The Beatles Appreciation Thread

[Doug]

Just happened to stumble across this site: http://www.myvillage.com/pages/celebs-paulmccartney.htm, where I found this quote:

Meanwhile, Sir Paul, who is about to release his latest record, 'Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard', has conceded some of his old songs were "rubbish". The star - who wrote all The Beatles' biggest hits with John Lennon - admits he often cringes when he listens back to old albums. He said: "Some of my albums, I can't believe what I was on."

No doubt, John is having a good laugh.    But I haven't followed Paul's career really close -- maybe because of all those "cringe-worthy" songs he's put out -- so can anyone make a judgment on whether Paul's music is getting better, and -- ha-ha -- less "cringe-worthy."  Or perhaps because he's less of a factor on the hit charts, he figures he can put out more personal songs with more meaning, since it doesn't matter anyway.   Someone should have told him long ago he didn't need to write "silly love songs" to continue being a huge star, that that would always be the privilege of having been a Beatle.  Ironcially, the man who teamed up with Allen Ginsberg and who has created an album of experimental sound collages (which is so rare I haven't been able to find) has always felt the need to compete for the top of the charts.  So anyway, has Paul's music gotten better these last few years?   

[Lin Sunderland]

1   Fixing A Hole
2   Good Morning Good Morning

3    A Day In The Life


Sorry, but that is how I see them.

[Gant]

1   Fixing A Hole
2   Good Morning Good Morning

3   Sgt Pepper


Easier round for me... Although I love some of the songs from Pepper it's not my fave Beatles album and I think one that's not dated as well as some others. If I had to chose one cd of theirs to play to someone from Outer Space it wouldnt be this one. Revolver maybe....

[D'Ambrosia]

1.  Fixing A Hole
2.  Penny Lane
3.  Good Morning, Good Morning

There is no way, NO WAY, I'm voting off Sgt. Pepper's   

But it looks like it might be gone anyway...

[Matt]

So anyway, has Paul's music gotten better these last few years?   

It doesn't look like we have too many solo McCartney fans here. Anyone?

Barnes & Noble has a big stand-up McCartney poster in the front window announcing his new album, and I was thinking about getting it. I'd heard good things about Flaming Pie, but never got around to buying that one either. The reviews on Amazon for his last couple of albums look really good, but I haven't really been interested enough to shell out the cash and find out for myself.

I just bought John Lennon's Sometime In New York City CD a few weeks ago. I had the album back in the 70's, but haven't heard it since CDs became standard and I ditched the turntable. Having repurchased most of the rest of his solo work, I finally got around to this one just simply so I could hear "Woman is the @#*%!& of the World" again. (One hell of a song--don't let the title throw you if you don't know it.)  But, unfortunately, most of the rest of that double album is cringe-worthy. So Sir Paul isn't alone on that one. Though, all of the other Lennon solo albums have held up well, and sound fantastic. Does anyone have Menlove Ave. or Milk and Honey? They're the only ones I haven't heard. Are they just a collection of reject songs that Lennon would have never released and Yoko's trying to cash in on? Or, are they worth getting?

Sorry, I know we were talking about Paul here... 

[Matt]

There is no way, NO WAY, I'm voting off Sgt. Pepper's   

But it looks like it might be gone anyway...

I think it'll survive. It's me and Doug who are going to be sad over tonight's results.

[Matt]

That ends Round 25. Say goodbye to "Fixing a Hole" and "Good Morning Good Morning".


BEATLES SONG SURVIVOR - ROUND TWENTY-SIX

We start this round with "Only a Northern Song", which was recorded for Sgt. Pepper, but wouldn't be released until 1969's Yellow Submarine album. We'll also hear the next four songs recorded for the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

As before, vote off two of the following songs, and list an alternate third choice that will only be used as a tie-breaker if needed. The three surviving songs from this round will be brought back later in the game to compete with the other rounds' survivors.

1.  "Only a Northern Song" (Harrison); Lead vocal: Harrison
2.  "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: Lennon
3.  "Lovely Rita" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: McCartney, with Lennon
4.   "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: Lennon, with McCartney
5.   "Getting Better" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: McCartney, with Lennon



(When I end a round and start the next, I'll need to take the songs from the previous round down so that the next round's songs will fit on the website. Therefore the links in each round will still show up, but they won't work once that round has ended.)

You can join in the game anytime. You don't need to have been voting from the beginning to play.

[Matt]

Going after Paul again...

1) Lovely Rita
2) Getting Better

3) Only a Northern Song 

I LOVE "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" The lyrics are ingenious:

For the benefit of Mr. Kite
There will be a show tonight on trampoline
The Hendersons will all be there
Late of Pablo Fanques Fair -- what a scene!
Over men and horses hoops and garters
Lastly through a hogshead of real fire!
In this way Mr. K. will challenge the world!

The celebrated Mr. K.
Performs his feat on Saturday at Bishopsgate
The Hendersons will dance and sing
As Mr. Kite flys through the ring -- don't be late!
Messrs. K. and H. assure the public
Their production will be second to none
And of course Henry The Horse dances the waltz!

The band begins at ten to six
When Mr. K. performs his tricks without a sound
And Mr. H. will demonstrate
Ten somersets he'll undertake on solid ground
Having been some days in preparation
A splendid time is guaranteed for all
And tonight Mr. Kite is topping the bill!

