The Beatles *sigh*

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I'm left hanging here. What did Billy think of side 2 of "With The Beatles"? I have to know.

I'm going to continue with it, but have had something happen IRL that is kind of taking precedence right now.

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

As a huge huge record geek, my problem with The Beatles is that your uninformed man in the street can trump whatever you know with the safe claim that 'The Beatles are the best band ever though, right!', and in a straw poll of 'everyone' your splutterings about the wonderfulness of the Peppermint Trolley Company lp will see you tagged as, at best a deluded crank.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I feel the same way. Makes it hard sometimes. Music is so subjective that IMHO it is impossible (not to mention ghastly and stupid) to be correct about saying any one band is THE greatest of all time.  With that said...

I feel like a complete moron after listening to the rest of the discography. Was I seriously that critical? Was I so blinded by irritation at many people praising the Beatles and dismissing every other band that I let that blind me?! I had intended to resume posting my thoughts on each track last night, but I ended up playing through the rest of the stuff without taking notes. Needless to say, I am now of the opinion that 'Tomorrow Never Knows' may just be the greatest song ever written.

[Amazing Larry]

I'm really excited to hear about your track by track opinions of Revolver, because that's my favorite album of theirs.

[SMiLE-addict]

I feel the same way. Makes it hard sometimes. Music is so subjective that IMHO it is impossible (not to mention ghastly and stupid) to be correct about saying any one band is THE greatest of all time.  With that said...

I feel like a complete moron after listening to the rest of the discography. Was I seriously that critical? Was I so blinded by irritation at many people praising the Beatles and dismissing every other band that I let that blind me?! I had intended to resume posting my thoughts on each track last night, but I ended up playing through the rest of the stuff without taking notes. Needless to say, I am now of the opinion that 'Tomorrow Never Knows' may just be the greatest song ever written.

So THERE!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

[Peter Reum]

Just as an aside, on Face book today, I heard a fascinating piece of audio, in which Randy Bachman solves the mystery of the opening chord to Hard Days Night. If it has been something you have wondered about, he nailed it. Of course he heard the raw tapes at Abbey Road with Giles Martin. That might have helped....

[Jay]

Actually, The Who is the greatest band ever. EVER. 

Billy, I'm curios about your thoughts on my earlier post about my thinking that The Beatles became more "serious" starting around the time of the Beatles For Sale album. That's not to say that they weren't a "real" and serious band already. It's just that, going through their albums from the start, I've always seen a certain point where there is a definite step up, in terms of song writing, and the production of the songs and albums on the whole. It's almost like there was a switch  turned on, and they all collectively thought "Wait a minute. We're good, but we could be very, VERY GOOD!". It's like they all stepped up their game.

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

I'm really excited to hear about your track by track opinions of Revolver, because that's my favorite album of theirs.

I can do this.

Taxman Great pop song

Eleanor Rigby Classic slice of orch pop...really great

I'm Only Sleeping Nice

Love You To Great

Here, There and Everywhere Pointless bit of pastichery...why bother.

Yellow Submarine Horseshit

She Said She Said ALMOST fantastic, yet there's that awkward middle section in 3/4. Dreadful.

Good Day Sunshine "Anyone got a lame song for Davy to sing on this Monkees lp?"

And Your Bird Can Sing "sh*t John, we need a song" "GIVE ME 3 MINUTES"

For No One 'oh good, another pastiche'

Doctor Robert "sh*t John, we need a song" "GIVE ME 2 MINUTES"

i Want to Tell You flawless

Got to Get You into My Life 'oh good, another pastiche'

Tomorrow Never Knows best thing ever!


Some of that may sound a bit harsh, but there was a LOT of competition around in '66. For an album by the 'greatest band of all time', I think it's kinda lame that And your bird can sing and Dr Robert made the cut...they just sound like unspecial B-sides.

There's a HUGE scene of record geeks like myself who sweat over rare and amazing 45s by unknown groups. I can tell you now- if Dr Robert/AYBCS were put out as a 45, and were really rare, by an unknown group they'd be kind of 'c- list' collectibles. Not bad, but nothing special.

I have a really big problem with Paul's pastiche music. Got to get you into my life is pretty nice, but is it Otis Redding? No. It's never going to be as great as the real soul deal, so why bother.

