My Neighbor Totoro’s greatness is partially due to its
ridiculously simplistic nature. There’s barely a plot, little to no
conflict and not much excitement to be found. Despite this, it is one of
Miyazaki’s most essential works and contains limitless amounts of charm and
wonder. It’s one of the most endearing films I've ever seen.
My Neighbor Totoro follows the exploits of two sisters,
Satsuke and her younger sister Mei. They’ve just moved into a new house with
their dad which brings them closer to the hospital in which their mother is
currently recovering from a long-term illness. Satsuke and Mei spend much of
their time exploring and end up stumbling upon a magical forest in which dwells
a giant teddy bear like creature known as Totoro.
The plot doesn’t get much more complex than that, but in the
wake of the slightly more convoluted plots of Nausicaa of the Valley of the
Wind and Castle in the Sky, that's not a bad thing. My Neighbor Totoro is
more concerned with evoking a specific nostalgia for a long-lost time and place
that perhaps never existed and celebrates the joy of childhood and imagination.
Sure, it doesn’t make for the most thrilling movie-watching experience, but it
doesn’t need to thrill in order to be enthralling. The animation is gorgeous as
always; Totoro and the Cat Bus are such unique characters, proving once again
that Miyazaki’s imagination has no equal and the two main characters’
mannerisms are absolutely adorable and incredibly life-like.
The general carefree nature of the story and its wonderful
characters make it the best film in Miyazaki’s career up to this point.
Castle in the Sky is an improvement over its predecessor Nausicaa
of the Valley of the Wind in nearly every way. The animation is more
sophisticated and imaginative; the characters are more likable and their
relationships with one another are better developed and more compelling; the
plot is more complex without becoming too convoluted. It’s another fine work
from the master of Japanese animation.
The main storyline follows Sheeta, a girl with a mysterious
past and a magical pendant that gives the power of flight when the need is
dire. After falling from an airship and floating unconscious to the ground, she
meets Pazu, a boy with a penchant for adventure, whose father was obsessed with
a mystery involving the floating kingdom Laputa. Despite the fact that no one
believes him, Pazu is certain this magical castle exists. Together, he and
Sheeta will become involved in a plot to find Laputa and save it from a band of
soldiers and their ruthless leader Colonel Muska who will stop at nothing to
rule over Laputa, using its magnificent powers to dominate the world.
The first time I saw Castle in the Sky, it was courtesy of a
friend who let me borrow his VHS copy when I was in high school. I still wasn’t
incredibly familiar with Miyazaki’s works (I’d seen and loved Princess
Mononoke, but that was it), but I enjoyed it regardless. The more I watch it,
the more I love it. Its first half is more of a straightforward action movie
with fun characters, chase scenes and shootouts. The second half of the film delves
a bit more into the mystery of the floating city Laputa and it’s in these
scenes that Miyazaki’s aesthetic really shines. The floating island of Laputa
and the mysteries it holds make for some unforgettable imagery, some of the
most memorable Studio Ghibli has ever produced. I especially love the giant
stone robots which seemed to be pulled straight from the Max Fleischer Superman
cartoons. They’re rather spectacular.
Castle in the Sky isn’t my favorite work of Miyazaki’s but
it still stands head and shoulders above other animated features as an imaginative
and immensely entertaining piece of work.
To celebrate the release of legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's
final film The Wind Rises this weekend, I will be writing reviews for
all of his films. (With the exception of Lupin the Third: The Castle of
Cagliostro, which I unfortunately do not have access to) I will try to
release at least one or two per day in the days leading up to the film's
release on Friday, February 28th. I hope you enjoy!
Despite the fact that it is preceded by The Castle of
Cagliostro, the general consensus labels Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind as
Hayao Miyazaki’s first ‘official’ feature. (Probably because The Castle of
Cagliostro was an adaptation of a manga created by someone else) Many of the
characteristics that would become staples of his later films are already on
display here. You’ve got a strong female protagonist, a commentary on the
importance of living in harmony with nature, fantastical flying machines, etc.
And while Nausicaa shows Miyazaki still finding his way as a storyteller, it is
still a successful and highly enjoyable effort.
It’s been a thousand years since the catastrophic event known
as the Seven Days of Fire wiped out all life on earth, leaving a vast Toxic
Jungle in its wake. Poisonous spores in the Toxic Jungle make human life
without the assistance of breathing apparatuses impossible, but there are
settlements established in which human beings can live free of these spores.
Nausicaa is the princess of one such settlement – The Valley of the Wind. She spends much of
her time researching the Toxic Jungle in the hopes of finding a cure for the
poisons that threaten humanity. She also has a rare ability to commune with the
strange creatures of the forest, including a species known as Ohm. (Think of
ginormous roly-poly’s with dozens upon dozens of glowing blue orbs/eyes on
their bodies) Despite her attempts to convince her people to live in harmony
with the jungle, many feel it would be a better course of action to destroy it
entirely and rid the world of the poisonous spores and creatures that inhabit
it. Things take a turn for the worse when Nausicaa becomes involved in a plot
to revive one of the powerful beings that brought about the Seven Days of Fire.
