Only a Beatles song
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Isn’t compact disc technology great? Without CDs, record labels couldn’t take a seemingly forgettable era of a successful artist’s storied history and turn into a discographical event.
Take the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. It was a cartoon that sported limited involvement from the band whose song serves as the film’s catalyst. Yellow Submarine’s recent reissue on home video and DVD — another great format to afford more opportunities to sell more of the same product in different configurations — garnered reluctant criticism.
So the film was dated. Who can really knock off the Beatles, eh?
And yet the newly remastered and expanded Yellow Submarine Songtrack, a repackaging of a repackage, might end up being the only Beatles album I ever own. (I’m partial to the Stones, really.)
Most of it is personal. I watched Yellow Submarine when I was far too impressionable, and the movie and its songs stuck. Beatles songs don’t particular grab me emotionally, but if it appeared on Yellow Submarine, I pay attention.
Part of it is programatic. “Eleanor Rigby,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Nowhere Man,” “Only a Northern Song” — that’s not a bad selection of songs to have on one disc.
Operative word: one. I’m fully aware of the many multi-disc collections sporting the Fab Four’s hits. Conversely, the disc contains none of the songs I can easily hear on any given elevator or doctor’s office.
In short, Yellow Submarine is the all-in-one disc for a Beatles non-fan.