“The Star Club Tapes”: this very phrase inspires spirited debate among Beatles fans.

There’s a moment during the eight-disc set John & Yoko: I’m Not the Beatles when every Beatles fan will envy Village Voice journalist Howard Smith. You May Also Like: The ‘Mind Games’ Song That Pointed to John Lennon’s Reunion With Yoko Ono John Lennon and Yoko Ono Declared ‘Time’s Up’Read More

Some Beatles tracks forged new sonic territory, and others just rocked hard. “Hold Me Tight,” a track off 1963’s With the Beatles, harkens back to their beginnings in Hamburg and Liverpool You May Also Like: The Beatles, “Please Mister Postman” from With the Beatles (1963): Deep Beatles The Beatles, “IRead More

I was finishing my senior year in college, and remember watching MTV’s announcement of Kurt Cobain’s suicide, 20 years ago today. I admit I wasn’t surprised, as he always seemed like a tortured soul. Two decades later, I must admit, I still feel ambivalent toward Nirvana. You May Also Like:Read More

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to my last Deep Beatles column on “The Night Before,” this week shines the spotlight on another underrated Help! track: “I Need You,” an early George Harrison composition that still sounds haunting and airy. You May Also Like: The Beatles, “You’re Going to LoseRead More

Elton John was a star on the rise in 1973, having gained critical and commercial success in the UK and U.S. in just a few years. You May Also Like: Elton John – Greatest Hits 1976-1986 (1992): On Second Thought Elton John – ‘Jewel Box’ (2020)

At the height of Beatlemania, the Beatles performed at Shea Stadium in New York City on August 15, 1965. The sweltering summer night would rank as one of the most important in rock history, as over 55,000 screaming fans packed the stadium to see their heroes. You May Also Like:Read More

Was “The Night Before” the Beatles’ response to the Shirelles’ 1960 hit “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”? The 1965 Help! track could be seen that way, as it deals with a common topic: what happens the morning after intimacy? You May Also Like: The Beatles, “You’re Going to Lose ThatRead More

The Beatles’ 1965 album Rubber Soul is an embarrassment of riches. In addition to its stellar material, it signaled the final days of Beatlemania and a transition into more experimental sounds and sophisticated songwriting. You May Also Like: The Beatles, “I’m Looking Through You” from ‘Rubber Soul’ (1965): Deep Beatles

John Lennon may have called it “a piece of rubbish,” but “Cry Baby Cry” symbolizes one of Lennon’s more underrated compositions. Written while in India, “Cry Baby Cry” serves as a twisted nursery rhyme, and he would return to the motif years later on Double Fantasy’s “Cleanup Time.” The 1968Read More