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I admit to some nervousness as this is my first forum post, but I take heart in knowing the atmosphere here appears quite positive. Before July of last summer I was never one to immerse myself in popular music (I much preferred other art forms), until I saw the Criterion restoration of A Hard Day’s Night on the big screen. It must have been over a decade since I had last seen the film, along with Help ! and Yellow Submarine , and it hadn’t made a great impression on the imagination based off the vagueness of my memories. However, by the time of the show stopping ecstasy of She Loves You as the unbearable screams of the young girls in the audience swelled, I never wanted to leave the presence of the fab four. The next day I listened to Sgt. Pepper ‘s Lonely Hearts Club Band (in stereo, unfortunately, as this occurred well before I learned of the definitive mono presentations) and to say the occasion was life changing would be an understatement. I started with Pepper due to its recognizability, and hearing the album for the first time without knowledge of its widespread backlash is something I yearn to re-live. In my opinion, Pepper is The Beatles’ crowning achievement as recording artists and remains my favorite album of all time. An obsession formed around the work for some time until I finally branched out to Revolver and then The Beatles (my second favorite album, though it is undeniably the group’s most defining and rewarding). Since then I’ve taken baby steps through my admiration for The Beach Boys and their albums Pet Sounds, SMiLE and Smiley Smile. 

Given Pepper’s thematic approach, the way I instinctually interpret albums is that they are usually one unified work, with each song’s meaning primarily stemming from their juxtaposition with another. For example, on Revolver the track Yellow Submarine , which expresses the joy of childhood and escapism, directly precedes She Said She Said , which contains the lyric, “When I was a boy everything was right.” Another example: The Beatles’ second album opener, Birthday , foreshadows the Revolution of the mind in Revolution 9 (which is obviously the inevitable result of Revolution 1 ) in much the same way the five or so allusions to birthdays in 2001: A Space Odyssey anticipate the symbolic rebirth at the film’s conclusion. I’m unsure if other people read The Beatles’ work in much the same way, but for better or for worse I stand out for my sometimes ludicrous opinions (including my belief that the first side of Help ! is a borderline concept album). I’m 18 if that helps you.

Anyways, my personal favorite Beatle was initially George and his sitar, but I’ve gradually migrated to Lennon in the past months. My favorite Beatles’ song is a toss up between Within You Without You and the astonishing combination of Revolution 9 and Good Night (those who skip the former track rob themselves of the climax that has been set-up since the first song). I don’t have a least favorite song by the group and I adore Wild Honey Pie , both for laying the foundation for the avant garde Revolution 9 and as a logical transition from Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da to The Continuing Adventures of Bungalow Bill. I’m also highly interested in the childhood concept during the Pepper sessions before its titular concept replaced the idea.

That’s about it. It is a pleasure to be here.