(From Steve Turner's A Hard Day's Write)

[Chessie]

I'm gonna go with:

1. Lovely Rita
2. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
3. Getting Better

[The Schofield Kid]

1- Lovely Rita
2- Only A Northern Song
3- Getting Better

I LOVE "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"

Me too,I whistle this a lot between shots on the golf course 

It doesn't look like we have too many solo McCartney fans here. Anyone?

Yeah,I'm a fan.I haven't got his latest yet,but will sometime.I love Run Devil Run even though most are cover songs,there's some good old rockin' numbers on it.I love I Got Stung,Lonesome Town and the title track.
Flaming Pie is a good album.Beautiful Night is the highlight on that album for me.

Does anyone have Menlove Ave. or Milk and Honey?

I have these on vinyl and they are worth a look.Milk and Honey does have the tracks Nobody Told Me and I'm Stepping Out,two of my favorite Lennon songs.I just skip Yoko's tracks on the rest of the album.
Menlove Ave. has a few Phil Spector tracks on it.All of the second side of the album was previously released on the Walls and Bridges album.

[Lin Sunderland]

1    Only A Northern Song
2    Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite      Sorry Matt

3    Lovely Rita

[[email protected]]

1  Only A Northern Song
2  Lovely Rita

3  Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite

[Lucky Punk]

1. Only A Northern Song
2. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite
3. Lovely Rita

It doesn't look like we have too many solo McCartney fans here. Anyone?

I do like his early solo work and some Wings, but to be honest I could not be bothered with his output during the 80s.

He did work with Elvis Costello in the early 90s and heard some of their stuff was really good - Paul seems to need someone to bounce ideas of, particularly a person who is not afraid to give an honest opinion about his songs.

To be fair a good deal of John's solo work was below par but he did not seem to irritate people the way Paul did. John's work was more personal and honest I suppose but I think it is unfair to dismiss Paul because he wrote less intimate songs. Sometimes John could be so overbearing and opinionated that I could not listen to him either.

Good as they were as solo artists I don't think they ever did anything as significant as their Lennon and McCartney days.

[Gant]

1   Lovely Rita
2   Getting Better


3   Only A Northern Song


From what I've heard Macca's new cd is very good. Second only to his first solo album.. well, thats what the critics are saying... I was impressed with the single and the few tracks I have heard.

[Doug]

1 Only a Northern Song
2 Lovely Rita
3 Getting Better

[Americanbeauty]

1. Lovely Rita
2. Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite
3. Only A Northern Song

[Matt]

That ends Round 26. This time we lose "Lovely Rita" and "Only A Northern Song".


BEATLES SONG SURVIVOR - ROUND TWENTY-SEVEN

This round, we'll hear the last songs recorded for the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, and the first recorded song for Magical Mystery Tour. The third Beatles film, Magical Mystery Tour was only a 55 minute made-for-television movie that broadcast on the BBC on December 26, 1967. In the U.K., six songs from the film were released as a double EP on December 8, 1967, but in the U.S., five additional songs (all previously released as "A" or "B" side singles) were added to fill out an eleven song album. This version, released on November 27, 1967 would become the CD standard for Magical Mystery Tour.



As before, vote off two of the following songs, and list an alternate third choice that will only be used as a tie-breaker if needed. The three surviving songs from this round will be brought back later in the game to compete with the other rounds' survivors.

1.  "Within You Without You" (Harrison); Lead vocal: Harrison
2.  "She's Leaving Home" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: McCartney, with Lennon
3.  "With A Little Help From My Friends" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: Starr, with Lennon and McCartney
4.   "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: McCartney and Lennon
5.   "Magical Mystery Tour" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: McCartney, with Lennon and Harrison



(When I end a round and start the next, I'll need to take the songs from the previous round down so that the next round's songs will fit on the website. Therefore the links in each round will still show up, but they won't work once that round has ended.)

You can join in the game anytime. You don't need to have been voting from the beginning to play.

[Matt]

Once you paid your entrance fee and showed your Cavern Club card [(Heavens knows what happened to mine how I wish I still had it) no admittance without one but they gave them out without any problems on the first visit]               

Lin, does this look like your old Cavern Club card?


(Front of business card-sized booklet)












(Back cover of Cavern Club Membership Card)

I just got the Lennon Legend book, and there's all kinds of great, high-quality reproductions of everything from that Cavern Club card, to an early edition of "The Daily Howl" that John made when he was 10 years old, to pull out reproductions of hand-written lyrics to some of his songs. I haven't read the book yet, but I'm really enjoying discovering all these unique pull-out treasures. The Cavern Club membership card seems so real, I can almost smell tomato soup on the pages.

[Matt]

1.  "Within You Without You" (Harrison); Lead vocal: Harrison
2.  "She's Leaving Home" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: McCartney, with Lennon
3.  "With A Little Help From My Friends" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: Starr, with Lennon and McCartney
4.   "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: McCartney and Lennon
5.   "Magical Mystery Tour" (Lennon/McCartney); Lead vocal: McCartney, with Lennon and Harrison

Here goes...

1) She's Leaving Home
2) Within You Without You

3) With a Little Help From My Friends

(Not voting off the "Sgt. Pepper Reprise", since I was hasty in voting off the first against stiff competition a few rounds ago.)

[The Schofield Kid]

1- Within You Without You
2- With A Little Help From My Friends
3- She's Leaving Home