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Martin Lewis and ICE editor Pete Howard debate the merits (and lack thereof) of The Capitol Albums in Friday’s USA Today. Incredulously, Howard—who should know a lot better by now—makes the statement “People incorrectly assume that the early British albums were entirely the Fab Four’s vision.” Yes, if you churlishly rule out George Martin and Norman Smith, as well as assorted Parlophone/EMI staffers the Beatles actually dealt with on a direct basis, unlike Alan Livingston’s underlings, who made decisions at random without any consideration for quality or continuity, let alone respect. The unerasable fact remains that the sessions for the Beatles’ first LPs coincide precisely with the tracklisting of these discs, unlike Capitol mix-ups that juxtaposed tracks on albums months out of date. That’s the vision Howard refuses to see, and I’ll choose George Harrison’s creative input over Howard’s childhood (and childishness) any day.
