The Beatles' Solo Careers Poll - Voting and General Discussion Thread

I like how it includes album tracks ("Cloud Nine," "Life Itself," "That's the Way It Goes").

Did you ever hear the version of "That's the Way It Goes" that Joe Brown does on Concert for George? It's super nice.

baffled by the lyrics of 'C Moon', i ran across this annotation on genius

C Moon means ‘cool’. If you make a ‘C’ and a ‘Moon’ with your fingers, and put them together, you get a circle, essentially the opposite of a ‘square’, meaning uncool. So, she is C-moon, or ‘cool’ to me(the protagonist of the song.

it's an accomplishment for mccartney that this interpretations makes just as much sense as anything else, but that the song is still so fun to listen to.

Well yeah, hence the lyric "it will be L7" ...

'Single Pigeon' is a lovely tune - one of my favourites on Red Rose Speedway, which I'd put down there with my least favourite McCartney albums.

thirding the love for "single pigeon," which you'd think would have gotten more attention after miguel dropped "drugs." "san ferry anne" is a good album track too, dunno if it'd make my ballot ("warm and beautiful" might).

er the miguel song is "Do You..." obv

i saw aldous harding cover "single pigeon" last year and she introduced it by calling it her favorite song of all time. i was delighted to discover it -- such a simple, quiet, gorgeous song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUkzPr_ap9E

I'm going to allow any non-Beatles track that features the appearance of at least Beatle. This means collaborative things like the Traveling Wilburys, Yoko Ono tracks that John plays on, Nilsson's Pussycats, "Badge" by Cream, McCartney + randos collabs etc. are all eligible.

how do ppl feel about the eligibility of the Yoko Ono tracks from Milk And Honey? my understanding is that they were mostly recorded a few years after Lennon's death, so technically don't feature the 'appearance' of any Beatles, but they're part of a collaborative project with Lennon, so I'd be inclined to include them - certainly if stuff like Fly and Approximately Infinite Universe is also going to be eligible?

I was thinking maybe having a collaborative spotify listening playlist would be practical?

https://open.spotify.com/user/betamaxdk/playlist/61os6iMh4h0qY70BawKB5U

oh yeah and I started off by adding Great Day from Flaming Pie, as good an album as Macca ever recorded

'Calico Skies' would be an easy pick from that album for me.

Before I send in my ballot, can someone link to a list of records the Beatles guested on? I've tried various search terms and I'm not getting anything except the reverse, guest appearances on Beatles records.

Nice idea niels!

So long as we're on Flaming Pie, I added "Beautiful Night," which is a little cheeseball but was probably my favorite song on that album when it came out.

(what's the etiquette for this kind of thing? any appropriate limit of 'x tracks per person per album' or whatever? i could sit and add fifty tracks in the next twenty minutes but don't want to blot out the community vibe!)

I was thinking of going through the thread to add all tracks mentioned

I think maybe add tracks you're thinking about voting for, stuff you want to highlight?

I watched the doc about the making of Flaming Pie and Beautiful Night really bangs still, and Macca is massively cheesy.

Great mix of Macca solo stuff here: https://www.nts.live/shows/radio-jiro/episodes/radio-jiro-30th-april-2018

Never heard Goodnight Tonight before - absolutely love it

Beautiful Night is a great composition but the Flaming Pie version really sings, above the older demo, with the presence of Ringo on drums and backing vocals. Always a pleasure.

