The Beatles – Past Masters, Vol. 2: 1965-1970 (1988)
“Take a sad song and make it better.”
Produced by: George Martin
1. DAY TRIPPER
4. RAIN
5. LADY MADONNA
7. HEY JUDE
8. REVOLUTION
9. GET BACK
11. THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO
12. OLD BROWN SHOE
14. LET IT BE
15. YOU KNOW MY NAME (LOOK UP THE NUMBER)
For a full intro, see Vol. 1.
This volume covers 1965-1970 (with a great big gap for 1967 because all of those singles are already on Magical Mystery Tour) and has some of the most exciting and interesting music of the back half of the decade. As the years went on, The Beatles stopped releasing so many singles from albums and started putting completely new songs out on the shorter format. They used singles to experiment and tell their own personal stories, maybe even more so than on their albums. (The best example, of course, is “Strawberry Fields Forever”/“Penny Lane.” But, of course, that’s on Magical Mystery Tour.)
Someone who likes to take short trips in their car? Or someone who is trying out different drugs? Only you can tell. But don’t take the easy way out.
A great single that was released as a double A-side with the next song.
LISTEN FOR: The falsetto bit near the end. And also the wavering vocals in the fade. Is that a warp in the tape or did they actually plan it?
A great single from Paul about two people who, try as they might, can’t agree about anything. The strains on his friendship with John were already showing.
LISTEN FOR: John’s bit in the break. (“Life is very short…”) And the accordion?
Released just before Revolver, this single brought the new Beatles to the world. With echoes, accapello parts and the story of a man who just wants to write tawdry paperbacks, this was something that The Beatles had never really done before.
LISTEN FOR: “Frere Jacques” being sung in the background during the second verse.
My personal favorite B-side, this is one that hasn’t gotten nearly enough recognition. John’s song about people who hide from the bad times just to revel (and take credit for) the good times is pretty revolutionary for 1966. It would have fit perfectly on Revolver, even more so than its A-side.
LISTEN FOR: The first backwards recording on a mainstream record near the end. Also, Ringo considers this the best bit of drumming he’s ever done.
Skip ahead to 1968 and Paul is doing some dancehall stuff about a single mother. Great song with Paul singing in a slightly more Ringo-esque voice. (A lot of people thought it was Ringo. Or maybe it was the guy taking Paul’s place singing in his real voice…’cause Paul was dead.)
LISTEN FOR: The solo being sung by the boys instead of being played on any instrument.
George’s first song on a single was his third (and last) Indian song. Probably the most authentic of the three, it’s also the one that most people won’t dig on. “The farther one travels, the less one knows.”
LISTEN FOR: The one time the other three Beatles show up: “Do all without doing.”
Most peoples’ favorite single by The Beatles, it’s also their longest at just over seven minutes. This broke a lot of ground at the time for radio play. Even if Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” broke that ground first, this one was even longer. And DJs still played it all the way through. Pretty good, considering most of the song is “Na, na, na, na, na.”
Paul wrote this one for John’s son, Julian. His relationship with his dad wasn’t too good and he really didn’t like Yoko at all. “Remember to let her under your skin, then you begin to make it better.”
LISTEN FOR: Paul’s ad-libs during the nearly four-minute fade. They got all of the orchestra members to sing along on the “Na, na, na”s, too.
For a B-side, this one still gets a LOT of radio play. Of course, I always remember hearing that it was actually a double A-side with “Hey Jude,” so that might explain it.
John originally wanted it to be a much slower song, but Paul talked him into speeding it up. John finally got his way on the re-recording on The White Album later in the year.
When the song came out, there was a lot of controversy about it. The right wingers thought that The Beatles were calling for revolution, while the actual revolutionaries thought that they were being made fun of. Turns out that the revolutionaries were right. John didn’t want to join them because he thought that violence wasn’t the answer and that everything was going to be alright. On the later version he would change his mind a bit: “You can count me out….in.” But here, he definitely wants out.
Michael Jackson pissed a LOT of people off in the mid-80s when he allowed Nike to use this song on a fucking commercial. Fuck Michael Jackson for that. Considering what this song means to people, he should have known better. The commercial was pulled almost immediately. Now, if you hear a Beatles song on a commercial, it’s always a cover. Good for them.
LISTEN FOR: That opening guitar riff and scream. DAMN!
The first single from what was going to be the Get Back album, this version is different from what ended up on the Let It Be Album a year later. It has a false ending and, in my opinion, is better for it. I like the rooftop version with the chatter, but it gets old. This is a much more self-contained song.
LISTEN FOR: Billy Preston’s electric piano. And is that a whoop right after “Get back, Loretta!” or is it some weird thing on the tape? It’ hard to tell.
This B-Side to “Get Back” is John’s explanation of Yoko to the world. “Nobody ever love me like she do.” Just accept her and let it go. A great, bloozey track.
LISTEN FOR: “I guess nobody ever really done me.” Poor Cynthia. How do you think that made HER feel?
And Billy Preston’s solo is pretty awesome, too.
11. THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO
Just like it says, this is the story of John and Yoko’s wedding in Gibraltar in 1969. Strangely enough, it makes for a great, old-time Rock song. And, of course, it was controversial. “The way things are goin’, they’re gonna crucify me.” People thought he was going back to his old “We’re bigger than Jesus” days.
This, by the way, is only John and Paul. George and Ringo were busy elsewhere.
LISTEN FOR: Paul’s harmonies in the last two choruses.
George wants a short-haired girl who sometimes wears it twice as long. I guess it means that he doesn’t really have a type, per se. A great piano-based rocker that lets him shine on the slide guitar, too.
LISTEN FOR: The beerhall vocals on chorus. The vocals are mixed a little further back than most of their songs and John and Paul are yelling their background vocals.
The original version from the charity album. When it was recorded, they went out on the street in front of the studio and found two girls to sing backup. (Phil Spector cut them off for Let It Be.) They’re not particularly good singers, but it adds to the charm of the song. I like this version a lot better.
LISTEN FOR: The bird sound effects at the beginning and end. Also cut off for Let It Be.
Also different from the version on Let It Be. There’s a different guitar solo. I actually like that version better.
15. YOU KNOW MY NAME (LOOK UP THE NUMBER)
“Revolution 9″ may be their strangest track, but this is their strangest song. Released as the B-side to “Let It Be” (which turned out to be their last single), this song started in 1967. John and Paul never had the time to really finish it, so they would take it off the shelf whenever they had a second. They ended up working on it until the very end.
A mix of beerhall sing-along, cheesy Vegas crooner and Monty Python/Good Show type humor, this one confounds people still. It’s definitely a B-side. No doubt about it. It wouldn’t have fit on any of their albums and it CERTAINLY wouldn’t have been an A-side. There’s just no way to really explain it. You kinda have to hear it. You would never expect it from The Beatles, if only for the weird coughing and mumbling bit after the comedy sound effects.
LISTEN FOR: Brian Jones’ sax solo. Yeah, THAT Brian Jones.
