30 posts in 30 days is a lot harder than you think. Even with a good theme and great material it is tough to meet the deadlines and with the Sabbath observance, even harder.

But I made it!

I had decided to make this last NaBloPoMo post be the greatest Beatles song of them all, but that is really an impossible task. First off, there is no consensus anywhere as to what the best Beatles song is, so this would have to be, (like most of this month) totally my opinion. Second, I had to decide what songs could be considered, and I decided to keep to the general official Beatles canon. That is usually accepted as all of the studio albums plus Past Masters/Mono Masters. So songs from Live at the BBC for example were out (they are mostly covers anyway). There were a bunch of songs on the three Anthology albums, but again, I choose to leave them out. Finally, I decided that it is unfair to choose one Beatles song, because all of the Fab Four wrote songs. So what I came up with was that I would choose one (or two) songs from each of them to make my favorite Beatles songs, plus one or two from their recorded covers.

Pinning down who wrote what is not always an easy task, but thanks to a lot of research out there and a great chart on wikipedia, today it is pretty easy. Most of the Beatles songs are credited to Lennon/McCartney. John and Paul made an agreement early on that all of the songs would be in both their names. Despite this, Many songs were written by just one of them, with some songs being true collaborations. There are also some songs that were written by John with some help from Paul or written by Paul with some help from John. In these cases generally one wrote the song and the other changed a lyric or melody, or most often, one wrote the verse and the other wrote the middle eight (bridge) section. There are also a few songs that they all are credited as authors and a few that are credited to Lennon/McCartney, but are John’s songs with some assist from Paul and Ringo or George and Ringo. Finally there are two songs not in any of the canon albums that I have included in the list, which are John’s songs with assist from all three of the others, and they are Free As a Bird and Real Love both created from John Lennon demos that the other three added to during the production of the Anthology albums and films.

In my list there are 211 Beatles songs, including covers or others work. Of these John has the most with 59 and Ringo the least with 2. Here is the full list of how many they each wrote:

John Lennon – 59
Paul McCartney – 56
George Harrison – 22
Ringo Starr – 2
Ascribed to all four – 2

Covers – 24

True Lennon/McCartney collaboration – 14
Paul McCartney with assist from John Lennon – 15
John Lennon with assist from Paul McCartney – 13
John Lennon with assist from George Harrison and Ringo Starr – 1
John Lennon with assist from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – 1
John Lennon with assist from Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – 2

So without further ado, I am going to choose a few songs from each and then perhaps a few of the collaborations.

John Lennon
A Hard Day’s Night is often cited as the best Beatles song, and clearly one of the best Rock and Roll songs of all time.

Strawberry Fields Forever come from the psychedelic writings of John Lennon and sometimes I choose it as my favorite Beatles Song.

Across The Universe is often overlooked and I think a masterpiece of music and art.

Paul McCartney
Yesterday is the most covered song of all time. Its simplicity makes it a true masterpiece.

Eleanor Rigby is another that I often call my favorite. The use of the string quartet as the only instruments was genious.

The Long and Winding Road is a wonderful song from the end period of the Beatles.

George Harrison
While My Guitar Gently Weeps is perhaps his best song.

Something is the most covered of all of George’s songs.

Here Comes the Sun is another overlooked great song.

Ringo Starr
Ringo has only two songs, and I only really like one of them, Octopus’s Garden.

Probably the best true Lennon/McCartney collaboration is With a Little Help From My Friends. Of the songs written by Lennon with Paul’s Help, I think A Day In The Life is tops, and of the McCartney songs with John’s help clearly for me Penny Lane is the best.

Well, that brings me to the end of NaBloPoMo and my trip through the Beatles albums. I hope people enjoyed!

The post The End first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

During the recording of Yellow Submarine, four songs had mono versions created as well as the stereo. One of them, Only a Northern Song, was only done in mono. The four together were intended for a mono EP to be released after the main album, but due to poor sales of Yellow Submarine, the project was scrapped. These four songs are included in Mono Masters to make up for the missing three songs that have no mono counterpart. I have compared the songs with the versions on Yellow Submarine.

