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

i also think it could be said that paul learned the wrong lessons from watching john work, as a lyricist ... it also happens that the nonsense poetry mode, for john, seemed to dry up right when he veered hard into the "confessional" thing.

had similar thoughts myself, it's like once Paul hit the psychedelia period and realized he could get away with just any old silly off-the-top-of-me-head bullshit he never looked back. Whereas John pretty much abandoned it within a year or two!

The other distinctive Beatle-era Lennon thing missing from his solo work (and I think I've said this on some previous threads) is his penchant for odd rhythmic switchups - going to 6/8 in a bridge from 4/4, or adding an extra bar of 5/4 at the end of a verse, etc. Seems like that happens way less in his solo work (although it does still pop up occasionally - just as the nonsense does: a babagawa pussay pussay etc)

Listened to the Spotify list of this thread last night and “C Moon” and “Gimme Some Truth” came on back to back. The contrast between these two couldn’t have been more stark.

Also, Harrison’s Don’t Let Mw Wait Too Long sounds like a lost Big Star track.

Wow Give Ireland Back To The Irish is so fuckin shit hahahaha.

was thinking a side poll of worst solo Beatle album might be fun (certainly more interesting than a best side poll)

sounds good, except there is no way I'm subjecting myself to those to try and determine the worst one

worst song maybe?

Give Peace A Chance has lots of great things about it (chorus, spontaneity, situation) but it feels to me like a missed opportunity in terms of an actual good record. Not perhaps its point I realise.

Not putting in that category btw, just randomly putting my thoughts out.

except there is no way I'm subjecting myself to those to try and determine the worst one

yeah slogging through all of Paul and Ringo's albums seems like a thankless task

Spoiler alert: it isn't.

i think it'd be fun to go through all of paul's albums! ringo no

'Give Peace a Chance' is a great slogan, but it isn't a great song or a great recording. And what does it document? John and Yoko staying in bed and who gives a fuck?

well I listened to most of Old Wave yesterday and that certainly was an album Ringo made with Joe Walsh, yup

haha

In the mid-'80s, Walsh used to pop in on a Chicago radio show occasionally. When he revealed that he had Ringo's home number, the hosts demanded to call Ringo and put him on the air. At first, you could only hear the hosts' and Walsh's end of the conversation -- it was because Ringo refused to consent to being put on the air unless the 5-second delay was turned off. This went on for a few minutes, and the hosts finally relented and turned off the delay.

"OK, Ringo, we turned the delay off. You're on the air."

"It's off? The delay is off?"

"Yes, we turned it off."

"SHIT!"

lol

I feel bad just even suggesting that Ringo shouldn't have bothered to make solo albums because he is so lovable - who can hate Ringo?! - but making solo albums was really not a thing he was particularly suited for

the All-Starr band tours make way more sense

i think it was fine for ringo to have solo albums, he just didn't seem to realize what he was good at, and/or was struggling with substance abuse to the great detriment of his voice, his judgment, his drumming, or his ability to guide all the friends and well-wishers who showed up each time he had his own album to do. if Beaucoups of Blues hadn't flopped so badly maybe the way forward would have been clearer - i know I've said it already but that really feels like the right template for a Ringo album and he could have had a great 70s doing drums-plus-duets with buck owens, dolly parton, sammy johns, john denver... all your favorites, here to Sing Along With Ringo!...

as it is, worst solo album would HAVE to be one of ringo's, probably one i haven't even gotten to yet. even the worst paul record still has versions of the things he's good at. the worst ringo records have *nothing* to make them worth listening, and the worst john record (some time in new york city probably?) is a distinctive and significant part of his discography. i haven't delved into the george albums generally considered his worst but i'd still be shocked if they were as dull and irritating as ringo's worst.

yr alternate-universe 70s country run for Ringo sounds promising, I have to say

i think it was fine for ringo to have solo albums, he just didn't seem to realize what he was good at, and/or was struggling with substance abuse to the great detriment of his voice, his judgment, his drumming, or his ability to guide all the friends and well-wishers who showed up each time he had his own album to do

lol this is a delightful sentence

I wonder why that didn't happen, really? Probably just two worlds that were too different, like why would Conway Twitty even think of reaching out to Ringo - I can't really think of anyone in the British rock or American country scenes to serve as that necessary link

Οὖτις: If you want to add James Taylor's "Carolina on My Mind" as my #16 and assign points accordingly, please do. If 16 is too weird a number, don't bother.

