Addendum to BB's Beatles Album Rankings - Favorite songs
As part of my previous Beatles Album rankings post, I included what I considered the best (meaning my favorite) songs from each album. Here, as a follow-up to that post, I'm listing a tentative ranking of my overall favorite Beatles songs. This was, however, much more difficult than ranking the albums, as there are just so many great songs to consider and come up with an absolute favorites list. The Beatles are probably one of the only artists to have literally hundreds of great songs, and they produced all of them within a short seven year period. In addition, favorite songs tend to change more readily with time and circumstances, thus this list represents what I am thinking today, and would probably change if reconsidered next week, month, or year. Anyway, here is a list of my current top 25 favorite Beatles songs, as well as my bottom 5 least favorite songs.
Top 25 Favorite Beatles songs:
25. She's a Woman
24. Don't Let Me Down
23. In My Life
22. Two of Us
21. Help!
20. Cry Baby Cry
19. Eleanor Rigby
18. And I Love Her
17. A Hard Day's Night
16. I've Just Seen a Face
15. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
14. A Day in the Life
13. Ticket to Ride
12. Strawberry Fields Forever
11. Hey Bulldog
10. And Your Bird Can Sing
9. Paperback Writer
8. For No One
7. Penny Lane
6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. Let It Be
4. Here Comes the Sun
3. Blackbird
2. Dear Prudence
1. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End
And still, so many great songs that I love didn't make the list, like Hey Jude, Come Together, Revolution, Something, Yesterday, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, With a Little Help From My Friends, I am the Walrus, Daytripper, I Feel Fine, Rain, Here There and Everywhere, You Can't Do That, Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, Things We Said Today, Got to Get You Into My Life, and so many others, but the list indicates songs that I like just a bit more, for whatever reason.
The bottom 5 (for me at least):
5. Helter Skelter
4. All Together Now
3. Why Don't We Do It in the Road?
2. What's the New MaryJane?
1. Blue Jay Way
(As mentioned in previous post, since Revolution 9 is not really a song and can't really be judged by same criteria as other songs, not fair to include it here - for the record, it is interesting as a sound collage, but is not something that should be included on a Beatles album, and yes, I almost always skip over it).
OK, that's my list (at least currently). What's your favorite (or least favorite) Beatles songs?
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Favorite Beatles Songs - Addendum to Beatles Album Ranking List
Saturday, January 16, 2021
BB's Album Rankings - The Beatles Studio Albums
BB’s Album Rankings: The Beatles
The Beatles. Arguably the greatest band of all time. Certainly the most influential, productive, and important group in the development of 20th Century popular music. Their recording career as a band comprised only 7 years (1963-1970), but with an output of more than 225 songs on 13 albums and numerous non-album singles, including some of the most famous, popular, loved, and often-recorded songs of all time. Each of their albums is decidedly different from the previous one, often showing amazing growth and versatility, and exploring ever more interesting musical paths. Their sound grew from a standard ‘60’s pop guitar combo to elaborate instrumentation and arrangements, featuring 3 excellent vocalists and songwriters (each with different styles) and all 4 being almost entirely self-taught but amazing musicians that worked so well together (until they didn’t). Their voices and different styles blended together astonishingly well. Their innovation, diversity, and influence completely changed the direction and sounds of pop and rock music forever, and even now, more than 60 years after they first formed, are possibly even more popular than ever. There never was or never will be another group quite like them.
Here is the sensational discography of The Beatles, all of their original albums. Although all are great in their own way, some are certainly better than others, and here is my personal ranking of these albums, from least favorite to most favorite.
OK, here we go. First, the usual disclaimers: This list represents my personal opinion and does not reflect any other criteria such as sales, polls, popularity, or critical analyses. The list only includes the original Studio Albums (no live or compilation albums) released by The Beatles (UK versions, as they are the ‘real’ albums, not the chopped-up bastardized Capitol albums originally released in the US). By that criteria, there are 13 total albums, but only 12 can be considered as actual Beatles albums (explained below). The list will be presented numerically from least favorite to most favorite.
