Cheers, London!

Gill and I at our last pub

     I left London on December 18th, a Sunday. The last weekend I was there was full of nostalgia, friends, and lots of good food and drink (savoring all the things we don't have in America)! The day before that final weekend, the real and true end of the trip, Gill, her friend Andrea, and I went to a cool little piercing shop conveniently located right down the street from our school.We each got piercings, a little something that will always remind us of our adventure in London. I won't tell you about how big of a baby I was in that basement, it'll detract from the nostalgic nature of this story to have you all laughing at my completely unjustified terror.



    



The aforementioned super cool piercing shop

     Yesterday was the 6 week mark of that piercing, the day you are officially allowed to change the earring without the threat of your ear falling off or something equally terrible. I can hardly believe that I've been home for six weeks already. At the same, time it does feel like ages ago that I wandered the streets of Islington. I have been thinking a lot during this time about what I would say in this post, my final study abroad post. Truth is I still don't really know what to say but it's now or never.





The tube! Ok, it's still sort of exciting.



     I can't even begin to recount all of the wonderful experiences I had in the UK. I lived in my favorite author's neighborhood, I walked in the footsteps of my favorite band, and I studied amongst years and years of history. I made new friends, saw new places, an tried new things. Yet, in the midst of all the new, there was time enough to get comfortable. Even though new experiences big and small seem to come every day when you're abroad, three months is enough time to settle in and shed that initial feeling of being the outsider. I'll never forget the first time that a tourist asked me for directions.Apparently I looked the part of a local (though I surely never sounded the part)! What made the moment so memorable though, was the fact that I, normally quite directionally challenged, knew the area well enough to actually give the man directions! It is exciting whn riding the Tube stops being exciting and you start to know all the bus routes and stops by name and number. When you know the good, the bad, and the hilarious places to eat as well as all the pubs in your neighborhood (and when they are open). When there is practically a worn down track through the local Sainsbury's because you have your usual shopping list (and your friend's) down pat. When you consult the list of top attractions in the travel book and realize you've seen them all but your list of places to go and things to do still stretches on. When you watch an episode of Doctor Who ("Aliens in London" to be precise) and you have been to every location. When you ride Piccadilly line all the way out to Heathrow and you know what's above every station you stop at in central London. It is so thrilling to know a city as amazing as London on that level! 

     My flight back home was uneventful, a welcome relief after the horror show that was my flight out, but long. So LONG. A ten hour direct flight to San Fransisco and then 2 more hours home. Between airport time, time zones, and layovers I was up for a solid 24 hours with 12 of them actually in flight. I had no idea what day it was when I finally got to DIA! I must say, I think this trip has cured me of my air travel anxiety (mostly). I feel like there is nothing left that an airline can throw at me that I haven't seen before. Bring it on air travel!... *Except not really, I would like to keep the travel Gods on my side for any future travels. I didn't mean what I said just then. Please, bring it off!* 

     Coming home to my parents and my puppies was so great. It was like I had never left even though things had changed. How good it is to return to your home! There are so many things that I missed while I was away and I feel extra lucky to have around again! Lots and lots of things I miss now too. I never, never ever thought that I would love any place as much as I love Denver. I guess that's why I was taken so off guard when I began to feel more and more at home in Islington. Three months is the perfect amount of time to get to know a place and the perfect amount of time to be away on your own for the first time. Honestly though, it's barely enough to scratch the surface of all that London has to offer!

     There is so much more I could say about those amazing three months but I don't want to ramble any more than I already have. It was a time of many firsts for me; first solo plane ride, first time out of the America, first time living on my own. I honestly had no idea what to expect. Yet, somehow, it exceeded every expectation that I didn't seem to have. 

Damn, this one isn't the
TARDIS either!

     As Gill and I cleaned out our flats at Liberty Hall into the early hours of December 18th "Hello, Goodbye" by my dear Beatles came on. How perfect! I don't know why I had to say goodbye to London when I could be saying hello to all of the wonderful times it showed me, the memories created there, and hopefully a return trip. After searching all this time for the right words I guess I only needed one. This one: fantastic! Every last bit of it was just fantastic and I cannot believe how lucky I am to have had this experience.

