Can you ever get too much of a good thing? I’m trying to find out.
After withholding their music from digital streaming services for years — then finally relenting — The Beatles launched their own channel (18) on SiriusXM last month.
This is not like the old “Beatles A to Z” show that classic rock stations used to do on holiday weekends from time to time, but instead, a curated channel with daily features like “Breakfast With the Beatles” and programs built around stories from friends such as Peter Asher and artists they’ve influenced, like Eddie Vedder.
Billed as “the largest collection of Beatles recordings ever assembled…hits and album tracks…live recordings and rarities,” the channel also plays other artists covering The Fabs and digs into John, Paul, George and Ringo’s solo work. It’s an amazing undertaking and very well done.
After a month of daily listening, some quick takes:
The hits are in heavy rotation. This is good…and bad.
Some George Harrison solo work is underrated. I am really drawn to the George stuff off his mid-to-late 70s records. The self-titled George Harrison and Thirty Three & 1/3rd  are better than I recall.  I got both in the cutouts as a teenager, and never gave them much of a chance.
The Ringo solo hits are fun, but good deep tracks are few and far between. Not a big surprise, but Ringo The 4th and some other titles are not any better with age. The term “over-produced” could have been coined for many of these songs.
Wings was an amazing band. An obvious statement perhaps, but the Wings deep tracks are the biggest treat for me. My experience so far is that they are not playing much of John’s solo work beyond hits and songs off Double Fantasy.
Overall, this is a welcome addition to the SiriusXM channel lineup and something my 10 year-old son actually likes. Â The Beatles sound good to his young ears.
I’ll have to make sure I don’t binge too much and ruin it. Â All things in moderation.
Phil Ingrassia rocks the suburbs and is an FOS (Friend of Snider).