Companion album to the animated film Yellow Submarine. Although this is typically counted as an official Beatles album, it is not really a Beatles album at all. The album contains only 4 new Beatles songs and 2 older songs (‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘All You Need is Love’) that had already been included on previous albums. Side 2 of the album consists entirely of instrumental orchestral movie score compositions by George Martin. Thus, as far as Beatles content, this barely qualifies as an EP, let alone an album. Of the ‘new’ Beatles songs included, one (‘Hey Bulldog’) is a genuine underrated masterpiece - a gloriously fun Lennon rocker, a couple of pretty good George Harrison songs, and an atrocious throw-away McCartney ditty (‘All Together Now’) that Paul obviously wrote in about 10 minutes just to have a song for the film, one of the worst songs the Beatles ever recorded. If you are at all interested in getting songs from the film, a much better option is the Yellow Submarine Songtrack (released in 1999) which is a compilation album that contains all of the 15 Beatles songs included in the animated film.
The Beatles debut album. No question, a great album, one of the great debut albums of all time (for its time). Also, notable for most of the album being recorded in a single 10-hr recording session. So, how can it be #12? Well, it’s a testament to The Beatles greatness that this world-changing album was just the beginning and they just got better and better with subsequent albums. The main reason this album comes in here is just that their very early songs were not as strong as later ones, as their songwriting and arrangements got better as they went on, and the early albums also relied heavily on cover songs, whereas later albums were all originals. Best songs – ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘Please Please Me’, ‘Twist and Shout’. Weakest song – ‘A Taste of Honey’
Their 2nd album just beats out their first on the basis of some stronger original songs, as well as some good covers (‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘Money’, ‘Till There Was You’) that raise it a bit above the debut. Best songs – ‘It Won’t be Long’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘All I’ve Got to Do’. Weakest song – ‘Devil in Her Heart’.
#10. Beatles For Sale (1964)
One of the only times a Beatles album was considered a ‘disappointment’, but mainly because it followed the brilliant A Hard Day’s Night. The strain of non-stop touring and recording (4 albums plus numerous singles in less than 2 years) was starting to show here, as after showcasing all original compositions on that last album, they had to revert back to nearly half the album being covers, which is why many rank this album low. However, the original songs are mostly stellar and continue to show their development as songwriters and musicians (with 6 of the 8 originals being great), which raises this album above their first 2. Best songs – ‘I’m a Loser’, ‘Eight Days a Week’, ‘Every Little Thing’, ‘I’ll Follow the Sun’, ‘What You’re Doing’. Weakest song – ‘Mr. Moonlight’.
Their final release, but actually recorded before their last album. I’ve gone over the history of this album in a previous post (check here), but even with all the turmoil and drama, this is still a great album. Although the recording style and conditions weren’t the best (rehearsal sessions, recorded live in the studio without overdubs, etc.), this album nonetheless contains some of The Beatles greatest songs. Based on the songs, this album probably would have ranked even higher, but the botched production (Phil Spector’s late addition of strings and over the top production ruined ‘The Long and Winding Road’ and others, and destroyed the intended live-in-the-studio aspect of the album) and the inexplicable decision to leave off ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ renders this album a mixed bag and at the #9 spot. Best songs - ‘Let It Be, ‘Two of Us’, ‘Get Back’, ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’, ‘Across the Universe’, ‘For You Blue’. Weakest song – ‘I Me Mine’ (not fair to list ‘Maggie Mae’ or ‘Dig It’ here, as these are not actual songs just snippets from studio jams).
Yes, that’s right, Rubber Soul is only the 8th best Beatles album. For me, this is their most overrated album. Still a great album with many great songs, but also several just OK or mediocre songs. Although many claim this album demonstrates a huge creative leap from previous albums, I just don’t hear that. It is definitely a transition album toward their more psychedelic and adventurous albums to come, but so is Help!, and this continues along the same creative streak as that album. Sure, there are stellar songs here (see best songs) and more advances in songwriting, but many of the songs here are just not among their very best (songs such as ‘You Won’t See Me’, ‘The Word’, ‘Wait’, ‘Michele’, and ‘What Goes On’ are just OK). The album does boast the best songs so far from George Harrison (‘If I Needed Someone’ and ‘Think For Yourself’), but overall, there are at least 7 Beatles albums I consider better than this one. Very good, just not one of my ‘GO TO’ Beatles albums. Best Songs – ‘Drive My Car’, ‘Norwegian Wood’, ‘I’m Looking Through You’, ‘In My Life’, ‘If I Needed Someone’, ‘Run For Your Life’. Weakest songs – ‘You Won’t See Me’, (see list above).
