The Beatles Primer

[ribbons]

Dorkily watching this YouTube video on how to play like George.

Edit:  He sure does think George "kicked a**" and sometimes "kicked major a**", lol.  But I do agree. 

[ribbons]

And spending a little time with Paul & Wings rehearsing "Jet" in the One Hand Clapping unreleased film.   

[ribbons]

Actually, they were kind of overplayed on the oldies station I listened to in the nineties. The Beach Boys were too actually. It's bad when you get sick of a classic like God Only Knows. In the Beatles' case it was Hello Goodbye that seemed to get played daily. It remains one of my least favorite Beatles songs.

By all accounts, Paul's not sick of "God Only Knows".  I believe it's still his favorite song. 

(Incidentally, I'm not crazy about "Hello Goodbye" either.)

[Guybrush]

I do feel like both Beach Boys songs like God Only Knows and Good Vibrations as well as Beatles songs like Hey Jude and Let it Be suffer from overexposure. There's no denying their greatness and I enjoy them when they come on. I don't seek them out, though.

Jet is a good song by the way also one of those songs from my childhood. It was the first track on this album that I listened to quite a bit 

[ribbons]

Unfortunately, I'm tired of "God Only Knows" and "Good Vibrations" - and even more worn out of "Hey Jude", especially the coda (sorry, Paul).  I do still love "Let It Be", though - I think because it's about of the loss of his mother and I find it touching. 

I used to listen to All The Best! all the time.  "Jet" is another song I don't really tire of.  It has a good energy and arrangement.  I think Paul is really underrated as an arranger. 

[Lisnaholic]

Like most of us are saying, I'm also rather burned out with the Beatles, especially all the classics - and I agree with you, Rubber Soul: Hello Goodbye was one of their weakest singles, imo.

Jet on the other hand, is not so over-played (in my head, anyway) and it was interesting to see a slightly rougher rehersal version, ribbons. And here's a Paul song which has mercifully escaped too much radio play afaik, so not only is it beautiful, it still sounds quite fresh to me:-

 

[Rubber Soul]

I think they overplay sixties classics in general compared to seventies and later. That's why it's easier to appreciate a song like Jet as opposed to something overplayed like Hey Jude. As for Hello Goodbye, I much prefer the flip side, I am the Walrus. Even with Hey Jude, I'm much warmer to Revolution. Then again, I'm something of a Lennon fan

[Guybrush]

I am definitely in camp McCartney, but rationally speaking, I like to think we can appreciate every Beatle and that always playing favorites and pitting artists against each other is rather childish.

[ribbons]

^ That's one of my favorite Beatles songs, Lisna (it made my Top 15 Desert Island Beatles list posted earlier in this thread).  It was also my mother's favorite Beatles song; she was very fond of the "Someday when I'm lonely [/dreaming]" parts, I love the song's quiet-loud-quiet dynamics.  I'm also partial to the live version on the Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl album.

[Rubber Soul]

I think there are two albums where McCartney really shines with the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night (And I Love Her is also a favorite), and Revolver which features some of McCartney's most thoughtful songs (Here There and Everywhere, For No One, Eleanor Rigby). In contrast, Lennon's perfect album is on the White Album. Can't really rate George since he was just coming up as a songwriter in the last years, but While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Something certainly stands the test of time.

[ribbons]

I think there are two albums where McCartney really shines with the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night (And I Love Her is also a favorite), and Revolver which features some of McCartney's most thoughtful songs (Here There and Everywhere, For No One, Eleanor Rigby). In contrast, Lennon's perfect album is on the White Album. Can't really rate George since he was just coming up as a songwriter in the last years, but While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Something certainly stands the test of time.

Agree, but John is certainly no slouch on Hard Day's Night with the title track, "If I Fell", "I'll Cry Instead", and "Tell Me Why".  And on Revolver with the magnificent "Tomorrow Never Knows", "She Said She Said" and "I'm Only Sleeping".  Also agree that John is in top form on The White Album - he certainly has the most interesting songs on it, i.e., "Happiness Is a Warm Gun", "I'm So Tired", "Yer Blues", "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me and My Monkey", "Sexy Sadie", "Cry Baby Cry" - hey, I even love "Revolution #9".  I don't care for "Revolution 1", though - much prefer the single B-side "Revolution".

[ribbons]

I am definitely in camp McCartney, but rationally speaking, I like to think we can appreciate every Beatle and that always playing favorites and pitting artists against each other is rather childish.

You mean I should stop favoring Paul?  No!  I will never stop belaboring the merits of Paul - never! 

[Lisnaholic]

^ That's one of my favorite Beatles songs, Lisna (it made my Top 15 Desert Island Beatles list posted earlier in this thread).  It was also my mother's favorite Beatles song; she was very fond of the "Someday when I'm lonely [/dreaming]" parts, I love the song's quiet-loud-quiet dynamics.

I agree with your mother, ribbons: those wistful lines from "Some day when..." to ".. . we said today" are just beautiful.

I'd prob put myself down as preferring Lennon, and would rate Beatles For Sale as one of his best showcase albums: it leads off with I'm A Loser, No Reply, Baby's In Black. I don't particularly divide out their songwriting skills, partly because, even though the difference in their styles gets clearer and clearer with each subsequent album, a lot of their earlier songs were genuinely co-written I think.

And just for the record, Rubber  Soul, even if The Word has spoken, The White Album is nobody's perfect album

[Rubber Soul]

I still hold that Lennon's best material overall is on the White Album. Yes, he might have saved Beatles For Sale and even Help! And I love his work on Rubber Soul and Pepper. But in terms of overall output, I still have to go with the White Album.

[ribbons]

I agree with your mother, ribbons: those wistful lines from "Some day when..." to ".. . we said today" are just beautiful.

I'd prob put myself down as preferring Lennon, and would rate Beatles For Sale as one of his best showcase albums: it leads off with I'm A Loser, No Reply, Baby's In Black. I don't particularly divide out their songwriting skills, partly because, even though the difference in their styles gets clearer and clearer with each subsequent album, a lot of their earlier songs were genuinely co-written I think.

And just for the record, Rubber  Soul, even if The Word has spoken, The White Album is nobody's perfect album

Beatles For Sale is actually one of my favorite Beatles albums (despite the relative lack of original material), due to those three openers - which I refer to as Lennon's great triumvirate.