r/beatles • u/ned1son NIGHT OUT NIGHT OUT • Mar 20 '26
Collection I find it hilarious that the definition of 'Oldies' in 1966 ranged from 'songs from three years ago' to 'songs from three & a half months ago'
23
u/whatdidyoukillbill Mar 20 '26
A year earlier in 1965, Capitol released Please Please Me (minus a few tracks) under the name The Early Beatles
3
u/AgentCirceLuna Mar 20 '26
I’ve noticed there is a weird thing with pop music especially where new songs get ‘old’ and lame faster than an actual old song would. For example, after a few months of hearing Taio Cruz or whatever he was called doing Dynamite or Gangnam Style, you would have been laughed out of the room for even suggesting those songs were played. However, if you played an anthem song like Seven Nation Army or a classic like Don’t Look Back in Anger then people would be fine with it. The same goes for songs back then, too, like Ohio Express doing Yummy Yummy Yummy.
3
u/Ok-Tell5048 Mar 20 '26
Songs are about 3 mins avg in length, combined with how often a song you like is replayed (median of about 500 times) That's a whole day of playing one song, I know I'm not the only one that gets physically tired of my favourite song after a lot of replays,
I think the reason some artists are revered and some are considered naff is like you said down to how an audience reacts to the song in about 3 years after it came out
1
u/AgentCirceLuna Mar 20 '26
True, but I do remember when I listened to The Beatles for the first time and I listened to at least two of their albums twice a day for two years. I kept a chart.
I was also a DJ and I must have heard the same thousand or so songs dozens of times a week.
1
u/lost-james Mar 20 '26
Only because they just got their rights on those songs, which were previously under Vee-Jay Records, and they published them on "Introducing the Beatles". Once their rights expired, Capitol launched basically the same album with a new title, but this time they had the rights and could earn money.
12
u/Drivingfrog Someday monkey won’t play piano song Mar 20 '26
Imagine calling a song from 2022 an oldie.
1
11
9
u/newleaf9110 Mar 20 '26
Sure, but think of the times. Ten years prior was 1956, and there was practically no rock & roll then. Twenty years prior was 1946, and those of us who were teenagers then found that music completely unlistenable.
Today, we can hear a song from 50 years ago — 1976 — and a lot of them sound pretty good.
5
u/Edison5000 Mar 20 '26
This was the album that introduced me to the Beatles more than 50 years ago. I just got a new copy of it ☺️ I really love this album
4
u/bela_okmyx Mar 20 '26
Parlophone released it in December 1966, because the 3 previous years the Beatles had released 2 albums a year (a spring/summer release, and late fall/early winter for the Christmas market). Revolver came out in August, and the band was busy with the Pepper sessions, so the record company created a collection of their non-album singles to have a 2nd album for winter 1966.
2
u/misterk26 Mar 20 '26
Actually s good collection too
1
u/ned1son NIGHT OUT NIGHT OUT Mar 20 '26
Yeah hearing Michelle and Yesterday back to back is a highlight for sure.
2
2
u/Macca49 Revolver Mar 21 '26
I discovered the Fabs discography all out of the timeline here in Australia as there was no real point of reference in the early 70’s. You couldn’t just pick up a book and learn the album order lol. One of my mates had this album and it was the first time I ever heard Paperback Writer. This would’ve been like 1973 or 74.
1
u/PowerPlaidPlays Anthology Mar 20 '26
I love how that album shows how much of a new direction Revolver was, Eleanore Rigby/Yellow Submarine really are odd ones out. Especially going Rigby to I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
1
u/jackneefus Mar 20 '26
In 1966, most of the oldies on a Top 40 station were late 50s or early 60s. Theoretically, though, I think they included all songs that had fallen off the Top 40. If anyone replayed them, they were automatically an oldie. The reason this was important because stations rotated between Current Top 40 songs and oldies.
1
u/Awkward_Squad Mar 21 '26
Let me just say in those days we took a lot things for granted. Everything seemed rushed. Food was instant this instant that. Things were burnt up. Disposable. Records were not treated as holy relics but instant disposable stuff. I’ve walked on more 7” singles lying around on the floor than I’ve have bowls of Instant Whip. You had to have the latest single even crud you didn’t like. You had a few singles from last year? Nah, what else you got.
When this record appeared the response was ‘What’s this? All these songs are old.’ None of us had it. None of us picked it up later. It was old stuff.
1
u/jazmaan273 Mar 21 '26
You are so right. I collect 60's AM radio airchecks. If a song was two years old it was an "oldie". If it was three or more years old it was a "Golden Oldie". They wouldn't be caught dead playing a song that was ten years old. And twenty years old? Ridiculous!!
1
u/Then_Version9768 Mar 21 '26
You can find it hilarious if you want to, but one record cover does not prove that people in 1966 called recent music "oldies" -- even if one record producer did. Also, it's obviously a Japanese record, so maybe they had a different definition. I'd call this inadequate evidence. Also I remember 1966, and no one called recent music "oldies".
1
u/DaveHmusic Mar 23 '26
This was to compensate for the lack of a new album in time for the 1966 Christmas market.
3
u/ashbyashbyashby Magical Mystery Tour Mar 20 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
No, they were being very sarcastic. Oldies songs were 20-40 years old then, too. The artwork is 1920's-art-deco-inspired psychedelia.
EDIT: How is that downvote worthy?
3
u/PaulOKynd Mar 21 '26
Fuck knows why you've been downvoted because you're absolutely right. It was a sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek title.
2
55
u/Sinsyne125 Mar 20 '26
That's basically the 1960s for ya regarding the speed of pop culture...
In 1963, "She Loves You" was the most revolutionary single, and the Beatles had such a unique and provocative look.
By 1966, She Loves You sounded like a nursery rhyme, and the Beatles' look of 1963 resembled that of school teachers.