It becomes clear that she alone holds the key to stopping this plan and saving
not just her own people but the creatures of the Jungle as well.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind’s animation isn't as polished as Miyazaki's later features, which isn’t much of a surprise considering it was made in the
early 80’s when Japanese animation was still finding its way. Despite this, it
still carries that transcendent Miyazaki style, which he would continue to
develop over the years. Even this early on in his career his imagination fires
on all cylinders; his designs are so spectacular and unique. The Ohm in
particular are fascinating creatures and I loved the different airship/flying
machine designs. Miyazaki’s outspoken view on the destructive nature of mankind
and our ability to overcome it is on full display here and would end up
appearing in practically every other film he made during his illustrious
career. Although the characters in Nausicaa aren’t quite as sophisticated as
the characters in Miyazaki’s later works and the storyline is a bit simplistic,
it is still a superb piece of animated cinema and well worth a look for any fan
of Miyazaki or animation in general.
I’ll cut right to the chase: I loved The Lego Movie. It’s
wonderful in every sense of the word. We’re only two months into 2014 and
already we have a front runner for one of the best pictures of the year. I’d
even go so far as to say that if I were to compile a list of my top ten
animated features of the past ten years, The Lego Movie has a very strong
chance of ranking near the top. It’s charming, intelligent, inventive,
consistently hilarious and, to top it all off, it’s got a great deal of heart. In
other words, it’s everything I’d ever want from a movie going experience and I
couldn’t be happier it found its way to the big screen.
Its main story follows a construction worker named Emmet who
lives in a totally rigid society. (And not just because everything is made of
building blocks) Everyone follows pre-established rules and guidelines which
dictate exactly how they should be living their lives. No one dares stray from
them because, well, why would you? One fateful day, Emmet stumbles upon a magic
block called the Piece of Resistance, which fuses itself to his body. It turns
out this device is the only thing that can stop the dastardly ruler President
Business from destroying all Lego life as we know it and it’s up to Emmet and a
small band of heroes to save the day!
From start to finish, The Lego Movie seems like the kind of
unhinged fever dream that only a ten-year-old could dream up. If this sounds
like a backhanded comment, it’s certainly not intended as such; this is what
happens when brilliant imaginations are unleashed, freed from any restraints or
insecurities that might hinder them. And the imaginations of writers Dan
Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller truly are brilliant in
every possible sense of the word. They have crafted a remarkable screenplay
that captures the essence of what makes these little building blocks so very special.
Their script is refreshingly intelligent too. It’s packed with great humor,
great characters and even a thoughtful social commentary. Sometimes they get a
bit carried away in their fast-paced zaniness, but for the most part it all
works splendidly.
The animation here is quite a sight to behold. It appears to
be a seamless combination of computer generated techniques and stop-motion
animation, which makes for a unique aesthetic that’s quite unlike anything I’ve
seen before. It makes for some rather exciting action sequences that blow away
practically everything I saw in any action movie released last year.
The voice casting is sheer perfection as well with the likes
of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Charlie Day and Will Ferrell,
amongst others, filling in the ranks. It’s quite a knockout ensemble and each actor
instills their characters with immense amounts of charm. Additionally, whoever
decided to cast Will Arnett as Batman should be given a large medal and a solid
handshake/pat on the back; I’d pay good money to see Arnett take on the Bat-Mantle
any day of the week.
CONSENSUS: The Lego Movie is a colorful, imaginative roller
coaster ride of non-stop fun and excitement. It hits all the perfect beats of
family-friendly entertainment while offering more layers than your standard
kiddie-fare. (And even some standard adult-fare, for that matter) Its zany
antics are occasionally exhausting but its immense levels of charm keep the
picture soaring. We may still have plenty of movies to go this year, but I
sincerely doubt many of them will reach this level of excellence. FINAL RATING: 4.5/5
And here it is, as promised, my personal ranking of the Beatles albums. I hope you enjoy!!
13. YELLOW SUBMARINE (1969):
Okay, it's standard procedure to include this in the pantheon of Beatles records, but everyone knows it doesn't really count. After all, it only included three or four new compositions from the boys who were far too busy working on their self-titled release to be bothered. Half of the tracks on the first half are pulled from previous releases and the second half is George Martin's score for the animated film. Considering all this, it should come as no surprise that it's my least favorite of the Beatles' albums. I think I've listened to it all the way through once in my entire life and I have no strong desire to revisit it any time soon.
