the next Beatles thread

[John Smith]

I didn't think I would be interested, in this, but I couldn't help myself. It is a brighter cleaner sound than previous editions, so I definitely think it's worth it for Beatles fans. And...it has replicas of the cut outs that came with the original album.

[choo-choo-charlie]

 

Okay, I've been meaning to lay all this out somewhere to look at it, and it's a rainy day so I'll put this here:

 

As a Beatles fan at birth I've overthought just about everything in their career.  No issue has sustained my fascination more than the real/mythologized partnership/competition between Lennon and McCartney as songwriters. For my understanding as of Rubber Soul they were pretty much coming up with their own tunes, and offering each other some feedback, or the occasional middle 8. By Pepper (with the obvious exception of 'A Day in the Life') they were penning their own tunes alone, with just arrangement and production input for each other in tandem with Martin.

 

I think because of this, if you separate their contributions to different albums you can see two songwriters on two different trajectories. George Harrison, was kind of on his own trip, but the same exercise could be interesting for him.  Here's the best I can parse it out:

 

Rubber Soul

Lennon                                     McCartney

Norwegian Wood                    Drive My Car

Nowhere Man                         You Won't See Me

The Word                                Michelle

Girl                                          I'm Looking Through You

In My Life

Run for Your Life

 

* Wait shares lead vocals and feels pretty McCartney in origin, but I'm not sure

 

Revolver

Lennon                                     McCartney

I'm Only Sleeping                    Eleanor Rigby

She Said She Said                   Here There and Everywhere

And Your Bird Can Sing          Good Day Sunshine

Dr. Robert                                For No One

Tomorrow Never Knows          Got to Get You Into My Life

 

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Lennon                                     McCartney

Lucy in the Sky w/ Diamonds  Sgt. Peppers (and reprise)

Mr. Kite                                     She's Leaving

Good Morning                          Getting Better

                                                 Fixing a Hole

                                                 When I'm 64

                                                 Lovely Rita

 

* A Day in the Life- collaboration 

 

Magical Mystery Tour

Lennon                                     McCartney

I Am the Walrus                        Magical Mystery Tour

Strawberry Fields Forever        The Fool on the Hill

Baby You're a Rich Man           Your Mother Should Know

All You Need is Love                 Hello Goodbye

                                                  Penny Lane

 

The White Album

Lennon                                     McCartney

Dear Prudence                         Back in the U.S.S.R.

Glass Onion                              Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da

Bungalow Bill                           Honey Pie

Happiness=Warm Gun             Martha My Dear

I'm So Tired                             Blackbird

Julia                                          Rocky Raccoon

Yer Blues                                  Why Don't We Do It in the Road

Everybody cept Me/Monkey    I Will

Sexy Sadie                               Birthday

Revolution                                Mother Nature's Son

Cry Baby Cry                            Helter Skelter

                                                 Honey Pie

                                                 

 

Abbey Road

Lennon                                     McCartney

Come Together                        Maxwell Silver's Hammer

I Want You (She's So Heavy)   Oh Darling

Mean Mr. Mustard                   The Ending Suite (Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End, Her Majesty)

Polythene Pam

 

*Because seems legitimately collaborative

 

Let It Be

Lennon                                     McCartney

Dig a Pony                               Let It Be

Across the Universe                The Long and Winding Road

                                                Get Back

 

*Two of Us, Maggie Mae, One After 909 might also be collaborative

 

Seeing this all in one place is really interesting to me. A lot of what people have written about Lennon and McCartney's different songwriting strengths bares out in these lists. McCartney's optimism, Lennon's cynicism, McCartney's craft as a pillar of popular song, and Lennon's interest in pushing the Beatles boundaries. So much of Paul's material is classic "song about a girl" material for anyone to relate to, whereas Lennon's most hopeful love songs are a spiritual kind of love. In fact, some of John's songs about girls seem borderline misogynistic (Run for You Life).

