The 500 - #307 - A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: # 307

Album Title: A Hard Day's Night

Artist: The Beatles

Genre: Pop-Rock, Rock, Beat

Recorded: EMI, London, UK & Pathe Marconi, Paris, France

Released: July, 1964

My age at release: Not Yet Born

How familiar was I with it before this week: Very

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, 263 (Moving up 44 places)

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: And I Love Her

A Hard Day's Night was the third record by The Beatles. It was released in England at the height of Beatlemania on July 10, 1964, exactly one year and a day before I was born. It was released two weeks earlier in the U.S., with a slightly different track listing (including four instrumentals).

Album cover for the US release

There is a part of me that wishes I could have experienced Beatlemania – that wild period of anything goes and “I’m all right, Jack” that gripped the Western world between 1963 and 1966. It was a cultural upheaval and music revolution of a kind that might never happen again.

In the mid-90s, my beer league hockey team won the unlikely chance of playing at the renowned Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Before taking on our competitors we were given a guided tour by a local historian who shared fascinating stories about the famous building.

The iconic Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario

At a loading area at the back of the building the guide told us about the first time The Beatles played in the arena in 1964. It was where the group had been shuttled in a heavy-duty police van for protection. Earlier in the week, their limousine had been set upon by hundreds of female devotees who, seemingly against the laws of physics, managed to claw their fingers into the seams of the doors and rip them open. The four pop idols had their shirts torn from their bodies before escaping with the help of police.

On the day they made their Gardens debut, 4,000 police officers and Mounties were assigned to clear a five-block area around the arena for 12 hours.

A Hard Day's Night became a milestone in the Beatles’ compendium of hits. In contrast with their first two releases, it contained songs exclusively written by the Fab Four  – mainly John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Its issue coincided with the opening in movie theatres of a musical-comedy film by the same name, in which they starred.

My favourite bit of trivia about the film is that it features a young Phil Collins as an uncredited extra. Collins would go on to become the drummer and eventually the singer for one of my favourite bands, Genesis. He would also enjoy a massively successful solo career. I remain a little frustrated that there are no records from Genesis or Collins on The 500 list. I think The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway or Selling England By The Pound have the artistic merit and Collins' No Jacket Required was a monster hit with smash singles that dominated the chart for most of 1985. Oh well -- as podcaster Josh Adam Meyers often says "we just accept the list....even when it's butt cheeks."

There are still seven more Beatles records on The 500 list, but we won't get to the next one until #53, Meet The Beatles. That's nearly five years I have to think of more things to say about the four Lads from Liverpool. No prob, mates.

The 500 - #392 - Let It Be - The Beatles

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 392

Album Title: Let It Be
Artist: The Beatles
Genre:  Rock
Recorded: 1968-1970 Apple, EMI, Twickenham Studios
Released: May, 1970
My age at release: 4
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Two of Us 

Let It Be Album Cover - The Beatles (1970)

It is a testament to a band's greatness that a record forged in frustration, resentment, addiction, skepticism and even abandonment would find its way to The 500 Greatest Albums list. Such is the case with Let It Be, the twelfth and final studio release from The Beatles.  

In 1969, the glue that had kept the four Liverpool lads together for the previous nine years was beginning to come undone. Each member was now married, or in a relationship. They were exhausted from touring and, by 1967, had resigned themselves to be a "studio-only" band. Ringo and John were both battling addictions -- heroin for John and a combination of alcohol and cocaine for Ringo. 

Ringo with first wife, Maureen Cox  and
John with second wife, Yoko Ono (1969)

George had "left" the group, not formerly but certainly mentally and emotionally. A visit to the United States and time spent with Bob Dylan had helped him realize that music could be created communally. This was in contrast to the domineering style of Lennon and McCartney, who controlled most of the songwriting and the group's creative direction.