Great collection of songs from the psychedelic era, with one side consisting of songs from the ill-fated TV film Magical Mystery Tour, and the other side collecting their fantastic single releases from 1967, and includes some of their greatest songs from this era. MMT may not have been a great film, but included some great songs, including ‘I Am The Walrus’, ‘Fool on the Hill’, MMT title track, and ‘Your Mother Should Know’, but also included Harrison’s awful creepy dirge ‘Blue Jay Way’. The singles collected are great. Again, just based on the songs included here, this album could be ranked even higher, but because it is relatively short (only includes 10 songs plus the instrumental filler ‘Flying’) and was never really intended to be released as an album (it’s more like a compilation than an original album), this one gets the #7 spot. Best songs ‘Penny Lane’, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, ‘All You Need is Love’, ‘Hello Goodbye’, ‘I Am the Walrus’, ‘Fool on the Hill’, ‘Magical Mystery Tour’. Worst song – ‘Blue Jay Way’.
Another great album (and I think generally underrated, better than Rubber Soul). To me this album took a big step forward in songwriting and innovation, and the introduction of new musical styles and sounds, with great songs throughout (with the exception of one weak old RnR cover song). Even Ringo’s foray into country music (and the beginning of country-rock?) works quite well. Best songs ‘Help!’, ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘Ticket to Ride’, ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’, ‘You’re Going to Lose That Girl’, ‘It’s Only Love’, ‘I Need You’. Weakest song – ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’.
Now we get to the top 5, and five of the greatest albums in rock history.
A stellar album, the best of their early period albums, by far. A breakthrough in songwriting, arrangements, and performance from the first two albums. For me, this is the album that established The Beatles as something truly special, and much more than just a very popular pop band. It was their first album featuring all original songs (14!), and not a weak track among them (well, maybe one). Half of the songs come from their first feature film A Hard Day’s Night (which is also a surprising cinematic gem), and from the mysteriously intriguing opening chord and rocking rhythm of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ through each song, showing more substance and innovation, development and maturity, while still maintaining a strong pop-rock sensibility, from the quiet beauty of ‘And I Love Her’ to the joy of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’. And there was no letdown with second half of the album, with stand-out rockers and acoustic tracks throughout (see best songs). Best songs – ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, ‘I Should’ve Known Better’, ‘And I Love Her’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘Anytime at All’, ‘Things We Said Today’, ‘You Can’t Do That’, ‘I’ll Cry Instead’. Weakest song – ‘I’m Happy Just to Dance with You’.
Another all-time classic, and one of the most iconic and important albums in rock history, changing popular music forever, yet still not even their best all-around album. Pop psychedelia in its full-blown glory, with elaborate studio effects, arrangements, instrumentation, experimentation, and innovations. Although ostensibly a concept album, not really much of a concept, as the songs themselves have no unifying theme, story, or style, just an unforgettable mix of diverse songs, styles, and studio magic. Best songs – ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’, ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’, ‘A Day in the Life’, ‘Lovely Rita’, ‘When I’m 64’, ‘Getting Better’. Weakest song – ‘Good Morning, Good Morning’.
Another iconic album, filled with new sounds, styles, innovative production, and wonderful songs and performances. From the string ensemble arrangement of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ to the bare piano soliloquy of ‘For No One’, The soaring guitars of ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ to the tape loop eccentricities of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, the staccato guitar and grumblings of ‘Taxman’ to the Indian soundscape of ‘Love You To’, and the child-like fun of Ringo’s anthemic ‘Yellow Submarine’, this album soars from start to finish, in a wonderful assemblage of totally unique songs from this period. Best songs – ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘For No One’, ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’, ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, 'Here There and Everywhere', ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’, ‘Good Day Sunshine’, ‘I’m Only Sleeping’, ‘I Want to Tell You’. Weakest song - ‘Love You To’.
