like a diary if you will.

The cover of the record with a photo-lens effect ; Also the attitude of follow me, we are going over this way ; Always ahead of the curve down the road, which everyone attempts to emulate...*

Ticket To Ride

The Beatles***Again from the Help ! album. Almost a pseudo waltz time is let loose. Some pictures doing stadium concerts ; Perhaps at Shea in New York or Dodger stadium in Los Angeles.

The lyric, I don't really know what to make of it. I guess you had to be there ; The Super Beatle Vox amps, probably around a hundred watts & tubes for the head. Even using mikes on the amps through the public address system ; How could you hardly hear yourself for a few basic fundamentals.

There were no stage amps back in the day, with 60-70 thousand screaming females, nowadays, you have the luxury of a moniter system feeding the music right back at you, at a comfortable level.

But public address systems in 1965 ; In paradox to all of the technology we now have, including the ability to hear yourself, makes a huge difference.

They were the ones that started all of the large arenas & stadiums ; So they got tired of touring & preferred the studio & satellite broadcasts ; Throw in television & music vidoes...; Even then could reach a much higher exposure level.

That they were the first also, to utilize a global satellite setup. But What Do I know Anyway...*

You're Going To Lose That Girl

The Beatles***From the film Help ! This is one of the coolest visual presentations I've ever seen of the band. Violets & pinks, Aqua & light ; As the lighting is placed behind them. I'm sure to plagiarize the heck out of this particular effect. Save the smoke, which ironically makes it look like dry ice fog, employed by many bands.

As far a s the song, It's a nice ditty, wide, warm & open ; Their vocals handle the key that unlocks Pandora's box. They sound warm & human. They'll come on with topics about relationships till the 12th of never. My number one influence, Absolutely Sir...*

Another Girl

The Beatles***From the Help ! album. A nice tune Paul pulls with an interesting subject amidst a stark arrangement. They're tossing them out like pancakes, one after the other.

One of the nicest thins in my opinion is the fact that there's never any filler for the most part, across their body of work. Who does that these day...?