Beatle Brunch

The Beatles CDs
It's a rockin' little record, want my jockey to play...
Despite having broken up more than 30 years ago, The Beatles continue to sell like, well, The Beatles, at the record stores. Their most recent offering reached number one on the chart in no less than 30 countries. In this section, we present the official Beatles offerings on CD:

Issued March 22, 1963
Also known as "The Early Beatles". The Beatles first album, recorded in just 10 hours really sizzles and is a must for any Beatle collection. A great starting place. Some people like this early stuff the best. Great songs like "Money", "Taste of Honey" and more. Their first-ever album, raw and rough and still very rock & roll. Lennon and McCartney begin to flex their writing muscles and had already scored two UK hits when this appeared, but they still relied heavily on the cover material to see them through. Their insecurity about their own abilities seems curious in hindsight since they'd pulled the title song and "I Saw Her Standing There" (with thanks to Little Richard) out of their hats. But they were an unknown quantity, still to launch a million bands and take pop music to places it had never dreamed off. A small step for four men, a giant leap for music.

Issued November 22, 1963
Known as "Meet the Beatles" in the U.S. This album contains some searing rockers like "It Won't Be Long" and signature songs like "All My Loving". It also contains six covers of the Beatles personal favorites from Smokey Robinson, The Marvellettes and others. Easy to listen to all the way through. They still had plenty of covers to fill out the running time, but the Lennon-McCartney writing team was gathering steam and beginning to knock out pop classics as if they were pulling them out of thin air. "All My Loving" and "I Wanna Be Your Man" (which they gave to the Stones) come from this record, issued hurriedly to capitalize on English Beatlemania. But even when they were laying into some classic Chuck Berry, by this time the Beatles had acquired a unique sound in the blend of John's and Paul's voices, while George was coming on by leaps and bounds as a guitar player. A definite classic.

Issued July 10, 1964
The soundtrack album to the Beatles first feature film contains all original material, the first for any rock group. A "10" from its opening guitar chord! Rummmmm! That dramatic guitar chord that kicks-off A Hard Day's Night (album, song, movie) still jumps right out at you, slaps you in the face, and jump-starts your heart. And you know what? Both the music and the film are still as crisp and lively as they were in 1964. Of course, only the first seven songs are actually in the movie. Ringo coined the phrase after working all night, and John & Paul wrote the songs quickly. From the rousing rock & roll of the title track and the hit single "Can't Buy Me Love," to the beautiful ballads "If I Fell" and "And I Love Her"). "I'll Cry Instead" and "Things We Said Today" in the second half of the record are timeless. Another high-point for John, Paul, George, and Ringo--four fab fellows who hit the highest heights imaginable. A new wonderful DVD version was released this year to rave reviews, putting the Beatles once again in the top ten. You can now not only watch the movie in crystal clear digital format, and there are 6 bonus hours of interviews and information.

Issued December 4, 1964
14 songs by the Beatles including 6 covers and the only Buddy Holly cover the boys ever did on record. This is the first album to feature John's introspective writing style on songs like "I'm a Loser" and "Baby's in Black". Great to listen to in the car. Banged out in a hurry for the 1964 Christmas market. They could basically do no wrong--any record that has "Baby's in Black," "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" and the delectable "Eight Days a Week" on it is only "minor" in the most relative sense. And, though their voices had been frazzled a bit by constant touring, they revved them up for some joyous shouting, and indulged their fondness for American country in subtle, playful ways.

Issued August 6, 1965
The soundtrack to the Beatles second feature film. "This one's gonna be in colour" -John Lennon. The album can hold your attention far longer than the film. Highly recommend it for songs like "The Night Before" and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away". The last time a Beatles album had any cover songs. How John Lennon's confessional song became the title for a silly James Bond spoof no one knows. The funny thing is, it works both ways--as a young man's personal statement about learning to open up to others, and as the frantic theme for an exotic espionage chase comedy starring those lovable mop-tops. Like A Hard Day's Night, only the first "side" of this album actually contains songs from the movie--the biggest hits being the eponymous cry for assistance and "Ticket to Ride." But part 2 has a few nice tunes as well, like "It's Only Love," "I've Just Seen a Face," and a little ditty called "Yesterday." And I always love it when they do an all-out screamer like "Dizzy Miss Lizzy". Note: the original U.S. version had movie soundtracks intertwined with the tunes.

