Keno's Classic Rock n Roll Web Site
Fans Album Reviews For:
THE BEATLES
(27 reviews sent in so far)
Abby Road (8) | The White Album (4) | Let It Be (2) |
Sgt. Pepper's (3) | Help! (1) | With The Beatles (1) |
A Hard Days Night (1) | Revolver (4) | Please Please Me (2) |
Rubber Soul (1) |
ABBEY ROAD
By Darius Henry
August 31, 2007
Rating: 10.0
I bought this album last year and Ive been hooked on it ever since. Like I said, I
got 5 Beatles albums and theyre all great. Everytime I listen to this album, I just
cant believe that this album was what was going to be their final album. Abbey Road
may have been the Beatless final album, but it was a great way to end the whole
thing before they broke up.
This album start off with a bang with Come Together. What a great song by
John. I like it when John was actually saying, Shoot Me, though you can barely
hear it through Pauls bass. The funny thing is that I first heard of the Michael
Jacksons cover of the song. The next song turns out to be one of my favorite Beatles
songs of all times. That song is Something by George Harrison. This is such a
beautiful song for his then-wife, Patti Harrison. The next song, Maxwells
Silver Hammer is a song by Paul. I like the synthesizer on this song the most. I
like the clip for this song in their movie, Let It Be. Oh! Darling,
is another song by Paul, a soulful piece on this one. John said he should have sung this
song. I wonder what would have happened if that was the case. Anyway, the next song, which
is Octopuss Garden, its is one of my favorite song on this album,
written for Ringo and is certainly Ringos style. I Want You (Shes So
Heavy) is a great song by John, though I dont know what the hell this song is
about, Im told that its about Yoko. This is one of the heaviest song The
Beatles have ever done. Its also their longest song (other than Revolution
9). Here Comes the Sun is another great song by George Harrison. A
beautiful guitar piece that is similar to the Creams Badge, another song
that feature George. I mean, like Keno says, it was a perfect song to play during a cold
winter day. In fact, you can say this is Georges best album. Because is
one of Johns song where the three members of the Beatles sang in harmony. I like
this tune, though this tune always seems like it has a scary theme in it. I mean, the
harmony itself sounds so haunted that it could be use in scary type of movies.
The next 8 songs, a.k.a. the Medley, would turns out to be the pinnacle of this album. 16
minutes of great music is all I have to say. Let me explain. The Medley begins with
You Never Give Me Your Money, which is sung by Paul. The song begins slowly,
than starting to pick up the pace. At the end you hear the guitar piece you had heard from
Here Comes the Sun. The song ends with the cricket chirping into the next
song, Sun King. This is another Johns song that the 3 Beatles sang in
harmony, I love this beautiful piece. At the end, all of the sudden, they starting to sang
in different languages. It sounded like they were giving you a message in another
language. Then it ends going to the next, Mean Mr. Mustard, which its
like the shortest song during the Medley. Great story telling by John. Than it went to the
next song about Mr. Mustard's sister, Polytheme Pam., the song rocks, thanks
John! But it turns out to be his last song, as Paul will sing on the next 4 songs. The
song goes into She Came into the Bathrooms Window. Great song by Paul.
Then Golden Slumber. This song is my least favorite song during the Medley,
though a nice little poem. Then it went into the next song, Carry That Weight,
one of those few songs that are sung by all four members of the Beatles. This song has the
same rhythm as "You Never Give Me Your Money. Its end with a guitar piece
that is similar to Give Me Your Money. The End. is possibly the
best song in the Medley. A great drum solo by Ringo along with three different guitar
solos by John, Paul, & George. The song and the Medley ended with a perfect message;
"And, in the end, the love you take/ is equal to the love you make." But wait,
there is one more song on this album; Pauls Her Majesty. A 23-seconds
song with just Paul on the acoustic guitar.
This album is a great goodbye record. Especially the Medley. I bet that was
like, If we going to break up, lets ended with a bang. And they did just that.
Bottom line, buy this record as soon as fast as you can.
To listen to some sound clips from ABBEY ROAD
or to buy it click on either: Abbey Road (Remastered)
or Abbey Road(Remastered)
ABBEY ROAD
By Bill Carson
April 1, 2005
Rating: 10.0
Of The Beatles three masterpieces (Abbey Road, Revolver, and The White Album),
this may very well be the best. The last 15 minutes or so of the album all flow together
and are almost perfect, but before we get there there are quite a few gems. There are two
of Harrison's best songs (Something and Here Comes The Sun), a light-hearted story about a
murderer from Paul (Maxwell's Silver Hammer), and one of The Beatle's heaviest and longest
songs "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". This album is without a doubt one of the
very best albums of all time, and easily a 10/10.
ABBEY ROAD
By Will
December 30, 2004
Rating: 4.5
This is the most overrated Beatles album of all time. No, it is not one of the
greatest albums of all time, and it is definitely no masterpiece. It's just a mess.
Now don't get me wrong! I don't have a problem with the Beatles. I think that Sgt.
Pepper truly is one of the greatest rock albums of all time, and the White Album
is a masterpiece too, but I have a hatred for this album and how much fans hype about it.
The album gets off to a good start with "Come Together" and
"Something," the two #1 hit singles from the album. However, songs like
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer," "Octopus's Garden," and especially
"Because" (yuck!), just bring this album way down! I do like "Oh!
Darling" and of course "Here Comes the Sun," but they aren't enough to help
this piece of junk. Well I mean, sure, the album isn't terrible, but after we're all
very disappointed by "Because" the album becomes a quick-changing, disoriented
series of songs, all under 2 minutes, all connected. I was really not impressed with
this. If the Beatles want to be like Pink Floyd and connect all their tracks together,
they should have started doing that at track 1! Do people fail to see this? This
album is two different approaches to making an album on one DISC! I do love
"Mean Mr. Mustard," "Golden Slumbers" and especially "The
End" with it's great drums! But the unfortunate thing is they're all apart of the
same song on the album's flip side! ABBEY ROAD is not a good effort.
Now I'm pretty sure that this review won't get posted since I'm blaspheming against Abbey
Road. But I think that Revolver and Sgt. Pepper are better
than this! If you want to start yourself out with a true Beatles classic, don't let
anyone fool you. They're are plenty of greats by this talented band. This
isn't one of them.
ABBEY ROAD
By Jeremy
September 13, 2004
Rating: 10.0
Many people think that Revolver or Sgt. Pepper are the best Beatles'
album, even the best album, period, but many people overlook the pure wonder of Abbey
Road. It was the last album the Beatles ever recorded together as a band, and
ironically, the best. Never before had they achieved such harmony, such magic, and such
musical artistry and maturity than on this album. In other words, the Beatles had achieved
the Zen of rock and roll and put it on this album. No band had before or since or ever
will be able to do that again. How could an album which contains a 15-minute sequence of
songs that all fit together perfectly and end an album - and a bands musical career, as
magnificent as the sequene on side B, not be the greatest album of all time? Of course
side A is just as wonderful. Starting out with a kick is John Lennon's immortal classic
"Come Together", followed by George Harrison's beautiful poetic ode
"Something", and then Paul McCartney's humorous murder story "Maxwell's
Silver Hammer". But the fun doesn't stop there. Later in the album we find
McCartney's heartbroken beg for forgiveness "Oh! Darling" and Lennon's heartsick
cry for love in "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" which is one of their longest
songs. My favorite thing about this song is the instrumental at the end, where it builds
up and becomes more and more intense until it abruptly ends and cuts to Harrison's
optimistic poem in which he wrote in Clapton's garden, "Here Comes the Sun",
which is one of the greatest Beatles songs ever. The two lesser songs of the album are not
to be held in any low regard as well, "Octopus's Garden" and
"Because". The first being a fun Ringo song, and the latter being their best
harmony sung. So in conclusion, Abbey Road was everything that rock and roll
could be, it was its highest peak, and, as fate would happen, resulted in the end of the
Beatles. Therefore, after Abbey Road, rock and roll could only get worse...and it
did.
