Every Beatles Song. In order.
January 3, 2015 6:57 AM   Subscribe

 
Cool. I would imagine that for attendees, plotting out bathroom breaks becomes fairly crucial. I also wonder how much anyone on the room -- on stage or in the audience -- looks forward to Revolution 9.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:04 AM on January 3, 2015 [2 favorites]


I'm impressed to learn that the Beatles wrote 12 hours of music. I didn't realize there was so much of it!
posted by bicyclefish at 7:22 AM on January 3, 2015


I go to Columbus once a year (in-laws) and I gotta say, it's definitely America's most secretly cool city.
posted by escabeche at 7:25 AM on January 3, 2015 [2 favorites]


If you ever needed proof the Beatles were actually lizard people...

Wake up, sheeple!
posted by clvrmnky at 7:28 AM on January 3, 2015 [2 favorites]


Also, much more interesting orders:

Alphabetically by title.
True random
Key order based on cryptographic hash of title
By length of title, with collision resolution based on any of the above
posted by clvrmnky at 7:31 AM on January 3, 2015 [5 favorites]


I once to did a complete listen through of all the Beatles stuff over a couple days while I was working on a project... still didn't really make me a fan
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:42 AM on January 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


Every year on the anniversary of my step-father's death, I listen to all 3 Beatles Anthology sets. It takes nearly 8 hours. I'm surprised it's only 12 hours long. (It's only been 3 years, but I like The Beatles, and I liked my step-father. I'm going to try and keep the tradition even as music moves formats and my hearing fails)
posted by DigDoug at 7:49 AM on January 3, 2015 [2 favorites]


One of the New York stations used to run through all of The Beatles songs in alphabetical order once a year over a weekend. I think they did Rolling Stones and Springsteen weekends too.
posted by octothorpe at 7:56 AM on January 3, 2015


I go to Columbus once a year (in-laws) and I gotta say, it's definitely America's most secretly cool city.

I don't know. I went to school there and have been back a lot, and other than the campus area and the teeny tiny downtown, it's not a city as I know them so much as a gigantic agglomeration of suburbs. So much flat land makes for weird geography.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 8:08 AM on January 3, 2015


I was born and raised in Columbus, but haven't been back since my grandfather died, as I no longer have family there and most of my friends have moved elsewhere. This both gives me a burst of pride and a desire to go back and visit, as it seems there are exciting things there besides awesome bookstores. (I do miss the bookstores though.)
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 8:19 AM on January 3, 2015


And then there's AlphaBeatical, a podcast that discusses every Beatles song in alphabetical order from 12 to Y. (PS: Columbus bookstores are pretty good, I must say.)
posted by Quaversalis at 8:50 AM on January 3, 2015 [4 favorites]


Unlike bicycle fish, I am surprised there are only twelve hours. It sure sounds like fun. Except for Revolution number nine.
posted by cccorlew at 8:57 AM on January 3, 2015


I would like to go see this. I was born the year the Beatles broke up and had always rebelled at the way these four guys were always placed at the center all popular music. Like Christmas music, I knew all the lyrics not because I wanted to but because it's in the ether. I had no perspective and no reason to look critically at a band that was always there in the background. I never had need to seek out more about them. And I'm a person that gets really sick of the same song played over and over.

It was really easy to see that the Stones were about more than "Satisfaction." They were still putting out good albums when I was a kid and the first time I heard Exile, I was unfamiliar with any song on that album. You can't say that about any Beatle album.

And yet...

By the time I was playing in bands that were more than three chord punk and writing my own music, my perspective began to change. Learning Beatles songs is a good way to connect with a wide variety of musicians and some of those songs are fucking hard to play, and the songwriting craftsmanship is magnificent. I began to hear different interpretations of lesser known songs, at shows, at people's weddings. The Overwhelming Colorfast's cover of She Said, She Said was probably the turning point. I saw A Fucking Hard Day's Night and realized that these were basically a bunch of goofy rebellious young guys, no different than The Red Hot Chili Peppers or any other group that were pushing music forward at the time.

And to realize all this happened in the span of just eight years? They both reflected and created the cultural shifts of their time.

