Beatles: Yellow Submarine

Beatles: Yellow Submarine

1969

Apple Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Yellow Submarine  2. Only a Northern Song  3. All Together Now 4. Hey Bulldog  5. It's All Too Much  6. All You Need Is Love  7. Pepperland  8. Sea of Time  9. Sea of Holes  10. Sea of Monsters  11. March of the Meanies  12. Pepperland Laid Waste  13. Yellow Submarine in Pepperland

Huh...For some reason I always thought this came out before the White album. I must have gotten this impression from the back cover (which trumpets the upcoming release of  the White album) but in researching this, I clearly see the release date as being 1969...I guess I learn something new everyday...

This is the soundtrack to their massively entertaining animated film of the same name. It's basically an e.p of Beatles material, since side two consists of George Martin's instrumental score for the film, which isn't bad at all... It's your standard orchestral film score, but I'd be lying if I said I've played it more than three times in the 15 years since Ive owned it...So I'm only going to discuss side one...Although looking at the back cover, I would kill to hear a Beatles original called "Sea of Monsters."

Side one is entirely comprised of Beatles songs; two previously released ones and four newies...I guess I also always figured this must have come out before the White album, because it seems to be the last gasp of the Beatles' psychedelic phase...They'd largely dropped this style after "Magical Mystery Tour." The only song that really sounds like it could fit on the White album is John's stomping piano rocker "Hey, Bulldog."

I actually kind of think that George Harrison steals the show with his two tracks..."It's Only a Northern Song" is a spare, brooding acid-trip, featuring the enigmatic lyrics:

"If you think the harmony
Is a little dark and out of key
You're correct,
 There's nobody there..."

And he's right... The song has a really off and spooky quality. On the other hand, the radiant "It's All Too Much" is the pinnacle of their psychedelic form...Bright, buzzing, and cosmic!

The other original is Paul's kiddie-style singalong "All Together Now." The remainder of side one is made up of the previously released tracks "Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need Is Love." Always great to hear those two songs again! 

Oh yea, there was also an alternate version of this released in 1999 called "The Yellow Submarine Songtarck" that was released alongside  the "Yellow Submarine" VHS tape in 1999...
 




This version dumps the side two instrumentals and instead includes remixed and altered versions of other Beatles songs that were also featured in the film...I kind of think this might be  superior to the original version, and interesting for the slight changes...

I still have my "Yellow Submarine" VHS...God, I must have watched this 10 million times...I think I originally bought it at a K-Mart in Oscoda, Michigan...I'm not sure if the K-Mart is still there...Although, I'm always kind of taken aback at the resiliency of K-Mart...In every town a Wal-Mart comes in and the local K-Mart always becomes a ghost-store but they never seem to actually close down...I have pretty fond memories of going to the K-Mart in West Branch as a kid and buying Masters of the Universe figures and rifling through their record bin (I remember when K-Mart used to sell vinyl...My God!) and gawking at the heavy metal album covers...

 Come to think of it, the wall in my bedroom has a bunch of Yellow Submarine stuff on it...

This photo makes my bedroom wall look so...yellow...Anyhoo, there's a couple of the McFarlane figures from the late 90's and a Yellow Submarine K'nex set, which was a gift from a friend...Then there's also a Robocop:The Series figure up there...

I originally saw this  Robocop figure at a K.B. Toys in Alpena, Michigan circa 1998, and me and Jens laughed so hard at the figures name...

"Pudface"...

I laughed about it the entire car ride home and then later on as I lied in bed that night, I had a deep remorse that I didn't buy him... I mean, no one was going to believe me that there was a toy called "Pudface!"

Then yeeeaaars later, (about 2007 or so...) I went to the K.B. Toys in the Tucson Mall (pictured above...I used to work in this mall, by the way...I was one of those poor souls that played the organ in the mall...I met my band-mate and good buddy Russ there) , and couldn't believe my eyes when I caught a glimpse of Pudface in the 2 dollar bin. I bought him immediately and he's been hanging on my wall ever since...

Oh yea...Remember a month or so ago, when I was scanning in some of the trading cards I found in an old shoebox? There were some Yellow Submarine cards in there too! I scanned in a few of my favorites so you could check 'em out...

 Here's one I like that has a bunch of old-timey shoes....

Here's a bunch of scary clowns...Y'know, I've never been one of those people who was scared of clowns...I've always liked them...It's probably a side effect of watching Bozo so much as a kid...

 ...Since he's probably the most terrifying-looking clown of them all, I think he might have acclimated me at an early age...

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And here's a pack of Paul Shaffers...


Alright, enough Paul Shaffer...Now it's time to check out "It's All Too Much" by the Beatles...