Other than Banjo’s post below, I’m a little surprised by the dearth of HJHs threads in the “New Place” (MkII). I’m even more surprised that I’m the one saying it!
It was only recently I realized that despite owning thousands of LPs and CDs there was a gaping, mop-top shaped hole in my collection. The GLW kindly remedied the situation at Christmas with “The Beatles Remastered Stereo Boxset“, and I’ve been listening to almost nothing else since… fuck me they were good!
But the strange thing is, why now?
I was 10 when they broke up, and they had always just been there, in the background of all my childhood memories, supplying the soundtrack of my life until then. Around this time I bought one of my first real singles (with birthday record tokens), “Ride a White Swan“ by T. Rex. This was MY music! Well, that and “Back Home“ by the England World Cup Squad…! But the Beatles, nah, they were okay, but they were just part of the woodwork.
By the mid seventies I’d bought several Wings and Lennon albums as well as the mandatory “Blue” and „Red“ albums, but never really played the latter two much because, well, the tracks were just all so familiar. Strangely, at this time I started getting heavily into the Stones, particularly their Beggars Banquet – Exile period, but this was just back-catalogue, they were still around (if only we’d known) whereas the Beatles… hell, my grandma liked the Beatles!
And so it went, for decades; being familiar with the Beatles, thinking I knew about the Beatles – ‘they were really just a singles band, weren’t they?’ ‘Just look at how many hits they’d had!‘ – until I joined the “old place” and the registration question was “Beatles or Stones?“. Well, the Stones of course! I mean, they were much sleazier and adult than the clean-cut Beatles.
And then, slowly, seeing just how revered the Beatles are amongst the Massive, the realization started to dawn that I’d probably been overlooking something all this time. It still took nearly another 8 years, but I got there in the end!
But it’s their own fault really; if they’d just stayed together another 6 months or so I’d probably have bought their back-catalogue 45 years ago! And several versions since! Think of all the money they’ve lost! Tossers!
HJHs Redux
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Similarly, I owned little physical Fabs product but recently bought the mono LP box set. I’m no great fan of the Chuck Berry cover filler on the early albums but mid-period they were really rather ace.
And it’s given me an opportunity to shift the kids’ listening habits away from The Dawn Chorus being the most important band in our house. They can now discuss music in public.
You’re right about kid’s listening habits. Mine are 11 & 5, and although they listen to all sorts of stuff, they pick up on Beatles songs almost immediately – one play, and they’re singing it to themselves for the rest of the day. What is it about Beatles songs that makes this possible?
I was born in 66 so they were around as a soundtrack throughout my upbringing. By the time Sparks, Slade, The Sweet and TRex came along The Beatles were from the old days. Radio 2. Hell, they were in their *thirties* for goodness sake!
Not that they weren’t respected. My hairy older brothers had the red and blue albums and I recall The Beatles (white album) knocking about – but the vast majority of vinyl was Yes, The Who, Led Zep, Stones and lots and lots of prog nonsense. When punk came along, The Beatles were quietly forgotten in the UK, which seems amazing now. I didn’t know that Helter Skelter was a Beatles song (although I still think Siouxsie’s version is better) and the novelty Flying Lizards song, Money. By the time The Jam had (basically) covered Taxman I had formed an important friendship based on the fact that we both openly liked The Beatles. He had read a lot more about them and convinced me of their pioneering genius. I knew they were great, but I didn’t know *why* they were great – apart from the songs of course. Still my best chum to this day.
Nice post, BC. And they were indeed unfathomably great. But “Money” is an old Berry Gordy song from 1960!
Thanks duco01 – I had a feeling about that but couldn’t be bothered to check.
I finally gave in and bought “Let It Be…Naked” at the weekend.
I still prefer the Phil Spector version. Does that make me a bad person?
No, the 1970 Let It Be is a thousand times better.
Just got wind of the imminent (believe it when I see it) release of a 1965 Spanish concert on vinyl and, mercifully, CD.
Good to see that something might be released on a 50th Anniversary following the debacle of the Love Me Do single and the pointless re-making of the Please Please Me album.