12. LET IT BE (1970):
On which the Beatles finally proved they were just as fallible as anyone else. Let It Be has a few lasting classics, but for the most part the album functions mostly as a reflection of the troubled times that spawned it. The Beatles were completely exhausted and fed up with each other and you can almost feel the tension in the room when you listen to the album. Though it was officially released in 1970 as their 'final' album, it was recorded between The Beatles (White Album) and Abbey Road. Paul was the one who came up with the concept behind Let It Be: The Beatles were going to get back to their roots, forgoing all the studio experimentation that had made them studio innovators with more focus on performing together as a single unit again. The project, originally titled Get Back, would be recorded live as they performed the album from beginning to end. Simultaneously, a documentary film crew would capture their journey from conceptualization to implementation, climaxing with the planned triumph of their live show.
Sadly, the idea was doomed from the start due to the already high tensions between the four band members and it ended being the final straw that broke the camel's back. Instead of documenting the Beatles succeeding in every one of their creative endeavors, the film Let It Be and its album ended up showing the process of a band's break up. The recording atmosphere was extremely tense and uncomfortable for everyone involved, a miserable time for all. The band abandoned the project and it wouldn't see the light of day until it was released in 1970 after their triumphant finale Abbey Road.
Even in their darkest hour, though, the Beatles managed to craft some true gems such as 'Get Back,' 'The Long and Winding Road,' 'Across the Universe' and the title track. Unfortunately, Phil Spector's production on certain tracks is overwrought and obnoxious, ignoring the sparse arrangements McCartney had originally envisioned for the project. Spector fills the empty spaces on 'The Long and Winding Road,' 'Across the Universe' and 'Let It Be' with overtly sentimental orchestral arrangements that dilute the final products tremendously.
Years later, McCartney would oversee the production of 'Let It Be...Naked,' a vastly superior effort that forgoes the use of Spector's bombastic 'Wall of Sound' production for the sparser arrangements that the original recordings had been striving for. The sequencing of the tracks is a huge improvement as well and the inclusion of 'Don't Let Me Down,' one of the finest songs the Beatles ever made adds a missing piece that makes the overall picture all the more satisfying.
11. BEATLES FOR SALE (1964):
Both Beatles for Sale and Let It Be were recorded under similar circumstances: They both find the Beatles at a point of physical and emotional exhaustion. But while Let It Be was the result of a band who was fed up being together, Beatles for Sale finds the Fab Four exhausted by external forces and a grueling schedule comprised of non-stop touring, music recording, television appearances, screaming fans and, just to balance everything out, starring in a feature film. Needless to say, the Beatles were beginning to feel the strain of fame and after the huge creative output that resulted in one of their best records to this point in their career (A Hard Day's Night), it's no surprise that they stumbled a bit with this follow up.
Now, I don't mean to make it sound as if Beatles for Sale is a bad album; a 'bad' Beatles album is still better than the majority of the crap being released under the guise of music these days. It's just a bit disappointing compared to its predecessors. That being said, Beatles for Sale is fascinating simply because it shows a major shift in the songwriting stylings of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Instead of upbeat compositions such as 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand,' we've got songs like 'I'm a Loser' and 'Baby's in Black.' If you couldn't figure it out from the song titles, these tunes take on a more negative, pessimistic tone than anything the band had previously recorded. Just take a looksee at the lyrics of 'I'm a Loser':
Although I laugh and I act like a clown Beneath this mask I am wearing a frown My tears are falling like rain from the sky Is it for her or myself that I cry?
CHORUS: I'm a loser And I lost someone who's near to me I'm a loser And I'm not what I appear to be
Not exactly 'She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!' is it? Lennon cites Bob Dylan as a major influence on this period in his songwriting and you can definitely pick up on that. The first three songs on the album: 'No Reply,' 'I'm a Loser' and 'Baby's in Black' take on a folky, morose tone the likes of which the Beatles hadn't really exhibited before. Following this Self-Pity Trilogy is their cover of Chuck Berry's 'Rock and Roll Music,' which gives the impression that they were still a bit uncomfortable with the more introspective songwriting that would shape their later works and felt the need to retreat back to their more upbeat repertoire.
The rest of the album, most of which consists of rockin' covers, takes on this more upbeat vibe. 'Kansas City (Hey Hey Hey)' is definitely the highlight here, as is Lennon's composition 'Eight Days a Week.' Lennon was never a big fan of the song and sure its lyrics are nothing to write home about, but it's catchy and irresistible. Strangely enough, Lennon is a bigger fan of his cover of 'Mr. Moonlight,' which many Beatles fans find to be one of the worst songs the Beatles ever recorded. (It's really not that bad. At all) The remaining songs on the album aren't particularly spectacular, but solid overall, making Beatles for Sale one of the more uneven efforts in the Beatles' catalogue.
