THE BEATLES

REVOLVER and SGT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND both get the highest rating of the Beatles albums in my book. They both demonstrate abundantly why the Beatles were without a dout progressive. REVOLVER, in particular, shows the Beatles incorporating a large variety of influences in one album.

Discussing individual tracks, I'll get my least favorite out of the way. "And Your Bird Can Sing" just doesn't float my boat; I think it's a little ridiclous. "Got to Get You Into My Life" is fun; it has to be one of the loudest songs the Beatles ever recorded. "Tomorrow Never Knows" is George Harrison in a Middlle Eastern mood. Others have said it, but I think it's an important point worth repeating; one of the most "progressive" things about the Beatles is their experiments with the recording technology available to them. "I'm Only Sleeping" is another favorite; I love the atmosphere of the song.

Then there's "Eleanor Rigby". It shows the level of ambition at which Paul and the others were working. "Eleanor Rigby" is practically an Art Song in the classical sense; its my favorite song, ever. As I was finishing this review I was looking at the lengths of the songs and the running time of the album. Has anyone else done as much in 14 songs lasting a little over a half an hour? I intend to use 5 star ratings very sparingly, but this is without a doubt one of the most progressive records in history.

Before I begin, I would like to point out that for the longest time, I had assumed the songs ''All You Need Is Love'' and ''Strawberry Fields Forever'' were part of this album. They are not; they are on the MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR.

SGT. PEPPER seems to have its own mythos surrounding it, almost as big as the band itself. It's one of the easiest picks music experts hoist as the ''greatest album of all time'', but more than that, there's the notion that this album alone opened the doorway for artists to exploit entire albums more than hit singles which, by extension, created part of progressive rock. Neither statement I can fully come to terms with. For 1967, it had to be groundbreaking, but that was a year that the world heard DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED, ABSOLUTELY FREE, SAFE AS MILK, SURREALISTIC PILLOW, STRANGE DAYS, the debut of the Velvet Underground, et cetera. SGT. PEPPER wasn't the only album stretching rock music's limitations, but it's the most recognized probably because of the brand name of the Beatles.

With that bit of crabbing out of the way, is SGT. PEPPER a good album? Yes it is. Is it a good progressive rock album? That's debatable, but it has to be the Beatles album most closely associated with the genre. Does it still have flaws? Yes.

If there's one thing I have yet to give the Beatles credit for, it's their strong sense of composing melodies. In a sense, the melody of the song is the bread and butter of the Beatles' work. On SGT. PEPPER, we get every level of tolerability in terms of the melody. ''She's Leaving Home'' (believe it or not) is actually quite strong and tearjerking, ''Fixing a Hole'' isn't bad, but completely unmemorable, and all apologies, but ''Mr. Kite'' is sheer annoyance. The bells and whistles added to give a circus atmosphere is nothing more than a goofy novelty.

That's my big problem with SGT. PEPPER; it has the potential to be great, but the material is inconsistent. One of the more popular tracks in ''Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'' has major transition issues from the verses to the chorus, meaning that there's no warning between the two, and what results is what I like to call ''music whiplash''. There are songs such as ''Getting Better'' and ''Fixing a Hole'' that are voids in that I have terrible difficulty in remembering what they sound like. And maybe it's the vinyl I have, but several Beatles albums I have heard via vinyl are unnecessarily loud to the point where I can't wear my headphones without turning the volume down.

All of that said, and yet I still feel this is a good album. Strangely enough, two of the cuter pop songs in ''When I'm Sixty-Four'' and ''With a Little Help From My Friends'' are strong enough in the melody department to the point where the songs are carried because of them. Somehow, I get the feeling that Ringo isn't as bad a vocalist as he is perceived to be (from ''Friends'') to the point where I wish he had more lead singing opportunities. While it's not up to usual George Harrison writing standards for the group, ''Within You Without You'' does work in the ethereal raga atmosphere.

A special aside does need to go to the last track ''A Day in the Life'', where every potential and rumour around this album is justified, even if for only 5 and a half minutes. There are two distinct sections, one with Lennon rehashing news events (thankfully, the political nature is kept to observational) while McCartney assumes control of the second act with a whimsical yet relatable tune about preparing for work. Unlike on LSD, the transition between the two sections is flawless despite mood differences. Best of all, the melody is spot on, particularly in Lennon's section. It's instantly memorable and makes me wish the rest of the album was up to this type of quality.

