I'm going to start this post by first thanking Donna and Eric for pulling this tournament together. As an avid music listener and Beatles superfan, I couldn't think of a better way to geek out about this band than engaging my colleagues in a Fab-ricated tournament to rank the best work by the single-most influential band in the history of rock 'n roll.
I like how Eric put his post together, so I'll follow the sun...I mean, follow suit. It's a long one people, so thanks for indulging me.
Round 1 (John regional): A Hard Day's Night (HDN) vs. Revolver
It's tough having to pick between two records in the first round that showcase The Beatles in what I believe are the finest moments of those particular periods in their career. Both records are the sound of a band completely in tune with one another, taking their music in new directions and setting completely new standards for pop albums. They're both tight, concise records, packing in dozens of hooks, delicately crafted harmonies and unparalleled energy into three-minute tunes.
HDN is bright, jangly and irresistibly catchy. And it's the only record with all Lennon-McCartney compositions. It's the peak of Beatlemania. No stars had reached this level of stardom before this. "Things We Said Today" is as close to a perfect pop song as anything, my favorite track on the record.
But two years later, in 1966, they'd sound like an entirely different band. From the opening crunch of "Taxman" -- one of my top five Beatles songs -- to the pounding, psychedelic frenzy of "Tomorrow Never Knows," the boys from Liverpool somehow made pop, Indian music, classical, chamber, children's songs and soul - and a thousand other sounds - somehow all fit together into a cohesive record.
To me, you can't really compare the two -- they're both Beatles records, but the musicians who made the records are coming from wildly different perspectives. But someone's gotta win.
*WINNER: Revolver Round 1
(Ringo regional): With the Beatles vs. Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine -- some love it, some despise it. In the context of Revolver - the record on which it first appeared - it works. On a soundtrack, lumped together with a few previously released tracks, some late-1967 outtakes and George Martin-composed orchestra pieces, it just doesn't have the same impact. There's no connectivity among the record's material.
That being said, there are a couple of real gems on the record, including George's tasty slice of psychedelia, "It's All Too Much." His "Only a Northern Song" is a bit of filler, although sports a wonderful bass line from Paul McCartney, as does "Hey Bulldog," the last song that the group worked on together -- and actually had a good time doing so.
But it's clear that at that point in the band's career, they couldn't be bothered with writing material for films. Each of them by that point had begun to think about life after The Beatles.
With the Beatles, the follow-up to their 1962 debut, is an interesting look into the group's obsession with R&B, soul and Motown. Even with "All My Loving," "All I've Got to Do" and "You've Really Got a Hold On Me," it's my least favorite record among their early works. But it's better than Yellow Submarine.
*WINNER: With the Beatles
Round 1 (Paul regional): Please Please Me vs. Help
I view this face-off as something similar to HDN vs. Revolver -- pitting two albums against one another made by the same band -- but in much different periods of their career. Why PPM is often cited as the band's worst is beyond me. Sure, "Love Me Do" ain't poetry, but "You Like Me Too Much" is just as bland.
Please Please Me was recorded in a single day, a marathon session that ended with a sick John Lennon stripping down to his skivvies and belting out one of the most unbelievable vocal performances ever recorded. Some may view "Twist and Shout" as an overplayed wedding reception tune, but it's their version -- not the original -- that stands as the definitive version.
There's a kinetic energy, a rawness and electricity to the album. "I Saw Her Standing There," "Boys," -- just listen to them whoop and holler in the background as Harrison tears into a guitar solo. Few records sound this fun.
Help has its merits. In some ways, it represented a leap forward for the group. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Yesterday," "Ticket to Ride" and "I've Just Seen a Face" and the title track are all much more sophisticated than anything that they recorded before -- but the album drags from the amount of filler on the rest of the record. The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks were catching up to the band, and it wasn't clear on Help where they were headed next.
Some might find it outrageous to rank PPM above Help -- but ultimately it's the former that gets my foot tappin'. Help has its share of great moments and some of my favorite songs, but it has me reaching for the ">>" button more often.