10. WITH THE BEATLES (1963):
Very little can top the Beatles' debut album Please Please me as far as pure energy goes, but the boys decided to give it their best show anyway with their follow-up record With the Beatles. (Released only eight months after their debut) Its opening track 'It Won't Be Long' kicks things off in grand fashion. The songwriting of Lennon and McCartney was coming along nicely at this point as proven by the likes of 'All I've Got to Do,' 'All My Loving,' 'Hold Me Tight' and 'I Wanna Be Your Man.' Even Harrison got a chance to show off his blossoming skills with his first songwriting effort to be featured on a Beatles album 'Don't Bother Me.' Their covers are top-notch as well, with the standout being McCartney's take on Meredith Wilson's 'Till There Was You.' Other covers such as 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'You Really Got a Hold on Me' are pretty good too, but don't quite match up with the original compositions of Lennon/McCartney on display.
When you put it up against its predecessor Please Please Me, With the Beatles doesn't quite match up song for song; the energy levels just aren't as consistent. But it's a more than worthy follow up and a strong indication that John, Paul, George and Ringo had a very promising career ahead of them.
9. PLEASE PLEASE ME (1963)
'One, two, three, FAH!!!' So begins one of the best opening tracks of what could arguably the best debut album of all time. And just try to NOT tap your feet as you listen to 'I Saw Her Standing There,' I dare you! Okay, if you really tried, you could do it, but you'd have to put forth a whole lot of effort.
Recorded in a single 12-hour session, Please Please Me is non-stop fun from this total blast of an opening to its spectacular, rip-roaring closer 'Twist & Shout.' Sandwiched between these two tracks are some of the most energetic and carefree tunes the Beatles ever recorded. What's really impressive is that even at this early stage in their careers, Lennon and McCartney were already churning out original songs left and right. Songs like 'Ask Me Why,' 'Please Please Me' and 'Love Me Do' are not only supremely catch, they showcase the advent of the duo's abilities to craft impeccable pop songs. This was a time when not many bands were writing their own material, so the fact that the Beatles were writing songs that could hold their own with the most popular tunes of the day and age is pretty impressive. Their covers of songs like 'Misery,' 'Anna (Go to Him),' 'Chains' and 'Boys' are also excellent and give a great indication of just how tight the boys were as a band. Very few albums are this consistently enjoyable.
8. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964):
A Hard Day's Night was the second Beatles album I listened to after being totally blown away by Rubber Soul and it cemented my obsession with the band once and for all. It was the first album the Beatles released that featured all original songs coined by Lennon/McCartney and they're all fantastic, showcasing the blossoming talents of the songwriting duo.This album and the classic film that accompanied it have come to represent the epitome of Beatlemania and both flawlessly encompass all the things that made the Beatles so amazing at this early stage in their careers: Great haircuts, great style, great humor and, above all, great songs. In fact, the music here bests everything they'd done on their first two albums Please Please Me and With the Beatles.
The first half of the album, comprised of songs which actually appear in the film, is perfection. 'I Should've Known Better,' 'If I Fell in Love with You,' 'I'm Happy Just to Dance with You,' 'Can't Buy Me Love' - These are all instant classics. The second half is a bit slower paced and the songs aren't quite as memorable, but they're still fun. If you're looking for a good entry point to start exploring this amazing band, you'd be hard-pressed to do much better than this one.
7. HELP! (1965):
A Hard Day's Night may be the better movie, but I'm of the opinion that the soundtrack for the Beatles' second movie Help! is slightly superior to its predecessor. The movie itself is a bit too madcap for my liking, which isn't much of a surprise considering the Beatles were stoned out of their minds for the majority of the film shoot. It makes for a rather incoherent viewing experience, but its soundtrack shows the band in fine musical form.
The title track is a superb piece of work and a genuine cry for help from Lennon disguised as another one of the band's upbeat pop tunes. Dylan's influence continues to show itself with outstanding tracks such as Lennon's 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away.' 'I Need You' and 'Ticket to Ride' are also superb, but it's McCartney's work that may take the cake here, especially the back-to-back triumphs of 'I've Just Seen a Face' and 'Yesterday.' 'I've Just Seen a Face' perfectly captures the feeling of elation that comes with love at first sight; it's one of the most joyous love songs ever written. 'Yesterday,' on the other hand, focuses on the bitter end of a love and features Paul strumming away on an acoustic guitar, a major departure from the band's more rockin' stylings and a major indication of the new musical directions they were exploring.
Not every track on Help! is as successful as the ones listed above, though. The first few tracks on the second half of the album ('It's Only Love,' 'You Like Me Too Much' and 'Tell Me What You See') are a bit lazy both lyrically and musically. It's as if Paul and John were still biding their time before delving into the more serious songwriting that would show up on their next album Rubber Soul.
Despite these slight misfires, Help! is yet another excellent effort from the group and the bridge between their more innocent lovey-dovey tunes and the innovative masterpieces that would follow.
6. MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (1967):
Like A Hard Day's Night, Help! and Yellow Submarine, Magical Mystery Tour is the soundtrack to a film of the same name. Unlike those films though, Magical Mystery Tour is much more experimental with occasionally fascinating, but mostly awful results. The soundtrack album however is yet another knockout effort from the band.