A near-perfect album, with great songs and arrangements and flawless production. All-time classic tracks from Lennon and McCartney, including the sensational long medley on side two, George Harrison’s best songs as a Beatle, and Ringo’s best song as well. The only weakness that keeps this from perfection is the overlong and monotonous ‘I Want You’, which would have been fine as a 3 ½ to 4 min song but is dragged out to 8 minutes here (and which then would have allowed addition of another song). Contains my very favorite Beatle track, the concluding section of the medley (‘Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End’ – this segment goes together as essentially one song). Stunning album from beginning to end. Best songs – ‘Come Together’, ‘Here Comes the Sun’, ‘Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End’, ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, ‘Something’, ‘Oh Darling’, ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’, ‘She Came in Through The Bathroom Window’. Weakest song – ‘I Want You (She’s so Heavy)’.
Abbey Road was near-perfect, but this is one is far from perfect, a glorious mess of a double album. So how can this be the Beatles Best? It just has more great songs than any other album. It has always been my favorite, but only recently have I been willing to call it The Beatles best album. This album is all over the place, with a little bit of everything, but that is part of its charm. It includes many of their very best songs, but also a few of their worst. Born out of a burst of creativity from their isolation and meditation in India, they just put everything they were working on, together and individually, onto this album. It is their most diverse and outlandish album, a dizzying assortment of songs and styles, from acoustic ditties to heavy rockers, love songs and depression rants, orchestral scorings and sound collages, and everything in between. Much of the appeal of this album is the shear outrageousness of it, the diversity and audacity of the songs, and the incredible sequencing that somehow just works. Starting off with their greatest 4-song opening sequence (‘Back in the USSR, ‘Dear Prudence’, ‘Glass Onion’, ‘Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da’) before being interrupted by the unwelcome nonsense of ‘Wild Honey Pie’ and ‘Bungalow Bill’, then continuing with the magnificent ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and intriguing ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’, and that is just side one, and side 2 is even more impressive (although also intruded by an annoying distraction). This album contains my favorite Lennon song (‘Dear Prudence’), My favorite McCartney song (‘Blackbird’), and my 2nd favorite Harrison song (‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ ), but also filled with great songs that would have been left off a single album. George Martin pleaded with the band to just release the best songs on a single album, but there is no assemblage of songs on a single album that could contain the greatness of this set, as there is no consensus on just what constitutes the best songs (again, everyone has their own tastes and preferences on this). Some of my favorite songs on the album are what many might consider ‘lesser’ songs (such as ‘Cry Baby Cry’, ‘Savoy Truffle’, ‘Rocky Racoon’, ‘Honey Pie’, ‘Everybody’s Got Something to Hide…’, etc.) that would not have made the single album. This is the ultimate double album, with room to explore and experiment. Sure, there’s no real justification for John putting on his 8 min sound collage ‘Revolution 9’ on a Beatles album (would have been more appropriate for his experimental John and Yoko albums, but by putting it on this Beatles album, millions more people would hear it than ever possible), but in the context of this album he could get away with it (and for the record, as a sound collage it is very good, very well done, but it is not a song or even music, and doesn’t really belong on a Beatles album, but there it is). Of the 30 tracks included here (although not all are actually songs), I would rate an impressive 20 songs as great to near-great, and no other Beatles album can match that. My #1. Best Songs – ‘Blackbird’, Dear Prudence’, ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’, ‘Back in the USSR’, ‘Glass Onion’, ‘Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da’, ‘Martha My Dear’, ‘I’m So Tired’, ‘I Will’, ‘Julia’, ‘Revolution 1’, ‘Mother Nature’s Son’, ‘Cry Baby Cry’, ‘Savoy Truffle’, ‘Rocky Racoon’, ‘Everybody’s Got Something to Hide…’, ‘Honey Pie’, ‘Sexy Sadie’, ‘Yer Blues’. Worst songs- ‘Why Don’t We Do It in the Road’, ‘Helter Skelter’ (’Revolution 9’ and ‘Wild Honey Pie’, although unwelcome on the album, just don’t actually qualify as songs).
