Rediscovering the Beatles

It’s easy to forget how damn great the Beatles were. We’ve heard those songs so many times, all of the big ones seem trite. But I recently listened to Love (music compiled and remixed for the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name) and it hearing these tunes in a different light helps me rediscover how great the songwriting and performances are on these songs.

The Beatles put out records in the years 1962-1970, a mere eight years. The quantity and quality of their output is incredible. Take a look at this list: Beatles songs by singer. There are over 350 tunes. In just 8 or 9 years. And a majority of those are great. A ton of them are groundbreaking. Their recording output was produced in the same amount of time as 1999 to now (2007). I don’t know any bands that put out more than two or three great albums in that time frame. A good output these days for that kind of time frame is like 40 or 50 original tunes, the Beatles cranked out 350+. And they are Beatles songs, not any ol’ run of the mill regurgitated 12-bar blues or plain jane folk songs.

So if you think that you are burned-out-for-life on the Beatles, check out Love; You’ll probably love it.

The End

Rob’s Essential Beatles (I prefer proper albums over compilations, so no collections here, only original LPs):

1. Revolver. It is the best album of all time. If you don’t have it, buy it today.
2. Rubber Soul
3. Abbey Road
4. Sgt. Pepper
5. The White Album