The Eternal Beatles Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Tom Ryan]

Revolver is highly overrated!

My three favorite Beatles albums:

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles

Abbey Road

Sgt. Pepper is my absolute favorite, with the White Album nipping at its heels.

-Tom

 

[Mike Broadman]

My goodness, people are digging up my ancient posts. I feel honored. You folks are fun.
Since I posted that stuff, I have been digging into some older rock, especially the Stones and such, and have been much more appreciative of "accessible" and popular music. However, my basic opinions on the Beatles stand.
The reason that people like MikeAW get contentious about the Beatles (although, in his case, a bit too enthusiastically for my tastes) is because they are considered gods, as if they fart jasmine scented farts or something. To me, they are just another band, albeit a good one.
In your defense of their earlier material, Anthony (although god knows you don't have to defend it; listen to what you like, and god bless), you didn't really address song composition and musicality. That's fine, it doesn't make it poor material. It was good, solid pop music of the early 60s. I just have absolutely no interest in early 60s pop music, good or bad. At that time, they were one of hundreds of English pop bands. It was after their initial success (based as much on image as music) that they expanded their music and developed some mean songwriting chops. This isn't an insult. Rather, a complement actually, since extremely few bands can go above and beyond the One Thing that made them famous.
The Beatles' early stuff just holds no interest for me.
MikeAW, I would say you're wrong about the "guy" contingency with the Beatles. They're one of the few bands that are huge with both genders. Heck, without the girlies screaming their heads off at them in concerts, they might not have been as big as they became. You just don't see women talking about them here because you never see women on the HTF at all (with of course a couple of exceptions. Ladies, don't think I've forgotten you ).
I also dislike Let It Be. It didn't have the Lennon/McCartney magic that some of the others did, and I find the material weak.
I also will be the first person to defend Revolver. Quite an amazing pop album.
And I still think the White Album totally blows. The Beatles, like the Black Crows, Blues Traveler, and Black Sabbath, just don't do well when they go outside playing tight, strong songs. Some groups, like the Allman Brothers, King Crimson, and Frank Zappa, are very interesting to listen to when they "stretch out." The Beatles just ain't one of 'em for me.
The Beatles albums that I own, listen to, and love:
Rubber Soul
Revolver
Sgt Pepper
Magical Mystery Tour
Abbey Road
With the exception of a couple of songs here and there, there isn't anything else by them that interests me.
So yes, it is possible to like the Beatles without worshippin them. I'm living proof. They were great, no question. They were influencial, of course. They are also overrated, IMO.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Revolver is highly overrated!

I agree. While I LOVE Revolver, it's not quite as good as Abbey Road or the Seagent, IMO of course. It's right up there, though...
Thanks whoever dug up this thread....
I recently got a new cartridge, and I dredged outmy Phillipino pressing of Sgt. Pepper and original Red Apple "Let it Be" and they both sound much better than I remembered... Ahh.... Beatles on vinyl... does it get better?

 

[RicP]

Ric, where did you get that drawing of the Beatles that is on your sig file?

From a friend of mine. Pretty cool sketch isn't it?
Philip,
Mr. Moonlight gets my vote for worst track. I can't to this day believe that they left off "Leave My Kitten Alone" for that!
I love the White Album, but what I love even more are the demos of the songs recorded at George's Mansion in Escher. They're fabulous.
For the Record my favorite Beatles Album is Abbey Road, followed very very closely by Rubber Soul.
Fav Track: Rain

 

[Kevin Leonard]

Quote:

Very cool sketch! Though I can see your friend took some artistic license with Ringo's nose...
Oh, and my all-time favorite Beatles song:
"You Won't See Me" (from Rubber Soul)

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Great Thread - learned quite a bit about the Boys from Liverpool.

While I believe great art should show greatness regardless of historical context, it is interesting to match the Beatles #1 hits with other #1 hits of the same time periods. My point: even though "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" may sound lame to new listeners of y2k+2, compare it to the popular songs of the time period. (Lawrence Welk anyone ?)

Their shock value to early 60's pop culture was on par with today's Marilyn Manson. (ok - pushing it a little..)

With that being said...

Why did John/Paul always split song-writing credits when it seems obvious most of their later work was practically solo ? To clarify my confusion, how can you write a song with someone if you are never in the studio at the same time ? Was it George Martin pulling everything together ?

Did Paul play the drum solo on Abbey Rd ?

Did John play Lead Guitar on the songs he wrote ?

Prost !

 

[Jack Gilvey]

My favorite Album is Abbey Road. My favorite song might be "She Said, She Said", though. Or "In My Life". Maybe 100 others. I went through a week of listening to "You Know My Name..." almost exclusively.

