The mission of this blog is to review, discuss and appreciate various music and musicians. Your contributions on these topics will be both welcome and appreciated. From major label to indie release, all music is fair game.
Sometimes I really enjoy retrospective packages. Listening to original albums is certainly enjoyable, worthwhile and (in some circles) the preferred way to go. And many compilations, especially "greatest hits" and "best of" collections, really tend to leave out the best tracks from an oeuvre.
But some retrospective packages are able to avoid those situations by mining previously unreleased materials. And that's where "The Beatles Anthology" project really shined.
When the Anthology project was first announced, I was HEAVILY into The Beatles. No other group mattered. I was reading everything about The Beatles, listening to everything I could find, buying anything that I could afford. They were my first huge musical passion, and it is fair to say I was obsessed with them. (I still am ... but now I handle it in slightly more civilized fashion.) And when I heard the Anthology project was going to mean new music, and previously unreleased music, in addition to videos and a book? Whew. Man. TOTAL frenzy. This was the first new Beatles music in my lifetime! Being born in 1980, I'd missed out on the glory years.
Some songs, you just have to listen to all the way through.
That is the case with The Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout."
I was driving today and was running through the radio to find something to listen to. Sure, I could have turned on my iPhone (that's what I usually do).
If the Beatles had tried to record an album like their "The Beatles" (The White Album) release in 1964 instead of 1968, it would have sounded like this, The Beatles' "Live at the BBC."
Ok, I admit, that probably isn't true. But one of the strengths of "The White Album" was its variety, a strength that really shines on this archival release of selected Beatles materials from the 1963-1965 period.
It's 2012. So far, it's not too radically different from 2011. The Republican candidates for the presidential election are still weeding themselves out. The economy still isn't awesome. It's still winter. You know, that kind of thing. But let's not jump the gun. It's only early January ... there's time yet. And there's definitely good music coming. Remain hopeful!
So, let's talk about music.
For my first album review of the new year, I've got a handful of contenders. One of the albums (PJ Harvey's "Let England Shake") is totally new for me - I haven't listened to it yet. I've heard a couple of tracks and they sound fantastic. One of the forums I visit often has gotten me into it, and both "Mojo" and "Uncut" gave her album their top album honor for 2011. The other albums are either favorites or classics that I haven't really paid much attention to (like Sonic Youth's "Dirty" album).
I'll be doing reviews for each of these in the coming days/weeks/months. If you have preferences on which ones get reviewed first (or you have suggestions / recommendations), please leave me a note in my comments. I welcome your vote!
Here are the albums I've got on the docket:
PJ Harvey"Let England Shake" (getting critical acclaim from just about everyone) The Beatles"Live at the BBC" (one of my absolute favorites, loaded with classic songs by other artists) Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers"Echo" (an underappreciated album ... even the group ignores it) The Monkees"Headquarters" (my personal favorite of their albums, though "PAC&J Ltd." is close) Sonic Youth"Dirty" (an album I haven't paid much attention to, though Sonic Youth are pretty cool) Creedence Clearwater Revival"Willy and the Poor Boys" (a few hits, but a lot of great songs)
All are very solid entries and should make for exciting listens. I might try to live blog one or more of them, too, because I enjoyed that experiment with The Black Keys' "El Camino" album. Again, if you have preferences on which (if any) of these albums should get the live-blog treatment, please leave a comment! Or ... give me some other recommendations. I'll do my best to be receptive.
Okey doke, folks. Hope you're all doing well. Chat with you later.
I love to listen to it. I love to think about it. I love to talk about it. I love to challenge myself with it. I love to look at it. I love to look for it.
Music borders on obsession for me, and in some cases it does more than border obsession. If it involves my favorite groups, I am admittedly obsessed with the music. The Beatles? The Beach Boys? Queen? Pink Floyd? Weezer? You can name dozens of groups and individual artists ... I dig their stuff, and I jump in head first.
Illness, work and a whole lot of music ... I've been hit by all three lately.
I've got new reviews / discussions in the works. Got something going for the Beach Boys and "The Smile Sessions" (addressing the big box version and the 2 CD version). Also have some stuff in the works for a few of the Pink Floyd remastered reissues (especially "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here"). I've also started something on Brian Wilson's new Disney covers album ("Brian Wilson in the Key of Disney"). Oh, and there's some Radiohead ("Kid A" vs. "King of Limbs") and Monkees stuff (Rhino reissues, the box sets in general and the upcoming "Instant Replay" deluxe set in particular) in the pipeline, too.
Heck, I'm even working on a Beatles entry (in the past couple months, I've purchased the Capitol albums sets). There's plenty of stuff coming!
Rest assured, I have not lost interest or started ignoring the place. I apologize that new activity has been so scarce. But I have a few items that are several paragraphs long each, and I'll start wrapping them up and sharing them ASAP.
How're you all doing? Please feel free to drop a line. Comments are always welcome!
The Beatles crafted so many classic songs that it is difficult (or, in my case, impossible) to pick a favorite.
But one track that I never grow tired of is "Strawberry Fields Forever," the 1967 classic that helped bridge the "Revolver" era and the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" era. It's surreal, psychedelic, artistic and cool. It's also a miracle of production work, with producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick pulling off enough tricks to blend two different takes/versions together into one potent song.
The track is such an interesting song, and the production and songwriting are so interesting, that I'm gonna go into some depth on this sucker. Buckle up, it's gonna be a ride!
