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Post by OldFred on May 10, 2010 16:22:55 GMT -5
The Fab Fourum's latest podcast discusses the thematic Beatles albums Capitol released before Apple regained control of the Beatles catalog. The podcast can be heard on iTunes or www.podarama.com/fab_fourum The albums in question are 'Rock 'n' Roll Music', 'Love Songs', 'Rarities' and 'Reel Music'. We've tackled this subject before but it might be fun to revisit it again as well as do it as a poll. If you have these albums in your collection what's your opinion of them? Listen to the Fab Fourum discussion and see if your opinion agrees with or is close to theirs. One of the interesting things discussed in the Fab Fourum podcast was the video for the Beatles Movie Melody which I never knew existed and came out about the same time that MTV first launched.
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Post by OldFred on May 10, 2010 19:14:41 GMT -5
Relayed from Fab Fourum Facebook page: Mitchell Axelrod May 10 at 6:55pm
Please check it out at iTunes or www.podarama.com/fab_fourum
32: "Themes" Like Old Times: The Beatle Theme Compilation LP’s
Rock songs, love songs, movie songs, non-LP tracks, and rarities! The Beatles had them all ... and Capitol Records tried to compile sets of them at some point during the 70’s and 80’s with varying degrees of success. The Fab Fourum "reel" you in to the “music” with a look at The Beatles thematic collections.
Thanks,
Fab Fourum
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Post by John S. Damm on May 10, 2010 23:15:31 GMT -5
I voted Love Songs because I was young and heartbroken when it was released and it was like medicine. Rock 'n' Roll Music is a very close second and that was cool because it was such a huge seller the Spring/Summer of 1976.
It felt like The Beatles were back. Anything was possible for the Fabs in 1976 it seemed except we didn't know that John was stuck in the Dakota going through a major brain fart where his creative juices were nonexistent except for bad piano demos on Sony cassette tape recorders. John could not have stayed up with Paul in 1976. It was a different story by 1980 but second wave Beatlemania was cooling down by then anyway.
Rarities was okay, Capitol kind of squandered a golden opportunity. Did this come out right before John was murdered or after? I just have this memory of tying that album to John's murder and I needed a Beatles' break.
Reel Music sucked, the biggest waste of a comp ever. Pointless crap. This was when I was in my first Rolling Stones' frenzy. Who could blame me? If this was what we were going to get from The Beatles then screw 'em. Time to move on, get on with my life and musical education.
Of course it was not John, Paul, George or Ringo's fault(John was gone by this time). The album artwork is so cheesy. I hate this album. There was a greatest hits comp around then with an edited "Hey Jude" and that blew too.
Any post-Lennon comp was depressing to me. Just reminded me of our loss.
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Post by OldFred on May 11, 2010 7:53:11 GMT -5
Rarities was okay, Capitol kind of squandered a golden opportunity. Did this come out right before John was murdered or after? I just have this memory of tying that album to John's murder and I needed a Beatles' break. Rarities was released before John's murder. The American Capitol Rarities album was an improvement over the British Rarities, as that one collected all the B-sides that were never released on album in the U.K., but were in America. It was one of the few times next to the Hollywood Bowl album that Capitol got it right. Of course, the Beatles had nothing to do with the Capitol compilations. After Apple regained complete control over the Beatles catalog, those albums quickly disappeared. Listening to the Fab Fourum discussion of the albums is quite interesting and is worth a listen.
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Post by mikev on May 11, 2010 9:59:23 GMT -5
Rock-n-Roll came on the heels of Helter Skelter on CBS, thus with the inclusion of Helter Skelter as the B side of Got to Get You Into My Life, the songs charted in the top 10 and was treated as a brand new single by some DJs. I bought the single, which was my first "second generation" Beatle purchase. Shortly thereafter, I borrowed 8 tracks (the stereo medium-not the multi-track recorder) of red and blue and was on my way.
By the time Rarities came out- I was full blown into all things Beatles, including solo LPs. I was making solo "Beatle' compilations on 8 track cassettes. My first two boots (Decca, Sweet Apple Trax) were bought around this time- not sure which I had first-though I did buy the Europe Rarities import before the US release.
My vote is Rarities.
Reel and Love Songs to me were both jokes.
There were plenty of rumors of an oldies album from the Get Back sessions, but as we all now know- there were only a handful of full takes recorded on multi-track, most of which were included in the Anthology.
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nine
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Post by nine on May 12, 2010 3:22:46 GMT -5
Anything was possible for the Fabs in 1976 it seemed except we didn't know that John was stuck in the Dakota going through a major brain fart where his creative juices were nonexistent except for bad piano demos on Sony cassette tape recorders. What!!!!!!!!!!! I reckon Lennon's cassette demos from the house husband/sloth/junkie/born again/health nut years are far superior to the junk on Mind Games and Sometime in NY. Listen to the You Tube versions and also those where others have added further instrumentation.... He was after a long time getting back into creative melodies (pop) which manifested itself on Fantasy.
