Magical Mystery Tour
First off, that you very much to Burning Down for sending this to me!
This is an interesting Beatles release to review since there are two very different versions of it—the original British six-track double EP and the American LP which was the British EP with several singles tacked on the end. I'm going to try and do both.
First up is the original British release, which was the actual soundtrack to the movie of the same name. What can I say about it? It's okay, just okay. None of these songs are bad by any means, but none are particularly great either. Mostly it sound like it's a collection of song that didn't make it on to Sgt. Pepper's, and ones that are, frankly, not as well produced. "Fool on the Hill" is the probably the strongest, with it's Dovonan-esque flute and Beach Boys bass harmonica. "Flying" is pleasant, if forgettable. "Magical Mystery Tour" sounds like a half-assed "Sgt. Pepper". "Blue Jay Way", probably the most experimental of the bunch, never quite rises above it's own murk. "Your Mother Should Know" is another of the better songs, this time in the "granny s
hit" vein that McCartney was so fond of. The vocal melody is nice but the actual song structure is a little on the uninteresting side. "I am the Walrus", probably the most well known song on the original double EP, would have been the most at home of Sgt. Pepper's, but not as one of the stronger tracks—I was pleased, though, to finally understand a Rocket from the Crypt reference after giving this track a closer listen.
On to the American release. I've already reviewed about half of it in the previous paragraph, here's the rest: "Hello, Goodbye" is a pretty nice single. Not one of my favorites, but I love that climbing quality of the chorus, not to mention that rough-assed fiddle. "Strawberry Fields Forever" obviously very much fits into the Sgt. Pepper zone. It's a good song (though it has surprisingly sh
itty guitar playing if you listen closely) but I have to say I think the Los Fabulosos Cadillacs/Debbie Harry cover surpasses the original in nearly every way. "Penny Lane" is another decent quality single. As I've mentioned before, I'm a sucker for bittersweet pop tunes and this fits the bill perfectly. "Baby, You're a Rich Man" is by far the worst song on this side, but it's still okay, sort of comparable to much of the first side. Last by not least is "All You Need is Love", very much in the carnival barker fashion of Sgt. Pepper's but nevertheless easily the best song on here. I'm especially fond of the the vocal melodies.
Altogether, I find the original British release to be pretty lacklustre. It's not horrible, but definitely my least favorite of the albums I've reviewed so far. The American release somewhat remedies this though with its addition of decent singles and I'd say that version of the album, while still not great, is roughly on par with
Rubber Soul.
Here's that Los Fabulosos Cadillacs cover by the way:
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