aka, The Beatles – Outkast of Rock
This week’s playlist celebrates the similarities between The Beatles and Outkast. Artists so influential they’re often thought to be from another planet.
Both Outkast and The Beatles consistently evolved throughout their (too) short existence as collectives. Even though they’ve both disbanded, they continue to redraw musical boundaries, define creativity and make massive impacts on pop culture.
Before we dive in, this is not The Beatles verse Outkast, which seems to be a very sensitive issue based on the the social media “controversy” from Ron Funches’ recent tweet:
Our theory* of Outkast being “The Beatles of Rap” centers around an album by album comparison, showing the incredible leaps each artist made from record to record. (But if we’re really debating who’s better it’s worth noting that Outkast was able to make these major musical leaps much faster…with half the members.)
*This theory if full of holes and you have to use some creative thinking, but let’s have fun with it!
Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik = the 1st 5 Beatles albums
Outkast’s first album, Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik, was released in April 1994, roughly 30 years after The Beatles first five albums – Please Please Me (3/22/63), With The Beatles (11/22/63), A Hard Day’s Night (6/26/64), Beatles for Sale (12/6/64) and Help! (8/13/65). But the similarities of young artists trying to find their footing and make their mark is clear.
Many of the songs by both artist were centered around love, or lust, and not venturing too far from established formulas. The albums are a combination of lasting hits mixed in with musicians trying to define their sound.
Of course The Beatles became a cultural phenomenon shortly after their initial releases, but they didn’t really make their mark as major musical innovators until their later albums.
ATLiens = Rubber Soul
Here you see each group began to playing with themes and concepts that deviated from those typical in their genres.
Rubber Soul, released on 12/6/65, was The Beatles’ first album of all originals and saw the group experimenting in more introspective themes and in various sounds like the sitar on “Norwegian Wood”.
With Outkast’s second album, ATLiens, released 8/27/96, the group was already breaking the traditional mold. The evolving themes and otherworldly sounds of the title track prove Outkast are cosmic forces.
This is also the start of Outkast developing different characters and personas, similar to what we’ll see with Sgt. Pepper or Magical Mystery Tour.
Aquemini = Revolver
By the time of Outkast’s third album, Aquemini, they had charted their own course. Released 9/29/98, the album covers a lot of ground, constantly twisting and taking other shapes. The same can be said for Revolver, released 8/8/66, which is around the time The Beatles stopped as a touring act and became a studio-only group for the remainder of their career.
The best examples of their otherworldly sounds are the sonic journeys of “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “SpottieOttieDopaliscious.” Both unlike anything else on the radio in 1966, 1998 or even now.
While each group is most defined by their following albums, Revolver and Aquemini are truly creative breakthroughs and my personal favorites.
Stankonia = Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Talk about an evolution. These are highly ambitious, inventive albums that are known as each groups’ pinnacle of artistic power. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released 5/26/67 and Stankonia was released 10/31/00.
From a comparison standpoint, these albums line up more than the others. Both start with guitar driven punch – “Sgt. Pepper” and “Gasoline Dreams” – then go into two of their instantly recognizable songs – “With A Little Help From My Friends” and “So Fresh, So Clean” – before taking on vividly visual and uber famous songs – “Lucy In The Sky with Diamonds” and “Mrs. Jackson.”
Of course the true masterpieces on each album are such unique and groundbreaking songs – “A Day In The Life” and “Bombs Over Baghdad.”
Along with the continued artistic evolution, there also some other interesting similarities of each groups, particularly when we get towards the later years with their interplay with various characters who came to life even outside the song – The Walrus, Possum Aloysius, Billy Shears, Chico Dusty, etc.
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below = The Beatles, or “The White Album”
As a teenager growing up outside of Atlanta in the early ’90s, raised by a steady diet of Beatles albums, the comparison of the two bands became all too apparent when Outkast released Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in October 2003. With the double album immediately saw the similarities of The Beatles (aka “The White Album” released in November 1968) as well as perpetually evolving artists who grew apart but continued to make music together. (Of course the “Hey Ya” video, inspired from The Beatles performances on The Ed Sullivan Show, certainly helped solidify that comparison in my mind.)
With both of these albums there’s a clear division of who’s song and who’s style is whose. As good as some of the songs are on each album, both groups are at their peak when interplaying with their individual personalities and styles. Precisely what’s lacking from these albums. Each album is filled with song fragments and pieces that are fully fleshed out because it’s more of an artist working alone, not as part of a team. You could start to sense the beginning of the end.
Idlewild = Magical Mystery Tour
Let’s be honest, Magical Mystery Tour and Idlewild are both a beautiful mess. Not the finest hour of either group, but we’re so thankful they exist as an album…as a movie, maybe not so much.
(And if you want to get technical, Magical Mystery Tour was released on 11/27/67, a year before “The White Album” and several songs were previously released singles, but you’ve gotta admit it’s The Beatle’s Idlewild.)
A few final comparisons would be the non-album releases of “Hey Jude” and “The Whole World.” Though you could easily compare “B.O.B.” to “Hey Jude” with the catchiness and extended jam with rousing vocals.
And if you’re looking for a Yellow Submarine comparison, Andre 3000 recorded a version of “All Together Now.” But you’re not gonna want to look any further than that.
Which brings us to the most optimistic part of this theory. Idlewild was Outkast’s last release as a group, so we can still have hope they have a Let It Be and Abbey Road still left in them!!
One last thought. As a white man myself, comparing two black men to four white men might be seen as problematic. Particularly because of how much The Beatles, and basically most white musical artists, owe their sound, style and vast wealth to African American artists who came before them. But this comes from a place of love and the hope my son’s generation holds Outkast up the way my parents generation idolizes The Beatles. And I think that’s an easy case to make.
So what did we miss? What would you add to this week’s playlist? Any other comparisons you’d make to either The Beatles or Outkast?
Rock 'n' Roll Storytime #RnRST 
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