I bought Tomorrow Never Knows, an album of the Beatles most influential rock songs it claims, because despite owning all of them, I wanted to hear if it hung together as an album and am too lazy to to make my own playlist.
I wanted to know if there was a musician at the bottom of it. If juxtaposing, say, "Paperback Writer" wih, say, "Savoy Truffle" will teach me anything about anything.
It doesn't, it won't, this seems like the most random beatles collection imaginable.
I think what they are trying to say is "She Loves You" and "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" are not, in fact, rock songs, because those are the beatles two most influential songs and neither of them are on here. And while "And Your Bird Can Sing" is a masterpiece it isn't AN INFLUENTIAL masterpiece. Not any more than, say, "I'm Only Sleeping" off the same album.
How much can you complain about Tomorrow Never Knows. Every song, even the ones off Yellow Submarine, are "A++", but it doesn't mean for one moment that they should be placed together in this format. Somewhere near the end, they put three Lennon songsin a row : "She Said She Said", "Hey Bulldog" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" and guess what? It weakens "Hey Bulldog". The song gets played by position. Two tracks about death and divinity, with a grunt in the middle.
As for the casual Beatles fan: maybe they don't know "I'm Down" and now they do. Fair enough, I guess.
But for the rest of the world, this compiliation is astoundingly useless. Here is Dave Grohl's liner notes:
"If it weren't for The Beatles, I would not be a musician. It’s as simple as that. From a very young age I became fascinated with their songs, and over the years have drowned myself in the depth of their catalogue. Their groove and their swagger. Their grace and their beauty. Their dark and their light. The Beatles seemed to be capable of anything. They knew no boundaries, and in that freedom they seemed to define what we now know today as 'Rock and Roll.'
"Recently I showed my 6-year-old daughter, Violet, the brilliant Yellow Submarine movie. It was her introduction to The Beatles, and she instantly shared the same fascination I felt when I was her age discovering The Beatles for the first time. She wanted to know their names, which instruments they played, who sang what song, etc etc etc….it made me so incredibly happy (and proud!). Within days she knew the verses and choruses to every song on the album. But, there was one song that stood out for her….
'"Hey Bulldog" is not one of The Beatles’ greatest hits. It's what most people would consider a 'deep cut.' But it is a quintessential Beatles rocker. The rolling bass line, the trademark Ringo drum fills, the gritty distorted guitar, and that sound that only the back of Lennon's throat could produce. It stomps. It grooves. It makes your head bob. It makes your hips shake. When Lennon sings, 'If you're lonely you can talk to me!' it soothes your heart, like you've finally found something to believe in. It's so raw and real. It is 100% timeless Rock and Roll…
From one generation to the next, The Beatles will remain the most important rock band of all time.
Just ask Violet."
