Magical Mystery Tour review

The 9th album by The Beatles. This was the soundtrack for a widely maligned film the group did. Luckily, the album itself was better received and includes some of their best-known songs.

Tracks:

1. Magical Mystery Tour: 8/10 it can't help but feel like an inferior Sgt. Pepper's, but this is still a largely fun and charismatic opening.

2. The Fool on the Hill; 8/10 a touching, gentle and underrated entry into the band's phenomenal body of word.

3. Flying: 5/10 sadly one of the very few instrumental tracks The Beatles ever did remains one of their worst songs.

4. Blue Jay Way: 8/10 self-indulgent perhaps, but this song by the brilliant and underrated George Harrison is still a hypnotic psychedelic artwork,

5. Your Mother Should Know: 6/10 reasonably catchy, but lyrically lifeless.

6. I Am the Walrus: 10/10 nonsensical, preposterously entertaining and delightfully weird, this boots most psychedelic songs into a bin liner.

7. Hello Goodbye: 7/10 a catchy pop song, even if lyrical simplicity is taken way too far here.

8. Strawberry Fields Forever: 10/10 an utter psychedelic masterpiece filled with wonderful trippy imagery, nostalgia, pathos and aural wizardry. The ultimate John Lennon song? Quite possibly.

9. Penny Lane: 9/10 a beautifully uplifting and delightfully nostalgic song, this is an album highlight.

10. Baby You're a Rich Man: 7/10 nothing standout, but it improves upon repeat listens and is still catchy.

11. All You Need is Love: 9/10 thanks to a great instrumental and fantastic message, it's difficult to resist this one.

Best song: Strawberry Fields Forever
Worst song: Flying

Summary: This is a strange album. At times, it's absolutely amazing. It's got 2 of the best Beatles songs of them all, a couple of other classics and some very good ones in between. In between those great bits are some bits of filler which really drag the album down. There are definitely songs here which can be skipped, but most of the time it's a compelling work. Filled with lyrical genius, madness and musical artistry, this is another smashing record from The Beatles which is so enjoyable, energetic and different that even when the weaker songs come on you're unlikely to even notice.



Final rating: 8/10