Album of the day - The Beatles (Magical Mystery Tour)

[BlueHammer85]

Magical Mystery Tour is an album by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. Produced by George Martin, it includes the soundtrack to the 1967 film of the same name. The EP was issued in the UK on 8 December 1967 on the Parlophone label, while the Capitol Records LP release in the US occurred on 27 November and featured eleven tracks with the addition of songs from the band's 1967 singles. The first release as an eleven-track LP in the UK did not occur until 1976.

Despite widespread media criticism of the Magical Mystery Tour film, the soundtrack was a critical and commercial success and a number one Grammy-nominated album in the US. When EMI issued the Beatles' catalogue on compact disc in 1987, the track listing of the 1967 US LP was adopted rather than the six-song UK release



1. Magical Mystery Tour
2. The Fool On The Hill
3. Flying
4. Blue Jay Way
5. Your Mother Should Know
6. I Am The Walrus
7. Hello, Goodbye
8. Strawberry Fields Forever
9. Penny Lane
10. Baby You're A Rich Man
11. All You Need Is Love


Review 170

Roll up, here we go - 5th Beatles album to be reviewed on here after 'Help', 'Revolver','Sgt Pepper' and 'With The Beatles'.
'Magical Mystery Tour' for me another true Beatles classic which seems so unappreciated! which is surprising considering how many recognizable and amazing tracks there are on here - actually seems to be ridiculed by some, can only assume because of the god awful film they made for this soundtrack or the albums front cover, i do agree a few tracks are a bit dull even for Beatles standards,notably 'Blue Jay Way', and the rather boring instrumental 'Flying' and the flow of this album doesn't totally work.
in terms of style, MMT is close to psychedelic 'Sgt Peppers' and that is why i love it so much - 'I Am The Walrus' how much acid was they on to write this ? but pure brilliance ,'Strawberry Fields Forever' is one the greatest song ever written and performed, the nostalgic 'Penny Lane' is a reminder of the pure pop they can create and finishing off with the anthem 'All You Need Is Love'.
All in all, for me one of the most underrated albums of all time, a mix of classics and a few forgettable tracks during the Beatles trippy 'flower Power' period, i could go on forever with this one.


9.3/10

 

[lefty goldblatt]

Two of my fave Beatles songs on there, Walrus, and Your Mother Should Know.

Top stuff.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Never bothered with The Beatles but Fool on the Hill is a quality tune.

 

[tonea2003]

some classics in this album

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

One of my least favourite Beatles albums simply because it wasn’t really conceived as an album at all, or at least not in the way Rubber Soul, Revolver and Pepper were, but was rather just half a dozen songs they had in the bank, padded out with an already released single (All you need is love), two further singles discarded from Pepper (Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane), plus 2 and a half minutes of them pissing about on an instrumental (Flying). Had all 11 tracks been written specifically for that album then you could argue that it’s another bona fide Beatles corker, but they weren’t.
As to what it does contain, well the 3 previous singles were all stunning, as was Walrus, and I’ve always loved “Baby you’re a rich man”, one of those fantastic numbers where Lennon and McCartney had written half a song each and decided to meld them to brilliant effect (see also “We can work it out”, “Wait” and “A day in the life”)

 

[BlueHammer85]

One of my least favourite Beatles albums simply because it wasn’t really conceived as an album at all, or at least not in the way Rubber Soul, Revolver and Pepper were, but was rather just half a dozen songs they had in the bank, padded out with an already released single (All you need is love), two further singles discarded from Pepper (Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane), plus 2 and a half minutes of them pissing about on an instrumental (Flying). Had all 11 tracks been written specifically for that album then you could argue that it’s another bona fide Beatles corker, but they weren’t.
As to what it does contain, well the 3 previous singles were all stunning, as was Walrus, and I’ve always loved “Baby you’re a rich man”, one of those fantastic numbers where Lennon and McCartney had written half a song each and decided to meld them to brilliant effect (see also “We can work it out”, “Wait” and “A day in the life”)

cheers Exeter, interesting to learn some of that - discarded Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane from Pepper, if that's true then wow! they could have replaced 'Good Morning Good Morning' or 'Fixing a Hole' and had the complete album.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

I had the EP.

Foolishly got rid with all of my singles in the early 80s.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

cheers Exeter, interesting to learn some of that - discarded Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane from Pepper, if that's true then wow! they could have replaced 'Good Morning Good Morning' or 'Fixing a Hole' and had the complete album.

Sorry mate, I’ve used the word ‘discarded’ somewhat misleadingly. They were recorded for Pepper, which was due out in June 67, but EMI wanted a new single out of the Beatles (their last having been Eleanor Rigby in the autumn of 66) and pressurised George Martin into giving up Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane for release as a double A side. The two tracks were taken off the planned Pepper album as a consequence and rush released as a single in February 67.

And yes, Pepper with those two tracks at the expense of two of the weaker ones (I would have ditched Good Morning and Lovely Rita - both awful for different reasons), would have been sensational. As it stands though, and as groundbreaking as Pepper was, it hasn’t aged anywhere near as well as either Rubber Soul or Revolver, which I personally think are the Beatles best albums by far

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Still got my original 6-song double EP of MMT.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Sorry mate, I’ve used the word ‘discarded’ somewhat misleadingly. They were recorded for Pepper, which was due out in June 67, but EMI wanted a new single out of the Beatles (their last having been Eleanor Rigby in the autumn of 66) and pressurised George Martin into giving up Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane for release as a double A side. The two tracks were taken off the planned Pepper album as a consequence and rush released as a single in February 67.

And yes, Pepper with those two tracks at the expense of two of the weaker ones (I would have ditched Good Morning and Lovely Rita - both awful for different reasons), would have been sensational. As it stands though, and as groundbreaking as Pepper was, it hasn’t aged anywhere near as well as either Rubber Soul or Revolver, which I personally think are the Beatles best albums by far

can not disagree

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