The Release: La La Land (LP—GBVi, 2023)
When prompted on such things, I’ve long cited Thanksgiving as my favorite holiday. While I’m not a fan of the colonization and subjugation that it ostensibly celebrates, Thanksgiving checks some important boxes for me. Growing up, it was one of the handful of holidays—including Easter, Halloween, and Christmas—that was actually marked by any consistent family traditions. Unlike Easter and Christmas, Thanksgiving doesn’t carry much in the way of overt religious overtones. And unlike Halloween, it doesn’t come with any kind of expectation that I wear a costume. Add in the fact that most of the rituals of Thanksgiving center around eating way too much food, and I’m an easy mark.
But for the past twenty-plus years, Thanksgiving has gained a few more points in the positives column. Notably, it occurs at a much welcome point in the school year—a time in which a five day break from work is a godsend. As the honeymoon phase of a new year has worn off, and—especially here in the Northwest—the days begin to become mercilessly short, time off-the-clock becomes remarkably valuable. Staying up late. Sleeping in. Eating carb-heavy leftovers. These all earn a triple thumbs-up from me.
And over those same two-and-a-half decades, something else has become a treasured Thanksgiving indulgence for me: The Beatles. After years of contrarianism, I finally started seriously listening to The Beatles in the winter of 1999-2000. By the summer of 2000, I had acquired all of the major titles: Sgt. Pepper, “The White Album,” Rubber Soul, Revolver, Abbey Road, and the “Red” and “Blue” compilations. That November, ABC aired a prime time special called The Beatles Revolution, which featured a brief clip of the “I Should Have Known Better” scene from A Hard Day’s Night. The next day I bought the soundtrack album on CD, and began my coursework in Beatles 201.
Maybe it was the crisp air of Flagstaff in November. Maybe it was the fact that I had a massive crush on a co-worker who I would soon begin dating. Whatever it was, a permanent nostalgic link was established between late November and the lovable lads from Liverpool. And virtually every November since, I have embarked on some kind of Beatles-related kick or deep dive. Granted, the continuing business enterprise that is The Beatles has done everything in its power to encourage these annual kicks, and to cement a Thanksgiving time tradition that is as fundamental as any other.
Of course, Thanksgiving has typically marked the kick off of the Christmas season. And anymore, the Black Friday sales that inaugurate the so-called “most wonderful time of the year” begin before the dishes at most Thanksgiving gatherings have been cleaned. And, like clockwork, The Beatles Inc. seems to mark the occasion annually, by unveiling a reissue project designed to appeal to fans at every conceivable level, from the casual to the ultra-hardcore.
And my first holiday season as a Beatle devotee coincided with one of their most forceful attempts to push a new product onto the masses. After that ABC special aired, Apple Corps launched a full court press ad campaign for 1: a “Red” compilation for a new generation, that gathered twenty-seven of the band’s fuzzily-defined number one singles onto a single compact disc. Predictably, it sold billions, while simultaneously ushering in a new era for the reissue/repackage market. And in this era, no act has dominated the conversation to the same extent as The Beatles. At least in the music industry, every Quarter 4 feels as if the sixties were happening all over again.
And so this week—in lieu of discussing another so-so late period Guided by Voices record—I’ve decided to devote this space to chronicling the past quarter century of Beatles Q4 releases, discussing just how interested I happened to be in each of them at the time. It’s a bold dereliction of duty to be sure, but as I wind down The GBV Project, this is as close as I’m going to get to my annual November-December Beatle deep dive.
Here goes:
Year: 2000
Releases: The Beatles Revolution (TV special), 1 (compilation), Anthology (book)
Summary: Beatlemania was back in full force in late 2000; and as I mentioned above, I was the proverbial fish in a barrel, having just gotten into the band over the course of the previous year. In addition to watching the TV special, I was gifted a copy of 1 by my parents for Christmas, and also gave one to my girlfriend (both remain in our collection to this day). She reciprocated with the far more expensive Anthology book, which I had also received from my parents. I returned one of the two books to Hastings Entertainment—where I had first bought Sgt. Pepper a year earlier—and used the store credit to acquire both Beatles for Sale and Help, both of which have been inexorably linked together ever since.
