In 1994, Apple Records and the BBC combined forces to unlock the gates of unreleased recordings being issued officially with the two CD release of Live at the BBC. These songs, recorded from 1963 to 1965, owe their existence to … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—The BBC Recordings

Although EMI and Capitol wanted to release a live recording of the Beatles for years, many obstacles prevented it. At the time the band was touring, the equipment wasn’t advanced enough to overcome the noise levels created by the screams … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—[Live] At The Hollywood Bowl

Once an artist hits it big, it’s only a matter of time before compilation albums of her or his work begin to be released: Greatest Hits, Best Of and the like. Since the Beatles were one of the most successful … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Compilations

  Compared to the first two albums in the series, Anthology 3 came off as an afterthought, a somewhat limp finish to the collection. It lacked the brand-new “Beatles” song which opened the first two records, and while EMI promised … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Anthology 3

Almost fifty years ago exactly, The Beatles’ tenth album and their only double album of new material was released, five years to the day after With the Beatles. When you think about what a progression their music had undergone in … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—The Beatles (The White Album)

If the Anthology 1 album was of historic importance, Anthology 2 is far more interesting musically. However, it’s also padded quite a bit. There are two tracks that definitely don’t belong here, and a number of others are pretty but … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Anthology 2

The Beatles Anthology was years in the making, dating back to shortly after the group broke up. Their friend and roadie, Neil Aspinall, began compiling footage of the band for a documentary to be entitled The Long and Winding Road. … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Anthology 1

Paul McCartney has released so many solo albums (thirty at least, including Wings but excluding his classical efforts) that I’ve given up trying to rank them. Egypt Station, his latest, is probably not in the top five, but it is … Continue reading Album Spotlight: Paul McCartney—Egypt Station

When the Beatles’ album catalog was released in 1987 for the first time on CD, EMI realized that there were a number of songs that had never been included on albums which would become otherwise unavailable.[footnote]Or, in one case, a … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Past Masters

Abbey Road, one of the Beatles’ best records, was also their final recording, although Let It Be would be released the following year. Apparently, the group had decided, consciously or subconsciously, to make an album which would erase the bad … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Abbey Road

Like Magical Mystery Tour, Let It Be can’t be discussed without an extensive knowledge of what the Beatles intended for the record. Following is a brief rundown, but there’s plenty more to learn if you take the time. The Beatles … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Let It Be

If Magical Mystery Tour was the double EP set that should have been (and soon was) an album, then Yellow Submarine, the Beatles’ eleventh record, was the album that should have been an EP. With only four new songs and … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Yellow Submarine

  Many Beatles albums exist outside of the context of the events that were happening in real life at the time of the work’s recording. Magical Mystery Tour, the group’s ninth album, is not one of those records. In order … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Magical Mystery Tour

The Beatles’ eighth album, released June 1st, 1967, is their most famous and had the greatest musical impact of any of their records. In the famed Summer of Love of that year, everyone—EVERYONE—was listening to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Revolver, the Beatles’ seventh album, is their greatest overall achievement and the dividing line between their Early and Late periods of work. (You could also say it’s the peak of their Middle period if you wanted to divide their career … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Revolver

If the Beatles had disbanded prior to the release of Rubber Soul, their sixth album, they would be remembered, if at all, as a talented pop group of the early Sixties with a tremendous amount of songwriting talent and innovation. … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Rubber Soul

Help! was rather a struggle for me to find a way into reviewing it. While trying to get a handle on what I wanted to say, I asked my twenty something son what he thought of it. “That’s my favorite … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Help!

There’s no denying that Beatles For Sale, the band’s fourth album, is a bit of a comedown from the first three. The exuberance of the earlier records is muted, and the overall tone is sadder and a bit cynical. In … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles — Beatles For Sale

With their third album, A Hard Day’s Night, the Beatles met the challenge of providing a film soundtrack for the first time, and despite the time they were putting in making the movie, the result is one of their finest. … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—A Hard Day’s Night

One could be forgiven for expecting that the Beatles’ second record wouldn’t be as groundbreaking as their first. But the group avoided the dreaded sophomore slump with their album With the Beatles, released November 23, 1963. [footnote]Yes, the day JFK was … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—With The Beatles