 

I also think you can see their inspiration ebb and flow. Part of what makes Pepper kind of an overrated album to me is Lennon didn't have as much great material to contribute. Interesting considering he's the defining voice on Rubber Soul. Paul seemed to never run out of songs, and it's really in the eye (or ear) of the listener which of his contributions are classic and which are hokey. Either way, two titans at work.  I skipped over some important singles, and Magical Mystery Tour. The latter because it doesn't have more than a couple songs from each.

 

There's a whole other story about George Harrison, the late bloomer to be told, but that's another day.

 

I'd love to hear what others think of this perennial John vs. Paul story.

 

 

I too share your fascination and obsession. It goes through phases, but it's always there in the back of my mind whenever The Beatles come up in the shuffle, in a conversation...or when they're back in the media for things like the Sgt. Pepper 50th anniversary release. I'll share my thoughts, album by album starting with Rubber Soul, though I think some of the earlier work is deserving of attention and discussion. And I do think mentioning the singles that came between records are important to discuss, as they represent some of the Beatles' best work and also mark significant growth both by Lennon and McCartney.

 

Rubber Soul

Lennon definitely made HUGE strides here, starting with the Day Tripper single and it's excellent flip side, We Can Work It Out, which is probably Paul's best song from the period. Both tunes originated with their singer but are largely collaborative. Lennon's other big contributions - Girl, In My Life, Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man - are a cut above the rest. I think "I'm Looking Through You" also is an underrated gem from the period. Lennon is on top here.

 

Revolver

Paul makes the big strides that Lennon made on its predecessor, showcasing an impressive breadth of styles: the classical influence on Eleanor Rigby and For No One are wonderful; bouncy sunshine pop (and nod to the Lovin' Spoonful) of Good Day Sunshine; paying homage to Motown (and weed) on Got To Get You Into My Life; the goofy, folky children's song Yellow Submarine; and classic, tender Paul balladry of Here, There and Everywhere. I do enjoy the trio of Lennon rockers (She Said She Said, And Your Bird Can Sing, Dr. Robert) and his psychedelic forays (I'm Only Sleeping and Tomorrow Never Knows) quite a bit, and when added with Harrison's solid contributions, you've got the most well-rounded and perfectly executed Beatles album. And that's not mentioning the solid single from the era, Paperback Writer/Rain. 

 

Sgt. Pepper

Paul-dominated effort. To me, the songwriting slips a bit here in favor of studio experimentation. But boy, what a sound. Mr. Kite is a wonderful piece of art (Lennon described it once like a "watercolor painting") and She's Leaving Home is another great Paul story-song ballad in the vein of For No One. Both are richly detailed stories told in few words that allow the listener to fill in the gaps with their imagination. A Day in the Life often gets hailed as the greatest Beatles song -- and it is a strong contender for sure, a wonderful marriage of incomplete songs from John and Paul, and I'm certain part of the reason it gets the honor is so John and Paul can "share" it, though it's mostly Lennon. Paul did come up with the idea for the orchestra and final piano chord.

 

White Album

What I really enjoy about this one is how John and Paul both play to their strengths and succeed in writing in the style of the other, i.e., John writing tender, melodic songs and Paul writing abrasive rockers. We get fluffy, cornball Paul with Ob-La-Di and Honey Pie; folky Paul with Blackbird, I Will and Mother Nature's Son; satirical Paul in Back in the USSR and Rocky Raccoon; and then "Paul does John" with three bruising rockers in Why Don't We Do It in the Road, Birthday and Helter Skelter, all of which are the styles of songs people would've expected from John. On the other hand, "John does Paul" with balladry like Dear Prudence and Julia in addition to the super-saccharine Good Night (sung by Ringo). But then we get classic, harsh, biting, rock 'n roll Lennon with Me and My Monkey,  Yer Blues and Happiness is a Warm Gun...and the Revolution single.

 

Speaking of singles from the era, Lady Madonna is a terrific piece of work from Paul, a slight throwback to their earlier days of playing R&B and classic rock 'n roll covers. Paul has been often quoted as saying this is him doing his Fats Domino impression, and it has a nice minor key middle section that's reminiscent of the major-minor push-pull of We Can Work It Out. There's Hey Jude, which has a great lyric and then could've had a few minutes hacked off the end, but it is what it is. Probably the most underrated track from the period is Hey Bulldog. Totally nonsensical lyrics from Lennon in the vein of his psychedelic work, but it's a badass rocker that showcases a group still able to play as four musicians, unadorned by studio trickery and overdubs.