Personal Intrigue Level (out of five): ★★★★★
Year: 2001
Releases: none of note
Summary: After the worldwide smash that was 1, Apple laid low in 2001. Incidentally, George Harrison’s death in late November was more than enough to send me on an extended Beatles kick, and to get me to dive into his 1970 masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, for the first time.
PIL: n/a
Year: 2002
Release: A Hard Day’s Night Collector’s Edition (film)
Summary: I had never seen The Beatles’ first feature film prior to its DVD release in late 2002. I bought it—and loved it—right away. My oldest daughter had been born earlier that year; and eventually, she and I would make watching A Hard Day’s Night on Thanksgiving Day something of a family tradition—although we’ve since upgraded to the Criterion Blu-ray.
PIL: ★★★★
Year: 2003
Release: Let It Be…Naked (remixed album)
Summary: This one played directly to the kind of dork that engages in alternate timeline Beatle history, which is right up my alley. Unfortunately, I’ve always felt that the Let It Be material was not only a bit lacking, but also comparatively drab. Still, hearing the de-Spectorized versions of these songs was at least an interesting idea, even if there were plenty of other albums—including Earthquake Glue—that were holding my attention at the time. For me, plenty of modern remixes of Beatle albums would become definitive; but this isn’t one of them.
PIL: ★★★
Year: 2004
Release: The Capitol Albums Vol. 1 (box set)
Summary: Since I was still in the late stages of completing the canon (British) releases, I didn’t exactly have a ton of interest in spending money to buy an expensive box set of The Beatles’ (inferior) American releases. I would later borrow this set from a bandmate, and burn it to a series of CD-R’s that I’ve rarely listened to.
PIL: ★★
Year: 2005
Releases: none of note
Summary: Apple Corps was slacking off this year. Consequently, I don’t remember any late-2005 Beatles kick.
PIL: n/a
Year: 2006
Release: Love (soundtrack)
Summary: The soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil production of the same name, Love was an interesting concept, in that it re-contextualized several of The Beatles’ most beloved tracks into a cohesive song cycle. Personally, I was mostly intrigued by how great these remixes—the last project overseen by George Martin—sounded, and began anxiously anticipating the long-rumored remastered albums. On a related note, I saw the stage production in the summer of 2011. It was pretty cool, I guess…
PIL: ★★1/2
Year: 2007
Release: Help! (film)
Summary: I seem to remember there being a decent amount of hoopla surrounding the first widespread DVD release of The Beatles’ second film, though it seems like a pretty minor event in hindsight. I first saw Help in 2001—on the eve of my wedding—via an old VHS tape from my father-in-law’s collection. It was nice to have a better quality version around, especially of that absolutely beautiful “You’re Going to Lose That Girl” scene. Plus, my kids watched the hell out of this DVD, and that counts for something.
PIL: ★★★
Year: 2008
Releases: none of note
Summary: Another year in which The Beatles punted the holiday season. I was unfazed, still reveling in a glorious World Series and presidential election—and filling some essential gaps in my knowledge of seventies music (Wire, Can, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, and Berlin-era Bowie).
PIL: n/a
Year: 2009
Releases: The Beatles (CD box set), The Beatles in Mono (CD box set), The Beatles: Rock Band (video game)
Summary: The Beatles got a head start on the holiday season in 2009, releasing these highly-anticipated projects on 09.09.09. I risked my young family’s financial well-being by putting nearly $1000 on a credit card to buy all three of them right away. The remastered CD box sets were nothing short of fabulous, and Rock Band solidified both of my kids’ lifelong love of The Beatles. Absolutely no regrets here.
PIL: ★★★★★
Year: 2010
Releases: entire catalog on iTunes
Summary: The Beatles entered the download era, just as it was about to be supplanted by subscription-based streaming services. This didn’t matter to me at all, as I had those fantastic CD reissues from the year prior ripped to my hard drive, and transferred to a 160GB iPod that I carried on my person—everywhere I went—for about eight years. I spent my annual Thanksgiving splurge money on Bob Dylan’s Original Mono Recordings box set instead, and Dylan’s Bootleg Series volumes—which would themselves become increasingly associated with Q4—started to compete with The Beatles for my money.