So anything that makes this music real instead of mythic, I heartily endorse. It will be interesting to see what future generations will make of them. Rock music is dying and will always be thought of as a genre specific to the late 20th century. People with even a passing familiarity of swing or classical can pick out a Duke Ellington or Beethoven song but it is only the scholars who truly appreciate and understands the context of their music. I think the same will eventually be true of the Beatles. But efforts like this in Columbus help to prevent the rest of us from getting sick of them before that happens.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:29 AM on January 3, 2015 [15 favorites]


I live in Columbus and I already thought it was awesome! Come visit sometime and I'll take you out for really great Kenyan food and show you the comic museum and we can catch a movie at one of the funky theaters that all have pretty awesome beer selections and so on and so forth.

But I missed the Beatles Marathon :-(
posted by ChuraChura at 10:10 AM on January 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


Twelve hours? I had heard it should only take one.
posted by benito.strauss at 10:13 AM on January 3, 2015


This is fantastic but really the songs should be played in order of recording, not album sequence (I am assuming that it's been done here as the latter because several songs were in fact recorded between 'Good Morning Good Morning' and 'Pepper Reprise'.)

This is because I find it helpful to understand the Beatles' output as 12 distinct recording projects that each have a start and finish date. This means that, for example, Lennon's 'Revolution' sequence is preserved as three songs one after the other; or that you hear Paul's desperate attempt to recreate the excitement of 'Pepper Reprise' on its immediate successor 'Magical Mystery Tour'; and that 'Wait' was recorded for the Help! album, not Rubber Soul. It actually humanises them. You would get ideal toilet breaks as well.

Another thing I like to do is listen to every bootleg concert recording of a single song in chronological order of performance (there are 20 extant live versions of 'I Saw Her Standing There' for example). By the time you've finished one of these sessions, you actually feel like you were in the band, and you're pretty pissed off with them all personally, just like they were by 1969.
posted by colie at 10:23 AM on January 3, 2015 [14 favorites]


benito.strauss I take issue with the otherwise revered WFMU in that they list Let It Be as the last album. They released it last, but it was not the last one they recorded, which was Abby Road.

/pedant.
posted by digitalprimate at 10:24 AM on January 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


Sorry, digitalprimate, I don't know what you can do as you find yourself in this time of trouble.
posted by benito.strauss at 10:46 AM on January 3, 2015 [5 favorites]


Joe Peppercorn does a great job. The venue is even close to some places you can walk to, grab a bite to eat, recoop, and go back for more. It is not a bad time at all.
posted by Wong Fei-hung at 11:36 AM on January 3, 2015


I would imagine that for attendees, plotting out bathroom breaks becomes fairly crucial.

Number 2, number 2, number 2, number 2...
posted by pracowity at 12:23 PM on January 3, 2015 [8 favorites]


Came in to also mention Alphabeatical, which is by the guys behind the previously mentioned Star Wars Minute podcast. It may not be for all Beatles fans, but I think it's a fun listen, and an easy way to learn things about each song.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:15 PM on January 3, 2015


Well, I was going to make a list of Beatles songs I like less than I like 'Revolution No. 9,' but I just spent quite a while debating with myself about whether I'd want to get dinner during 'Sgt. Pepper's,' 'Magical Mystery Tour' or 'Yellow Submarine.'

So, instead, I decided to make a list of suggested bathroom/food breaks (I'm using the British album releases, plus Magical Mystery Tour, and relying on the original album lengths as time markers).

The Beatles Marathon starts at 1 p.m., so let's presume we just ate lunch.

Please Please Me is 32 minutes long, you can handle that. 'Please Please Me'/'Love Me Do'/'P.S. I Love You' is an especially strong set of songs.

With the Beatles is also 32 minutes long. Need to get a drink or visit the restroom? Hey, I'm not here to judge. Well, I mean, I'm here to judge Beatles songs. Anyway, I suggest you duck out during 'Please Mr. Postman.' Lots of Beatles covers aren't much improvement over the original, but this one's a step down. And, if it takes a little longer than you've planned, the only thing you'll miss is 'Roll Over Beethoven.' Besides, you'll want to take a break during With the Beatles, because the next one is:

A Hard Days Night. 30 minutes. First one with all original compositions, and arguably the first stylistic shift and the first album instead of a set of singles (though 'And I Love Her'/'If I Fell' is a pretty great one). Try to hear the whole thing.