It's a bit more scattershot and less coherent than Sgt. Pepper's and a lot of this is due to the fact that most of the songs which make up the second half of the album were previously released as singles and not intended to be part of a 'larger picture.' Despite this, the songs are so amazing that they more than make up for the overall lack of cohesion. You've got underrated masterpieces like 'The Fool on the Hill' and 'Your Mother Should Know' paired up with undisputed masterworks such as 'I Am the Walrus,' 'Hello Goodbye,' 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'All You Need is Love.' (The last of which was recorded during a live broadcast in a single take. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself) There are also a couple of really bizarre tunes like 'Flying' and 'Blue Jay Way,' which are quite unlike anything else the Beatles ever recorded. Harrison's 'Blue Jay Way' is particularly fascinating and quite possibly the creepiest song the Beatles ever made this side of 'Revolution 9.'
Lennon has cited Magical Mystery Tour as his personal favorite of the Beatles' discography for being so weird and to this day it continues to maintain its reputation as the Beatles' trippiest album.
5. ABBEY ROAD (1969)
Even though it was released prior to Let It Be, Abbey Road was actually the last time the Beatles ever recorded together as a band and it is everything that Let It Be isn't: Inspired, energetic and unbelievably brilliant from start to finish. The fact that the Beatles managed to record an album this amazing after recording its underwhelming predecessor is nothing short of a small miracle. That it includes some of the best songs the band ever recorded in their entire career is an even bigger one. From its opening track, the revolution-prompting 'Come Together' to Harrison's masterpieces 'Something' and 'Here Comes the Sun' all the way to the stunning medley that closes out the album and the entire Beatles legend, everything here is sheer perfection as only the Beatles could produce.
Feeling that this would indeed be the last time they worked together as a group, John, Paul, George and Ringo left their egos at the door and did their utmost to ensure their final effort would be a winner. It emerges as one of their most spectacular efforts and it is arguably the best album they ever produced. No other band on this good, green earth can lay claim to such an outstanding swan song.
4. THE BEATLES (WHITE ALBUM) (1968):
The Beatles (White Album) is a massive, sprawling epic, oft imitated but never matched. Compared to the clean, concise sequencing of its predecessors Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour, it's something of a garbled mess. It's a bit ironic considering both Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour's album covers are packed to the brim with color and creativity and this album's cover is totally blank because its contents may be even more sporadic and creative than those two albums combined.
At this point in the lifespan of the Beatles, the band members were each spiraling into their own artistic directions, directions which would frequently crash with one another's. Ringo got so fed up at one point, he quit the band for a short period of time. (Paul actually plays drums on 'Back in the USSR' and 'Dear Prudence,' two of the album's best tracks) Nearly every song on this double album was more of a solo effort than a collaborative one and it contributes to the overall lack of cohesion. But the messiness is part of what makes this album so bloody brilliant. It's expansive and raw, featuring multiple genres no matter how goofy they might be. Every single idea was thrown against the wall and even the ones that didn't stick were shoved onto the album anyway. Even the more baffling tracks like 'Glass Onion,' 'Wild Honey Pie,' 'Piggies,' 'Why Don't We Do It in the Road?' and the infamous 'Revolution 9' (Amongst others) are integral pieces of the puzzle.
Although there are a number of indisputable masterworks on the album, ('While My Guitar Gently Weeps,' 'Happiness is a Warm Gun,' 'Helter Skelter,' etc.) I find my favor leaning towards the lesser-known works such as 'Martha My Dear,' 'Rocky Raccoon,' 'I Will,' 'Julia,' 'Honey Pie,' 'Cry Baby Cry' and the album closer 'Good Night.' There's something really beautiful about the simplicity of these songs and their modest, charming natures.
To this day, The Beatles (White Album) has a tendency to split the band's fanbase down the middle, but there can be no question as to its status as yet another integral masterpiece in the band's discography.
3. SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (1967):
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is, to put it in cinematic terms, the Citizen Kane of rock albums. It blew the doors wide open on what the limits and expectations of a popular album could be and completely changed the way music was made forever and ever, amen. Prior to its release, 'serious' music aficionados didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to rock music. Sgt. Pepper's singlehandedly proved the genre could be taken seriously as an artform. You'll find it near the top of every 'Greatest Albums of All Time' list and for good reason: From the album artwork to the sequencing of the songs, everything about it is revelatory.
Nothing can quite match up to the opening one-two punch of the opening tracks 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and 'With a Little Help from My Friends.' 'Getting Better,' 'Fixing a Hole,' 'She's Leaving Home' and 'Lovely Rita' are other highlights. Then, to top everything off, the album closes with what is arguably the very best Beatles song: 'A Day in the Life.' If you haven't heard it, I strongly suggest you do so immediately; it represents the peak of the Beatles' creativity and contains some of the best writing John and Paul ever did together.