PIL: ★
Year: 2011
Releases: none of note
Summary: I just referred to my Thanksgiving “splurge money,” which was a semi-annual tradition that grew as a result of my wife and I spending most of our early Thanksgivings visiting her family. In a time when money was more scarce, I could (generally) leverage a decent budget for CDs, by being a (generally) good sport about traveling for my favorite holiday. We spent this Thanksgiving in Grand Junction, Colorado—where her mom and grandmother had moved—and while I know that I hit up a Black Friday sale at the town’s Hastings location, most of my musical memories from that trip involve listening to Miles Davis’ A Tribute to Jack Johnson on headphones in the guest bedroom.
PIL: n/a
Year: 2012
Release: Magical Mystery Tour (film)
Summary: Apparently this was the first (modern) widespread release of The Beatles’ much-maligned 1967 film. I know that my colleague Tim Ryan Nelson made some decent arguments in favor of Magical Mystery Tour as part of our 2021 Beatles Month, but I’ve never really cared for this one all that much.
PIL: ★★
Year: 2013
Release: On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2 (live compilation)
Summary: The initial At the BBC collection was released in 1994, several years before I was a devotee. I’m not sure how excitedly it was received at the time, but it’s far from a treasured artifact for me. I dutifully bought this sequel when it came out in 2013, but I can’t say that I’ve returned to it all that much since.
PIL: ★★
Year: 2014
Release: The Beatles in Mono (vinyl box set)
Summary: It needs to be noted that this 2014 release of the mono mixes of The Beatles’ catalog was issued on vinyl. Having made a somewhat financially irresponsible purchase of the CD box set a few years prior, I decided to sit this one out. After all, I only had a small vinyl collection at the time, and the stereo mixes of each LP could easily be found for $20-25 a pop. However, this is one of the few Q4 releases that was actually produced in a somewhat-limited run. And as such, it’s now tough to find for much less than $1000. And now that I’ve become a vinyl obsessive…FUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!!
PIL: ★★★ (then) / ★★★★★ (now)
Year: 2015
Release: 1+ (video, compilation)
Summary: We’ve reached the point where they’re selling nostalgia for the items at the beginning of this list. Yes, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the mega-hit 1 compilation, a deluxe video/audio version of the set was reissued. This one featured remastered audio, reflecting the work done on the recently-reissued catalog. I still don’t have it, but probably will at some point.
PIL: ★1/2
Year: 2016
Release: Eight Days a Week (film), Live at the Hollywood Bowl (album)
Summary: The Beatles’ lone officially-released live album is somewhat neglected and underwhelming—seeing as how its 1977 release came at something of a low point for the enterprise, and the fact that the band is sonically overpowered by the hordes of screaming teenagers. This 2016 remix aimed to remedy the original release, and I suppose it’s an improvement. I remember the Ron Howard documentary being a decent watch, but I haven’t revisited it in nearly a decade.
PIL: ★★1/2
Year: 2017
Release: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band Anniversary Edition (box set)
Summary: To coincide with Sgt. Pepper‘s original early summer release, The Beatles got a big head start on their 2017 reissue campaign. As the first of several album-centric box sets, this one set a high bar with stellar packaging, thoughtfully chosen outtakes, and an absolutely immaculate remix of a masterful record. My only gripe is that most of the bonus material was on a CD-only set, but pro tip: there is plenty of room to fit the remixed LP into that CD box.
PIL: ★★★★★
Year: 2018
Release: The Beatles Anniversary Edition (box set)
Summary: Having established a high standard with the previous year’s Sgt. Pepper reissue, the anniversary edition of the “White Album” met all expectations when it was released in the fall of 2018. Again, the CD version—which I bought first—is the most comprehensive. However, the LP edition—which I eventually purchased—includes the outstanding “Esher Demos” on their own pair of discs.
