The Beatles - Which album(s)

[finbarcorky]

I'd like to buy some Beetles albums but I'm a bit confused to which ones to buy that have all the best well know songs on. They seem to have re-released some songs on new albums but I don't know what are the original albums, obviously SPLHCB (or whatever it is!) would be one of them.

So what albums would you recommend?
Do I get all the colour ones?

Regards fellows.

[Frik]

I reckon the best starters are the red and blue albums.

That'll get a feeling for what you like best. With 12 albums in 8 years there's a lot of stuff to get through, and although all the albums have brilliant stuff on them, the songs did change in style over the years.

Sgt Pepper is commonly rated the best album, though I'm more of a Rubber Soul/Revolver fan.

[audidoody]

Beetles?


Oh you mean the Fab Four. The Moptops.

Well, they were such an eclectic band that no one album will cover their oeuvre.

But, as a rough guide>

Please Please me - pop covers and a few self-penned hits showing their emerging brilliance (PLease Please Me, Love Me Do, From Me To You)

With the Beatles - more covers, R&B covers with some Lennon and McCartney hits (All My Loving, It Won't Be Long)

Hard Days Night - first album entirely of L & Macca songs. Songs starting to get a bit more complex in chord structure (If I Fell, And I Love her)

Beatles For Sale - lots of pop rock and country influenced L & Macca tunes (No reply, I'm a Loser, I don't want to spoilt the party).

Help - sound track John and Paul knocking out three-mimute pop wonders without breaking sweat (Help, Ticket to Ride, You've Got to Hide YOur Love Away You're Gonna Lose That Girl, The Night Before, plus Paul's mega Yesterday)

Rubber Soul - the drugs are starting to work. Sublime. Too much good stuff to mention (oh OK 'Drive My Car, "in My Life")

Revolver - hitting their peak. John's now on acid (Tomorrow Never Knows). George has discovered Ravi Shankar. Paul is on a roll Eleanor Rigby, (Here there and Everywhere).

Sergeant Pepper - Concept album time . Ringo gets a little help from his friends. The studio is the instrument. Lots of chemicals. Lots of newspaper taxis, tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Day in the Life has bonkers ending.

White Album - the Fabs begin to go their own ways (creatively)

Abbey Road - the last Hurrah. The End. Astounding. George writes a track Frank Sinatra calls the best love song ever written. (Something).

Let It Be - indeed. That's all for now folks.

(I wouldn't bother much with Yellow Submarine or Magical Mystery Tour).



I recommend you raid the piggy bank and get the Mono reissue box set in all their original aural and album artwork glory.

Edited by audidoody on Tuesday 10th April 13:05

[vixen1700]

Revolver & The White Album.

[Raoul Duke]

vixen1700 said:

Revolver & The White Album.

These are the two definate favourits of mine too, plus the blue album if you want a general mix of the best of their later works - which in my opinion is far and away the better material. I like Sgt Pepper but dont personally agree with it being their definative works.
The early stuff is ok, but for me they peaked when they discovered the illicits and let George Harrison contribute more.

[daftandyboy555]

Revolver!

Listen to it often, i love it.

[marcosgt]

Frik said:

I reckon the best starters are the red and blue albums.

That'll get a feeling for what you like best. With 12 albums in 8 years there's a lot of stuff to get through, and although all the albums have brilliant stuff on them, the songs did change in style over the years.

This is very good advice - I've got pretty much every album on vinyl (aside from some odd early releases), but I've only got a few on CD.

When I was about 14 I loved the early stuff and then I migrated to the later stuff, although I find the immediacy of the early stuff is still appealing.

There was a compilation album called "Rock N Roll Music" with lots of covers and their own R&R material, which I've never seen as a CD, but it was great compliment to the Red and Blue albums I thought.

If I have to pick one original album, I'd still plump for Sgt Peppers I think as it's such a complete piece, but my favourite ever Beatle tracks aren't on it!

Magical Mystery Tour does have Fool on the Hill on - Which redeems it in my eyes.

M

Edited by marcosgt on Tuesday 10th April 16:08

[sawman]

Well, if you don't want to invest in the whole lot,

I would grab one of the early ones hard days night maybe.

I have always like "for sale"

Rubber soul, and revolver are pretty strong (revolver is probably my fave)

The white album is a must have and sgt peppers is up there.

If you got for let it be, I prefer the version that was issues 5 years or so ago - stripped back and remixed by george martin

[1878]

audidoody said:

I recommend you raid the piggy bank and get the Mono reissue box set in all their original aural and album artwork glory.

This is the correct answer though the red and blue albums are a great best-of; but then you miss out on so many gems from the complete albums.

[robsa]

Definitely check out 'Love' - the modern album remixed by George Martin and his son. It is excellent and a great way to get into the Beatles.

[Zod]

For me, the Beatles hit their stride with Rubber Soul and then the genius stuff started at Revolver.

[Timberwolf]

finbarcorky said:

obviously SPLHCB (or whatever it is!) would be one of them.

So what albums would you recommend?

IMO don't start with Sgt. Pepper's - for all the lauding and best record ever votes if you weren't "there" and listen to it the first time out of context it will sound hopelessly twee, parochial and out of date.

"Love" is probably a good call. It's a single CD, available pretty cheaply and yet will get you a decent overview of several eras of Beatles music; they changed style and direction a lot so it's reasonably common for people to find they love some albums but can't stand others. Yes they are subtle remixes and reworkings, but on the flip side you don't end up with the same feeling of duplication if you do go on to buy the studio albums.

In terms of original studio albums Abbey Road is my favoured starting point; it's one of the more sonically interesting albums with a brace of well-known songs (Come Together, Something, Here Comes The Sun) but doesn't suffer as much from experimental dead ends and indulgences as some of the other late period ones do. (The four had a bit of a tendency to oscillate between being one of the world's best pop/rock bands and one of the world's worst music hall novelty acts at times.)

[New POD]

If you must, might I suggest Vinyl ?

I say If you must because Despite being from Merseyside, I consider the Beatles (note the clever spelling) to be irritating.

[lazystudent]

For a nice round introduction, have a listen to the Anthology albums. IMO.

[singlecoil]

finbarcorky said:

I'd like to buy some Beetles albums

If you are not sure which ones you would like best, why not get on youtube and download everything, listen to them all (a lot) and then decide?

I don't think there are any Beatles tracks that I don't like, apart from a couple on the White Album and most of Let it Be.

[shirt]

Much as I dislike bands meddling with their history, macca's reworking - let it be naked - is miles better than the original mix.

[marcosgt]

shirt said:

Much as I dislike bands meddling with their history, macca's reworking - let it be naked - is miles better than the original mix.

Get 'em both

M.

[haircutmike]

lazystudent said:

For a nice round introduction, have a listen to the Anthology albums. IMO.

Definitely a good listen, I often stack em in the autochanger for a long journey, (cue wifey fitting earplugs and getting comfy!).

[robsco]

For sweet little 3-minute pop songs, Help! is the album to go for. If you fancy sampling some drug-induced works of genius, Revolver is the best album they ever released IMHO. Give Abbey Road a try too, the medley at the end is some of their best work.

[Plotloss]

Start with red and blue, then get white, then explore the studio albums.