It's no coincidence that the first volume of the Beatles Anthology CD set was released the same time as the rise of popularity of Fab Four soundalike'90's band,Oasis.
Their main songrwriter and leader Noel Gallagher suffers a superiority complex,telling the English press that after merely two albums,his band have equalled the Beatles' standards.Gallagher compares his obsession with the Beatles to an "ideal for living," adding that he compares his songs to theirs. Oasis performs a nine minute version of their surreal 1967 classic "I Am The Walrus" (with the audience singing along to the "Goo-goo-a-joob" refrain).
Apple Records wisely figured the Anthology would gain enough interest- and sales- for a possible return of Beatlemania, riding on the waves of soundalike band like Oasis and an overall increasing demand for nostalgia of the Swinging Sixties.
The Beatles-rhythm guitarist John Lennon,bassist PAul McCartney, lead guitarist George Harrison and drummer Ringo Starr comprise one of the most influential pop quartets of the 20th century.Perhaps the most durable asset about the group, whose history was exhaustively captured in the Anthology documentary aired last November on ABC,was the music's universal,cross-generational appeal.
The four band members,who hailed from Liverpool, charmed the press with their cutting wit,strong personalities and an edgy sense of fashion that earned headlines worldwide.
After years of their mushy "she loves you yeah yeah yeah" soft pop,the Fab Four chose to pursue different directions.The band,from 1965 through 1968 ditched the three guitars-and-drums formula,channeling their energies into recording introspective,intellectual songs.Their arrangements became more sophisticated on their Rubber Soul,Revolver,and Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band albums, incorporating classical quartets and electronic sound effects in rock music. This growth is captured in the latest installment of the Beatles Anthology Volume 2.
A fascinating segment on this album focuses on the making of the 1967 milestone Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.Though many of its songs seem quite dated today,it excellently captured the mood of that trippy colorful Summer of Love.Here,we get the three part evolution of Lennon's intriguing "Strawberry FIelds Forever," which was taped during the Sgt.Pepper sessions.
Volume 2's alternate takes and run-throughs of selections from the aforementioned classic mid-60's albums are worth the price of admission,though many premiered on bootlegs from the late 80's (and with arguably superior mixes). Some of the previously-unreleased versions of Rubber Soul and Revolver standouts are more experimental than their counterparts.The psychedelic,drug-influenced "Tomorrow Never Knows" from Revolver was an aural pill that was hard to swallow for their more conservative fans back in 1966 because of its backward tape loops and distorted fuzz guitar solo.The first take,as presented on ANthology,is permeated by a three-note repetitive guitar line resonating underneath a thundering,stomach-churning whooshing effect.
Some attacked the Beatles at tunes for over-producing with layers upon layers of instrumentation;Anthology proves them right.In the Indian flavored version of his 1968 ballad "Across The Universe," Lennon delivers a pure,hypnotic vocal that lends to the ephemeral quality to the poetic lyrics.The two acoustic guitars interplay beautifully against a droning tamboura, an Indian instrument.
Like the first Anthology,this set kicks off with a new "reunion" track produced by the three surviving Beatles."Real Love" is a slick,mid-tempo ballad which better captures the nostalgia of the band than the first reunion track,"Free As A Bird." "Real Love," which was constructed from a demo tape by Lennon shortly before his assassination in 1980,has a very catchy chorus and a fine slide guitar part from Harrison.
The last installment of the Anthology series,which will focus on the close of their career (1968-1970),is set to be released in early fall.This year may mark the return of the Beatles,though they have never left the world in the first place.
