The Beatles' Rubber Soul is 50: and it's still ahead of its time Bob Stanley Today marks 50 years of the band’s sixth studio album – and with tracks like Girl, Think for Yourself and Norwegian Wood, it will be fresh for 50 more http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/03/the-beatles-rubber-soul-50-still-ahead-of-its-time
Superb album. This, Revolver and Abbey Road are their best works for me. It was the first Beatles album I owned too.
Girl is a beautiful song. I like the Greek instrument playing on it. In My Life was another classic Lennon piece. Think For Yourself has never struck me as outstanding.
Amazing album. The Beatles (and the Stones) are still the best British bands in history. You have bands like the Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Smiths, The Jam, The Stone Roses, The Kinks, Muse and The Verve who are amazing in their own right but those two still remain the greatest even after half a century.
Don't forget U2, Genesis, Thin Lizzy, Supertramp, Status Quo, The Sex Pistols, Roxy Music, The Police, Oasis,.... you could go on and on I suppose, but there is 1 thing....I don't think the yanks can compare.
Saw the Beatles live at the Harrogate Pavilion February 1963 just before they brought out Please Please Me (they played it though). Big Dance Hall, first half of the set everybody danced, second half we all stood and listened. Did not realize at the time that I had just witnessed genius in action, hey the Zurich Patent office did not think much of Einstein (it was Zurich right). Been a fan ever since-like everyone else! Friend from Liverpool told us all, "Got to go see the Beatles La, so we all did. That night is something I think of often with great fondness.
I saw them in Llandudno, the same year. They did 2 shows a night and we saw the last show (Saturday night). Amazing energy and excitement!
Rubber Soul is a particular favourite of mine, the albums from this era are to me the very essence of the brilliant sixties and surely they bring back memories of some of the very best times in the lives of many of the slightly more senior contributors.
Saw them 1964in Scarborough. So many people milling about without tickets the police got them to appear on a hotel balcony and wave, like royalty, to ease their disappointment. Hard for anyone not around at the time to realise what a phenomenon they were and how excitinging it was to see thevworld changing around you from a drab, grey thing to one full of colour where itbwas great to be young.By then they weren't doing dance halls because of safety fears so it wasn't that great, couldn't hear a thing, they did less than 20 minutes. Good days though. Saw every top band at Bridlington Spa, Stones there twice, one week saw them Saturday and Little Richard (the best live act I ever saw) the following Thursday. Other memorable times included seeing in 3 consecutive weeks The Who, The Small Faces and The Spencer Davis Group, the last one the night England won the World Cup. Even better was that many of us weren't just seeing these well known bands, we were in clubs having a great time watching Jimmy James and The Vagabonds, Geno Washington, Creation, The Alan Bown Set, Action and others and listening to Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Temptations etc. Despite hardly having had any hits Otis Redding was voted best male artist in Melody Maker in 1967. It was great then discovering and enjoying new music and just enjoying it. No deep discusdions about it reflecting the zeitgeist of the times, reflecting society's angst with the system. Feel sorry for those who weren't even born then who seem to spend more time discussing the music and its supposed cultural significance than listeningnto and enjoying it. After all, Dr Stan, in 1965 how much time did you spend discusding music from 1915?
You don't indicate it was ruined by screaming. Was it not too bad? I read the Beatles at Shea stadium couldn't hear if they were singing in tune and going by the video they were fifty yards from the nearest screaming girl!
If I want to bring back memories of those times I play one of my Otis Redding albums, notably Otis Blue, Janis Joplin, especially with Big Brother and the Holding Company, Astral Weeks or Moondance by Van Morrison, a live album from the Marquee Club featuring the Alan Bown Set and Jimmy James, Temptations early stuff and last, but not least, early Fleetwood Mac Stuff featuring Peter Green. That was whynitbwas such a greatbtime, something for everyone and notball chart based or who younger folks not around at the time would necessarily be aware of.
Well, U2 are Irish and pretty ****e to be honest. Oasis are unoriginal and perhaps the most overrated band in British history; the comparisons to The Beatles are hilarious. And your point about the Yanks not comparing overlooks the fact that both the greatest guitarist and greatest songwriter were both Americans.
Well I'll accept Hendricks as the best guitarist ever, but as far as I'm concerned the best song writer ever is John Lennon. I don't know who you have in mind, but Lennon is #1 for me,and on top of this I thought the thread was about BANDS, not individuals
Dylan. And there have been loads of great American bands. Granted, none who I believe are better than The Beatles or the Stones but still great in their own right. Nirvana, Metallica, Foo Fighters, The Velvet Underground etc. etc. Regarding British bands, Arctic Monkeys are my favourite but even I wouldn't put them in my top 10, not just yet. I think Royal Blood are amazing and will go on to do great things.
