Is the Beatles 1962-66 (the 'red' alb) the only record of theirs that you need?

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Burr is so right it's not funny. 62-66 are the best years, though the red album is hardly the best sampling. (Understandably, though, as none of the great songs he mentions were hits, and that's what those two comps are.) The Beatles comp I made for myself is near-perfect, has almost none of the early hits (not that those aren't great, just that I don't often need to hear them again), and doesn't go beyond '65. And it still has about 25 songs. In other words-it's all about those early album cuts.

(Cross-post thought: and I agree that "Come On Come On" is great too!)

― s woods, Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:27 (twenty-three years ago)

''he sadly shook his head at me and asked, "what about 'ticket to ride,' yancey?"''

that's right bro!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:29 (twenty-three years ago)

he stuck it to me! (he called me two days ago to say that he saw george harrison in food lion (a southern grocery store). "what was he doing?" i asked him. "being sad," dylan answered. "that's how i knew it was him.")

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:30 (twenty-three years ago)

(My li'l bro said to me today, when I asked him who his favourite superhero is: "Fasty, the one with the thunder on his head." He meant Flash. Cos' he goes, err, fast.)

― Cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:32 (twenty-three years ago)

of course, julio, you can just take the red. easy. and a bit of white, if you like.
after the red and white, prob-b-b-b-bly, some day you wanna a bite of the blue too. and after that, well, there's still lots of them left ;-)
will you report back please when you've gotten to 'rubber soul'?

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:34 (twenty-three years ago)

That's great, Cozen. How old?

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:35 (twenty-three years ago)

He's 6.

― Cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Beatles for Sale is probably my favorite as well. Everyone talks about Rubber Soul, but Beatles for Sale is when they really became conscious. Lennon owns that record; the songwriting is sublime. The covers are inspired.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm just starting to come out of a v. long period of Beatles-hatred, so... the Blue alb. Early Beatles (up to 'Help' at least) really sounds tepid and lameo nowadays - McCartney's pitiful Little Richard impersonation, the general rubness of George Harrison on 'lead' gtr, the sparkly clean, polite lab coat production, Lennon behaving himself, the godawful weedy cover versions. Jess is right abt them not being an 'album-album' band, 'cos wldn't everyone in the world prefer to compile their own dream Beatles comp rather than listen straight through to 'Revolver' or 'Sgt. Pepper' (whereas I wldn't want to tamper w/ (yeah ho-hum) 'Exile on Main St' at all.) I'm sure Julio's right that 'The White Album' is their best alb, 'cos the warty/shitty bits are mostly fun or harmless, and I like the 'four sides of a personality' aspect of its dbl-albness (Beatlesgroupmind = overrated!)

Haven't we had this out before, that the Beatles (and esp. 'competitive' Paul) were trying to rip off the Who rather than the Velvets on 'Helter Skelter' (which I'm afraid I love, even now, still - "I've got blisters on my fingers" works for me!

Gd thread.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Which Beatles album would be better off as a four-song EP? My answer: Sgt. Peppers. The tracks:

1) Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
2) Within You, Without You
3) Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
4) A Day in the Life

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:48 (twenty-three years ago)

''Gd thread.''

well after no one replying to my spontaneous music ensemble thread I thought I'd get this in instead.

I was joking abt helter skelter. I've no idea as I've hardly have heard any who (I got their live at leeds LP but I've only heard it once).

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:52 (twenty-three years ago)

the beatles never made a truly great album-album: admit it, you lot!

"Rubber Soul" and "Abbey Road" make great album albums.

I should stay out of this and all related threads, as I'm one of the dying breed on ILX that likes the Beatles, still.

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:03 (twenty-three years ago)

My dream Beatles album would include "Eleanor Rigby", "I Am The Walrus", "Within You Without You", "Yesterday" and "A Day In The Life".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:06 (twenty-three years ago)

I can't believe the Eleanor Rigby hate. "Picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been." = objective correlative par excellence u r gay.

― g--ff c-nn-n (gcannon), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:11 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't find any of their albums completely satisfactory, but they recorded many many many great songs, which aren't all going to be on the Red album.

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:21 (twenty-three years ago)

the beatles are (one of) the reasons mp3 file sharing exists

― jess (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:26 (twenty-three years ago)

"Eleanor Rigby" is highly skipable.

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:35 (twenty-three years ago)

(This thread makes me want to go out and buy every crucial Beatles CD I don't own.)

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:36 (twenty-three years ago)

"Eleanor Rigby" is highly skipable.