 

With the White Album, Lennon is trying to take back some control after playing second fiddle to Paul on Sgt. Pepper, and after he lost some focus while eating LSD 24-7 for most of 1965-1967 during their psychedelic period. He had come to completely dismiss Sgt. Pepper as "a load of shit" and wanted to play more rock 'n roll with less studio embellishments, which didn't really happen  on a grand scale, though there are a number of terrific tracks that aren't as dressed up. They really wanted to strip away all the excesses when they went into recording Let it Be in early 1969, and we all know how that ended up...

 

Let it Be (recorded prior to Abbey Road, but released after)

Count me among those who usually skip The Long and Winding Road. But Let it Be and Get Back stand among Paul's best work, as does Across the Universe on John's side of the fence. But Lennon was so disengaged at this point. I enjoy his other contribution, Dig a Pony, for its raw classic rock sound, but it doesn't have a lot to say. And sometimes that's ok! Two Of Us is all Paul, just a harmony vocal from Lennon. It's easy to think of the lyrics as describing the two songwriting partners in their youth, but it's a love song about Paul and Linda's excursions. One After 909 is collaborative; it's one of John and Paul's early compositions and appeared in its original form on Anthology 1. But there is a great collaboration on this record you forgot: I've Got a Feeling, which marries Paul's title track and John's work-in-progress "Everybody Had a Hard Year." A great rock 'n roll track weaving in and out of Paul and John's lyrics, and finally layering them at the end. It's a wildly uneven album, and in my opinion, Phil Spector's "wall of sound" production really does ruin some songs. Not their strongest effort, but not terrible either.

 

Abbey Road

Not a great deal of collaboration. John and Yoko were injured in a car accident at the start of the sessions and spent quite a bit of time sitting around the studio, John not participating in any of the songs...unless it was one of his. You've got John's last spurt of great Beatles songs in Come Together and Because. His bits in the medley are just that - bits - and while they fit wonderfully into the medley, they don't have much to stand on by themselves. I Want You could have benefited from some editing, though I understand the desire to repeat the verses ad naseum, as they speak to John's state of mind at the time: obsessing over Yoko, deeply in love and deep in heroin abuse. It all adds up to John being totally disinterested in being a Beatle.

 

Paul's "Oh! Darling" is a fun 1950s style rock 'n roll track, but Paul's best work here is the arrangement of the medley. His contributions are somewhat toss-offs like Lennon's, though I'll say I think that "You Never Give Me Your Money" can stand on its own. Side 2 is definitely the Paul and George Martin show, to me, so not much of a Lennon-McCartney collaboration, but damn is it fun! 

 

Honestly, I love Abbey Road mostly because of the spotlight on George and Ringo. George contributes two of the greatest Beatles songs laid to tape and has terrific lead guitar work all over the album; Ringo finally pens something that's melodic and memorable (albeit goofy), and the use of the eight-track recording console allowed them to put more mics on Ringo's drums and better shape the overall drum sound, which is better here than on any Beatles record (IMO, of course). 

 

But back on topic: from a songwriting perspective, I don't see Abbey Road as a great leap forward necessarily. Two great Harrison songs, one good song each from Lennon, McCartney and Ringo, and the rest is stitched together. But the excellent track sequencing and the medley arrangement help tie it all together. So many forces were pulling the band apart at this time and pushing them into different directions as individual musicians and songwriters. I don't think any of them - even Paul, who according to Ringo was clinging more tightly to the idea of The Beatles than anyone - really gave their full attention at the end. They were tired, distracted and not working well together, and I think it came through in the songs. We hear flashes of brilliance, weak moments and sounds in between. 

 

***

 

Tracing John and Paul's evolution as songwriters is fun, and can be a lifelong exercise for us Beatlemaniacs. The music I revisit most is from 1965-1967, with the White Album right behind. But I'd love to swap thoughts on some of the band's earlier work, not just the songwriting but the playing and the incorporation of the studio into the sound before it became the full focus.