    
    As for that earring, I didn't change it. Not just yet. For now I like knowing that I have a tiny bit of London on me at all times. Even if it is just a little post.

*One last fantastic thing: this is Gill's final study abroad post which is far better executed than mine and makes me cry every time I read it. I highly recommend it. Also, note her expert use of British spelling.... britalyzations? And this is a wee little bit from Emily's post of the same nature that uses her English major ways to make a point that I can't seem to. "It’s always strange to have an adventure come to an end . . . it really is like the end of a chapter   in a book. Even a section in a book (i.e. Part 1, Part 2 . . .), if it’s epic enough. It feels like there should be some kind of cliffhanger ending, some realization, some type of epic closure. But there rarely is. Things just careen right along without seeming to care that you want to pause for a minute and mull over the chapter before continuing on."



A fantastic impromptu photo of a

construction crew outside City U!

  

  



Living in The Beatles' World

     Everybody who knows me knows that I am a huge Beatles fan. My obsession seems to come in waves; one day I'm just a regular person who hums along to "Love Me Do" when it comes on my iPod shuffle and the next I'm sitting in between the full sized speakers of my parents' stereo in the dark while Abbey Road revolves merrily away at thirty-three and a third rotations per minute near by. I may also be crying a little at this point... Yeah, I'm that weird.

     The most common reaction I got when telling my friends and family that I had chosen London as my study abroad destination was something along the lines of, "Oh yeah, so you can see all the Beatles stuff?" No, that is not why I chose London, there were a lot of factors like language, school offerings, music department requirements, and such that went into the decision. The Beatles thing was just a major bonus!
    
     Of course, the destination at the top of my list of things to see and one of the very first places I went to see upon arriving here in London was Abbey Road Studios and the associated crosswalk, or zebra crossing as the Brits would say. Those were some of the greatest few minutes of my life. Honestly, there isn't much to see there anymore, it's really just another street, but just knowing that the men of the greatest band of all time have walked that very side walk is more than enough to put any true fan into a state of awed, nervous, twitchy, humbled amazement. Or maybe that was just me... Fellow Beatles fan Patrick Allegri sums up the feeling quite well in his article about Beatles attractions in London. 
     (You can read the full story of my trip to Abbey Road about halfway through this post, in case you missed it)

A shot that didn't get used for the cover

     Today I was able to get in another dose of Beatles when I went out to see one of the special UK screenings of Living in the Material World, a Martin Scorsese documentary about the quiet Beatle; George Harrison. Now, if you were to ask me every day for a year who my favorite Beatle is I'm positive you would get more than one answer but George Harrison would almost definitely be the answer you got most. That, combined with the fact that I just happen to be on a once in a lifetime trip to the UK at the time of this documentary's release meant that I had to do my best to see it!

     Although it may not seem like it from the content of these posts, I am in London mainly to go to school and as such I wasn't sure if I could fit a trip to the cinema into my schedule. The official premier was actually last night but I had a late class and the tickets were all sold out! Luckily, I discovered that one theatre was doing a slightly extended run of showings and after much planning and many visits to the London Transportation website I ordered two student tickets for Sarah and I to see a showing at the Ritzy Picture house. The movie was at 2:00 (although it didn't really start till 2:30) and I had class until 1:00. It was an estimated 29 minute tube ride and a 5 minute walk from the station to the theatre. With all of the planned maintenance going on in the tube system I knew I would be cutting it close. I spent the whole morning hoping that the tubes would be on my side just for today!

     I got out of class 10 minutes early and eagerly made my way to the nearest tube station and quickly found my route with the help of my beloved tube map iPhone app (I can't decide if I love the way that rhymes or if I hate it). As I was making my way down to my first train I came upon a group of people who had been stopped by a tube official and wouldn't you just know that Northern Line was closed down due to "passenger actions" (my theory is that someone didn't mind the gap and got their foot snapped off). Luckily, the transportation department staff members are all insanely knowledgeable about the tubes and since there was a major closure there were plenty of them on hand to help people rework their routes. One such lady directed me to get on the next train and take it to Victoria Station where I should change over to the Victoria line which would take me all the way to Brixton Station. And, joy of joys, about 25 minutes later I was in Brixton station with a solid 20 minutes before the movie started! What's more is that there were signs right outside the station pointing us to the theatre which turned out to be just down the street! Some how I had dodged Northern line's curve ball and made it in plenty of time!

