Roll up for the mystery tour!
A quickstart guide to The Beatles for the novice and casual listener.
I fell in love with the Beatles’ music when I was a music student in college. I studied their albums while learning about ‘classical’ music theory and history and so my love for their music is both intellectual and inseparable from my memories of those formative years.
I am always surprised and, admittedly, indignant when people criticize the Beatles. They are not for everyone. There is certainly plenty to criticize but their artistry and influence merit objective appreciation at the very least.
…Ok, so I’m biased.
If you want to take a deeper dive into their music, the following is a good path to take with my subjective and objective observations to guide your listening.
Here is a Spotify playlist of my favorite Beatles tracks. A YouTube link to each album’s playlist is included below.
Step right this way! The Magical Mystery Tour is going to take you away, take you today!
We will start somewhere in the middle…
Help! (1965)
Why I like it: My introduction to The Beatles was their second feature film, Help, so I have a bit of soft spot for this album (FYI - the movie is delightful even if you are not a Beatles fan). It is a very accessible album. No experimental stuff yet, just well-written, interesting pop tunes. And yet, we hear echos of the past and future. “Act Naturally”, “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”, and “You Like Me Too Much” could appear on any album prior to this one. Meanwhile, “I’ve Just Seen a Face” or “Yesterday” would not be out of place on the White Album years later. Thus, Help is a great starting point for listening to pre and post Sgt. Pepper Beatles!
Favorite Tracks: You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, I’ve Just Seen a Face, Yesterday
Listen for: the seven-bar phrase in “Yesterday.” It’s difficult to count. A college prof pointed it out to me and it’s still the only song I know with a seven-bar phrase. Most have eight.
Rubber Soul (1965) and Revolver (1966)
Why I like them: These two albums pair well together. They were released roughly 8 months apart. The songs are all of a similar style and from a period that might be considered the middle of The Beatles’ career as a band. The subject matter of their lyrics broadens to include spiritual and even political themes; much less chasing girls and pining over lost love. The band’s concept of music continues to stretch as there are more songs that could not be performed live, thus the lads are thinking less like a four-piece combo and more like composers. The final track on Revolver, “Tomorrow Never Knows” leaves us standing on the precipice about to dive into a new world of music on Sgt. Pepper…
Favorite Tracks: Nowhere Man, You Won’t See Me, Here There and Everywhere, And Your Bird Can Sing
Listen for: new instruments galore! I believe these albums use Brass instruments for the first time. The Beatles’ longtime producer George Martin’s (more about him later) orchestration skills get to stretch their legs on Eleanor Rigby and Got to Get You Into My Life. The sitar appears along with the influence of Eastern music traditions, particularly on George.
Please Please Me and With the Beatles (1963)
Why I like them: Before we plunge over the cliff of musical innovation that is Sgt. Pepper, let’s retreat to the beginning. These albums are clean, raw, and powerful. Almost every song is danceable. They harken back to the days when a live band’s main job was to keep the kids on the dance floor and rock ‘n roll was still something of a novelty. PPM was recorded in virtually one day in a recording studio capable of recording only two tracks simultaneously (modern pop songs feature hundreds of tracks). It’s basically a live album.
Favorite Tracks: I Saw Her Standing There, Please Please Me, It Won’t Be Long, Till There Was You
Listen for: natural reverb. The echoey sounds on some of the vocals were created by piping the sound through a physical echo chamber. Very few instruments: the bulk of the sound is carried by guitars. They are a true 4 piece band here, with a little harmonica and piano to add color.
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Why I like it: During the week of April 4, 1964, The Beatles occupied the top 5 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 with songs from Please Please Me, With the Beatles, and Can’t Buy Me Love. No other artist will ever accomplish this because the industry has changed the game. Three albums in one year is just not how it’s done anymore. Can’t Buy Me Love is the first album without any covers. These all-original songs were written for the film, which is notable in its own right. The Beatles sound and songwriting craft have solidified. It’s not a version of Elvis and Chuck Berry anymore. It’s a new style and not just for the dance hall.
Favorite Tracks: I’m Happy Just to Dance With You, Any Time At All, Things We Said Today
Listen for: It may be my imagination, but the lead vocals seem more distinctive on this album. It’s much easier to hear the difference in John, George, and Paul’s voices. No lead vox from Ringo, but he is featured in a famous scene from the movie.
Beatles For Sale (1964)
Why I like it: You counted it right. This is The Beatles’ fourth album in two years! The album starts off slower and has a more folksy vibe. The lyrics are a bit darker and reflective. In my opinion, the covers are jarring when set against the more interesting Lennon/McCartney tunes. At this point, you should check out Past Masters Vol 1. Radio singles were not always included on Long Play albums in the 60s.
Favorite Tracks: No Reply, I’ll Follow the Sun, What You’re Doing
Listen for: 1. Ambiance: This album draws me in with lush reverb and dense vocals. We are out of the dance hall and in the theater. Less noisy and raucous, more refined, more depth. 2. The covers really are great, despite the juxtaposition. John’s blistering vocal on Mr. Moonlight and the rowdy Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey blues jam are so much fun.
…END OF PART 1
INTERMISSION:
PART 2:
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Why I like it: It is impossible to exaggerate the significance of this album and its impact on popular music. The songs are amazing, but what makes this project truly great is the recording and editing techniques and the orchestration that transform it from a collection of recordings into a cohesive work of art. It’s the first concept album, but more than that… it changed the concept of making albums. The Beatles were exhausted from constant touring and recording. Paul had the idea to “send the album on tour.” Their producer, George Martin’s genius shines on every track. He is no longer recording the Beatles. He is their collaborator and would continue to be throughout the remaining albums.
