the Beatles thread -> Please contribute something
yotan18
Posts: 103
Ok, i am a person who doesn't really get into other music. Thus, we i got to PJ, i got all their stuff, and loved each song, whether it be a hit or not. A friend gave me all the studio albums of the Beatles (i think 13 albums) at once. I want to get to know this band's music, why they are iconic.
can you guys help me. Write some facts about them. Tell me which album to listen first. Tell me songs you love. I know i got to explore them by myself, but i need some guide. This forum and the forum members have helped me A LOT to see and hear PJ songs. It keeps me curious, intrigued, and that what i want from you guys.
I know, PJ fans had a great taste in music. hope you can help.
thanks.
can you guys help me. Write some facts about them. Tell me which album to listen first. Tell me songs you love. I know i got to explore them by myself, but i need some guide. This forum and the forum members have helped me A LOT to see and hear PJ songs. It keeps me curious, intrigued, and that what i want from you guys.
I know, PJ fans had a great taste in music. hope you can help.
thanks.
"The Day of Redemption is at hand! Repent, and thou shall be saved..." - A. Ventura
"I always tell the truth. Even when I lie" - T. Montana
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"Yeah i know... sounds stupid." Aldrin said.
#18 INC forever
"I always tell the truth. Even when I lie" - T. Montana
---
"Yeah i know... sounds stupid." Aldrin said.
#18 INC forever
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My favorite albums are Rubber Soul, Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour, and Sgt. Peppers
I also do not like The White Album much at all and feel that it is very overrated.
Summerfest 2006
"Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
I'll agree with this. There are some terrific songs throughout, but too much to sift through.
Out of both of records, I love 3 songs and find the rest to be either average or total crap. I think its a really bad album as a whole too because the band didnt even work together on it really.
Summerfest 2006
"Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
Just curious, what are those three songs?
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (obviously)
Helter Skelter
Blackbird
Summerfest 2006
"Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
would you tell me their "alive, even flow, black and jeremy" first, before you give the "present tense, all or none, and in hiding" first.
thanks a million!
"I always tell the truth. Even when I lie" - T. Montana
---
"Yeah i know... sounds stupid." Aldrin said.
#18 INC forever
All those are great, but I have to throw in Bungalow Bill (its a fun, catchy song) and Revolution 1 (even if it isn't as good as the single cut).
As for the songs to pay attention to first...
Personally, I would listen to Abbey Road and Revolver first, but as for songs...
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Helter Skelter
A Day in the Life
Taxman
Love You To
Strawberry Fields Forever
Come Together
Something
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
And Your Bird Can Sing
All of those I consider my favorite Beatles songs.
Theres too many good ones to name them all but here are a few of my favorites and songs that might be considered their best
Hey Jude
In My Life
A Day In The Life
Yesterday
Daytripper
Eleanor Rigby
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Here Comes The Sun
Blue Jay Way
Let It Be
Across The Universe
Im Only Sleeping
Norwegian Wood
Youve Got To Hide Your Love Away
Love Me Do
Summerfest 2006
"Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
You ever seen the video with George and that caliedoscope effect?
Summerfest 2006
"Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yQ32e5vuWCc
Summerfest 2006
"Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faVTixv81IQ
As she slams the door in his drunken face
And now he stands outside
And all the neighbours start to gossip and drool
He cries oh, girl you must be mad,
What happened to the sweet love you and me had?
Against the door he leans and starts a scene,
And his tears fall and burn the garden green
"I always tell the truth. Even when I lie" - T. Montana
---
"Yeah i know... sounds stupid." Aldrin said.
#18 INC forever
I actually agree with most of this. The only difference is I do like the earlier stuff too. But, I think that the White Album is very overrated.
I'll list some of my favorite songs from my favorite albums:
Rubber Soul: This album I basically love every song on it, and all the songs have a very similar vibe going on, but these are just a few tracks that stick out for me.
- If I Needed Someone
- Norwegian Wood
- I'm Looking Through You
- You Won't See Me
I just want to add We Can Work it Out and Day Tripper Here, since they were released right after the album.