     The cinema itself was adorable and auditorium 5 is like a small private screening room with a smaller than average screen but extra comfy, deluxe chairs! It was a very cozy place to settle in to enjoy the 4 hour documentary. The show was actually meant to be a 2 part HBO series but the screening showed both parts back to back with a mini intermission in between. It may be the Beatles bias talking or I could just be at a high point in a wave of adoration but I really enjoyed every moment of this documentary. And that is saying something coming from someone with a fairly strict 2 hour attention span who has never been a fan of documentaries. It was all very nicely crafted and had a natural flow to it with no obnoxious narrator, all the commentary came from interviews. I loved all of the obscure clips and photos of Harrison and The Beatles that made up most of the film, none of those that we have all seen a thousand times scattered around the internet. It was a lot of fun to watch all of this in the company of other Beatles fans and to hear them chuckling at the wry sense of humor the group infused into so many of their press conferences or off handed remarks from Harrison or any of the other interviewees (which include Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Dhanni Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr). I'm sure I wasn't the only one to tear up a bit at the end when Ringo wiped away a tear while recounting his last moments with George.

     All in all, I highly recommend you take the time to watch this film at least once. It gives such a well rounded and deep look into the life, death, and music of a truly inspired and great man. It is set to air on HBO in the US at some point in the very near future (tonight?) but given the time difference I really can't begin to tell you when so just check out the official page for info.

     I hope you enjoy it, I know I did!   

Weekend of Adventure!

     This is the story of last weekend, I'm sorry it's taken me a full week to finish it.

     After a week filled with hellacious travel, a wild goose chase of an orientation, and plenty of homesickness I was more than ready for a weekend of fun and that is exactly what my good friend Sarah, already a seasoned London study abroad-er, did for me!


Friday Night

     Sarah bravely rode the tube (that's the London underground) over to the stop in my neighborhood where I met her and took her back to my flat. We were planning a sleep over at my place to be followed by a day of sight seeing on Saturday and we were going to need supplies! That meant a trip to the local Marks & Spencer which is almost, but not quite entirely, not unlike Target (oh how I miss Target!).

Yep, these pillows will do, and they're 2 for £7!

     While we were there, Sarah discovered that I hadn't even gone grocery shopping yet and decided to sponsor me on my first trip to Sainsbury's. It's amazing how even though everyone speaks English here and there aren't really any terribly unusual cultural customs you can still end up looking like a confused American in the till line.

This was a very happy moment for me!

     Finally having a food supply to speak of and a new £9.99 pay-as-you-go phone in my pocket (also found through Sarah's guidance and wisdom) it was time for the real fun to begin. I had been in London for 3 full days at this point and hadn't so much as looked at a pub yet. That ended right then with my first trip to a British pub called The Angel which is a fairly new, college student type place. It was there that I got my first beer and my first fish n chips.  Having literally never had even a sip of beer before I had no idea what to order so I let the bartender pick for me. He gave me a Fosters because apparently most people like it... I did not. I drank maybe 3 sips before deciding I wasn't gonna get any further on that front. I might try beer again and opt for something a little more British but I doubt that I be ordering many more beers on this trip.

Could I look any more awkward here?

Fish n Chips!

     Now full of deliciously fried pub food, Sarah and I returned to my room where she set up camp on my floor and took charge of planning the weekend ahead of us!

She is an expert planner!

Tea, biscuits, and London for Dummies it's gonna be a good weekend!

Saturday

     We took a bus (after discovering that the Angel tube station would be closed all weekend for maintenance) to Camden Market. Camden Market is a huge outdoor market that opens every weekend for people to wader through and get lost in while looking at all kinds of interesting things for sale. We spent most of our time in Stables Market which is known for their funky vibe and vintage shops. This market is situated in what used to be a horse stable and hospital way back in the 1800's, hence the name. The original cobblestones, narrow archways, and tunnels combined with the huge, metal horse statues and punk rock stalls make it a really fun place to be. I could have easily spent the whole day there combing through the endless racks of vintage and handmade wares but I was too excited about our next stop to really linger. I will definitely return to Camden Market for some serious shopping!