OK, So that's how I see it. Disagree? Please enter your comments and your own ranking list in the comments below. But remember, these are just opinions, there are no definitive right or wrong rankings, as we all hear and enjoy different aspects of music. Let's hear from some of you.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The Beatles - Get Back-The Glyn Johns Mixes - 1969
THE BEATLESGet Back - The Glyn Johns Mixes (Clarified)
'Rough Mix' Acetate and original (1st) version of the unreleased Get Back Album
January-May 1969
Best available sources, excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions
OK, I had only planned on a single Beatles post as part of this feature of classic bootlegs, but there are so many great Beatles boots, that it is hard to stop at just one. So, I thought I would put up something representing the original Get Back album concept, but which version? As I went back through all my Get Back sessions-related recordings, with all the different versions and recordings, I realized that it had became very confusing sorting out just what was what. So, what I am presenting here hopefully will help clarify a little just what the deal is with all the various (released and unreleased) versions of Get Back, and it's subsequent counterpart, the Let It Be albums.
First of all, we all know the general story of the Get Back project, right? Since giving up touring and performing live years ago, and after they had become known for their elaborate studio effects and recording gimmickry and trickery, and particularly after the very isolated individual recording sessions used for the White album, The Beatles (driven primarily by Paul) thought it would be a great idea and help to restore cohesiveness among the fractured group to be more involved in playing and recording live, and create their next album that way. So, The Beatles would 'get back to their roots' and develop and record their next album live, as a full group, with no overdubs or recording gimmicks, and the songs would grow directly out of the rehearsal sessions, and be presented 'warts and all', and this process would be documented as both a film and album, and hopefully (for Paul, at least), an actual live show or tour, and would be called 'Get Back'. Great, right? Well, as we all know, things didn't go so well right from the start, with rehearsals beginning on January 2, 1969. Since the rehearsals were to be filmed, it was decided to conduct the initial sessions in the Twickenham film studios, which, as it turned out, no one liked, as the large soundstage was cold and cavernous. The bickering and acrimony among the group returned as soon as rehearsals started, and the rehearsals were rough and ragged. After several days and tempers flaring, George walked out, leaving the group for a week before being talked into coming back. On his return it was agreed that they would move to their new recording studio in the basement of the Apple building (which was actually nowhere near ready and mobile recording gear had to be borrowed from EMI's Abbey Road studios) for the remainder of the sessions. As for the live shows, the rest of the Beatles (particularly George) were not at all keen on performing live, so that aspect was dropped, but at the end of the sessions, it was eventually decided to do an impromptu filmed concert on the Apple rooftop (which, as we know, was halted partway through by police for noise and disruption complaints).
After the Get Back sessions and concert were concluded on January 31, The Beatles themselves were fed-up and not happy with the whole thing, and just lost interest in the project, and moved on to other things (actually started working on songs for Abbey Road almost right away). Producer Glyn Johns was brought in to work on the recordings, but was not really given any direction or cooperation from The Beatles. After working through some early rough mixes of several songs, Johns had an acetate made (March 10, 1969) of his mixes to distribute to and get feedback from The Beatles. This acetate version was never intended for release, but was a 'work in progress' of what he had done so far. A few days later he pressed another acetate of primarily Rock 'n Roll oldies from the sessions, as well as different takes of 'Let it Be' and 'I've Got a Feeling'. He continued working on the tapes, including leaving or editing in rehearsal background noise, song fragments, and studio chatter to enhance the 'rehearsal' atmosphere of the recordings, and on May 28 produced what he considered to be the finished version of the Get Back album (known as the 'original' or '1st version'). Incidentally, overall, this album did stick to the original 'live' concept with no overdubs; however, there was one one notable exception, in that a new guitar solo (recorded 4-30-69) was overdubbed into 'Let It Be' and used on the album (but this was the only overdub).
