My first exposure to thinking about The Beatles critically was back in college, when I read an essay by John Fischer in CCM Magazine about the band's relevance and important in music history. They also served as some kind of analogy for faith, but that analogy eludes me. Still, until that moment, I had never thought of the Beatles as anything more than background music, the kind of stuff that gets stuck in your head after a year-long oldies phase.

The guys from Liverpool are once again in the news these days. The video-game sensation known as Rock Band has finally gotten ahold of the band's catalogue, which is a very big deal. At the same time, there's been a major reissue of the band's said catalogue with a lot of remastering having gone on. I probably won't by it, mind you. I own one album by the Fab Four: the 1 album from a few year's ago. And I'm not quite sure where it is, really. I think it's an act of rebellion upon finding out that "Nowhere Man" never made it to the top slot on the charts.

Still, I have at least a rudimentary understanding of their significance. And I hum their songs on occasion (like when I used to play tennis back in seminary). Maybe it's time to try and find that CD. Until then, though, you can check out Chuck Klosterman's essay on the reissue of the band's albums. He is, of course, a sly writer, turning things around nicely. This essay is a nice look back and Klosterman at his best.