The Beatles Plus 50 It was fifty years ago today…

Today I got a birthday present I didn’t ask for and didn’t even really want: The Let It Be Super Deluxe Edition popped up on Spotify. Of course I’m curious — my appetite for Beatles studio chatter is nearly bottomless, and there appears to be a lot of it there. And though I’ve heard many of the sessions on bootlegs already, I certainly haven’t heard them all.

But at the moment I’m suffering a bit of Beatles fatigue. I guess almost four years of near-daily immersion took its toll. Or maybe this is how people felt when the original album came out: The ship has sailed, the dream is over, what’s next?

I think I will get excited again when the Peter Jackson extravaganza appears, in whatever form it finally takes. First it was going to be a feature film, then a six-part series, and now they’re saying three. But in any case it will be an Event, and I’m there for it.

Today I find myself more drawn to the gigantic Beach Boys set Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969–1971. All of this is new to me, and while it’s all over the place — from psychedelic nuggets to commercial dross, some deep and spiritual, some kitschy and awkward — there are some real finds there.

I’m also still hung up on the All Things Must Pass set. Recently I came across this little gem where George tweaks Phil Spector for making him do so many takes of “Isn’t It a Pity.” It’s a laugh and only takes 51 seconds.

Now I’m going to have something to eat and drink, and watch a basketball game, and sleep the sleep of the righteous. Best wishes to all my fellow Libras, and to everyone else, your time will come.