The Beatles: 'White Album' and 'Rubber Soul'

OK. Well. I said in my previous post that I would follow it with a straight list of the 90 LPs from which I have disencumbered myself already. BUT honestly that idea does not appeal to me in the least. In particular, as I looked at the list in preparation for that expedient method of disposing of their mention in these esteemed digital halls of history, I really began to feel that I had to give the LPs a bit more attention than just to list them with little or no elaboration.

I reckon I still am not going to give these LPs nearly as much attention as I would like to do, but then again I'm pretty sure I am not the first or only person ever to mention and make comments on these albums. I don't have the time or knowledge really to do each one quite that much justice. So, I'll report off the top of my head and that will be it, pretty much.

The first two albums that flew out of my collection (on the same day) were two Beatles albums.

One was the so-called 'White Album.' It came to be called that because it was released in a plain white cover with "The Beatles" embossed unobtrusively on it. Released in 1968, it is actually TWO LPs - aka a 'double album.' I read just recently in Geoff Emerick's book "Here, There, & Everywhere" that the 'White Album' got no other name because The Beatles could not settle on one in consensus. They had not too long before suffered the death of their manager, Brian Epstein (drug overdose at age 37), and they were just returning from their trip to India when they began recording the tracks that became the 'White Album.' So, their perspective, their camaraderie, their outlook were quite different for the making of this album than it was for the previous recordings. This album marked a significant turning point in the lives of these men who made such an irreversible impression on the world of their day. I believe the effects of their contribution are still reverberating.

The other Beatles LP that slipped from my fingers that day (not so unwillingly because it fetched a decent sum in return!) was 'Rubber Soul.' 'Rubber Soul' is The Beatles' sixth LP, but due to separate releases in countries outside the UK, it could conceivably be counted as somewhere between the tenth and fifteenth album recorded by The Beatles. Released in 1965, it included fourteen tracks. Among them was a Grammy-winning song called "Michelle" as well as "Norwegian Wood," "Drive My Car," "You Won't See Me," and "Nowhere Man."

Like so much of their music, the appeal is truly timeless.

You can see by the pics that these records saw a lot of use - and a great deal of love - over the years.

Which Way Shall I Go?

I've been pondering what approach I want to take in this space. Do I do a new post for every LP I record, and provide a little history and a bit of a review? Do I simply pop in occasionally and list the LPs I've recorded since I last posted? How much information do I include?



I am completing an Excel spreadsheet as I go along on the recording process. I keep the spreadsheet sorted by song title by default, but of course I can re-sort at will to Album Title, Year of Release, Artist, Label, Inventory #, or the date I recorded it to digits. It is a great deal of fun as I run into various covers of popular songs. Also, there are many very interesting titles, both long and short. I reckon I will include at a minimum the information I am cataloging in my spreadsheet.



I should probably conceive a method of titling each post so it is consistent, too. Maybe include the artist and the album and maybe the genre. Genre can be a bit of a problem, though, sometimes, because the basic categories of yesteryear have become significantly blurred, fused, mashed-up and otherwise re-arranged. I'll have to think about that one.



One thing I believe I will do is make my next post a quick listing of about ninety (90) LPs that I recorded then sold on eBay a couple of years ago. In some cases I might also note how much the buyers were willing to pay. That piece of info was not always interesting, but sometimes it was pretty happy news when the auction was over and I sat looking at the screen with a silly grin on my face.



Anyway, I sometimes yearn to have some of those albums back in my possession, but at this point, I have decided that the music itself is what I am truly after. Even though I thoroughly enjoy looking at, handling, and poring over the LPs and their jackets and sleeves, I am increasingly of the opinion that I certainly do not need to keep 2,500 albums idling in my garage.



So. Next post, just for posterity - a list of the LPs to which I have already bid a fond farewell. Perhaps a few comments here and there about certain ones. Maybe a pic or two of jackets and sleeves.

And here is an example just to prove to myself that I can successfully upload a pic to a post:




















OK, then! Tally-ho!

Inaugural Post for FastEddie's Wax Museum

I undertook a while back to convert all of my black vinyl LPs to digital files. It is going quite well, but I thought it might be good to keep a log of the progress. This way I can reflect on the types of music I am recording and preserving and how it impacts my sensibilities as I hear music I probably have not heard in a long time.

Hi-ho!