Old man thinks about music (tl;dr)

[JonUrban]

I was thinking the other day about The Beatles. I know, most old folks are sick of the songs by now. The only ones I really like anymore are the ones that didn't get played to death - but that's not exactly what I was thinking about.

When we got The Beatles as kids in the '60s, there really wasn't much info "out there" about them. Records would come out that we would discover new ones appearing in the store, as there really wasn't lot of press about new releases, and our only real music news source was our local AM radio station.

I remember arguing with friends and family as to which Beatle was singing which song when those first songs came out, and back then, no one cared who actually wrote which tune. They were just "Beatles" tunes. The white album came out and we didn't think about which Beatle didn't play on which song, or which Beatle "hated" a particular song, they were all just Beatles songs. Sure, we could tell a Paul song from a John song, but most of us figured they were still working together and helping each other work on EVERY song. That was why when we finally saw "Let it Be", and saw Paul and George disagree, it was a bit shocking. Most fans were still under the impression that they all were buds, like they showed us in "A Hard Days Night" and "Help".

We all loved "Simon and Garfunkel", and didn't think about them having issues with each other that would lead to a sudden and radical break up. Other groups had problems as well. The Hollies, the Supreme's, just to name a few.

My point is that new people who hear this music now know all of the baggage that comes with each tune and every album. John hated "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" and the 3 other Beatles hated Paul's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". Turns out they didn't like a lot of the other guys songs. John and Paul didn't give George the credit or space he deserved in the group. Paul Simon was getting jealous of Artie getting the applause after he sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and that festered.

All of this historic knowledge about these classic albums and songs now come along with the songs, and new listeners have this info when they hear the music. I can't help thinking about how enjoyable it was, living those years when we got so much music, and other than a Rolling Stone or Cream magazine article, we knew nothing about how these albums came together and how the turmoil of personal interaction between the players steered their existence and eventually ended the magic.

I may not be phrasing this thought properly, but I think you can get the idea.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

Lately, I’ve been enjoying The Beatles in “Mono” as my go to for their music. Sergeant Pepper and the White album in Mono are radically different than the stereo versions. Their early albums, to me at least, have in many cases a better mix that makes the music have more of an emotional impact. Or maybe I’m just giving the more familiar stereo versions a rest for awhile. Of course we want everything to be remixed in surround now too.

One thing that was released at the time by Capital Records that is interesting in retrospect is “The Beatles Story.” Sure, it was a cash grab by Called records, but it was also a way to explain what The Beatles were about. It allowed them not to be solely defined by our parents (and explain to parents) or those who were scared of them, not to worry, these are good guys. The Beatles were revolutionary and radical, when one considers the context of the times back then. It also contains a small bit of live music from them and interviews.

Anyway, it got a CD release in one of their box sets of U.S. Mono/Stereo.

The Beatles Story Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles'_Story

 

[Quad Linda]

In '64, I bought my 1st Beatles record: Something New. I've never stopped buying Beatles records.

My Beatles passion really began in earnest in '79 when I bought the UK 2ch LP blue box "The Beatles Collection." Own all the US albums on 2ch LP, mono and 2ch CD. BTW: The US albums CD box only includes the 2ch version of The Beatles Story, not the mono. The UK LP box has much better fidelity than the US LP's.

Upgrading to pre/power amp w/Ortofon MC 20 in '79 made these and so many other albums sparkle. A couple years later, I won "The Beatles Collection" MoFi 1/2 speed LP box in a sales contest.

Didn't really know or care about their personal lives until the 80's. Reading the Recording Sessions book made them come alive.

In high school and college, I did homework while listening to Beatles, Paul & Artie, Moby Grape, Don Ellis, Miles, Wes, Spirit and lots more. A cocoon of sound through Koss headphones!

My Beatles collection numbers well into the hundreds. A girlfriend has one FAR BIGGER! She has been involved in Beatlefest since its' inception. Memorabilia? Lots of rarities and one-of-a-kinds. She has some of Julian's gold records! Lots of signed albums & singles. Many signed by all four. A mesmerizing Beatles shrine.

I've been collecting rock records since age 3. 68 years of record collecting. Bought my first jazz albums at 10, classical at 15. Love and music are what life is all about.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

[DuncanS]

I grew up with the Beatles songs, but not necessarily them always playing them! We were shocked when they split up, it came out of the blue.

My father was a great musician and would play us kids the Beatles songs on the piano if we asked him. He loved Jazz, Big Bands, Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, etc (and classical), but he thought the Beatles songs were really well written so loved them as well - I don't remember him playing anything else from that 60s 'pop' era. The strange thing is I associate "She Loves You" (which was in the charts in 1963) with my dog (a cocker spaniel) having to be put sleep after it attacked a neighbour! still makes me think of the dog when I hear it.

 

[bookofsaturdays]

Lately, I’ve been enjoying The Beatles in “Mono” as my go to for their music.

The Beatles Mono CD box is one of my prized possessions. The mastering is just beautiful and the attention to detail in recreating the original UK album covers down to the inner sleeves and adverts still amazes me to this day when I pull it out.

