To me this is some of the greatest harmony singing in pop history. 'Babiy's in Black' is not one of their best known songs but it's always been a favorite of mine. And, of course, Luke nails the reaction. And what can be said about 'Rock and Roll Music?' It rocks!!
I'm 70. I was so lucky to grow up with the Beatles from age 10. You mentioned how Baby's in Black took the Beatles to the next level. Let me tell you, every new Beatles album was the next level from their last album... culminating to near perfection in the amazing Abbey Road album. The evolution of their songwriting and production growth and maturity over their time together was phenomenal.
That's why one must listen to them chronologically from their very first single. It's the only way to appreciate their astonishing evolution from one release to the next. One had no idea what they'd do next. And even then: when it doesn't go as expected it goes anyway.
There is something about the early sound though. To me, their peak is 65 til about '67 ish. I still feel Help was pop perfection and "IN My Life" was absolutely genius. How they could use 2 minutes of time and write these absolute masterpieces is unbelievable
Although it seemed like a lifetime at the time, the fact is that it all happened in just 8 years. From 1962 to 1970 and then they were done. From Love Me Do to The End the evolution is just incredible. ✌️
@@nthdegree1269Yeah creatively what they created new that was and will be the legacy for other music will always be their psychedelic era 1966-67, and also their late folk rock era in 1965, although technically their musical abilities as well as production increases from album to album and peaked at Abbey Road.
I really think the Beatles did a a great job when they covered songs. Rock and Roll Music is such an energetic song which I really like, and I really appreciate this Beatles version of the song.
This Beatles album seems to be the one that gets overlooked. Some real gems here. You are right about the harmonies on Baby's in Black. As good as say Simon and Garfunkel and Abba, there is nothing in my opinion better than those two voices of Lennon and McCartney to my ears !!! Keep on enjoying those Fab Beatles !! And yes I was around in 1964 when they came to America and I loved them from the start and still all these years later. Trips to Liverpool, buying and collecting music and memorabilia and attending Beatles related events, there is a wonderful Beatles fans family out there and I love it all !!!
First song is a very soft waltz style and yes, very sad, the harmonies are lovely, I can clearly hear sometimes John's voice over Paul's and vice versa. And the second one is damn marvelous, that voice adapts perfectly well to rock style as well as to the moving songs, John was actually a genius, as he himself said in the last documentary "we are stars you know" 😂😂
Rock and Roll Music is one of my favourite Beatles covers. I loved how they used it in the Anthology series, setting it against the madness of their touring in 1964.
The harmony singing of John & Paul is one of the greatest gifts that The Beatles gave us. Paul's high vocal part just soars so beautifully during the "Oh how long will it take - till she sees the mistake" part (at 1:44 and again at 2:12). It's one of my favorite moments of their harmony singing in any of their songs.
These are two more songs I love. “Baby’s in Black” is one of my favorites from early albums. I just love the harmonies in that chorus. “Rock n Roll Music” is one of their fun songs that were fun for the fans but also fun for the Beatles. I’m so fortunate to have grown up with this amazing music. I was 11 when they came to the states for the first time. John sounds great here but Paul can rock with the best of em as well. Great reaction🌺✌️
I love "Baby's In Black" .. Like the opening 2 tracks to this fine album, it was completely different to anything else they'd done, and showed how choc full of ideas they were .. Great analysis of it here, Luke ! .. And as far as "Rock and Roll Music" is concerned, it's one of the many perfect examples of how John Lennon had one of the BEST rock voices in musical history.
very keen observations -i had each album start to end as they came out in the u.s. grew up with them really--love your appreciation -we also had all ALL the ROCKIN 45's and you could stack them and hear a bunch of the fast rockin like long tall sally/slow down/matchbox /boys/rock and roll music/ saw her standing there etc.. it made us go wild after school listening to only loud fast rockin beatles we got wild and rowdy wrestling all over and we got rebellious as well.......memories THANK YOU FOR THIS RIDE I WILL BE FOLLOWING YOU THANK YOU
My fifteen-year-old is a HUGE Beatles fan! He's got me listening to these songs through you. I must say I never paid as much attention to them as I do now. All these songs are really great. And you're doing a great job! I hope You Tube doesn't cut you off like they have many others!
