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Monday, August 14, 2023

Beatlesque Vol. 9 - "All for Love" (1997)

And now for something completely different.

Because the Beatles left a major impact on the music world despite recording together for only seven years, you'd be hard pressed to find an artist today that wasn't inspired by the band, either directly or indirectly. Many artists could tell you how much the Beatles inspired them in their youth, and some of their music has a Beatle-esque flavor to them, whether they know it or not. And that's what this post is all about; I've compiled fourteen tracks into a playlist that, in some form or another, took inspiration from the Beatles. Sometimes, it even sounds like something the Beatles themselves would've recorded.

For the first post in a potential series of possibly ten, I picked 1995-1998 as the timeframe for this false Beatles album and picked the name All for Love after the song that was rumored to exist during the Anthology era, but was never completed. Although it would've been theoretically released during a time where CDs were a popular format, I'll be splitting this album into four vinyl sides as it runs up to about 62 minutes total.


"Beetlebum" (Blur) - There couldn't be a better way to kick off this Beatlesque playlist than a song that shows clear nods to the Beatles from an artistic view, especially in the chorus. Interestingly, this is also the first track on Blur's eponymous 1997 album. Stephen Thomas Erlewine described "Beetlebum" as "[running] through the White Album in the space of five minutes."

"What I Got" (Sublime) - The melody is very similar to that of "Lady Madonna". Outside of that, I didn't find much else talking about the influences taken from the Beatles. What's noteworthy, though, is that David Kahne, who produced this track, would later produce Paul's 2007 album Memory Almost Full, as well as his live album Back in the U.S.. Small world indeed.

"Big Me" (Foo Fighters) - Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain called John his favorite Beatle, even feeling a personal connection with him. Dave Grohl was also inspired by the Beatles from a young age, and "Big Me" almost sounds as if Paul had written it himself. Had Kurt not killed himself, one scenario for Nirvana is that Kurt and Dave could have become the Lennon/McCartney of grunge.

"Joel" (The Boo Radleys) - As part of an update to the track listing, I've decided to throw in this acoustic six-minute epic that includes backwards guitarwork akin to the Revolver era.

Side B
"Shine a Light" (The Apples in Stereo) - The second of six tracks that I wasn't originally going to include, but after listening to it, it definitely sounds a bit like the Beatles during their Rubber Soul days. The vocals sound a little like a mix between Lennon and McCartney.

"Not the Girl You Think You Are" (Crowded House) - Last minute entry #3; Neil Finn wrote this song as an homage to the Beatles, even writing it like they would've. As the last song released before Crowded House broke up first time around before reuniting, it almost feels like something from either Abbey Road or Let It Be.

"Sonnet" (The Verve) - A simple, aching ballad that's almost in the vein of "For No One". John is clearly present when Richard Ashcroft sings.

"Karma Police" (Radiohead) - The chord progression of the piano and acoustic guitar is very similar to that of "Sexy Sadie", and the title may be a reference to John's solo single "Instant Karma". In addition to this, according to a 1969 interview with John, Smokey Robinson's "I've Been Good to You" was one of his favorite songs, and the lyric "Look what you've done, you made a fool out of someone" was later loosely adopted for "Sexy Sadie". Perhaps indirectly, a link between Smokey and Radiohead had been established. How crazy is that?

Side C
"Lemon Tree" (Fool's Garden) - The fourth eleventh hour entry of the playlist; lyrically, this almost sounds like something John Lennon could've written during the early phase of his solo career, blended together with a juxtaposing Paul McCartney-esque medley. The backing vocals during the chorus are fairly reminiscent of "Girl".

"That Thing You Do!" (The Wonders) - Eleventh hour entry the fifth; although this was recorded by a fictional band for a film, it's too damn good to leave off. It sounds as if Lennon and McCartney could have written it during the Beatles' early years; appropriately, the film the song is in takes place in the 1960s.

"She's Electric" (Oasis) - I'm sure most of you were expecting "Wonderwall" to show up on this playlist, or maybe, if you're too much of a fan off excess, "All Around the World". However, I could only go for one track per artist; otherwise, this entire playlist would be Oasis songs from the 1990s, making his exercise pointless. Instead, I went with "She's Electric", which takes cues from the chorus of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and the outro of "With a Little Help from My Friends".

"Lily (My One and Only)" (Smashing Pumpkins) - A baroque pop number from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness that's akin to the likes of "When I'm Sixty-Four", "Martha My Dear" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", all written and sung by Paul. On an interesting note, "Lily (My One and Only)" was said to be about Billy Corgan's cat, and "Martha My Dear" was about Paul's sheepdog, which may further the belief that this was inspired by the Beatles. On the other hand, it may just be a random coincidence.

Side D
"My Before and After" (Cotton Mather) - The sixth and last of the last minute entries I included for the album. Stewart Mason of AllMusic described the album it was on, Kontiki, as "a brilliant fusion of the Beatles, Squeeze, Guided by Voices, and some less obvious influences." Cotton Mather were another band like the Apples in Stereo that I discovered as having drawn comparisons to the Beatles.

"All Those Yesterdays" (Pearl Jam) - This closing track from Yield almost sounds as if it was ripped straight out of the White Album; interestingly, both albums were released thirty years apart. The title also seems to riff on George's "All Those Years Ago". Maybe it could've been a co-write between John and George? On Yield, it's followed by a hidden track, "Hummus"; instead, on this album, it's followed up by...

"Indus" (Dead Can Dance) - It takes about halfway to get there, but this nine-minute instrumental borrows a bit from "Within You Without You", even crediting George as a songwriter after he gave them permission. My guess is that, after what he went through with the "He's So Fine"/"My Sweet Lord" lawsuit, he didn't want the same thing happening with DCD.

Final Thoughts
Interestingly enough, at least half of the songs inspired by the Beatles trace their origins to around the 1967-68 timeframe, with some taking influence from the White Album. It's rather fitting, of course, that the White Album is the Beatles' most eclectic album and never sits still for very long. All for Love is almost like the grandson of the White Album, covering genres like Britpop, garage rock, alternative rock, worldbeat and punk rock, therefore keeping the spirit of the Beatles alive.

That being said, I'd love to do another post like this if there's enough interest. I've already got a late 1970s Beatlesque album made, and I'm also planning one for the late 1980s and another for the mid to late 2000s. For each album, I'd like to pick out at least eight to twelve tracks from a specific time frame and then arrange them in a way that sounds cohesive. You can try this one out for yourselves if you like; your results may vary.

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