Rubber Soul in mono is glorious and the CD in here just sings when you crank it up. I put it on in complete darkness and just marvelled at all the layers going on in the mix. Hard to believe it was just mono! I’m all for surround obviously where applicable but man sometimes just a well mixed mono can be a revelation. After all, I’m sure all of us here are music enjoyers first and foremost!

 

[par4ken]

My initial negative opinion of the Beatles was in part shaped by my parents aversion to them. The "long hair" which in retrospect wasn't really long, just that the "mop top" style they adopted made thier hair look so long and out of step with what was then the norm. later they would double down and actually grow thier hair really long, they had to stay ahead of all the imitators!

I remember too those crowds of screaming teen girls, I still can't get over that! I remember thinking that it was so stupid. Mass hysteria for what?

The hit She Loves You (yeah, yeah, yeah), even as a child I felt the lyrics were juvenile. Those early recordings were just pop tunes intended for a young teen audience, but somehow they hit thier mark and changed music forever. The Beatles evolved thier style throughout the sixties remaining at the top throughout! I think back to those Canadian Capitol 6000 series LPs so nostalgically now!

Revisiting those old hits years later I have gained a new appreciation for them. Meanwhile I always did love the hits and albums from thier more middle period.

Their later period brought in what we might consider to be more mature songs most with real meaning behind them. It was sad when they broke up but it should not have been any surprise. What is surprising is that they stayed together as long as they did, with each member being such a talent on thier own and each with such diverse musical interests.

I have always felt that John Lennon was the most talented but the most inconsistent. Paul McCartney was the most consistent with almost every recorded track on any particular album a gem. I did lose interest in him in later years (as I do with almost all artists as they age) that "middle of the road" output lacks the spirit and energy of youth and has never done it for me. We can't forget George Harrison, less output but really great stuff, and Ringo was no slouch either.

 

[ar surround]

I have never tired of the Please Please Me album and I never will.

 

[GOS]

Born in 1963. So, obviously Beatle's songs were on the Big 89, WLS Chicago throughout my very young years. At such a young age, I was honestly clueless which songs were Beatles, nor did I have any concept of who they were, how big they were.

That changed sometime in my late teens when I bought some cassette that was a sort of Beatles Hits sort of thing. I really have no idea what it was. I was absolutely stunned how many of the songs (maybe all of them) I knew and had no idea it was Beatles.

I was immediately a fan, and have been since. Just like my love of the Doors, my love of the Beatles in early high school was thought to be a sick joke to my friends. No one, and I mean no one in my circle gave an ounce of shit for Beatles or the Doors. Their loss.

 

[Willie Wilson]

Born in 1963. So, obviously Beatle's songs were on the Big 89, WLS Chicago throughout my very young years. At such a young age, I was honestly clueless which songs were Beatles, nor did I have any concept of who they were, how big they were.

That changed sometime in my late teens when I bought some cassette that was a sort of Beatles Hits sort of thing. I really have no idea what it was. I was absolutely stunned how many of the songs (maybe all of them) I knew and had no idea it was Beatles.

I was immediately a fan, and have been since. Just like my love of the Doors, my love of the Beatles in early high school was thought to be a sick joke to my friends. No one, and I mean no one in my circle gave an ounce of shit for Beatles or the Doors. Their loss.

Gene, you may remember the revival of the Doors in 1980, which was the year of my baptism in their greatness.

The 17-song Greatest Hits comp came out and stayed on the charts forever. All of my organically-inclined friends were buying it and studying the mythical career of this band that suddenly seemed very alive.

Apocalypse Now featured a segment using“ The End” on the big screen. No One Here Gets Out Alive was the very popular biography written by Danny Sugerman and it furthered the legend and mystery. An American Prayer had come out in 1978 and was now riding a renewed wave of interest. Their back catalog dropped to the Super Saver price point of $5.99, and radio could not get enough of them.

I was immersed in their music for months and came out loving the L.A. Woman album most of all. Over 45 years, the band has remained an all-time favorite. Each member was a genius in their own right and it’s great that we have as much to listen to as we do.

 

[barfle]

My late pre-teen years didn’t include a decent radio, so I was missing out on the ‘50s rock and roll era. Stuck listening to my parents’ music for quite a while, then finally was anle to listen to KFWB in Los Angeles, and discovered all sorts of good stuff.

When “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” came out, I remembered “Love Me Do,” but didn’t think it was era-breaking. IIRC, “Hand” didn’t chart its first week, then debuted at #1, first time for that, and it held the spot for a lot longer than Elvis’s “It’s Now or Never,” which seems like it was 9 weeks. Long time ago, and details are fading.

I think I really started to get interested in what was going on besides the music in 1965, when I landed an unpaid gig at the campus radio station at Washington State University, KUGR. I had the Saturday morning board shift - three hours to play what I wanted to, even if nobody tuned in. Started buying records in obscene quantities around then.

Got my first stereo in the Army (there’s a picture in the “show us your gear” thread), and even though it was mostly crap, it played loud and clear - 5x5 as the radio operators would say.