Harrison and Dylan (1968)

Additionally, the band had been rudderless since the suicide of their manager, Brian Epstein, two years earlier. Despite Paul's objection, Lennon had convinced the band to hire Allen Klein, who came with a tough, but dubious, reputation.

Allen Klein (center) signing The Beatles

In a final bid to help the band members bond again, Paul proposed that a film crew document their rehearsals and song-writing sessions. It was his hope that this would revive the positive energy of live performances without the tedium of touring. The experiment was short-lived and the experience was filled with acrimony. Harrison's suggestions were, again, ignored. Consequently, much of the material he wrote later appeared on his first solo album, All Things Must Pass (#433 on The 500 List). Clearly, this demonstrated that there was quality in Harrison's work.

Interestingly, many of the song ideas work-shopped by Lennon and McCartney would also appear on their solo efforts. It was clear that all of the members were in Beatle-break-up-mode. Lennon, deep in heroin addiction, was always flanked by his partner, Yoko Ono -- who is often blamed (unfairly) with breaking up The Beatles. Lennon was a shell of his former self and prone to loud arguments -- most often with Harrison.

John and Yoko (1969)

Ringo, who at the height of his addiction, consumed a staggering 16 bottles of wine a day. He was kept buoyant by what his former wife, Maureen, described as "mountains of cocaine". Ringo was unable to perform when drunk and unmotivated to perform when sober (which was seldom). It was a poorly kept secret that McCartney recorded some drum tracks himself. Ringo, also mired in addiction, pretended not to notice.

An uncompromising schedule and long hours in the studio began to take its toll on the four lads. It became apparent to filmmakers that they were documenting a band falling apart. The picture below, taken during these sessions and later parodied in an episode of The Simpsons, captured their emotional exhaustion.

The Beatles would not officially dissolve for another year due to financial obligations. The recordings from these sessions, and their live performance on the rooftop of Apple Studios, eventually found their way to sound engineer Phil Spector who overhauled the songs, adding his own orchestrations.

As Lennon put it: 

"Phil was given the shittiest load of badly recorded shit, with a lousy feeling to it, and he made something of it."

Despite all of this, the record was a commercial hit, going to number one on the charts. However, critical reviews were mixed in 1970 but over time it has been acclaimed and several songs have become Beatles' classics. In 2003, McCartney remastered the record and released it under the moniker Let It Be...Naked. This alternative mix removed Spector's embellishments and captured, according to McCartney, "the stripped-down aesthetic" intended by the group.

Let it Be...Naked album cover (2003)

As a teenager, I owned a copy of the original LP on vinyl and was unaware of the backstory behind it. I knew it was their last release and, like many, blamed Yoko for the group's dissolution. It was easy to make her a scapegoat without understanding that group dynamics are complex, particularly when creative frustrations and addictions are involved. 

I had a tough time deciding what to put on my Spotify "The 500 Playlist". In the end, I settled on Two of Us because of a lyric that always makes me think of my wife. 

"The two of us have memories, longer than the road that stretches out ahead."

Like all great poetry, it is a line that resonates with me, creating powerful and conflicting emotions. I wistfully reflect on 34 years with a beautiful lady who adores me, while being reminded that we'll share a limited time on the road ahead.

The 500 - #418 - Band on the Run - Paul McCartney Wings

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 418

Album Title: Band on the Run
Artist: Paul McCartney & Wings
Genre: Rock
Recorded: EMI & ARC Studios, Lagos, Nigeria and AIR Studios in London, UK
Released: December, 1973
My age at release: 8
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Let Me Roll It

Band on the Run Album Cover - Paul McCartney & Wings

In a recent study, popular music was used with patients suffering from brain injuries to help them recall personal memories. The researchers, Amee Baird and Severine Samson, are the first to explore Music Evoked Autobiographical Memories (MEAMs) and have since expanded their studies to include patients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of late-stage dementia. Music, it seems, engages broad neural networks, tapping into emotions, motor skills, creativity and memories. Consequently, it is being considered as a nonpharmacological treatment. Interestingly, these neural connections stay purer when a song has not been heard for years. This makes sense. Songs that are frequently played would constantly update these pathways and dilute the impact because other memories would take their place.