[lost highway]

^ I loved reading this thank you. I agree on so many of your points here.

 

As for the earlier years, as a young punk I used to foolishly write off everything pre-Revolver as enjoyable but mediocre standard faire (we all start out a bit ignorant). I slowly moved the boundaries of "great period" Beatles, first rediscovering Rubber Soul as genius.

 

Now I'm starting to think while mostly light hearted, Help is both a transitional album and the peak of their straight rock and roll days. Even the silly "Act Naturally" is a pure blast of fun Ringo camp.

 

Great record and I assume has much tighter collaboration between John and Paul than the later stuff we've been discussing.

[chuckrh]

You know I hate to say this but I'm glad they broke up before they ruined their legacy. I was (still luv the old stuff) a huge Stones fan & it really makes me sad to see the current state of the band. It has become a business entity & not much else. There was a glimpse of the old fire with the blues record but live its same old, same old. I went to the 50th anniversary tour & was very disappointed. The only really good part of the show was the Mick Taylor cameo & they only let him play one song. I'm not counting Satisfaction. Keith's best days are behind him & it has become the Jagger show. They are like a casino circuit band with good PR. The Who, while they still can bring it live, its more nostalgia. At least there is some fire there from Pete & Roger's voice is better than it has been. The other thing with the Beatles is if they hadn't broke up there probably wouldn't have been All Things Must Pass. I play that record a lot. While somewhat bloated via Phil Spector & George's need to get his stuff out, there are a ton of great songs there. While it would've been interesing to see what the Beatles could've done in a more modern live setting at least we didn't have to put up with a string of mediocre records for the sake of commerce. I have to admire the guys who are still putting out vital stuff at an advanced age (Roger Waters, Neil Young) & not totally living on their past. Sometimes it doesn't work but at least they are rolling the dice. 

[choo-choo-charlie]

^ I loved reading this thank you. I agree on so many of your points here.

 

As for the earlier years, as a young punk I used to foolishly write off everything pre-Revolver as enjoyable but mediocre standard faire (we all start out a bit ignorant). I slowly moved the boundaries of "great period" Beatles, first rediscovering Rubber Soul as genius.

 

Now I'm starting to think while mostly light hearted, Help is both a transitional album and the peak of their straight rock and roll days. Even the silly "Act Naturally" is a pure blast of fun Ringo camp.

 

Great record and I assume has much tighter collaboration between John and Paul than the later stuff we've been discussing.

 

My favorite of the early records is Beatles for Sale, an odd choice to some, but a record I stand by after spending a lot of time with it.

 

The opening trio of No Reply, I'm a Loser and Baby's in Black is an incredible way to kick off a record. Thinking about this opening trio of melancholy, down-on-my-luck songs coming off the heels of A Hard Day's Night, both the album and film, where the cheeky, goofy, moptop Beatles were in prime form. It's a sudden left turn into more introspective songwriting from John, no doubt due to Bob Dylan's growing influence. Baby's in Black in particular is almost heavy sounding, with a very raw guitar from George and clanging drums by Ringo.

 

For listeners who may have been scratching their heads, a bit of relief comes in Rock 'n Roll Music, which steamrolls along with a very tight rhythm section and what I think is one of John's best straight-up rock 'n roll vocals in the vein of Twist and Shout. Paul's I'll Follow the Sun is an early glimpse at his soft singer/songwriter side later shown in Yesterday, Blackbird, I Will, Mother Nature's Son, Two of Us, etc. It's fun to hear Ringo keep rhythm the entire time by slapping his palms on his knees.

 

Mr. Moonlight is probably one of the weakest tracks in the entire catalog, but it fits here, the same way some of the throwaway tracks fit into the White Album sequencing. It's corny and clunky, and it's a sign of the pressure The Beatles were under to constantly crank out top-level new work during the height of Beatlemania. The constant grind of touring, radio and TV appearances, interviews and jet-setting around the world left little time for penning new tracks, and they were exhausted. I can give 'em a break for throwing in a cheesy song like this. And that opening vocal rip from Lennon? Damn. Wonder how many takes he needed to nail that. 