Baby's in Black - I have fond memories of my late younger brother and I harmonizing on this song, realizing we were good at it and laughing together. I get lump in m throat about that whenever I her this song now. "Rock and Roll Music" REALLY swings and kicks butt. The piano really adds something to special to it. They are inside the pocket so to speak on this song. Really tight. there was a documentary in the early 1980's produced by the Beatles road manager called "The Compleat Beatles" from several performances, interviews and news reels and photographs. the film STARTED with this song...I still think it's a great documentary worth watching. it's only 2 hours long, tops.
She thinks of him (Stuart Sutcliffe) and baby's (Astrid Kirchherr) in black as Sutcliffe died in Hamburg after leaving the Beatles to stay with her and become a full-time artist. And so Paul took up the bass. As Lennon said they all fancied the cooly beautiful beatnik Astrid who, along with her 'exi' friends Jurgen and Klaus (who designed the Revolver cover and played in the Plastic Ono band) embodied what they wanted to become; working class and cool. So glad you loved this under-rated gem of a tribute Luke!
Wow! I didn't know that! Have you seen the film "Backbeat"? It's about that tragic "love triangle" between Astrid, Stu, and John, among the other story lines concerning the pre-Beatlemania Beatles. Excellent movie!
Absolutely! John is trying to comfort Astrid over the loss of Stuart and there’s nothing he can do. Is it about the day of the funeral when she would have worn black? A beautiful song about a great tragedy.
61 here and I love your reactions. I bought some other than the Beatles as well. But it's so great and I love your comment about what she could be 25 and be in those clubs because I couldn't quite think of it that way since I first heard that stuff and early Junior High maybe at the latest, but I love that whole journey of all their stuff. And both of those songs are so incredible but I love their rock and roll songs. I'm still going to shout for you to do Long Tall Sally the original studio cut because that was a Mainstay of their especially Hamburg performances. And so much controversy about the fact that the guy that owned the club that they were the house band at tried to write it into their contract that they could not play Long Tall Sally as their set closer or anytime ever. Because people just went nuts. At some point apparently he was even nailing down the wooden legs of the bar stools into the wooden floor to keep people from picking them up and flinging them when the Beatles played Long Tall Sally and they always ended up doing it. The audience would yell for it and they would do it. And the guy couldn't complain because he was receiving so much revenue from the Beatles packing that place. They had just picked up Ringo not that long ago and they were one of the hottest things in that locale.
Good Review...interesting to note that on their two summer tours in 1966 (their last) they performed both these songs as well as the single I Feel Fine and She's a Woman that accompanied Beatles for Sale - so more than one-third of the songs on their set list summer of 1966 was from the fall of 1964.
By the way, I love your longer hair, Luke! I was 4 yrs old whebn The Beatles came over, so I didn't get to see thrm in concert - but still grew up with their music. Chuck Berry was one of the grandfathers of R&R. John even said, "If you wanna give Rock & Roll another name, it would be Chuck Berry." Chuck had a real come-back in the 70's in the USA with hit single (My Ding-a-ling) & concerts. Both Chuck being on the Mike Douglas show with John & Yoko, combined with the 50's revival from "Happy Days" TV show, gave him an opportunity to make some $ again.
I love how "bratty" and affected the vocals sound on Baby's in Black. I feel like I'm hearing "tongue in cheek"-attitude on that song, IDK. It's kind of darkly whimsical, the way they deliver that, almost, haunting lyric. Great vibe and chops on that song. R&R Music is just a Tour d' Force by Lennon! Another crazy Rocker they do is "Slow Down". You should check that out too! It's a powerhouse!
Actually, the song "Rock and Roll Music" is part of the invention of rock and roll. 1957 is very early for rock. It's kind of the year that the genre started to take off. Sometime listen to "That's Alright" by Arthur Crudup. It's near-rock from 1949.
Chuck Berry was the most literate of all the 1950s (early 1960s) rock and roll (R&B) songwriters. "Memphis" is especially touching. And his car songs were so incredible -- try "You Can't Catch Me": "I've become airborne" -- that "The Beach Boys" milked that theme for years.