Issued December 3, 1965
Paul once called it "Plastic Soul". It was the Beatles attempt to have a soulful sound like American rock. Even the album cover was stretched like rubber. Features classics like "Drive My Car" and "Norwegian Wood". Get it now before your friends find out you don't have it. An undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four's varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. The album was softened up in its original 12-song American edition to jibe with the Dylan/Byrds folk-rock sound, as well as squeeze money from the Parlophone catalog. The 14-song U.K. edition--the version now available on compact disc--is a different, more dynamic, and ultimately more accomplished achievement. So many classics: "Drive My Car" and "Nowhere Man" (both omitted from the U.S. edition) merge the early combustible Beatifics to a burgeoning studio consciousness; "The Word" can be read as a pre-psych warning shot; the sitar-laden "Norwegian Wood" and the evocative "Girl" (the latter written on the last night of the sessions) stand as turning points in John Lennon's writing. George finally emerges too, with "If I Needed Someone."

Issued August 5, 1966
The album released in time for the Beatles final tour. Though they never performed songs from it. It was too complicated to reproduce on stage what they were doing here: backward tapes, sound effects and voice processing was at the limit on this one. The Beatles have admitted to being "under the influence" while many of these songs were recorded. Interesting listening and great use of musical instrumentation. Revolver wouldn't remain the Beatles' most ambitious LP for long, but many fans remember it as their best. An object lesson in fitting great songwriting into experimental production and genre play, this is also a record whose influence extends far beyond mere they-was-the-greatest cheerleading. Putting McCartney's more traditionally melodic "Here, There and Everywhere" and "For No One" alongside Lennon's direct-hit sneering ("Dr. Robert") and dreamscapes ("I'm Only Sleeping," "Tomorrow Never Knows") and Harrison's peaking wit ("Taxman") was as conceptually brilliant as anything Sgt. Pepper attempted, and more subtly fulfilling. A must.

Issued June 1, 1967
Credited as the soundtrack to "The Summer of Love". This is the most revered Beatles album of all time, influencing everyone from Hendrix to the Beach Boys. McCartney's idea of the Beatles being someone else allowed them to do more in the studio. Producer George Martin was a genius in his song arrangements and editing. Sgt Pepper won five Grammy awards and still holds up today. Before Sgt. Pepper, no one seriously thought of rock music as actual art. That all changed in 1967, though, when John, Paul, George and Ringo (with "A Little Help" from their friend, producer George Martin) created an undeniable work of art which remains, after 30-plus years, one of the most influential albums of all time. From Lennon's evocative word/sound pictures (the trippy "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," the carnival-like "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite") and McCartney's music hall-styled "When I'm 64," to Harrison's Eastern-leaning "Within You Without You," and the avant-garde mini-suite, "A Day in the Life," Sgt. Pepper was a milestone for both '60s music and popular culture.

Issued November 27, 1967
This was originally a 7-song EP in Britain. The album was released in America in the 60's, and finally released on CD this year. Contains great songs from the tv film. This plays more like a "greatest hits" of the year with every song a winner. Too bad the film doesn't hold our attention as well, though it is interesting to watch and has become a cult favorite featuring the first "videos" of classic Beatles songs. Where else can you see the Beatles performing in full psychodelic regalia. George's "Blue Jay Way" paints a vivid sound-portrait in fascinating detail. This album features the two 45 rpm masterpieces that sum up the quintessential best of Lennon and McCartney at this stage of their development: Paul's "Penny Lane" and John's "I Am the Walrus."