It's funny, though; despite its status as a bonafide masterpiece, John, George and Ringo weren't the biggest fans of the record. Harrison and Starr in particular felt a bit on the sidelines during its production due to the fact that it was more of a studio-focused effort as opposed to their 'live performance' works in the past. Starr was quoted as saying he had so much free time during its recording, he learned how to play chess.
Many folks these days seem to take great pleasure in labeling Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as an overrated effort; anything that's labeled as 'the greatest' in any category opens itself up to undue criticism. But, at the end of the day, it's pretty much impossible to overstate its contribution to music. So many common practices in regards to making music these days were instigated by Sgt. Pepper's. And while I'd argue that the Beatles made better albums, almost nothing comes close to the level of pure, unhinged creativity that Sgt. Pepper's represents. Its status continues to stand undiminished and will do so for many, many years to come.
2. REVOLVER (1966):
George Harrison stated once that the recordings for Rubber Soul and Revolver were so intermingled he felt that Revolver was just Volume 2 to Rubber Soul's Volume 1. Listening to Revolver, it's not terribly difficult to understand his outlook. Both albums represent huge creative strides for the Beatles, both lyrically and musically. As on its predecessor, Revolver sees the band taking big steps in terms of lyrical content, but there's also a stronger focus on musical innovation this time around.
That's not to say the songwriting take a backseat to the techniques though; there are some amazing songs here, from McCartney in particular. 'Eleanor Rigby,' 'Here, There and Everywhere' and 'For No One are easily some of the very best songs ever recorded and in them McCartney finally fulfills the promise he showed with his low-key masterpiece 'Yesterday.' Not all of his contributions are of the morose variety though. 'Good Day Sunshine' and 'Got To Get You Into My Life' are two of the most upbeat songs the Beatles ever recorded.
Lennon's efforts here are less memorable than McCartney's with the exception of 'I'm Only Sleeping' and Revolver's final revolutionary track 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' The latter song, at only 3 minutes long, contains more ideas and innovations than most full albums. It's even more stunning that something that groundbreaking was created in 1966 when the technology available in a recording studio was so primitive. Harrison also makes a big breakthrough in his songwriting with 'Taxman,' a song so great that even Lennon and McCartney agreed it should be the one to kick off the album. 'Love You To' is another fascinating work, which showcases Harrison's new found interest in Indian music and his expanding musical horizons.
The final result is yet another perfect album and in the running for the very best ever made - Further evidence that the Beatles' genius knew no bounds.
1. RUBBER SOUL (1965):
"We come to it at last. The great album of our time..."
This is it. This is the one that singlehandedly turned me into a massive Beatles fan and started me down the path of listening to music in a whole new way. At this point in the band's career, the Beatles had made a definitive switch from focusing on more simplistic songwriting and had begun delving into more complex material.
The Fab Four were heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and marijuana. As evidenced by the music on this album, this is clearly a winning combination. There's a lot more focus on acoustic-driven numbers and the jangling guitars that gave the Byrds their unique sound. (A sound which was evidently inspired by George Harrison's work on A Hard Day's Night) The biggest acoustic standout is 'Norwegian Wood,' which is my favorite Beatles song and one of Lennon's finest compositions. Lennon made some major strides with this record. His work on 'Nowhere Man' and 'In My Life' is truly extraordinary. 'In My Life' invokes the pain of growing older and saying farewell to friends/events of the past in splendid fashion. On the flipside of things, 'Nowhere Man' discovers the same character attempting to find himself in the wake of being a 'grown up' and not having much luck. Another Lennon masterpiece 'Girl' finds his love song writing abilities still intact but with a more mature, pessimistic outlook that would become a staple of his later efforts.
McCartney is still primarily focused on simpler love songs such as 'You Won't See Me,' 'Michelle' and my personal favorite 'I'm Looking Through You.' His contributions offer the perfect counter-balance to Lennon's more introspective work here, further emphasizing the duo's status as the perfect Yin/Yang of songwriting. Harrison throws a couple of good ones into the mix as well with 'Think for Yourself' and 'If I Needed Someone.' Of the two, the former comes the closest to the brilliance of the Lennon/McCartney tunes here.
Everything gels flawlessly to make Rubber Soul one of the single greatest albums of all time and arguably the best in the Beatles catalogue. Not a single song is out of place; it's literally perfect. And before you judge me for using two of the most hackneyed and abused words in the English language, just know that in this particular case, their uses are totally justified.
So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen!! I hope you enjoyed my ramblings. Have a wonderful day!!