ABBEY ROAD
By Chris
August 11, 2004
Rating: 9.5
The best Beatles album in my opinion, and also one of the best rock albums ever made. It
was released in 1969 and was the last album that the Beatles worked on before they broke
up. Let it Be and Hey Jude were released after the band broke up.
The album starts out with "Come Together", which has a really cool drum beat to
it, its one of my favorite songs to play on the drums. Then comes "Something"
one of the only songs on the album to be written by George Harrison. Next comes
"Maxwell Silver Hammer" and comical song about a killer named Maxwell. "Oh
Darling" is after that. The vocals by Paul on this track are outstanding. Then comes
one of the only songs ever to be written by Ringo Starr, "Octopus's Garden", its
not a bad song, but its not the best on the album either. "I Want You" is
follows and is a great song which closes the first side of the album.
The B-Side of Abbey Road is said to be the B-side ever to be recorded, and I
agree. Its starts with Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun", truly a classic. Then
comes the slow moving "Because" with great harmony throughout the whole song.
"You Never give Me Your Money" is one of my favorite songs to play on the piano.
This song leads into "Sun King" which some of the lyrics are spoken in Italian,
this leads into "Mean Mr. Musturd", about a minute song, then the next song
about his sister Pam, "Polythene Pam". That leads into "She came in through
the Bathroom Window", this has a pause when it ends. "Golden Slumbers" a
beautiful lullaby, leads into "Carry that Weight" which has some melody from
"You Never Give Me Your Money" in it. Then the classic "The End"
starts and has Ringo's one and only drum solo, and not a bad one at that. Then "Her
Majesty" comes in, a 20 second song. Most of the songs on the B-side are said to be
all pieced together from bits of songs that The Beatles never finished. Most of the
arranging was said to be done by Paul.
Abbey Road is a masterpiece and is one of the best albums ever recorded in Rock
history.
ABBEY ROAD
By JT
March 10, 2004
Rating: 10.0
This was the last time The Beatles went into the studio together. Billy Preston plays some
great organ with them. The first side of the album is hit after hit starting with the
quintessential John Lennon bluesy song, "Come Together" using some Chuck Berry
lyrics and great guitar solos by John in the end. "Something" is George
Harrison's signature tune with one of his best ever solos and a fantastic melody line. I
just love the bridge where the strings go off a bit, and Preston's organ is a nice touch.
One of the greatest ballads ever in history. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" includes
some humorous lyrics by Paul, and "Oh Darling!" is Paul's best singing ever with
great piano playing! He just belts it out on this one. Ringo even wrote a country flavored
song for this album, "Octopus's Garden". A kind of sing along song, he pulls it
off well and George takes an effective solo. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is
one of my favorites here with a great melody line and incendiary guitar work during the
chorus. Fantastic blues-like song! "Here Comes the Sun" is a wonderful acoustic
ballad by George. He sings so purely and the organ really fills in the song.
"Because" includes such beautiful harmonies sung by John, Paul, and George.
The next part of the album includes nine interconnected songs starting with a great Paul
song, "You Never Give Me You Money". Starting off slow with a beautiful melody
line and then getting more rocking minute by minute until it dies down into "Sun
King" with some great harmonies. Then we start climbing up with John's "Mean Mr.
Mustard" with some funny humorous lyrics, and the rocking "Polythene Pam".
George interconnects the latter into a great Paul song, "She Came In Through the
Bathroom Window". Paul sings great in this one while George plays some great
in-between work. Then the album dies down for a beautiful "Golden Slumbers" and
"Carry That Weight" which refers back to "You Never Give Me Your
Money". Then There is the classic "The End" which includes a great drum
solo by Ringo, and great guitar interplay between Paul, George, and John in that order
three times. Then we have Billy Preston playing soft piano while the three guitarists then
sing some wonderful harmonies for a shattering climax. The Beatles best album and one of
the greatest albums in rock 'n roll history.
ABBEY ROAD
By Net Pimp
January 28. 2001
Rating: 9.0
People seem to love this album and it's popular with fans and critics alike. I love it as
well, but it's not a five-star record in my opinion. Let me explain. "Come
Together" is a smoky, dark and dingy track with the high notes of George's slide
guitar style and menacing electric piano by Paul. John's lyrics are cutting edge and hip.
This would've fit nicely on the White Album "Something" is a great love song,
yet I actually think it should've been more simple (like on George's demo from Anthology
3), but it gets grandiose treatment. Overproduced, it's given a schmaltz touch with the
strings. Talk about the closest they came to MOR (middle of the road pop).
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer"? Pretty damn fruity I must say. Considering Paul had
the others work three days, three versions of this insulting throwaway is weird. Has some
good parts, but the synth part makes it sound even dumber. "Oh! Darling" is a
slow 50s rocker song. Yet, it's not tough or gritty. The sugary performance helped by
production doesn't do much to hurt it however. A fine song, but Paul seemed to lack that
screamer's touch ever since the last rip roarer "I'm Down" in 1965.
"Octopus's Garden" is a minor, yet enjoyable song by Ringo. Pretty
happy-go-lucky but still, a poor man's "Yellow Submarine." Fine country guitar
too. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is heavy indeed. It goes into jazzy and
bluesy areas, making it a misunderstood landmark. The guitar riff goes on forever, and the
drums and bass just freak out. Plus, there's that wild organ by Billy Preston. "Here
Comes the Sun" is another one of George's finest, yet the sound is lushly decked with
synths and flutes. Pretty good, but a bit overproduced again. "You Never Give Me Your
Money" gets fine production, and deserves it. A superb track with three parts: a slow
piano intro, a boogie section and the arpeggio fadeout. The arpeggio is gorgeous and the
song would've been great if we got to hear more fine playing and harmonies during the
fadeout. "Sun King" begins the 1st of 2 medleys, but seems nice at first, until
the silly lyrics and harmonies. It ties into "Mean Mr. Mustard" a fine, nasty
song, that leads into the rollicking "Polythene Pam" with awesome guitar
soloing, a good riff and catchy lyrics. Then, we get "She Came in Through the
Bathroom Window" a complex song with cool harmonies and twangy guitar. After that,
the final medley, begins with another schmaltzy, overproduced song, "Golden
Slumbers." Ahhh, but this time it works for such a majestic ballad. The song is a
weeping lullaby-like thing that segues into the sing-along "Carry That Weight"
that incorporates the riff from "You Never" then the arpeggio closes it out.
