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Location: NJ | Okay, it's 40(egads!) years old today.
(btw; WellDone, Gentlemen!)
The local NPR program this morning had two self-proclaimed "experts" having a Point/Counterpoint discussion regarding the virtues/hype of the work.
What say You?
Sensory, Sonic Masterpiece??
Pretentious, over-Hyped Shite?? |
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Posts: 3664
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | well-packaged, certainly. Triggers some residual olfactory hallucinations (another story, altogether!) |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | While I really wasn't cognizant at the time, being in pre-school, I've read and agree, that it showed the masses that pop music can be art.
Though I think if you asked musicians before then they'd say they were making art, too. |
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Location: closely held secret | Sensory, Sonic Masterpiece?? Sensory? Ehhhh. Sonic Masterpiece? Probably, for the time. Certainly nothing up till then sounded as good on a high-end stereo.
Pretentious, over-Hyped Shite?? Definitely not pretentious. I doubt the Beatles ever had a thought while they were recording it that it would be a classic.
Probably over-hyped... but then again, it has been 40 years and it's still very popular (I'd be willing to bet most people over 20 in western cultures have at least heard of it). Can't say that about many other pop albums.
Shite? Gimme a break. Shite doesn't last 40 years. Only GOOD shite does. :D
Just my opinion, but I've always thought SP was a very diverse collection of material that was engineered, mixed, and mastered so well that it became a single cohesive piece, much more so than any other Beatles album.
They didn't really plan on it being a 'concept' album (well, maybe McCartney wanted it to be...), but the whole thing was put together so nicely it might as well be.
State of the art recording equipment, the Beatles behind the mics, an absolute production wizard behind the glass... how could it be anything but a classic? |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I can take or leave the Beatles and I think SPLHCB was a brave effort (for the Beatles) at the time but, musically, it does little for me, like much of the Beatles' work.
When you consider this was done at the same time groups like The Velvet Underground were making the scene, it becomes even less impressive. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | While not my favorite Beatles work...(Beatles 65 - a fabulous record)it is a part of the phenomenon that changed the world musically...I will never forget the first time I heard "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on my little 4 transistor Silvertone radio...WGH radio - Tidewater Virginia - late 1963 ...it changed my life and disappointed my parents who at first refused to buy me their records...I went to work and bought the entire collection including the V Jay records: Introducing the Beatles: I earned money cutting grass and asked my Dad for "Meet the Beatles" (Capitol); I was disappointed at first...later I found out the V Jay recording was a collectors item and quite rare. The Beatles got me wanting to play guitar and nothing has ever been the same since. Over hyped? Possibly...hey, it’s called marketing and at least they could play and sing (in tune) and George Martin was a recording genius! You want to define "shite" just take your pick from the current pop field...
My opinion...I'm sticking to it!
Blessings... |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Jeff W.:
When you consider this was done at the same time groups like The Velvet Underground were making the scene, it becomes even less impressive. I listened to them occasionally, but wasn't really into death rock, even facing Vietnam...
More into Big Brother (Joplin), Quicksilver Messenger Service, Vanilla Fudge and Pink Floyd. |
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Location: Marlton, NJ | I was only five when it came out and didn't really start listening to the Beatles until the mid seventies. To me it's one of those albums that you have to have in your collection, but I liked Revolver, Abbey Road, Rubber Soul much more. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Your point is well taken, Wabbit...
There was a shite-load of new, interesting and GOOD music happening at the very same moment SP was. I will agree that SP production quality was without peer at the time, but there was other much more appealing and equally inventive music happening.
(and by the way... I wasn't even 3 yet, but was very advance for my age...) |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | A great recording effort, certainly. But I've always been disappointed that The Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds' (which inspired McCartney/SPLHCB) isn't held in the same reverence.
(Except by the cognoscenti, of course...  )
Much the same reaction I have to Bob Dylan/Phil Ochs.
If this/why not that?
(Why Jeff! I didn't know you were such a baby! I was 12.) |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I was afraid to admit that I've never been a Beatles fan--until Jeff spoke up. Now I'll come out of the closet and admit it.
Now that I have that off my chest, I'll just worry about being like Jeff. |
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Location: closely held secret | I was 14.
Phil, I think the reason is the Beatles had strong global name recognition, something the BB had in'68, but nowhere near as widespread. They had 6 years of dominating the Billboard top 10, 2 1/2 world tours...
It wasn't that SPLHCB was better than Pet Sounds, they were both pretty darn good. SP just reached a larger, more dedicated audience.
It's not my favorite Beatles album, but I think it's unique in it's sound.
Jeff, you're right, there was an incredible amount of new stuff coming out then, experimenting with words and sounds. Too much for a teenage boy to keep up with. The groups I really liked, I would stick with until they put out 2 albums that sounded the same. Then I moved on (I had every Steve Miller album until "Book of Dreams"...) |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I'll just worry about being like Jeff. It's not that bad, Mark. You'll be surprised by the stuff you can get away with...
...and there are at least a few non-Beatles fans hiding in the woodwork 'round here.
Now, go make a dirty phone call to your wife. That's what I would do.
...(what's her #) |
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Location: closely held secret | There's nothing wrong with not liking the Beatles, Mark. It sounds like you've got much bigger issues, anyway...
I'm trying to picture Jeff as a lawyer. "Devil's Advocate" keeps coming to mind... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | ...or F. Lee Bailey. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Revolver
Rubber Soul
much better overall albums. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Agree with Stephen. (how can you not agree with that cuteness...and sweater collection?)
But I was bored with everything Beatles until I bought the 'Live At The BBC' album and remembered why we all liked them in the first place. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | My lack of interest in the Beatles probably has nothing to do with them. I lived in Milwaukee in the early 60s and was turned off by the teen and preteen girls' screaming whenever the Beatles did anything.
In 66 we moved to North Dakota, where they only played one Beatles' song, Penny Lane, over and over.
When I next was exposed to teen and preteen girls and there screaming (when my daughters were that age) I found it just as annoying as I did in the 60s. I'm sure if I could have listened to something by the Beatles other than Penny Lane without all the background noise, I would have a different opinion of their music. That explains my weirdness, what explains Jeff's? |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Well, I was 17, and lived in the hotbed 0f "Hee Haw, in Central California. Rock&roll was near plasphemy, Elvis notwithstanding. SP sure did sound good on herbs & a Teac/Marantz 2020/Infinity towers, though! |
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Location: Tampa, FL | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
That explains my weirdness, what explains Jeff's? Unadulterated raw natural talent. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | and a poor sweater collection! :rolleyes: |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | ... that- and my mother drank when I was in the womb.
(and more heavily after I came out) |
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Location: Midland, MI | Originally posted by Jeff W.:
...or F. Lee Bailey. I can see you more in an "Ironside"-type roll...er, role. |
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Location: Midland, MI | A little competition for Moody, perhaps?
:D |
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Location: NJ | played it till I wore off the groves. loved a day in the life played that track more than all the others.
moved on to the white album and wore that one out then abbey road.
somewhere in 69 70 or 71 i discovered the velvet underground and all was lost. |
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Sgt. Pepper