SGT. PEPPER is quite a good album, especially if you're looking for fancy production, emphasis on melody, and something that's meant to be taken as art. There's a lot of good within this album, but it has a lot to answer for being constantly tagged as the greatest album of all time.

I am reviewing the American version of this album since this is the one I have familiarity with. Other than a couple of tracks, it's the same as the British version. But the American version is what I own although I've heard the ''missing'' tracks elsewhere, and my opinion of RUBBER SOUL doesn't differ enough to warrant a review on the British version.

I must repeatedly point out in these reviews that I am by no stretch of the imagination a Beatles fan. I never grew up with them. My parents (nor other family members, come to think about it) were never Beatle fans either. I've discovered their albums completely in retrospect and found some good albums, some bad albums, and some mediocre albums. I would define RUBBER SOUL as a mediocre album.

Often considered the first classic Beatles album (let alone one of the greatest albums in music history), RUBBER SOUL lacks confidence. It's as if the Beatles were trying to get away from the Beatlemania pop tunes that made them famous but weren't fully committed to make a complete transition into the art rock they later became critically renowned for. Songs like ''Wait'', ''Run for Your Life'' and ''The Word'' sound a little bit too close to the pop the Beatles had marketed their whole careers, none of which are that memorable except the chorus of ''Run for Your Life'', which makes me cringe.

I will give in and admit there are some signs of sheer progression. The most notable is ''Norwegian Wood'', mostly with the sitar's timbre giving a warm, brightness to the track. Definitely the most memorable and best from the album. The American release has the song ''I've Just Seen a Face'' which harkens to a Dylan style of folk, but with much better singing. Harrison's contribution (''Think for Yourself'') might have been forgettable like the majority of the album if not for the fuzz bass. I'd imagine Chris Squire wore this track out when he first got started with Yes.

One huge problem from my understanding is that RUBBER SOUL is just boring to me, and I can never remember half the tunes when I put the album down. Part of the reasoning behind this is that I tend to (possibly wrongly) associate the style of music presented here with the singer/songwriter genre, a genre I absolutely loathe. I find the singer/songwriter genre weak for it being too lyrically oriented, musically unengaging and much of the ''singing'' is bad. The Beatles at least had decent singers, but I'm rarely invested emotionally into the music.

Don't get me wrong, the Beatles made much better albums than this later on. In fact, the next album REVOLVER made a more confident push into experimental pop while still keeping relatively safe structures. So, I'd start there if you want to discover the Beatles in retrospect. RUBBER SOUL is a nice historical document of history, but nothing more.

Since the Beatles catalog was finally reissued on vinyl in 2012, a dated collection like this may seem like it has no worth...but nothing could be further from the truth. Though the majority of these songs are available on Past Masters, Hey Jude is a relatively cheap and easy way to grab a 100% analog Beatles compilation domestically. Some of the selections are a bit puzzling, but keep in mind many of these tracks were unavailable on LP at the time, either being singles or omitted from Capitol's US versions of the Beatles' early albums. For a compilation, the album sequence flows surprisingly well. As an added bonus, the cover features one of the last known photographs of the Fab Four ever taken, and it looks great in a frame or on the shelf.

My copy of Hey Jude is titled "The Beatles Again" on the label, but the runout area is machine- stamped Bell Sound, telling me this is a second pressing. Regardless, the sound is fantastic, much better than the majority of my domestic Beatles vinyl collection, and in exceptional condition considering the age. For $10-15 you really can't go wrong with this LP. Of course we all know the songs, but some highlights include the title track, "Rain" and "Lady Madonna." The lively sound practically jumps off the turntable and fills the room with Beatles goodness. The album length is just right too, the final songs on each side not suffering from the fidelity problems of many longer LPs. Given the well-documented pressing issues with some of the new Beatles vinyl, you could certainly do a lot worse than Hey Jude.

This album represents the point in the Beatles career where they transition completely from making interesting guitar pop songs into being a mediocre classic rock band. Whereas Sgt. Peppers is hindered by having a streak of poor songwriting, especially towards the middle, the poor quality on Abbey Road feels deliberate. Whether its the kind of boring, bluesy background guitar that was in style at the turn of the decade (She Came in Through the Bathroom Window, I Want You) the inclusion of shameless granny music (Oh Darling, Maxwell's Silver Hammer), or the lazy, incomplete songwriting of the medley, all of the flaws in the album are fixable but left in place as some sort of stylistic choice. And on the subject of the medley, I realized why I like Pink Flag, which has similar song lengths, and not it. Simply, the songs on Pink Flag stand on their own. I can listen to and enjoy Straight Line when it comes on shuffle, even though it's only 45 seconds long.

