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Song of the Day #430: ‘If I Needed Someone’ – The Beatles

beatles2Rubber Soul is chock full of famous songs — ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘Girl,’ ‘Nowhere Man’ and ‘In My Life,’ to name a few. But its lesser known songs are just as worthy. ‘You Won’t See Me,’ ‘Think For Yourself’ and ‘I’m Looking Through You’ are three songs casual fans might not know very well, but they should. ‘Wait’ is one of the band’s best early songs and would probably be as well-loved as the big hits had it been released as a single.

And then there’s ‘If I Needed Someone,’ one of George Harrison’s two contributions to Rubber Soul. Its sound was influenced by The Byrds, something that’s obvious from the first notes, and it’s one of the best uses of multi-part harmony on the album, with John and Paul joining George on lead vocals in the verses.

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Song of the Day #429: ‘Norwegian Wood’ – The Beatles

norwegianBecause the box set is a little too rich for my blood, I’ve decided to pick up the remastered Beatles CDs a few at a time. So on the day of release I drove over to Best Buy on my lunch break and bought my three favorite Beatles albums: A Hard Day’s Night, Rubber Soul and Revolver.

I listened to Revolver first and I must admit I wasn’t completely blown away. I didn’t have my old CD handy for a side-by-side comparison, but I basically felt like I was listening to the same album I’ve known for two decades. I expected to feel as if I was hearing these albums for the first time. Fortunately, Rubber Soul came closer to giving me that experience and A Hard Day’s Night definitely had the wow factor.

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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

meatballsParking! Purchasing! Sitting! Watching! Laughing! Reviewing!

Sorry, got carried away there. Slipped into Flint Lockwood mode for a minute. He’s the charming hero (voiced by SNL‘s Bill Hader) at the center of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, one of the nicest surprises I’ve had at the movies in awhile. Lockwood is a wildly creative and misunderstood inventor whose mind is in constant hyperdrive as he flits around his homemade laboratory, accessible via hydraulically-lifted port-a-potty, barking out gerunds describing his activity.

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Song of the Day #428: ‘South Texas Girl’ – Lyle Lovett

notbiglargeFour years after his worst album, Lyle Lovett returned to form with a new collection featuring his Large Band and titled It’s Not Big It’s Large. While this album didn’t reach the heights of his early work, it is definitely in the same ballpark and it’s a sign that Lovett may have righted the ship after more than a decade of listing.

My one complaint about It’s Not Big It’s Large is that it’s a deceptively modest affair. It boasts 12 tracks but one is an instrumental, one is a cover and one is a reprise of an earlier song. After so long in the wilderness, I would have preferred Lovett deliver something meatier, but that’s nitpicking.

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Song of the Day #427: ‘San Antonio Girl’ – Lyle Lovett

donttolerateIn 2003, seven years after The Road to Ensenada, Lyle Lovett finally released another album of original material. Unfortunately, that album — My Baby Don’t Tolerate — was a major disappointment.

Granted, there is really no such thing as a “bad Lyle Lovett album” — that’s just not a concept that computes. But if everything can be ranked, and the presence of a best necessitates the presence of a worst… well, allow me to introduce you to Lyle Lovett’s worst album.

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