The Black Album
The words "The BLACK ALBUM" in a large, white font against a black background
Compilation album by
The Beatles
Released21 July 2014 (2014-07-21)
RecordedDecember 1969 – February 1995
GenreRock, pop
Length3:17:11
CompilerEthan Hawke

The Black Album (stylised as The BLACK ALBUM) is an unofficial compilation album of solo material by members of the British rock group The Beatles. It was created by the American actor Ethan Hawke, and became widely known as a result of its inclusion in Richard Linklater's 2014 film Boyhood. Hawke compiled the record to give to his daughter Maya on her 13th birthday in 2011, including personalised liner notes; it was then incorporated into Boyhood in scenes shot later that year, with Hawke's character giving it to his son as a birthday present.

The compilation contains 51 tracks from Beatles members following the band's breakup in 1970. Critical reaction to The Black Album was generally positive: The Desert Sun described it as "a great listen", while USA Today called it "quite a compilation". In an analysis for the New York Daily News, Jim Farber suggested that the record was "a metaphor for divorce".

Concept

A lifelong fan of the Beatles, Hawke compiled The Black Album for his daughter Maya following his divorce from her mother Uma Thurman, and presented it to her on her 13th birthday on 8 July 2011.[1] The record consisted of 51 songs from the Beatles' members following their breakup in 1970.[2] John Lennon had 19 songs on the compilation from his solo career and his collaborations with the Plastic Ono Band, Paul McCartney had 20 from his solo career and his collaborations with Wings and Linda McCartney, George Harrison had seven songs from his solo career, and Ringo Starr had four. Additionally, the song "Real Love"—a Lennon demo reworked and overdubbed by McCartney, Harrison and Starr for the compilation Anthology 2—was included on The Black Album. Included with the three-disc collection was a set of liner notes in the form of a personalised letter from Hawke to his daughter, explaining his motivation for creating the album.[3]

Usage in Boyhood

"Mason, I wanted to give you something for your birthday that money couldn't buy, something that only a father could give a son, like a family heirloom. This is the best I could do."

— Mason Sr. explains The Black Album[4]

Since 2002, Hawke had been starring in Boyhood, an ongoing 12-year film project directed by the American director Richard Linklater.[5] Boyhood chronicles the life of Mason Evans (Ellar Coltrane) from the ages of six to 18, with scenes shot each year between 2002 and 2013.[1] Hawke portrays Mason's father, Mason Evans Sr.[6] While filming scenes in 2011 for Mason's 15th birthday, Linklater decided to incorporate The Black Album into the film, by having Mason Sr. gift the compilation to his son as a birthday present.[7] In the film, Mason Sr. explains: "Whenever you listen to too much of the solo stuff it kind of becomes a drag, you know? But you put them next to each other, right, and they start to elevate each other. And then you can hear it: it's the Beatles." He describes the record as being the "perfect segue" of solo Beatles material.[1]

During promotion of the film, Linklater was asked at a Q&A in Chicago if the album actually existed.[8] Linklater confirmed that it did, and explained that he and Hawke were looking for a way to distribute its full track listing to the public.[8] Hawke eventually revealed the track listing and an adaptation of its liner notes on 21 July 2014 in an exclusive article for the website BuzzFeed.[9]

Reception

Critical reaction to Hawke's compilation was generally positive. In an analysis of The Black Album, Jim Farber of the New York Daily News suggested that the record was "a metaphor for divorce", and noted that Hawke had selected tracks that were recorded as the Beatles' members were approaching maturity and writing songs about more mature subject matter.[1] Trey Barrineau of USA Today said the album was "quite a compilation",[10] while Peter Howell of the Toronto Star called it "unique".[11] The Desert Sun described it as "a great listen" and were inspired to create their own shorter version of the album, which featured only 12 tracks consisting of solo material from 1970 to 1971.[12]

Track listing

Disc two
No.TitleArtistLength
1."God" (from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)John Lennon4:09
2."Listen to What the Man Said" (from Venus and Mars, 1975)Wings4:01
3."Crippled Inside" (from Imagine, 1971)John Lennon3:47
4."You're Sixteen" (from Ringo, 1973)Ringo Starr2:48
5."Let Me Roll It" (from Band on the Run, 1973)Paul McCartney & Wings4:47
6."Power to the People" (from "Power to the People", 1971)John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band3:22
7."Another Day" (from "Another Day", 1971)Paul McCartney3:41
8."If Not For You (2001 Digital Remaster)" (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)George Harrison3:29
9."(Just Like) Starting Over" (from Double Fantasy, 1980)John Lennon3:56
10."Let 'Em In" (from Wings at the Speed of Sound, 1976)Wings5:10
11."Mother" (from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)John Lennon5:34
12."Helen Wheels" (from "Helen Wheels", 1973)Paul McCartney & Wings3:44
13."I Found Out" (from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)John Lennon3:37
14."Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (from Ram, 1971)Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney4:49
15."Instant Karma!" (from "Instant Karma!", 1970)Lennon/Ono with the Plastic Ono Band3:21
16."Not Guilty (2004 Digital Remaster)" (from George Harrison, 1979)George Harrison3:35
17."Heart of the Country" (from Ram, 1971)Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney2:23
18."Oh Yoko!" (from Imagine, 1971)John Lennon4:20
19."Mull of Kintyre" (from "Mull of Kintyre", 1977)Wings4:44
20."It Don't Come Easy" (from "It Don't Come Easy", 1971)Ringo Starr3:00
Total length:78:17

See also

Works that explore similar concepts

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Farber, Jim (8 September 2014). "Ethan Hawke's 'Black Album' is a post-divorce metaphor". New York Daily News. New York City. OCLC 9541172. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Perez, Rodrigo (21 July 2014). "Listen: The Post-Beatles 'Black Album' From Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Giles, Jeff (3 September 2014). "Listen to the Beatles' 'Black Album' Playlist From the Movie 'Boyhood'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Scott, Mike (4 August 2014). "'Boyhood': Five cool things to know about Richard Linklater's landmark drama". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans: Advance Publications. ISSN 1055-3053. OCLC 61312201. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "'The Black Album' Puts The Beatles Back Together for New Generation". New York City: WNYC. 18 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Buchanan, Kyle (8 July 2014). "Ethan Hawke on His 30-Year Career and Why It's Weird for Him to Watch Boyhood With His Kids". New York City: Vulture.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Wickman, Kase (22 July 2014). "Here's How To Get Ethan Hawke's Secret Album From 'Boyhood'". MTV. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 Singer, Matt (21 July 2014). "Coolness: The full track listing for Boyhood's The Black Album". The Dissolve. Chicago. Archived from the original on 23 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Hawke, Ethan (21 July 2014). "Ethan Hawke's Heartwarming Tribute To A 'Boyhood' With Music". New York City: BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 21 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Barrineau, Trey (21 July 2014). "The 'Black Album' from 'Boyhood' is quite a compilation". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016.
  11. ↑ Howell, Peter (17 July 2014). "How to mark time and track the Beatles in Boyhood: Peter Howell column". Toronto Star. Toronto: Star Media. ISSN 0319-0781. OCLC 137342540. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "'Boyhood's' Black Album inspires solo Beatles playlist". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, California. 24 July 2014. OCLC 26432381. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016.

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