@@jcb640In Hamburg George went by the name "Carl Harrison" -- "Carl" from Carl Perkins. It's in the lead guitar throughout the LP; listen as example to "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party". And George himself said that Carl Perkins was in the studio during the recording of the LP, and showed George how he played the guitar on the Carl Perkins songs. Two covers of Carl Perkins songs: "Honey Don't" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby". Another Perkin's song they covered: "Matchbox".
I was 18 in the mid 60's and I am sorry to say you missed the real summit of music. But all is not lost. Their music is still there for you and there is lots of it.
The great thing is that they now how the technology (thru Peter Jackson) to separate the instruments & sounds from these 2 & 3 track recordings, pull it all apart & put it back together again. I think Giles Martin has been contracted to do this.
They sound like choir boy's, with that harmonising, that's probably why they went to Hamburg to brush up on their harmonising, I believe there's a church in the red light district that gives lessons.
I like the lyrics & vocals/harmonies on "Baby's in Black" but not the music that much. It was never a favorite of mine. But I just ❤ John's vocals on R&R Music!
Two great performances, although these demonstrate why this album is transitional -- or even somewhat regressive IMO, especially compared to the dazzling brilliance of A Hard Day's Night. "BiB" is John and Paul in full Everlys mode (gorgeous harmonies, for sure), followed up by a full-on cover. When introducing "Baby's in Black" John would always make a big point that it was a waltz. At least HE thought it was notable, as if the 14 year old girls in the crowd didn't know what a waltz was. "Rock and Roll Music" was used on the Beatles Anthology documentary to accompany clips of Beatlemania mayhem, with Paul, George and Ringo talking about how the hysteria was starting to get out of control, especially now that they were spending ever more time touring the states.
The guitar solo was such a missed opportunity. In my humble opinion, George never "brought it", especially live, George may as well not have been there at all live. He didn't impress in the studio either, this song is a great example. Sorry George but that is my opinion.
I actually think this is a great solo, understated and twangy. A lesser guitarist could have overplayed here and ruined the mood. The only thing I'd wish for would be a bit more compression to push it harder through in the mix.
I've a few Beatles tracks, that I'm at loggerheads with: "Tell me why", "I need you" and "The long and winding road". "Baby's in Black" manages to escape this list in the last moment, thanks to the excellent vocals from Lennon/McCartney. Otherwise I rate the song as a silly pop waltz with probably the worst (and luckily shortest) Harrison solo. However, The Beatles kind of had fun playing the track live. For whatever reason. The fiery Chuck Berry cover is brilliant in every way. I don't know of a more exciting version of this classic. Unfortunately I don't know of a convincing live version. Was mostly presented as a sloppy opener at the later concerts.
John used to introduce Baby's in Black in concert with "This one's a waltz".
The Beatles are the best! No one can even be close to them!
Agreed!
Only three bands have ever made an attempt at coming close for me -- Queen, Pink Floyd, and XTC.
Baby's in Black is a blues song. I was only a kid when it came out. Years later I realized where my love from the blues started.
To me this is some of the greatest harmony singing in pop history. 'Babiy's in Black' is not one of their best known songs but it's always been a favorite of mine. And, of course, Luke nails the reaction. And what can be said about 'Rock and Roll Music?' It rocks!!
Watching them play “Baby’s in Black” live gives me goose bumps. Nice reaction, as always!
I'm 70. I was so lucky to grow up with the Beatles from age 10. You mentioned how Baby's in Black took the Beatles to the next level. Let me tell you, every new Beatles album was the next level from their last album... culminating to near perfection in the amazing Abbey Road album. The evolution of their songwriting and production growth and maturity over their time together was phenomenal.
That's why one must listen to them chronologically from their very first single. It's the only way to appreciate their astonishing evolution from one release to the next. One had no idea what they'd do next. And even then: when it doesn't go as expected it goes anyway.
There is something about the early sound though. To me, their peak is 65 til about '67 ish. I still feel Help was pop perfection and "IN My Life" was absolutely genius. How they could use 2 minutes of time and write these absolute masterpieces is unbelievable
@@nthdegree1269 I like that period as well for the sound, and the opening up of songwriting. The lyrics during that period are still fresh.