Main road of Camden Market where 5 or 6 smaller markets branch off.

All of the store fronts had huge 3D signage

This is just a tiny corner of Stables Markets, no big deal apparently.

     From Camden Market we rode the bus (my first double decker!) to the greatest moment of my life thus far! That bus took us to the trail head of the pilgrimage that every true Beatles fan yearns to take.

     The bus let us off at a stop that was exactly 0.7 miles from the sacred ground that lay at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, London so we walked through the quiet neighborhood enjoying a lovely fall day as I got more excited and more nervous with each step. Finally, up ahead we saw a small gathering of people and the distinct white wall covered in the graffittied love of thousands of fellow Beatles fans that told us we had made it. I was practically drooling on myself out of sheer joy and disbelief at this point and Sarah racked up major friend points standing by me and letting me have my moment.

Marveling at all of the amazing music made just beyond that fence

Yes, I felt like a major tourist goober but it simply had to be done! 

"Sarah, I gotta do this barefoot, don't ask me why"

Our humble message.

This was taken by the 24 hour webcam where you could have watched
me walk across that road about 17 times and almost get run over twice
 if I would have posted this earlier. Sorry... kinda.



     Feeling completely impressed and humbled and happy beyond all reason we set off for a bit of lunch and home for the night where I slept soundly and happily indeed! I'm positive that will not be my only trip to Abbey Road Studios but of course I will always remember it as my first!

We had lunch at the classy foreign version of Colfax's famous
Pizza Express. I think I still prefer the original and their $1 slices.

Sunday

     I got up early (ish) on Sunday morning and embarked upon my first tube ride, solo no less, over to Sarah's place in Kensington so we could spend the day seeing things in her neighborhood. 

Taking the tube is easy-peasy even for me!

     We had another round of tea a biscuits (here with Sarah's earl grey rather than my PG tips) and planned out our day while making ourselves some sandwiches for later. We decided that our first stop would be another semi touristy destination:

Harrod's

     If you didn't already know Harrod's is a ridiculously large, sinfully fancy department store. It sort of reminds me of the Macy's in New York as far as size goes but it's even fancier inside. When we walked through the front doors we found ourselves in the midst of a room full of purses that cost more than what I could hawk my car for (don't worry Kevin, I would never do that!). From there we ended up in what I can only describe as the world's fanciest, most gourmet food court. There was everything from finely prepared traditional British food to fresh sushi and gorgeous pastries (which we gave into on our way out). Mind blown, Cinnabon will never compare. We rode the Egyptian Escalator up, up, and up and surveyed what each floor had to offer. Our favorites were the toy kingdom and the pet kingdom where we could only imagine the fancy, snooty kids and dogs who would be bringing home these luxury items. On our way down we were serenaded by a woman in a glamorous red gown who sang the Habenera from Carmen from a balcony above the escalator. Insanity!

This is me riding an escalator in the world's classiest store Buddy the Elf style!

Egyptian Escalator

     Our last stop of the weekend was the Science Museum. Like the majority of the museums in London it was completely free to enter and offered us a full afternoon's worth of entertainment in their very high tech, far superior version of The Hall of Life from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. There we learned:

That my toe thumb has a whorl print pattern...

...and what Sarah would look like as a man. Foxy!

     We finished the day and our epic weekend out with our sandwich lunch in one of the many beautiful parks in Kensington where we watched street performers sing cover versions of Elton John songs and a street hockey game simultaneously and side by side!

Pretty park!

     Thanks for reading this crazy long post about my crazy adventurous weekend and thanks to Sarah for providing the adventure! Stick around for more (hopefully shorter) tales of adventures and excursions in London.

Much Love!  

Everyone's favorite lefty

     Why yes, yes it is another Beatles post! Kinda. 

     As all of you good Paul/Beatles/SNL fans know the good Sir was last night's Saturday Night Live musical guest! *pause for applause to subside* And I'm okay with telling you that he is the first musician I've actually heard of all season... or at least since Tom Petty and Pearl Jam but I think they were last season. Actually, I should rephrase that, I have heard of some of the other artists (I don't live under a rock [it's actually a dorm-cave, but it has wifi]) I just can't say I have heard any of their music. If you think that makes me some kind of music snob I'm hurt, but you are entitled to your musical opinions.

