Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles
Capitol Records, 1967
http://www.thebeatles.com
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 05/23/1998
A few weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to be featured in an
online column by Jeff Ambramowitz, a writer for
The Jerusalem Post. And while he generally had some nice
things to say about us, he raised a very good question: How could
we have only reviewed three Beatles albums so far? (Memo to Jeff:
Hate to break this to you, but we'll eventually get around to
reviewing the Spice Girls - that is, once I get up the gumption to
actually listen to my wife's copy.)
So, into the infamous Pierce Memorial Archives (Go Chicago
Wolves... the only true pro hockey team in the Windy City), and out
with
Magical Mystery Tour, a combination soundtrack/new release
that still has critics scratching their heads.
The first half of the album is a soundtrack to the television
special that aired the day after Christmas in 1967. Two problems,
though: Not many people in Great Britain had color TVs, meaning a
lot of the psychedelia was lost in the black-and-white haze.
Second, the script was supposedly so far out that you literally
needed both the Cliff's Notes and a translator to figure out just
what the hell was going on.
Musically, this portion of the album contains both strengths and
weaknesses. The title track, "Fool On The Hill" and "I Am The
Walrus" never fail to put a smile on my face, even if the lyrics to
"I Am The Walrus" are best comprehended with the aid of other
substances. (This coming, of course, from someone who has never
experimented with drugs in his life.) Some of the other cuts fail
to impress, like "Flying" and "Blue Jay Way," while "Your Mother
Should Know" is both quirky and cute at the same time.
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