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The Beatles Cartoon Show

I had these!

The years passed with me growing older with The Beatles.

Not being a Beatles historian, I can't quote facts and dates to the letter. I can only express how much joy they brought into my life. Each song and each album was more exciting than the next. Their progressiveness made me eager in my own ambitions, making me want to be just like them. In my life, I wanted to succeed at whatever I tried.

For me, each Beatle was equally important, though George was my favorite. I liked his heavy eyebrows and serious expressions which to me, made him look tough. Still, each one had his own unique way of being a Beatle. They could do no wrong materialwise. Each album was a landmark acheivement-some more than others, and below are some of my favorites that I remember growing up with.

"MEET THE BEATLES" had a profound effect on me simply for the raw energy of each song. There's probably no other Beatles album of this quality and intensity (in my opinion). "THE BEATLES SECOND ALBUM" is a real close runner up, but displays a bit more polish which almost negates that "live" sound. Still, pound-for-British pound, "THE SECOND ALBUM" is a screaming rocker. This is the album that they probably wanted to do first, but were coerced into greeting the public with "MEET". "MEET THE BEATLES" has a rough deliberation about it; a sense that perhaps these four guys just wanted to explode. It was definitely an in-your-face glimpse into their poor, working class Liverpudlian world. You can tell just by listening to this album that they wanted you to know that they came from the bombed out remains of Liverpool, were tempered and tested in Germany, and bounced right back home to the continent to take on the world.

"A HARD DAY'S NIGHT" was a landmark for me at age 8, and triggers some of the most heartfelt memories of all time. "I Should Have Known Better", "And I Love Her", "If I Fell", and "Tell Me Why" will literally transport me back to the summer of 1964. At my age, I couldn't tell just how they were doing on the charts, or what their position was in real world of pop music. I only knew that in my neighborhood, and school, and everywhere else I went, "Beatles" were on the lips on everyone who had a radio and liked rock n' roll.

Around Christmas time of 1964, my mom managed the $2.97 to buy "BEATLES '65". In fact, as I write these notes, I'm listening to "She's A Woman", and I'm right back in that living room of 1964. I can remember wrapping my brothers' christmas presents with cheap dimestore wrap, listening to "She's a Woman" and "I Feel Fine." I'd begun building the Aurora "Phantom of the Opera Model" listening to this record. So, whenever I hear "Mr. Moonlight", I can immediately smell Testor's Enamels, and picture that horribly frightening "Phantom" box cover standing on top of my dresser. "Honey Don't" was also a big hit. By the time I'd digested the entire album, I was watching a new television program called "Bewitched," and discovering The Beach Boys.

During the summer of 1965, the Beatles' "HELP!" was probably the most important music ever to come from the fab four. The British Invasion was in full sway, and competition for the chart positions was some heavy traffic indeed. The Beatles bounced back hard, seemingly competing against some seriously talented American bands as well as their fellow Brits. Songwriting style and emotional import made this a truly beautiful example of just what the Beatles could do when they got serious. George Harrison was never a slacker when it came to songwriting ability, but his "I NEED YOU" was perhaps one of the best Beatle songs of all time, nearly overshadowing Lennon and McCartney's entire "HELP" lineup of hits. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", "Ticket To Ride", "The Night Before", and "Another Girl" bring back strong memories of G.I. Joe, plastic army men, and Stingray bikes.

Furtherances of the Beatles' mystique came much later in life for me with "REVOLVER". I got this album for Christmas of 1968 and remember vividly that my favorite song was "Tomorrow Never Knows." I never really focused on any one song more than I did this one. I wondered what had gotten into their heads to do such a wild, yet calming mantra as this one. My second favorite was "For No One" followed immediately by "Taxman". For me, "Yellow Submarine" was pitiful waste of time and talent, but became a humble sing-along for world listeners. The movie was just as bad, but I had to see it anyway. It was the Beatles after all.