This leads to "The End". It has a rocking beginning, then launches into Ringo's
only drum solo (one he was reluctant to do). Soon, the guitar riff comes in with a chorus
of "Love you!" With some awesome guitar work that trades solos between Paul,
George and John. After all that, you'll notice the piano comes in off-key but is sped up
to mask the mistake. Not getting past me obviously. Then comes their prophetic line, you
know, and it ends in another crescendo of orchestra. After 20 seconds of silence comes a
23 second acoustic ditty by Paul, "Her Majesty" thrown in as an afterthought and
cut off at the end. The opening chord was the final one in "Mean Mr. Mustard"
since "Her Majesty" was going to be placed after it and then was taken off the
playback laquer onto the end with the final chord intact. The final chord of "Her
Majesty" was left cut out at the beginning of "Polythene Pam." A swan song
indeed, even if Let it Be let it close out on bitter terms as an epitaph from the
leftover Get Back sessions.
ABBEY ROAD
By FujiSaki
August 6, 2000
Rating: 9.0
Great album by the Beatles. However, I would only rate it their 3rd best behind Sergeant Pepper and the White Album. Still, 3rd best by the Beatles ain't bad. "Come Together", the opener, is by far the best song on the album and one of the best in the entire Beatles catalog amazing lyrics and a very interesting beat. This album is George Harrison's best performance with the Beatles. "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something" are both truly great songs and the next best on the album. "Octopus's Garden" aka "Yellow Submarine" part II is actually pretty good, considering it was written by Ringo. "Oh Darling" and "Because", are more great tunes from Lennon and McCartney really shines with the arrangement on the second half of the album, best arrangement and production since Sgt. Pepper and excellent flow between the songs. The bad songs here are "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", which is just too long, although it does lead in perfectly to "Here Comes the Sun", and "Her Majesty", which should have been omitted. All and all, great album.
To listen to some sound clips from ABBEY ROAD
or to buy it click on either:
Abbey
Road (Remastered) Buy.com or
Abbey Road(Remastered - CC Music)
HELP!
By Alex Short
May14, 2003
Rating: 7.5
Released on 6th August 1965, Help! Was the Beatles fifth UK studio album. Like
their third album A Hard Days Night, it was also a successful film. Help!
was really the bands first drugs album. Apparently, scenes from the movie had to be
scrapped due to the Beatles getting themselves into fits of uncontrollable laughter.
The first seven of the fourteen songs on this record are taken from the movie. The album
kicks off with the films title track Help! Its a fast paced number
written and sung by John. Supposedly about how unhappy he was at the time. He would later
refer to this time as his Fat Elvis Period Its an excellent song and the
backing from Paul and George works well. This is followed by a song written by Paul,
called The Night Before Its a keyboard driven pop song and is fairly
enjoyable, yet McCartneys voice sounds ragged and harsh. Next up is a John Lennon
atmospheric acoustic ballad titled Youve Got To Hide Your Love Away The
song is rumoured to be about their manager Brian Epsteins sexuality. Its an
enjoyable song and the recorder at the end adds a nice touch. The fourth song on the album
is the first of two numbers to be written and sung by George Harrison. I Need
You is a real gem of a song features a prominent guitar passage with one of the
first examples of a guitar pedal being used on a record. Next up is Paul McCartneys
Another Girl. The song bounces along and Paul himself plays lead guitar. The
last two songs to be taken from the film are Your Going To Loose That Girl and
Ticket To Ride. The first is a personal favourite of mine. It has a great
chord sequence and Johns falsetto vocal really makes the song. Ticket To
Ride according to John, was the first heavy metal song. This you could dispute, but
it has a crashing drums and a heavy droning guitar riff. The song drags you along with it.
When released as a single, it became the groups seventh UK number one. Side two of
the vinyl release opens with a Ringo sung cover version called Act Naturally.
Although George Harrison adds some plucky country flavoured guitar, Ringos off key singing
renders the song to filler material. Side two continues on a downward spiral with a number
written and sung by John, called Its Only Love Weak lyrically and poorly
performed, it is an uneventful, dull love song. Next up comes Harrisons second and
last offering. You Like Me Too Much is bland song about a girl who will never
leave her boyfriend. Track number eleven is a child like sing along written by Paul called
Tell Me What You See. Its filler at best. This is followed by another
Paul song called Ive Just Seen A Face. It is a catchy acoustic song,
sung well by Paul. This is followed up by the most covered song of all time,
Yesterday. The beautiful orchestral arrangement, coupled with Pauls
delicate guitar and vocals makes this song one of the finest ballads of its time. The
album, fittingly, then closes with a rocknroll cover version, belted out by
John called Dizzy Miss Lizzy Its not great, but John Lennons
enthusiastic gasps of Ohhhs and Ahhhs keeps you entertained.
So how good is this album? Well, in places its fantastic. It has some of John and
Pauls finest songs, but too many weak songs ruin the overall affect.
To listen to some sound clips from HELP! or to buy it, click on: Help!
Rubber Soul
By Darius Henry
March 31, 2006 (resubmitted on August 16, 2009 with changes)
Rating: 10.0
Wow, I mean, what can I say about this album. I have tons of albums collection and this
album is my second favorite album of all time (closely behind Michael Jacksons Thriller).
To me, all the songs on Rubber Soul are great. I'm from the beginning to the end,
it's so great that I can play this 24/7 nonstop and I won't even get bored off of it.
This album comes off strong with Drive My Car. Plus excellent vocal from John
and Paul (with a little help from George). I love the guitar work by Paul. Its very
catchy that I can actually dance to this song. Plus I love the double meaning to this
song, which is about sex. But the next song is personally one of my favorite The Beatles
songs of all time, Norwegian Wood. George on sitar is great. But thats
just one of many things that make this song great. I thought it is one of the best songs
John Lennon have ever written and sang in. Plus excellent harmony with Paul. Paul's
You Won't See Me is great but it didnt really move me. Still a great
song about his lover. But 'Nowhere Man' is a great song. With John, Paul, and George on
vocal harmony, that what make this song great. What a great mellow song. Georges
songwriting is excellent with his song, Think for Yourself. Its a great
upbeat song. That fuzz Bass by Paul got me moving. The Word is the song that
not everybody likes, but other than Norwegian Wood, this is my favorite song
on the album. Another three part harmony by you knows who. Man, do I love the organ by
George Martin. 'Michelle' is a great song by Paul. Its a great song when he is
singing partially in French. Nice mellow song.
What's Goes On is another great song. This time sang by Ringo. Ringo is not a
bad musician at all and he proves it in this song. What people dont know is that
Ringo wrote part of this song, which makes it better. Girl is another great
song. But they claim that is a drug song about marijuana. I don't believe it. Still great
vocal performance, especially the background vocals. I'm Looking Through You
is the best song by Paul in this album Its another song about his then-girlfreind.
Paul's vocal on this one is great. And let's not forget about Ringo on Organ. He did a
great job. In My Life is an excellent song, but I dont feel its
one of the Beatles best. But I still believe that it's a great song. Great intro
plus a Keyboard solo from George Martin. I always thought it was Harpsichord but I guess
wrong. This is one of the best lyrical song Lennon has ever done. Wait is a
great song. Sang by John. Paul did have a great solo vocal work in this song. If I
Needed Someone is another great song by George. It was influenced by the Byrds. I
love the guitar work on here. I. I wonder why back then, they did not showing George some
love on his writing. But another one of my favorite is the last song, Run for your
Life. Way to go John. Better keep your girl in check before she loves you for
another man. Plus great guitar riff too.
