My Beatles/2009 Mashup

Suddenly it is end of year poll reflection time again, and the UK Sunday newspaper The Observer has today recommended The Beatles Stereo box set as the box set of the year, obviously. So, what I intend to do here is mashup my favourite ten tracks from the Remasters with my favourite ten tracks from 2009. As you DJs out there know it doesn’t quite work like that as you need to go with the Flow, so this isn’t quite my 10 /10 selection but I think it works as a mix; so lets start with a wake up call! GOOD MORNING! Good Morning, Beatles Fans…

Love the fade-out of the animals at the end, Johns’ request to Geoff Emerick was to engineer a fade out sequence of animals who would eat the previous one. And in a dog eat dog (!?) world Miike Snow have come out in 2009 with a personal view of what the credit crunch makes them feel like; an Animal right? Sequencers set to stun on this one…

So circling synthesizers courtesy of of a Swedish Rasputin mashup, what can the Beatles say to that? The weathers fine, with swirling Rain, backing tapes and absolutely awesome bass from Paul. If you are reading this Mr Paul McCartney let me say that the revelation of the Remasters for me is your bass; absolutely unbelievable! Rain;

Nice alternative Rain video from Filippo Paparelli’s “Art and the Beatles” series, worth a look, but we need another video from a world-straddling four-headed musical colussus with a manager as the fifth member of the band and who want to change the world; that’ll be U2 then. Inspired by Ringo’s Rain drumming? Don’t hold your breathe… Breathe!

So after that we need something else that is uplifting and driving and joyous, so take a deep breathe and you can sing along to the happy guitar riff song… (yeah I know this is the bass and laughter remix) For those of you who want the laughter outtake it is here, and your bird can sing

OK, you can Ignore the Ignorant after that, even with Crib kids from Leeds, well county town Wakefield actually, as a West Yorkshire boy We Share The Same Skies, even with that Lancastrian loser Johnny Marr, what does he not know about jangly guitar riffs? Here they are ripping up the Letterman Show, whilst David pops out to his private room presumably? Oh yes only we know and “I know”

So if you are” lonely” and “wanna die” HOLD IT! Here are “Yer Blues” from the White Album, remastered and played by that cheap covers band Dirty Mac. John Lennon on rhythm and Boss, Keith Richard on bass and Clapton let out on lead for the duelling guitars section and Mitch Mitchell on drums. Beatles, Cream, Stones and Hendrix sidemen, no wonder they didn’t catch on. I Like It though! Low-fi version here…

And now my own personal favourite track of the year.  My “honesty is concentric” too, as it was created on turntables of course, it is The Invisible with a Monsters Waltz for all of us. Just brilliant, who are these guys? And a cracking live version here, but this is the version I grew up with back in November 2009…

A riffingly thoughtful challenge from The Invisible there, so George what can you come up with to challenge that then? Old Brown Shoe! This was hidden behind The Ballad of The Bagism Duo but is a driving sock that sparkles afresh in the light of Remastering; foot down and drive it away, Georgie boy…

Less original than The Invisible, and with a title like that they must be American, but well Beatlesy on the chorus, Empire of the Sun (is that inspired by Spielberg or JG Ballard, or both) hit minor key majesty with We Are The People which of course is almost the American Constitution; it’s a kicker and you can sing along. Oh I see they are from Oz and their singles flopped! What do I know?

But a definite lead in to The Ballad of John and Yoko. The Beatles were arguably more popular in Australia than anywhere else, having the Top SIX singles there when they had the Top Five in the US, April 1964. And their top single was the All My Loving EP, extra-ordinary stuff, but here is the newspaper ballad instead; just John and Paul in a day. Remaster version here but here is a video cleverly cut to match the lyrics oops! EMI took it down, the evil Guy Hands must still be in debt; Bald/john/yoko/colour;

And a great 2009 track from Zero 7 which Swings along to the filmic theme of the year. Notice the sweet use of the “Hang” drum towards the end, kind of like an expensive steel drum, and also judiciously in evidence on the Portico Quartet Cittagazze.