 

Back to rock 'n roll with Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey, which has a great vocal by Paul, followed by the love-it-or-hate-it burst of pop, Eight Days a Week. Great harmony vocals and the then-groundbreaking fade-in at the start. A couple more old-school rock 'n roll covers are up next; Buddy Holly's Words of Love, which features some tasty 12-string guitar playing by George; and Carl Perkins' Honey Don't, which showcases The Beatles' rockabilly side, which is quite nice and we'd hear later in Act Naturally from Help! and What Goes On from Rubber Soul.

 

Lennon/McCartney original Every Little Thing is next. It's a nice enough little pop song, with some thundering tympani by Ringo in the chorus -- a sign of studio experimentation with "non rock and roll" instruments to come. The next original, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, is my favorite track off the record and one of my favorite early Beatles songs altogether. It's a great rockabilly shuffle with fantastic harmony vocals, probably one of the best in all the catalog. Listen to how John and Paul effortlessly swap the high and low melody and harmony. John takes the high part in the verses and switches to the low part in the chorus; Paul sings the low harmony in the verses and then reaches for the stars in the "Iiiiii still loooooooove her" chorus. Magnificent!

 

Paul's What You're Doing follows, and while it's not one of his most impressive early compositions, it's got a decent melody and some nice 12-string licks from George. Again, to me, this is a sign of The Beatles' battle to come up with first rate new material while they were running the gauntlet. George closes out the record with another Carl Perkins track, Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby. It's another awesome slice of The Beatles playing rockabilly, with George's reverb-drenched vocal and nice little lead guitar breaks, John's raw, chugging acoustic guitar and swinging rhythm section. 

 

Paul has been quoted as saying this record came the closest to capturing their live sound. To me, Beatles for Sale gives us a little bit of everything that was happening at the time, with little hints of what was to come. There's catchy pop songs, introspective songwriting with a folky twinge (as later developed on Help! and Rubber Soul), rock 'n roll covers, a little bit of junk (hey, later albums had some junk too!), some unique song arrangements and a very raw, live-in-the-studio sound with touches of studio experimentation.

 

I dig it because it's not trying to be anything; there's no agenda here, except for the record label's push to get another album out by Christmas. Just look at their faces on the cover. They're tired, and probably even a little bit pissed off. Even the title, Beatles for Sale, is a jab at the music industry "machine." Some might say it's lost in the catalog because it just doesn't have the quality of material. I say it's buried because it's sandwiched between the peak record of the early years - A Hard Day's Night - and the big steps forward of 1965, Help! and Rubber Soul, both of which would drop a year later and showcase a growing, maturing Beatles. Beatles for Sale could be called the sound of Beatlemania starting to die as well as the sound of The Beatles starting to grow up. Most of all, to my ears, it just sounds like they were having fun playing the roots music they loved so much, despite the pressure cooker environment in which they operated.

 

While we all probably spend most of our energy dissecting the material from Rubber Soul-onward, it's nice to be able to enjoy a fun rock 'n roll record. I hope anyone who took the time to read this listens to Beatles for Sale with some fresh ears and renewed perspective on what these guys accomplished in the early days before hiding away in the studio.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Sgt. Pepper special:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/explore-beatles-innovative-penny-lane-in-sgt-pepper-doc-clip-w485077?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=053117_16

[lost highway]

Mr. Moonlight is probably one of the weakest tracks in the entire catalog, but it fits here, the same way some of the throwaway tracks fit into the White Album sequencing. It's corny and clunky, and it's a sign of the pressure The Beatles were under to constantly crank out top-level new work during the height of Beatlemania. The constant grind of touring, radio and TV appearances, interviews and jet-setting around the world left little time for penning new tracks, and they were exhausted. I can give 'em a break for throwing in a cheesy song like this. And that opening vocal rip from Lennon? Damn. Wonder how many takes he needed to nail that.

 

I love how shitty the organ solo is on that song. It makes me laugh out loud. There's something thrilling about hearing a "Beatles fail", like "They were mere mortals, and therefore fallible?"

