Beatlemania Is As Old As Marvel Mania

"1963 was the beginning of the end of the safe, light-hearted part of the '60s that was really an extension of the '50s. Martin Luther King wrote his 'Letter From a Birmingham Jail' for the Atlantic Monthly and then delivered the epochal 'I Have a Dream' speech before 200,000 on the mall in Washington. The audio cassette was invented. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones played together for the first time, and the first discoteque, the Whiskey A Go Go, opened in Los Angeles. Pope Paul VI was elected. Warner Brothers shut down its cartoon operation after creating more than 1,000 Looney Tunes. Bob Dylan got his first taste of chart success when Peter, Paul and Mary took his 'Blowin' in the Wind' to No. 2. Jim Brown broke his own rushing record, but the Chicago Bears took home the NFL title. And on Nov. 22, 1963, the optimism of a generation died along with President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. That was the year Spider-Man was born." (Jonathan Couper-Smartt & Kit Kiefer, The Amazing Spider-Man: 500 Covers 1962-2003, Marvel Comics, 2004)

I'll be honest, I never liked the Beatles growing up (I'm still more of a Stones fan). It was my parents' thing, therefore it had to be uncool. But it was more than just my parents' thing - EVERYONE seemed to love the Beatles, therefore it was suspicious. I claimed that I didn't like their voices, and that may have been true. Recently I decided to give up the fight and see what all the fuss is about. I borrowed every album in order of release from a friend plus I bought the remastered Past Masters compilation of non-album singles and B-sides. In all fairness I can now say... I was half right before. Sometimes I like their voices very much (Rubber Soul), especially when they're screaming (With the Beatles). Other times they sound tired (A Hard Day's Night), their lyrics are repetitive (Yellow Submarine) or worse yet, they're babbling and not even singing (Let It Be). I've learned that The Grey Album by Danger Mouse is better than either The White Album by the Beatles or The Black Album by Jay-Z, the last song on Revolver might be the origin of prog rock, and the last song on Abbey Road is not a silly throwaway, but I ran out of room on my top 20 list below:

1. "Twist and Shout" (1963) from the album, Please Please Me
2. "She Loves You" (1963) from the EP of the same name
3. "Money (That's What I Want)" (1963) from the album, With The Beatles
4. "If I Fell" (1964) from the movie soundtrack, A Hard Day's Night
5. "I Feel Fine" (1964) from the single of the same name
6. "I'll Follow the Sun" (1964) from the album, Beatles for Sale
7. "Yes It Is" (1965) B-side on the single, Ticket to Ride
8. "I've Just Seen a Face" (1965) from the movie soundtrack, Help!
9. "Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing" (2006) medley from the Cirque du Soleil show, Love
10. "In My Life" (1965) from the album, Rubber Soul
11. "We Can Work It Out" (1965) from the double A-sided single with "Day Tripper"
12. "She Said She Said" (1966) from the album, Revolver
13. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967) from the album of the same name
14. "Lovely Rita" (1967) from the album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
15. "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967) from the movie soundtrack of the same name
16. "Revolution (1968) B-side on the single, Hey Jude
17. "Blackbird" (1968) from the album, The Beatles (also known as The White Album); my absolute favorite Beatles song
18. "Yellow Submarine in Pepperland" (1969) - George Martin; from the movie soundtrack, Yellow Submarine
19. "Here Comes the Sun" (1969) from the album, Abbey Road
20. "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" (1969) medley without separate grooves on the album, Abbey Road