Been without only a year or so since then, with temporary apartments meaning no reason to invest in a setup. My current build is in my sig, although I should update that thread, because there are changes, with hopefully more coming.

At this age (77), I still have the same ability to bite off that I ever did, but chewing it up is getting tougher all the time.

 

[~dave~~wave~]

Gene, you may remember the revival of the Doors in 1980, which was the year of my baptism in their greatness.

 

[Doug G.]

I (at 72), like others, was there at the Beatles beginning in the USA and they, of course, have been a significant part of my life, since. Yes, in the beginning, we knew nothing about them, personally, we just were enthralled by their music, each release a new revelation. Please Please Me, Day Tripper, We Can Work It Out, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, yes, even Let It Be - get out of here. The evolution.

The early psychedelia of 1966-67, Blues Magoos, 13th Floor Elevators, Love, Count Five...just as hard/exciting as what was to come - Jefferson Airplane, Cream, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, etc. Led Zeppelin, of course. Later, New York Dolls, Bowie, etc. I liked a lot of the so called "grunge" in the mid nineties.

In my younger years, I liked the faster, harder, more intense music. Later on, I began to listen to the softer stuff like Simon and Garfunkel, too, stuff like that.

The Doors? My friends and I used to walk down the street singing their songs from the "Soft Parade" period. The best band out of LA, ever.

I still play the recordings from everybody mentioned in this post.

Doug

 

[barfle]

I was in SoCal during the surf music phase, and I really thought much of the world was recolving around the local beaches. I know that Brian Wilson thought he was in straight-up competition with the Beatles, although I didn’t exactly take sides - I loved them both.

At my high school, we even had the Chantays (“Pipeline”) play at one of our dances. I really thought we were in a special zone. I still do.

 

[Bill B]

My point is that new people who hear this music now know all of the baggage that comes with each tune and every album. John hated "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" and the 3 other Beatles hated Paul's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". Turns out they didn't like a lot of the other guys songs. John and Paul didn't give George the credit or space he deserved in the group. Paul Simon was getting jealous of Artie getting the applause after he sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and that festered.

All of this historic knowledge about these classic albums and songs now come along with the songs, and new listeners have this info when they hear the music. I can't help thinking about how enjoyable it was, living those years when we got so much music, and other than a Rolling Stone or Cream magazine article, we knew nothing about how these albums came together and how the turmoil of personal interaction between the players steered their existence and eventually ended the magic.

I may not be phrasing this thought properly, but I think you can get the idea.

I think that may be a generalization. I doubt the "new listeners", and by that I mean people that didn't hear the songs until this century, ever bother to research and learn about those bands. To them it's just a song they like and they have no idea of the baggage surrounding the band and have little interest in researching the history of a band from last century. I'm sure there are some that do but the vast majority just move onto the next song with little thought. If they are going to read a biography it is much more likely to be Taylor Swift than a band from their parents or grandparents era. For us older folks that grew up with the band, I agree we are aware of the baggage but it doesn't really matter when we are in the midst of enjoying one of our favorite songs. When we boomers are gone, for all intents and purposes, the baggage dies with us. It will still be documented for those who wish to seek it out, but very few will be seeking.

 

[mandrix]

387 million years ago, I worked in a night club. Over the years I got to know a lot of bands that worked the Florida club circuit.
From time to time I would fill in to run the soundboard /lighting or sometimes just plain grunt work, setting up/breaking down etc for different bands. I seemed to get along with about everyone and I became sort of a "go to" guy to fill in when I could and when needed.

But often there would be tension between members, disagreements on what to play, maybe just appearance, how someone dressed on stage, etc. One of the better guitar players I knew got booted from the band because he had gained a little weight (not obese by any means). Some of these guys were driven to get every thing right (in their mind at least) in hopes of getting on a label. The singer in one band eventually fired everyone and brought in a couple guys from California. Guess it worked because they got two albums on Epic Records.

No clue these days, but often a club would have a "band house" to flop in while the band was playing at that club. e.g. The Wreck Bar in Daytona rented the top floor above a jet ski rental/sales place and band members/roadies could stay there free. But normally the "big dogs" in the band stayed at a motel/hotel and the pecking order would become obvious if you hadn't already figured it out. Of course some of these guys had a gal pal that traveled with the band and staying in a flop house with a bunch of guys wouldn't have been ideal.

One of the most "together" bands on the club circuit, though I never worked with them, was Molly Hatchet. They seemed fiercely loyal to each other, and the most prolific drinkers of Wild Turkey I ever saw. They had a roadie named "Tiny" but he wasn't, by any means. lol.

 

[bktouchstone]

To the OPs point about now knowing all the song/band baggage, for some reason people crave context when appreciating art. I don’t know that Van Gogh would have paintings worth millions today if he hadn’t been a tortured soul. Beethoven was deaf, Mozart died too young. It’s rare to hear someone say “his life was long and bland but wow what an artist!”

 

[barfle]

When I think of how personally unusual many “creative” people are, it’s a wonder that bands ever form up at all. Creative differences cause no end of conflicts, and I’m amazed that as many work out as they do.

Hell, most marriages don’t work out. I’m not surprised that most bands don’t either.