Although it seemed like a lifetime at the time, the fact is that it all happened in just 8 years. From 1962 to 1970 and then they were done. From Love Me Do to The End the evolution is just incredible. ✌️
@@nthdegree1269Yeah creatively what they created new that was and will be the legacy for other music will always be their psychedelic era 1966-67, and also their late folk rock era in 1965, although technically their musical abilities as well as production increases from album to album and peaked at Abbey Road.
That awesome boogie piano on Rock'n'Roll Music was played by their producer, George Martin. What a contribution!
I really think the Beatles did a a great job when they covered songs. Rock and Roll Music is such an energetic song which I really like, and I really appreciate this Beatles version of the song.
This Beatles album seems to be the one that gets overlooked. Some real gems here. You are right about the harmonies on Baby's in Black. As good as say Simon and Garfunkel and Abba, there is nothing in my opinion better than those two voices of Lennon and McCartney to my ears !!! Keep on enjoying those Fab Beatles !! And yes I was around in 1964 when they came to America and I loved them from the start and still all these years later. Trips to Liverpool, buying and collecting music and memorabilia and attending Beatles related events, there is a wonderful Beatles fans family out there and I love it all !!!
The Harmonies are more a dead on Everly Brothers imitation and that's who Simon Garfunkel learned from as well.
First song is a very soft waltz style and yes, very sad, the harmonies are lovely, I can clearly hear sometimes John's voice over Paul's and vice versa. And the second one is damn marvelous, that voice adapts perfectly well to rock style as well as to the moving songs, John was actually a genius, as he himself said in the last documentary "we are stars you know" 😂😂
I believe the inspiration for "Baby's in Black" was Hamburg photographer and friend Astrid Kirscher.
Yes, it is. She was mourning Stu Sutcliff when John and George visited her in Hamburg after former Beatle Stu untimely passing.
♥ The Beatles!
Rock and Roll Music is one of my favourite Beatles covers. I loved how they used it in the Anthology series, setting it against the madness of their touring in 1964.
The harmony singing of John & Paul is one of the greatest gifts that The Beatles gave us. Paul's high vocal part just soars so beautifully during the "Oh how long will it take - till she sees the mistake" part (at 1:44 and again at 2:12). It's one of my favorite moments of their harmony singing in any of their songs.
“Come Together - not in that way”. LOL. Love it.
These are two more songs I love. “Baby’s in Black” is one of my favorites from early albums. I just love the harmonies in that chorus. “Rock n Roll Music” is one of their fun songs that were fun for the fans but also fun for the Beatles. I’m so fortunate to have grown up with this amazing music. I was 11 when they came to the states for the first time. John sounds great here but Paul can rock with the best of em as well. Great reaction🌺✌️
I love "Baby's In Black" .. Like the opening 2 tracks to this fine album, it was completely different to anything else they'd done, and showed how choc full of ideas they were .. Great analysis of it here, Luke ! .. And as far as "Rock and Roll Music" is concerned, it's one of the many perfect examples of how John Lennon had one of the BEST rock voices in musical history.
very keen observations -i had each album start to end as they came out in the u.s. grew up with them really--love your appreciation -we also had all ALL the ROCKIN 45's and you could stack them and hear a bunch of the fast rockin like long tall sally/slow down/matchbox /boys/rock and roll music/ saw her standing there etc.. it made us go wild after school listening to only loud fast rockin beatles we got wild and rowdy wrestling all over and we got rebellious as well.......memories THANK YOU FOR THIS RIDE I WILL BE FOLLOWING YOU THANK YOU
Great reaction.
My fifteen-year-old is a HUGE Beatles fan! He's got me listening to these songs through you. I must say I never paid as much attention to them as I do now. All these songs are really great. And you're doing a great job! I hope You Tube doesn't cut you off like they have many others!
Baby's in Black - I have fond memories of my late younger brother and I harmonizing on this song, realizing we were good at it and laughing together. I get lump in m throat about that whenever I her this song now. "Rock and Roll Music" REALLY swings and kicks butt. The piano really adds something to special to it. They are inside the pocket so to speak on this song. Really tight. there was a documentary in the early 1980's produced by the Beatles road manager called "The Compleat Beatles" from several performances, interviews and news reels and photographs. the film STARTED with this song...I still think it's a great documentary worth watching. it's only 2 hours long, tops.
