FEATURE:
I Feel Fine
The Evergreen Genius of The Beatles’ 1
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THIS is sort of related…
IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1964. (L-R): Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon/PHOTO CREDIT: Evening Standard/Getty Images
to The Beatles’ Let It Be turning fifty on 8th May because, towards the end of 1, we get to hear some cuts from that album. There is always this debate as to which Beatles album is king and, though I love Rubber Soul, all of their albums have merit. It will be interesting to see how Let It Be is marked and whether too much fuss is made. It is not one of the band’s most-loved albums, but it was the last one they released, so it is very important. I was exposed to The Beatles from a very early age, and I can remember vinyl of their music being stocked in the house. I was hooked on the cover art and the brilliantly addictive music that came from the speakers. Whilst a lot of my childhood was filled with contemporary Pop, I was a huge fan of The Beatles and music of the 1960s. 1 was released on 13th November, 2000, and I remember receiving it as a Christmas present that year. The album featured every number-one the band had in the U.S. and U.K. from 1962-1970, and it was issued to mark thirty years since the band split. The Beatles’ producer Georgie Martin compiled the package alongside the three surviving Beatles. I was familiar with the ‘red’ and ‘blue’ albums from a young age – the two records that compiled their earliest singles to 1966, whereas the blue album takes in their best from 1967-1970. 1 was a different ball game for me.
I love how you get all of the number-one singles in order, and it is like seeing The Beatles evolve from the first half of the album to the second. I have the original C.D. from twenty years or so back, and I listen to it in the car and can tell which song follows the one that it is playing. Whilst one should not be all Alan Partridge and say your favourite Beatles record is a best of, I think the 1 compilation made me dig deeper into their studio albums. I was au fait with Rubber Soul, Abbey Road and Revolver, but I kept listening to 1 and was fascinated by how different an early number-one like She Loves You sounds to Paperback Writer which, in turn, sounds very different to Get Back. Though the band only released albums for about seven years or so, they accomplished so much and, it goes without saying, transformed Pop music and culture as we know it. As much as I adore The Beatles’ studio albums, I play 1 because you get this supreme suite of genius songs. Although it is a while until 1 celebrates its twentieth anniversary, I would suggest that people buy the album as a starting point. If you are not overly-familiar with the band’s catalogue – younger listeners, for example -, I think 1 gives you a good assessment of how the band developed and why they are so revered. Like I said, I was a Beatles fan from childhood but, when I was given the album – at the age of seventeen -, I became more obsessed and in love with the band.
Like any Beatles compilation, people will quibble over the tracklisting and why certain tracks are omitted. Strawberry Fields Forever was part of a double A-side on Penny Lane, but it is not included on 1. It is a shame Strawberry Fields Forever is not on 1, but I think one listens to the rest of the tracks and will seek out Strawberry Fields Forever after that. Look down at the twenty-seven tracks, and there is some of the most astonishing and influential music ever made. I get a shiver when hearing the harmonic notes welcome in Love Me Do, and I am invested and transfixed to the very end. A few years ago, Giles Martin (son of George Martin) remixed the tracks on 1 and there was this lovely package that included the promo clips for many of the band’s singles. Here is what PASTE wrote in 2015:
“Pre-YouTube, pre-internet, pre-DVD, and pre-VHS, there were some enterprising souls that would put together two-to-three hour package shows of Beatles films that would get one-off screenings at independent movie houses or college campuses. They didn’t show feature films like A Hard Day’s Night or Help!, but shorter fare, like newsreels, TV appearances and what were then called promotional films—forerunners of today’s videos. The films might be scratchy and dirty, with ill-placed edits, but they were still magical to see, in part because you never knew when you’d get the chance to see them again.
Which alone makes the release of the Beatles new 1 and 1+ CD/DVD (or Blu-ray) sets welcome; you get 27 promo clips in the 1 set, and a total of 50 in 1+, all in newly restored, pristine condition (and with new stereo, 5.1 Dolby Digital, and DTS HD surround audio mixes). For Beatles fans, it’s bliss.
The lineup is somewhat hampered by the first DVD in the set adhering to the songs on the original 1 album, released in 2000, and featuring every No. 1 hit the Beatles had in the US and UK. The label had originally wanted the promo clip set to follow up the CD’s release in 2001, but the Beatles said no. Now the idea’s been revived, and it’s something of an uncomfortable fit sticking to the 1 lineup, largely because there aren’t specifically filmed promo clips for each No. 1 song. So if a promo clip doesn’t exist, a live clip is used. In the case of “Eight Days a Week,” where there’s neither a promo clip or live performance available, a new clip has been created from footage of the 1965 Shea Stadium concert, cleverly edited to hide the fact that the Beatles aren’t actually performing the song”.
I love both editions but, for me, the original C.D. is one that has very special memories. At the time, I was in the last year of sixth form college, and I would leave for university in 2001. I was very uncertain and, as it was a challenging time, I think music played a very comforting role.
When I play 1 and let the tracks swim into my brain, I am transported back to that time in my life; one where I cemented my love of The Beatles and started to explore some of their albums I was not overly-familiar with earlier in life. As Let It Be turns fifty in a few days, I am going to re-investigate the album but also play 1 and get a very real sense of what The Beatles accomplished and how they grew. Not only did John Lennon and Paul McCartney grow in ambition and scope; George Martin came into his own as a songwriter and, though Something is his only number-one on 1, you can feel Harrison strengthen as a performer – the same can be said for drummer Ringo Starr. Maybe it is only particular to me, but 1 is an album that makes me feel safer in the future, it takes me back to early childhood and I can remember the excitement of receiving 1 in 2000. Though Let It Be’s fiftieth anniversary will be quite bittersweet in a way, it is a chance for fans new and old to remember this great band. I know 1 is still being bought and bringing The Beatles to the attention of so many eager music fans. Despite a couple of track omissions, it is a fantastic collection that proves why The Beatles are the greatest band of all time. To me, the compilation holds a lot more significance and, at a very strange and tough time for us all, it is not only providing me with this glorious music, but it is providing me with great…
STRENGTH and comfort.