English rock band
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 shot.[/footnote] Coming off of two more hit singles, From Me To You and She Loves You (both recorded and released after Please Please Me and prior to With the Beatles), the band more than lived up to the challenge. With the Beatles is in my personal Top Five of their best albums and the supreme example of their early work. … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—With The Beatles
It was fifty-five years prior to this date of publication that the main recording session for the Beatles’ first album, Please Please Me, took place. As Mark Lewisohn, the Beatles’ foremost biographer, later wrote, there have scarcely been 585 more … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles—Please Please Me
This is not meant to be a “defense,” per se, of Paul McCartney’s 1979 hit single and holiday playlist staple “Wonderful Christmastime.” If the sound of that sproingy synthesizer lead fills you with dread, and the loose, almost sloppy vocals … Continue reading The Bumblebee Flies Anyway: “Wonderful Christmastime” and the Genius of Paul McCartney
John Lennon and Paul McCartney had one of the most successful song-writing partnerships of all time. They both wrote lyrics and music, and in the early days of their partnership and of the Beatles, they collaborated extensively, but as time … Continue reading Beatle Battle: Who Wrote a Better Christmas Song?
Christmastime is here again/Ain’t been round since you know when… —The Beatles Did you know that the Beatles recorded a Christmas album? They did. Unfortunately, it wasn’t filled with their covers of songs like Good King Wenceslas and Rudolph The … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Beatles Christmas Album
*Credit of today’s Subtitle goes to the Avocado user “Merve.”* Good morning Avocados and welcome to my fourth artist spotlight on this new website. If you haven’t read a M-AM Artist Spotlight before, I like to discuss a little history … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: The Beatles – Long Gone, Never Forgotten
Summer, 1979. Paul McCartney is in his home studio in Scotland, perhaps depressed, admittedly discouraged. His musical group isn’t working out the way he’d like. Their last album hasn’t been well received by the critics. Perhaps it’s time to move on. But the drive to create is still there, unchecked. Also, he’s acquired several new synthesizers and sequencers that he’d like to experiment with. So he takes delivery of a Studer 16-track machine and phones an engineer friend of his to help set up a mixer and effects, so that he can do some home recording. Alone, he regards his … Continue reading Album Spotlight: Paul McCartney – McCartney II
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