Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student assistant Marissa (class of 2025) songs celebrating the transition from summer to fall.
The Turn of the Seasons
This playlist starts out with that feeling of missing the warm weather and the ease of summer. As the songs go on, the listener feels more accepting of the new season, and is eventually overwhelmed by the excitement of leaves falling and sweater weather.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library Associate Melanie and features some Paul McCartney tracks.
This playlist was inspired by Paul McCartney (sometimes known to British fans as “Macca”) and the delightful quirky streak evident throughout his music career. His odder tracks also highlight the startling versatility of his voice and his interest in experimental recording techniques.
Let’s start with 2 versions of the same song. “Coming Up” was the opening track on the 1980 album McCartney II. The song makes use of synthesizers and sped-up vocals using a vari-speed tape machine.
The video for this version actually premiered on Saturday Night Live on May 17, 1980 and features multiple McCartneys and a couple of Linda McCartneys as a (fictional) band called the Plastic Macs.
This version peaked at number 2 on the UK singles chart, while in the U.S. and Canada a live version of the song recorded in Glasgow in 1979 was released and became the hit version peaking at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
McCartney’s old bandmate John Lennon really liked the album version of the song, saying “I thought that ‘Coming Up’ was great, … And I like the freak version that he made in his barn better than that live Glasgow one.” So herewith, a playlist highlighting Macca’s “freaky side”. I might have gotten a bit carried away with this list, but there’s so much fun stuff out there, I couldn’t resist! – MAA
“Où est le Soleil?” (A synth-y electronic vibe en français. The lyrics translate as “Where is the sun? In the head. Work.” From Flowers in the Dirt, released 1989)
“Wild Honey Pie” (A snippet in the key of F# major (that’s 6 sharps!). From The Beatles’ White Album, released in 1968)
“Kreen-Akrore” (A lo-fi instrumental jam session. From McCartney, released 1970)
“Mary Had A Little Lamb” (Not a rocker at all, it’s a cute little children’s song based on the nursery rhyme. A non-album single, released in 1972.)
“Hi, Hi, Hi” (Quite a fun little rocker. Banned by the BBC for sexually suggestive lyrics and drug references. A staple of Wings live shows in the 1970s. Non-album single, released 1972)
“Magneto and Titanium Man” (A comic book inspired song featuring Marvel characters. Endorsed by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. From the Wings album Venus & Mars released in 1975.)
“Temporary Secretary” (Another 1980 track from McCartney II. Described in Rolling Stone as an “oddly catchy electro-pop nugget, about a slightly creepy-sounding guy looking to hire a temp.” Can’t argue with that assessment, really.)
“Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias” (This track from the Beatles Anthology 3 begins as a demo of a song for Cilla Black and morphs into an amusing jam session. Recorded in 1968. Released in 1996.)
“Old Siam Sir” (From the seventh and final Wings studio album Back to the Egg, released in 1979)
“Flaming Pie” (A track from the 1997 album also entitled Flaming Pie.)
“You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” (A rather nutty music hall comedy number recorded between 1967 and 1969 and released as the B-Side to “Let It Be” in 1970. Listen for McCartney’s sleazy lounge singer character!)
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Danny (class of 2023) and it may be somewhat relatable during exam season. Hang in there!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Rocky Raccoon illustration by Jim McHugh of mcillustrator.com (used with permission of artist)
I was first introduced to “Rocky Raccoon” in middle school during a guitar lesson. My teacher gave me the song to learn because I was gaining more interest in The Beatles and he thought it was a fun one. This further introduced me to some of the more eclectic and trippy songs among their lengthy discography.
The Beatles were an English rock band during the 1960s. Although their music is still very prevalent today, the band was only together for approximately a decade. Throughout this period, they produced numerous albums which were all regarded very highly by their global audience. “Rocky Raccoon” was one of many songs on The Beatles’ “White album” which was released in 1968.
Throughout the years, “Rocky Raccoon” has remained one of my favorite songs by The Beatles and is definitely one of my favorite songs to play on guitar. What I like most about the song is the chordprogression. It’s written in a way that you could just keep playing it over and over. It may just be a silly song about a raccoon; however, the chord progression is what makes the song in my opinion.
