Beatles Top 25 - Fun Activity

Dear Babe-braham Lincoln,

There's been much buzz this week and last about The Beatles.  The main approach (from a snide internet commentator's standpoint) has been to pretend you've never heard of them or take the tack that yeah, they're played out but are still secretly good.  Eff that. The Beatles are full-on, front page, 2009, PLO-style, beyond thunderdome awesome with no disputes entertained ever. Go back to Russia. (wait, wait...there's even something for you!)

Now dig this.  I don't do modern videogames (not a dis...I just don't happen to be up on current era video games...but please know that I hold the opinion that they are smash-cut-to-us-throwing-hundred-dollar-bills-in-the-air-and-not-even-caring-where-they-land awesome and that I really wish my friends with Xbox's and the like would invite me over for an epic sesh now and again and preferably serve those little hot dogs rapped in air-compressed Pillsbury dough or barring that some Totino's pizza rolls).  Long story made even longer by my own prolixity and use of superfluous parenthetical asides, I haven't played Beatles Rock Band and I probably won't (I totally would though).

Secondly, although I am one to occasionally buy an actual physical CD from a non-virtual storefront...my sound quality nerdiness has not reached a level where I care much about repackaged/remastered material.  Hence, I will not be hearing this box set.

However in order to stay in The rebooted Beat-maniacal theme of the now, I want to introduce you to a fun Beatles-based activity that my friends and I developed.  (I think  the idea came originally from Tom...but I can't be sure.)

Introducing my fun activity for music nerds and Beatles fans: The Beatles Top 25 Mix CD.  

Take a look at your entire Beatles collection, and actually rank your top twenty five songs, in order, on a CD. The Beatles didn't record a lot of lengthy songs so 25 will fit, almost definitely.  The Beatles are sort of an interesting case for a band for this reason: most "fans" of the band are familiar with pretty much every song they recorded.  Get at least one friend to do the same.

Once you've (painstakingly) trimmed the fat and made an "official" list of your favorites in order (no cop outs or ties, and yes I realize it's extremely difficult..just shut up and decide) then order the CD starting with your number 25 pick 1st.  In this way, the mix CD functions like a countdown with track 25 being your desert island, canyon of the crescent moon pick for your personal favorite Beatles song ever! Ever! 

Choose wisely. The best part is listening to the mixes your friends made, since you're not privy to their tracklist and will be on the edge of your earbuds waiting for the countdown.

Part of the fun is actually forcing yourself to decide which songs you like best. I sometimes hate how no one picks favorites anymore (myself included). I made one maybe 5 years ago (when we originally enacted the idea) and I am working on a follow-up now.  While I don't have an exact list of my original countdown tracks, I can remember a lot of it and this time around my tastes have shifted a good bit.  I'd say as much as 35% different songs right now from the old to the new mix (I won't be publishing my tracklist since I feel that completely defeats the purpose of the activity, which involves listening to an unknown Beatles-countdown on CD made by one of your friends).  I haven't worked out my number one just yet...and I'm wondering if I'll stick with my original pick or change it up.  Thrilling, yes?

So in summary, here's the deal:  You should make one of these, then we can exchange. Email me or call me or whatever and let me know you're into it.  I would be happy to exchange these with as many people as possible, and I even can instruct you on an easy way to make a CD envelope for your mix CD that you can just drop in the mail (to me) with just one stamp on it.  It really doesn't get any easier than that, does it?

Final thought: I've been noticing a resurgence in love for Magical Mystery Tour and a corresponding (very minor) downgrade of Sgt. Pepper in the overall catalog. Discuss.

(ed. note -  I love Ringo. I think Ringo-bashing is plain old dumb. A goofy but loveable scamp amongst and overshadowed by some serious super-talents? yeah, probably...but he's solid as nitrogen on neptune.  Recognize!)