[lost highway]

Sgt. Pepper special:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/explore-beatles-innovative-penny-lane-in-sgt-pepper-doc-clip-w485077?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=053117_16

 

That's really cool. My music major dorkness scoffed when he opened by saying how Paul also subdivided a measure by taking Little Richards 8 piano hits in a measure and changing it into 4 hits in a measure. And I went, "Oh you mean he played quarter notes on the beat?"

[Albert Tatlock]

Sgt. Pepper special:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/explore-beatles-innovative-penny-lane-in-sgt-pepper-doc-clip-w485077?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=053117_16

Watched the tv prog it refers to on Saturday night. Very enjoyable.

[Analogman]

It was shown during a pledge drive here (of course).  One of the people working the pledge breaks talked about how John wrote Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite by way of a poster he bought. I think he said something about only those watching tonight would now know that or some such thing. Hilarious. 

 

I've read that this new release is too loud among other complaints. I don't really know if I will bother buying it or not. 

[lost highway]

^ I remember the remaster they did just ten or so years ago being great. At some point they're just cashing in again.

[choo-choo-charlie]

It was shown during a pledge drive here (of course).  One of the people working the pledge breaks talked about how John wrote Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite by way of a poster he bought. I think he said something about only those watching tonight would now know that or some such thing. Hilarious. 

 

I've read that this new release is too loud among other complaints. I don't really know if I will bother buying it or not. 

 

 

^ I remember the remaster they did just ten or so years ago being great. At some point they're just cashing in again.

 

The big remaster reissues they did were in 2009. I have the "In Mono" box set from that release and it is truly amazing. The stereo remasters also are terrific. I just bought the Sgt. Pepper six disc deluxe box set because I'm a Beatlemaniac and I love to hear the works-in-progress studio outtakes, early mixes, alternate mixes, etc., plus there's a really well done 200-page hardcover book with photos, essays, track-by-track analysis and insights, recording notes, etc., all together in a really nice package. In essence, all the stuff a Beatlemaniac would want.

 

As for how the 2017 stereo remaster sounds? I think it's even better than the 2009 edition. Ringo's drums hit really hard, there's superb clarity and separation between instruments, vocals and all the effects, the guitars are bright and rich-sounding. It really emphasizes the four musicians playing together underneath all the sonic layers. I'm not sure I understand complaints about it being too loud -- I've spun this a few times already vs. the previous remasters and think it's really well done.

 

Listen for yourself.

[Winston Legthigh]

I love how shitty the organ solo is on that song. It makes me laugh out loud. There's something thrilling about hearing a "Beatles fail", like "They were mere mortals, and therefore fallible?"

I never minded Mr. Moonlight. Quite the opposite. I think the 3 part harmonies are lovely, and the opening Lennon salvo is a wonder. 

 

I definitely disagree with Mr. Choo Choo that it's one of the weakest songs in the repertoire. (I think my vote today would go to Blue Jay Way as my least favorite)

 

As for early albums, my favorite has always been Hard Days Night - their first consisting entirely of original compositions. 

[lost highway]

I never minded Mr. Moonlight. Quite the opposite. I think the 3 part harmonies are lovely, and the opening Lennon salvo is a wonder.

 

I think we all agree on the vocals. I think Lennon hit a ragged R&B performance there that's similar to what Paul spent a million takes trying to conjure in 'Oh Darling' (an effort which was pretty fruitful).

[choo-choo-charlie]

I never minded Mr. Moonlight. Quite the opposite. I think the 3 part harmonies are lovely, and the opening Lennon salvo is a wonder. 

 

I definitely disagree with Mr. Choo Choo that it's one of the weakest songs in the repertoire. (I think my vote today would go to Blue Jay Way as my least favorite)

 

As for early albums, my favorite has always been Hard Days Night - their first consisting entirely of original compositions. 