For the record, the American version of this release is the only one I own, so my review is based off the American release of the album, HELP. The big difference between the American release and the UK version is that the UK version functions more like a Beatles album proper while the American version is more or less half album, half film soundtrack. It is why I have chosen to review the specific American release.

For likes of whatever, I found HELP very unappealing to me and very hard to enjoy. Maybe it's just that for this era of the band, they're pretty much still the insanely popular Fab Four. I have retroactively found a good number of their early hits like ''Love Me Do'', ''Eight Days a Week'' and ''I Saw Her Standing There'' to be quite enjoyable even if a bit campy, so I've come to terms with the poppier section of the Beatles' career. The problem is that in this particular instance, only the title track manages to squeeze any enjoyment out of me.

The chief reason for my disinterest is that I can't remember most of the other songs after spinning the album, even the famous ''Ticket to Ride'' (with the exception of the chorus) sounds mundane to me. Actually, I can remember ''You're Gonna Lose That Girl'' for the wrong reasons as it comes off as annoying to me. And am I the only one that thinks the production is too bright and sharp? It's to the point where I can't wear my headphones whenever I listen to the album.

The American version replaces a few pop songs with some of the soundtrack from the movie. It's nice to hear a sitar playing the melody of ''A Hard Day's Night'', but the soundtracks aren't very interesting either. Worse is that none of these breaks have any title to them.

Beatlemania had been going on for a few years, so if HELP had any positive impact on music, it was the breaking point of the Beatles as a pop sensation on the verge of shark jumping. Thankfully, the Beatles took a more art approach to their music and fresher ideas were on the way. As it stands, the soundtrack to HELP is dated and a poor representation of the Beatles as a pop group.

Lastly, I find that HELP has almost no prog value to it. Find a Beatles album after 1965 if you want to see where the Beatles fit in the prog saga.

Songtrack is a fantastic addition to the Beatles canon and a unique release in the catalog - it is the only commercial release that features remixes of Beatles classics. For some, the original mixes are sacred and not to be altered in any way; I personally celebrate the new mixes, and can always go back to the originals. Unlike Love which mashes up and combines elements of different Beatles songs, Yellow Submarine Songtrack stays faithful to the original compositions, placing vocals in the center for the most part and wrangling in the extreme stereo separation of the instruments. And unlike the 1968 Yellow Submarine album, this release includes just Beatles songs featured in the movie and none of the George Martin orchestration. This results in a far more listenable experience and a "psychedelic-Beatles- Greatest Hits" compilation of sorts...the vast majority of songs are from 1966-1968.

"Yellow Submarine" from 1966's Revolver forms the basis for the movie. For those that have never seen it, Yellow Submarine is an animated feature inspired by the Beatles music and their likenesses. The film was beautifully restored and released on DVD for the first time in 1999, and again in 2012 for Bluray. The two CD issues of Songtrack are identical except for the packaging. The song "Yellow Submarine" brings out more sound effects to the fore and places Ringo's voice front and center. The primary reason to pick up Songtrack is for "Hey Bulldog," "All Together Now," and "It's All Too Much." Though the majority of tunes were previously released in one form or another, these three are exclusive to Yellow Submarine and its purchase is essential for that reason alone. This companion piece also includes the first true stereo mix of "Only A Northern Song" making it a worthy addition to any Beatles collection. As a Proto-Prog album, Songtrack is full of psychedelic goodies such as "Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds," the Raga-Rock "Love You To," and Symphonic Pop of "All You Need Is Love." The release does have its problems, such as the out-of-sync vocal on "Eleanor Rigby" and dubious exclusion of "I Am The Walrus" and "A Day In The Life," both of which are in the movie. Despite these shortcomings, Songtrack is a great little compilation to play casually and just enjoy.

For my 1st Beatles album review I chose Rubber Soul. The simple reason is that it is probably my favorite Beatle album. It's a very close call between this and Revolver, but I have to give the edge to RS. This is definitely a 5 star album for me; this is the Beatles at their best.