Only A Northern Song is in Mono on both versions

All Together Now – Mono. The stereo version has the lead vocal out of the right only

Hey Bulldog –Tie. The music is much better on the stereo version but the vocals are only out of the right so it is a tie.

It’s All Too Much – Stereo. The feedback at the start works better in stereo, and the mix is wonderful all around.

Here are both versions of All Together Now. You Choose!

Enjoy!

Mono
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulQVpvu6wsw]

Stereo (from Yellow Submarine)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M28KHppdpqo]

The post Past Masters/Mono Masters Part 4 first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

Volume two has a number of differences due to the fact that there are no mono versions of The Ballad of John and Yoko, Old Brown Shoe and Let It Be. That leaves 12 songs, one of which is in mono on both versions.

Again, this posting is being written in advance and posted after Shabbat.

Day Tripper – Mono. I feel more depth in the mono and the vocals out of the right on the stereo makes the mono better.

We Can Work It Out – Mono. The sound is much better in the stereo, but again, I find the vocals out of the right a problem.

Paperback Writer – Stereo. The intro is so much better in the stereo that even if the vocals had been on one side (which they are not) I would still have picked it.

Rain – Mono. Vocals out of the left makes the stereo distracting,

Lady Madonna – Tie. The mono is a great mix and the stereo sounds very similar.

The Inner Light – Stereo. The Indian sounds are so much better in the stereo.

Hey Jude – Tie. Both are super mixes.

Revolution –Stereo by far. The mono is so dull.

Get Back – Stereo. The mono is very similar just a bit duller

Don’t Let Me Down – Stereo. The stereo sound is much fuller.

Across the Universe – Mono. I don’t like all the overdubs in the stereo.

You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) is in mono on both versions.

Here are both versions of Across The Universe. You Choose!

Enjoy!

Mono
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWs4NJaPkXM]

Stereo
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpEuPlZ3xnA]

The post Past Masters/Mono Masters Part 3 first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

Past Masters was released on two CDs and four vinyl albums (the last vinyl to be mass produced of any Beatles music). The first CD was volume one and the second CD volume two. Volume one has 13 Beatles singles including B sides, all four tracks from an EP called Long Tall Sally which was released in-between With The Beatles and A Hard Day’s Night, and one single from a US album. Volume two has eleven songs from A and B sides of singles plus the singles versions of Revolution, Get Back, Let It Be and a version of Across the Universe that was from a various artist charity album called No One’s Gonna Change Our World (for the World Wildlife Fund).

Long Tall Sally – Stereo. The stereo version sounds like you are in the room with them.

I Call Your Name – Stereo. The vocals in the center are so clear in the stereo which makes it superior to the mono.

Slow Down – Stereo. The music is so clear and crisp. Centered vocals make this a winner.

Matchbox – Mono. Although the vocals are in the center on the stereo, I like the sound a bit better on the mono.

I Feel Fine – Stereo. The opening feedback sound is much better in stereo, plus the vocals in the center make the stereo version better.

She’s a Woman – Stereo. Crisp and clear!

Bad Boy – Stereo. Great sound and wonderful mix.

Yes It Is – Mono. Both versions are similar but I hear more depth in the mono.

I’m Down – Stereo. Paul’s lead is so much better in the stereo.

Here are both versions of I Feel Fine. You Choose!

Enjoy!

Mono
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODiUpAR5tW4]

Stereo
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kglsXpCpewI]

The post Past Masters/Mono Masters Part 2 first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

In 1987 all of the Beatles albums were released on CD but fans were missing many of the tops songs that never made it to any of the albums. For example, Day Tripper, Hey Jude and Lady Madonna never made it to an album. So a double album Past Masters was conceived. This album would take all of the Beatles songs that were not on albums and add in some other singles not often heard by the public. The album was laid out in somewhat chronological order. The additional songs were some older singles made at the very beginning of the Beatles and a couple of songs in German from when the Beatles were in Germany.