The album was scheduled for release in early July. A cover shoot was done, recreating the photo from their first album (Please Please Me), but then the album release was delayed and put on hold (reasons cited included delays with the Film version, but the real reason was probably that The Beatles were just not that happy with the album). By late August, The Beatles were putting the finishing touches on Abbey Road and were eager to release that instead, so Get Back was shelved indefinitely. By the end of the year, as plans for release of the film were firming up, they went back to Johns to revive the project again, but this time with the added instruction that the songs on the album needed to correspond with what was shown in the film. So, 'Teddy Boy' was dropped (not in film, and Paul had already re-recorded the song for his upcoming solo album), and 'I Me Mine' and 'Across the Universe' were added to the album. Unfortunately, they had no complete multi-track recordings of either of these songs from the January sessions. So, in early January, a new recording of 'I Me Mine' was made specifically for the album (the earlier, original 1968 recording of 'Across the Universe' was used). In addition, new overdubs for 'Let It Be' (another new guitar solo, background vocals, drums, and brass added) were also recorded at that time (1/4/70 - which was the last ever Beatles recording session, with only Paul, George, and Ringo present - John was away on vacation in Denmark, and had little interest at this point), but this new overdubbed version was not used by Glyn Johns for Get Back (but was used by Phil Spector for the Let It Be album). Thus, in January, 1970, Johns completed his final version (sometimes referred to as '2nd' version) of the Get Back Album (which was very similar to the 1st version - same overall order and mixes), with changes being the 2 added and 1 dropped songs, and 'Let it Be' moved from the 13th track to the 8th track (2 new songs added as tracks 14 and 15). However, that 'final' version of the album was also ultimately rejected for release. Then, a bit later (March 1970), John, without consent from Paul, brought in Phil Spector to 'make something out of this mess', which eventually resulted in the released Let It Be album, complete with different takes used, extensive editing and remixing, and orchestral overdub overhauls of 'The Long and Winding Road' and 'I Me Mine', and 'Across the Universe'. Thus, Get Back became Let It Be and was finally released on May 8, 1970 (which was after The Beatles had already officially announced their break-up). Then, years later, the final chapter in this saga was in 2003, when Let It Be...Naked was released, which consisted of further editing and remixing of the original tapes (but this time overseen and approved by McCartney himself), removing Spector's string overdubs, and producing what many feel are the best versions of these songs (however, many overdubs and edits were still used used, contrary to the original concept).
So, what I am presenting today, is what seems to me to be the best available version of Glyn Johns original rough mix acetate (3-10-69), taken from an only recently made available upgraded source, known as 'Untouched: Revision A' (Pet Sounds version - de-clicked, phase-corrected, and speed-corrected). Highlights of these early mixes are that several different takes of the songs are used than in any subsequent releases, including a less formal take of 'Let It Be'. In addition, I have added in as bonus tracks, some tracks from Johns 'oldies' acetate (3-13-69), which includes the full-length 'Dig It', an alternate 'I've Got a Feeling', and the unadorned 1-31 take of 'Let it Be' (Before the 4-30 and subsequent overdubs added). Part 2 of the post presents the complete original (1st) version of Glyn Johns Get Back album (I have used the Dr. Ebbetts version for improved sound quality). Then, in addition, I have also included the 2 tracks ('I Me Mine' and 'Across the Universe') that were added for the '2nd' or 'final' version of the Get Back album (as previously stated, the rest of the album was essentially the same between 1st and 2nd versions, with only minor mixing or editing differences, so I have not included the full 2nd version - besides, the 1st version really better represents what the Get Back album was supposed to be). Now, much has been said over the years criticizing and complaining about the various versions of this album, these sessions, etc. But in reality, regardless of all that went right or wrong here, these sessions contained some of the Beatles greatest songs ever - 'Let It Be', 'Get Back', 'The Long and Winding Road', 'Don't Let Me Down', 'Two of Us', etc., and I love being able to hear all these different versions. I was always fascinated by the original Get Back concept and tried to find as much information as was available on it. Now, we have it all laid out for us, to make our own decisions as to what are the best (or worst) versions (In fact, virtually everything from these sessions has been available on bootlegs, including the entire recordings from all the filmed sessions - available as Purple Chicks 83 CD set 'The Complete A/B Road Sessions', which is, even for me, serious overkill). So, anyway, there you have it, all you really need to have and know about the Get Back album and project (although there is so much more out there), in the best forms available. And another all-time classic bootleg.
Part 1
Untouched: Revision A
Upgraded source of Glyn Johns' early mix acetate (March 10, 1969) containing the 'rough mix' work-in-progress of the Get Back Album. The Pet Sounds Production - de-clicked, phase-corrected and speed-corrected.