You say you want a set of Remasters, well you know, we all want to remix the world. Shooby doo-wop, got to be the live 1/9 version for me. Revolution;

So after a Revolution I guess we might all speak Fula like Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba as West African music continues to refresh itself, especially in Mali and Bamako. The sound reminds me of Salif Keita’s classic Soro album. Here they are on Jools Holland’s Later going even faster than the recorded version!

I love the story that The Beatles recorded Hey Bulldog whilst they were filming the video for Lady Madonna, too boring just to mime so lets’ make some new music guys. I think this was the last song they made all together with the four of them, but here is the US out-take from the movie Yellow Submarine, recently selected by Terry Gilliam, who should know, as the 7th best animated movie of all time.

And here is a genius piece of  re-invention, Norah Jones Chasing Pirates. Sexier than Keira Knightley with a great voice and a thumping tune (?) Here is the official video, but still a great studio performance…

As well as coming from Somalia Pirates can be Losers too, even before heading off towards Davy Jones locker. This was written by Lennon in his Fat Elvis period and for some reason they released the great I Feel Fine as the single instead of this Dylan inspired sing-a-long, I’m A Loser; notice Lennon’s sartorial tribute to Dylan hanging off his neck…

Old bands never die, or fade away, they just beget generations of successors. Here is Bad Lieutenant, title by Abel Ferrara (remake by Scorsese soon), yet another bit of genius from the Fact known as Manchester, sounds like The Smiths meet Joy Division on a day off at the Lido; Sink or Swim time guys…

And it really reminds me of something, something with a harmonica and that New Order lilt and “little girls” and trains and the invention of the video by Dick Lester and a fade-in groove, what else? I Should Have Known Better! With the Liverpool Shuffle, here they are, “The Beatles” who should have known better

More West African Malian music from the tribute album to Ali Farke Toure the late great Mayor of Niafunke, here is Samba Toure (relation) with Goye Kurya. Vieux Farka Toure is the great man’s son and his album Fondo is also worth a listen as well. Here’s looking at you Jimmy…

Magical Mystery Tour is The Beatles (one?) moment of madness when they tried to manage themselves ofter Brian Epstein died, watch out for the upcoming movie about him The Fifth Beatle. I missed MMT as my Dad was in the Army and we were living in Germany so I have always had a soft spot for it, and for the well ‘ard I Am The Walrus, which just seems to get Howlingly better over time for me, and how wonderful to hear a Remaster, despite the endless layers of tape hiss. Well that is what you got from the endless layers of invention involved. Electric Light Orchestra were invented in response to this track, and Oasis did a great version as an early calling card before they became mega. George Martin hated it but it changed the life of my “pornographic priestess” friend. Here is the original, now available in three flavours, original, remastered and Loved Up in Las Vegas…

And in The End, you have to love the trilogy of guitar solos, prefaced by Ringo’s one and only whole kit drum mashup. The Abbey Road song-cycle, pop opera at its most sublime. And by 1’31” The Beatles have anticipated all of cock-rock, but with precision, inter-play and power. The sequence of three guitar solos lasts just 55 seconds; you can  guess who plays which and then find the answers here.

Missing tracks include Taxman remastered with Paul’s bass whump created by using a speaker as a microphone (dont ask me, ask Geoff Emerick, but it whumps satisfyingly on 11). The gorgeous Long, Long, Long by Harrison, his May 68 anthem, er soliloquy. Then from 2009 Biffy Clyro’s That Golden Rule (play unto others those tracks you would play for yourself) and the punk/disco majesty of Heavy Cross (Fred Falke remix) by Gossip; Heart of Glass for the noughties. Go Enjoy!

And if you want to buy a Beatles book for Christmas my booklist is here.