Before I get into talking about this album let me just say something about the packaging and the sound of this remastered version. Unbelievable. The instruments are crisp, the vocal mix just right, and the sitars not too twangy. Don't just listen to it in your car or the MP3s on an iPod, sit yourself on the couch equidistant between your speakers and play it on the big stereo. I know there are purists who swear by the vinyl, but for $9.99 you can't go wrong with this re-release. In addition to the remix, which they engineered from the original analog tapes, there is a booklet complete with pictures, and even an "enhanced" Quicktime feature to the CD, so you get some other goodies as well.
Speaking of the album itself, some consider it the Beatles' most adventurous, pre-dating "Sgt. Pepper's" and containing a mix of the wry George ("Taxman"), the symphonic Paul ("Eleanor Rigby"), the sitar-wielding John ("Tomorrow Never Knows") and, oh yeah, "Yellow Submarine" sung by Ringo. This album really has it all -- the love song, the introspective, the pop hit, the experimental, the political, the exotic -- and you get them in their prime, at that moment in time when they decided to quit touring and concentrate on creating great music in the studio, and also before any of the controversy and infighting that is sometimes associated with their later work.
Five stars, baby.
Track listing:
1. Taxman (George)
2. Eleanor Rigby (Paul)
3. I'm Only Sleeping (John)
4. Love You To (George)
5. Here, There and Everywhere (Paul)
6. Yellow Submarine (Ringo)
7. She Said She Said (John)
8. Good Day Sunshine (Paul)
9. And Your Bird Can Sing (John)
10. For No One (Paul)
11. Doctor Robert (John)
12. I Want to Tell You (George)
13. Got To Get You Into My Life (Paul)
14. Tomorrow Never Knows (John)
cds
p.s. By the way, the entire Beatles catalog has been remastered but this is the only one I have right now. HINT: gift idea for the Caseman.
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