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Post by quinnmartin on Oct 22, 2009 19:33:48 GMT -5
In homage to MJ's great "51 favorite Beatles songs" thread, and because my mono box set finally arrived, here's a version for their albums. I'll make it 7 favorite. Why 7? Because even with all the Capitol "made up" LP's, they didn't put out 51 albums. And they're the Beatles, so they deserve more than a top 5. Mine are all UK versions, but feel free to pick any of the US albums, or Magical Mystery Tour, or either of the Yellow Sub soundtracks. But please avoid straight compilations like Past Masters or Live at the BBC. 7. A Hard Days NightThe title track is a brilliant opener. Very much a "John" record, with only three solo vocals from Paul. No real standout tracks outside of "A Hard Days Night" and "I'll Be Back", but it's a very consistent record with every song being high quality. 6. Please Please MeTheir songwriting and production would improved light years beyond this first album, but they never made a record as fun as this one (other than the US The Beatles Second Album, which just missed my top 7). A number of great covers that hint at what it must have been like to see them live before they became THE BEATLES. But their best originals - the title track, "I Saw Here Standing There", and "There's a Place" - are the true treats. 5. The BeatlesSome great tunes, but some filler as well. There's a coldness to the record that I don't really care for. You can hear the band splintering in the lessened amount of harmony singing and the way the production tends to focus on the lead vocalist/songwriters as if it they were tracks intended for various solo projects stuck together to make another Beatles record. And you can tell that Paul and John were no longer tempering the other excesses as much as they had in the past, for good or for bad. The opening combo of "Back in the USSR" crossfading into "Dear Prudence" is pure magic, though. And I've always loved "Long, Long, Long", even though it seems to be one of the most obscure Beatles songs (if a Beatles song can really be said to be obscure). 4. Beatles for SaleSure it's flawed, with the band having to resort to recording a number of their old live standards to fill out the record due to the rushed schedule and their general exhaustion, but it still works for me. After the almost pure Beatlemania pop of "A Hard Days Night", acoustic guitars come to the fore and the band shows it's country and rockibilly influences more than it ever had or would again. And the Dylan influence on John was beginning to show. I love the opening trio of Lennon songs, and "What Your Doing" is such a great track. And the duet lead vocal on "Words of Love" is sublime. Heck, I even like "Mr. Moonlight". 3. Rubber Soul(UK)From the open riff of "Drive My Car" and the deft rhythm work Ringo and Paul and George weave throughout that track, it's obvious the band has made a gigantic leap forward as artists - both in terms of their songwriting and the way they use the studio. Side A is highlighted by two masterworks by John - "Norwegian Wood" & "Nowhere Man" - along with some great performances by Ringo (Drive my Car, You Won't See Me) and Paul (Nowhere Man). John delivers two more classics on the flip side - "Girl" and "In My Life" - and George suprises with "If I Needed Someone", his best song to date. Their artistic growth is a bit compromised in the end, with "Run For Your Life". It's a good song, but it sounds out of place here. 2. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club BandDespite starting the sessions with two of their most brilliantly written songs - "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields" - on the album proper their songwriting takes somewhat of a backseat to sonic innovation. But it works. The whole record just sounds amazing, so who cares if they're singing about meter maids and circus posters. This is their first album where I think Paul was the star. He almost caught up with John on "Revolver", but here he surpasses him both in terms of his songwriting and his studio craft. 1. RevolverAs great as the rest of their albums were, not one of them really comes close to Revolver. A nearly flawless record without a single weak link or lesser track. Even the goofy Ringo tune works well in the context of the record. John is at the height of his powers, and for once, Paul and George nearly match him. Never did the Beatles songwriting brilliance mesh so well with their sonic experimentation and use of the studio as an instrument.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 23, 2009 1:06:11 GMT -5
