Album: Rubber Soul
Artist: The Beatles
Release Date: December 3rd, 1965
RS Greatest Albums of All Time Ranking: #5
Songs You'll Know: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), In My Life
Songs You May Have Missed: Run For Your Life, I'm Looking Through You
A Little History/Why This Album Is Famous: Anyone with even a little knowledge on The Beatles' history will know that they started as pop heartthrobs and ended as experimental rockers. You can thank a ferocious desire to be seen as genuine musicians, and drugs, for that. Rubber Soul is the turning point between the two sides of the Beatles. This is the album where the Fab Four moved away from the 2-3 minute pop songs to longer form (but still relatively short by today's standards) songs with more texture and depth. It is only their second album to contain all original music (A Hard Day's Night was the first) and the first that was intended as an artistic work. This album is also famous for its cover art: the iconic stretched photograph that was originally a slide projection mishap. It is also the first album cover which does not have "The Beatles" printed on it.
Comments: In my opinion, this is the first album where we as listeners start to get to know the Beatles both as a group and individually. As a group, we hear their actual intentions as musicians: they want to combine styles, stretch the bounds of popular music, and explore possibilities. They want to write about more than girls and love (though there's plenty of that). They want to write about politics, free thinking, and peace. John wants us to know he's got jealousy issues: turn to "Norwegian Wood" and "Run for Your Life" for that. George wants to promote individuality: the somewhat oxy-moronic "Think For Yourself". Paul is still kinda stuck on love songs: "Michelle" and "You Won't See Me". And this is probably the first time we start to realize that Ringo feels overlooked: "What Goes On". Ringo didn't write it, but they're his vocals and I don't buy that the lyrics are coincidental.
This album is full of really great songs. Everything referenced in the previous paragraph could easily get stuck in your head or become a "I've got to listen to this 10 times in a row" type of song. That being said, there are a couple clunkers. In my opinion, "Girl" is a little sleepy, though that might have something to do with the amount of literal sighs in the song. Give it a listen; you'll know what I'm talking about. I also find "The Word" and "If I Needed Someone" to be skip-able on occasion. If you listened to our recent The Lettuce Podcast episode about Charlotte's favorite music, you'll know that I don't have much taste for when an artist is "preachy" with their life philosophy. In the context of the episode, I was talking about Jason Mraz, but these same feelings apply to the Beatles' "The Word". I'm wholly supportive of perpetuating peace and love, but I can't handle the presentation of this ideal in "The Word". My criticism of "If I Needed Someone" is that I've heard this song minimum 20 times and would not be able to sing the chorus to you right now. So, there's that.
As with most of the albums in the top 10 slots on Rolling Stone's list, this is kind of essential for a popular music historian. It is not only a mark of the style change for the Beatles, but the style change for music in general. All of the protest songs, folk music, psychedelic/experimental rock, etc start around this time. I'm not saying Rubber Soul is the cause for all of that, I'm saying Rubber Soul is an essential part of that period of music. And even if it wasn't a mark for a generation, it's full of seriously great tunes. You can skip a couple here and there, but the bulk of this album is really fantastic. And of course, it's all up to personal taste- you might love every single track or you might hate it. Whichever way the wind blows, I think anyone who hasn't listened to Rubber Soul all the way through should do it ASAP. And get back to me with you thoughts!
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It's been a while since I've blogged about this project and if you're new to TLP blog, you might not quite know what's going on here. I, Laura, am on a mission. That mission is to listen to and critique all of the albums on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. I am not the first to do this. I assume I will not be the last. I just love music and love talking/writing about it. Come along with me, Lettuce Heads, and learn about music! Join me next time as I explore the #6 album Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.
Until then,
Argualater!