Speaking of Ringo... what're the great tracks there? As a teenager, I read in some record guide (or maybe a Beatles collectibles price guide - my mom dealt antiques) that his first couple solo albums were surprisingly consistent, enjoyable country-western exercises .... but I swear all I've ever seen in the bins are endless copies of Stop And Smell The Roses, Ringo's Rotogravure, Goodnight Vienna, and the hideous Blast From Your Past comp. I've owned the latter two and there's some pleasant, genially inessential but friendly and warm material, kinda basically what I would have wanted out of Ringo post-Beatles. "It Don't Come Easy" is a killer George single. His cover of Roger Miller's "Husbands and Wives" is nice, as is the similarly hangdog "Beaucoups of Blues.". His "You're Sixteen" is a great rendition, shame the song is so gross, but it's probably the best any of them did with that early 70s wave of sock-hop throwbacks. The blowsier "I've partied my voice off with Keith Moon" material ("Goodnight Vienna," "I'm The Greatest," "Back off Boogaloo") makes me smile even if it kinda feels like you had to be there. And " No No Song" - sorry, Alfred! - is a totally charming, stupid Hoyt Axton novelty... like it comes into focus that the millions buying Ringo 45s likely overlapped a great deal with the fans of Jim Stafford, Ray Stevens, and Jimmy Buffett. I like that as a fate for an ex-Beatle, just another humorous AM radio act. Plus Nilsson's lightness on the "ay, ay ay" stuff is a nice vocal foil for our boy.

OK, and "Wrack My Brain" does get in my head sometimes, but oh mannn it's lousy.

Also mannnn the credits on Ringo albums are just a maze of appearances by the other Beatles, songs they wrote for him, songs they wrote *and* recorded for him... seems like despite all the acrimony everybody liked Ringo and vice versa. You almost get the sense from Wikipedia that if legal/drug issues hadn't kept Paul out of the US when the self-titled album was being recorded, that you might have actually gotten a song with all four of them. Macca plays the fucking kazoo on "You're Sixteen" - the only time he and Nilsson were on the same track, I think. (Are Nilsson and Klaus Voormann the only person to have appeared on songs with all four solo Beatles?)

Ram would def win over Plastic Ono Band.

Yoko Ono tracks that John plays on

by 1968 Yoko Ono was as much a part of the band as any of them. in fact by playing with Ringo and John on her tracks, her material ironically has more Beatles playing on it than were on Beatles songs by this time. the last 2 years had everybody do solo stuff. after Abbey Road George was free to work on his own material for once and produce an amazing album. Paul took a vacay on a farm w his fam and made a stoned 4 track diy record. the other half of the Beatles had already started a noise band and were playing for a good year before the Beatles official broke up.

before Abbey Road was even out they had put together a krautrock band focusing on drone rock minimalism and catharsis with "Cold Turkey" and "Don't Worry Kyoko" (the latter possibly the punkest thing the Beatles ever did). working on this music was Yoko, John, Ringo, Klaus Voorman (German art student/designer of Revolver/bassist), and at one point Alan White, who was the session musician originally brought in to replace Ringo for their very first single ever "Love Me Do". Ringo ended up replacing him, in a weird twist of fate.

http://images.45cat.com/john-lennon-plastic-ono-band-cold-turkey-apple-2.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cR-6usPnNI

i absolutely adore the "Give Peace a Chance" b-side "Remember Love". this should have been on the White Album.

"You and Me (Babe)" is my favorite song on Ringo. Great George Harrison composition.

(Are Nilsson and Klaus Voormann the only person to have appeared on songs with all four solo Beatles?)

Bobby Keys maybe, if he also played on "You're Sixteen", because that would have been his one shot w/Paul.

Checking the credits on my Ringo best of, and apparently Keys is not on "You're Sixteen".

He probably is on A Toot and A Snore w/John & Paul, but that's a boot.

and at one point Alan White, who was the session musician originally brought in to replace Ringo for their very first single ever "Love Me Do". Ringo ended up replacing him, in a weird twist of fate.

They were actually different Andy Whites!

Andy White (Yes drummer)

Andy White (drummer)

Was gonna say, yes.

Are Nilsson and Klaus Voormann the only person to have appeared on songs with all four solo Beatles?

there are some great tracks on Stop And Smell The Roses (which seems to have recently been removed from spotify? Old Wave is not on there either). I really like this Stephen Stills song, the laid-back, blissed out vibe reminds me a bit of Gone Troppo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAL-RPMD7wI

I have only just "discovered" "The Other Me" on "Pipes of Peace" (I was never really interested in Macca's 80s albums...).
I love its smooth synth mood and the melody is great (also the lyrics are nice and not silly for a 40yo man).

That version of Stop and Smell the Roses that was on Spotify sounded horrible!

