Music: Beatles Survey- Favorite and Least Favorite Song from Each Album

[Mimsy]

Aren't they strung with the octave string below instead of above? I never tried that, I'm curious though.

Yes, Ric 12s use reverse stringing. It feels pretty natural, except for the string spacing itself, which is too close for comfort.

I unearthed this quote from a Ric forum discussion involving John Hall, President of Rickenbacker (it's not overly informative, but offers some perspective):

If you think about it, it's the most logical way. Your fingers approach the neck from the bottom and assume an angle against the fingerboard that roughly equates to the angle across the top of the strings. In other words, it's slightly easier to play.

Also, we felt the 12 string effect was to be a subtle enhancement, not an in-your-face effect, so this arrangement still emphasizes the standard guitar strings with the harmony strings secondary.

 

[Shareefruck]

Ignoring what flows (I've sort of given up trying to figure that out-- it's really hard to estimate that without actually listening to different iterations a billion times, I find) and just going off of what I feel are the strongest tracks:

1. Dear Prudence
2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
3. Happiness is a Warm Gun
4. I'm So Tired
5. Blackbird
6. Julia
7. Mother Nature's Son
8. Helter Skelter
9. Long, Long, Long
10. Revolution 1
11. Revolution 9
12. Good Night

45 minutes long. 6 Lennons, 3 McCartneys, 2 Harrisons, 1 Starr. Considered replacing Mother Nature's Son with Sour Milk Sea, but it didn't seem like the right fit.

This is you proposing cuts to the White Album... Blasphemers!

Nothing should be sacred, especially not things that aren't totally perfect the way that they are, IMO.

 

[Sentinel]

This is you proposing cuts to the White Album... Blasphemers!

Yup. Half of it flat out sucks.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Yup. Half of it flat out sucks.

Oh, well, after all the Maxwell Hammer hype, no surprise there... I'll have to let the good people here side with you. I'll side with this guy:

“I always preferred it to all the other albums, including Pepper, because
I thought the music was better. The Pepper myth is bigger, but the music
on the White Album is far superior, I think.”

- John Lennon​

 

[Sentinel]

Oh, well, after all the Maxwell Hammer hype, no surprise there... I'll have to let the good people here side with you. I'll side with this guy:

“I always preferred it to all the other albums, including Pepper, because
I thought the music was better. The Pepper myth is bigger, but the music
on the White Album is far superior, I think.”

- John Lennon​

Thank you for graciously letting good people side with me. That's very sweet of you. Too bad I don't particularly care.

And asking an artist to evaluate their own art is a very thankless business. And John's judgment was always questionable. See "Ono, Yoko."

 

[montreal]

I don't recall ever hearing Maxwell Silver Hammer but after listening to it a couple times from this thread it's now in my beatles playlist.

 

[Sentinel]

I don't recall ever hearing Maxwell Silver Hammer but after listening to it a couple times from this thread it's now in my beatles playlist.

I love it for many reasons, but the main one is: it has bite that is not typically associated with Beatles songs.
Welcome to the MSH Loves Club

 

[Shareefruck]

I love it for many reasons, but the main one is: it has bite that is not typically associated with Beatles songs.
Welcome to the MSH Loves Club

By bite, do you just mean in terms of dark themes? I find the contrast mildly amusing, but musically, I view it as the opposite of having bite.

 

[montreal]

I love it for many reasons, but the main one is: it has bite that is not typically associated with Beatles songs.
Welcome to the MSH Loves Club

it's kind of catchy, i've listened to a few times today as it's rare I find a beatles song I hadn't heard before but like.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

By bite, do you just mean in terms of dark themes? I find the contrast mildly amusing, but musically, I view it as the opposite of having bite.

it's kind of catchy, i've listened to a few times today as it's rare I find a beatles song I hadn't heard before but like.

Absolutely. It's a catchy friendly tune typical of Paul, with the pap-pa-la-la stuff. Mildly amusing is the right way to put it. Revolution, Helter Skelter, have some bite. Musically, the Hammer has about just the same bite as Obladi Oblada. Not a bad song, it's kind of fun, but it doesn't belong in a Beatles top-50, IMO.

 

[Shareefruck]

Speaking of Beatles songs with a bit of bite, here's a totally Velvet-Underground-esque version of Get Back, sung by John Lennon. Rough as it is, it has a much cooler and more endearing vibe than the official one, IMO.

 

[Sentinel]

By bite, do you just mean in terms of dark themes? I find the contrast mildly amusing, but musically, I view it as the opposite of having bite.

Yeah, lyrics. It's actually a delightful contrast between happy music and a triple homicide.

 

[Sentinel]

Absolutely. It's a catchy friendly tune typical of Paul, with the pap-pa-la-la stuff. Mildly amusing is the right way to put it. Revolution, Helter Skelter, have some bite. Musically, the Hammer has about just the same bite as Obladi Oblada. Not a bad song, it's kind of fun, but it doesn't belong in a Beatles top-50, IMO.