I was never a big fan of the Beatles growing up. I can’t
quite explain it, but I think my bias against them was largely due to the fact
that I was a big fan of the Beach Boys when I was younger. One day while we
were listening to the Beach Boys on a road trip, my mother explained to me that the Beach Boys were really popular in her day, but they were never quite as popular as The Beatles. Since the only music I’d listened
to up to this point in my life was a greatest hits collection of the Beach
Boys, I became convinced that there was no way in hell the Beatles could
possibly be a better band. Plus, what kind of a name was ‘Beatles’ anyway?
It didn’t paint a very flattering picture. When I finally heard their music, it
did nothing to recruit me to the cause. I listened to all the pop hits like ‘Love
Me Do,’ ‘She Loves You,’ ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ but
nothing struck a chord with me. Girls were icky, after all, so why would I
enjoy listening to songs about trying to hold their hands? I’d take surfing
over love any day of the week!
My general disdain for anything related to the Beatles
continued through my high school years and even after I graduated. By this
point, more of their tunes had made their way into my general knowledge: Songs
like ‘Blackbird,’ ‘Come Together,’ ‘Let it Be,’ ‘Help!’ ‘In My Life’ and many
other well-known hits. Right before I left home for my first year at college, a
close friend of mine, Ricky, became a massive fan of the group. In the summer
leading up to my departure, he would take any and every opportunity to remind
me that they were the ‘greatest band of all time.’ It became an indisputable
certainty and it started to wear on my nerves. I understood I was in the
minority and that the general consensus was the Beatles were the best, but why
did everyone just accept it matter-of-factly? Wasn’t it possible that everyone
else was wrong and I was the only sane person left in the universe? I became
even more firm in my resolve that the Beatles were overrated. It became less
about the quality of the band itself and more about proving I was ‘different’
by not being totally enamored with them.
“Give me Talking Heads over the Beatles any day of the
week!” I’d declare. “Their songs are waaaaay more unique and interesting!! They’re
just one of so many other bands out there that are way better than the
Beatles.”
Ricky would counter this feeble argument with: “Well, you
haven’t really listened to the Beatles, so how would you know?”
As much as I hated to admit it, I knew he was right. I
hadn’t really given them the time of day. But, I didn’t need to, did I? I’d
heard all their greatest hits and nothing had really impressed me. What else
could there possibly be?
The opportunity to delve a bit more into their music came
around the time Julie Taymor’s film Across the Universe came out in fall 2007. There
was a resurgence of Beatles love amongst my friends, which only served to
irritate me further. They would use the days leading up to the release of the film
as an excuse to remind me that I was silly for not liking the band and I would
cross my arms and pout that the Beatles didn’t understand me nearly as well as
Coldplay did. I felt a little twinge of satisfaction when the film ended up being a
critical and financial failure.
“Ha-ha!” I thought to myself. “That’ll show ‘em!!"
But even I had to admit that the visuals in the trailers for
the movie were intriguing enough to pique my interest, so I took the girl I was
dating at the time to see it. The movie was a colossal bore, chock full of
overindulgent, mind numbing imagery, but I heard many, many Beatles songs for
the very first time. Songs like ‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’ ‘Dear Prudence,’
‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’ and even ‘I Am the Walrus’ had escaped my listening
grasp prior to this (Crazy, right?) and they impressed me enough that I decided
I’d give the Beatles another chance.
So, I downloaded some of the songs I'd heard in the film and a few of their more popular
singles and gave it another shot. And this time I really, really tried to get
into them. I listened to those 9-10 songs ad nauseum and tried ever so hard to
enjoy what I was hearing.
But, it still just wasn’t working for me. The music just
didn’t speak to me in any way. I sighed in defeat; at least no one could say I
hadn’t tried to embrace the Beatles now. I suppose I’d just have to live the
rest of my life never understanding their overwhelming appeal.
Flash forward a few months. It was Martin Luther King Jr.
weekend, 2008. I had a three-day weekend and decided to come home to Sterling,
Virginia. After being home for a grand total of maybe five hours, my best
friend Dewey and I got the grand idea to visit a girl I had an enormous crush
on who was currently going to school at Penn State. We would stay with the girl
Dewey was dating at the time, who also happened to be taking classes there. We
drove through the night up the long and winding roads that spiraled around the
mountains leading up to the campus. We arrived at three in the morning and
parked in a concrete garage, met up with Dewey’s girlfriend and crashed in her
dorm room for a grand total of two or three hours, all piled in the same bed with
barely any room to think, let alone sleep.
The majority of our time at Penn State involved me
desperately attempting to track down the girl I fancied and failing miserably
due to her elusive nature. The plus side was that we got to wander all around
the beautiful mountain-top campus while a light snow fell from the perpetually
grey sky. Late in the afternoon, the girl I desperately wanted to see finally got in contact with me
and invited us to a party at her friend’s place later that night.