*WINNER: Please Please Me
Round 1 (George regional): Beatles for Sale vs. Let it Be
If there's one thing these albums have in common, it's that both are the sounds of a group completely exhausted and in need of a break. But one of them is arguably the first point at which The Beatles began to mature, while the others is a document of the group's absolute darkest hour.
Let it Be was an attempt for the group to return to its rock 'n roll roots, playing as an ensemble, free of any studio embellishments or added production value. But the sessions were bitter, almost poisonous to the group. Everyone was at each other's throats; Paul, George and Ringo resented the fact that Yoko Ono was pretty much a regular at Beatles sessions now, after their inner circle had been protected for so many years.
The title track, a longtime favorite of many fans both hardcore and casual, was openly mocked by Lennon every time Paul McCartney cued up the piano chords. Yet the two couldn't have been more in sync at a few points, including the funky rocker "I've Got a Feeling" and "Get Back" which showcased the rare moments when Lennon played lead guitar. In my mind, however, it's hard to look past what happened to the album.
The sessions were so awful, it was shelved -- the band honestly couldn't put the record out as "Beatles" music because they were so unhappy with each other and the product. And the "back to basics" approach with which it was started was completely wrecked in the hands of producer Phil Spector, who ultimately over-saturated the record with overdubs, strings and choirs and other sounds that completely draped the rock 'n roll in saccharine sludge.
It's a miracle that they were able to follow this with Abbey Road. More on that later.
Whenever I mention Beatles for Sale, I usually get a "huh?" comment from my companions. "Oh, you mean that record with 'Eight Days a Week?'" Yes, that one, with that song -- and a handful of others that encapsulate where the Beatles came from, where they'd been and where they were headed. For those who complain about the ratio of covers to original songs -- consider the demands that were placed on the group.
Between 1962-1964 they'd put out three records, more than a dozen singles, made a feature film and toured incessantly. The band was exhausted, and yet when they finished a tour in late 1964, the label already had them back in the studio to record a new album in time for Christmas.
The band was beginning to resent the way they were treated -- being told where to be, what to do at all times. They were ready to abandon the idea of being happy, cheeky lads 24-7, ready to ham it up for the cameras. They wanted time to explore their musical ideas and the possibilities of the recording studio. The album cover alone says it all: we're exhausted. It's a depressing photo, all drab colors, expressionless faces and windblown hair. This is the opposite of Beatlemania.
And yet it produced some incredible music. The Beatles had been turned on to Bob Dylan -- and met him -- and the influence of folk music was working its way in. The opening three tracks on Beatles for Sale is as good a combination of anything they recorded: "No Reply," "I'm a Loser," and "Baby's in Black." Three songs that depict a downtrodden, depressed fellow, angry at his girl.
The guy in those songs does not want to hold her hand, nor is he happy just to dance with her. He'd rather down a few extra drinks and storm out of the party, as in "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party," which juxtaposes a melancholy lyric against an infectious country shuffle. The "I still.....looooove her" chorus in that tune is as good as any Lennon-McCartney harmony in the group's catalog.
The covers pay homage to their early heroes and show that the band was still capable of generating straight-up rock 'n roll along with their tremendous knack for writing a pop song. The guitars are thicker, the drums heavier, the vocals rougher and rawer. The group's taste for 1950s rockabilly and country shines throughout the record, which is as twangy as it is jangly. It's an odd mix of styles, yet it somehow works.
I don't care what anyone says: whether or not you think "Mr. Moonlight" is a piece of garbage, that opening vocal line from Lennon is a feat. Nobody sang like that.
Beatles for Sale might be the sound of a group worn out from the superhuman demands that were placed on it, and they ultimately sound very human on the album. But their enthusiasm for exploring new ground was still fresh -- and they were still getting along. They still wanted to be The Beatles. And with this record they proved that they could work through the burnout -- and that there was much more to come.
*WINNER: Beatles for Sale