Based on the fact that other bands are even mentioned in the same breath with The Beatles indicates to me that they're still sadly underrated. Hopefully, someday, people will see. No, I don't "worship" them, it's the music which is transcendant to me.

Ahh.... Beatles on vinyl... does it get better?

Nope, and it's not likely to in the foreseeable future. I'd love to be wrong, though.

 

[Anthony Stephan]

Some one mentioned the I Am Sam soundtrack.

I've been listening to it for a couple of weeks now.

Normally, I don't like to hear covers of anything, but this ablum (for the most part) delivers solid performances that pay tibute to The Beatles instead of changing them.

It was an enjoyable read.

I'm 45. I used to pick up a baseball bat and pretend it was a guitar when I was in 4th grade. I wanted to be a Beatle.

Just like John Lennon watching the girls go nuts over Elvis and saying: "Now that looks like a good job!"

I learned to play guitar for the same reason. I played in lots of bands over the years. The most fun I have on stage is covering a Beatles song.

And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love,

you make.

 

[MikeAW]

"Mike, what's with the thread fart? Are you a musician? Have you ever studied music? Do you have any comprehension of the melodic and harmonic genius that is Lennon & McCartney? "

Philip

It may be genius music, but hey, I don't like "genius music", and in the end, it's just music.

I've listened to "Plastic Ono Band","All Things Must Pass",

and "Band On The Run"...and most of the studio sessions and outtakes of these albums. For "Plastic One Band"...there are John Lennon's song demos, for "All Things Must Pass"...there is a 3CD box set of session run throughs, outtakes and alternate mixes..for "Band On The Run"...song outtakes and live performances.

Compare those to the released album and you get an interesting perspective of just what was the starting point, creatively, for these releases. It's great to peep behind the scenes, but unfortunately it gives you an idea of just what would have happened if they'd have used the original takes or versions.

"All Things..." was alot of wasted unnecessary music. George always shined on the short, to the point songs. I mean what's up with "Apple Scruffs" ? Unless it was theraputic or something like that, what's the purpose, except personal ego satisfaction that he could sound cool? Listening to his back to reality songs demos for the "Cloud Nine" project is an instance where you think, why did the man feel, people were going to listen to songs titled

"Ding Dong" ? Well as much as he would deny it, it could be only because he was "George Beatle".

Just don't get me started on McCartney. I could write volumes on how the man is....well, I'm not going to go there.

 

[RicP]

"All Things..." was alot of wasted unnecessary music

It was a 3 LP set. What's "wasted" and "unnecessary" to you is welcomed and enjoyed by many others. Even if you take the third LP out of the set altogether, ATMP was a MasterWork. And I guess I didn't realize that musicians needed your or anyone else's approval on the cuts they decided to release. Thanks for setting us straight there. Why are you even bothering to post in this thread? Masochism?

 

[John_Bonner]

As they were approved by Ed Sullivan and The Establishment, so they were deemed approved by the status quo as fit for consumption by our Parents

Huh??

 

[Tom Ryan]

Ok, I've probably only listened to Revolver five times all the way through at the max, so maybe it gets better with time. However, as of now I can't see how it compares with the White Album or Sgt. Pepper. I even like Rubber Soul better.

-Tom

 

[Derek Miner]

Okay, this is bound to be the ultimate heresy to most Beatles fans, but...
I think Abbey Road is overrated!
Actually, I find myself appreciating it more after listening to the comments on the VH1 top albums countdown. That gave me a bit more perspective on it. I really had to say it, though, to get back at Tom Ryan and Philip Hamm for saying Revolver is overrated.
I highly prefer the Beatles material from '65-'67. I am definitely a fan of creative production and catchy pop hooks. Revolver, to me, represents the best combination of songwriting and stylistic innovation.
I have never really been big on the later Beatles period of '68/'69. Some of the songs were still pretty darn good, but they started going in the overblown direction a lot of rock music took in the 70s, which I'm not very fond of. And I just don't find a lot of interest in the Beatles going completely pastiche for songs like "Yer Blues" and "Oh! Darling." I've always preferred them as innovators.
I will say that George's work on Abbey Road is definitely some of his best, though. And just to fan the flames some more, I vastly prefer the original acoustic take of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to the drawn-out version on the White Album.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

The Sex Pistols were right...a bunch of Old Farts !

As if Johnny Rotten and Sid the Killer ever had a clue as to what makes music work. Bunch of zonked-out freaks who couldn't tie The Beatles - or anybody else's - shoes.