Revolver: Same thing here. I really love every song on this album, some of them are just plain brilliant:
- I'm Only Sleeping
- She Said, She Said (This is possibly my favorite Beatles song in general)
- Doctor Robert
- I Want to Tell You
- Good Day Sunshine
- Got to Get You into My Life
Sgt. Peppers: When my parents first bought me my first walkman, when I was about 7 or 8, this was the tape that they give me with it. Its an awesome album, I don't think its quite as good as some of their others, but its still tremendous.
- Getting Better
- Fixing a Hole
- She's Leaving Home
- Within You Without You
- Lovely Rita
- A Day in the Life
Let it Be: Personally, I prefer Let it Be: Naked, I like the stripped down versions of the song better than the overly produced ones, but I guess that's all opinion.
- Dig a Pony
- I've Got a Feeling
- One After 909
- I Me Mine (Again, one of my favorite Beatles songs in general. Really awesome)
Abbey Road: What can I say about Abbey Road? It's absolutely incredible.
- Oh Darling
- Here Comes the Sun
- I Want You
- Oh Darling
And basically the entirely medley at the end of the album starting with You Never Give Me Money is tremendous.
also going to the cavern club, The Beatles Experience, Penny Lane, Strwaberry Fields.
just thought i'd gloat
I can see Penny Lane from the bottom of my road and I used to work in a record shop there.
George Harrison was my mum's best friend's cousin and I spent the night in his house - he was a lovely man.
excuse me... i said i was gloating
Oops, sorry
I was riding around on a Bicycle in New York City listening to the "Blue Album" of "2nd Phase" hits the other day and was struck by a thought that I never imagined I could possibly have about the Beatles. As ashamed as I am to admit it... for a few moments there I found myself thinking "Gee... this isn't really that great."
Now to further qualify that let me note that just last summer I got into the habit of riding about 10 miles after work while listening to the Avocado album just after it came out. From there I started making Pearl Jam the staple of my bike riding and couldn't get enough of just soaring along by the Hudson River listening to "Riot Act" or "No Code" or... you know the drill.
Now I grew up on / with the Beatles. Not that I'm from the 60s, but like you I knew / know the Beatles are Iconic, and to be fair they are pretty much what turned me on to music in the 6th grade back in the 80s and I am a huge fan.
So much so that when I started reading posts here in the pit by people saying they were having trouble "getting the Beatles" I had trouble "getting those posts". But then came my bike ride recently, listening to the Beatles in a situation where I'd gotten used to hearing Pearl Jam... and for the first time I kind of heard how the Beatles might sound... well... lame.
Then interestingly enough I saw Jan Weiner the editor of rolling stone magazine the other day on TV. He was asked if the Beatles were the greatest band ever, and he said they were the greatest studio band... and pointed out they didn't play live at all after the mid 60s.
So with that ramble out of the way here's what I'd say the trick is to listening to the Beatles. Don't listen to them strictly in terms of Rock and Roll. Listen to them in terms of creativity and inventiveness... Then remember that nearly everything they did from probably 'Rubber Soul' on hadn't been invented before.
With Pearl Jam you one gets to hear just amazing almost telepathic interplay amongst hard driving musicians. With the Beatles you get to hear craftsmanship and telepathic interplay in vocal harmonies and arrangement ideas. The *writing* is always amazing... though again it's important to remember that from Sgt. Pepper on most of the playing involved overdubbing.
The playing was brilliant, don't get me wrong, but it's going to sound a little "stiff" compared to Pearl Jam because these were four guys overdubbing on each others takes, not five guys going for broke on stage.
A lot of what made the Beatles so unique can be hard to grasp immediately because... well the world has spent the last 40 years imitating everything they've done. In fact what may be most amazing about the Beatles is that there is still so much there that *does* sound fresh after 40 years of non stop immitation by literally thousands of musicians trying to outdo them.
Focus on the vocal harmonies. That's where you can hear some of the same sort of "magic" Jeff and Stone have. Paul and John and George were singing together since they were teen agers. The would effortlessly sing parts together that no three grown men could ever get loose enough with each other to sing. There's a magic in that. Listen to the way tape loops and instruments start blending together starting with Sgt Pepper.