Overall it's a proper mixed bag. I much prefer Sgt Peppers. This record doesn't sound like a band, and not in a good way. George should have gone solo, because he seems like the only one with a strong, confident vision.

[leggo of my ego]

I try to like the Beatles, then superfans of them trash groups I like, making the Beatles fandom hard for me.

My Go-To Lp is Beatles "Love Songs" double lp. Has best tracks of "white lp" without a doubt they excelled at love songs.

[leggo of my ego]

Actually, The Who is the best.

 ha and to think when they were at the top of their game the Who FRONTED for Herman's Hermits.

of course top of the game is subjective I dont prefer the later part of their career from Quad forward.

[JohnMill]

More Beatles related grousing I see.  First referring to Mr. Dylan's "Man On The Street": One of the benefits about The Beatles' being the widely accepted anointed ones is that it provides a cogent argument against anyone saying that Taylor Swift for instance is the greatest musical act of all time.  Admittedly it also lends to the kind of thought process that Bergen brings up but in my opinion you have to take the good with the bad and in this instance the good far outweighs the bad.  Also in reference to the aforementioned "Man In The Street" who is to say that he knows anything other than say one or two Beatles songs to begin with.  Try asking him some questions about the subject matter at hand before you attach so much weight to his word.

Now "Love Songs" that is one LP that deserves the compact disc treatment.  Has some rare remixes that George Martin prepared specifically for this LP in 1977 although how rare they are considers whether or not you consider them to be manipulations of the original masters or not.  You know though as soon as I've said that, perhaps I should take it back.  I mean as nice as it would be to see the seventies LPs ("Rock And Roll Music", "Love Songs", "Ballads" and even the putrid "Reel Music") available on compact disc, there are most more interesting and substantial projects they should be sinking their teeth into.

[Lonely Summer]

I enjoyed The Capitol Albums CD's, because those are the albums I grew up with. Still wish they would complete it.

[guitarfool2002]

Just as an aside, on Face book today, I heard a fascinating piece of audio, in which Randy Bachman solves the mystery of the opening chord to Hard Days Night. If it has been something you have wondered about, he nailed it. Of course he heard the raw tapes at Abbey Road with Giles Martin. That might have helped....

Reported on this board in February with link: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15012.0.html   

One of the coolest and most joyous pieces of live audio I've heard this past year.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Holy sh*t...If I Fell is beautiful.

[pixletwin]

Holy sh*t...If I Fell is beautiful.

One of the few songs Lennon wrote for his first wife, if I recall correctly.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Holy sh*t...If I Fell is beautiful.

Yes!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

The more I listen the more I want to slap myself for being dismissive before. My wife had a good comment when You've got to hide your love away came on...we were talking about how the Beatles and the Beach Boys influenced a majority of music afterwards, and she said something like 'Eddie Vedder basically owes him having a career to this one song'.

What really gets me is how crystal clear and dynamic the actual sound was right from the very beginning.

 Question for those more knowledgeable than I...although George Martin was credited as producer, how much did he actually do vs the band?

[pixletwin]

The more I listen the more I want to slap myself for being dismissive before. My wife had a good comment when You've got to hide your love away came on...we were talking about how the Beatles and the Beach Boys influenced a majority of music afterwards, and she said something like 'Eddie Vedder basically owes him having a career to this one song'.

What really gets me is how crystal clear and dynamic the actual sound was right from the very beginning.

 Question for those more knowledgeable than I...although George Martin was credited as producer, how much did he actually do vs the band?

That was exactly how I felt when I "discovered" the Beach Boys in 2005. Thats how I still feel. 

[MBE]

Glad I always liked them . Billy I think George Martin did an awful lot until maybe around 1968 or so. Through 1967 they gradually could do more, but he was a creative guy so they usually listened to his suggestions. Having said that, Abbey Road had more from him than anything since Pepper.

Also I really like seeing you discover more sixties music!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Our local 93.7 is about to play Revolver in its entirety. Just came back from hospital due to Shingles so I fired up a bowl for the pain and the wife & I are going to hear it all the way through for the first time together

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Good Day Sunshine is on right now...so far this might be my favorite album by anyone.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Final judgment... my favorite ever. Any band, all time. I should change the title of this threat to The Beatles *gasp*

[Jay]

Good Day Sunshine is one of the few Beatles songs I don't really like.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Really? The arrangement slays me.