     Still, I know that, deep down, you know I listen to really froody music. (On a completely unrelated note, I would really like froody to catch on on this planet)

     Anyhoo, I just wanted to share this with you because hulu apparently can only deal with two music numbers per SNL episode (even though music legends get to play as many as they want, four in Paul's case). Also, I'm willing to bet that it won't be long before the network discovers their clip on YouTube (where it will make them no money) and steal it away once again. Luckily for me they can't steal it from my cable box. *insert evil laugh (preferably Zamir's if you've been lucky enough to hear it)*



   To put this in context it is 30 years and 3 days since John Lennon was killed in New York. Paul, being the sensitive and loving guy that he is, recognizes this and pays homage with one of John's most memorable Beatles tunes (the middle section of which was actually written/performed by Paul) which flowed seamlessly into The Plastic Ono Band's Give Peace a Chance. I thought that the performance was just about as eloquent a music can get. With the words and the tune and the message all speaking together so poignantly.

    Yeah, I teared up when Paul asked for people all over the world to sing together. I so deeply hope they did. But judging by the sound of the audience (whom you can't even hear on any other night due to the shows sound system) I think it was pretty probable that there was national even world wide singing going on.

     Then there's this little golden nugget. Shortly after I realized that becoming Mrs. McCartney (or Lennon or Harrison or Starkey) wasn't going to work out I decided that Mrs. Seth Meyers would be a very good plan B. So this was just... just... ah... swoon!



    I can't quite hear if he says it's the best or worst thing he's ever worked on but the dead pan sarcasm (and the fact that he's Paul) make it a small morsel of comedy genius,

   *Christmas Bonus, I'm going to let you in on how creepy I really am: as I write this I keep fantasizing that one day Paul himself will stumble upon this humble post. At which time my Beatles sense will tingle and I will slip into some sort of joyous coma. Do you think rock stars google themselves?*

Which Beatles album to download, Part II

                So I was taking a break from studying my French final when I started this post. I worked on it for about an hour, a little longer than I had intended to, but I did get through 4 of the 7 remaining albums with what I thought were pretty good reviews. Then, feeling guilty about my lack of studying I exited Word to work on other things with the intention to come back and finish the final albums later tonight. Well apparently closing a word document proved far too advanced for the likes of my computer skills and I managed to delete all that work… GAH! So here we go again… well not you because you never got to read the first one… here I go again.

Album: Revolver (1966)

Songs you probably know: “Eleanor Rigby” and “Here, There, and Everywhere”

My favorite songs: “Taxman”, “Good Day Sunshine”, “For No One”

General: This album is where things start to get druggy. The boys have all been smoking pot for a while now but now they’re getting into some harder stuff. “She Said She Said” for example, was inspired by John’s second ever acid trip. By this time they have a good fan base, i.e. screaming hordes of girls and a bunch of relatively sane people that you never hear about. They don’t have to worry so much about getting people to like them so they start experimenting. The subjects and lyrics of these songs aren’t all as happy and predictable as before (though that type of song is far from gone). Plus, musically, there are some things on this album that you just did not hear in 60’s rock. What sounds like some kind of Indian music on “Tomorrow Never Knows” is actually just a regular tape loop played backwards. They were just beginning to experiment with using studio techniques to create new sounds. And, speaking of Indian music, this is the first time we really see its effect on The Beatles. George had been studying sitar with Ravi Shankaar the previous year and (though he is not the one playing the sitar) “Love To You” is the first really Indian sounding Beatles song. This album is like a precursor to the psychedelic 60’s still to come.

Album:  Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Songs you probably know: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “With a Little Help from My Friends”

My favorite songs: “Within you and With Out You”, “Getting Better”, “A Day in the Life”