And listen to the use of orchestra and classical instruments in their music. Don't forget this was before midi, techno, or sequencing. That Piano chord at the end of "A day in the life" ... or the whole of "Eleanor Rigby" were just mind blowing explorations beyond the boundaries of music anyone else had made at that time.
Pearl Jam to my ears is by far the better band in terms of musicians playing on stage... and part of the Pearl Jam magic is that they stick to the primary colors of Rock and Roll and just refine it, and refine it.
But the Beatles helped to define the primary colors of rock and roll, and not only that, they went out and mixed and matched and blended a few colors of their own that no one else had though to use. Another way of relating to the Beatles, esspecially if you are comming to them as a Pearl Jam fan, is to think of the way both bands made defining decisions to put art before *just*making a buck.
With Pearl Jam the move towards art before commerce came from saying no to videos, and putting the live show first.
With Beatles the move towards art before commerce came from saying no to touring and putting the recording studio first. That might not at first make a lot of sense for a Pearl Jam fan, since with Pearl Jam so MUCH is about the live show. But remember the Beatles were THE first rock band playing in stadiums, and when they showed up at Shea... the only speakers anyone had to pump their music through were the same crap horn speakers used for such high fidelity musical treats as "Take me out to ball game " and announcements of "Now hitting in the bottom of the eigth". So when the Beatles decided not to tour it was there way of saying no to MTV. They were saying no to insane loud tours with crap early stadium sound systems where people were just showing up to see the "fab four" and scream. There were no questions about the Fortune they could have made from doing that. Instead they took not only a road less traveled, but at that time, a road which was completely untraveled be deciding to devote their time recording increasingly inventive and complex music in the studio.
In both cases what makes each band special is a focus on art before just "phoning it in" for a pay check. Both bands made a journey to stay true to what music making meant to them. So that's the secret I suppose in listening to the Beatles. You are listening for the spark of creativity, and the choices they made to nurture that spark ahead of anything else.
It can be a bit tricky trying to reverse engineer the Beatles since they've been mimicked and copied to death, but again remember that no one else had done what they did before, and no other band ever had greater temptation to just coast, take it easy, sell soap and rake in billions by just showing up for photo shoots and crap "phone it in" concerts.
Like Pearl Jam they went very much their own way, and made music that helped make a band like Pearl Jam possible to begin with.
Good luck discovering them. Take them in on their own terms, and search for the "Discoveries" they made. It will be an incredible journey.
alot of their early sungs have brillant melody and don't forget that they were learning their trade at the time. Each album is a jump in progression and style.
I had a tape on in the car the other day and the first song on side two was Within without you. Now when I first heard Pepper I didn't like this song but I have grown to love it and their are very few beatle tracks that I dislike.
The anthologies were gold for older fans I except along with BBC sessions for people who saw them on tour at an early stage
-Greg Dulli
HEHE the same could be said for chris cornell but he plays live shitty. Why does everyone on dislike the white album? WTF?
Long Long Long
Helter Skelter
Glass Onion
Happiness is a Warm Gun
I'm So Tired
Bungalow Bill
Dear Prudence
Julia
It's a great album for sure there is some filler, when I say filler I mean it in the most minimal way. But to come out with such an enormous amount of material after writing Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Peppers, and Magical Mystery Tour is crazy. Those are like 4 of the best albums of ALL TIME. Has anyone ever looked at the track listing of Magical Mystery Tour lately? Its almost like a greatest hits album.
1. Magical Mystery Tour
2. Fool on the Hill
3. Flying
4. Blue Jay Way
5. Your Mother Should Know
6. I Am the Walrus
7. Hello Goodbye
8. Strawberry Fields Forever
9. Penny Lane
10. Baby You're a Rich Man
11. All You Need Is Love
and that just goes to show you how talented this band really was. Think about it. The band made "videos" as promotion, Sgt. Peppers was one of the first concept albums. To follow those four albums with the white album, let it be, and abbey road is astonishing. Thank god they knew how to end it when they were on top or they would have been the rolling stones. Even their solo stuff is amazing, All things must pass, Plastic Ono Band, Imagine, Ram? The Beatles hands down were the best band ever. If you don't believe me watch the video of Hey Jude when the crowd rushes the stage during the na na na na na na part, because they were so emotionally attached to them.