I think the reason that Rubber Soul gets top billing is that a lot of it is played acoustically. I really enjoy acoustic and folk music (besides prog of course), and that element is what sets RS apart from their other albums. The cliche that you can tell how good a song is by hearing it played on acoustic instruments has never been more true than it is here, So, let's discuss the more acoustic tracks. Norwegian Wood, at barely more than two minutes, is just beautiful. The lyrics are deceptively simple, but they show how far Lennon had progressed in 5 years or less. Michelle is a moving love song; one of McCartney's best.

I'm Looking Through You takes a common situation - when the person you love has changed into someone you don't recognize - and describes it brilliantly. Nowhere Man breaks my heart - It's an unfortunately accurate description of my wife's best friend. Lastly, In My Life shows a level of insight and inspiration that McCartney wouldn't have exhibited at the beginning of The Beatles' career.

If I described every song on this album this review would never end, so I will wrap it up. As stated by other reviewers, this is the album where the band's Middle Eastern influences and sonic experimentation first became apparent. For me, some of The Beatles' later material is too "psychedelic" for its own good. On Rubber Soul, the band has written more brilliantly than at any other point in their career. Songwriting is ultimately what matters most, and that's what makes Rubber Soul a 5-star album.

P.S. In my first posting of this review, I credited In My Life to Paul McCartney instead of John Lennon. My bad.- blame it on lack of sleep!

Since I started to listen music, always heard how good Rubber Soul is, and how impressed Brian Wilson was?Well, after years of having it in a box, decided to give the album a new chance, and honestly, was as disappointed as usual. Found it bland and uneven with a few good tracks, but very far of the masterpiece most people talk about.

Some tracks like the opener Drive my Car, You Won't See Me and The Wordare simply out of time, maybe in 1963 or 64 would had been somehow innovative, but in Christmas 1995 and early 1966 sounded dated and terribly repetitive, too many bands were exploring and were miles ahead of this mediocre lollypop-rock.

Others as Michelle and it's clone Girl are simply as boring and predictable as watching the grass grow, hey, no changes, no experimentation, just week soporiferous ballads good fopr the tiop 40's list, but not for an album that many people believe marked a crucial point in THE BEATLES evolution. Seems as if they played safe and added this songs to have good reception among teen girls who were still in love with the four guys of Liverpool.

Of course the lowest point is What Goes On, some sort of Folk Rock that really disappointed me?But what can we expect of Ringo Starr, surely the luckiest guy in the universe, an average drummer but not remotely a good songwriter or a vocalist.

But of course there are a couple of impressive songs, starting with the incredibly beautiful Norwegian Wood, a real gem with soft but interesting changes and a great deal of experimentation (starting with Harrison on the sitar), the amazing Nowhere Man, where we can listen George Harrison's touch for the first time and the nice In my Life with the delightful organ solo, but apart from this, nothing caught my attention.

If Rubber Soul would had been released two years before, I would had gone with 4 stars, but in in December 1965 / early 1966, there were many bands releasing stuff far more elaborate and innovative, so will have to go with 2 stars.

My favorite Beatles album. The emotional journey I went on when listening to this album was so wild it was like the greatest rollercoaster ever devised: Joy, Beauty, engagement, laughter, amazement, fear, creepiness, terror, nightmare-producing, hysterics, awe, silliness, mind- and mood-altering, escapist, world-view challenging, memorable, lyrical, impressionistic, complex simplicity, beautiful eeriness, edgy calmness, hallucinatory persiflage, hypnotic zombitude, distorted perspicacity, unqualified histrionics, profound psychobabble, etc., etc. It is quite simply a master work of audience manipulation, an extraordinary escape from the oppression of everyday dross. Pure genius. "I am the Walrus" has got to be one of the greatest, most powerful weird songs of all time. Side Two in particular drew me back over and over and over. Listening to "Strawberry Fields Forever" was like a drug--like watching a scary movie: mesmerizing and addictive. The "I buried Paul" in the psycho-bleed from SFF to "Penny Lane" was enough to give me nightmares. (I was ten years old.) The dichotomy of going from the former to the latter was enough to forever cast Penny Lane with a pall of shadow for me. "Baby, You're a Rich Man" is a cool non-Beatlesish song far ahead (or behind) its time. Just what I needed to continue the de-escalation from the Strawbery Fields experience of fear and terror. And then, thank you very much, the end with LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Nowadays I listen to Side One with pure joy and admiration. (I've never seen the movie. Is it worth seeing?) Though MAgical Mystery Tour is my favorite Beatles album, I recognize that it is NOT their most sophisticated or innovate or envelope-pushing or prog-birthing album. Still, it is, IMHO, an excellent addition to any prog music collection.