Obviously, I waas around and listening to all these when they were first released, and have lived with them since, but I read some of these descriptions, as well as the Obner reviews (which I've thoroughly enjoyed, BTW), and catch myself scratching my head at the influences that are consistently pointed to regarding their songwriting.

'Run For Your Life' has got to be the cheeriest blood oath ever.

I like how they start out with Drive My Car which on the surface seems like a typical album opener but it's got some really r&b influenced syncopation, and the bass line is funky as hell, and then they go into Norwegian Wood. Everyone talks about the sitar. The sitar is rad. But it might be the first pop rock song about "not doing it". You've got the female character in the song who clearly wants to do it at her place. Don't know if that was forward behavior for 1965, but it's still forward behavior in 2009, and still pleasantly welcome. Putting it in a song though, and not demonizing her for it, or him for not doing it...

The album is definitely moving in different directions early.

I'd wager everything about 'Norwegian Wood', music and lyrics, sounded a bit unusual in 1965. Here's the top hits of the year for some context.

Also it evidently is about Lennon's stepping out on the missus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_ ... _Has_Flown)

Norwegian Wood sounded more than just a bit unusual. The first time I ever heard it, I was sitting in a parked car with a girl named Michelle (oddly enough). I'd never heard anything close to it before.

ive just never been a big fan of 'drive my car.' i dont know the reasons why, its just never really sat too well with me

It pisses me off that I'm not gonna have time to do this until later in the week, but for now I will say that this album starts with a spectacular one-two punch and then nosedives severely.

Yesterday I listened to Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour. Putting on the white album now.

oh shit i forgot about this thread

And that's the thing about Abbey Road Side B. There's just so much there. Not only do the songs have soul, but they show off so many facets of that with such economy. You don't need to repeat a chorus 3 times or have a bridge or a space for a solo for a song to be "finished". I'm sure it would have been easy enough to pad all of those songs out to 3+ minutes each, but it's probably the final great demonstration of The Beatles' genius that they assembled them all and put them out just like this instead.

I've heard a self-indulgent songwriter or two perform or release truly "unfinished song-fragments", and the results are very different.

i'd say after the third song it nosedives a bit. nowhere man sounds like it should be a monkees song. think for yourself would've been better if paul or john sang it but not by much. both it and the word get by on paul's bass. the rest of the album is pretty great except for if i needed someone and what goes on, which is just terrible.

We had a long talk about The Beatles, and this thread last night. In a good way. Just that even if you are late to the party, the music still has the ability to blow minds, and that you can't overrate The Beatles, because of their influence, either direct, indirect, through other influences, or even unkowingly, everything you hear was touched by their music.

and it's not just cause we had copious amounts of booze along with that insane meal.

did you two go on a date

orgy.

food orgy:
http://www.parkside-austin.com/

with Loogs, The Senator's Wife, The Senator's Wife's Friend, Fu, Chad, and my wife and I.

Drinks at the Driskill after.

Phenomenal chow.

I think I'm going to play The Beatles again today followed by Abbey Road. I have to say, and I'm not purposely trying to be reactionary here, that 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' is unlistenable to these ears. And that's not hyperbole for yours truly. Harrison's singing and the music literally cause discomfort. I don't know what happened. I've previously thought it was awful but as I put on the disc yesterday I was psyched to see if the remaster would improve things. Alas, I think it's even worse. Maybe I have dog ears or something but goddamn is that awful, it sounds so out of tune or at least not synched up properly, there's such a psychological disconnect. The rest of the album never has a moment like that.

weird. listening to that song right now. i don't think it's unlistenable but it's not one of my favorites either.

I just played it again and I can nail down exactly what it sounds like to my ears: Back when we used to trot around portage cassette players, 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' sounds like the batteries are dying during playback.

haha yeah i can definitely hear that.

i love everything about "while my guitar gently weeps" and was pretty surprised in one of our old threads to learn how many people not only didn't rank it among their best, but deeply disliked it. I love the bass line, drumming, and the space they leave between the lazy riff. I'm always finding something new to notice in it. Definitely one of my all time favorite songs, and it's one of a handful of things Eric Clapton has done that wasn't boring and or horrible.

i cant really understand this at all, man. this is one of my favorite beatles songs ever.

I think the weird thing about it is that I feel like his general criticism of that song could also apply to a lot of Neil Young songs. Slower than they feel like they should be, kind of a stumbling pace, with off-key vocals and several elements that don't quite seem to be in sync. But they work, and of course '"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" works perfectly.

Yeah, I know objectively speaking it's probably great, but my brain suggests that something is terribly wrong here.

Rubber Soul

In some ways, the sound of Rubber Soul seems to have created what I hear as modern music. The production is fuller, more layered, and stronger than what had come previously. But this is also my least favorite Beatles album - I'd rather be trapped in a room with "Mr. Moonlight" than have to endure this album in its entirety ever again. But then again, it appeared a mere 4 months after Help!, and within that time they toured North America, and along with this album they released the double A-side single "Day Tripper/ We Can Work It Out", so yeah, they were typically Beatles-busy and probably exhausted. Let's use that last phrase as an excuse.

Drive My Car
Pretty awesome. I know this one almost too well, but this is a spectacular job of remastering. For maybe the first time in this project the sound could be described as "muscular". Still don't quite get what the hell the lyrics mean. Still don't care.

Norwegian Wood
Incredible and gorgeous. And after all these years too. Lennon is expanding.

You Won't See Me
And, ladies and gentlemen, we have just discovered the exact point where Paul started his crusade against rock 'n' roll. What a piece of shit this song is. Remember when Ann Murray had a hit with it in the mid 70s? Yeah. Ann Murray. Everything finds its level.

Nowhere Man
This song is slight, but the melody and harmonies are hard to sneer at.

Think For Yourself
The fuzz bass is pretty sweet, the chorus carries a hook, but it's all undone by lazy verses.

The Word
Yech. Second song in a row that sounds like the Beatles were singlehandedly trying to give birth to Crosby, Stills, & Nash.

Michelle
Oh for fuck sake. Paul's assault on rock continues. Bottom of the barrel shit raght hurr.

What Goes On
This project has made me wonder why these remasters didn't just omit EVERYTHING that Ringo sang. The guy blows goats, plain and simple. Harrison tries his best to save this one, but holy shit it just can't be helped.

Girl
The sucked-in breath during the chorus almost makes this one work. Other than that, it's pretty tired. Pretty, but tired.

I'm Looking Through You
At last we're getting back on track. Slightly. It's still easy listening - one more for the housewives and children - but at least there's a spark of energy.

In My Life
The only thing that mars this track is the tacked-on harpsichord solo, which fits the song in the same way a rearview mirror fits a pair of leather gloves. The band has obviously made huge strides in the studio (this entire album is testament to that) but there's no sense in valuing random sounds over songs (and this entire album is testament to that).

Wait
Nice rhythm guitar work. Another song with a decent chorus and shitty verse.

If I Needed Someone
Typical of this album, the sound here is cool - a rich 12 string jangle - but the song itself bites the heiny of a diarrhetic monkey. Crosby, Stills, & Nash have now been birthed.

Run For Your Life
This evil ditty doesn't fit on this album at all, but I like it. I remember the shitstorm over the misogyny of the lyrics, a shitstorm which always neglected the verse that states "I'm a wicked guy and I was born with a jealous mind". Just a small detail, that. And I love how the "d" in the word "end" is spat out as if to imply that it really is the end, only to be joined a beat later by the words "little girl" - aw yeah, it's not the end; you still want her. Pop drama. Take a lesson, Sir Paul. You prick.