Great list - In my opinion they didn't make a "bad" album, but "Beatles For Sale" would be near their bottom for me. The originals are great but aside from the Buddy Holly track, the covers don't fit on this new acoustic heavy era they are embarking on (Even the well done "Rock & Roll Music" is out of place with the originals IMHO). And Mr. Moonlight - as much as I dislike "Goodnight", it can't compare to the loathing I have for MM. heated hate of a million bazillion suns! ;D It doesn't help that John whines like Squiggy on the tune (In fact, it sounds like a "Lenny and the Squigtones" number-Gah!) - So, yeah, the album isn't bad, but it is too ragged to make my list, but the others... just... might... maybe make it? 7. The White AlbumI actually find a warmth to the production. There's a general bassy feel to all the instruments and vocals. It's really a great 3 side release, there's about a sides worth of dogs, and some real dogs too. But it also has more than enough stunning numbers to make up for it. I like "Long, Long, Long" as well, even if George did lift the melody from Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" (But what the hey, John lifted a lot on this record as well) and unlike Mr. A - I dig "Bungalow Bill". Iit cracks me up. The melodramatic satire of the piece is accentuated by John's vocals. It's audio performance art) 6. Magical Mystery TourSgt. Pepper's deserves its accolades, it was a landmark achievement... but if I'm ranking these based on my enjoyment of the music (and I am) - Frankly I like listening to this more. The Beatles recorded a bunch of material on or around the time of Peppers, they went right back to the studio after completing the album and recorded more - so this and many from Yellow Sub all fit within the bands Psychedelic era. Though "Your Mother Should Know" is merely okay to my ears, the other songs are all top drawer. 5. A Hard Days NightThe first 3 songs set the tone - this is energetic, fun but smartly written hook filled rock and roll. Their most consistently steady of what I call "The Beatlemania" era. as one catchy tune after another fills the ears and never lets go. This is very heavily a John record. 4. Meet The BeatlesYup, I know but I lived with this album for over 20 years and this Capitol release carries one hell of a kick. Having IWTHYH and ISHST along with the pretty "This Boy" makes this an improvement over "With the Beatles". I know some folks might want to argue with me over this selection, and that's fine (we are after all on a discussion board)... but you won't change my mind because I love this record much too much. 3. Abbey RoadThe final 3, well I just talked about them on the top albums thread. This is part of the "Get Back" era, which encompasses The White Album and Let It Be and was the Beatles desire to get back to being a straight forward rock band. They succeed brilliantly on their (real) final release. George Harrison wrote tunes equal to the dynamic duo. It flags a bit with Maxwell, Darling & Octopus... but not to a dramatic degree, each are definitely listenable.... I Want You isn't in my top 100, but I like how it's rather chaotic and swirling at the end -stops abruptly- then leads to the refreshing cool breeze of "Sun". Then there's that epic medley. Love the vocals, love the musicianship, these guys played there hearts out on this album. Great way to go out. 2. Rubber SoulPerfection - There's not a song I dislike - I even enjoy the Ringo number. The Capitol release has more of an acoustic feel, but that vibe is still pretty strong on the UK release. I like both versions, but I mostly stick with the intended mix of songs when I listen. Harmonies, arrangement, lyrics are all strong. 1. RevolverThe best album ever recorded. With songs that point to the past acoustics of Soul (Dr. Robert) and to the Pepper future (Tomorrow Never Knows). The group reaches new heights of maturity and variety. Nice mix of lyrical content and musical styles. I rarely skip a song (not even the overplayed Yellow Sub)
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Post by quinnmartin on Oct 23, 2009 5:52:25 GMT -5
Great list - In my opinion they didn't make a "bad" album, but "Beatles For Sale" would be near their bottom for me. The originals are great but aside from the Buddy Holly track, the covers don't fit on this new acoustic heavy era they are embarking on (Even the well done "Rock & Roll Music" is out of place with the originals IMHO). And Mr. Moonlight - as much as I dislike "Goodnight", it can't compare to the loathing I have for MM. heated hate of a million bazillion suns! ;D It doesn't help that John whines like Squiggy on the tune (In fact, it sounds like a "Lenny and the Squigtones" number-Gah!) - So, yeah, the album isn't bad, but it is too ragged to make my list, but the others... just... might... maybe make it? As much as I like the existing record, it's too bad they didn't just bite bullet and stick "I Feel Fine" on there, and of course replace "Mr. Moonlight" with "Leave My Kitten Alone". Something like this would have stood up next to AHDN better IMO... Side One 1. I Feel Fine 2. No Reply 3. I'm A Loser 4. Baby's in Black 5. I'll Follow the Sun 6. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby 7. Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Side Two 1. Eight Days a Week 2. Words of Love 3. Honey Don't 4. Every Little Thing 5. I Don't Want to Spoil the Party 6. What You're Doing 7. Leave My Kitten Alone
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Post by Mr. Atari on Oct 23, 2009 11:32:48 GMT -5
Man, I love these threads. Great lists. If I could cheat, I'd put Past Masters Vol. 2 on here, but I won't since it wasn't an intentional album.
