h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I grew up listening to the Beatles. Before I could read, I knew the lyrics to most of their songs. It wasn't until I was six years old, that I realized they had broken up before I was even born. Talk about disappointment. That realization came the day John Lennon was killed. That was a very dark day for all Beatles fans, but especially for me. It is the only clear memory I have of my first grade year.

Over the last twenty-five and a half years (my lifespan thus far), my father -- who introduced me to the Beatles -- and I have disagreed on a lot of things...politics, religion and even music, but one thing will always keep us together...the music of the Beatles.

That's so cool! My dad brought me to the Beatles, too, but that was much later. In fact, being only 18, I was born just a few months AFTER John Lennon died. I can only try to imagine how bad that must have been for you. I'm probably not the best person on H2G2 to write this article, never having been alive while they were together, but I've listened to them for so long, and nobody else had done one yet...

It doesn't matter when you come to know the Beatles. Their magic can be worked on you at any age. I have friends who were in college before they began listening to them.

What is your favorite album? Mine is definitely "Yellow Submarine." There are so many great songs on that one and it was the first my father introduced me to. My next would have to be "Sgt. Pepper's." It really changed the way I looked at the Beatles when I first heard it. Third favorite would be "Abbey Road." I think it is totally hillarious that people actually believed it was some sort of coded message telling them that Paul was dead.

Yellow Submarine is the only Beatles Album that I don't own, mostly beccause alot of it is symphonic, and most of the other songs I have in some collection or other somewhere else. My dad introduced me to them in nearly chronological order, so I've got favorites on almost every album from "Please Please Me" to "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be". Most recently it's been Abbey Road that I've been listening too, but it really depends on my mood. I think that Magical Mystery Tour is my least favorite of the ones I own, but I love a couple of the tracks on it, too. There are days when I really want to listen to the early stuff before they retreated into the studio because it has such a raw, real feel to it. Then there are days when I want to here Dear Prudence, or While My Guitar Gently Weeps from the white album (great Eric Clapton cameo on that). I like Sgt. Pepper's and have about half of it stored on my computer so that I can listen to it at will. For recording together less than a decade they really were a prolific band, and it's hard for me to pick a favorite.

The Best Beatles Album has to be Rubber Soul... or Help!... I don't know, maybe Abbey Road... It's so hard to tell.
So, what do you think of the Tony Sheridan years? Do you listen to the early tapes a lot? And what about "Wings"???

Tony Sheridan, that name sounds familiar, but I just can't remember... what do you mean by "early tapes"? The old demos and stuff like in the Beatles Anthology? I've got those, I've listened to them some... As far as Wing's go, I don't hear their stuff much, I haven't heard as much post Beatles McCarteny as I'd like, although that album he did a couple of years ago, Flaming Pie, is just great. Spooky, though, because some of it sounds Beatlesque and you can almost hear John singing backup... I think alot of the power in the Beatles came from the collaboration, John was a wonderful idea man, whith a real raw edge, Paul was a brilliant musician with an knack for finishing things off. I think alot of Lennon's post Beatles stuff desperately missed Pauls finishing touches, and alot of Paul's misses Lennon's bite. For instance, Instant Karma sounds almost unfinished to me, but Band on the Run is a bit too... smooth.

I know what you mean, I was talking just now to someone how all the post-Beatles albums did have things in them that let them down a little. Still, individual songs are just as good as many Beatles ones, but the albums do not have the same atmosphere.
Tony Sheridan was a singer in Hamburg, and the Beatles were hired to back him on an album he did. They sang about 14 songs together, including "My Bonnie" which is on the Anthology, but if you're interested more in that era of the Beatles, then you can get the album "Tony Sheridan And The Beatles - The Legend Begins" which has 6 songs on they did for £2.99 at HMV, or "The Early Tapes Of The Beatles, Tony Sheridan And The Beatles, The Beat Brothers And Tony Sheridan" at some HMVs and Virgins for about £6.99, which has the 6 songs on the other CD, plus 8 more (14 in total). They aren't them as the refined musicians they became, but if their origins interest you, it's a must.
Or you could see the films "Backbeat" or "Birth of The Beatles".

I saw "Backbeat", and I've got the anthology, so that's why the name Tony Sheridan sounded familiar. Being on the wrong side of the Atlantic ocean, I don't know what HMV means. There's a Virgin Megastore in Phoenix, though. Any idea what £6.99 translates into in American $? I seem to remember that one pound is a tad more weighty than one dollar.

HMV is a British shop (stands for "His Master's Voice" as the logo is a dog staring at a gramaphone) It's quite a popular shop, branches in every high street, and students get 10% discount! It sells CDs, Videos, computer games, magazines - practically everything you can ask for.
As for £ to $, I think $1 is £0.65, give or take 5p.

Is it any relation to RCA/Victor? That's a record lable whose logo has a dog (a pit bull, actually) listening intently to a gramaphone.

It might be, I don't know.
By the way, when you went to my home page (Blue Meanies), why did you ask if I was a Beatles fan considering we've been talking non-stop Beatles here? Or were you confused - I must admit I get confused as to who I'm talking to a lot, but it seems that you are everywhere I go at the moment, but that's okay as I like you
So, do you have the "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" singles, as they are what I'm after at the moment, but can't seem to find them...

I guess this forum started out with a posting from someone else, and I don't know if I ever noticed that a new person had added to the thread. I only noticed just before I read your post "Hey, this is the same Bluebottle I've been talking to somewhere else!" Sorry. I've got "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love", but not on singles. I've got 'em with the Beatles Anthology. At least I hope I didn't follow the link to your page *from* *here* and then ask that silly question...

Nah, we went over from one of the Addicts conversations, I think.... I'm just asking about the singles as I know that on "Free As A Bird" single, there is the 1968 Christmas Message song that was not on any of the albums, and I was wondering if something similar was on "Real Love"... I just want to own Every Beatles song possible, which is why I'm not fussed at the moment about the New Yellow Submarine album as I've got all the songs on it.
By the way, when you say you've got all the albums except Yellow Submarine, do you mean except the New album, or except both?

I have no album titled "Yellow Submarine" I haven't bought anything that's come out after the anthology, and I've been a tad out of touch with what's been released since I've graduated from highschool... college is kind of isolated... ah well. My freind Billy has either Real Love or Free as a Bird... I'm not quite sure which. I'll ask him (he's not on h2g2, sadly).

This article has been updated! Take a look! Shall I finally submit it?

Yes - I'd go for it. Looks good to me.

Thank you much!