 

I love Blue Jay Way! The way its eerie organ intro slowly fades in after the swirling mellotron outro of Flying is brilliant. I think George made some of the best psychedelic music, underappreciated in my opinion. But hey, we can agree to disagree. I'll put it this way; I don't actually skip Mr. Moonlight when listening to Beatles for Sale. I just don't view it as one of the better tracks. I really enjoy AHDN too, though the scales lean heavily toward Lennon since he is the dominant composer on the record. I think "Things We Said Today" is one of the best early Beatles tracks.

[TCP]

The only Beatles song I can't stand is Wild Hunny Pie. And maybe Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. 

You know what, while we're at it, I've never cared for She's Leaving Home or The Benefit of Mr. Kite either. 

[Winston Legthigh]

The only Beatles song I can't stand is Wild Hunny Pie. And maybe Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. 

You know what, while we're at it, I've never cared for She's Leaving Home or The Benefit of Mr. Kite either. 

[Winston Legthigh]

During our most recent long car ride, which was about 6 or 7 hours (including pit stops), I had all the Beatles albums + singles queued up in chronological order. I think we got to the middle of Lucy in the Sky by the time we pulled into our driveway. That was fun, but my two boys (2 and 4) were yelling NO BEATLES after 3 hours. 

[lost highway]

The only Beatles song I can't stand is Wild Hunny Pie. And maybe Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da.

You know what, while we're at it, I've never cared for She's Leaving Home or The Benefit of Mr. Kite either.

Agreed on all fronts, just add The Long and Winding Road and you have the short list of Fab Four songs I dislike.

[Winston Legthigh]

Even during my harshest Anti McCartney period (which I'm cured of, all except for chronic Maxwell's Silver Hammer, which I've been told is incurable. The Steve Martin version can be fatal in small doses to a person with my condition) I always enjoyed She's Leaving Home. It's a perfect little one act play of youth vs tradition and the yearning to be free to have fun. 

[Mr. Heartbreak]

I've always loved She's Leaving Home, especially Lennon's parts. The whole thing really shows the influence of Pet Sounds on McC.

 

Surprised to see dislike of Ob-La-Di or Long and Winding Road, though. Maybe it's because I've seen Paul a few times in concert and really enjoy all those songs live. Interestingly enough, the last couple times I saw him, he played Ob-La-Di, Long and Winding Road AND Mr. Kite. Would have been an annoying show for some of you.

 

I can understand the chorus of Ob-La-Di grating after awhile, but I've always really found the verses amusing. I suspect it's hard for most of us to get just how deeply subversive a line like "Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face" really was back in 1969...just a couple years after Pink Floyd's Arnold Layne was banned from airplay because it references cross-dressing. Those were different times.

 

Probably the only Beatles track I just can't stomach is Revolution No. 9...that would be a good one to combine with water boarding.

[Sir Stewart]

Thanks to everyone for talking albums the past couple of pages. I love it. Will never get sick of hearing what the Beatles do to people.

[uncool2pillow]

There's a good interview with Giles Martin on Fresh Air.

[choo-choo-charlie]

I've always loved She's Leaving Home, especially Lennon's parts. The whole thing really shows the influence of Pet Sounds on McC.

 

Surprised to see dislike of Ob-La-Di or Long and Winding Road, though. Maybe it's because I've seen Paul a few times in concert and really enjoy all those songs live. Interestingly enough, the last couple times I saw him, he played Ob-La-Di, Long and Winding Road AND Mr. Kite. Would have been an annoying show for some of you.

 

I can understand the chorus of Ob-La-Di grating after awhile, but I've always really found the verses amusing. I suspect it's hard for most of us to get just how deeply subversive a line like "Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face" really was back in 1969...just a couple years after Pink Floyd's Arnold Layne was banned from airplay because it references cross-dressing. Those were different times.

 

Probably the only Beatles track I just can't stomach is Revolution No. 9...that would be a good one to combine with water boarding.

 

I saw McCartney in 2015 and he did an awesome version of Mr. Kite, with a super trippy light show and slide show to boot. Seeing him again next month, can't wait.

[lost highway]

I saw McCartney in 2015 and he did an awesome version of Mr. Kite, with a super trippy light show and slide show to boot. Seeing him again next month, can't wait.

Weird, that's such a John song.