Anyway like I say, one of the best albums I ever listen. As a matter of fact I am going to
listen to it now.
To listen to some soundclips from Rubber Soul or to purchase it, click on: Rubber Soul (Remastered Buy.com) or Rubber Soul (Remastered)
PLEASE PLEASE ME
By T.H.
December 12, 2003
Rating: 8.5
The Beatles were under heavy pressure to deliver music, they needed a single every 3
months, and an album every 6 months. That is proabally the reason that 10 of the 14 songs
on the album were recorded in 1 day, 12 hours to be exact.
"I Saw Her Standing There" was the first of the songs recorded, and the first
indication that Paul could rock after all. "Misery" was the first Beatle song to
be covered, it was covered by a unknown 1963 female singer. "Boys", Ringo had a
shaky range so its no surprise that this song has less than 5 notes in it.
"Ask Me Why", the B-Side Of "Please Please Me", their first #1.
"Love Me Do" was there first single, and there first top 20 hit in Britain (to
be fair, it was an American #1). "P.S. I Love You", is one of Paul's most
stirring ballads, and should be noted.
"Do You Know A Secret", was (yes its true), inspired by Snow White And The Seven
Dwarf's "I'm Whishing", one of Julia Lennon's favorite songs. "Twist And
Shout" was the last song of the night and by the time they were finished John's
vocals were strained!
A great album and certainly sets the tone for what was to come from the worlds greatest
rock band.
Please Please Me
By Alex Short
May14, 2003
Rating: 8.0
Released on March 22nd 1963, The Beatles debut album runs at a frantic pace. The 14 songs
ranging from fast rock n roll to slow slushy ballads.
The album starts off with a song written and sung by Paul called I Saw Her Standing
There. The playing isnt perfect, but it just flows so smoothly and the
1, 2, 3, 4 belted introduction by Paul makes for a perfect start. Its
fast and very catchy. This is followed by a John Lennon penned ballad called
Misery Its played at a moderate tempo and is very simple, like many of
The Beatles early B Sides were. Lyrically it's weak, but at the same time,
its the feel of the record and the sense of naively you pick up in the lyrics which
makes it. Anna (Go To Him) and Chains are to slow cover versions,
the first is sung by John and George sings the second. They gave George Harrison
particular songs, which didnt require him to sing to many high notes. He didnt
have a great vocal range and he doesnt do this song much credit. The harmonica by
John is nice though. Next up is another cover version called Boys This time
Ringo sings it. Ringo has a terrible voice, but this song is fantastic. Its joyous
song about the thrill of kissing boys. Its sung from a girls perspective, which makes it
seem odd being sung by a male. The Rolling Stones reportedly used to cover it, changing
the song title to Girls The next four songs are McCartney/Lennon originals. I
dont know why they are not Lennon/McCartney. Ask Me Why is a slow ballad
sung by John. It has well thought out lyrics but its not a favorite of mine. This is
followed by Please Please Me, their first top ten hit, written by Lennon
about his passion for oral sex. The main lyric goes Please Please Me, Oh Yeah. Like
I Please You This meant nothing to me at first, until I read about the songs subject
matter in a music magazine. The tune itself is very distinct and its instantly
recognizable as a Beatles classic. Love Me Do is up next and it became the
first Beatles single when released in October 1962. The songs structure was peculiar in
1962 and it adds to the songs charm. Written and sung by Paul, the bass is very prominent
and most of the song makes do with just two chords. Very uncommon in the early
1960s. Baby Its You is another of the six cover versions on this
record. It is a slow soul style ballad sung by John. Do You Want To Know A
Secret is the second and last song on the record to feature youngest Beatle George
on lead vocals. The song stutters along and sounds very amateurish. A Taste Of
Honey follows and its awful. Paul takes up the lead vocals and leads the
others through a turgid mess of a song. This slow paced number has weak lyrics and I fail
to see how the other three Beatles managed to keep straight faces during the recording of
it. There's A Place is considered to be the strongest self-written song on the
album. This John Lennon original with its personal lyrics, really takes you to the place
hes talking about. It is a song about escapism. Something he wanted to do more of
when Beatle Mania really kicked in. The closing number on the album, is a real rave up of
a cover. Twist And Shout was originally recorded by the Isley Brothers and
John just belts it out.
It was a perfect ending to a promising debut album by the group of Liverpool lads who
would soon go on to concur America and the rest of the World.
To listen to some sound clips from
PLEASE
PLEASE ME or to buy it, click on:
Please Please Me
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
By Darius Henry
November 30, 2006
Rating: 10.0
So far I got five classic Beatles albums, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Peppers,
White Album, & Abbey Road. Many people think Sgt. Pepper is the
greatest album ever, but to me it as good as the other albums I listed. Compare to the
other four; Im not as crazy about it as some people are. I dont know why,
maybe because I wasnt around at the time it was release. Whatever the reason, I
still cant deny on how great this album is.
This album starts of with the title cut. Great guitar playing, and great trumpet playing.
Makes you think that a marching band was playing this. Then it goes into With a
Little Help from my Friends, a great song Paul and John wrote. I like the fact that
Ringo sings this. Lucy in the Sky with Diamond is a great song by John. This
is one of the perfect examples of a psychedelic music. Crazy lyrics and guitar that make
you goes on a trip. It is not about LSD, though. I like Paul's Getting Better.
I like how Paul sings this song with John saying It cant get no worse.
Unfortunately for the Beatles, it did. Fixing A Hole is another song by Paul.
I dont like this song this much. Shes Leaving Home is another
great song by Paul with John singing backup. I like the piano at the beginning and the
string playing throughout the song. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite is a
good song by John who was influenced by a circus poster. But it sound like a marching band
playing this one. I can even imagine Spongebob Squarepant singing this song. 'Within You
Without You' is an Indian like song by George. This is the most underrated song on this
album. I actually like this song better then the next song by Paul, 'When Im
Sixty-Four'. I do like this song, but it seem it had like 1920s music, music I know
nothing about. The next song, Lovely Rita, another song by Paul, is one of my
favorite songs on here. Great music on this one. I like how Paul sang this one.
Good Morning Good Morning, is a song by John. I like this song very much
especially the guitar solo by Paul. Then it went to a reprise of the title cut, sang by
John, Paul, and George. Man, what a great guitar playing. The very last song is A
Day in the Life. The best song on here by John and Paul. I love the lyric and I love
the music.
Damn what a great album. But like I said, Im not all crazy about it. I noticed that
most of the song on here is by Paul and he is my least favorite member of The Beatles. But
man, it is on my top 5 best Beatles album ever. What a great psychedelic adventure with
this album.
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
By Duce Morgan
March 24, 2005
Rating:10.0
Sgt. Peppers Lonley Hearts Club Band changed what a rock n' roll album could be.
Its release is a classic moment in the history of rock. It brought a new creative essence
to already thriving industry.
The Beach Boys had just released Brian Wilsons LSD masterpiece, Pet Sounds. The
Beatles needed a response. Tired of the image in which the media percieved them, they
brillintly decide to develope alter egos, the four look alikes gracing the cover.
With these new egos, the fab four concocted a humorous, brilliant and musicaly rich album.
From Ringo's humble imperfection, "With a Little Help from my Friends", to the
drug riddled "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", to the delicate, "Day in a
Life", Sgt Peppers is musicanship and personaltiy at its very best. The
Beatles always added more life to a dull world.