YESTERDAY AND TODAY was another turning point lp for me; "And Your Bird Can Sing" was a tremendous piece of Harrison guitar style with genuine Lennon vocals. It also served as the theme song to their cartoon show. I bought the album because of "Day Tripper", a song that hooked me hard, and would not let go! That riff was incredible, and as magical as any that The Rolling Stones had invented. I always considered the Stones to be riff masters-and still do, because of their numerous catchy openings. YESTERDAY AND TODAY was indeed a superb release, but did carry a few duds in my opinion, such as "Dr. Robert" and "I'm Only Sleeping". "Act Naturally" was great fun, but will never match the joy and authenticity done by its predecessors Buck Owens and The Buckaroos.

For me, "MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR" was probably one of the most important albums since "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT". I bought this one in the spring of 1969 with the money I made mowing lawns. From here on out, the Beatles were something more than just idols. They were like gods on vinyl who could do anything they wanted. Each song got better and better. Their techniques were more sophisticated. This album and Steppenwolf's first were among the records that needed to be replaced because of too much play on the old cheap record player. My favorites on Mystery Tour were "Hello, Goodbye", "All You Need is Love", and of all things, "Flying". However, I will say thatGeorge's Indian influences were starting to severely depress me and bring me down even though I loved "Blue Jay Way". I tried as hard as I could to like his eastern-influenced works, but eventually, George became the most lost Beatle to me. I purchased "Wonderwall Music", and only liked a few pieces on it.

I picked up "SGT. PEPPER'S LONELYHEARTS CLUB BAND" lp long after it had been considered a masterpiece. I never considered it to be such; it was far too polished and didn't have the spontaneity of their earlier works. I always felt that this one was their "resume" album, a business card to Beatles Inc., and a natural pre-cursor to the Apple Kingdom. Though I played it a lot, it never saw too much wear. I won't deny that it's a great album. It's just that it was never one of my favorites. I suppose I just liked the raw energy and evident humbleness of straight musicianship as opposed to orchestral input and dynamic recording techniques.

The "WHITE ALBUM" represented a sort of dark side of the Beatles that even I, during that time, could not put into words. For me, they'd always been easy to understand. However, with the release of this abstract two-record set, they went from young guys with guitars to men with wives, individual attitudes, and quite possibly, secrets. This album was more like a club. In order to join this club, you had to have been faithful to the boys during the years.
This album took some decidedly left turns that tested my Beatle faith. If I hadn't been a faithful fan, I would have considered this to be a sad waste of money. Instead, I pivoted 180 degrees and thrived on THE WHITE ALBUM. Like Steppenwolf, it got so worn out that it had to be replaced. It also cost some serious money: $8.95 at Fred Meyers. The cover was white, bootleg in its appearance. Inside were the 8 x 10 glossys and the cryptic poster of what to me felt like a secret photo album. Many of the photos were strange and revealing; John, naked in bed with Yoko, and another naked Beatle--probably Paul, hiding behind some kind of pole, or maybe even a printer's spliced-in white strip censoring. Either way, this strangeness lured me, pulled me in like a magnet, leaving me hungry for more. My favorite songs on this album are just too numerous to list. It would be easier to list the one I didn't like: "Revolution No.9".

Everybody has a favorite memory, perhaps a flavor, scent, or feeling of something truly magical. "ABBEY ROAD" was all of that for me. In my opinion, this is the most wonderul, and polished album ever, beating the literal daylights out of "SGT. PEPPER" any old day of the week. This is what the Beatles could really do when they got serious. It's really too bad that the "LET IT BE" or "HEY JUDE" albums ever got released because this one should have been their swan song. The purity of this disc is uncomparable to any of their previous works--including "MEET THE BEATLES".

An icon of an era

The cryptic poster

I never beleived a word of it, but bought the magazine because it featured Paul.

Oddly enough, the White Album really did have the strange embeddings when played backwards on a turntable. "Turn me on dead man" is there. The others, I can't decipher what's actually being said, if anything. The whole "Paul is dead" theory was completely absurd. Even life magazine featured a cover story about it. The great hoax: The Beatles had a "Paul Double" who looked, sounded, and played just like him. Even I couldn't go for that.