7. A Hard Day's Night You guys mentioned that this is a John-centric album, but I like it because Paul's contributions are some of my favorite Paul songs ("Can't Buy Me Love" and "Things We Said Today"). Don't get me wrong, I love John's contributions on this, too; "I Should Have Known Better", "Tell Me Why", and "You Can't Do That" are all favorites.
6. Magical Mystery Tour More of a collection of singles than a real album. But when your singles are "The Fool on the Hill", "I Am the Walrus", "Baby You're a Rich Man" and "All You Need is Love", then it counts. And that's before you count "Strawberry Fields..." and "Penny Lane" for crying out loud. On second thought, maybe the Past Masters discs should count...
5. Revolver Blasphemy, right? Why so low? Well, I think Revolver is like Citizen Kane. There's no question that it's a legendary and exceptional piece of work, and rightly treated as such. But I think it's status as "the greatest ever" is based more on reputation than on actual merit. Specifically, "Love You To", "Yellow Submarine" and "Doctor Robert" just don't do it for me. And even though everyone (including John) said it was one of his best, "Here, There, and Everywhere" is in the lower tier of Paul's classics for me.
4. Rubber Soul Even with my criticism of Revolver, these two albums were nearly perfect and go hand-in-hand. If Revolver is Kane, then this is Casablanca. This is the one Beatles album that I don't think has a bad song on it. That doesn't mean every song is top-tier. "Run for Your Life" might not be "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "Michelle" might not be "Eleanor Rigby". But I prefer the rest of the songs to their Revolver counterparts, and I just think it's a tighter album.
3. The White Album When I think of the White Album, I think of the adjective, dirty. It's a dirty album. Not dirty like Redd Foxx, but dirty like Pig Pen. The photos of the lads are dirty. The songwriting is dirty. The sonic quality is dirty. Compared to the shiny and clean early days or the polished and produced Sgt. Pepper, it's like a breath of fresh dirty air. It also has my favorite John stuff ever. I love what Paul said in the Anthology interview: when asked if it would have been better to release this as a tighter single album (which both Ringo and George Martin preferred), he looked around for a bit and then said, "No, it's the bloody Beatles White Album. Shut up!"
2. Abbey Road Side 1 of this would have made the top 7. With classics like "Come Together" and "Something", plus "Here Comes the Sun", you can't go wrong. "I Want You" is the kid brother of "Happiness is a Warm Gun", which I loved. Heck, I even like "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Octopus" is probably my favorite Ringo song. But then side 2 comes along and puts this in its own category. I've loved the Beatles since I was 9, when I would make my own compilation cassettes from the records I would get from the library. But I didn't hear side 2 of Abbey Road until I was in college. In retrospect, that's kind of insane, but I don't think it would have had the same impact on me at 9 as it did at 19.
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band I don't put this at number 1 just because I'm a "Paul guy". I put it here because it's the best true album they did. It's the best true album ever made. It is the very definition of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. It's cohesive in a way that shouldn't work, but it does. Not counting "A Day in the Life", other albums had better songs. But no other album had the same flow, feel, and impact. It's the gold standard for what a band can do in the studio with the art form of an album.