Issued November 22, 1968
The only Beatles double album. Features many songs written while they were meditating in India in early 1968. The most separate of all Beatles albums. Each track features a Beatle and the other three as his backup band. John began to move toward Yoko in a big way on this album. It's now enjoying its 30th anniversary repackaging, though the songs have not been remastered. Includes some weird cuts like "Revolution Number 9" and "Wild Honey Pie". George Martin hated it. Some fans say it's their favorite. I like side B cut 8. This was meant to be the record that brought them back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of rock's towering figures. McCartney can rock, and the amazement on "Helter Skelter" was that he had vocal cords at the end. Said to be the first heavy-metal song. From Beach Boys knock-offs to reggae and to the unknown ("Revolution #9"), this has it all. Some records have legend written all over them; this is one.

Issued January 17, 1968
Contains songs from the film, including the title song sung by Ringo (now a favorite at his concerts). This LP also contains seven George Martin Orchestra instrumentals. "Hey Bulldog" is rocking and raw, lots of fun. Paul's singalong "All Together Now" is awfully cute, and more than one band has dedicated its career to trying to replicate what George's guitars are doing on his dazed, pulsing "It's All Too Much." "Only a Northern Song" is a fun play on words, and again shows George's keen sense of humor, as well as his remarkable writing ability. This was recently re-released and became a big hit again.

Issued September 26, 1969
The Beatles swan song album is among their finest production. Slick and polished as the Beatles knew they were at the end of the long and winding road. It's legendary cover photo even shows the boys walking away from their famous studio (now a popular photo-op for tourists of Beatle sights in London). Abbey Road remains one of the most acclaimed works by the fab four, including two incredible Harrison compositions, "Something", and "Here Comes the Sun". The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" make a strong impression. "Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End" features a drum solo by Ringo and a guitar duel between John, Paul and George. "Her Majesty," ends the album. George Martin remarked that side one was for John, side 2 was for Paul.

Issued May 8, 1970
Though it was the Beatles final LP release as a group, it was recorded before Abbey Road and left on the shelf to ferment. The 96 hours of recordings were eventually "reproduced", as the sleeve says, by Phil Spector. Paul was vocally unhappy with the choice of Spector and boycotted the sessions. Many of the Let it Be tapes have surfaced in bootleg form and many others can be found on the Beatles Anthology 3 CD. Interesting listening. Still waiting for the film to be remastered and re-released. No word from Apple. You don't hear the hand of Phil Spector as much as everyone else seems to, otherwise it's just the four lads having fun together for the last time. And just to note, "One after 909" refers to catching a train after the one that leaves at 9:09 and is a darned catchy song. The lunchtime rooftop concert was their last live performance together as a group. See "Let It Be... Naked" below for further info.

Issued March 7, 1988
A collection of flip sides and singles that never appeared on British albums, including the German versions of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You". Great singles collection plays well after all these years. Some surprises, but some disappointing mono mixes. Great liner notes for a the first time.

Issued 1993. Basically a repackaging of the famous "Red and Blue" from 1973, though the mistakes were cleaned up (the original albums used a few alternate versions and now rare stereo mixes. Interesting to note, the first set (the Red) contains no cover songs, though "Twist and Shout" would certainly have been worthy, and no Harrison compositions. No liner notes, but all song lyrics included.

Issued November 1994
56 tracks from the often bootlegged collection of songs the Beatles performed for BBC radio in the early days. Great interview clips (though some have been edited for offensive content). The 56 tracks still only scratch the surface of what has been illegally available for years. The drawback to the set it that it has no order to it, but nice to have. Also, a bonus single of "Baby It's You" was released that included three songs not on the set.