This album quickly became an official part of the Beatles canon and when the new mono set was conceived, they decided to create Mono Masters since much of this material existed in both mono and stereo. Some of the latter songs on Past Masters were not mixed in mono so a few different songs were included on Mono Masters, mostly unreleased mono mixes of songs found on other albms.

My comparison will hit only the songs that are found in both versions and will take us through four postings.

Love Me Do is in Mono on both versions

From Me To You – Mono. Although the opening voices are centered, the rest of the vocals are out of the right which makes the mono a better version.

Thank You Girl – Mono. The instruments are much better on the stereo version, but the vocals out of the right makes the mono better.

She Loves You is in mono on both versions.

I’ll Get You is in mono on both versions.

I Want To Hold Your Hand – Stereo. The instruments just pop out at the start and there is more depth. Vocals in the center make this a better version.

This Boy – Mono. The guitars are better in stereo, but again, the vocals out of right, make the mono win.

Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand – Tie. The stereo has the vocals out of the right only, but the sound has much more depth in the stereo so I will call it a tie.

Sie Liebt Dich – Mono. There is depth in the mono here and the vocals out of the right on the stereo make the mono win by far.

Here are both versions of Sie Liebt Dich. You Choose!

Enjoy!

Mono
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip5TvEbRkO0]

Stereo
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ8zRAZNePo]

The post Past Masters/Mono Masters Part 1 first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

After the principal recording was completed from the Get Back Sessions, the Beatles, knowing that they were breaking up, decided to record one final album. They would put aside their differences and go out in style, rather than with all the bickering that had occurred in the previous recording sessions. They had plenty of material that had been tossed around during the White Album sessions (The Beatles) and the Get Back sessions (Let It Be) plus they each had continued writing.

The album is perhaps the best recorded album in the Beatles Catalog. By this I mean that the technology used in recording was much better than in the past. The entire album was recorded using modern transistorized mixing boards rather than old vacuum tube machines. This gave the engineers even more control over the mixing and is why the album was mixed only in stereo.

Abbey Road is also said to perhaps have the best “side” on any album ever. The first side is a collection of singles, while the majority of the second side is a suite of songs that were woven together by McCartney and George Martin. Starting with You Never Give Me Your Money and climaxing with The End, these seeming disparate songs come together to create an amazing medley. The End is the only song that features a Ringo drum solo and is often seen as the final Beatles song, due to its placement at the end of the album, and the one line in the song …And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. The song also featured guitar solos by Paul, John and George.

There is nothing to compare this album to so I will just add the final three songs from the medley!

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjOl0fG72ZE]

The post Abbey Road first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

But wasn’t Let It Be The Beatles last album? Let It Be was released in 1970, after the band split up and was the final album released by the Fab Four. It was not, however, the final album recorded. Arguments over the album (originally titled Get Back) caused the project to be shelved for a time. In the meantime, The Beatles recorded Abbey Road and released it. Generally, Beatles fans consider Abbey Road the final album, and I am going to consider it as such as well.

This history of this album can take up a lot of space, so I will try to boil it down to a few paragraphs. After some of the disastrous white album sessions, the Beatles were on the verge of breaking up. McCartney wanted to keep them together and felt that if they could get back to the original style of them playing together as an ensemble, they might be able to work. For much of the previous albums, they had each recorded separately which was later mixed together. McCartney really wanted to tour, but the rest of the band did not. At least he hoped to record a live album, and the group went into rehearsals for such a performance.

These sessions were also filmed for a documentary to fulfill their three movie deal with United Artists (Yellow Submarine was not counted despite the Beatles hoping it would be). This movie was meant to show the band rehearsing for a live show, but really shows the slow breakup of the band. By the third day of the sessions they were already talking about breaking up and after 10 days, Harrison actually left.

