The Fab Four Discussed
Aug 26
1960s george harrison, john lennon, paul mccartney, the beatles No Comments
Sorry I haven’t posted in a few days, but I’ve been busy listening to some of the albums released last week and this week. In the review section of the site, there are two new album reviews up: Athlete’s Black Swan and Jet’s Shaka Rock. You should check out both, of course
Plug aside, we’re still talking about my favorite bands here. Little Richard, The Clash, The Who, Red Hot Chili Peppers & John Frusciante; they’ve all been covered, but my musical tastes run deep so I’ve still got a bit more to cover. Today we will be talking about probably the most influential band of all time and definitely one of the best ever. The Fab Four have been touched upon here before, but now, we’re finally going to cover: The Beatles!
As much as I would love to make a long post about The Beatles, I don’t think I can. There’s really not much that can be said about them. So musically diverse, their catalogue covers so many genres and so well that it’s eerie. Hard rock, pop rock, folk rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, MoTown, boogie-woogie, bubblegum pop, Indian, doo-wop; I can go on and on just as they did in tackling so many genres. Just listen to one album and you’ll be taken through an introductory class of music of the 20th Century with every piece being covered save for the genres that arose after 1970 (heavy metal, rap, punk, et cetera). They covered so much ground with each release and did them all with their trademark Beatles sound.
As bands today branch out into other genres and people roll their eyes as they emulate their influences, The Beatles did just that while maintaining their recognizable & popular musical trademarks. It’s just remarkable. Of course, the talent in the group is without question. Lennon & McCartney were just born to write songs for us and definitely worked best off of the other. You had your Lennon songs, your McCartney songs, and those songs where one of them filled the blanks left by the other; ninety percent of their work just ended up brilliant.
George Harrison must have been taking notes from them because by the time of Revolver, his songs quickly began to show great merit and before long, we had “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Something.” One of the most underrated guitarists as well, Harrison’s lead work definitely was one of the best in a short-time before the guitar heroes Hendrix, Allman, & Clapton of the 60s became famous.
Then there’s Ringo Starr. Easily one of the three most influential drummers ever (along with Moon & Bonham), Ringo Starr definitely expanded on the role of the drummer in the band. Long before regarded as a “rarely seen, never heard” role, Starr’s charming personality made him a media darling and as loveable as the other three in the group. Starr took what it meant to be a drummer and turned it upside down before Moon & Bonham would ultimately expand even more upon it. Together, they all complimented each other to the point that they stayed in the hearts of all, not for their looks or bubblegum lyrical beginnings, but rather for the depth of their musical career.
The Beatles’ great works are easily the two albums Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. Those two should be in contention for any top ten on any best of list for any publication or organization. Both contain such great material that I can literally never get tired of listening to them. Some of their greatest works are on here too: “A Day In The Life, Come Together, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” and the aforementioned “Something.” Even more, the albums contain lesser known songs which might rival these hits such as the “Abbey Road Medley” and “Lovely Rita.” As to which album is better, I’d have to lean towards Sgt. Pepper’s, but it’s such a close race. Abbey Road, being their last recorded album before their break-up, features such a concise effort from a band determined to go out on a high note. Too bad the release of Let It Be silenced that high note. But Sgt. Pepper’s, with its unified theme, unified band effort, range of genres, range of topics, et cetera, has to be the best from them. It also contains one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, from the group.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the first Beatles album I ever heard and the title track that opens up, grabbed me from note one. The scathing electric guitar followed by the narrator shouting the story; it sent chills down my body. The horn section interlude that follows by the chorus sing-a-long just kept it going as well as interesting. The song itself contains so many musical genres and elements. Music only, it’s fitting the song starts off the musically eclectic album. It’s ultimately a short song from them and not really one that you leave amazed like some of the others mentioned here, but it’s so fun and sums up everything I love about The Beatles in two minutes. Hell, it says more about them than this rambling post I said wouldn’t be long!
Song: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Year: 1967
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