I agree with this in the sense that I think it's completely wrong.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:37 (twenty-three years ago)

"Eleanor Rigby:" the lyrics are amazing and the melody haunting, but for some reason that I can't put my finger on, it just comes off as cold. Is it the orchestra, perhaps? Maybe it's that raw emotions and unending loneliness would be best put simply, not accompanied by swooning strings...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:39 (twenty-three years ago)

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Beatles for Sale as best Beatles album=typical ILM contrarian posturing. (I don't really believe that, but it does seem like overcompensation for the relative neglect of that album.)

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll admit Paul sounds a bit detached for my tastes on "Eleanor Rigby". Part of my problem with the band from "Revolver" on is when Paul sounds like he's TRYING to be deep.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:41 (twenty-three years ago)

if you want one double-disc comp of the beatles, get "rock n roll music." it has "bad boy", "i'm down," "helter skelter," "you can't do that" and "hey bulldog."

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Beatles for Sale as best Beatles album=typical ILM contrarian posturing

Oh no way, RockSci. It's a very considered opinion. I own all their albums, plus the Anthologies, etc. etc. I'm think my posts probably come off canonically rockist at times, but this is one case where I break from it. Again, 1) it's very Lennon dominated (whom I prefer - see I'm a rockist!), 2) the lyrics are very self-aware, clever ("If I were you /I'd realize that I / Love you more /Than any other guy"; "oh dear what can I do / baby's in black and I'm feeling blue"; all of "I'm a Loser").

"I'll Follow the Sun" just kills me with the "oh well the time has come / and so my love I must go" middle eight part or whatever it's called. "Eight Days A Week" might be my favorite early pop hit of theirs, plus more lyrical fun - "eight days a week". The covers are great: "Mr Moonlight"?! Where in the heck did they find that song? Two Carl Perkins tunes? See, they were totally on top of their game, becoming aware of themselves and their ability, having new experiences; and they made a half brilliant, introspective record, and half rollicking fun.

Plus "What You're Doing" invents The Byrds!

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 23:58 (twenty-three years ago)

u r gay?

― Savin All My Love 4 u (Savin 4ll my (heart) 4u), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Could not disagree with Andrew L more. It's their later stuff that sounds dated now. The first six albums hold up remarkably well: great singing, incredible rhythm section, good production (especially from the third album on) but, most of all, so much better songs than later. Lennon's discovery of Dylan (i.e. valuing revealing his soul over pop craft) is very nearly the end of his writing great songs. Plus it's so distasteful that their being lauded at the time as "serious art" coincided (Sgt Pepper) with their eliminating almost all r&b reference points from thier music.

― Burr (Burr), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:02 (twenty-three years ago)

"Eleanor Rigby" should be left off of any further pressings of Beatles albums and anything even tangentially Beatles-related. The master tape should be destroyed. In fact, let's cut out McCartney's vocal cords too, so he'll never sing it live.
If you swap out the phrase "Elenor Rigby" and replace it with "Yesterday", "Yellow Submarine" or that crummy song about Mr Kite, i'd vouch for what you have just said. Mostly Yellow Submarine.
Oh, how I pray and hope and wish for a dayglo lime green depth charge to sink the Yellow Submarine. That is my dream. Amen.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I love Yesterday, and I used to hate Yellow Submarine until I heard Bill Hicks talk about how FUCKED UP they must have been when they made it.

Ringo's hanging from the chandelier and he's got a little song he'd like to sing!

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:09 (twenty-three years ago)

"Ringo, Yoko's Gone! Come down, we can party!"

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:11 (twenty-three years ago)

I admire Eleanor Rigby but I don't want to listen to it much. I could imagine skipping it. But 'Velvet Underground rip off'? I presume this is a joke, if only from the point of view of chronology (yeah, I guess the VU were just about going in April 66 but I somehow doubt the Beatles, less still George Martin would have made the trip to NY to hear them)

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, the cliche is that only the uber-hip muso elite even knew about the VU. I would assume at least John Lennon would qualify as a member of said elite.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Which Beatles album would be better off as a four-song EP?

their entire career would have been better as a four-song EP. and i *still* wouldn't listen to it.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:35 (twenty-three years ago)

anyhow. forget about that. What I'd like to know is THIS:
Doesn't One render both the Red and Blue albums obsolete?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:36 (twenty-three years ago)

I really like Sgt. Pepper's. It's got all those funny sounds on it you don't even have to listen to the songs (which are actually really good; i actually like every song on that album). "Getting Better" is super catchy and "When I'm 64" is funny but it's also kind of touching. "A Day in the Life" is the best song they ever wrote. I have never heard the red album but if it doesn't have that and "Tomorrow Never Knows" I'd look a little deeper.