She thinks of him (Stuart Sutcliffe) and baby's (Astrid Kirchherr) in black as Sutcliffe died in Hamburg after leaving the Beatles to stay with her and become a full-time artist. And so Paul took up the bass. As Lennon said they all fancied the cooly beautiful beatnik Astrid who, along with her 'exi' friends Jurgen and Klaus (who designed the Revolver cover and played in the Plastic Ono band) embodied what they wanted to become; working class and cool. So glad you loved this under-rated gem of a tribute Luke!
Baby’s in black is about their friend Astrid, who tragically lost his fiancé Stuart Sutcliffe
Wow! I didn't know that! Have you seen the film "Backbeat"? It's about that tragic "love triangle" between Astrid, Stu, and John, among the other story lines concerning the pre-Beatlemania Beatles. Excellent movie!
@@michaelbriefs9764 yes, I saw this film. Steven Dorff was amazing as Stuart, and Sheryl Lee for me was real Astrid. One of the best biopic movie
Absolutely! John is trying to comfort Astrid over the loss of Stuart and there’s nothing he can do. Is it about the day of the funeral when she would have worn black? A beautiful song about a great tragedy.
Absolutely brilliant - I couldn't agree with you more !!!
Best version of this song by far!
61 here and I love your reactions. I bought some other than the Beatles as well. But it's so great and I love your comment about what she could be 25 and be in those clubs because I couldn't quite think of it that way since I first heard that stuff and early Junior High maybe at the latest, but I love that whole journey of all their stuff. And both of those songs are so incredible but I love their rock and roll songs. I'm still going to shout for you to do Long Tall Sally the original studio cut because that was a Mainstay of their especially Hamburg performances. And so much controversy about the fact that the guy that owned the club that they were the house band at tried to write it into their contract that they could not play Long Tall Sally as their set closer or anytime ever. Because people just went nuts. At some point apparently he was even nailing down the wooden legs of the bar stools into the wooden floor to keep people from picking them up and flinging them when the Beatles played Long Tall Sally and they always ended up doing it. The audience would yell for it and they would do it. And the guy couldn't complain because he was receiving so much revenue from the Beatles packing that place. They had just picked up Ringo not that long ago and they were one of the hottest things in that locale.
I really appreciate your reactions. You are one of the few who really understand how to react and what to listen for.
Good Review...interesting to note that on their two summer tours in 1966 (their last) they performed both these songs as well as the single I Feel Fine and She's a Woman that accompanied Beatles for Sale - so more than one-third of the songs on their set list summer of 1966 was from the fall of 1964.
By the way, I love your longer hair, Luke! I was 4 yrs old whebn The Beatles came over, so I didn't get to see thrm in concert - but still grew up with their music. Chuck Berry was one of the grandfathers of R&R. John even said, "If you wanna give Rock & Roll another name, it would be Chuck Berry." Chuck had a real come-back in the 70's in the USA with hit single (My Ding-a-ling) & concerts. Both Chuck being on the Mike Douglas show with John & Yoko, combined with the 50's revival from "Happy Days" TV show, gave him an opportunity to make some $ again.
I love how "bratty" and affected the vocals sound on Baby's in Black. I feel like I'm hearing "tongue in cheek"-attitude on that song, IDK. It's kind of darkly whimsical, the way they deliver that, almost, haunting lyric. Great vibe and chops on that song. R&R Music is just a Tour d' Force by Lennon! Another crazy Rocker they do is "Slow Down". You should check that out too! It's a powerhouse!
whatever! You're a master bullshitter. "bratty and affected" "darkly whimsical" LOL.
John's voice is so awesome on "Rock and Roll Music", am I right?
Lol, Luke. You can have the Beatles "mop top" haircut now!
Actually, the song "Rock and Roll Music" is part of the invention of rock and roll. 1957 is very early for rock. It's kind of the year that the genre started to take off. Sometime listen to "That's Alright" by Arthur Crudup. It's near-rock from 1949.
