The Beatles Didn't Make Great Albums

Let me preface this by saying the Beatles are on of my 2 favorite bands. Them and Radiohead.



Now...

I am of the thought that a great album should have a steady stream of thought. The whole should work together. I am apparently the only person who thinks its a good idea to put on LCD Soundsystem's song 45:33 (a nearly 46 minutes "song" with 7 seprate movements) at parties. I get the chills when I find out that Donna Summer's greatest hits album "On the Radio" was remixed to make all the songs blend together. I feel almost nothing towards the entire Pink Floyd song book but think "Dark Side of the Moon" is the best album ever made. Point is, I like cohesiveness. The Beatles, it seems, don't care for it.

Revolver is generally considered the Beatles best album, as well as the best album ever made. The album does have a very vague feel for the most part, but why on earth are "Here, There, and Everywhere" and "Yellow Submarine" on the same album? Leave alone the fact they play back to back. Sgt. Peppers revolutionized music and is considered the first concept album, but there are in fact 3 songs to that concept. There are the first two tracks and the Sgt Pepper reprise. In between however, you have 9 songs ranging from a song about the circus to a tune prominently featuring a rooster. As John Lennon has said, the concept is not a very constant one.

This is why the Beatles made maybe 1 of my 10 favorite albums of all time. Sure, in the song writing category, David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust..." doesn't even compare to Revolver. There isn't a tune on Bowie's album thats as good as "Tomorrow Never Knows". But when you put on Bowie, there is a mood straight through. You go on a trip. There is a point A and point B without a point RINGO somewhere thrown in the middle. When you listen to "The Velvet Underground and Nico" you get a glimpse of the grimy NYC/ Warhol scene and a sort of dirty junkie feeling in your stomach. After "Rubber Soul" you aren't sure if the Word is love or if you should kill a bitch for leaving you.

The bands that was tracking around behind the Beatles most closely in the 60's were the Stones and the Bob Dylan's. Song for song, neither is as good as the Beatles. The Stones lacked the lyrical imagery and imagination in the studio, Dylan lacked the all around musicianship. But BOTH were better at making albums. "Blond on Blond" sounds as strung out and exhausting as Bob Dylan actually was. "Let It Bleed" and even the sprawling "Exile On Main Street" have more of a point to them then the "White Album". the "White Album" sounds like 3 song writers and a their friend that is really good at drums playing in different worlds. "Exile" sound like Mick Jagger as breathing in Keith Richards' ear while he's playing.

The only exception to this, thus making it my favorite Beatle album, is "Abbey Road". The suite at the end is a given, but "Come Together" and "Oh, Darling" and "Something" all fit with it. Most the album fits nicely with itself. But even then, we get the mediocre "Octopuses Garden" and the downright bad "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" thrown on when their were clearly much better and fitting songs around (e.i. "All Things Must Pass","Not Guilty", "Across the Universe", anything on Let It Be...). That is the only album the Beatles made themselves that SAID something. Unfortunately, it said 'goodbye'.

Oddly enough, the most cohesive album in the bands cannon is "Love". George and Giles Martin sat down, said this show is called Love, and made an album that said Love. "Tax Man" as a song doesn't say Love. It says aw fuck there goes my money. But the "Tax Man" guitar solo melts part of your brain to your skull. So they put it in. All the elements point to a warm gushy feeling that makes you feel like you are getting a hug from the fab four when all their beards were at their fittest. And that is what separates a great album from an amazing collection of songs. The mood. The feeling you get out of it. The ups and downs. Going from one place to another without ever realizing you are moving there. So... seriously, buy Donna Summer's "On The Radio".