Per Custos's question: One is the only Beatles album you need in your car

― Adam A. (Keiko), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Okay, I just looked at the tracklist, and I see that the only song after "Eleanor Rigby" is "Yellow Submarine" which prompts me to ask, why are you skipping it and not just turning it the fuck off?

"You've Got the Hide Your Love Away" is a GREAT song.

― Adam A. (Keiko), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Hurrah for Adam. Sgt Pepper is indeed their best album and it's bizarre how quickly this has become a controversial opinion.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 01:50 (twenty-three years ago)

it's so fun to dismiss pillars

― Brett G. (Brett G.), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 03:29 (twenty-three years ago)

RS, I like Beatles for Sale because (1) it is nicely posed between the unpretentious enthusiasm of the early stuff and the writerly ambition of the later stuff' and (2) none of the songs have been overexposed, so it's more possible to hear with fresh ears.

I credit all their records, although I've never been able to sustain much enthusiasm for anything post-Magical Mystery Tour.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 03:38 (twenty-three years ago)

I am listening to Beatles for Sale (on cassette) now (and once again, I am reminded that my tape-player is just about shot). When I first bought this, I think a lot of the material was relatively fresh to me, so I see your point on that, Amateurist.

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 26 March 2003 03:43 (twenty-three years ago)

"Eleanor Rigby" should be left off of any further pressings of Beatles albums and anything even tangentially Beatles-related. The master tape should be destroyed.

or just replace it with the Doodles Weaver version, which is completely and utterly CLASSIC

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 03:47 (twenty-three years ago)

No, it isn't

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 04:25 (twenty-three years ago)

"Eleanor Rigby" is amazing.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 04:57 (twenty-three years ago)

"'Eleanor Rigby/killed all the mice' -no! that would be cruel!" oh yes Doodles had his finger on the pulse of that song

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 05:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Replace it, but with the Ray Charles version (and the Rayettes go, "People! People!")

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 06:08 (twenty-three years ago)

I can't believe I'm just getting in on this discussion.

Point by point, then. I prefer pre-psych Beatles to post-psych, but Revolver is still their best, as perfect as any album I've ever heard. The idea that Beatles For Sale, their worst studio album, is all you need is laughable beyond laughter; "Mr. Moonlight" is the worst thing they ever recorded, the covers sound tired generally, the whole thing feels exhausted, which continues into Help! (see title track), and then Rubber Soul figures out what to do with that exhaustion. I don't know how much the Beatles took from Velvets but I know the Stones did--Jagger once told an interviewer that "Stray Cat Blues" was a straight VU rip. I like "Eleanor Rigby" fine but I have a hard time liking it anywhere but after "Taxman" and before "I'm Only Sleeping." Dave Q's non-Beatles Beatles pantheon, I kiss you.

Who else here is an eternal sucker for "Hello Goodbye"?

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 06:38 (twenty-three years ago)

here's an idea: Elanor Rigby is a great song, but it's TOO FAST. it comes off as unemotional to some because it goes along at what is really a bloody great clip, too fast for the subject matter. formally interesting, maybe, but really just kind of kills the sentiment of the whole thing. now if it were too slow, it would just be an onerous dirge that nobody would ever sit through, but i think take it down a couple of notches and you have a k-grebt record.

(y'know what i like about this thread? there is nothing even vaguely approaching a consensus).

― Dave M. (rotten03), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 06:53 (twenty-three years ago)

you guys should all be listening to that gygax! fellow who got it right way up there ^^^^

― random googler #27787 (gygax!), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 07:02 (twenty-three years ago)

I was half-joking when I said that Beatles for Sale was "all you need"--obviously it's not the first or last thing anyone should hear (or is likely to hear) from the Beatles. But it's the record I listen to the most, and the one that seems to be least everywhere--the one I can hear the most through all the overexposure (and no doubt the fog of my own elitism and jadedness). The innovations on this record are sort of one-per-song, simple and gentle. It has a notably pared-down feel. What Matos hears as exhaustion, I hear as modesty--maybe it's both, actually. But I admit that Rubber Soul and Revolver are relative effusions of new musical ideas. Perhaps my recommendation was a paltry (and on this board, sort of pointless) attempt to contest the "progressive" narrative of the Beatle's career w/o being a total absolutist about it by recommending Please Please Me (ha! my 2nd favorite record).

I genuinely envy Matos his earnestness--I just need to listen to Revolver again (strong memories of loving "And Your Bird Can Sing" coming to the fore) to come to the same conclusions, I bet.