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
By walrus
August 1, 2002
Rating: 10.0
This album can be considered as the best rock album of the 60's, far much better than any
other albums ever produced. They poured in this album all the studio recording techniques
that they have learned throughout their careers, thus, making then precedent for other
artists. I just love how they open the act with their rocking title track. They made sound
like a live performance, complete with laughters and applauses. I also love the transition
of songs, making them almost seamless more dramatic, like the closing tracks "Sgt.
Pepper's...(reprise)/A Day In A Life." I also like George's "Within You, Without
You." It's so mystical sounding and the lyrics, though hard to comprehend for others,
is very meaningful. I also loved "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"&
"Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite." The electronic sounds and overall ambience
just thrill me. I just love it and no other words can describe this album, by The Beatles,
for the rock world.
To listen to some sound clips from
SGT.
PEPPERS' LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND or to buy it click on: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (CC Music) or
Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Remastered - Buy.com)
WITH THE BEATLES
By Alex Short
January 19, 2001
Rating: 8.5
When this album came out in December 1963, The Beatles were the biggest group around, and this record only went and proved that point. It kicks off with "It Wont Be Long", a real pop classic this one. Just listen to the "Yeah Yeah" backing by Paul and George. Then though, comes John Lennons Smokey Robinson impersonation with "All I've Got To Do". It has a nice feel, but just isn't enjoyable enough. That cannot be said for Pauls "All My Loving". With its swinging beat and country and western guitar by George, this is perhaps my favorite. This album also has George's first writing effort. "Don't Bother Me was written by an un well George in his hotel room. It has an odd beat which keeps it interesting, but it wears thin after a while. As does "Little Child", a short and not to sweet song, but it has some nice harp from John. "I Wanna Be Your Man", a weakly performed song (unlike The Rolling Stones cover) is Ringo's vocal effort, and he does the song little justice. The self penned highlight on this album is "Not A Second Time". With its near perfect lyrics, (John obviously thought about this one) and its nice feel, this certainly is a grand song. There are a few weak cover tunes on this album. Notably "Till There Was You". Taken from the play The Music Man, this was obviously Pauls project. His singings not bad though. "Devil In Her Heart" is Georges second helping on this album, and its not too good. "You Really Got A Hold On Me", on the other hand isn't too bad. This time its a genuine Smokey Robinson song, sung well by John, and the overall performance is good. Now, like on Please Please Me, the cover highlight is the final song. "Money" is a rip roaring rocker performs with real conviction from John. Just listen to his singing. The guitars are also fab. So as you can see from my review. There are more not so good songs on this one, then there are on their first album. But saying that, With The Beatles is still great and worth getting.
To listen to some soundclips from WITH THE BEATLES or to purchase it click on: With the Beatles (Remastered)
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
By Alex Short
January 7, 2001
Rating: 9.5
Surely this has to be the finest pop record done by the Beatles? It is!
From the crash of the first chord on the album title track to the playfulness of the
closing track, this is the Beatles at their best. What this album has over other pre Sgt.
Pepper albums is that it doesn't contain one bad song. Please Please Me has
'A Taste of Honey', With the Beatles has 'I Wanna Be Your Man', and so on. No,
this is just a great album. Pop brilliance can't be captured better than in songs like 'I
should of known better', 'If I Fell '(Johns best ballad) 'Cant Buy Me Love' and 'You Can't
Do That'. All of these are found on this stunning album. Also this album was the first and
only album to have all Lennon/McCartney song credits. Their next offering, although a fine
album, Beatles For Sale wasn't a patch on this. It's a must album.
To listen to some soundclips from
A
Hard Day's Night, or to purchase it, click on:
A Hard Day's Night [US]
or A Hard Day's Night [UK]
THE BEATLES (aka THE
WHITE ALBUM)
by Devilsadvocate
October 9, 2013
Rating 9.0
Here is my song-by-song assessment of the White Album.
"Back in the USSR": Excellent song, strong beginning to the album; "Dear Prudence": I like it a lot; "Glass Onion": I ended up voting for this one in the poll for favorite song off the album; "Obladi Oblada": Filler; "Wild Honey Pie": Filler; "Bungalow Bill": I really like this one! "While My Guitar Gently Weeps": One of the bright highlights of this album! "Happiness Is A Warm Gun": Excellent song! "Martha My Dear": Meh! "I'm so Tired": Not one of the stronger songs, but I like it; "Blackbird": Meh! "Piggies": Excellent! "Rocky Raccoon": Excellent! "Don't Pass Me By": I used to hate it, now I don't mind it; "Why Don't We Do It In The Road: Filler; "I Will": Not bad; "Julia": Lovely, heart-felt song: "Birthday": I like it; "Mother Nature's Son": Meh! "Everybody's Got Something Io Hide... Monkey": I like it; "Sexy Sadie": Excellent; "Helter Skelter": Excellent; "Long Long Long": I like it; "Revolution 1": Excellent; "Honey Pie": Meh! "Savoy Truffle": I like it; "Cry Baby Cry": One of the highlights of the album for me; "Revolution 9": Self-indulgent Yoko mish-mash; ultimate filler; "Good Night": Filler.
THE WHITE ALBUM
By Darius Henry
July 15, 2007
Rating: 9.5
The White Album is runs about 93 minutes, that right, an hours and a half of
great Rock music. There are 30 songs on this double album, with 17 songs on CD 1 and 13
songs on CD 2. Most of them are great song. Unfortunately, there are only few songs that I
didnt feel at all. Since this album has 30 songs on it, let me rate them one by one.
Back in the USSR 9.5, Id never felt the song as ten, though its a
great song by Paul; Dear Prudence deserve a 10 because the music sound
perfect, thanks to John; Glass Onion 8, A good song at best by John;
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da 6.5, a song that I dont like that much by Paul;
Wild Honey Pie 8.5, I like this weird sound by Paul; Bungalow Bill
deserve a 9 at best, cool song by John, I like how Yoko sang backup; While My Guitar
Gently Weeps is a great song by George, love the guitar solo by Eric Clapton, an
excellent 10; Happiness is a Warm Gun deserve a 9.5, I love this song by John;
Martha My Dear I really love this song by Paul, one of my favorite from this
album. This song has that piano pop in it. Its a perfect 10; Im So
Tired is a great song by John, I can feel the pain, not able to sleep in night,
Ill give it a 9.5; Blackbird is one of those boring song by Paul, just
him on the acoustic I believe, but it about my fellow African-Americans in the south
having trouble in life, Ill give it an 8.5; Piggies is one of the
weakest song by George, the song seem pointless, Ill give it a 6 at its best;
Rocky Raccoon is a cool song to sing along by Paul, Ill give it 9;
Dont Pass Me By is a first song written by Ringo. A good song too, in
fact Ill give it a 9 too; Why Dont We Do It In The Road is one of
the stupidest song on this album, I hate it when Paul sing this, 5.5; I Will
is one of the most overrated song on this album, a good song by Paul that a lot of people
like, but Im not feeling it so Ill give a 7.5; Julia is a great
song by John when he sings about his mother, I feel the same way about my grandmother, a
10 because its a song that I can relate to.