A raw, powerful recording from a reel-to-reel tape at the rock club in Germany. This is the only true tape of what the Beatles sounded like before they hit big, blemishes and all. "I Saw Her Standing There", "Roll Over Beethoven", and "Twist and Shout" were already standards in their nightly shows. "Talkin' About You", "Sweet little Sixteen" "Matchbox" are killer. You can close your eyes and see the Beatles in their leather outfits, blowing the roof off this German nightclub. They were playing songs of the day, their own compositions, and numbers by Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Little Richard and Buddy Holly.

The songs are louder, tougher and rougher than anything that George Martin would have allowed out of EMI's studios, but this album kicks ass. You can hear the guitarplay between Lennon and Harrison. Paul's clear, smooth voice. John's savage vocals. George's masterful guitarwork. Ringo's steady beat. It was reported that "Hully Gully" always seemed to end in a fight. This farewell engagement on New Year's Eve December 31, 1962 was recorded by Teddy "Kingsize" Taylor of a rival Liverpool band.

"Just keep the booze flowin' on stage and ya can record us" Lennon said. They honed their skills on these German stages, and when they returned to Liverpool, they were unstoppable.

The energy level smacks you right in the face. They also met Klaus and Astrid at this club. A 2-CD set. Next time you're out for New Year's Eve, just imagine stumbling into a a local venue and seeing something like this!

Issued November 20, 1995
A great historical collection of early Beatles demos, songs and interviews culled from the Anthology tv series. Includes the first "new" song by the Beatles in 25 years, "Free as a Bird" and several tracks from the boys failed Decca Audition as well as rare live cuts. Producer George Martin walked new ground when he created what fans call "outtakes", remixing several half-completed tracks to create a "new" version. That technique carried over onto the next two Anthology sets. Bonus singles were also available, one in particular contained the Beatles Christmas song. Drawback: Producers chose to have Beatle interview run overtop of song lyrics in some cases.

Issued March 1996
The follow-up to Anthology 1, this 2-CD set contains more music and no interviews like 1. Music from the "Help!" era to "Magical Mystery Tour", including lots from the Pepper sessions. Also contains the Beatles second "new" song, "Real Love".

Issued late 1996
Picks up where "2" left off, covering the White Album period through Abbey Road. Great acoustic versions and some nice moments between John and Paul. Includes the official release of some oft-booted material. Unlike 1 and 2, 3 does not contain a "new" song, though there were rumors that one was planned and even partially recorded.

This Beatles CD comprises the Beatles 27 number one songs, though that's open for discussion, as not all tracks are included. The biggest omission being the single, "Please Please Me", which is highly recognized as The Beatles first number one song on the British chart. Aside from the chart bickering, Beatles 1 is an all-encompassing listen to the Fab Four's songs that were most played on the radio. The songs have been digitally remastered (not remixed like The Yellow Submarine Songtrack), to great clarity, and in at least one example, "Day Tripper's" legendary drop out after the line "tried to please her", has been corrected. The Beatles 1 CD quickly flew to number one on the Billboard Hot 200. Great to hear the transition from the early to later years.

15 songs by The Beatles that were featured in the animated film, "Yellow Submarine". The CD was timed with the release of the video and DVD of "Submarine", restored to pristine clarity, frame by frame. The Yellow Submarine Songtrack won rave reviews for its remixing of the songs from the original multi-track tapes, (though The Beatles or George Martin were not involved) and the appearance of George's "Only a Northern Song" in stereo for the first time. The disc also features an extended version of "It's All Too Much". The remixing of the songs has set off another rash of discussions among Beatle purists and digital fans who want Capitol/EMI to go back through The Beatles catalog and remix all the songs, especially the first four albums, which have only been released in mono on CD (the American albums were mixed in stereo with heavy reverb and compression originally, so those versions do exist). The Yellow Submarine Songtrack is a must for Beatle fans, though it's still fun to go back and listen to the original mixes, many like "When I'm 64" in their original wide stereo form.

