Steve McLaughlin took all the UK Beatles LPs and compressed them into a single, one-hour MP3 file by increasing their tempo by 800 percent.
The albums in this file:
- Please Please Me (1963), the first album recorded by The Beatles, rush-released on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom to capitalise on the success of singles “Please Please Me” and “Love Me Do”.
- With the Beatles (1963), features eight original compositions (including the first by George Harrison) and six covers, mostly of Motown and R&B hits.
- A Hard Day’s Night (1964), released in the UK on 10 July 1964 as the soundtrack to their first film of the same name.
- Beatles for Sale (1964), marked a minor turning point in the evolution of Lennon and McCartney as lyricists, Lennon particularly now showing interest in composing songs of a more autobiographical nature.
- Help! (1965), contains seven songs that appeared in the movie of the same name, and seven that did not, including the most recorded song in history, the Paul McCartney ballad “Yesterday“.
- Rubber Soul (1965), a major artistic achievement for the band, attaining widespread critical and commercial success, with reviewers taking note of The Beatles’ developing musical vision.
- Revolver (1966), an album which showcased a number of new stylistic developments which would become more pronounced on later albums. Revolver is often cited as one of the greatest albums in rock music history.
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), often cited as their magnum opus and one of the most influential albums of all time by prominent critics and publications, ranking number 1 on Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.
- The Beatles (White Album) (1968), has no text other than the band’s name on its plain white sleeve, designed by pop artist Richard Hamilton. Originally planned to be titled A Doll’s House, the album is often hailed as one of the major accomplishments in popular music.
- Yellow Submarine (1969), the soundtrack to the animated film of the same name.
- Abbey Road (1969), regarded as one of The Beatles’ most tightly constructed albums, even though the band was barely operating as a functioning unit at the time. It became one of the most successful Beatles albums ever.
- Let It Be (1970), released posthumously after the group’s announced breakup.
Magical Mystery Tour is missing as Mr. McLaughlin claims it was released in the UK as two EPs.
WFMU Listener Editor B took portions of the file and decompressed them back to tempo.
Visit WFMU’s Beware of the Blog for the MP3 files.
