651 The Beatles - Beatles VI (1965)

 651 The Beatles - Beatles VI (1965)

Studio Album - 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 an album released in North America. The habit at the time was to not release the same album formats in Europe and North America, and this dominated the Beatles' marketing approach in that territory for a while. 

You might think from the title that this was the 6th album that they released in the US. Not so, it was ninth (all released inside a year and a half!!)

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

The only track on this album that I know from previous experience is Dizzy Miss Lizzy, a cover of a Larry Williams song, that I quite like, because my wife is called Lizzie, and she can be a bit of a whirlwind at times. It is one of two rockier songs on the album especially recorded for the US market, but they did find their way into the UK and rest of the world albums.

I know that this album was cashing in on Beatlemania in the US. Most of it is typical early Beatles, with nods to people like Chuck Berry and even The Beach Boys. To me, it sounds about 8-10 years behind the curve at the time, but that might be my lack of understanding of the 60s. Things were about to explode and get weird.

Musically it's straightforward but OK, kind of Chuck Berry Rock & Roll and Buddy Holly/Everly Brothers ballads. There's one track, "Yes it is" which foreshadows Beatles to come with close and complex harmonies.

The lyrics. Oh dear. Again, if this were released in 1955 I would be more OK with the clichés and bad rhymes. Let's just say they got so much better than this, and I guess this is why this collection of songs is nowhere near as iconic as what was coming over the next 5 years. I know that's giving it context, but honestly, without the context of this being The Beatles I'm not sure what it is doing on this list.

6/10 


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45UXtbUw6c3vZLmnjhXbQR

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcHZqts5PdNPTQ5DBxPHE-kzuPkGDQS3w

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



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