"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see"

Well, I tried my best to take a break from writing, but I was listening to the Beatles today and I had to once again attempt to express my love for them using only words. I figured I could write the review and not post it, but then I realized if I posted this review, someone out there might read it and decide to buy a Beatles CD. Now I couldn't let that opportunity pass me by, could I?

So I'm sure everyone knows who the Beatles are. Songs like "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You," "Let It Be," "Hello Goodbye," and "Yellow Submarine," to name just a few, are known and loved worldwide (well, maybe not "Yellow Submarine," but you get my point). Without the group that brought those songs to the world, rock and roll music would not exist as it does today. The Beatles were truly one of the most influential rock bands of the twentieth century, and they are still loved and admired over 30 years after their breakup.

In 1967, after the success of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles were on top of the world. They could do basically anything they wanted to. So naturally they made a crazy movie about a psychedelic bus trip. This movie, Magical Mystery Tour, was not a success, to put it mildly. Viewers were confused, reviews were terrible, and even fans of the Beatles had a hard time liking the thing. However, the Magical Mystery Tour album was another story. Originally, the album was released only in the U.S., with an EP containing only the six songs from the movie released in the U.K. But today the U.S. version is the one available on CD.

Capitol Records in the U.S. just loved to rip off their customers by cutting songs off of the Beatles albums, throwing in singles or tracks from other albums, and creating new albums from the leftover material. That is basically what this album is, as the second half is made up of a collection of singles. But all the songs on here are so great that you can't really complain.

The title track, Magical Mystery Tour, is really horny (sorry, I couldn't resist), with blaring trumpets starting things off. Paul McCartney wrote and sings lead on this one, urging us to join him on a trip. The horns and Ringo Starr's drumming are cool, and the end of the song features Paul playing a piano with some weird echoey effects. This is an energetic, drugged-out rocker that sets the tone for most of the songs on here.

The Fool On The Hill is much slower than the previous track, and also better in my opinion. Another of Paul's songs, this one tells the story of a mysterious man who is considered a fool by others, but may be wiser than he appears. The music has a sweet, dreamlike sound to it, and there is a nice flute section. This song wasn't influenced by drugs, but the video certainly seems to be.

Flying is an instrumental jam written by all four Beatles. There are no words at all except for some chanting, and the music is slow with an Eastern feel to it. John Lennon plays the mellotron, which sounds really cool, and the end is pretty strange, with a bunch of random sounds. This had to have been written when the guys were on drugs.

George Harrison's Blue Jay Way is the drug-induced Eastern-style song to end all others (are there others?). The song starts out quietly, with a single note played on a Hammond organ by George. His voice sounds very strange, like it was slowed down in the studio. There is a cello playing throughout, and the song is kind of eerie and haunting. Unfortunately, it goes on too long, with the words "Please don't be long" repeated over and over.

Your Mother Should Know is yet another of Paul's, and it sounds like something from the 1920s or '30s. The lyrics are about dancing to a song that "your mother should know," and the melody could make you want to dance. There are some nice harmonies, and the piano bit is pretty cool. It's not a masterpiece, but it has an indescribable charm to it.

I Am The Walrus is John's only written contribution to the movie, and what a song it is. It begins with John playing the mellotron again, someone shaking a tambourine, and some other sounds before Ringo's drums kick in. You can hear violins, cellos, and horns, and it's just a lot of stuff that shouldn't work together. The music is weird, but it's nothing compared to the lyrics, which reference elementary penguins, dead dogs, and crabalocker fishwives, among other things. And of course, there's the chorus "I am the eggman, they are the eggmen. I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob." This is definitely one of the weirdest songs the Beatles ever did, and one of my favourites.

Those were the six songs from the movie. Now onto the "filler." Hello Goodbye is one of the Beatles' most well-known songs. The lyrics are very simple ("You say yes, I say no, you say stop, but I say go go go"), but it's one of Paul's poppy songs, so it was pretty much guaranteed to be a success (it did go to number one on the charts). There are some violins, and the music is really good. The chorus is extremely catchy, and the end of the song is fun and upbeat. "I Am The Walrus" was the B side of this single. Personally, I think "I Am The Walrus" should have been the A side, but "Hello Goodbye" is more commercial, so it was the single. No one really cares what I think anyway.

Next are both parts of the Beatles' February 1967 double A side single, which had to be one of the best singles they ever released. Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane are both songs referencing the authors' early days in Liverpool. John's "Strawberry Fields" is the stronger of the two, with haunting, beautiful music. The mellotron starts things off again, and the music is just amazing, with cool drums, strings and horns. The end of the song is pretty chaotic, and you can hear John saying, "Cranberry sauce"... or is it "I buried Paul"?! A real masterpiece. Incidentally, Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army shelter near the park where John used to play as a kid.

Paul's "Penny Lane" is a mix of some strange lyrics and upbeat, poppy music. The flutes and trumpets are highlights, and the piano-playing sounds very nice. Penny Lane is an actual street in Liverpool, and the lyrics to this song describe the goings-on there with a twist on words. For example, the barber shows "photographs of every head he's had the pleasure to know." This is certainly not a bad song, and it was very popular, but it's just not one of my favourites. Perhaps it's that line about "fish and finger pies," which conjures up disturbing images in my mind thanks to a comment from Paul in the Anthology book. But it really is a very good song.

The last two tracks on this album were also released on a single. 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 the next track.

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 in addition to the usual guitars and drums. 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.

So there you have it. A collection of songs from a failed TV movie, and some random singles. Crazed, drugged-out Eastern songs and sweet love tunes. A rather terrifying cover with the Beatles dressed in some ugly animal costumes (they have yellow hands, too). It probably shouldn't work, but it all does, and Magical Mystery Tour is really a great album. There are only eleven songs, and it's not their best album, but it's still an amazing album that's definitely worth owning.

Repeat (songs I can never get enough of): Strawberry Fields Forever, I Am the Walrus, Hello Goodbye... and the list goes on
Skip (songs I have trouble listening to even once): none

Also By This Group
With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles For Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (The White Album), Yellow Submarine (Songtrack), Abbey Road, Let It Be, Past Masters Volume One, The Beatles Anthology 1, The Beatles Anthology 2, The Beatles Anthology 3, Free As A Bird (Single), Real Love (Single), Let It Be... Naked