Birthday is a great party song, written majority by Paul, Ill give a
perfect 10; Yer Blues by John is a OK, I like the Blues but Im not a fan
of this song, Ill give it a 8.5; Mother Natures Son is another one
of my favorite song by Paul. Its just a beautiful song, I have to give it a 10;
Everybody Got Something To Hide has useless lyrics but I love the music and
the guitar in this song so much, its also one of my favorite song on this album
Ill give it a 10; Sexy Sadie is another song by John that I like very
much, a 9.5 in my book; Helter Skelter is a perfect 10 metal song by Paul;
Long Long Long is another great song by George. Ill rate it 9.5;
Revolution 1 is a excellent softer version of Revolution. I
seriously love this song much, its one of those song I have to rate more than 10;
Honey Pie is a song that surprisingly I actually like. Great little pop tune,
Ill give it a 9; Savoy Truffle is another great piece by George.
Ill also rate this a 9; Cry Baby Cry is another great piece by Lennon. I
like the lyrics of this song. A 10 in my book; To be honest, I like weird sound in music.
I guess thats why I appreciate Revolution 9. I dont understand it,
but still a great sound. Like Keno, I would not rate this song; Good Night is
a great finisher of this great album. Very underrated, this song really deserve a Ten. I
like how Ringo sings this Lennons tune.
Well as you can see, Id say CD 2 is way better than CD 1. CD 1 has too many
pointless tunes. But still good though. If you delete songs like, Why dont we
do it in the Road, Wild Honey Pie, Revolution 9,
Piggies, and either I Will, or Ob La Di, it would be a
great CD. But its still great though.
THE WHITE ALBUM
By Teiz
October 26, 2006
Rating: 8.5
After the Stones Exile On Main St, this is probably the second best
double-disc ever made. We find the Beatles peaking on most of the tracks on this gem. From
hard rock (Helter Skelter) to nods to Bach (Blackbird) and Hollywood (Honey
Pie), the Fab Four could do it all on one big album. The album has a perfect kick-off with
Back In The USSR. Its surf rock with a very funny twist. Humorous lines
are all over this album. I heard the introduction of Nancy in Rocky Raccoon
hundreds of times and it still makes me laugh. Why Dont We Do It In The
Road, apparently written by Paul McCartney after witnessing apes having sex on a
road in India, also brings on a smile. And George Harrison found the perfect way to
mention a whole range of deserts in Savoy Truffle.
But theres a more serious side to the White Album too. Songs like
Blackbird, Sexy Sadie, Yer Blues, Cry Baby
Cry or Im So Tired tell us what an extraordinary set of musicians
The Beatles were: great storytellers who could call on the right emotions music-wise
within a second. And John, Paul, George and Ringo could trip wickedly too, judging from
the excellent Happiness Is A Warm Gun or Helter Skelter. Its
awesome music that people will still listen to a hundred years from now.
Its not all that good though: Obla-di Obla-da is a pain really. For most
of my generation this awfully happy song is forever linked to the equally terrible TV-show
Life Goes On, which makes things worse. If I ever make a list of awful classic rock tunes,
this one will be a prime candidate for topping it. Revolution Number 9
doesnt work for me, but I was born on the wrong side of the 60s. I guess you
shouldve been there.
The White Album contains a few fillers: Dont Pass Me By,
Long, Long, Long, and Good Night are decent written songs, but
they pale when compared to the vast list of classics on this album. A few songs are
overrated in my opinion: most Beatles fans I know think While My Guitar Gently
Weeps and Dear Prudence are classics. While I recognize these as very
good songs, I miss the feel that makes Sexy Sadie work so well for
me. But in the end, its all a matter of personal tastes of course.
THE WHITE ALBUM
By Net Pimp
November 28, 2000
Rating: 9.5
Net Pimp's Rating Scale :
10-Couldn't have been better, a true classic;
9-Great ; 8-Good ; 7-Average; 6-Okay;
5-Bad but not totally wretched;
4 and under-Anything weak, poor, very bad or truly horrible.
"Back in the USSR"-10.0; "Dear Prudence"-10.0; "Glass
Onion"-8.5; "Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da"-8.0; "Wild Honey Pie"-6.0;
"Bungalow Bill"-7.5; "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"-9.5;
"Happiness is a Warm Gun"-10.0; "Martha My Dear"-8.0;
"I'm So Tired"-9.0; "Blackbird"-9.5; "Piggies"-5.5;
"Rocky Racoon"-9.0; "Don't Pass Me By"-7.0; "Why Don't We Do it
in the Road?"-9.5; "I Will"-8.5; "Julia"-10.0;
"Birthday"-9.5; "Yer Blues"-10.0; "Mother Nature's Son"-9.0;
"Everybody's Got Something to Hide"-9.5; "Sexy Sadie"-9.0;
"Helter Skelter"-10.0; "Long, Long, Long"-10.0; "Revolution
1"-10.0; "Honey Pie"-4.5!!! Eeeuuugh!; "Savoy Truffle"-7.0;
"Cry Baby Cry"-7.5; "Revolution 9"-5.0 Just for the chutzpah value of
such a weird thing! Shows the Beatles were not just pop artists. "Good
Night"-4.0; Avg: rating around 8, but it deserves a 9.5 for so many 10's, despite all
the crap. Maybe without "Revolution 9," "Good Night,"
"Piggies," "Don't Pass Me By," "Honey Pie" and "Wild
Honey Pie". They should've included the single version of "Revolution" and
"Hey Jude" to close it out, and included from the outtakes (from Anthology 3),
"Not Guilty," the acoustic version of "Gently Weeps" and a more
spirited acoustic number called "Jubille (aka Junk)" instead.
To listen to some soundclips from
The
White Album or to purchase it, click on:
Beatles:
White Album (Remastered) Buy.com
or The Beatles [White Album] (Remastered)
REVOLVER
By Darius Henry
September 8, 2006
Rating: 10.0
Well, I have had Revolver ever since my Rubber Soul review and I got to
say this.... I dont know which album is better. I think both of these albums are
tied as my favorite Beatles' album of all time. But you cant deny that Revolver
isnt a great album. As a matter of fact, I actually think that Revolver is
the Beatles best album of all time. Other than Rubber Soul, Revolver
has a very different sound from all other Beatles albums before.
This album starts off with George Harrison's Taxman, which is a great start
for this album. George sounds great in this song. Other than Something, this
is his best song ever. Great song about the taxman taking Beatles money. Great
guitar riffs, plus a great solo by Paul McCartney. And speaking of Paul, this next song,
Eleanor Rigby, is the best song by Paul, period, and I dont even like
him that much. But man, a song about lonely people, although I thought they sang
"lovely" people at first, this is a great ballad. I love the backup vocal Next
song is John's Im Only Sleeping which is not a bad song at all. I love
the vocal performance in this song. I did love the backward guitar solo. George's next
song, Love You To is a totally different song than his earlier song on this
album. It was totally Indian, with his sitar playing and all that. I still think its
a great song. Here, There, and Everywhere is the song that I dont like
very much, it just too soft for me. But Paul's voice is great though. And I love the
backup vocals as well. Yellow Submarine, sung by Ringo Starr, is a pretty
funny song to me. It a song that little kids will love. But besides that, this is a great
song. Ringo sang good in this song and awesome sound effect as well. The next song,
She Said She Said, is my favorite song on the album. Great song by John, who
was influence by Peter Fonda. Great guitar riffs by John and great drumming by Ringo. This
is one of Ringo best works yet.