Though not easy to find these days, the Free as a Bird CD single contains three bonus tracks not on the Anthology 1 CD, "I Saw Her Standing There", an alternate take/edit, presented in stereo; "This Boy", a studio collage of two early takes, including studio chatter; and "Christmastime is Here Again", a Beatles Christmas song, parts of which, were included in the 1967 message to the fans. This version has been remixed and edited down from its 6 minute length to 3:30 by George Martin, and includes voiceover greetings by the Fab Four, plus a bit of Lennon poetry at the end. A fun edition to Anthology 1. You can sometimes find it at "Best Buy" or other chain stores.

Like the "Free as a Bird" CD single, the "Real Love" single was released in conjunction with The Beatles Anthology, Volume 2, and contains bonus tracks not included on the 2-CD set. "Baby's in Black" is from The Beatles Hollywood Bowl concert, 1965, and includes a fun-to-listen-to Lennon introduction of the song (the Beatles often intro'd each song at their concerts, unlike shows of today). Track 3, "Yellow Submarine" is presented with the sound effects pushed up louder into the mix, and includes a novel Ringo Starr intro voiced over the sounds of marching feet, unissued till this disc. The final track is a studio blend of Paul's "Here, There and Everywhere", takes 7 and 13. It features a lavish blend of Paul's lead vocal and blends into take 13, with stunning Beatle harmonies closing out the song. Like the above CD, "Real Love" can sometimes be found in the discount racks, or mixed in with The Beatles catalog. There was no bonus CD for Anthology 3, The Yellow Submarine Songtrack or The Beatles 1 CD.

At last revealed - The Beatles album that has taken more than 30 years to finish, Let It Be...Naked, just the bare sound of the band without Phil Spector.

It is the no frills, back-to-basics album that The Beatles first set out to make back in 1969 - but which was never released as they intended. Now, through the smart digital technology of Abbey Road studios, the never-heard band's take of the original sessions is finally released worldwide by EMI Records.

"People who say 'you're tampering' are probably always going to have some kind of problem with anything you do. They feel like they own you. And it's a bit silly really, because they can keep the untampered version, but with modern technology you can take the hiss off, and I don't think that's a bad thing because it didn't have hiss when we played it. We didn't all sit around going 'ssss'." Ringo too, loved the new sound. He and Paul told Beatle Brunch, "I love the idea of releasing the record stripped down", said Paul. "You get a very clear picture of how the band was singing at that point in time. What a good little band this was. And that was the thing about The Beatles, we were always this great little band, and that's what shows on 'The Let it Be' tapes. And I think that's what's important. Whether we were struggling to keep the band together, whatever was going on in our personal lives, it sort of didn't matter, really."

Ringo Starr was blown away when he first heard the remixes. He told the engineers not to change a thing. "I went to EMI to hear it. It was just incredible, and of course I've never been able to play it like this and it was just, it was really uplifting. And It took you back again to the times when we were this band, you know, 'The Beatle Band'. I mean in that period there was alot of emotional turmoil going on amongst us, but when you listen to the music, the music always surpassed any bullshit we were going through. I've always felt that once the count in happened, we turned back into those brothers and musicians."

Ed Rudy Beatle Interview Albums
In 1964, Ed Rudy was the only American news reporter to travel with The Beatles on their entire first U.S. visit, from the day they landed in America on February 9th, 1964, to their first American concert tour in August. Ed was there in New York, Washington, DC, Miami and all the cities on the tour. Ed had exclusive access to The Beatles, Brian Epstein, Mal Evans, Neil Aspinal and everyone in The Beatles entourage and interviewed them for the 440 radio stations that carried Ed’s reports on Radio Pulsebeat News. Documentary albums of these interviews were released in 1964 and 1965, and lit up the charts immediately. Now Ed Rudy’s historic Beatle interview albums from the days of Beatlemania have been remastered for CD and you can own this bit of history for yourself.