General: Before I tell you about this album let me just take a moment of silence in which to pay homage to its excellence… okay. This album has been hailed as the high point of The Beatle’s career and often of the history of rock and roll so far. There are books written about it by the same people who write about Beethoven and Brahms.  The boys were fed up with how difficult touring had become and decided to stop; the idea was for this album to go on tour for them. As such, they spent and unprecedented amount of time and money recording it. It has become known as a concept album (even though it didn’t start that way) in which The Beatles take on the fake persona of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, an Edwardian era brass band, putting on a live show. This album was kind of Paul’s baby, they say he got the idea when he was traveling in Nairobi and had to wear a disguise to get around quietly. He thought it would be great if the whole band could have a disguise to escape the pressures of having to constantly churn out the same old songs, hit after hit. Perhaps this is why they all sported moustaches at the time? This album is just pure creative freedom. It is completely off the beaten path of 60’s rock. There are classical touches on psychedelic lyrics (thank you musicology class for that line), rock guitars and orchestras and Indian instruments, all ending in an “orchestral orgasm” that should “sound like the end of the world”. They experimented with rhythms, melodies, instruments, subjects, lyrics, all kinds of weirdness! And because they are creative geniuses, it worked. I mean it really worked. If you are only going to download one album, this is it. 

Album:  Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Songs you probably know: “All You Need is Love”, “Hello, Goodbye” and “Penny Lane”  

My favorite songs: “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “I am the Walrus”, and “All You Need is Love”

General: First of all I want to point out that this was released just a few short months after Sgt. Pepper, you’d think they would want to take a break after changing the history of rock and roll. This album has found its place firmly in the category of the psychedelic 60’s. The lyrics and music are pretty out there and occasionally event meant to confuse us. I guess they figured that all the weird stuff they did in Sgt. Pepper worked out really well so why not try weirder stuff? This album also had a movie that went with it but I’ve never seen it (please, control your cries of outrage) because it’s proving tricky to find. It is supposed to be just about the worst movie ever, a sort of mini documentary in which The Beatles and some friends all pile onto a groovy bus and drive around the country and… well, I don’t really know what they do. Let it be known however, that I liked The Who’s rock opera movie Tommy so when I finally get my hands on this I’m sure I’ll end up loving it. Anyways, this album sound like the sound track to a drug trip, and it probably was for a lot of people in its time. But don’t worry, even if you don’t drop acid or smoke weed you can still enjoy this album and all of the wild place it lets your mind wander to.   

Album:  The Beatles aka: The White Album, due to its plain white cover (1968)

Songs you probably know:  “Blackbird” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

My favorite songs: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “I Will”, “Revolution 1”

General: This is The Beatles first and only double album. Most people agree, including their producer, George Martin, that there are enough songs that nobody would miss had they been left out that it would have been fine as a regular sized album, but hey, it’s The Beatles, who’s gonna say no? By this time they were beginning to feel all of those concerts, travel, recording sessions, and press events together catch up with them.  Yoko was hanging around more and everyone was annoyed with everyone else. To most Beatles fans this album marks the beginning of the end. But, despite its somber label it’s still got some really great songs to offer. Unfortunately some of a fan’s favorites tend to be smushed between inconsequential little tunes. Then there is “Revolution 9”, less of a song on more the sound track to a nightmare. We can all thank Mrs. Ono for helping out on that one. But, as if to redeem her, the amazing Eric Clapton also laid down an amazing, unaccredited, lead guitar part on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” for his buddy George. 

Album:  Yellow Submarine (1969)

Songs you probably know: “Yellow Submarine” and… well that might be the only one

My favorite songs: “All Together Now” and “Hey Bulldog”

General: This is by far the least Beatle-y Beatles album out there. As you know, this went with the movie Yellow Submarine a cartoon aimed at kids in which the Beatles didn’t even do their own voice acting. This album has a few rereleases and a very few new songs. The entire B side, which would just be the last 7 songs to you because you will be buying it on iTunes rather than vinyl, is made up of wordless orchestral pieces meant to go with the movie and arranged by George Martin. They’re good, fun instrumentals but not really The Beatles you’re probably looking to hear. It’s probably more of an album for the hardcore fans. But the few new songs on it are quite fun at you have luxury of just buying those rather than the whole album. Fancy!

Album:  Abbey Road (1969)

Songs you probably know:  I honestly hope you know most of them… you probably do. But still, “Come Together” and “Here Comes the Sun”

My favorite songs: “Something”, “Oh! Darling”, “The End” (that was really hard for me)

General: This is the last album the boys recorded and a damn good one at that. Obviously they had been through a lot together and I think on some level they knew the end had arrived. So they pulled themselves together and put together a bang with which to end. This one was recorded much more like a real band than the last few, a lot less over dubbing and separate recordings being pieces together. I think that’s probably why it has all the authenticity of one really amazing band but with all of the musical knowledge and mastery gained over 10 years (I’m counting before they started recording) of experimenting and working together.  This is really one of the greats and if you don’t already have it now is the time!

