There has been a lot of talk about The Beatles over the past year. The iconic album Abbey Road has celebrated 50 years. The motion picture Yesterday filled the movie theaters last summer, and Peter Jackson's remake of the documentary Let It Be will do the same later this year. More than half a century has passed since The Beatles broke up, but their music is still contemporary and urgent.
For long, I have planned a blog post about The Beatles. My initial intention was to explain to the world, by good and thoughtful arguments, that Revolver is their best album – and since we are talking about The Beatles – that Revolver is the best record ever made.
I had it all thought out. Abbey Road was of course a strong candidate but misses the first place due to the silly song Maxwell's Silver Hammer. And The White Album? That would without doubt be the obvious choice for cool hipsters with long beards and lots of acoustic americana in their record collections – but not for me. And Sgt. Pepper? Wouldn’t that be... well, too obvious? Alas, Revolver is the only remaining alternative.
I have, however, decided not to write such a blog-post. Few issues arouse such emotions and indignation as the ranking of The Beatles albums. And in this crazy world, it’s a really bad idea to ignite new conflicts and wars. All we need is love, right?
So, with the ambition to spread some joy to all of you, Anders and I have put together a playlist on Spotify containing The Beatles' 15 Best Songs. The list took ages to complete and we were forced to use a whole range of advanced and highly scientific methods. The result? We call it Dr Robert’s top 15 and you can listen to it on the link below. That’s a perfect way to have a good time while waiting for new material from Southside Café (yes, on April 10)…
DR ROBERT'S TOP 15
By the way, there's a whole bunch of great podcasts about The Beatles. For those who want to know everything there is to know about The Beatles, I recommend Compleatly Beatles by Ian Boothby and David Dedrick. Every song, every album, every movie and much more is analyzed in detail and put into historical context. It’s informative and very witty. And for those who want to delve even deeper into the realms of the Beatles, my current favorite is Producing the Beatles by Jason Kruppa. Indispensable information for a true Beatles-connoisseur, but nothing you can talk about with your friends.
One more thing. A Day in the Life is the best song by The Beatles. And the best song ever. Just so you know.
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