During my blog preparation, as the opening guitar lick to the title song from the Band on the Run album played on my stereo, I experienced a MEAM. I was transported to what Baird and Samson have called "an island of recollection" -- a mental state where memories fuse with emotions and senses, creating a rich, nostalgic experience.

A hot summer day in 1974 found me in the passenger seat of the family car. My father had stopped for gas at a rest-stop on the 401 highway -- the major thoroughfare that connects Detroit to Quebec, threading through many of the heavily populated cities of Southern Ontario.

401 Highway (St. Catharines & Kingsville Shown)

The two of us were travelling from St. Catharines, where I had lived for the past three years, to our new home in Kingsville. Perhaps to soften the blow of this transition, I had been told that there was a cabin on our new property and it was mine to use as a clubhouse. As I chewed gum, deep in thought about this structure ("Will it be a shanty or a chalet"?) the song Band on the Run began to play on the radio. 

Suddenly, I felt something shift in my mouth and I realized I had cracked a tooth. There was no pain or blood, just a hunk of enamel mingled with my bubble gum. For reasons I still don't understand, I thought I would be in trouble. I wasn't. My dad examined my gnashers and reassured me that I'd be fine until I could see a dentist.

Fast forward to today and, as the familiar notes played, that moment sparked in my head. It was a quick, but powerful, MEAM that brought back everything -- the heat of the summer asphalt, the smell of gasoline, the taste of the gum, a vague feeling of optimism tinged with a sudden burst of worry. It was fleeting, but everything was there. Later, I replayed the song and the moment failed to return. I've experienced this perplexing phenomenon before and find it utterly fascinating. Thanks to the research of Baird and Samson, I'm starting to understand it better.

The Record

Band on the Run is the third studio album from Paul McCartney and his band Wings. It is the best selling and most celebrated of all McCartney's post-Beatle recordings. However, the story behind the music was tumultuous and rife with complications.

McCartney and his wife Linda wanted to record the album in "a glamorous, tropical location." It was their intention to be "creatively inspired" by a remote locale -- sunbathing on a beach during the day and recording at night.  Unwisely, they chose EMI's studios in Lagos, Nigeria, a country still reeling from a recent civil war and run by a corrupt military dictatorship. 

Country of Nigeria in Western Africa

Days before the band departed, the drummer and guitarist quit and, upon arriving, the McCartneys and bass player Denny Laine found the studio well below standards. A few days later, Linda and Paul were robbed at knifepoint and among the items stolen were hand-written lyrics and cassettes containing demo-recordings of songs.  

Shortly after, while recording his vocals, Paul began wheezing and could not catch his breath. He went outside for air and the intense heat exacerbated his condition and he collapsed. His wife panicked, thinking he had suffered a heart attack. Later, in hospital, it was revealed that he had experienced a bronchial spasm brought on by too much smoking.

Afrobeat legend and political activist Fema Kuti raised concerns that the band's visit might have ulterior intentions and that the McCartneys intended to appropriate African music and add it to their sound. These accusations were withdrawn after Kuti was invited to the studio to hear the recordings. Apparently, during the visit, Kuti made amends by sharing a joint that Paul later stated, was "the strongest marijuana he had ever smoked".

Linda & Paul McCartney in studio with Fela Kuti

The band eventually returned to England to finish the record at George Martin's AIR studio in London. However, as a gesture of goodwill, McCartney left behind the audio equipment they had purchased for the studio, including a state-of-the-art soundboard.

And if you were wondering, the tooth was an easy repair and the cabin was more "chalet than shack". Perched on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie, it was a clubhouse to me and my friends for the 6 years I lived there.

Next Up: Boy by U2, with guest blogger Steve "Lumpy" Sullivan