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Post by quinnmartin on Oct 23, 2009 13:06:05 GMT -5
It's really a great 3 side release, there's about a sides worth of dogs, and some real dogs too. Yeah, you here "it would have been better as a single LP" quite a bit, but if you actually try and cut down the record into a single 40-50 minute LP, it's very, very hard. Especially if you keep it realistic and stick with the idea that Ringo would have had a cut on there, and John and Paul would have had a similar amount of songs. And I'm sure if they had made it a single LP, they'd have left some of the "dogs" on there. I'm sure John would have make sure Rev #9 was on there, for example. This is the best I've come up with, but it leaves off a number of quality songs that I'm very glad we got to hear. Quinn's The Beatles single LP Side A 1. Back in the USSR 2. Dear Prudence 3. While My Guitar 4. Happiness is a Warm Gun 5. Martha My Dear 6. Rocky Racoon 7. I'm So Tired Side B 1. Birthday 2. Don't Pass Me By 3. Everybody's Got Something to Hide 4. Sexy Sadie 5. Helter Skelter 6. Savoy Truffle 7. Cry Baby Cry I'd rather have the double LP and just skip over the crap, than have stuff like "Julia" and "Bungalow Bill" and "Long, Long, Long" sitting in the vaults unreleased.
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Post by quinnmartin on Oct 23, 2009 13:13:17 GMT -5
6. Magical Mystery TourMore of a collection of singles than a real album. But when your singles are "The Fool on the Hill", "I Am the Walrus", "Baby You're a Rich Man" and "All You Need is Love", then it counts. It's just short album with a few extra tracks tacked on. It's really not that much different than Help! or A Hard Days Night. Except instead of a 2nd side of new originals tacked onto the film soundtrack, they tacked on some recent singles. But unlike those two, MMT doesn't really flow for me. And the movie soundtrack songs are somewhat second rate for the most part. There's nothing on say Help! as great as Penny Lane or Strawberry Fields, but I like every song on Help! far better than "Flying" or "Blue Jay Way" or "All You Need is Love".
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 23, 2009 23:57:48 GMT -5
The White Album? Yeah I'd rather skip tracks than lose some goodies. But I'd have preferred Harrison's "Not Guilty" with that cool guitar lick, over some of the LPs weak numbers. Don't know why you'd toss it over oh, Wild Honey Pie... so it adds a minute to the albums length - side A would be perfect then (for me) And Atari, you blasphemer you! Kidding - Can't speak for the world, but rest assured I base my ranking on merit, not reputation. While it has been popping up on a lot of top LP lists in the past 10 years or so, originally it was eclipsed by Abbey, Soul and it was especially under the shadow of Pepper back when I was a young Beatle mad lad. Pepper's for most of my life was hailed as the greatest album of all time. It took a while for us Revolver backers to raise our voices. Appreciation for it has rightfully grown over the years.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 24, 2009 0:54:02 GMT -5
That got me thinking of another tune - thought there were critics who hailed it, "Day In The Life" wasn't universally appreciated as a top Beatles number the way it is today. I remember John saying something along the lines of it being ahead of its time and to give it 20 years. I remember there was a radio show, mid 70's, doing a week with the greatest songs of all time.... Yesterday weighed in at around #5. Hey Jude was #2 (Stairway to Heaven was #1), 15 years later I was reading a list of great rock songs and there was ADITL at or near the top in their respective lists. I find it interesting how opinions have shifted in my lifetime (I remember when Hitchcock's Marnie was blasted? Now it makes top 10 lists) Ah sweet musings
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Post by quinnmartin on Oct 24, 2009 7:42:11 GMT -5
Can't speak for the world, but rest assured I base my ranking on merit, not reputation. While it has been popping up on a lot of top LP lists in the past 10 years or so, originally it was eclipsed by Abbey, Soul and it was especially under the shadow of Pepper back when I was a young Beatle mad lad. Pepper's for most of my life was hailed as the greatest album of all time. It took a while for us Revolver backers to raise our voices. Appreciation for it has rightfully grown over the years. I'm assuming you heard the US version first. Did you love Revolver as much then, or was it not until you heard the full UK version? I can totally see why Revolver was somewhat overlooked in it's time when it was released with just 2 John tracks. It's such an odd record, with Paul and George trading songs, and then when you get to the last song of each side there's a trippy John acid rocker that comes out of nowhere. Capitol just neutered that record IMO.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 24, 2009 15:25:05 GMT -5
