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THE BEATLES
The Beatles' "Blue Album"
celebrates their talent by boasting nothing but infamous
hits from the years 1967-1970. These songs come from
several of the greatest rock albums of all time
including Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The
Beatles ("The White Album"), Abbey Road and Let It Be.
The Beatles' "Blue Album" both proves their genius and
demonstrates their singular talent that no other band
can replicate.
The two CD set allows us to realize that The Beatles
wrote many different types of songs with different
styles. This is also essential music that offers
something for just about anyone who listens to the two
CD set. The first CD starts off strong with the popular
and psychedelic "Strawberry Fields Forever," other
psychedelic and experimental songs include "Lucy In The
Sky With Diamonds" and "I Am The Walrus." There are
beautiful ballads celebrating love including "All You
Need Is Love" and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da." The Beatles also
address the angst of a love that is no longer in the
songs “While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "The Long And
Winding Road." Finally, the band sings songs that are
just plain fun including "Octopus's Garden" and "Back In
The U.S.S.R."
If you want to understand the sharp differences in style
between John Lennon and Paul McCartney at this time in
their careers there is no better comparison than between
"Hey Jude," which is an classic ballad indeed, and
"Revolution," which is rather conceited, smug and bitter
all at once. |
TRACK LISTING
DISC 1:
1. Strawberry Fields Forever
2. Penny Lane
3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
4. With A Little Help From My Friends
5. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
6. Day In The Life, A
7. All You Need Is Love
8. I Am The Walrus
9. Hello, Goodbye
10. Fool On The Hill, The
11. Magical Mystery Tour
12. Lady Madonna
13. Hey Jude
14. Revolution
DISC 2:
1. Back In The U.S.S.R.
2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
3. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
4. Get Back
5. Don't Let Me Down
6. Ballad Of John And Yoko, The
7. Old Brown Shoe
8. Here Comes The Sun
9. Come Together
10. Something
11. Octopus's Garden
12. Let It Be
13. Across The Universe
14. Long And Winding Road, The
Details
Producer: George Martin, Phil Spector
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution
Recording type: Studio
Recording mode: Stereo
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The Beatles' use of the
unconscious when writing trippy songs like "Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "A Day In The
Life" enabled them to reach out to their fans and
ultimately the world. The lyrics make sense even when
they make no sense; this only adds to the beauty of the
more psychedelic, trippy songs. Moreover, the songs on
this two CD set work so well because they address
universal themes of wanting to be loved, celebrating
love and mourning a lost love.
The liner notes boast the lyrics to each song and great
color photos of the band. The liner notes include the
song credits, too.
Indeed, The Beatles were so prolific in their writing
and performing that this two CD set barely skims the
surface of what they truly accomplished between the
years 1967 and 1970. If you like this CD set I highly
recommend you buy individual Beatles' albums to discover
more about the band's creativity and boldness.
Overall, this two CD set is more than just an
introductory retrospective of The Beatles' music during
the turbulent late 1960s. The "Blue Album" celebrates
The Beatles' ability to communicate their political
beliefs and amorous feelings for other people through
their songs. These songs remind us to celebrate and
value the blessings of love, the evils of war and the
importance of world peace—now.
I highly recommend this CD for Beatles fans, fans of
great 1970s rock music and anyone who wants to
experience how The Beatles taught us what was right
through their music. This two CD set is a must have for
any Beatles' collector as well as for anyone who wants
to study the history of rock and roll. |
Album notes
The Beatles: John Lennon, George Harrison (vocals,
guitar); Paul McCartney (vocals, piano, bass
instrument); Ringo Starr (vocals, drums).
Additional personnel include: Billy Preston (organ).
The companion piece to the 1962-1966 singles
compilation, this set (often called "the blue album," as
opposed to its chronological predecessor "the red
album"), brings together the Beatles best known songs
from 1967 through 1970. The Beatles were fiercely,
relentlessly experimental during these years, and the
swirling, visionary soundscapes of "Strawberry Fields
Forever," which opens the collection, sets the tone with
its effects-heavy production and backward tape loops.
John Lennon's psychedelic songwriting, which emphasized
crystalline melodies and surreal wordplay, can be heard
on tracks like "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" and
"Across the Universe."
Paul McCartney's fascination with English music hall and
novelty numbers is clear on "Penny Lane" and "Ob-la-Di,
Ob-la-Da," and the set also has some of his finest
ballads, including the mega-hits "Let It Be" and "Hey
Jude." George Harrison emerged as a fine songwriting
talent during these years with "Something" and "Here
Comes the Sun." Yet despite evidence of their diverging
individual directions, the Beatles still rock as a band
on cuts like "Revolution." (The set includes the single
versions of "Revolution," "Lady Madonna," and "Hey
Jude"). The Beatles set the tenor of the late-'60s with
this spectacular soundtrack, and it remains--even after
years of overplaying--original, beautiful music.
Editorial reviews
(10) - Classic.
New Musical Express (09/18/1993) |
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