Good Day Sunshine is another great song by Paul. I seriously love this song.
Great piano playing by him. The best part about the song is the ending when he keeps on
echoing the title. And Your Bird Can Sing is a great song by John. Great
guitar playing by George and fantastic harmonies with Paul. For No One is
another song by Paul. I like it but Im not crazy about it. Though I do like the
horns on this song. Doctor Robert is the most underrated song on this
album. I mean what a great lyrics by John about a doctor who turn them all to drugs. I
love the guitar work, the drums work, and the vocal work on this one I Want To Tell
You is another great song by George. Great guitar intro, great piano playing, great
bass, and great vocal. Got to Get You Into My Life is another winner by
Paul. Its a great soulful song. Plus I love the way he is really talking about
marijuana in this song. Tomorrow Never Knows is one of the greatest finishers
ever. I seriously love the music in this one, which has various sounds in this song. Plus
Ringos drumming is excellent as well. What gets me excited everytime is the way John
is singing in this track. I seriously love how he sings like a Buddist. Its freaking
excellent.
I have recently decided that Revolver is Beatles best work of all time, but
certainly not my fave. This isnt the best John album, but its the best Ringo
album. Ringo decide to Rock on this album. But still this album is one of the greatest
albums of time.
REVOLVER
By Chris
September 1, 2005
Rating: 9.0
A Pop masterpeice, and in my opinion, its better than Rubber Soul. The album
starts off with George Harrison's "Taxman" (10.0), and I think its the only
Beatles album to start off with a George Harrison song. The second song, "Elenor
Rigby",(10.0) is just as good. The string arrangements are excellent, and the vocal
harmonies are outstanding. "I'm Only Sleeping" (10.0) is a John Lennon song and
if I'm not mistaken was left off the British version of the album but was included for the
American version. "Love You To" is another George Harrison song and its probably
the worst song on the album, its the only reason why i gave the rating of a 9.0.
"Here, There, and Everywhere" (10.0) is another Paul ballad that has excellent
lyrics. "Yellow Submarine" (7.5) is an ok song, but it get annoying after
hearing it so many times. "She Said She Said" (10.0) is a great song and
features one of Ringo's best drumming performances on any Beatles record.
"Good Day Sunshine" (9.0) is another great song that just makes you smile.
"And Your Bird Can Sing" (9.0) is another excellent song with great vocal
harmonies with John taking the lead vocals. "For No One" (8.0) is the shortest
song on the album, but is still great. Paul's piano playing is very good. "Doctor
Robert" (9.0) is another great song as well. "I Want to Tell You" (10.0) is
the thrid and final George Harrison song on the album, and is probably one of the best on
the album. "Got to get you into My Life" (10.0) features an excellent brass
section and a great vocal performance by Paul.
"Tommorow Never Knows" (6.0) closes the album and is also the other reason why i
gave this album a 9. I never really liked the song and it was a bad choice to close the
album with. Yellow Submarine would have been a better choice to end this 1966
masterpeice album.
REVOLVER
By JT
February 6, 2004
Rating: 10.0
This may not be my favorite Beatles album, But I REALLY love this album. It was such a
transition album from their pop days to the rock days. This is indeed a landmark album.
This could go down as some of George's best work, he plays some great guitar and writes
three new songs for this album.
My Ratings scale is:
10-Perfect! 9-Excellent 8-Great 7-Good 6-Okay, average (That's it, there's no low rated
song on this album)
1. "Taxman" - 10.0. A great song with some humorous, but true lyrics and a
fantastic guitar solo. Plus some great singing by George and great backups by John and
Paul. Interesting that the kick-off song would be from George!
2. "Elenor Rigby" 10.0 A fantastic ballad written by Paul and the strings are
very pretty. A great melody line that only Paul could sing. I especially love where Paul's
part overlaps John's "Aw look at all the lonely people". A true classic.
3. "I'm Only Sleeping" 8.5 Now we got John! Another great song with a great
melody line. The bass is also great in this number as is George's backwards guitar. It's a
great song but only a shadow of what's to come with John's incredible songwriting.
4. "Love You To" 9.5 Truly beautiful song by George. Completely different from
"Taxman" incendiary guitar playing and danceable beat, it features the beauty of
George's sitar and Indian spiritual. Once again, a great melody line! The sitar really
keeps the song going along with George's honest yet haunting singing.
5. "Here There and Everywhere" -9.0- I probably should give this song a higher
rating, but it is a little too mellow for my tastes, but it's a beautiful song! The
backing vocals are lovely and Paul's vocals are really nice!
6. "Yellow Submarine" -7.0- A hokey singalong kiddy ballad and the fact that
Ringo is singing could make this the worst song on the album. But somehow, it speaks to
me. Ringo pulls the vocals off well as the melody is nothing special, although the chorus
is fun. Some funny sound effects and Paul's screaming after Ringo's lyrics. It does bring
the mood back up from "Here there and Everywhere" and leads perfectly into the
next rocker:
7. "She Said She Said" -10- God this is a great John song! Really happening
guitars, crazy LSD lyrics, and above all, great songwriting. I love the bridge!
8. "Good Day Sunshine" -9.0- Next up is Paul with this wonderful song. Great
piano playing add some color. The melody line is nice, but it's the great harmonies in the
chorus that get to me. Especially the ending, GOD it's great! Also note the fantastic
drumming by Ringo. In fact, you could say that this is one of the best Ringo drumming
album.
9. "And your Bird can Sing" -10!- The great soloing by George, the driving drums
by Ringo, fantastic songwriting and singing by John and harmonies by Paul make this one of
the best songs on the album. It's fantastic!
10. "For No One" -8.8- A really beautiful Paul song, but it seems to do the same
thing throughout the whole tune. The horn does add something different and of course the
simplicity of Paul's voice makes this a great tune.
11. "Dr. Robert" -7.8- The guitars are great on this song, but the melody line
could be better. The lyrics are good, but this isn't John's best on the album.
12."I Want To Tell You" -10.0- George brings us back with this great tune! A
great guitar line is followed by a fantastic vocal and backing vocals by Paul and John.
The songwriting is what gets me especially the piano playing half-steps during the
haunting turnaround. Also a great bridge! Don't forget the great drums by Ringo. Good job
George!
13. "Got to Get you In to My Life" -10- Paul has been mellowing us out all day,
when is he gonna give us some hard-edge rock 'n roll. Ah! This is a smoking tune! I love
the horns counterpoint between Paul's fantastic melody line! This is a great tune.
Alright! George ended with a bang in the last song, Paul ended with a bang here, what
about John?
14."Tommorow Never Knows" -11.0- "Turn off your mind, relax, and float
downstream, it isn't dying, it isn't dying!" The best song on the whole album!
George's sitar note rings throughout the whole song but really keeps it going. Ringo's
drums just plain rip! And John's voice is fantastic insighting some of his best ever
written lyrics! John's spiritual idea in this song is what I love. Meditation! There are
two other elements that really make this song. The mellotron which makes some of the notes
so haunting like the terminator music or something! But it counterpoints John's voice so
well! Also don't forget the fantastic guitar solo by George! His experimental backwards
guitar is so cool! GOD DAMN IT! What a great song!
Well there you have it! The classic Revolver!