Capitol Records has releasde The Capitol Albums Volume 1, a collection of the first four Capitol U.S. records by The Beatles on CDs for the first time. The set brings together the album that started it all - "Meet The Beatles", "The Beatles Second Album". "Something New" and "Beatles '65", which were released in late '64. "These are the records that introduced The Beatles to America 40 years ago. Remastered from the original American master tapes, these were the audio mixes and sequence of songs that found their way into our homes,” commented Capitol Records president Andrew Slater. It's exciting to hear these versions on CD for the first time. I have always been a "stereo-file", if there is such a word, and loved the stereo mixes of Beatles songs that they were famous for up through Sgt. Pepper. Beatle Brunch listeners are always treated to the stereo mix on the broadcast if available. The new 4-CD set is beautifully laid out in a long-box with the 4 CDs, each in their own cardboard sleeve, featuring original cover art and liner notes. As noted, each CD/Album includes the stereo mixes AND the mono mixes, for a total of 95 tracks. 32 of them are being presented in stereo on CD for the first time officially, and 7 of them are presented in duophonic mono-to-stereo mix (electronically created from mono).

The followup to the highly successful Volume 1, featuring U.S. versions of the popular Beatles albums.

The idea is to bring this batch of 1965 releases out on CD, the way Americans heard them for the first time in the 60’s. When The Beatles albums were released in England, the track listings differed from those in America and albums that didn’t exist in the UK, were put together for American fans. Plus, Beatle fans in the UK were often treated to 14 or so new Beatle songs, while in America, fans got 10-12 tracks, and the songs were mixed in wild stereo (vocals one side, instruments on the other), tons of compression, reverb and limiting were also added by Capitol to make the songs print on American AM radio.

The albums are due out on CD April 11th and include, “The Early Beatles”, “Beatles VI”, “Help!”, and “Rubber Soul”. Beatle fans will of course get something new . The songs will be presented in both mono and their wild stereo versions, remastered in 24-bit from the original U.S. master tapes, and 14 of the tracks will appear in stereo on CD for the first time, including “Twist and Shout”, which really punches through on the original Capitol album.

One of the highlights of the release will be the “Help!” album on CD. This one will include the instrumentals from the film as heard on the U.S. release in 1965. Some of the instrumentals featured Indian music which was very influential to an aspiring student of the sitar, George Harrison. But the most fun comes from the title track, ‘Help!”, which has been restored with its original 17-second James Bond intro, as heard in the film.

For “Rubber Soul”, fans might remember the two false starts on guitar that begin the song, “I’m Looking Through You”, these false starts return in this original mix, plus, you will get the original mix, with vocals on one side and instruments on the other, unlike the EMI CD release from ’86-87, which were remixed by George Martin prior to CD release and featured a more balanced vocal mix. The set will also come with a 56-page collector’sbooklet featuring rare photos. The text reportedly has been written by noted Beatles on Capitol author, Bruce Spizer, who has been a proponent of The Capitol Versions for many years. Each of the CDs will feature its original artwork on the cover with up to 24 tracks on each.

Ever since The Beatles Cirque du Soleil production “LOVE” premiered in Las Vegas earlier this summer, fans and theatergoers have been clamoring for a commemorative soundtrack album from the show. Beatle Brunch was invited to attend the world premiere listening party for LOVE, and as anticipated, were knocked out by what we heard. The disc is one that all fans will want, regardless of whether they have taken in the Vegas show or not. Sampling, editing, mashing up and other digital trickery are things that have thus far evaded the Beatle catalog in any legitimate form. Not to worry - complementing the wildly imaginative team at Cirque du Soleil, the resulting soundtrack is a marvel of ideas more than one of simply technology alone.

Co-producer Giles (son of Sir George) Martin is quick to point out that the show was designed around the music, not the other way around. When creative clashes arose, he says, “we always won; we’re the ones who press ‘play’’. He emphasizes that the goal for the new CD was to make it a Beatles album, not a “show” album. As such, Beatles studio chatter and character dialog from the stage show are nowhere to be found on the new disc; in point of fact, the CD’s 26 basic tracks flow seamlessly into one another.