When I was eight years old, I took on extra chores around the house so that my parents would give me enough money to buy tickets to the Enid, OK premier of A Hard Day's Night at the Chief Theater. I was thrilled to be there at the premier and of course I loved the movie and the music, but was a bit too young to really understand what a great film it is. Furthermore I did not see the gigantic song writing step forward by Lennon and McCartney. For years I was a bit torn about the US LP by that name because it contained a generous portion of George Martin orchestrated instrumental versions of some of the songs. I also purchased their Capitol LP Something New, which was really a scatter shot collection of songs left off the US AHDN album, plus some singles and b-sides. And in some way I preferred that record because it had some amazing songs like Things We Said Today, Any Time at All, When I Get Home, And I Love Her, and If I Fell.
Then during my early college years in the mid-70s I acquired the British version of the LP. And immediately I realized that Capitol records (and United Arists) had done us a great disservice. The "real" A Hard Day's Night is perhaps the first true Beatles' masterpiece. Even the running order is important to the experience of listening to these songs, and now I immediately know what will come next.
Tucked away at the very end of the LP is a song that just hits me like a ton of bricks every time I listen. I'll Be Back is John Lennon at his early peak. Not the upbeat closer that one would expect, but rather a thoughtful and beautiful exploration of how tenuous love can be. The acoustic guitar work is just amazing, what with the three-against-four rhythms. John sings it with a compassion that perfectly fits the lyrics. A real hidden gem on an album full of first class song writing.
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3 comments:
I'm glad that I got the box set a few years ago, as it contains the proper version of "A Hard Day's Night." And like you, it too me years to appreciate just how great the music was that I just loved as a 5 year old.
Hey Tim, good to get a note from you. The song I posted about did not make it on either Hard Day's Night or Something New. Capitol buried it on a later LP (Beatles 65 maybe?). Like you I was blown away when I finally heard all of the songs from the "real" LP as they were intended. And every one of them written by Lennon and McCartney.
Funny how those US albums differed. I, alas, am totally wed to the original US tracklisting of Hard Days Night, orchestral tracks and all. Go figure!
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