Beatles for Sale. 34 minutes. Need a drink, or a quick restroom visit? Duck out right after 'Eight Days a Week,' and you won't miss anything essential. Need a snack? Leave right after 'Baby's in Black,' and you'll have almost half an hour where the high point is 'Eight Days a Week' and most of the rest is cover songs. Either way, try to get back in time for:

Help! 34 minutes. My favorites on this one: 'Ticket to Ride' and 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away.' It's about 3 in the afternoon now, and the next few albums don't have a lot of duds, so, if you haven't taken a restroom break yet, I suggest you do it during 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy' or 'Act Naturally.'

Rubber Soul 36 minutes. Second all-originals album, and another artistic high point. 'Norwegian Wood' and 'Michelle' are my favorites, and there aren't really any clunkers. Well, there's one. If you absolutely must pop out, I suggest you do it during 'Run For Your Life.' That shit makes me uncomfortable.

Revolver 35 minutes. I like this one even better than Rubber Soul. If you absolutely have to take a bathroom break, though, you can do it during a song that was written by your least favorite Beatle: for John, let's say 'Doctor Robert'; Paul, 'Good Day Sunshine'; George, 'Love You Do' if you don't like his sitar stuff, 'Taxman' if you do; and, Ringo, 'Yellow Submarine.'

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. 40 minutes. It's about five. It might sound like sacrilege, but just because you're attending a live cover version of a total studio album, you might consider, just for a moment, taking that dinner break now. Or, if you just need to take a leak or something, I suggest 'Within You Without You,' if you don't like the sitar stuff, or 'When I'm Sixty-Four,' if you do.

Magical Mystery Tour 36 minutes. 'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever,' and the rest is pretty solid as well. If you need to skip one, I suggest 'All You Need is Love.' But if you didn't eat dinner during Sgt. Pepper's, you might want to do it now, goo goo g'joob. Because you don't want to miss:

The Beatles (bka The White Album). 93 minutes. Okay, you really want to hear all of it. But, if you have to, I suggest (side 1) 'Bungalow Bill,' (side 2) 'Rocky Raccoon,' (side 3) 'Birthday' (unless it is actually your birthday; then, 'Me and My Monkey,' (side 4) I know, I know, you want me to say 'Revolution No. 9.' But after six hours of Beatles covers, that thing's going to make a great palate cleanser. Instead, duck out during 'Honey Pie,' if you don't like Paul's old-timey stuff, or 'Revolution No. 1,' if you do. Okay, the White Album's under our belts, we heard 'Revolution No. 9,' it's about 8:00. If you haven't taken a food break yet, you may be happy to know that the next album is:

Yellow Submarine 40 minutes. 'Only A Northern Song' is my favorite on this one. If you're hungry, this is really your last chance.

Abbey Road 47 minutes. You want to hear the whole thing. But if you think you might need to take a quick break, you should maybe do it somewhere during 'Oh! Darling/'Octopus's Garden.' Because you certainly don't want to duck out during the side two medley, and you probably don't want to leave during:

Let it Be 35 minutes. Well, it was a long and winding road across the universe of Beatles songs, but it's coming to an end. There aren't really any duds on this one, and the emotional weight has been building all day. Are you tearing up during 'Let it Be'? It's cool, you're not the only one. On the ride home, let's turn off the radio.
posted by box at 3:40 PM on January 3, 2015 [15 favorites]


This is fantastic but really the songs should be played in order of recording, not album sequence

In one paragraph of the article, the author seems to indicate that the performance ended with "The End", which is the last song on Abbey Road. Which just seems right to me.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 4:25 PM on January 3, 2015


In one paragraph of the article, the author seems to indicate that the performance ended with "The End", which is the last song on Abbey Road. Which just seems right to me.

But "The End" was not the last song on Abbey Road... or at the concert!
posted by 1367 at 5:26 PM on January 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


I went into this wondering how they'd do Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite. I guess it's a neat trick to mostly reproduce sounds that were generated by assembling tape in random order, but the weirdness of it underlines how intensely studio-oriented the late Beatles output was.
posted by graymouser at 7:04 AM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]


One of the New York stations used to run through all of The Beatles songs in alphabetical order once a year over a weekend. I think they did Rolling Stones and Springsteen weekends too.

The late, great WMET in Chicago used to do this--I'm not sure if they ever did the Beatles, but I'm pretty sure they did Springsteen (at least all that was out at that time) and they definitely did Led Zep.
posted by Halloween Jack at 3:49 PM on January 5, 2015


box may not have it all right, but a long ovation for a great effort.
posted by cccorlew at 8:44 PM on January 5, 2015 [2 favorites]


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