Plus Bonus tracks from Johns' 'Rock n Roll Oldies' mixes (March 13 Acetate) - Taken from the boot 'Get Back, Glynis: The Complete Glyn Johns remixes'
Tracklist:
1. Get Back - false start
2. Get Back
3. I've Got A Feeling - fragment
4. Help! - fragment
5. Teddy Boy
6. Two Of Us - fragment
7. Two Of Us - false start
8. Dig A Pony
9. I've Got A Feeling (1-23 take)
10. The Long And Winding Road
11. Let It Be
12. Don't Let Me Down
13. For You Blue - with two false starts
14. Get Back
15. The Walk
Bonus tracks: From Glyn Johns' March 13 'Oldies' Acetate
16. Rip it Up/Shake Rattle & Roll
17. Blue Suede Shoes
18. Dig It (full length 8:25)
19. You Really Got a Hold on Me
20. I've Got a Feeling (different take, 1-27)
21. Miss Ann/Kansas City/Lawdy Miss Clawdy
22. Let It Be (1-31-69 take, no overdubs)
FLAC - Beatles - Glyn Johns Early Mix Acetate
mp3 - Beatles - Glyn Johns_Early Mix acetate_mp3
Part 2
Get Back Album - Glyn Johns 1st (original) version
(Dr. Ebbetts release)
tracklist
1. One After 909
2. Rocker
3. Save The Last Dance For Me
4. Don't Let Me Down
5. Dig A Pony
6. I've Got A Feeling
7. Get Back
8. For You Blue
9. Teddy Boy
10. Two Of Us
11. Maggie Mae
12. Dig It
13. Let It Be
14. The Long And Winding Road
15. Get Back (Reprise)
Bonus tracks: From Glyn Johns 2nd (final) version of Get Back Album (Taken from Dr.Ebbetts release)
16. I Me Mine
17. Across The Universe
FLAC - Beatles - Get Back - 1st vers (5-28-69)
mp3 - Beatles_Get Back_Johns_1st_vers_(5-28-69)_mp3
(New Links - updated 11/13/23)
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The Beatles - The Esher Demos - Late May 1968, Esher, UK
The BeatlesThe Esher Demos
Late May, 1968
Kinfauns (George Harrison's House), Esher, Surrey, UK
Home demo recordings, good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions
Continuing with my posts of all-time classic bootleg albums, it would be criminal not to include something by The Beatles here. After all, they are probably the most bootlegged act of all-time. And although I am as big a Beatles fan as anyone out there (and have several hundred Beatles bootleg titles), I have never even considered posting any Beatles here, just because Beatles stuff can be found so many other places, there was no need to post them here. But now, this special 5th Anniversary classics posting provides the perfect excuse to feature some Beatles. There are literally thousands of Beatles-related bootlegs out there, ranging from utterly fantastic to complete rubbish, with most somewhere in the middle, and many constituting endless re-sortings and re-compilations of the same batches of outtakes and 'rarities' as so many others, in varying levels of sound quality. So, out of all the Beatles-related bootlegs, from live recordings to all the rarities, outtakes, compilations, remixes, and remasters collections out there, what would be the single greatest Beatles boot? Given that many of the historical outtakes-rarities and remasters bootlegs have been rendered, maybe not obsolete, but certainly less essential, with the official releases of the Anthology series, Let It Be Naked, and the 2009 Remastered albums, probably the one bootleg release that most stands out to me as the best are The Esher Demos. This refers to the collection of acoustic demo recordings made by John, Paul, and George (there is no indication Ringo was present) at George's bungalow home (named Kinfauns) located in Esher, England. Here, in late May 1968, after returning from their trek to India and prior to going back into the recording studio to work on their next album (in June), the boys got together and presented to each other the songs they had each recently come up with. So, using George's Ampex 4-track Reel-to-Reel recorder, they laid down these mostly acoustic demos consisting primarily of early versions of songs that would later become the 'White album', as well as some that would be later released on respective solo albums ('Junk', 'Child of Nature' which was later re-worked to become 'Jealous Guy', and 'Circles'), and a few that were never officially released ('What's the New Mary Jane', 'Sour Milk Sea', 'Not Guilty'). It is a unique and wonderful opportunity and such a historical document to hear these early demo versions. One can imagine them just sitting around sharing their songs with each other, getting feedback, etc. When listening, you can get the feeling of having your own personal, casual and informal concert with them just sitting around your living room. It's quite remarkable. In some cases, the songs are still quite rough, in others, they are very similar to what the song would sound like on the finished album. Most intriguing are the early acoustic versions