Album: Revolver
Artist: the Beatles
Release Date: August 5th, 1966 (UK) & August 8th, 1966 (US)
RS Greatest Albums of All Time Ranking: #3
Songs You'll Know: Yellow Submarine, Elenor Rigby
Songs You May Have Missed: And Your Bird Can Sing, Doctor Robert
A Little History/Why This Album is Famous: This album is a big deal for the history of music. Many critics regard Revolver as the album that redefined the parameters of popular music. This album, released a year before Sgt. Pepper's, showed that the Beatles had grown from a heartthrob pop band to a mature experimental rock band. Revolver features many of the musical techniques for which the Beatles are now famous: tape loops, sitar/Indian music influence, and the use of classical instruments. This album is the middle point of the Beatles' recording career. It also marks the time in their career where Lennon and McCartney were most equal with their songwriting credits. Up to this point, John Lennon had been the main contributor to the band's musical vision. Conversely, Paul McCartney became the main musical figurehead post-Revolver. George Harrison also had three writing credits (more than he'd ever had before) on this album: "Taxman", "Love You To", and "I Want To Tell You". Lastly, this album is famous for two non-musical reasons. One, the Grammy Award winning cover art by Klaus Voorman. Two, it was released in the midst of the controversy of Lennon's "bigger than Jesus" statement. If you don't know what the "bigger than Jesus" scandal is, consult your search engine of choice IMMEDIATELY! You need more musical help than I can provide.
Comments: I'm a huge Beatles fan, so it won't be a shock when I say that this album is rad. I find it to be a much more cohesive album than Sgt. Pepper's and therefore more enjoyable. Sgt. Pepper's has many merits, but can be a bit meandering at times. Revolver is an album you can play all the way through and stay in touch with its vision. Though the song styles are pretty varied, there aren't any true speedbumps. Nothing that interrupts the flow of the music. Nothing that comes across as experimentation for experimentation's sake. Not every track on this album is a home run ("I'm Only Sleeping" is appropriately a bit of a snooze), but everything makes sense together. This album, to me, feels very complete.
"Taxman" is a perfect opening track and an even more perfect roadtrip song. I really enjoy this collection of songs that cover a wide variety of subject matter, tempo, and tone. From the sweet "Here, There, and Everywhere" to the happy-go-lucky "Good Day Sunshine" with a pit-stop for some bitterness in "And Your Bird Can Sing". If social issues are more your thing, you can look to the aforementioned "Taxman" or "Doctor Robert". All this leads to the iconic final track "Tomorrow Never Knows". This was the Beatles' first foray into psychedelic music and it's super cool! I'm not even a drug user and I think it's cool!
There are many more things I could say about the album, but it would become redundant pretty quickly. I mean, how many times can a person say "IT'S COOL! IT'S COOL! IT'S COOL!" before it gets annoying? I am aware that some people do not like the Beatles. They are strange people, but they do exist. I think Revolver is an essential album for both the Beatles fan and the music historian. If you aren't a fan of the Beatles and/or don't feel that this album is worthy of praise, I would love to hear your opinion! Likewise, if you love Revolver, let me know why and tell me your favorite tracks.
That's all for now. Up next is Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited.
Arugalater!
Laura
Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Artist: the Beatles
Release Date: June 1st, 1967
RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Ranking: #1
Songs You'll Know: With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Songs You May Have Missed: Fixing A Hole, Lovely Rita
A Little History/Why This Album is Famous: Sgt. Pepper's reputation often precedes it: it might be the most famous album ever made. It forever changed the vibe of the band that forever changed the sound of rock music. It introduced the world to the experimental, psychedelic Beatles. The public had gotten a taste of this side of the Beatles in this album's predecessor Revolver, but Sgt. Pepper's introduced a new mood for rock music. It also showed that the sitar is a way cooler instrument than the electric guitar!
Comments: I must admit I love this album and I have loved it for as long as I can remember. This is the first album I remember hearing as a child. It was often the soundtrack to family road trips and one of the albums in my parents' totally boss record collection. In addition to the sentimental value, I genuinely love this album. I sometimes find myself humming bars of the title track or When I'm Sixty-Four while working. What is it that makes this album great? The songs from track to track are quite unique and varied in style, yet somehow still fit together to make a good album. I think that's a pretty impressive feat.
Though I love this album, it is not flawless. I enjoy all of the tracks, though some rank higher than others. I will admit that Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite, while fun and interestingly scored, is a bit of an odd song amongst the other tracks. Some consider Within You Without You to be a bit of a speedbump and I tend to agree, though I enjoy the use of the sitar greatly.
If you're a Beatles fan and don't own this album, you seriously need to reevaluate your life. It is a must-have, no exceptions! If you own it and love it, leave me a comment and let me know your favorite track. If you don't care for it, let me know why!
That's all for now. Next up is the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.
Arugalater!
Laura
