The Beatles
1964 US Albums In Mono (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe)
Seven LP box set
By this point, you'd think that there's nothing new left to do with the Beatles' catalog, but you'd be wrong. There are, it seems, countless ways to revisit and re-enjoy the music that the Fab Four originally recorded during their decade of existence that ended in 1970.
That last point needs reiterating because, and it feels insane to say this, The Beatles don't always get the credit that they deserve. People talk about them like they they're a regular band that had a regular career. But all of their studio albums, of which there were 12 when you clear away the fuzz, came out in a seven year spell between 1963 and 1970. And all of them succeeded in changing the world.
There has never been a period of productivity like it, at least in rock 'n' roll, and there probably won't be again. With that in mind, everything that is spread across the seven albums in this box set was released in just over a year, between January 1964 and March 1965. When you consider that it took Guns N' Roses 15 years to record and release The Chinese Democracy, we have some perspective. It's literally ridiculous, how much mind-blowing music The Beatles released on such a short space of time.
The box is gorgeous, from the outer packaging to the inner notes. "All seven albums – Meet The Beatles!; The Beatles’ Second Album; A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track); Something New; The Beatles’ Story(2LP); Beatles ’65; and The Early Beatles – feature faithfully replicated artwork and new four-panel inserts with essays written by American Beatles historian and author Bruce Spizer," reads the press release. "The albums’ new vinyl lacquers were cut by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. The box set collects the seven albums, and all except The Beatles’ Story are also available individually."
There's literally so much to enjoy. You likely don't need telling how good The Beatles' music is, but any opportunity to revisit the early days is welcome. We'd never heard the documentary, The Beatles Story, and narration sounds remarkably dated now. But perhaps because of that, it feels like a valuable time-trip.
"Sixty years on, Beatlemania is timeless," they say. "The Beatles’ beacon is alight evermore, renewed with the wonder of each generation’s joyful discovery and in creative exploration of the band’s music and cultural eminence by musicians, filmmakers, writers, and other fans of all stripes."
George Harrison
Living in the Material World (Dark Horse Records/BMG)
50th Anniversary edition
Continuing with the Beatles theme (which is always fun to do), the George Harrison Estate has shared this 50th anniversary of George's fourth solo studio album.
It's a bit of an overlooked gem, this one. There are no huge hits to speak of, but the songwriting is solid. There's a wonderfully understated jangle-pop feel, with occasional elements of Americana and some Eastern mysticism blended in. The title track is superb, and it's nice that Ringo Starr plays some of the drums here and there.
"Thanks to songs such as 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)' and 'Be Here Now,' Living in the Material World resonated deeply with audiences," they say. "Just five weeks after its May 1973 release, both the LP and 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)' held the top spots simultaneously on the U.S. albums and singles charts."
The deluxe edition features a never-before-heard recording of “Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond),” featuring Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko from The Band, alongside Ringo Starr.
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