PIL: ★★★★★
Year: 2019
Release: Abbey Road Anniversary Edition (box set), The Singles Collection (box set)
Summary: I made my arms-length acceptance of The Beatles’ most overrated album known in a previous installment of this project, and my enthusiasm for the 2019 deluxe version of Abbey Road was accordingly muted. Unlike the Sgt. Pepper and “White Album” reissues, I didn’t pore over this one as intensely. I am however pretty intrigued by The Singles Collection, which I still don’t own. Might need to grab that one before too long.
PIL: ★★★1/2
Year: 2020
Release: none of note
Summary: I’m not sure if the global pandemic derailed an annual Beatles archive project, but in the last quarter of 2020 I was already preoccupied with buying up as many Numero Group releases as I could get my hands on.
PIL: n/a
Year: 2021
Releases: Get Back (documentary series, book), Let It Be Deluxe Edition (box set)
Summary: The expansive Peter Jackson mini-series dominated the Beatles Q4 conversation in 2021, and for good reason: it looked and sounded stunning, and it exhaustively documented and re-contextualized a much-misunderstood era of The Beatles’ history. Still, Let It Be suffers from a (comparative) lack of top-tier Beatle songs, and so the deluxe box set—which I’m still yet to acquire—can’t help but suffer in comparison to its then-recent predecessors.
PIL: ★★★★
Year: 2022
Release: Revolver Deluxe Edition (box set)
Summary: Another one for the nerds, the special edition box set of Revolver is a treasure trove from The Beatles’ (arguable) creative peak. The remix of the album proper is nothing short of revelatory, and the bonus material is both generous and well-chosen. File under ‘must own.’
PIL: ★★★★★
Year: 2023
Release: 1962-1966 / 1967-1970 (remixed compilations)
Summary: Coinciding with the release of the final Beatles song, “Now and Then,” the reissues of the 1973 “Red” and “Blue” compilations might’ve seemed slight at first, but I’d argue that they are near the top-tier of Beatles Q4 releases. First, each set is expanded with an extra LP; and while they confuse the chronological order of the original compilations—and include a few baffling choices—they provide the most thorough exploration of the band’s peaks, aside from just listening to the entire catalog. Plus—and this is the real value to diehards—these remixes sound absolutely superb.
PIL: ★★★★1/2
Year: 2024
Releases: Beatles ’64 (documentary), 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono (box set)
Summary: I still haven’t gotten around to watching this documentary or purchasing its companion box set. However, I’ve become increasingly intrigued by the idea of reengaging with The Beatles by familiarizing myself with their American albums. Still, I’d much rather have a deluxe edition of Rubber Soul, Magical Mystery Tour, or any of the other earlier albums yet to receive such a treatment.
PIL: ★★★
Year: 2025
Releases: Anthology 4 (compilation), Anthology Collection (box set), Anthology (documentary reissue)
Summary: Despite the fact that it presents a decidedly sanitized version of their history, I’m a fan of The Beatles’ Anthology documentary. I have formative memories of watching the original airing with my mom in the fall of 1995, and I’ve watched the complete DVD series with my daughter no less than three times. But as an audio-only project, Anthology has never been something that I got too excited about. Years ago, I procured an obscene amount of Beatles bootlegs via the ‘Purple Chick’ online group. I burned these recordings to dozens of color-coded CD-Rs, and marveled at the amount of space on my hard drive that was now devoted to The Beatles.
And then, I never really listened to the stuff. Sure, every once in a while there’s an interesting glimpse into the band’s creative process or a charming alternate version of a well-known song. But more often than not, these “warts and all” glimpses serve to demystify The Beatles; and as much of a realist as I can tend to be, I’m not sure that I want The Beatles to be demystified. There are plenty of bands that I love, at least in part, because of their normalcy and relatability. But this isn’t one of them
PIL: ★★★
Rating: La La Land (6.7)
*Singles are star-rated by their A-side; albums and EPs use the “Russman Reviews” scale.
Bob-ism of the Week: “And as we all so often say / ‘Tomorrow be another day’ / For what or why? / The new chameleons never change / They just get better costumes” (“Wild Kingdom”)
Next Week: GBV release their second album of 2023; and perhaps I’ll write more than one sentence about it.