of songs that became much more electric or 'rockier' (like 'Revolution', 'Everybody's Got Something...Monkey', 'Yer Blues', 'While My Guitar...Weeps', etc). It has been reported that 27-28 songs were recorded over a couple days, after which George Martin had several copies of an acetate of these sessions pressed and distributed to each Beatle for their perusal at home to work with before heading into the studio in the following weeks. There have been many bootleg variations of the Esher demos circulating (with titles such as 'From Kinfauns to Chaos', 'Acoustic Masterpieces', Unsurpassed Demos', 'The Beatles-Unplugged', 'Release from Limitation', and countless others), in varying quality, for many years, but all have consisted of the same 23 songs (it has been rumored that the bootleg releases came from copies of Lennon's own Acetate, which he traded for some other bootlegs). It wasn't until Anthology 3 was released in 1996 that we got to hear 4 additional demo songs recorded at Kinfauns, 'Happiness is a Warm Gun', 'Glass Onion', 'Mean Mr. Mustard', and 'Polythene Pam', all in excellent quality (perhaps the original acetate that was bootlegged did not include these recordings?), but yet very few of the other previously available Esher tracks were included (just 'Junk', 'Piggies', 'Honey Pie' with improved sound and stereo). Thus, even after Anthology, the bootleg Esher demo versions remain the only source for almost all these tracks (Considering the much higher quality available from the original tapes as evident on the Anthology-released tracks, we can only hope that some day all the Esher demos will be officially released, which would make a great full CD release). Until that day, however, we are very fortunate to have these bootleg versions of the Esher Demos. For me then, this is the best single Beatles bootleg. If you only had one Beatles bootleg (as ludicrous a concept as that seems), it probably should be this one (although that would certainly be debatable - any discussion is certainly encouraged). The version I have presented here comes from the excellent Purple Chick 'Deluxe Edition' series, as they have compiled the best quality recordings available from various different bootleg sources. So, if you don't have these already, by all means get them now, as these are essential, and certainly an all-time classic.
Tracklist
1. Julia
2. Blackbird
3. Rocky Raccoon
4. Back In The U.S.S.R.
5. Honey Pie
6. Mother Nature's Son
7. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
8. Junk
9. Dear Prudence
10. Sexy Sadie
11. Cry Baby Cry
12. Child Of Nature
13. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
14. I'm So Tired
15. Yer Blues
16. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
17. What's The New Mary Jane
18. Revolution
19. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
20. Circles
21. Sour Milk Sea
22. Not Guilty
23. Piggies
These are taken from the Purple Chick compilation 'The Beatles - Deluxe Edition Vol. 3' (The Demos)
From Purple Chick's notes - "For what it's worth, not only do these tracks sound better to us than on 'From Kinfauns To Chaos' but they're also in the 'correct order', at the correct speed and in true mono for the first time (as best we can tell)."
However, the Purple Chick collection also included the 4 additional Esher songs taken directly from the official Anthology 3 release. I have not included these tracks here as they are commercially available on Anthology 3. For the other songs that are also included on Anthology 3, I have used the the available bootleg versions, and not the upgraded, remixed, remastered versions available on the commercial release.
FLAC - Beatles - Esher Demos - FLAC
mp3 - Beatles_Esher_Demos_(PC)_mp3.rar
New Link (Updated 9/30/21)
For those just getting started in the world of Beatles bootlegs, but wanting the full range of available recordings, I would highly recommend getting hold of the complete Purple Chick 'Deluxe Edition' series, which is available for each Beatles album, and consists of the compilation of the best available outtakes, rarities, and unreleased recordings and sessions from each album period. Purple Chick also has a Live series compilation, which again compiles all the best quality live recordings over the Beatles career. Collection of these PC series (which amounts to several dozen CDs worth) contain most all of the Beatles bootleg recordings you would ever need, as they were compiled from many different bootleg sources, keeping the best stuff, and eliminating all the redundant and low quality remainders, and rendering most of the rest of the bootlegs obsolete.
But please, let me know what your favorite Beatles bootlegs are.