We've heard you. It's in my Top 10.

Which is, incidentally:

Near misses: For No One, Your Bird Can Sing
10. Happy Just to Dance with You
9. I've Just Seen a Face
8. Maxwell Silver Hammer
7. All My Loving
6. Penny Lane
5. Let It Be
4. WMGGW
3. Yesterday
2. Girl
1. Eleanor Rigby

 

[Shareefruck]

Yeah, lyrics. It's actually a delightful contrast between happy music and a triple homicide.

I find the premise/gimmick kind of shallow, although it's more interesting than it would be without it.

Another track along similar lines that I personally find more interesting and genuine is "Run For Your Life". A cute upbeat track about jealousy that goes to an unsettling and ugly but relevant extreme. Used to hate it, but it's grown on me and feels weirdly effective (especially the way it disillusions all the love songs leading up to it), regardless of what his actual intentions were when writing it.

 

[Mimsy]

I find the premise/gimmick kind of shallow, although it's more interesting than it would be without it.

Another track along similar lines that I personally find more interesting and genuine is "Run For Your Life". A cute upbeat track about jealousy that goes to an unsettling and ugly but relevant extreme. Used to hate it, but it's grown on me and feels weirdly effective (especially the way it disillusions all the love songs leading up to it), regardless of what his actual intentions were when writing it.

Lennon wrote the song around a key lyric he borrowed directly from Elvis: "I'd rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man". I can't name the Elvis tune without googling, and yeah, I'm that lazy.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

If we set aside the medley then Maxwell is honestly my third favorite song from Abbey Road behind the two Harrison songs

 

[Sentinel]

I find the premise/gimmick kind of shallow, although it's more interesting than it would be without it.

Another track along similar lines that I personally find more interesting and genuine is "Run For Your Life". A cute upbeat track about jealousy that goes to an unsettling and ugly but relevant extreme. Used to hate it, but it's grown on me and feels weirdly effective (especially the way it disillusions all the love songs leading up to it), regardless of what his actual intentions were when writing it.

I wouldn't use the word "shallow" as a negative when describing a Beatles song. Because, you know, "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

That said, "Run for Your Life" is an awesome song. I hope it doesn't fall prey to today's mad PC world.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Just thought I’d mention that it’s International Beatles’ Day today. Think I’ll play Revolver today.

 

[Shareefruck]

I wouldn't use the word "shallow" as a negative when describing a Beatles song. Because, you know, "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

That said, "Run for Your Life" is an awesome song. I hope it doesn't fall prey to today's mad PC world.

I'd consider it a negative, personally, and I similarly wouldn't praise She Loves You for its lyrics specifically. That's what we're talking about afterall.

 

[peate]

We've heard you. It's in my Top 10.

Which is, incidentally:

Near misses: For No One, Your Bird Can Sing
10. Happy Just to Dance with You
9. I've Just Seen a Face
8. Maxwell Silver Hammer
7. All My Loving
6. Penny Lane
5. Let It Be
4. WMGGW
3. Yesterday
2. Girl
1. Eleanor Rigby

Had to look at my list to figure out what #4 was.

9 and 7 are 2 of my favorites. I love In my life and This boy. Not many I don't like, few that I hate.

 

[kihei]

I wouldn't use the word "shallow" as a negative when describing a Beatles song. Because, you know, "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!".

I think She Loves You is great--the perfect catchy two minute and change pop song. Fun to watch The Beatles sing it, too.

 

[Shareefruck]

I think She Loves You is great--the perfect catchy two minute and change pop song. Fun to watch The Beatles sing it, too.

FYI, I don't think anyone suggested otherwise.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I think She Loves You is great--the perfect catchy two minute and change pop song. Fun to watch The Beatles sing it, too.

Yeah I love the early songs like She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Hard Days Night, Help etc. I know that they’re pretty simple songs musically compared to the Rubber Soul era onwards. But there’s an energy to that early stuff that really jumps out at you from the opening beat.

 

[Mikeaveli]

And now for the most important ranking of all.... top 5 Ringo songs:

1. With a Little Help from My Friends
2. Good Night
3. Honey Don't
4. Act Naturally
5. Boys

 

[Mimsy]

And now for the most important ranking of all.... top 5 Ringo songs:

1. With a Little Help from My Friends
2. Good Night
3. Honey Don't
4. Act Naturally
5. Boys

So many choices! My list is similar to yours, with a couple of exceptions:

1. With a Little Help from My Friends

**2. If You've Got Trouble (unreleased, but appears on Beatles Anthology). I really like this one. It was intended for Help!, but dropped in favor of my #3...

3. Act Naturally
4. Octopus's Garden
5. Good Night