A week later, Harrison agreed to come back as long as they could move back to the recording studio rather than the rehearsal space. They did and they began to record the Get Back album. They liked the idea of a live recording and it brought them to do the famous rooftop concert where they were recording on top of the Apple Studios building (which was shut down by the police due to the noise).

The first version of Get Back was intended for a July 1969 release, but it was nixed because they wanted the songs to match what would be in the Get Back movie. So the engineers remixed the album to be like the movie, but the Beatles rejected this as well. During this time, they recorded and released Abbey Road.

In March of 1970, the session tapes were given to Phil Spector who created the album which was called Let It Be. The album and film were released in May, 1970.

McCartney was not happy with the Phil Spector release, and so in 2003 he oversaw a remix of the album which removed all of the Phil Spector overdubs and changes. This album was called Let It Be… Naked. I had planned to do a comparison of these two, but I can just say that the Let It Be… Naked versions are all better than the original and leave it at that.

Here are both versions of The Long And Winding Road (from the 2009 re-master and from the Naked Remix). This is the best example of the difference between what the Beatles wanted and what Phil Spector created. You Choose!

Enjoy!

Let It Be
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsPcGCAgvvE]

Let It Be… Naked
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfaO8NWu4nM]

Added bonus! Here is the song from the movie (basically the same as the Naked album version)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31x7hwQaEaQ]

The post Let It Be first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

Yellow Submarine was the first Beatles album not mixed in mono. It was also the worst selling of all of their albums, despite the fact that the movie of the same name was so well received. The album had six songs on the first side, four of which were recorded in previous sessions but left unreleased. Only two of the songs, Hey Bulldog and All Together Now were recorded specifically for the film. Only A Northern Song was recorded during the Sgt. Pepper’s sessions but left off the album. It’s All Too Much was recorded after Sgt. Pepper’s but not for any specific project. Yellow Submarine, of course, had been heard on the Revolver album and All You Need Is Love was released as a single in 1967.

The film of course had other music. Some was orchestral music written and arranged by George Martin for the film, and some were other Beatles songs. Eleanor Rigby, Nowhere Man, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Think For Yourself, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and With A Little Help From My Friends were all found on other albums.

I cannot compare this album to a mono version as it does not exist, but in 1999, when the film was being re-released on DVD, the music was remixed into a new version called Yellow Submarine Songtrack. This version differs from the 2009 re-masters as it is a re-MIX. The engineers took the original track recordings and remixed them to create the new CD. This was the first time a Beatles album was remixed, mostly because the Beatles themselves had asked that their music not be remixed. This CD left off all of the orchestral pieces and added in all of the other songs that were in the movie, all remixed into a digital master. The results are astonishing, and it is amazing that this is not talked about more. There are cases where I wish they did this type of remix with some of the re-mastered material.

So I will do a short comparison of the six songs that are on the original album with what is on the remix. Then I will comment on the rest as a whole.

Yellow Submarine – Remix. Lead vocal now in center and sound effects are clearer.

Only A Northern Song – Remix. This song was the only song on the original album in mono (actually mixed in stereo and then made into mono). On the new remaster it is in true mono and the 1999 remix is the first time it is heard in stereo.

All Together Now – Remix. The vocals are so much clearer.

Hey Bulldog – Tie. The piano and drums were not separable so the remix is not too different

It’s All Too Much – Remix. Totally different version and much better.

All You Need Is Love – Remix. This shows what can be done with a remix. It makes a good song great!

As you can see the remix is basically superior to everything that came before. This is true for the rest of the material as well. The first song on the remix that is not on the original album is Eleanor Rigby. When I was discussing Revolver, I chose the mono version of Eleanor Rigby mostly because of the lead vocal coming out of the right only. A huge mistake is also heard at the beginning of the first verse when the separation of the voices occurs for Paul’s solo and it happens a second too late. This is all corrected in the remix and it sounds wonderful in stereo. The same can be said about all the others. This stereo remix is better than any other version of these songs!

