How it All Started

Many ask me how I became interested (obsessed?) with the Beatles. I tell them it was the "Silver Album", Beatles Rock-n-Roll Music, released June 10, 1976.
 
This review paints a rather grim potrait of the album I loved so much:

Once The Beatles contract with E.M.I. expired on February 6th 1976, E.M.I. had the rights to release any of The Beatles previously released recordings. This double set was the first album release where E.M.I. exerted that total control.
 
***
As with the "Red" and "Blue" albums, the presentation of this package was once again diabolical. The artwork was awful, no "special" tracks, no lyrics, no coloured bags, nothing. In fact, John had actually written to E.M.I. offering a design, and was not at all impressed with E.M.I.'s refusal and the finished product. The art direction was by Roy Kohara, and the amateurish drawings were by Ignacio Gomez.

Unfortunately, nothing new on the album, every track had been previously released, although the four "Long Tall Sally" E.P. tracks and "I'm Down" were in stereo and on an album in the U.K. for the first time.

One point of interest ... for the first time an L.P. of The Beatles had an entire side NOT written by them. In fact, if you include the two tracks of the previous side, and the first of the next ... a most unusual TEN tracks in a row ALL non-Beatles written!

It's impossible to imagine a time when I didn't know these songs, but there was. Prior to this album I think I would have recognized She Loves You - mostly for its Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs; Hey Jude - probably because it was so darn long, and maybe Yellow Submarine. At the tender age of 14, I fell in love with this album, playing it over and over. Side one of the first album was my favorite: Twist and Shout, I Saw Her Standing There, You Can't Do That, I Call Your Name . . .  I remember staring at the album drawings and trying to guess who was who. Ringo was easy, the guy holding the sticks, but I had no idea who was John, Paul, or George. Early on I figured out Paul, but couldn't understand why his bass looked like a violin. It took me months to get John and George straightened. Now I can pick apart any song, tell you who sings what part, who plays what instrument. Thanks to guitar lessons and a heightened understanding of that instrument, I am even beginning to pick out which guitar solos are by George, and which are by John and sometimes even Paul - - George did always get to play lead.
 
Incidentally, this day in Beatle History, on July 19, 1976, Rock-n-Roll Music was released in the UK. Not often that a Beatles album was released in US before UK.