The Beatles‘ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album was released on June 1, 1967 in the UK and on June 2, 1967 in the US. It became the soundtrack for the fabled “Summer of Love” both influencing and reflecting the flower powered youth culture of the time, but its appeal has proven to be timeless.
The Beatles stopped touring in August of 1966, and took some time off. The group reconvened in November of that year and spent over 400 hours in the studio between November 1966 and April 1967 completing the album. (This was a far cry from their first foray into EMI Studios to record their first album in 1963 — that entire album was recorded in less than 24 hours!) This studio time led to all sorts of interesting musical experimentation and since the group had decided they were done with touring, there was no need to worry about whether the songs could be produced live on stage. The album as a whole is a fascinating almalgamation of harmonium, harpsichord, brass band, fairground noises, harp, psychedelia, Leslie speaker tweaking, multi-tracking, tape loops, full orchestra, crashing apocalyptic piano chords, dog whistles and more. The Beatles’ musical ideas required lots of technical innovation from producer George Martin and studio engineers.
The eclectic mix of songs was loosely held together by the “concept” of a fictional Edwardian alter-ego Sgt. Pepper Band and the songs are wonderfully joyful. From the psychedelic marching band music that introduces us to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, to the psychedelic imagery of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” ( title inspired by a drawing by John Lennon’s young son, Julian), to the music hall whimsy of McCartney’s “When I’m Sixty-Four”, to the spiritual tone of Harrison’s sitar-laced “Within You Without You”, to the amazing shifting tones, full orchestral crescendo and avant garde surrealism of “A Day In The Life” (one of the greatest ever Lennon/McCartney collaborations in this author’s opinion), there is much to enjoy, right through to the startling tape loop ending inserted into the run-out groove of the original LPs (and included on CD reissues if you wait for it). The Beatles drew inspiration from varied sources like an 1843 circus poster (“Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite”), a TV cornflakes commercial (“Good Morning, Good Morning”), news stories about runaway teens (“She’s Leaving Home”) or car accidents (“A Day in the Life”).
An alternate take from the Sgt. Pepper cover photo session
There is just as much to enjoy in a perusal of the album art itself. The cover features a pop art inspired collage of various folks (famous and not so famous) that the Beatles chose as inspirational to them, elaborate gatefold sleeve packaging (with bonus cardboard mustaches and pseudo-military insignia in early pressings) and includes the lyrics to all of the songs printed on the back cover, something that had never been done before with a pop album.
Sgt. Pepper signaled that pop & rock music could also be considered high art or even progressive social expression and more than just disposable entertainment. Musicologists cite Sgt. Pepper as continuing the musical maturation of the Beatles as a group that began with Revolver and Rubber Soul. It was also extremely influential on the development of progressive rock with its emphasis on studio experimentation, elaborate instrumentation and insistence on pushing the boundaries beyond conventional subject matter and track lengths. The album has been an influence on countless others since its release in 1967.
Here’s a sampling of a few of (many) parody takeoffs on the iconic cover:
Abbey Road may have one of the most recognizable album covers in all of rock music.
It is known for depicting the Fab Four walking across the famous London street near the studio where the Beatles did most of their recording. Apart from the iconic artwork, however, Abbey Road’s production quality and track list are undeniably stellar.
There are several stand out songs, like “Come Together,” “Something,” and “Here Comes the Sun,” which are individually famous and could be enjoyed on their own.
However, if you listen to Abbey Road from start to finish, it is almost as if the entirety of the album is one song. The transitions from track to track are so perfect, that the flow of listening is almost medley-like.
An out-take from the August 8, 1969 photo session for the album cover.
The album also highlights the talents of all band members, with some of George Harrison’s most beautiful songs (“Something” and “Here Comes the Sun”), Ringo’s quirkiness in “Octopus’s Garden”, and of course, the amazing harmonies between Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison in “Because” — a song that barely needs instruments.
Another out take from the album cover photo shoot
Abbey Road is my favorite Beatles record because it represents everything I think a record should. Abbey Road was the last album to be recorded by the Beatles, and throughout the last four tracks (especially in “The EndContinue reading →
