brendan2's Full Review: Yellow Submarine Songtrack by The Beatles
The soundtrack to the Beatles' animated film Yellow Submarine is often dismissed by fans because the Beatles put about as much effort into the soundtrack as they did the movie itself (almost nothing - they didn't even do their own voices). So the soundtrack included four new songs, two old ones, and some George Martin instrumentals. In 1999, however, this "songtrack" was released, containing all the Beatles songs that played in the movie. While all the songs on here were previously available, I'd rather hear "Eleanor Rigby" or "With a Little Help From My Friends" than "March of the Meanies" or "Pepperland Laid Waste."
The CD begins appropriately enough with Yellow Submarine, a Lennon-McCartney composition sung by Ringo Starr. This is basically a children's song about living in a yellow submarine. This song is often hated because it's so simple and repetitive, but it's not a bad song and it's fun to sing along with if you're in the right mood. Ironically, no one admits to liking it, but it did go to number one on the charts. This song originally appeared on 1966's Revolver and provided the inspiration for the Yellow Submarine movie.
Hey Bulldog, written by John Lennon, is the first new song on here. This was cut out of the U.S. version of the movie for about 30 years, and that's a shame because it's a great song. It has a really cool piano intro before the drums and guitars join in. The music for this one is kind of a blues/rock combination, and it's just awesome, especially George's guitar solo. The lyrics are weird ("Childlike, no one understands, jack knife, in your sweaty hands"), and the song ends with some barking sounds. It's a strange song, but I like it a lot.
Next is another Revolver track, Eleanor Rigby, which was written by Paul McCartney and features his lead vocals, with John and George backing him up. The music for the song was provided by session musicians, with violins, violas, and cellos giving the song a hauntingly beautiful feel. The lyrics are very touching, as Paul sings about two lonely people, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, and how their paths sadly cross at the end. This is a brilliant song, and it became a number one hit.
Love You To is a track from - you guessed it - Revolver. This is a George Harrison composition which reflects his interest in Eastern culture. It sounds to me like George was on drugs when he wrote this one, honestly, with lyrics like "Make love all day long/ Make love singing songs." I actually hated this song when I first heard it, but it has definitely grown on me. I mean, George plays the sitar on it, so that's really all you have to know to understand its excellence.
All Together Now is the second new song for the movie. This is another sing along like "Yellow Submarine," but I like this one better, probably because I haven't heard it a billion times. The music is pretty basic, with light bass and acoustic guitars and soft percussion, but the "all together now" chorus is loud and perfect to sing along with. The lyrics aren't much, but this song is hard to resist anyway because it's so fun.
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds first appeared on 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The lyrics are very strange, speaking of tangerine trees, kaleidoscope eyes, cellophane flowers, and so on. The music adds to the trippy feel, with the Hammond organ and sitar in addition to the usual drums and guitars. John wrote this one (about a picture his son Julian brought home from school, not about an LSD trip), sings it, and plays lead guitar.
Think For Yourself is a Harrison-penned tune from 1965's Rubber Soul. Lyrically, the song is about someone who just can't think for themselves, and it encourages that person to start trying to think more. George sings lead, with Paul and John providing some nice harmonies. There is a lot of tambourine and maraca action going on here, but the dominating instrument is Paul's fuzz bass, which gives the song a sound that is heavier than most of the Beatles' early work.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (hopefully you can guess what album this song is from) acts as the introduction to a concert by Sgt. Pepper's band, with sounds of audience applause and laughter. Paul starts the song off by introducing "the act you've known for all these years," then John and George join in by greeting the audience. The song ends with Paul saying that the singer, Billy Shears, will be singing a song, then we go straight into...
With A Little Help From My Friends. Ringo Starr, a.k.a. Billy Shears, sings lead on this one and plays the drums. Paul handles bass guitar and piano, George shakes a tambourine, and John and Paul provide backing vocals. John and Paul wrote the song for Ringo, with a working title of "Bad Finger Boogie." "With A Little Help" is a midtempo song which is basically about the importance of friendships. After all, what are friends for if not to help you get high?
Baby You're A Rich Man is about being rich and "one of the beautiful people." The lyrics are very good, and the music is interesting, with what I think is Paul's bass guitar producing a really cool sound. I can't really describe it, so you'll just have to listen to it. This was the B side of "All You Need Is Love" and it also appeared on the Magical Mystery Tour album.
Only A Northern Song is another new track. This one was written by George and was originally intended for Sgt. Pepper. Harrison wasn't considered a "real" writer like John and Paul by Northern Songs Ltd., the company that published the Beatles' songs, and most of the money earned from the songs Harrison wrote went to other people. This song is about the experience George had with the company, with the lyrics basically saying it doesn't matter what he writes "as it's only a Northern Song." The music is very strange with a lot of sound effects thrown in. It's just an awesome song and unlike a lot of the other Beatles stuff.
All You Need Is Love is one of the Beatles' most famous songs. It begins with patriotic music (I think it's the French national anthem), and features an orchestra. Obviously, this orchestra includes violins, and I believe they may have been plywood. In my day, I have run across quite a few pimps who are skilled violinists and monkey trainers. Of course, it is tough to keep the monkeys in line, so the pimps also have some rifle-wielding cats to help out in that area. (That was for David.)
Anyway, back to "All You Need Is Love." The lyrics are about love (in case you couldn't tell from the title), and the message, "all you need is love," is a great one. John's lead vocal is perfect, and I like Paul's energetic background shouts. The end is really fun, when the guys start "yahoo"ing and singing "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!" This song can get kind of repetitive, but it's a classic that is often considered one of the Beatles' best.
When I'm Sixty-Four was written by Paul, and he actually wrote the melody for it when he was only 16 years old. This song sounds like something from the 1920s or 1930s, and it is a nice midtempo number. Paul gets his chance to shine by singing lead and playing bass guitar and piano. John assumes lead guitar, Ringo is on drums, and John and George provide backing vocals. In this song, Paul is asking if he will still be needed when he's 64. Strange to think that there are only two more years till he turns 64, and Ringo has already reached that age.
Rubber Soul's Nowhere Man has the distinction of being the first song written by the Beatles that is not about love (unless you agree with me that "Help!" wasn't about love either). So anyway, this song was written by John, and it shows how insecure he was feeling at the time. It begins with a breathtaking acapella introduction before the guitars and drums kick in. John strums an acoustic guitar, Paul contributes a melodic bassline, and Ringo's drums keep everything together without being too loud or overpowering. And George's guitar solo is fantastic and fits the song perfectly. The vocal harmonies on this song were some of the best the Beatles had done to that point, and the lyrics remind us that we're all nowhere men at times.
It's All Too Much is the last new song for Yellow Submarine. Of the four new songs on here, two are George's, probably because the other guys wouldn't let him put them on other albums. Anyway, this is an amazing song, with a psychedelic feel to it. There is a really unique-sounding guitar beginning, and later there's an organ bit and some trumpet action going on. This is just a very strange song that was probably influenced by drugs but is a great song nonetheless.
This 1999 reissue of Yellow Submarine offers remastered versions of all the tracks. The songs benefit from the remastering, with much better, clearer sound. If you are just getting into the Beatles, this would be a good CD to start with because it includes a sampling of songs from some of the Beatles' best albums. It is also great to hear all the Beatles songs that appeared in the movie, not just six of the fifteen like on the original issue.
Repeat (songs I can never get enough of): just about everything Skip (songs I have trouble listening to even once): none
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