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Post by John S. Damm on May 12, 2010 10:10:32 GMT -5
Anything was possible for the Fabs in 1976 it seemed except we didn't know that John was stuck in the Dakota going through a major brain fart where his creative juices were nonexistent except for bad piano demos on Sony cassette tape recorders. What!!!!!!!!!!! I reckon Lennon's cassette demos from the house husband/sloth/junkie/born again/health nut years are far superior to the junk on Mind Games and Sometime in NY. Listen to the You Tube versions and also those where others have added further instrumentation.... He was after a long time getting back into creative melodies (pop) which manifested itself on Fantasy. I go on to say in my post that by 1980, John is artistically competitive with Paul again. Now that I think about it, weren't the Dakota sessions(the self-recorded songs John was accumulating) post-1976? I am not sure that he was doing anything musically in 1976. I guess I should have left it at that in 1976, John could not have reunited with Paul on equal terms because musically John's head wasn't on right. Meanwhile in 1976 Paul is having No. 1 singles and albums and conquers the world with his "Wings Over..." tour.
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Post by sayne on May 13, 2010 0:11:33 GMT -5
I have to say that they're all duds. Yes, I get the singles vs albums versions, differences in intros/outros, and all the other nuances which made some of the songs on these albums different than on the original singles or albums, but still, they really are just recycled stuff that people already heard.
Why not release The Incomplete Beatles which would be songs missing at least one Beatle. Or, Curry That Weight which would be songs written in or inspired by India. Or, Let's Do It in the Road with songs that have "cars" in them. Or, The Girls That I Love which would have Michelle, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Polythene Pam, Lovely Rita, Dear Prudence, and others.
That's how I see Reel Music, Rock and Roll, Love Songs, and Rarities. Redundant.
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nine
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Post by nine on May 13, 2010 4:29:18 GMT -5
What!!!!!!!!!!! I reckon Lennon's cassette demos from the house husband/sloth/junkie/born again/health nut years are far superior to the junk on Mind Games and Sometime in NY. Listen to the You Tube versions and also those where others have added further instrumentation.... He was after a long time getting back into creative melodies (pop) which manifested itself on Fantasy. I go on to say in my post that by 1980, John is artistically competitive with Paul again. Now that I think about it, weren't the Dakota sessions(the self-recorded songs John was accumulating) post-1976? I am not sure that he was doing anything musically in 1976. I guess I should have left it at that in 1976, John could not have reunited with Paul on equal terms because musically John's head wasn't on right. Meanwhile in 1976 Paul is having No. 1 singles and albums and conquers the world with his "Wings Over..." tour. Sorry 'bout that. I did nae read your post properly.
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Post by John S. Damm on May 13, 2010 7:54:43 GMT -5
I go on to say in my post that by 1980, John is artistically competitive with Paul again. Now that I think about it, weren't the Dakota sessions(the self-recorded songs John was accumulating) post-1976? I am not sure that he was doing anything musically in 1976. I guess I should have left it at that in 1976, John could not have reunited with Paul on equal terms because musically John's head wasn't on right. Meanwhile in 1976 Paul is having No. 1 singles and albums and conquers the world with his "Wings Over..." tour. Sorry 'bout that. I did nae read your post properly. No need, niner, I was wrong! Many of those Sony cassette tape doodlings did evolve into some of the Double Fantasy gems. "Watching The Wheels" seems to have a long evolutionary history.
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Post by John S. Damm on May 13, 2010 8:02:26 GMT -5
I have to say that they're all duds. Yes, I get the singles vs albums versions, differences in intros/outros, and all the other nuances which made some of the songs on these albums different than on the original singles or albums, but still, they really are just recycled stuff that people already heard. Why not release The Incomplete Beatles which would be songs missing at least one Beatle. Or, Curry That Weight which would be songs written in or inspired by India. Or, Let's Do It in the Road with songs that have "cars" in them. Or, The Girls That I Love which would have Michelle, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Polythene Pam, Lovely Rita, Dear Prudence, and others. That's how I see Reel Music, Rock and Roll, Love Songs, and Rarities. Redundant. Intellectually you are 100% right, sayne. You had the benefit of being a Firstie and living this music as it was released. For a Second Generation fan like me, I was still experiencing the wonder of discovering the music for the first time and the earlier comps like the Red, Blue and "Rock And Roll Music" sped up my education. They hold sentimental value to us younger fans but each comp after RARM held less and less wonder until things like "Reel Music" were pissing off even 2nd Gen fans. ;D I can totally see how 1st Gen Beatles' fans would dismiss these comps. offhand.
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wooltonian
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Post by wooltonian on May 13, 2010 9:26:00 GMT -5
Or, Let's Do It in the Road with songs that have "cars" in them. I'm actually loving the idea of this compilation! It could accompany me on long trips in my van. Great title as well!
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Post by sayne on May 13, 2010 23:18:51 GMT -5
Or, Let's Do It in the Road with songs that have "cars" in them. I'm actually loving the idea of this compilation! It could accompany me on long trips in my van. Great title as well! ;D ;D If I do say so myself, I was rather partial to "Curry that Weight" as the gem.
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