Stuart Sutcliffe was never the best musician in the early Beatles, but reducing him to “the original bassist” misses why he still matters. He was one of John Lennon’s closest friends, a serious young painter, a key figure in the…
Norman Smith was one of the most important people behind the Beatles’ early records, even if his name is less famous than Brian Epstein or George Martin. As the band’s balance engineer at EMI, he helped shape the sound of…
“Your Mother Should Know” is one of Paul McCartney’s most openly old-fashioned Beatles songs, but that is exactly why it matters. First released in late 1967 on Magical Mystery Tour, it mixes music-hall nostalgia with a plea for understanding between…
“Young Blood” is one of the best surviving snapshots of the Beatles’ pre-fame stage act because it catches them attacking an American rock ‘n’ roll cover that had already been in their repertoire for years. Officially released on Live At…
“You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” is one of the key songs on the Beatles’ Help! because it catches John Lennon moving into a more inward-looking style. Released in August 1965, it still works as a strong pop record,…
“You’re Going To Lose That Girl” is a Beatles song from Help! and one of the sharpest, most confident performances on the 1965 soundtrack. Led by John Lennon, it combines a direct warning lyric with tight three-part vocal responses from…
“You’ll Be Mine” is an early Beatles song and one of the strangest, most revealing survivals from the band’s pre-fame years. Officially released on Anthology 1 in 1995 but recorded at 20 Forthlin Road in spring or summer 1960, it…
“You Won’t See Me” is one of the key emotional songs on Rubber Soul because it takes a private romantic argument and turns it into something musically restless and unusually mature for late 1965. Written mainly by Paul McCartney, it…