Chuck Berry was the most literate of all the 1950s (early 1960s) rock and roll (R&B) songwriters. "Memphis" is especially touching.
And his car songs were so incredible -- try "You Can't Catch Me": "I've become airborne" -- that "The Beach Boys" milked that theme for years.
The "country," especially in the lead guitar, is tribute to Carl Perkins. This is their Carl Perkins LP.
Yeah. 2 (1 of them a cover) out of 14 songs definitely makes this a Perkins album
@@jcb640In Hamburg George went by the name "Carl Harrison" -- "Carl" from Carl Perkins.
It's in the lead guitar throughout the LP; listen as example to "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party". And George himself said that Carl Perkins was in the studio during the recording of the LP, and showed George how he played the guitar on the Carl Perkins songs.
Two covers of Carl Perkins songs: "Honey Don't" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby".
Another Perkin's song they covered: "Matchbox".
I was 18 in the mid 60's and I am sorry to say you missed the real summit of music. But all is not lost. Their music is still there for you and there is lots of it.
Chuck Berry was a great song writer with a lot of excellent lyrics (many very funny). The Beatles and many other great bands revered Chuck Berry.
Love it. Love it Luke. Please mention George once in a while. 😅
Proving that piano really is a percussion instrument!👌
Actually here you could drop other instruments off and not losing anything essential…🤔👍
The great thing is that they now how the technology (thru Peter Jackson) to separate the instruments & sounds from these 2 & 3 track recordings, pull it all apart & put it back together again. I think Giles Martin has been contracted to do this.
I hope he goes right back to the Hamburg tapes and the Decca session.
Man, I love your reactions. Please listen to If I Fell, that song includes the best harmonies.
He already has when he was going through the "Hard Day's Night" album. Just look on his list of video reactions and you'll find it
They sound like choir boy's, with that harmonising, that's probably why they went to Hamburg to brush up on their
harmonising, I believe there's a church in the red light district that gives lessons.
Great songs. By Away. You look adorable in that powder blue necktie ❤❤❤❤❤
But you would be 80 now! I was 11 to 17 or so with the Beatles.
I like the lyrics & vocals/harmonies on "Baby's in Black" but not the music that much. It was never a favorite of mine. But I just ❤ John's vocals on R&R Music!
That's George Martin on the piano on rocken roll music
Baby's in black in November 1964
Wasn't it George Martin on piano?....The 'Spitfire Pilot'...
Is this guy related to Stuart Sutcliffe? Nah, Stu wasn't a dork.
Two great performances, although these demonstrate why this album is transitional -- or even somewhat regressive IMO, especially compared to the dazzling brilliance of A Hard Day's Night. "BiB" is John and Paul in full Everlys mode (gorgeous harmonies, for sure), followed up by a full-on cover. When introducing "Baby's in Black" John would always make a big point that it was a waltz. At least HE thought it was notable, as if the 14 year old girls in the crowd didn't know what a waltz was. "Rock and Roll Music" was used on the Beatles Anthology documentary to accompany clips of Beatlemania mayhem, with Paul, George and Ringo talking about how the hysteria was starting to get out of control, especially now that they were spending ever more time touring the states.
The guitar solo was such a missed opportunity. In my humble opinion, George never "brought it", especially live, George may as well not have been there at all live. He didn't impress in the studio either, this song is a great example. Sorry George but that is my opinion.
I actually think this is a great solo, understated and twangy. A lesser guitarist could have overplayed here and ruined the mood. The only thing I'd wish for would be a bit more compression to push it harder through in the mix.
I've a few Beatles tracks, that I'm at loggerheads with: "Tell me why", "I need you" and "The long and winding road". "Baby's in Black" manages to escape this list in the last moment, thanks to the excellent vocals from Lennon/McCartney. Otherwise I rate the song as a silly pop waltz with probably the worst (and luckily shortest) Harrison solo. However, The Beatles kind of had fun playing the track live. For whatever reason.
The fiery Chuck Berry cover is brilliant in every way. I don't know of a more exciting version of this classic. Unfortunately I don't know of a convincing live version. Was mostly presented as a sloppy opener at the later concerts.