The Beatles
Anthology 1

THE REVIEW

You don't understand me.

He puts on some music.
     Shortly after.
She: How about some music?
He takes off the record and puts on another one.
She takes that one off and puts on another.
     Shortly after.
She: Do you like it?
He: Not particularly… it sounds like leftovers… half-idiot tunes from the 60s, right?
He grins cheekily.
He: But it doesn't matter, we don't have to listen, right?
     She puts on another record.
He: Couldn't you put on something more… how to say…
She: More modern?
He: Yes, less roughly put together… they're all songs from the last century…all that crackling, people coughing and laughing… and then some performances even seem out of tune or off-key... I don't know.
She: But they are the Beatles, cutie... not the Oasis, eh?!
     I stay silent and turn the cover over in my hands. As for the packaging, it's simply splendid!
She: If you want to put something on now since you've put me down as usual?!
He: Listen, then let's not put anything on…
She: Silence makes me uncomfortable, whereas the Beatles from this period make me cheerful…
He: Yes, yes… in a way, you're right but…
     She gets up and draws circles in the air like a seagull.
She: …it's like you can feel an atmosphere of infinite carefreeness, the notes are simple, airy, clean music you know? the C chord, three chords... the simplicity of timeless songs like She Loves You, A Hard Day's Night, Twist and Shout... do you understand me?

     She collapses onto the sofa.
She: Ugh…you don't understand me…
     Pause.
He: Listen, what if I put something on we both like?! It's an idea, isn't it? Something more intimate and collected… I have an album of Beatles covers done by the best Italian jazz musicians that…
     She removes the CD from the player.
He: Oh well….
She: Is this better?
He: But… but... Sorry, are they still the same ones?! Are you kidding me?
She: Yes…it's the second disc, it even has fragments and out-takes of the earliest songs… maybe imperfect but more real and heartfelt, without that intellectual and experimental part of the later period… I adore them. Do you mind if I turn up the volume?!
     She turns up the volume.
     Pause.
He: Would you mind turning it down a little?
He lowers the volume.
She: Don't I even have the right to one side of Pure Beatles now?!
He: Besides, this is a compilation and this Anthology 1 is not even the most interesting of the three releases… the 2nd and the 3rd are clearly superior…
She: Now I can't hear anymore…
He: Well, at least you're listening to me…
     She turns up the volume.
She: How pedantic you are when you talk like an old man like that… you seem to want to deny the greatness of the Beatles just to act young at all costs with your crappy little iPod in your ears listening to Grinderman or the Arctic Monkeys. God, you're pathetic…
He: WHAT DID YOU SAY?!
She: That this album might be a jumble of songs thrown together, live and unreleased tracks, but it's always a Great Listen, even after more than 40 years!!
He: WHAT DO MY 40 YEARS HAVE TO DO WITH IT?!
     She turns down the volume.
She whispers: I wasn't talking about that, I was talking about how ahead of their time they were 40 years ago and how you're behind at 40 years old today…
Pause.

Double pause.

He turns up the volume.


(Thanks to R.D.Laing for the opening and to EneaTheDevil for the tip...)