I remember as an eight-year-old child cranking up the scratchy vinyl copy on the old black rainbow Capitol record label on my parents "console" stereo and loving it.  I must say that it really awakened my interest in music.  I didn't "get it" then like the way I do now, but it didn't matter.  It was fascinating to listen to and one of the few vivid memories from that time in my life.

Now my six year old is listening to it on CD, and I suppose when I turn 64 in 2024 I'll listen to it on my music archive chip player (or maybe vinyl will totally come back by then) and enjoy the joke that I had arrvied at an age I thought inconceivable back when I first heard the song.  And, probably on that same day hundreds if not thousands of people will be listening to this album too.

That's because it truly is a classic.  I define "classic" as something that will be listened to for an indefinite time in the future, possibly centuries.  On this day 100 years from now someone will likely be listening to this recording, either in a solar powered tower with a holographic beatles concert simulator or perhaps in a dystopian slum on an old vinyl record player that survived world war four and five.

So, just kick back with a good sound system and enjoy it.  It doesn't pay to think too much or try to decode all the hidden messages or worry about whether or not it's better than Pet Sounds or whether it would even exist without Pet Sounds coming first.  And it also doesn't pay to worry about whether or not it's the "best" Beatles album.  It is what it is, that's all.

Oh yeah, now that we are somewhere around the 40th anniversary of this recording, I hope that some anniversary package is in the works.  You know, remastered with bonus tracks and delux packaging.  That would be cool.  And one thing I'll say for the vinyl: it's a whole lot easier to look at all the faces and figure out who they are.
I remember as an eight-year-old child cranking up the scratchy vinyl copy on the old black rainbow Capitol record label on my parents "console" stereo and loving it. I must say that it really awakened my interest in music. I didn't "get it" then like the way I do now, but it didn't matter. It was fascinating to listen to and one of the few vivid memories from that time in my life. Now my six year old is listening to it on CD, and I suppose when I turn 64 in 2024 I'll listen to it on my music archive chip player (or maybe vinyl will totally come back by then) and enjoy the joke that I had arrvied at an age I thought inconceivable back when I first heard the song. And, probably on that same day hundreds if not thousands of people will be listening to this album too. That's because it truly is a classic. I define "classic" as something that will be listened to for an indefinite time in the future, possibly centuries. On this day 100 years from now someone will likely be listening to this recording, either in a solar powered tower with a holographic beatles concert simulator or perhaps in a dystopian slum on an old vinyl record player that survived world war four and five. So, just kick back with a good sound system and enjoy it. It doesn't pay to think too much or try to decode all the hidden messages or worry about whether or not it's better than Pet Sounds or whether it would even exist without Pet Sounds coming first. And it also doesn't pay to worry about whether or not it's the "best" Beatles album. It is what it is, that's all. Oh yeah, now that we are somewhere around the 40th anniversary of this recording, I hope that some anniversary package is in the works. You know, remastered with bonus tracks and delux packaging. That would be cool. And one thing I'll say for the vinyl: it's a whole lot easier to look at all the faces and figure out who they are.