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RCA Camden CAS-2438

A Tribute to The Beatles As Master Music Writers of Our Times

In the six years since they came out of a dingy little club in Liverpool singing a simple little ditty entitled I Want to Hold Your Hand, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—The Beatles—have added immeasurably to the world's treasure of great music. They dominated the music scene of the 1960s as few fields have ever been dominated before, and their influence stretched into the parallel worlds of fashion, grooming and even total life style. In fact, if any single word can properly describe the "Soaring Sixties," that word is Beatlemania.

But when these mopheads first appeared in an era of crewcuts, critics tended to dismiss them as another soon-to-be-forgotten English foursome. The incredible string of hit songs that followed proved them far, far wrong. Now critics are beginning to question their lasting power. Can The Beatles make the transition from musicians to masters? Can Beatlemusic transcend the ever-changing tastes of the music marketplace and survive beyond its listing on the charts? The eight songs selected for this album make a strong case that they can, and they will.

Perhaps the great success of The Beatles lies in the fact they excel in all three elements of music production: writing the music, the lyrics and then being able to perform them. They discovered early what was right for them, but they were never afraid to experiment. And many of those experiments signaled the beginning of a bright new era of popular music. Because they are so exceptional in all three areas, they seldom receive their deserved acclaim in each individual phase. The world has long recognized The Beatles as brilliant performers. This album is a tribute to The Beatles as master music writers of our times, as performed by the finest musicians available—several of the popular "Living" groups and other top artists from the Camden series.

DAVE FISHER

© 1970, RCA Records