To enhance this goofy "Paul is dead" chronicle, the "ABBEY ROAD" cover plays an import role. The Volkswagen in the background parked on the street has a license plate: 28IF. That meant that Paul would be 28 IF he were still alive. His walking barefoot was supposed to be symbolic of a corpse. Even the SGT. PEPPER inside photo had him dead. He was wearing a patch on his sleeve with the initials "OPD". The press had that as: Officially Pronounced Dead. what it really meant was Ontario Police Department. The moronic rumors even had it that he was already dead, and they stood his corpse up against a background photo. (Never mind the natural sunlight illumination and shadows on the boys walking). The great hoax rose like a vagrant wind, then fell in its exit. Shame on Life magazine for doing something so stupid. Still, that wasn't enough. The WHITE ALBUM had to go through even more suffering in the public eye. The song "Helter Skelter" would forever live in sick infamy as the driving force behind convicted murderer Charles Manson and the famous Tate-LaBianca murders in August of 1969.

Tommy Roe was of course, a famous pop singer of the 60's with the classic hits like "Sweet Pea" and "Dizzy", but there exists, an interesting correlation between that Tommy Roe and our Tommy Roe. In the summer of 1964, my brother Mike had a new friend named Tommy Roe. They looked identical, but they are not the same person. I find it very interesting that there could be so many coincedences involving two completely different people. Our Tommy was a crazy Beatle fanatic. He was the only kid in the neighborhood who actually had a Beatle haircut. He was also a great artist, and drew Beatle portraits constantly. He drove my Mom nuts because he spoke in a British accent almost constantly.

We all loved Tommy though. He was fun, and he actually drew "Rat Fink" on our sweatshirts with a felt pen. He also could play the opening riff to "You Can't Do That" and we all went crazy getting him to play it over and over and over again on his guitar. To this day I still think about him, and wonder what ever became of our Tommy Roe.

"Turn left at Greenland," answered John Lennon in response to the question of how they'd found America. I remember vividly, sitting in front of the TV on Sunday evening. Me and my brothers were watching four guys from Liverpool rocking American audiences on the Ed Sullivan Show. The history making performance changed the way I lived and thought forever. If the musical revolution and the onset of the British Invasion could so abruptly morph into such wonder, then anything in the world was possible. For the rest of my life, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr would remain my heroes.

Thinking back on all it, the Beatlemania, the hysteria, and the experience of being caught up in, and being alive to witness one of the most phenomenal world events ever, I feel very good. Likewise thinking back to the album "ABBEY ROAD", I can't help but feel a bit sad. This LP sounded and felt like they were trying to say goodbye to us all in such a way that we'd never forget. The songs and performances were a serious cut above anything they'd ever done--excluding Sgt. Pepper of course. "ABBEY ROAD" was a signature; a musical Rembrandt in which the boys were about to have their last gallery showing.

They were all grown up now, and I too was growing. The world was changing, and so much had happened in the turbulence of the 60's and their career. Side two of the album was a deliberate departure from side one; anybody who was a devout Beatle fan could feel it. Yet, side two was a beautiful departure. The songs were almost better, and they even included their own "In-Gadda-Da-Vida-like" masterpiece consisting of a dazzling array of run-together songs (complete with a reminiscent I-A-G-D-V drum solo). The album was like a concert on vinyl, and side two was the last encore they would ever come out to do.

"ABBEY ROAD" was beautifully saddening, like a great book with a powerful ending. Such glamour on their Christmastime release in 1969 almost made me suspicious. John had already done a live in Ontario concert LP with Yoko and friends; George released "Wonderwall Music"; their last TV appearances were less than ambitious. It wasn't a pleasant feeling for me to witness them doing solo works. Feeling this way at age 12, I feared that I would lose my friends forever.

Concluding these thoughts, I knew that it could never be that way, not even in 1970, when indeed, they concluded the band, and made their song "The End," a reality.