 Album: Let It Be (1970)

Songs you probably know: “Let it Be” and “Across the Universe”

My favorite songs:  The above plus “I Me Mine” and “Two of Us”

General:  There is always some confusion about this album. You say, “But you said Abbey Road was the last thing they recorded, why did this come out later? Hmmmm?” Settle down and keep your accusatory Hmmming to yourselves! All of these songs were part of what was going to be a movie, a real documentary type thing about the song process and all, but as far as I know it got scrapped. I think some version of it was eventually released but it’s just a lot of pretty random footage from around the studio. Being so close to the end it feels almost tense in a way. I’ve heard an early take of “Dig It” where they stop a little ways in and start snapping at each other… sad indeed. Musically though this has got some really lovely songs, most are very soulful and contemplative.

And that’s it….

Well a few more things.

1)      iTunes also has the remastered box set available which is all of these albums plus things like booklets, a video of a concert, and a possibly a few other video clips and outtake type things that aren’t available elsewhere. I’d be interested to see these things but certainly can’t justify the $150 for music I already have.

2)      The blue and red album thingies are just chronological compilation albums. Maybe a god choice if you just can’t decide.

3)      These are all the stereo versions. Probably to accommodate all the fancy speakers we have these days. 95% of this music was written with mono in mind and whoever transferred them to stereo had to take some creative liberties. So in a way they are a bit less authentic but in some cases they do sound a little nicer

The end, I hope you can now go forth upon iTunes and make a Beatles purchase you will love!

What better way to begin than with The Beatles...

That’s right, there is no better way. But before I get to the good stuff (if I dare call it that), I suppose I should take care of the obligatory blog intro. I am starting this blog on a whim. Why? Because I fancy myself to be a fairly whimsical person. Seriously though, I suppose I started a blog for the same reason any one starts a blog, because I like to think my opinions are interesting and/or important, because I like the idea of speaking frankly to no one when I know that it could really be anyone, because deep down I’m a little narcissistic, because I enjoy writing… you know same old reasons. So this blog is potentially no different than any of the other million and ten blogs written by bored college students who think they’re funny, and I’m okay with that. The important thing is that I’m here and you’re here (supposedly) and we’re all enjoying ourselves (hopefully).

Now, on to matters of substance!!!

If you know me at all, or have seen my iPod or my facebook page, or watched me walk around humming (or possibly straight up singing) you will know that I am a Beatles fan. It’s just a little teeny obsession I have. It’s no secret, I just really love them. Their music, their personalities, their history, their wit… it’s all great. Most of my friends have come to accept this quirk of mine, in fact some feel the need to forward me anything Beatles related they see and occasionally they even give me Beatles themed presents (these are my favorite people;) ). I love that you all associate me with such an amazing legacy!

                As you certainly know, the Beatles music has officially come to iTunes. I bet a bunch of you own Beatles 1 or Abbey Road and you like what you hear. You’re interested in downloading an album or two but which one to choose? That, my dear friends, is what I am here for; to be you Beatles guru! You are also welcome to ignore me if you so chose. So here we go (chronologically of course)...

Album:  Please Please Me (1963)

Songs you probably know: “Love Me Do” and “I Saw Her Standing There”

My favorite songs: “Please Please Me”, “Love Me Do”, “I Saw Her Standing There”

General: This was the first album the boys released. Amazingly, it was all recorded in one day with the help of a big bowl of throat lozenges.  Being so early in their career a lot of these songs are covers of popular songs of the day but their distinct sound is already there.  I love the uninhibited swing of this album. It falls right in the middle of the birth of rock as we know it. Sure it sounds tame to our ears but think back to the stuffy British parents of the day who only condoned classical music and a public radio that played less than an hour of rock per day. This album embodies teenage rebellion before it became cool to be rebellious.