I always loved Revolver, but it was strange - Lennon only closing each side with a trippy number. And when I first saw the UK lineup I was pissed because I adored those John songs and knew the record would be even better with them But you hit the nail square on the head, I didn't even think of that when I wrote my post. But U.S. audiences didn't really hear the true Revolver until '87 and that's about the time it started finding its way into high rankings on album lists. It's like the mirror verse, with bearded Spock! American fans who discovered the Beatles in the 80s are going to have completely different mindset from those of us who discovered them in the 60s/70s
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 26, 2009 9:25:18 GMT -5
Like Mr. Atari I’m enjoying these lists so I thought I’d offer up my back 7, focusing on what kept them off the front 7. 8. The Beatles Second Album (Capitol) A spirited rockin’ good time record released in the States. Collects some of their best covers, songs left off “Meet” and a few singles & B-sides. I don’t have anything bad to say about it - it was squeezed out was all. 9. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band And here’s my blasphemy landmark as a whole, the songs individually sometimes leave something to be desired. Solid opening and a great finish but the middle section starts to sag. The 3 songs after “Lucy” are okay, I often skip the 3 after that: Kite, Harrison’s tune and only rarely listen to 64 any more. 10. Help! It feels jagged despite their being some great tunes… Help! You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, Ticket to Ride, Yesterday, I’ve Just Seen a Face, It’s Only Love, Another Girl, Tell Me What You See. I skip “Act Naturally” and find the popular “Your Gonna Lose That Girl” pretty flat (I’d have preferred the outstanding “That Means A Lot”) and “The Night Before” is on oddity in that I sometimes love it, and sometimes don’t (I guess it’s one of those ‘gotta be in the mood’ pieces). Lizzy is well covered but feels out of place on the record. 11. With the Beatles Decent album, not much that’s bad on it - but it is a record without a real knock out –single worthy- number (as compared to “Meet” which adds 2 rousing hits). I usually let the whole album play out though I’m not fond of Ringo’s track or the treacle of “Till There Was You” 12. Beatles For Sale Most of the covers are better suited to their first 2 records (plus I’m not fond of the songs). They kick ass ‘performance wise’ on KC/Hey but I simply don’t enjoy the tune, nor do I enjoy the Perkins numbers and I hate Moonlight. Might have best suited the LP had they gone more the Buddy Holly style covers (I like the Holly song) – The original’s “What Your Doing” and “Every Little Thing” have a Buddy vibe to them. I enjoy the 8 Lennon & McCartney tracks and wish they’d have worked on George’s “You Know What to Do” – an okay number, but the Beatles had taken okay originals and turned them into something special in the past (“I’ll Be Back” started off a weak waltz). 13. Please, Please Me Too many weak covers (they often covered songs I didn’t care for on their studio albums. Thank goodness for “Live at the BBC”, at least it provides covers I dig!) I skip “A Taste of Honey”, “Boys” and “Chains” – and I’m not too fond of “P.S. I Love You” - “Do You Want to Know a Secret” and “Anna” are kind of m’eh. That leaves me with 8 out of 14 I enjoy to differing degrees. 14. Let It Be The guys were falling a part. There are some nice tunes (Universe, Let It Be) but I generally wasn’t too impressed with John. Paul’s okay but not knocking me out – and Harrison kept bringing them great songs (“All Things Must Pass”) that J&P ignored, or held back songs like “Something” that he felt needed a proper studio production - so we are left with mostly okay George. The whole album is like that, mostly okay. Well that came off negative – Though I locked into why they failed to breech the top 7. I do, for the most part, like listening to these albums. And that leaves off * Yellow Submarine (there are the 3 originals I enjoy - Bulldog, All Too Much & Northern Song - It also had a decent George Martin score and a couple of classics found on other CDs) * The outstanding singles collections, Past Masters 1 & 2 (not eligible) * Live At The BBC (which I adore but also not eligible) * Anthology 1, 2 & 3 (I burned a “Best of” CD through my 16 track home studio (better sound than through the Laptop), that I listen too more than I do these individually) * Live at the Hollywood Bowl (never put on CD, but not a bad record) * And the never officially sanctioned “Live at the Star Club” (way too ragged sound quality, though it is a historical curiosity)
