I could write several tomes about The Beatles, which is to say that I love them and their music. So in love, in fact, that it's probably criminal. Yet, I came late to Beatlemania. Unlike most people my age who grew up with their parents pleasantly blasting Beatles 1 in their cars, I grew up tortured by the Fab Four's greatest hits packages. The simple truth is that my folks ruined their magic for me, exposing me to the played-to-death singles that even the heartless knew by heart. It wasn't until I heard Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver did I realize these guys were making special music, that they were trailblazers and true creative titans.
Thank goodness for that, right?
Luckily, Liz over at Dance To The Radio shares my sentiment for this band, and so we've decided to dedicate this week's set of mixes to The Beatles' musical legacy. Liz happily assembled songs from The Beatles' post-Rubber Soul era while I took the pre-Revolver material. The results are two quirky sets of songs that, in my humble opinion, do this timeless music a great justice in the era of the iPod.
What astounds me about Liz's near-perfect mix is her attention to sequencing. The OCD part of me swoons as hers begins with with the rock and circumstance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and ends with delicious denoument of "The End." Additionally, Liz painstakingly makes the Abbey Road medley seem as seamless as the rest of the tracks, which is no easy task. She also included some of my most favorite/underrated Beatles songs (Oh! Darling, Something, I'm So Tired) and, overall, made a mix fit for George Martin himself.
Despite my natural affinity for the second half of The Beatles' career, I'm really happy with the way my mix turned out. Sorry for the mono enthusiasts, but nearly all my cuts are from the 2009 stereo remasters. This is because I feel the stereo versions offer more clarity and better spacing for the instruments, which was my whole reason for dropping some fat stacks on it in the first place. But ultimately, what I loved about this project was the chance to bundle up The Beatles' unbridled sense of youth, something that I think everyone loved about them regardless if you preferred With The Beatles or Let It Be.
Plus, that opening riff to "Paperback Writer" is heavy as hell.
I Saw Her Standing There
Long Tall Sally
Drive My Car
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Paperback Writer
A Hard Day's Night
The Word
No Reply
Love Me Do (Original Single Version)
Twist & Shout
Day Tripper
Help!
Michelle
All My Loving
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Rock & Roll Music
From Me To You
Yesterday
I Should Have Known Better
Nowhere Man
We Can Work It Out
I'm A Loser
Rain
Girl
You're Gonna Lose That Girl
She Loves You (Mono)
Please Please Me
You Really Got A Hold On Me
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Misery
Roll Over Beethoven
In My Life
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Back In The U.S.S.R.
I've Got A Feeling
Oh! Darling
When I'm Sixty-Four
Revolution
Taxman
Good Day Sunshine
Here Comes The Sun
Blackbird
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Dear Prudence
Her Majesty
Don't Pass Me By
Martha My Dear
Eleanor Rigby
Don't Let Me Down
Fixing A Hole
The Long & Winding Road
The Ballad Of Yoko & John
Getting Better
Something
Come Together
Glass Onion
Carry That Weight
I'm So Tired
Because
Across The Universe
Tomorrow Never Knows
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Let It Be
The End
6 comments:
Yaaay, I'm so glad you liked my mix! Years of listening to the Beatles really helped me with this. You definitely got all of my favorites on your mix. I love it & these mixes have helped me rekindle my love for The Beatles!
EXCELLENT suggestion for this theme, sir.
I think we're both lucky that we had so many great songs to choose from! Plus, I'm so glad that I had savvy mix maker like yourself to do this with. It was super fun!
these are both fantastic mixes. Gotta say both of you really captured the essence of both Beatles eras, which is a funny thing to say considering they were only together for 7 years. But anywho, loved it. Loved the flow and the progression. Also while I didn't actually do this but it seemed to fit in my head if you alternate tracks between mixes (track 1 mike, track 1 liz and so on) you get a very interesting and fun flow of music that also seems to work. Or at least it did in my head.
Thanks for checking it out Joe! Honestly, I think what you said totally makes sense, but maybe because both tracks are fantastic openers. ;)
O the beatles my fav band of all time! i'm partial to the psychedlic stuff
Teddi, I don't think you're alone on that one. They are fantastic!
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