 

[Ted Lee]

kevin -

By "hits compilations," I'm going to assume you mean One, Blue Album or Red Album.

lol - those are exactly the albums i have. i have heard revolver and abbey road, but boy...am i embarassed!
i'll have to dig deeper from here...

 

[David Judah]

My Dad first got me into the Beatles when I was a young kid in the mid-70s. We used to listen to their LPs on stormy days and I loved listening to the music and preening the records. I can't wait to continue the tradition and share that same music with my daughter in a few years.

I had the priviledge of taking my Mom to see Paul McCartney in concert years later. It was amazing to see this middle-aged woman regress into a giddy teenager, acting alot like I'm sure she did when she saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show for the first time.

Even though I like all of their stuff, the albums from Rubber Soul on are the ones I listen to the most. If I had to pick only one album to listen to, it would be Revolver. It was such a departure from their previous work and was a nice stepping stone to Sgt. Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour. I really enjoy George's Indian influence on Love You To, but my favorite song on the album is John's Tomorrow Never Knows.

I understand that everyone has different musical tastes, but anyone doubting their influence need only look at what their contemporaries said and wrote about them and anyone doubting their musicianship need only look at all the different styles they wrote in, the unusual chord progressions & keys they often used, and the innovative recording techniques & ideas they employed in the studio.

DJ

 

[Jagan Seshadri]

When I was 12 I made a mixed tape out of Revolver(UK) on side A and Rubber Soul(UK) on side B. Those are awesome albums. In fact, now I have the CD's but I still have to listen to Revolver/Rubber Soul in that order or it feels 'wrong'.

Another fav of mine is Past Masters Vol. 2. Actually, that's the first CD I ever heard, and was probably what got me hooked on the Beatles and A/V equipment!

Favorite tune: Taxman. Musically, it is straightforward sounding, but try to play McCartney's bass line for "If you drive a c-car.." section. That took me years to eventually figure out. And Ringo's oddly-timed fills are spot on.

Amazing albums, amazing work ethic from a band.

-JNS

 

[MikeAW]

Derek, I agree with you about "Abbey Road" it's just edited scraps and leavings of a band, in and pre-occupied with, their own death throes. There is no soul to it.

The Sex Pistols & Malcolm McClaren were the product of the malaise of music of the sixties and seventies. The Concept of the Group, had an acute understanding of the The Music Business, and was and aware of themselves as instruments of Change...to push the music forward, and in spite of it's stasis and state of constipation at the time. The group and it's cultivated "attitude" was a needed shot in the arm, that encouraged The Industry to invest in MANY new bands and genres of music.

With all of our Music Giants were gone or discipated, and knowing not where to go by this time other than thrashing out the same old crap, if it wasn't for the Sex Pistols, everyone would still be sitting on their fat arses

listening to "In Through The Out Door" and thinking it was something, well, important and groundbreaking. Or feeling Pete Townshend had something to contribute to music than that damn "Squeezebox" song. "Who Are You" was their final gurgling sound before The End...Moonies death just gave them a legitimate excuse to hang it all up...but they still didn't/don't get it...IT WAS OVER for them, and all the dinosaurs.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Favorite tune: Taxman. Musically, it is straightforward sounding, but try to play McCartney's bass line for "If you drive a c-car.." section. That took me years to eventually figure out.

Much of Paul's work is just the opposite, absolutely perfect from a composition standpoint (he's truly one of the best), but technically something Geddy Lee might play in his sleep. I never tried to play that part, though. This kind of stuff is what is completely missed by the non-musician types, and why musicians tend to hold The Beatles in higher regard than anyone.

 

[MikeAW]

"This kind of stuff is what is completely missed by the non-musician types, and why musicians tend to hold The Beatles in higher regard than anyone." Jack

To me, it may give you more insight and the ability to appreciate more than the layperson...but it gives one just a different perspective to appreciate....not an extratrodinarily authoritative one, in the sense, that a technician's opinion, may have more authority over one person or another.

As for my comments on "Abbey Road", pick up a book titled..."Inside Tracks : A First-Hand History of Popular Music from the World's Greatest Record Producers and Engineers" by Richard Buskin....it has some insightful interviews on the Beatles recording process, specifically with George Martin, Geoff Emerick and a couple of other Abbey Road engineers, one of whom worked on "Abbey Road", that are not that famous to the general public. Very interesting.

The book also has interviews with Jimmy Miller, Mickey Most, Bruce Botnick, Jerry Wexler, Quincy Jones, Giorgio Moroder, Sam Phillips. A good buy !