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From: bills@grkermit.UUCP (Bill E. Schaffer)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Classic Records
Message-ID: <432@grkermit.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 29-Jan-85 18:06:34 EST
Article-I.D.: grkermit.432
Posted: Tue Jan 29 18:06:34 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 31-Jan-85 02:43:46 EST
References: <119@sci.UUCP> <3326@alice.UUCP> <406@pyuxd.UUCP>
Reply-To: bills@grkermit.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 49
Summary: 

>> To all who think Abbey Road, the White Album, or Sgt. Pepper
>> is the best Beatles record, go back and listen to Revolver.
>> 
>> It's a real sleeper.  [ANDREW KOENIG]
>
>Seconded.  Most especially the (original) British release and not the
>American version....  [RICH ROSEN]
 
I agree - "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" (US *or* UK) are my favorite Beatles
albums for basically the same reasons RR points out - consistently good
material plus the ability to use the studio creatively (without overindulging
in studio gimmickry to nearly the extent of much of their later work.)  The
care that went into the arrangements is particularly evident on "RS"; note how
the instrumentation varies between songs and the textures vary within songs. 
(Yes, they had begun experimenting with different instruments back in the
Beatles '65 - Beatles VI era, but then they seemed to be just dabbling with
effects to compensate for generally lackluster material.  On "RS" and "R" the
unusual instruments - sitar, french horn, double-speed piano, harmonium, fuzz
bass, etc. work with the material instead of appearing merely as decoration.)

The US release of "Rubber Soul" omits four tracks from the UK release
("Nowhere Man", "What Goes On", "If I Needed Someone", "Drive My Car"),
replacing them with two tracks *not* on the UK release ("I've Just Seen a
Face" and "It's Only Love" - did they *ever* appear in the UK?).  As RR
pointed out, those four tracks, plus four from recent US singles and three
premature releases from the "Revolver" sessions ("Dr. Robert", "I'm Only
Sleeping", and "And Your Bird Can Sing" [not "She Said She Said"]) were
thrown together as "Yesterday and Today" for US release.  (I believe one of
the latter is an alternate take of the version on the UK "Revolver".)

Reportedly, the Beatles' displeasure at such an obvious ripoff (hardly the
first one, either) prompted them to pose for the notorious "butcher" cover.
(Capitol didn't have the balls to release it in '66 - but once they knew they
could cash in on it, they not only re-issued the cover in "Rarities" but
actually *advertised* the fact!  Shpxvat hypocrites!)


On a related subject - a while back there was a TP question concerning the
Stones' "12 x 5" LP.  I'm sure the British netters are scratching their
heads over that one!  Like "Yesterday and Today", "12 x 5" was a U.S.-only
release - the Stones' US label (London) turned two UK albums (plus singles
and outtakes) into three US albums.  The first ("The Rolling Stones") made
the transition abridged and retitled ("England's Newest Hit Makers"); the
second ("The Rolling Stones No. 2") was literally split in half - the cover
photo appeared on the US "12 x 5", while the liner notes appeared on the US
"The Rolling Stones Now"!  BTW, An alternate take of "Time Is On My Side",
recorded at Chess Studios, appears on "12 x 5".

AW Rogers