Album: With The Beatles (1963)

Songs you probably know: “All My Loving” and “Roll Over Beethoven”

My favorite songs: “Please Mr. Postman”, “Till There Was You”, “You Really Got a Hold on Me”

General: Another early album. Not terribly different from Please Please Me, there are still quite a few cover songs (my favorite Being “Please Mr. Postman”, which was originally sung by The Marvelettes, a sweet female Motown group) but they’re a little cleaner and more put together, like the guys are really starting to get a feel for the band and what kind of sound they were going for. Essentially it’s the material they would do in a live show because that’s all they knew so far. Just pretend you’re rocking out at the Cavern Club!

Album:  A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

Songs you probably know: “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”

My favorite songs: “And I Love Her”, “Things We Said Today”, “A Hard Day’s Night”

General: I think it’s pretty amazing that by this time in their career (only their third album in just about a year and a half) they were already popular enough for this album to do incredibly well for itself as well as support an accompanying full length movie by the same name (it’s hilarious by the way). Beatlemania has started! This is a quintessentially pop-y album, the majority of the songs are upbeat and not very complex, the epitome of 60’s rock. There are, however, a few outstanding tracks which are already venturing away from those standards. Perhaps they are an early sign if the artistic genius the band would soon obtain.

Album: Beatles For Sale (1964)

Songs you probably know: “Eight Days A Week” and “Every Little Thing”

My favorite songs: : “I’ll Follow The Sun”, “What You’re Doing” (largely because of the fun opening drum part), “Every Little Thing”

General: With no accompanying movie or other crazy media tricks this album is more back to normal, just a band playing songs. What I find most notable about this album is the general feeling of security. They are now writing all of their own song and have settled into their own sound.  You can tell that they are already experimenting with studio effects to enhance, alter, and add expression to their songs. “Eight Days a Week” is the first song to feature a fade in, something that they couldn’t do in a live show (yes, I did get that directly from musicology class if you recognized it). There seems to be change in the air for the honest little rock quartet.

Album: Help! (1965)

Songs you probably know: “Help!”, “Ticket To Ride”, and “Yesterday” (see, more and more hits)

My favorite songs: “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”, “I’ve Just Seen a Face”, “Help!”

General: Yep, they’re pretty much super powers of the music world by now, the swarms of screaming girls are growing with every show.  This album also goes hand in hand with a movie, also by the same name, also hilarious. Ringo (Oh God, spell check doesn’t think that’s a word!) gets a ring in a fan letter from India. Being the fine connoisseur of man jewelry that he is, Ringo puts it on only to find that he can’t get it off. Apparently he who wears the ring must be sacrificed to the dread Kailei, of course the band won’t stand for that and they go on a wild chase that takes them to the Bahamas, the Alps, Stonehenge, and more! It is absolutely ridiculous, thanks in large part I think, to the copious amounts of pot they were all smoking at the time.  The music on this album is good vintage rock. It’s creative and unique but still light and fun.

Album: Rubber Soul (1965)

Songs you probably know: “Drive My Car” and “In My Life”

My favorite songs: “In My Life” (quite possibly my favorite Beatles song) and “Norwegian Wood”

General: Now that I look at it there aren’t really any well known, big hit types of songs on this album which, in my opinion, makes it kind of a secret gem in the Beatles arsenal. I feel like this is the first album where they really started breaking out of the typical 60’s rock band mold. They get into some really cool musical and theoretical stuff in this one. “Norwegian Wood” for example is in Dorian Mode (a really fancy, complicated kind of scale for those of you who are fortunate enough to have never taken a music theory class) and “In My Life” has an amazing harpsichord like solo. This album is half regular old pop and have conservative experimental, it can’t really make up its mind, which is perhaps why there are such mixed feelings about it. It’s got some amazing work and some songs that I wouldn’t listen to nearly as much if they weren’t on the same record as some of my favorites.

                Rubber Soul also marks about the middle of The Beatles recording career and the end of what I will call Part 1. It’s late, there are still 6 more albums to discuss (including some of the most fascinating), and I have a French final tomorrow. I would like to promise you that I’ll do the rest of these tomorrow or the day after but, while I’m excited about this blog right now, there is no guarantee it won’t go the way of oh so many of my dairies and journals throughout the years, neglected until I’m upset about something or procrastinating about something else. But, hey, people might actually be reading this! So I guess I can try to make it not suck… again, no promises.

Peace and Love!