Here's a list of all the eligible John Lennon tracks. I'll try to do this for the others as well, and then compile them all into a master list.

JOHN LENNON

Solo and with Yoko Ono

non-album singles

Give Peace a Chance
Cold Turkey
Instant Karma
Power to the People
Open Your Box
Remember Love
Who Has Seen the Wind?
Happy Xmas (War is Over)
Listen, the Snow Is Falling
Walking on Thin Ice

Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins
Two Virgins No. 1
Together
Two Virgins No. 2
Two Virgins No. 3
Two Virgins No. 4
Two Virgins No. 5
Two Virgins No. 6
Hushabye Hushabye
Two Virgins No. 7
Two Virgins No. 8
Two Virgins No. 9
Two Virgins No. 10

Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions
Cambridge 1969
No Bed for Beatle John
Baby's Heartbeat
Two Minutes Silence
Radio Play
Song for John
Mulberry

Wedding Album
John & Yoko
Amsterdam

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Mother
Hold On
I Found Out
Working Class Hero
Isolation
Remember
Love
Well Well Well
Look at Me
God
My Mummy's Dead

Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band
Why
Why Not
Greenfield Morning I Pushed an Empty Baby Carriage All Over the City
AOS
Touch Me
Paper Shoes

Imagine
Imagine
Crippled Inside
Jealous Guy
It's So Hard
I Don't Want to be a Soldier
Give Me Some Truth
Oh My Love
How Do You Sleep?
How?
Oh Yoko!

Fly - Yoko Ono (producer, guitar, piano, organ)
Midsummer New York
Mind Train
Mind Holes
Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)
Mrs. Lennon
Hirake (previously released as "Open Your Box")
Toilet Piece/Unknown
O'Wind (Body Is the Scar of Your Mind)
Airmale
Don't Count the Waves
You
Fly
Telephone Piece

Some Time in New York City
Woman Is the Nigger of the World
Sisters, O Sisters
Attica State
Born in a Prison
New York City
Sunday Bloody Sunday
The Luck of the Irish
John Sinclair
Angela
We're All Water
Cold Turkey
Don't Worry Kyoko
Well (Baby Please Don't Go)
Jamrag
Scumbag
Aü

Mind Games
Mind Games
Tight A$
Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)
One Day (At a Time)
Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)
Nutopian International Anthem
Intuition
Out the Blue
Only People
I Know (I Know)
You Are Here
Meat City

Approximately Infinite Universe - Yoko Ono
Yang Yang
Death of Samantha
I Want My Love to Rest Tonight
What Did I Do!
Have You Seen a Horizon Lately?
Approximately Infinite Universe
Peter the Dealer
Song for John
Catman (The Rosies Are Coming)
What a Bastard the World Is
Waiting for the Sunrise
I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass Window
Winter Song
Kite Song
What a Mess
Shiranakatta (I Didn't Know)
Air Talk
I Have a Woman Inside My Soul
Move on Fast
Now or Never
Is Winter Here to Stay?
Looking Over from My Hotel Window

Walls and Bridges
Going Down on Love
Whatever Gets You thru the Night
Old Dirt Road
What You Got
Bless You
Scared
#9 Dream
Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)
Steel and Glass
Beef Jerky
Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)
Ya Ya

Rock 'n' Roll
Be-Bop-A-Lula
Stand by Me
Medley: Rip It Up/Ready Teddy
You Can't Catch Me
Ain't That a Shame
Do You Wanna Dance?
Sweet Little Sixteen
Slippin' and Slidin'
Peggy Sue
Medley: Bring It On Home to Me/Send Me Some Lovin'
Bony Moronie
Just Because
Angel Baby
To Know Her Is to Love Her
Since My Baby Left Me
Just Because (Reprise)

Double Fantasy
(Just Like) Starting Over
Kiss Kiss Kiss
Cleanup Time
Give Me Something
I'm Losing You
I'm Moving On
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
Watching the Wheels
Yes, I'm Your Angel
Woman
Beautiful Boys
Dear Yoko
Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him
Hard Times Are Over