I guess I should probably have recommended Past Masters because where else can you find "We Can Work It Out" (yum), etc.?

― Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 07:58 (twenty-three years ago)

I mean, it's hard to talk about the Beatles. They're like the Citizen Kane of popular music. It's sort of pointless to say Kane isn't as great as another film of its year, How Green Was My Valley, because after 60 years it occupies such a central place in the canon, is such a locus classicus of techniques and ideas, that to criticize it in this way is (1) probably beside the point; (2) pique, since it is so fucking good anyway. The Beatles are such a huge elephant of a phenomenon that it's hard not to take any critical stance toward them that hasn't already become caricature and then some. At a certain point something that is continually called "important" or "the best" just becomes those things by natural right. Maybe.

I guess listening to the Beatles records as I am now--and Matos is right, Revolver is incredible--reminds me of a few things. That it isn't "just music" than I'm listening to, ever, since something about the band's elephant status gets in the way--no matter how much I admire and enjoy the music, there is a part of my brain for which it remains...anaesthetic.

It's 2 AM and I hope that makes some sense because I'll be sleeping when/if anyone chooses to respond to it.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 08:13 (twenty-three years ago)

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"In 2022, Ringo quit the Beatles for three days"

Ahah then Paul sent him virtual flowers

― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 15:28 (two years ago)

hoffman board consensus

Sounds so unlikely, I am almost tempted to look in on the boards and check - but no.

― Dr Drudge (Bob Six), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 15:45 (two years ago)

Ha ha

― Alba, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 15:48 (two years ago)

The current punch-up is "Did Paul or Ringo do the drumming on "Old Brown Shoe" ? "

― Mark G, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 16:49 (two years ago)

yeah I'm not sure why anyone thinks that's Paul. Even though the primary rhythm is kind of a shuffle, there are too many other sophisticated things happening with the drums in that song for it to be him. Also, doesn't Ringo sing along with George on that? It would be weird for him to have done vocals but no drums.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 21:52 (two years ago)

Paul played drums on … “The Ballad of John and Yoko” and… “Back in the USSR,” is that it?

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 22:02 (two years ago)

Or Ken Scott Frankenstein tape take on the latter?

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 22:04 (two years ago)

For a long time people thought Paul played drums on Dear Prudence but I think that's been debunked now

― nate woolls, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 22:09 (two years ago)

Paul also plays drums on Why Don't We Do It In The Road and Martha My Dear, I think.

― bookmarkflaglink (Darin), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 22:17 (two years ago)

there seems to be a hoffman board consensus that there is a mistake in the Nowhere Man mix with the track holding the high hats; it's apparently off by about 20 milliseconds.

ha, listening to that I thought I heard the beat slip by a tenth when it came out of the solo, perhaps that's where my rhythm brain caught up. Wouldn't be the first time (cf "Eleanor Rigby" on the Yellow Sub Songtrack).

― assert (matttkkkk), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 22:27 (two years ago)

Paul also did the drum solo on The End, did he not?

― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 16 November 2023 04:41 (two years ago)

Nope, definitely Ringo

― assert (matttkkkk), Thursday, 16 November 2023 05:13 (two years ago)

Believe he was pulling our leg with that one.

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 November 2023 05:21 (two years ago)

Best drummer in The Beatles after all.

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 November 2023 05:22 (two years ago)

Pete Best, drummer in the Beatles

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 16 November 2023 05:39 (two years ago)

The Best of the Beatles

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 November 2023 06:13 (two years ago)

if anyone debunked paul playing drums on dear prudence I don't believe it - it sounds way more like his style and if ringo is on it at all it's just for the bit of straight 4/4 at the end (but I don't think he is)

it's a much better performance than the "composite" john/paul/george drum track from USSR which they probably should have rerecorded

regardless best was clearly the worst drummer in the beatles by some distance

― Left, Thursday, 16 November 2023 07:24 (two years ago)

Paul also plays drums on Why Don't We Do It In The Road and Martha My Dear, I think.

I’m pretty WDWDIITR was recorded by Paul and Ringo alone (and it’s a poor track afaic).

― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 16 November 2023 07:32 (two years ago)

_Paul also plays drums on Why Don't We Do It In The Road and Martha My Dear, I think._

I’m pretty WDWDIITR was recorded by Paul and Ringo alone (and it’s a poor track afaic).

Pretty sure !

― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 16 November 2023 08:20 (two years ago)

He’s very fussy about his drums, you know.

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 November 2023 00:40 (two years ago)

They loom large in his legend.

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 November 2023 00:40 (two years ago)

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