REVOLVER
By Net Pimp
October 21, 2000
Rating: 10.0
Quite simply, the best rock album ever, not the most dramatic, not the
most flowing, not the most powerful, just plain subdued perfection. The styles vary
wildly, almost as much as the Fab's second best LP, The White Album. I really dig
the way the
Beatles were sick of the same old-same old and progressed even further, starting with
Help! and culminating with Sgt. Pepper. But here, their innovation and
writing skills are inate and extraordinary! It starts with a song proving the Beatles were
a great ROCK band and could ROCK in their own way. "Taxman" has a splendid
guitar riff, plus Paul's dynamic bass work. George shows his individual prowess as a
talent to be reckoned with. Then, the English political rock feeling dissapades into a
dreary, harsh and sad song, the classical experiment (with strings being the only
instruments) "Eleanor Rigby" which shows McCartney wasn't fluff to the bone
after all, he really had intricate ideas to work with. The song, though authorship
quantity has always been debated, is one of Lennon/McCartney's most poetic and visual
anomalies, worthy of a Dylan rambling. John's acid-head genius was becoming evident on the
superior UK version (now available as the definitive version on CD). This song is
the lazy rumination called "I'm Only Sleeping." Another studio effect was used
to create unexplored proportions, the use of backwards guitar during the middle and
conclusion. The bass is sharp and percussive as it rattles out of the mix . The harmonies
did not need to lift the creativity on this track, nor this album. It did the singing on
its own. The fourth song is the Indian-drenched raga of George's called "Love You
To." It's gutsy inclusion is an extreme measure of listening for the normal Beatles
fan, but the die-hard ones find this experience enlightening and heavy. Again, the album's
mood shifts dramatically into the lush ballad, the romantic "Here, There and
Everywhere." It's a classic Beatles ballad and one of Paul's which rather cuts to the
soul, stripping the instruments down and using gentle harmonies, without shoving sappy
saccharine cornball stuff down your throat. The spirit picks up with the prime kiddy
sing-along "Yellow Submarine." Though lightweight, it didn't demeanor the nature
of a truly radical album. The addition of sound effects was key too. On it, we hear
snippets from a brass band and submarine sounds. But what really was done to achieve this
was clanking of pots and pans, muffled noises and commands from a captain done in vocal
chambers and through hand mikes. The sound gets heavy again with a druggy prose on the
illuminous gem of John's titled "She Said, She Said" written about an acid trip
in L.A. with the Byrds and actor Peter Fonda, where Fonda whispered "I know what it's
like to be dead." Hence the lines from the song. The electric guitars put the
listener in a trance and it brims with creativity. Again, our spirits soar with the
happy-day ditty "Good Day Sunshine" not a bad ditty though. The harmonies at the
end overlap each other through a recording process known as "delay effect."
Vibrance is a true element on the next song, the glorious "And Your Bird Can
Sing," ironically inspired by the chiming, jangling guitars of the Byrds. Here, they
are detailed, but melodic, strictly pretty. They jangle indeed. Paul demonstrates his sad
love affair writing "For No One" which even uses a solemn French horn solo. The
classicism is evident through the piano and calm misery displayed in the sound. We see the
Beatles emerge as a rock unit with the up-beat "Dr. Robert" about the doctor who
introduced George and John to LSD. A joke tune, still a great cut. Then, Harrison emerges
with another silent gem, the demonic beauty of "I Want to Tell You." A great
guitar riff and demented piano playing make this worth the price of admission. Next, they
tackle up-beat Motown soul, exclusively using soul bras on the pop masterpiece "Got
to Get You into My Life" which has soul-stirring instrumentation all around. But,
then it ends with the hypnotic, suddenly-realized, start-of-rock, art-form, with no
boundaries of creative lengths tune, "Tomorrow Never Knows". It sustains a
pulsating beat throughout, awesome driving bass and drums while Lennon's vocal sounds like
a startled cry of a monk chanting in the mountains, since his vocal was recorded through a
Lesie cabinet organ speaker!
How creative was this band and how could they move so fast with their sound? I can only just appreciate the finest rock album anyone's ever made as it is: immaculate. A true five-star album!
To listen to some soundclips from REVOLVER or to purchase it, click on: Revolver (Remastered - Buy.com)
LET IT BE
By Bill Carson
March 21, 2005
Rating: 9.5
Let It Be is one of The Beatles few albums that hasn't been labeled a classic. In
my somewhat worthless opinion however, it is one of their very best albums. The album
starts off strong with the folk-rockish "Two of Us"(9/10), which is slightly
overrated but still a great song. Another great song "Dig a Pony"(9.5/10)
follows. Next we come to what may be the best and most underrated gem from this
outstanding album, "Across The Universe"(10/10). With psychedelic lyrics that
for some reason remind me of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" and great vocals, this
is one of my very favorite Beatles songs. "I Me Mine"(9/10") follows and is
a great rocker. "Let It Be"(10/10) might just be the highlight of the album and
is one of The Beatle's greatest songs. The rest of the album is nearly as good: "I've
Got a Feeling"(10/10), "One After 909"(8.6/10), "The Long and Winding
Road"(9.6/10), "For You Blue"(8/10), and the closing rocker "Get
Back"(10/10). As you can see I left off "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae"
because neither is very good and it seems rather needless to drag down an album's overall
score because of a combined minute and a half of music. This album is currently my second
favorite Beatles album, falling short of Revolver(10/10), even though I still
have quite a few albums to go (IE:The White Album and Abbey Road).
LET IT BE
By Tommy
August 25, 2000
Rating: 9.5
Paul insists that Phil Spector ruined this disc by sugaring it up with strings. It was supposed to be the Beatles back together in the studio as a band, rocking and rolling and writing as a team. Back to basics. From terrible inter-band conflicts, painful sessions filled with animosity, and a film crew there, documenting it all (so they could not scream when they needed to) they still put together a great raw rockdisc, which is what the band wanted. The tape used/discarded ratio is startling supposedly. "Across the Universe' , one of Lennon's best tunes ever, was slowed down and Spector added strings and the choir. I love it. Paul hates it. Lennon loved it! George got "I Me Mine' and "For you Blue' in and the latter is the band as a rockband with John on slide. "I me Mine" was best in the demo of George alone playing it to J/P. "I've Got a Feeling' is marred for the ones who have seen the movie, by the one time that you actually see a fight on camera. The B. would usually argue behind closed doors, but here Paul just gets to George and George is furious. It is a superb tune, especially when the John part overlaps with the Paul part. "909" is from 1960(?) and smokes. One of the few times they sound like fun. 'Two of Us" is a a)great song and b) j/p just singing a whole song in harmony like it was nothing leaves you just mouth agape. Incredible! "Dig a Pony" right in there with "#9". John was becoming more and more anti- verse-chorus etc. "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae" same deal. But 'Dig a Pony' is a masterful demonstration of craftsmanship, with it's difficult count changes. "Get Back" of course is the 'fast' hit, with Billy Preston and Lennon both playing classic solos. "Winding Road" is really better with Paul alone on the piano. Again - craftsmanship. an absolute stunner, right up there with the all time best."Let it Be", objectively speaking is the same thing. I just happen to hate the song.
To listen to some soundclips from Let It Be or to purchase it, click on either: Let It Be - Buy.com or Let It Be (Remastered)
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