The Beatles: Live at the BBC

Bring Beatles Candy Edition

At nearly 70 tracks over two disks, this is my second favorite - and last - Beatles entry for Disk-a-Day, at least as far as my current collection goes. This is early stuff, the rock they played when they first started...the covers of rock classics and some of their own songs; Poppy, catchy, and danceable all the way. Interspersed are vignettes of the band chatting up the BBC host and making jokes like kids do. Really charming, actually.

Like many of the CDs I'm "reviewing", I've never listened all the way through this one until now. I missed out. These guys were amazing live...warm, clear, and solid. It's no wonder they "made it". I was taken back to a youth I never had, but reminded that there was a time when John, Paul, George and Ringo had the world in their hands and didn't realize it, still treating it with joy and playfulness. I heard these songs and felt like all the crap going on today will pass, or change, or whatever; Now is just a moment in history, in stereo. It might do well to listen.

The Beatles: Let it Be

Jude Where's my Car Edition

From the album cover (Punctuation and format as it appears, more or less) :

This is a new phase BEATLES album...
essential to the content of the film, LET IT BE was that they
performed live for many of the tracks; in comes the warmth and
the freshness of a live performance; as reproduced for disc by
Phil Spector.

Phil Spector was a popular producer of the day. He also killed Lana Clarkson recently. So...

This album has harps and orchestra on it. It won awards, and all that. I'm not super fond of it, but that maybe from unfamiliarity. I do like the little essay above, though. This is a new phase DISK-A-DAY blog... sounds good!

The Beatles: Abbey Road

Got to be Good Lookin' Edition

Paul McCartney looks so freakin' cool on this album's cover, bare feet and cigarette worn with pride. Can we all agree that McCartney was the cool one and still is? Thanks. Of course, everyone thinks they all look great here, which is why the album cover is copied so often by all kinds of artists, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Kanye West. Ugh.

Speaking of "covers" one thing I'm not a fan of is how many different covers of "Come Together" I've heard over the years. It's a neat song, but when so many people cover it and can do nothing more interesting with it than has already been done, why bother? I guess it's a testament to the impact the song has had on these artists, but some songs should be left alone.

I don't like Abbey Road as much as Revolver. I don't know why, but it just doesn't catch me as easily. Great songs, and lots of variety, like Sgt. Pepper, but...I dunno. Is my lack of Beatles "cred" showing too much?

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

They Were Roses Edition

When Shandree and I were still dating and she lived with her folks, I came over one day to surprise her. I purchased some flowers and plucked the petals from them, and spelled out a love message to her on the floor. On the stereo, I put this CD in and looped "When I'm Sixty Four" so whenever she got home, it would be playing when she walked into her room.

Did you know that "BEATLES" is spelled out on the cover of this album in flowers? That's not where I got the idea. A happy coincidence. I should never get rid of this actual CD, even if I never listen to it again. But I'm sure I will.

The Beatles: Revolver

"And it was still hot" Edition

Last year, I saw Where the Wild Things Are at the Mira Mesa I-Max theater, and some kids in front of us in line were talking about music. The first kid, a tall, heavyset dude, lisped that The Beatles were over-rated.

Now, I'm gonna let him have his opinion, but...it's wrong.

Still, I was a late adopter, too, so there's still hope for the youngster. I can say without reservation, however, that Revolver is one of the best pop records ever made.

I have a theory as to why this kid, and I for a time, didn't understand the genius that is The Beatles: The bands I grew up on projected strength, and wore their rock-energy like a badge for all to see. The Beatles were much more subtle and nuanced. While their songs certainly have energy and are still vital today, it's because they knew exactly where to leave space and not throw it all out there. And they knew how to "throw it all out there". (See their live stuff and the BBC sessions, coming soon!) They just chose not to do that all the time, and that's what made them brilliant.

It's the reason why The Beatles are legends and Oasis will simply strive to emulate that legendary status, without ever attaining it. Restraint. Control. Nuance.

Also, for all the haters who say that Ringo Starr isn't a great drummer, I submit his work on "Taxman". The solid meter, punch and drive the drums bring to that song are incomparable. He may have not been a "flashy" drummer, but he's easily one of the best.

Beastie Boys: Ill Communication

Cop Stunts Edition

This is the last Beasties CD I purchased, but I'm determined to grab more of them. As a matter of fact, I recently re-purchased this while up in LA for a Geezer show. I had sold my original copy in the "Great Purge".

This is a good one, with "Sabotage" being the breakout hit. This record wasn't nearly as iconic for me or my friends, so it was only recently that I appreciated the album for the powerhouse that it is, I guess. They took everything they dabbled with on Check Your Head and upped the ante. Ill Communication might not feel as accessible as Check Your Head, but think of it as their Amnesiac to Kid A. Or don't. I've become a fan of the song "B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak".

Maybe because I can't understand the words.

Beastie Boys: Check Your Head

G-Cubed Edition

This next one is...the first post...on my new album.

In my senior year of High School, I met a couple guys that would end up being the best friends I made in those days; Jason and Tracy. It was weird, too, because I didn't really get to know Tracy until the night of prom, when he and Joanne went with Marie and me. We hit it off pretty well, and since we both knew Jason, ended up hanging out quite a bit that summer while we tried to figure out who we were going to be.

We bonded on a bunch of stuff, not the least of which was musical taste, and this record was a staple. Whenever I hear it, especially "So Watcha Want", I remember those days, and how close the three of us were then. Since we were three white dudes, and the Beastie's were three white dudes, I think we drew as many parallels as we could muster. So of course, our group had to have a name, too.

One day, while we were trying to think of that name (DORKS would have worked...), we were lamenting about how lame we were at attracting girls. Tracy called us, sarcastically, the "Go Get 'em Gang". And it stuck. We referred to ourselves as G-Cubed (like, G to the third power) the rest of the summer.

Man...

So, recently, the guys in Geezer and the band members of local mainstays Ilya got together to do some shows as License to Ilya, a Beastie Boys tribute. While I wasn't too fond of how this show went, I loved doing this song. Check out Zach Goode(MZA), Adam Gimbel(The King Old-Rock) and me(Nas D).