Favorite Tracks: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Lovely Rita, A Day in the Life
Listen for: 1. Sound effects - there are so many! These create the ambiance by transporting the listener to different soundscapes. Martin uses non-musical recordings to enhance the musical art. 2. Manipulation of sound - hardly any instrument or voice sounds like itself. George Martin manipulated tape speeds, reverbs, delays, and more to create dens analog soundscapes 3. A Day in the Life - It’s a masterpiece and was though John and Paul often combined two different project songs into one, this is the first compilation song that feels like a medley or even multiple movements. (Let the final note ring to the end! It’s part of the experience.)
Magical Mystery Tour (1967) and Yellow Submarine (1968)
Why I like them: I don’t really like them. I find it difficult to listen to MMT all the way through, although it contains some of my absolute favorite Beatles songs. As an album, it feels like the B-side of Sgt. Pepper because many of the songs were singles from the Sgt. Pepper era. I recognize the heart of my complaint is that this album is more of the same… of one of the greatest albums in history. It’s also worth noting that this is the only album on our tour that is not the original UK release. The playlist above is actually the US version, which consisted of packaging previously released singles with songs from the film. Now’s a good time to check out Yellow Submarine. The film is very enjoyable and so is the soundtrack/album. (I’ll confess I’ve never seen the MMT film) The film contains songs from mostly Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour. The album has unreleased songs and George Martin’s lovely score to the film.
Favorite Tracks: Strawberry Fields Forever, I Am the Walrus, Baby You’re a Rich Man, Hey Bulldog
Listen for: Psychedelic lyrics and sounds. The Beatles go full-on trippy. There is also deepening interest in Eastern music, thought, and spiritualism, showing that this was not a novel experiment on previous albums. They would famously travel to India in early 1968.
The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album) (1968)
Why I like it: It’s weird and wild. In many ways, it’s the anti-Sgt. Pepper album. No pretending to be another band, no arching theme, no clever cover art, less orchestration. Just the Beatles, even taking more of a leadership role over George Martin in production. I love the wide variety of songs. Listening to this album is like reading a collection of short stories. The lads flex their songwriting abilities like never before but came back to a more raw sound.
Favorite Tracks: (too many to choose!) Dear Prudence, Mother Nature’s Son, Julia, Helter Skelter
Listen for: 1. less sound manipulation. Instruments sound like themselves, for the most part. 2. Some people say this double-disk album has too many songs. What would you cut? This album grew on me, becoming one of my favorites. Let it grow on you. There’s so much to listen to.
Let It Be (1970)
Why I like it: The lads were at the top of their game as individual songwriters. Unfortunately, by this point, the band was breaking up (for whatever reasons you want to choose). It’s important to note that this album was recorded in January 1969 and shelved due to the chaos and arguments amongst the band. Despite all this, the album is pretty fun. I’d dare say it’s more rock ‘n roll than the previous few albums. Let It Be… Naked is a fun alternative to the original. It’s stripped of much of the orchestration that was added in 1970. Also, check out Past Masters Vol. 2 for the amazing set of radio singles and B-sides during the second half of the Beatles career!
Favorite Tracks: I’ve Got a Feeling, Let It Be, Across the Universe
Listen for: 1. Billy Preston on keys. He was a nice, and brief, addition to the band. 2. Several songs were recorded on the now iconic rooftop of Apple Corps. Listen to the banter between songs and improvised bits. It harkens back to their jovial BBC recording days
Abbey Road (1969)
Why I like it: This album is beautiful, whimsical, and tragic. You can hear their frustration and sadness throughout. Yet Abbey Road captures all the best of the Beatles in one album: raw rock of the early days, trippy and colorful imagery, complex musical arrangements, and thematic elements that tie all the songs together. It’s my absolute favorite Beatles Album. I believe they recorded it knowing it would be the last and they left it all on the field.
Favorite Tracks: Something, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End, Here Comes the Sun
Listen for: 1. The compilation songs on the second half of the album are brilliant. 2. Moog Synthesizer parts. George Harrison used this new instrument in sophisticated ways that don’t detract from the songs. It could be argued that he brought synthesizers to the mainstream.
Free As A Bird (1995) / Real Love (1996)
The break up of the Beatles was not the end of the story. Though John’s death in 1980 prevented any real prospects of a reunion, all the relationships between the lads had been restored and all had collaborated with each other on solo projects.
In 1995, Apple released the Beatles Anthology as albums and TV documentaries. They are dense and very difficult to get through in my opinion. Paul, George, and Ringo reunited as part of this effort to produce two new songs based on John’s archival demos. I think the songs and their videos are beautiful. I’ll leave you here as the final stop on our tour!
…I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little magical mystery tour. The Beatles accomplished so much and they did it all in 7 years!
Don’t say goodbye! Say hello to the deeper catalog of Beatles music with the Anthologies, Live at The BBC, solo career albums and more. You can trace the lads’ enduring influence through the numerous artists who would cover their songs in the decades to come.
Special thanks to Rick DePirro for fact-checking and introducing me to the Beatles those many years ago! When we are 64 we will still be talking about the Beatles and playing a few tunes.