Long story short, I got to see her and made a bunch of new
friends along the way. When Dewey and I departed after the festivities, I was
elated. I’d gotten to see the girl I was hopelessly in love with and I’d gotten
another great road trip with my friend! Spirits were high in the car on the
drive back home and Dewey, in control of the music as he was the driver, played
an album on his iPod that would forever change my life. That album was Rubber
Soul and it was the album that would transform me from being totally
indifferent to the Beatles to being a wildly obsessive fan, not unlike the
millions of screaming teenage girls who showed up to every one of their live
performances.
The opening guitar of the song ‘Drive My Car’ blared from
the speakers and I was immediately enamored with what I was hearing. About
halfway through the song, I asked Dewey, “Who is this band?? They’re great!”
Dewey looked at me, his eyebrow raised to the heavens, and
said, “This? This is the Beatles…”
I was flabbergasted. I thought I’d heard everything there
was to hear by them! But, boy oh boy, was I wrong.
Song after song played and each one was even better than the
last. With the exception of ‘Girl’ and ‘In My Life’ I’d never heard any of the
songs and I was totally taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the album’s
greatness. I couldn’t believe that even after I’d listened to dozens and dozens of
their tunes, there was a whole album full of stuff I’d missed. How many more
albums full of songs I’d never heard before had the Beatles made?? (SPOILER ALERT: A lot.)
Dewey turned up the radio and said, “This one’s my
favorite.” The song that followed was ‘Nowhere Man’ and that was when I knew:
My time had finally come.
I was a Beatles convert.
What followed over the course of the next few months was
what I can only describe as my own personal version of Beatlemania. A friend of
mine gave me all their music to listen to and I removed all the songs on my
dinky 4 GB iPod to make room for every last track of their extensive
discography. I listened to nothing but the Beatles for literally two to three
months straight; I found the 1964 Richard Lester classic A Hard Day’s Night on
YouTube and watched it from beginning to end and then convinced my dad to buy
me the movie Help! as a present not too long after. Then, even better than both of these,
I found a YouTube channel that had every single episode of the spectacular
Beatles Anthology documentary and watched that in the span of a week.
Everything in my life was devoted to absorbing their history and their
brilliant, brilliant music.
As I studied the Beatles and began to comprehend the
enormous effect and influence they had on the music industry – Not only the way
it was made, but the way it was packaged and sold – my feeble brain experienced
a massive revolution. Suddenly, I began to respect the album as a single
artistic statement in a way I never had before. It no longer sufficed to listen
to a single song or just a greatest hits album from a classic band. I needed
the ENTIRE discography in order to paint a sufficient picture of their talents
and understand what they were trying to convey with their music.
I scoured every single ‘Greatest Albums of All Time’ list to
discover what other bands and albums I’d been missing out on. This lead me to
discovering the brilliance of Bob Dylan, who was a major influence on Beatles
and is perhaps the greatest singer/songwriter of all time. From there, I went
on to discover the genius of other musicians and bands whose music I’d either
ignored in the past or never had the pleasure of really delving into and
exploring, bands such as Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Joy Division, New
Order, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, The Flaming Lips, Television, Marvin
Gaye, the Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Tom Petty, Pink
Floyd, The Pixies, Simon & Garfunkel, R.E.M., Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, The
Band, and literally hundreds and hundreds of others. In the same way the
Beatles had revolutionized what popular music could be, they’d totally
revolutionized the way I listened to music and allowed me to appreciate the art
form in a whole new way. Listening to music and discovering new bands/musicians
whether from the past or present became a massive obsession and I have the
Beatles to thank for that.
Everything came full circle one day when I was driving to my
friend Ricky’s house. (Ricky being the friend I mentioned early who was totally
obsessed with the Beatles) At this point, my Beatles obsession had only just
begun, but was already in full swing. I decided to give their seventh album
Revolver a spin and was totally blown away by it. I walked into Ricky’s house
and told him that I’d just been listening to Revolver in the car.
“And I want you to know were right. The Beatles really are
the greatest band of all time."
His brother Adam just looked at me blankly and said, “What
took you so long?”
All I could think to say was, "All my life, I was only waiting for this moment to arrive."
Discovering the Beatles, listening to each and every one of
their albums one-by-one, is to this day the single most rewarding
music-listening experience I’ve ever had in my entire life and I will always cherish it. It is something that any self-respecting music fan
should try at least once in their life. You owe it to yourself to be immersed in the greatest music on any side of the Mississippi. Trust me, you won’t be sorry.
So here we are now coming up on the 50th anniversary of the Fab Four's first visit to America (February 7th) and their legendary first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. (February 9th) This also happens to be the 6th anniversary of
the year I first fell in love with them. To celebrate, I’ve decided to compile
a list ranking their albums from best to worst, though really there isn’t a 'worst' Beatles album. Maybe a better way to describe it would be from
‘best’ to ‘least best.’ Since these ramblings went on far longer than I
originally thought they would, I’ll be posting my list as a separate entry on
my blog. Keep your eyes peeled!!! It should be up soon.
Until then, sleep, pretty darling, do not cry. And I will
sing a lullaby.