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Post by quinnmartin on Oct 26, 2009 12:35:57 GMT -5
11. With the Beatles Decent album, not much that’s bad on it - but it is a record without a real knock out –single worthy- number (as compared to “Meet” which adds 2 rousing hits). I usually let the whole album play out though I’m not fond of Ringo’s track or the treacle of “Till There Was You” I'd rank With the Beatles last among the good Beatles records (excludes "Let it Be"), but "It's Won't Be Long" is a single worthy song. I perfer it to both "I wanna hold your hand" and "Can't buy me love". And "All I've Gotta Do" is a better song, my favorite on the record, but it's not really "single" material. But it does stand up pretty well to "Please Please Me" and "A Hard Days" night when you consider both of those records included singles either previously released or released at the same time. All 4 songs from the "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me" 45's were on Please Please Me, and all four songs from the "A Hard Days Night" and "Can't Buy Me Love" 45's were on the A Hard Days Night LP. While for With the Beatles, all 4 songs from the "She Loves You" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" 45's were left as non-album tracks.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 26, 2009 23:14:57 GMT -5
I agree that "It Wont Be Long" is the closet thing to single material - but when I listen to Meet The Beatles, it does (for my ears) pale in comparison to Hand and ISHST and magically becomes a strong 'album' song. I find that happens with "I Just Saw A Face" - it almost disappears tucked in the middle of Help! but shines as an album opener on the Capitol's Rubber Soul.
I like "With", it's solid. Though it doesn't land as many big knockouts as say, a "Help!" The 3 additions Capitol added, made all the difference in the world for me.
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Post by quinnmartin on Oct 27, 2009 7:35:49 GMT -5
I'll still take Please Please Me over With the Beatles or either of the first two Capitol LP's.
Among the reasons...
a) More songs than either Capitol record. 2 more than Meet, 3 more than Second. b) "I Saw Here Standing There" is a much better opener than either "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" or "Roll Over Beethoven" c) I don't really care for "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" d) Side two of Meet the Beatles is especially weak. Both "Baby It's You" and "There's a Place" are MUCH better than any of the songs on side two of Meet. "A Taste of Honey" is a much better cheesy Paul cover than "Til There was You". And "Little Child" is their worse released original prior to 1967. And "Boys" is a better Ringo showcase than "I Wanna Be Your Man". e) "Please Please Me" is a better song than anything on the first two Capitol records, other than "She Loves You".
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 27, 2009 11:41:38 GMT -5
Please, Please Me is an awesome song (one of my top 10) And don't get me wrong, I was listing why these didn't make my top 7 and that might have come off harsh, I do enjoy them all. Even Let It Be. I like Little Child (except for that 'harmonica solo from another dimension' on the stereo mix). For me, I can just kick back and enjoy the first 2 Capitol albums, even the weaker numbers don't detract. "Please, Please Me" (the album) doesn't flow as seamlessly for me. I get really lost when I listen to my music, I go into a different world (it may be that way for everyone, I don't know) and when grading albums that's a factor. What albums keep me locked in, and what albums take me out of the groove. I find I pop in and out of focus with "Please" My last question. Is where is CH? and why has Mr. A stopped weighing in on the discussion. Miss your insights guys
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