664 The Beatles - Yesterday & Today (1966)

 664 The Beatles - Yesterday & Today (1966)

Studio/Compilation Album - 60s Pop



About the Act:

Do I really need to tell you who The Beatles were? Well, I suppose it is theoretically possible that aliens from the planet Xzog will get hold of a copy of this series of reviews 245 years into the future, and won't know about Earth's most popular pop band ever, so if so, Felicitous Rgnygings to you, and here we go.

Way back in 1960, in the dank, rain-kissed streets of Liverpool, four Quarrymen known as John, Paul, George and Ringo formed a band to play a kind of guitar-based pop that famously didn't get signed to some record label or other. They got signed to a different one, played perfectly-crafted pop and won the hearts of every teenage girl in the world, and popularised mop-top haircuts. They went to America, and America screamed at them, apparently not in a bad way. They claimed to be bigger than God at one point, which made some people laugh and some other people angry. As the 60 evolved from crafted pop ballads into psychedelic hippie music and more considered rock, so did they, discovering coloured clothes, sitars, eastern religion and peace and love, man, peace and love, and maybe some stimulating substances like tea. Their music reflected this and they sold even more records, hitting some kind of mega-stratosphere of fame, and explosive creativity, but finding it harder and harder to get on with each other. In 1970 they released Abbey Road, possibly their most famous and successful album, just as they were in the process of splitting up.

If you want a more in-depth and sensible look at their career, read their Wikipedia entry, or some of the many books written about them.

About the Album:

This was their 9th American album released, and it was released in the US and Canada. At the time, it was the habit for the US to have different collections on albums, often with different names, but sometimes the same name would have different tracks. This name and packaging was entirely an American thing, but the songs all appeared on UK albums also, from A Hard Day's Night, Help! and Revolver, which was yet to be released (unusually giving American Audiences first bite at new Beatles tracks). The album cover was highly controversial, and had to be withdrawn and replaced.

My History with this Album:

None, but I know most of the tracks.

Review:

The track listing is impressive, and I sang along to most of the tracks, knowing them well. I could list them, but click on one of the links below to get a full list. My favourite tracks on the album are probably Yesterday, and Drive My Car (I just love singing along "Beep, beep, beep beep yeah!"). There are two songs I didn't know, Act Naturally, which is a cover, is a great song. The other, "what goes on" I was less enamoured by. They are both country. 

It feels more like a compilation than a studio album, partly because it is, really. The Beatles had little control over the composition of US albums, which they were frustrated by. This album takes tracks from three  UK albums, and spans a time when they were transitioning from the more poppy stuff to more psychedelic stuff. It flows OK but is quite diverse, and frankly Day Tripper is a good song, but not a good album closer. 

Obviously I know some of these songs very well, and it is hard to listen fresh and try to think of it out of the obvious contexts. I'm not going to bother pretending too hard at that, you probably know at least half of these songs. I was struck by the singability of the songs, by the strength of the vocal harmonies, and the diversity. I don't hail the Beatles as the best ever band, like some, and in my youth I mostly rejected them as too shallow, but I have had a long time to change that position. I recognise their pivotal role in British Pop and actually their role in bringing psychedelia onto the main stage. A lot of what they were hailed as original for was somewhat inspired by lesser-known acts, but their gift was to blend that with pop and make it accessible, and that was no mean feat. There are some songs here that I genuinely love, so I have to give kudos for that. I did enjoy listening.

8/10

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6XPHf7ElVzmf1Fjmu1pmlz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoDV1tSqTU2z3AMstwCz1jqvrRtOyHYN6

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yesterday_and_Today



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