We've known, thanks to George and John, for years that being a Beatle for years involved dealing with a kind of PTSD; well, leaving the Beatles was a kind of PTSD too. Paul says he took to the bottle too. For Ringo, who couldn't write songs like the others and had no other life beside being a Beatle, it was worse. He needed help from his friends but the only help he knew how to ask for was musical (also: AA culture hadn't kicked in yet).

lol cross out that first "for years"

really appreciating John's vox on Instant Karma! today, and thinking about how they pretty much single-handedly makes it a classic. the underlying song is pretty pedestrian (other than a few interesting chord changes in the middle of the verses), but the lead voice is so strong and raw and iconic. there's a group of barflies singing behind him, echoed into oblivion like everything else, alan white is playing more forcefully and than ringo ever cared to (with a few exceptions), there are dozens of tambourines, etc, but it's his voice that carries the whole thing.

I disagree that 'Instant Karma!' is pedestrian. Not many people can write a chorus that good.

clemenza - added, no problem

I don't think I've ever heard that before actually, my hatred of James Taylor precluding actually listening to entire albums

xp

man Instant Karma is incredible, such a punch in the face.

I disagree that 'Instant Karma!' is pedestrian. Not many people can write a chorus that good.

not going to get into a back and forth with you about how the way that i hear the song is incorrect, but i'll just note that i didn't say that 'instant karma' was pedestrian, i said the underlying song was pedestrian. it's the vocal line that is godlike. if you handed the same musical accompaniment to paul or george, i can't imagine them coming up with anything so perfect.

it's structure is pretty simple, true. production and the vocal carry a lot of the weight.

The "vocal line" is a huge part of what makes "the song" the song. I think you mean the simplicity of the backing track rather than the song itself being pedestrian.

can you please help me learn how to say "i like john lennon's singing on that song" in a way that is so semantically unique and pure that no other interpretation could even be considered? because that's what i really mean

the All-Starr band tours make way more sense

― Οὖτις, Friday, May 18, 2018 12:09 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Really wish I'd caught one of those early tours, especially the first one. At the time, inexplicably, it didn't strike me as a big deal, but in retrospect, shit -- Levon Helm! Rick Danko! Nils Lofgren! Billy Preston! Dr. John!

I thought about going to see him when he came to town a year or so ago, but in addition to tickets being crazy money, not only was the lineup less than stellar (members of Toto, Men At Work, Journey), I don't think Ringo plays drums on his own at any point in the show -- there's a second drummer throughout. I just wanna hear Ringo, dammit! I always thought it'd be cool if he found some kids and put together a garage band and played clubs, but he seems to really dig the singing/"I'm an Entertainer!" aspect of his tours.

re: Beatle PTSD: this is exactly why "Early 1970" is so compelling.

here's a great ringo cover story https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/being-ringo-star-beatles-cover-story-20150415

lol @ that opening anecdote about Paul

i guess i am listening to every macca album lol. anyway "dear boy" is so good

Play it and "Too Many People" back to back. The latter is so addled that it's funny (i.e. Linda and Paul shouting PIECE OF CAKE).

brad....you don't have to do this. it's not too late!

lmao

who knows i may give up by the first wings record

mccartney is just a sketch but some of those songs are great. ram, i hope this isn't the most ridiculous unwarranted comparison ever, has always sorta seemed like it's what paul thought smile sounded like. even when he's fucking around it's so fun, so simultaneously rickety and ambitious

AND THE WIND PLAYED A DREADFUL
CANTATA

Brad is getting it!

'Dear Boy' is a wonderful song. Lennon somehow thought it was about him, it's actually about Linda's ex-partner!

Sore was I from a crack of an enemy's hose
And the horrible sound of tomato.

^^ this is what a hangover feels like

occurred to me from time to time who each beatle considered their competition, other than Beatles records and each other's 70s shit (its been established that J would closely follow P's chart progress)… I would think Paul would pay close attention to Elton; George to Clapton and other elite guitar players…I listened to best of dark horse from '89 yesterday and some of it sounds like pre-High Life Steve Winwood… who did John listen to? He liked the b-52s, and I guess he did "serve yourself" in response to "Gotta Serve Somebody."

did someone upthread say that dark horse was the druggiest george harrison era? or just the drunkest? i've never really given it much time, but it's true that he just sounds so beat down. the title track could be one of his best songs, but it barely even sounds like him, and his voice is so distant sounding.

Extra Texture is.

I don't mind "Dark Horse" title track at all. The rest is the closest George approximated '70s studio rock hackdom.