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Meet the Beatles (Again) - Yellow Submarine

Posted at 2:13 AM on September 9, 2009 by The Current (7 Comments)
Filed under: Meet the Beatles (Again)

Yellow Submarine
Originally released in 1969
By Barb Abney

I have never personally owned a Beatles record, yet I felt that reviewing Yellow Submarine would be easy. After all, it is the soundtrack to a movie I watched several times as a child. So it seemed like the best way to begin this project would be to watch Yellow Submarine again.
As a child I knew this was a Beatles movie. I knew some of the songs in the movie and could sing along as I watched the film. What I didn't know then was that the voices of The Fab Four in the movie were NOT the voices of The Beatles. They were the voices of a handful of British actors. All of these gents went on to careers in television and movies with the notable exception of Peter Batten. The legend states that Batten was discovered in a pub and hired on the spot when the film's director overheard his Liverpudlian accent. He had been acting as the voice of George Harrison in the movie when he was arrested for deserting the British army. To add further intrigue to the story, Batten hasn't been publicly seen or heard from since.

While watching the movie again, a couple of things really stood out. First, during "All Together Now," I noted the most accurate illustrated depiction of what my migraines look like as the flashy multi-colored fish swim by. A little later in the film, as time is being corrected, the years fly by, stopping at "2009." Quite the coincidence, eh?

Which came first, the movie or the music? Apparently, The Beatles were under contract to make another film and lending their talent and likeness to an animated film would satisfy that obligation. The original Yellow Submarine soundtrack was The Beatles' 10th record. It came out in January 1969, several months after the release of the movie. So, the movie came first, right?

The soundtrack featured 13 songs. Side One consisted of six tunes that were all written and performed by The Beatles. A handful of these songs were recorded during sessions for another movie. ("Only A Northern Song" and "It's All Too Much" were recorded during or around the time of the Sgt. Pepper's sessions.) The songs "Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need Is Love" were on previous albums. The only newly recorded songs for the original soundtrack were, "Hey Bulldog," "All Together Now" and "Baby, You're A Rich Man." (Although, "Baby, You're A Rich Man" wound up as a B-side to another single instead of as a part of this soundtrack.) Side Two was the instrumental score of the movie. So, while the movie was released in 1968, much of the music used in the movie had been around for a year or more. So, the music came first, right?

Thirty years later, the film was re-released and the Yellow Submarine soundtrack was as well. This featured re-mixed versions of the tunes found on the original soundtrack, plus all of the tunes that were featured in the movie that weren't on the original recording minus the instrumental score.

Now that the re-mastered version of the Yellow Submarine soundtrack is coming out, I feel that YOU should make it a part of your personal collection. If you're like me, and you have never owned a Beatles record before or you don't understand what all the fuss is about; begin by setting aside time to pop it in your CD player and "spend some time" with it. Enjoy the uplifting feeling of these simple lyrics and harmonies that people of any age can appreciate. Then watch the mini-documentary on your computer. You'll hear enlightening quotes from the band members like. "I thought this would be the greatest Disney cartoon ever," and "'All You Need Is Love' is basically the message of the movie." You'll see incredible snippets of live recording sessions of "Hey Bulldog" and "All You Need Is Love."

And just maybe, like me, you will understand what all the fuss is about. Their music ALWAYS came first!

It should be noted that on the day that I sat down to write this, it was announced that Robert Zemeckis was in discussions with Disney to remake Yellow Submarine in 3-D.

Barb Abney is host on The Current 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. weekdays. Barb knows all you need is love, even if it gives you a migraine sometimes.

Comments (7)

I have the yellow submarine book and DVD, my four year old daughter loves them and knows the words to the songs. I think it is great that she has an appreciation for the Beatles music.

Carolyn

Posted by Carolyn Harris | September 9, 2009 7:49 AM

"I have never personally owned a Beatles record..." I'm sorry, WHAT?? I thought you were a music fan. That is mind-blowing.

Posted by Kevin Dutcher | September 9, 2009 8:18 AM

I'm a music fan and I don't own any Beatles albums either, so pee on your head buddy.

Posted by David Priebe | September 10, 2009 10:52 AM

I don't think the guy above needs to say what he said about peeing on Kevin, because it is sort of mind blowing. I love the Beatles, but I am not utterly devoted to them. I once knew an old mathematician who almost hoarded any version of any Beatles song he could find, even orchestral versions. He lived and breathed the Beatles.

Barb's a good egg. Mark Wheat even admitted that he wasn't the biggest Beatles fan. What's fun about being a music fan is rediscovering or learning about new bands. It's just sort of amazing that Barb hadn't picked up any Beatles yet.

Posted by Michelle Bricker West | September 10, 2009 12:49 PM

All I'm saying is that a music collection without Beatles albums is like a book collection without Shakespeare. It's the foundation and the cornerstone of just about everything that followed. And do I have to pee on my head yet again? I just showered...

Posted by Kevin Dutcher | September 10, 2009 3:49 PM

Kev,

A little off subject here, but Shakespeare didn't write books, fyi... Also, even though he's widely accepted as quite the genius, it's possible he didn't actually write most of the works he's known for. And, most importantly, they're really not that good... Most of his stuff reads like a really out dated sitcom.

But, as far as the Beatles go, the reason I suggested peeing on your head was because it's foolish to infere that anyone is not a music fan because they don't own a particular artists album- regardless of their relevance. Being a music fan has nothing to do with what you're a fan of. Not to mention, clearly Babney is a music fan. You don't need to listen long to see she knows her music.

David

P.S. You don't actually need to pee on your head either, I was speaking figuratively.

Posted by David Priebe | September 11, 2009 6:24 PM

I love the Beatles, but am not a huge fan of Shakespeare. Also, washing your hair with urine is thought to slow hair-loss, so, yeah, bring on the piss!

Posted by Brian | September 22, 2009 1:23 AM

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