Here are both versions of All You Need Is Love. You Choose!

Enjoy!

Re-Master
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnQSKfWDR7s]

Remix
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrnPtgPDngA]

The post Yellow Submarine first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

The Beatles was released in November 1968 to mixed reviews due to the fact that the album was so eclectic. Many critics did not what to make of it. It was the first album to be released at the same time in the US and UK with the same track listings. In 1987 the CD was released in stereo and the current release is the first time the mono is officially available in the US.

Birthday – Mono. I surprised myself with this. I expected the stereo to be better. The song sounds cleaner in mono and the vocals in the stereo seem too far off to the sides.

Yer Blues – Stereo. You can just hear so much more in the stereo.

Mother Nature’s Son – Stereo by just a bit. You can hear a lot more depth, but the mono is really nice too.

Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey – Stereo. This is perhaps one of the best mixed songs on all of the albums. It also has perhaps the best title of any song ever!

Sexy Sadie – Stereo. The vocals are so much better, it sounds like I am in the room with them.

Helter Skelter – Stereo. This pre-heavy metal song relies so much on the electric guitar which sounds better in the stereo mix.

Long, Long, Long – Tie. The stereo is mixed nicely but there is something about the mono that I jus t like.

Revolution 1 – Stereo. The opening guitar is just so much better in stereo, and the rest is just as strong.

Honey Pie – Stereo. Given the type of song I was hoping for a better mono, but the stereo is better.

Savoy Truffle – Mono. I assumed I would pick the stereo here as I have for the more psychedelic songs, but the vocals out of the right ruined it for me.

Cry Baby Cry – Stereo. Edges out the mono a bit.

Revolution 9 – Stereo. I don’t know how to approach this “song”. Clearly it was intended to be in stereo, so that is what I am saying.

Good Night – Stereo. The orchestra and chorus sounds better in stereo.

Here are both versions of Birthday. You Choose!

Enjoy!

Mono
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_YfFkqFNjE]

Stereo
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YqMSIOQ4YE]

The post The Beatles (The White Album) Part 3 first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.

The White Album is the last album that had a mono mix. By now, stereo was more than a passing fad or niche market. In the US, almost everyone owned stereo players and everyone was taking note. Abbey Road Studios now had an 8 track recording system and the Beatles were the first group to use this (they recorded a few songs in London while the system was being installed). If new technology was available, the Fab Four wanted to use it. Recording in 8 tracks gave the engineers much greater control over the stereo and mono mixes. The group, though, still felt that mono was the better medium, and they still did not stay in the studio for the stereo mixes. For the final two albums the systems were more like what are in use today and they could record in many more tracks, and with most people buying stereo recordings the need for a mono mix was gone.

Mixing 8 tracks did however give an edge to the stereo mixes especially since George Martin and the other engineers were totally comfortable with stereo. I found that I liked only one mono mix better on the first LP with a couple of ties.

Martha My Dear – Stereo. The piano is much nicer in the stereo.

I’m So Tired – Stereo. Much more depth.

Blackbird – Stereo. Both the guitar and vocals are better in stereo.

Piggies – The harpsichord sounds much better in stereo.

Rocky Racoon – Stereo. Much clearer than the mono.

Don’t Pass Me By – Stereo. Again the stereo is sharper

Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? – Stereo again. The mono sounds nice, but the vocals are just a tad better in stereo.

I Will – Tie. Both are perfect!

Julia – Mono! I think they just used a better take for the mono.

Here are both versions of Piggies (this is an often overlooked song that I love!) You Choose!

Enjoy!

Mono
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgpdoPT0rA8]

Stereo
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWBfD4XuIfU]

The post The Beatles (The White Album) Part 2 first appeared on The Long and Winding Road.