Milk & Honey
I'm Stepping Out
I Don't Wanna Face It
Nobody Told Me
Borrowed Time
(Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess
Grow Old With Me

Other artists

We Love You - The Rolling Stones (backing vocals and handclaps)
Do the Oz - Bill Elliot and the Elastic Oz Band (vocals)
I'm The Greatest - Ringo Starr (piano and harmony vocals)
She Hits Back - Yoko Ono (producer, guitar)
Woman Power - Yoko Ono (producer, guitar)
Too Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup) - Mick Jagger (producer)
The Bitch is Back - Elton John (tambourine)
Goodnight Vienna - Ringo Starr (vocals/piano)
All By Myself - Ringo Starr (guitar)
Only You (and You Alone) - Ringo Starr (guitar)
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John (guitar, backing vocals)
Across the Universe - David Bowie (vocals, guitar, backing vocals)
Fame - David Bowie (vocals, guitar, backing vocals)
Cookin (in the Kitchen of Love) - Ringo Starr (piano)
John Lennon for President - David Peel and the Lower East Side (producer)
I'm Losing You - Cheap Trick (vocals)

The Pope Smokes Dope - David Peel and the Lower East Side (producer)
I'm a Runaway
Everybody's Smoking Marijuana
F Is Not a Dirty Word
The Hippie from New York City
McDonald's Farm
The Ballad of New York City
The Ballad of Bob Dylan
The Chicago Conspiracy
The Hip Generation
I'm Gonna Start Another Riot
The Birth Control Blues
The Pope Smokes Dope
Amerika

Elephant's Memory - Elephants Memory (producer, guitar, backing vocals)
Liberation Special
Baddest Of The Mean
Crying Blacksheep Blues
Chuck'N Bo
Gypsy Wolf
Madness
Life
Wind Ridge
Power Boogie
Local Plastic Ono Band

Pussy Cats - Harry Nilsson (producer)
Many Rivers to Cross
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Don't Forget Me
All My Life
Old Forgotten Soldier
Save the Last Dance for Me
Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga
Loop De Loop
Black Sails
Rock Around the Clock
Down by the Sea
The Flying Saucer Song
Turn Out the Light
Save the Last Dance for Me

cool, that's my ballot right there, thanks ;)

I listened to Traveling Wilburys vol 1 for the first time this morning! Kinda bleh on the whole but I liked a couple of them! The handing off of vocals on “handle with care” is kinda silly but by my second listen I was still singing along

yeah "Handle With Care" is great

"End of the Line," "Heading for the Light," "Dirty World."

oh duh I was thinking of "End Of The Line" but I like a lot of those tracks, hadn't listened since the 80's/90's but when Petty died we revisited them

Just remembered this clip of George singing one of the vol 3 songs solo - http://youtu.be/c3VNoinFtR0

Dirty World is hilarious

RED BELL PEPPERS

Is there a list of all eligible tracks? I see Outic posted Lennon’s but I need one for each Beatle to make my final list and not fuck up the format.

Mccartney might be the one with the overall most interesting solo work.

Are Nilsson and Klaus Voormann the only person to have appeared on songs with all four solo Beatles?

Keith Moon (as "Keif Spoon") is on Some Time In New York City, and he and Ringo are pretty smashed on a couple of Two Sides Of The Moon tracks (none of which I can justify shoehorning into my ballot). He was supposed to play on Paul's "Rockestra Theme," but died a month before the session (Kenney Jones took his place).

Any excuse to listen to Flowers in the Dirt again... as if I need one, though. One of McCartney's best.

Here's a list of all the eligible John Lennon tracks. I'll try to do this for the others as well, and then compile them all into a master list.

I'm going through Harrison's now - his is pretty difficult, lots of sideman appearances, one-off singles, etc.

you better include his contribution to Belinda Carlisle's "Leave a Light On."

take this, for example, which I had never heard of before today. George is all over this album, they were signed to his label etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89onN05WG1s

shout out to Lennon's demo of "I'm the Greatest" for Ringo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaKrBsCkGRE

Some of McCartney's tracks from The Family Way are kind of cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d84w9x0FNgo