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All Things Must Beat. Share Anything Beatles!!

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I’ve started listening to their “second half” albums in full as I previously would just turn on Beatles stations and listen to songs in whatever order they’d come in.

So far, Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, and Sgt. Pepper are topping my favorites list. It’s hard to rank them as they all bring something unique to the table - Rubber Soul is a great vibe, Abbey Road is probably their peak performances, and Sgt. Pepper is so unique. After that, it’s Revolver, White Album, and Let It Be in that order. Revolver has been a slow burn but it is growing on me, and both White Album and Let It Be have some of great tunes while also having some of my least liked “filler” songs.

I’ll keep Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine on the sidelines for now. Might be worth noting I’m a mid-30’s millennial, so while I’ve been familiar with a lot of their material this is really a new exercise for me, and it has been a great way to learn how they evolved as a band over time.
 
I’ve started listening to their “second half” albums in full as I previously would just turn on Beatles stations and listen to songs in whatever order they’d come in. ... ... ...

jmatt, by "second half" albums do you mean those made after they stopped touring, the "first half" being the earlier part of their career?​

... ... ... So far, Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, and Sgt. Pepper are topping my favorites list. It’s hard to rank them as they all bring something unique to the table - Rubber Soul is a great vibe, Abbey Road is probably their peak performances, and Sgt. Pepper is so unique. After that, it’s Revolver, White Album, and Let It Be in that order. Revolver has been a slow burn but it is growing on me, and both White Album and Let It Be have some of great tunes while also having some of my least liked “filler” songs. ... ... ...

I whole-heartedly agree with the difficulty of ranking such apples and oranges. The Beatles were the chameleons of rock! They intentionally made different sounding records 'cause they were disappointed hearing their own favorite artists make several similar sounding new songs.​
Rubber Soul, Abbey Road & Pepper are very fine albums, for sure. Very professionally done and well produced good listening with plenty of variety on each. Lots to enjoy.​
Revolver was a major departure from their earlier mop-top sounds with hints of the psychedelia to come. The white album was a grab-bag of different styles & genres, not to mention Revolution 9. 🤮 And Let It Be certainly has some transcendent songs along with some rough, unfinished edges (for lack of George Martin's production polish).​

... ... ... I’ll keep Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine on the sidelines for now. ... ... ...

Yes, with those heavily psychedelic works the innate, light-hearted levels can be a bit deceptive to the deeper, more daunting, connotations. A bit of preparation before delving there is well considered.​

... ... ... Might be worth noting I’m a mid-30’s millennial, so while I’ve been familiar with a lot of their material this is really a new exercise for me, and it has been a great way to learn how they evolved as a band over time.

Ah! Well, I'm curious if you've consciously chosen either the US or UK versions of The Beatles albums? As a mid-70s boomer myself I didn't have that choice, growing up in the US in the '60s. Indeed, I wasn't even aware of the differences, much less understand the significance of the "butcher cover" of the Yesterday And Today album. Since retirement, I've occasionally considered getting all the UK album versions to explore the differences, but just haven't taken the plunge yet.​
 
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jmatt, by "second half" albums do you mean those made after they stopped touring, the "first half" being the earlier part of their career?​



I whole-heartedly agree with the difficulty of ranking such apples and oranges. The Beatles were the chameleons of rock! They intentionally made different sounding records 'cause they were disappointed hearing their own favorite artists make several similar sounding new songs.​
Rubber Soul, Abbey Road & Pepper are very fine albums, for sure. Very professionally done and well produced good listening with plenty of variety on each. Lots to enjoy.​
Revolver was a major departure from their earlier mop-top sounds with hints of the psychedelia to come. The white album was a grab-bag of different styles & genres, not to mention Revolution 9. 🤮 And Let It Be certainly has some transcendent songs along with some rough, unfinished edges (for lack of George Martin's production polish).​



Yes, with those heavily psychedelic works the innate, light-hearted levels can be a bit deceptive to the deeper, more daunting, connotations. A bit of preparation before delving there is well considered.​



Ah! Well, I'm curious if you've consciously chosen either the US or UK versions of The Beatles albums? As a mid-70s boomer myself I didn't have that choice, growing up in the US in the '60s. Indeed, I wasn't even aware of the differences, much less understand the significance of the "butcher cover" of the Yesterday And Today album. Since retirement, I've occasionally considered getting all the UK album versions to explore the differences, but just haven't taken the plunge yet.​
Good question, as I guess dividing their career in halves could be done a number of ways. I elected to split their “main” albums in half, which is approximately the mid point of their time together.
 
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But, ... but, ... US or UK versions?

Add to that Japan, Canada, Germany, and untold other country versions. Many counties released their own revisions. They wanted to produce their products in country. British imports were popular because they were different.

A friend’s brother worked for the record company. His sole job was finding and shutting down Beatle record bootleggers. EMI and Capital could produce enough records. With each release there were lines to buy the records. They’d sell out quickly even though pressing plants were working hard to fulfill orders. So bootleggers would take a vinyl and remaster it which was used to produce low quality copies. These were sold under the counter in shops, out of car trunks… Everyone was trying to rip off the Beatles.
 
But, ... but, ... US or UK versions?
Beatles bootlegs!
Ah! Well, I'm curious if you've consciously chosen either the US or UK versions of The Beatles albums? As a mid-70s boomer myself I didn't have that choice
And people these days don't really have a choice other than the original Parlophone releases as The Beatles & George Martin wanted them programmed originally.

The US albums are available only as a used purchase today. That one CD box that nobody bought or old scratchy albums. Only us olds remember (and care about) those US albums. The box and some needle drops are available of the US albums in the bootleg shadows.

Now one can set up a Spotify playlist to hear the old running order if one wishes to harken back to the leaded olden days and those happy places.

Edit: typo
 
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I’ve pre-ordered the latest Beatles album that’s coming in November from iTunes.

 
I’ve pre-ordered the latest Beatles album that’s coming in November from iTunes.

I have that pre-saved on Spotify.