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

xp

ah! sorry should've read this more carefully.

There’s two good songs on dark horse is an insane opinion

that's true, there's actually three good songs (Ding Dong, Dark Horse and It Is He)

the mono version of "wonderwall music" is just so damn fantastic

Extra Texture is worse if that's possible. At least DH has an anonymous mid '70s studio rock professionalism.

I’m pretty sure Macca wins this over the length of his career : between « every night », « say say say » and stuff on Chaos, for instance, a lot of great work.
Lennon’s and George’s initial output were stronger, though.

the weird thing for me is that while I find plenty of Macca's stuff pleasant, I'm hard-pressed to consider what I think his greatest solo songs are. a lot of his hits seem slight or just stupid, and the ones that I consider very good don't really measure up to the more canonical hits from John and George's early runs. I mean, sure "Band on the Run" or "Live and Let Die" are good but ... they aren't *that* great.

Macca is perfect for the old days of CD-Rs and CS-90s. You do what a pal did for me: stick 15 to 20 album tracks, B-sides, and obscurities. I was charmed.

yeah that's true, he's done so much and followed so many weird little detours, but with a baseline competency and inventiveness that you could just make an entirely decent alternate discography from any old collection of odds and ends

otoh I listen to something like Red Rose Speedway and as soon as its over I can't remember a thing about it

Yeah I agree. Like once they pass away : John had « Imagine », George « My Sweet Lord », even when the time comes, Ringo will have, I don’t know, like « Photograph », but Macca... his most famous track, nowadays, might be « Live &Let Die », which seems a bit below the level of such a legendary songwriter.

I sort of agree that most of the best solo McCartney tracks are slight and insubstantial and frivolous, but I don't think that's a bad thing, I like the way he embraced meandering aimlessness in his solo career, what else are you going to do after you've been in The Greatest Band Of All Time

Yeah, of course.
That said I have always thought, in all fairness, that Macca’s « Imagine » should be « Let it Be ».
Even Lennon said it was a solo track !

the canonical paul solo track is probably maybe i'm amazed, isn't it?

maybe? otoh how many ilxors are really gonna go to bat for that smarmy pile (I prefer the Faces version!)

do Twin Freaks versions count as separate tracks itp bcz ^

sure

"Band on the Run" and "Jet" are probably competitive with "Live & Let Die" for famousness. "Maybe I'm Amazed" for belovedness.

Me, I just hope something from Tug of War gets some love. "Take it Away" perhaps.

I loved this Taylor Parkes article about the low-key weirdness of so much of 70s McCartney':

Though they feature a great many pale burlesques of funk or blues or disco or doo-wop, these records occupy a unique space within pop — in some ways, they're barely recognisable as pop music at all. Except in the most superficial sense, they bear no relation to the work of McCartney's contemporaries, nor to anything that came before (or has come since). Not because they're personal — McCartney let little of himself into his work — nor because they push back boundaries, or break new ground (they do neither). They just seem to ignore most of pop's basic obligations. Few of these songs mean anything at all; they're rarely exciting in a purely visceral sense; they never tell a story, or attempt to blow your mind; they're seldom uplifting, or plaintive, or gross. They are utterly useless objects, which seem content simply to exist. This is their (very) peculiar charm.

http://thequietus.com/articles/01922-paul-mccartney-the-beatles-wings-the-best-of

idrc Macca ever playing with Oasis?

― chilis=lyrics...hypocrits (sic), Thursday, May 10, 2018 7:44 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah me neither

― Οὖτις, Thursday, May 10, 2018 7:44 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's because he didn't! I'm referring to Lennon's voice on 'I'm Outta Time', which counts because it features him!

wow that is v otm

xp

I'm referring to Lennon's voice on 'I'm Outta Time', which counts because it features him!

samples don't count

the Beatle in question has to have actively participated in the recording

sure

this principle makes picking votes on Liverpool Sound Collage harder too

Twin Freaks edition of Maybe I'm Amazed btw

I'm referring to Lennon's voice on 'I'm Outta Time', which counts because it features him!

brb, voting Beastie Boys for 100 points

xpost

brb, voting Beastie Boys for 100 points

lol I resisted making this very joek

No Grey Album guys

yeah i buy that parks take on macca. he's like a more musically inspired, varied and energetic version of like, beach boys love you, just this stoned goofball recording things because he has tunes in him and recording things is what he knows how to do. throwing all his rocker passion and all his tuneful hook-finding instincts behind nonsensical inanities. to be clear "morse moose and the grey goose" and "junior's farm" will almost assuredly be on my ballot so i am 100% in favor of this approach.

Extra Texture is worse if that's possible. At least DH has an anonymous mid '70s studio rock professionalism.

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, May 10, 2018 8:15 PM (forty-two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I like 'You' (which is an All Things Must Pass era outtake) and 'This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)', mostly because of the Moog bass, but the rest is mid-tempo, beard stroking tedium. Dark Horse has a decent instrumental opener, and 'Simply Shady', but even that's sunk by the woeful condition of George's voice which even on a good day isn't a beautiful instrument to listen to. The rest of the record sucks.

I'm going to allow any non-Beatles track that features the appearance of at least one Beatle.

^ 'I'm Outta Time' totally counts under this criteria!

can we ban Turrican from the results thraed pre-emptively

I don't buy that Parks take on Macca at all. The "stoner goofball" shit on McCartney II is just one side of what he does.

I like this a lot:

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

that Quietus piece nails it imo

xxxpost:

Oh do be quiet. For what it's worth, I'm not much into that particular rule anyway, which is why none of that stuff will be appearing on my ballot.

I'd forgotten about 'Love Comes to Everyone' ... I thought some of Harrison's late '70s stuff was pretty decent, particularly Thirty-Three & 1/3 which I'd rank as his second best solo LP.

I can think of a few Lennon & Harrison deep cuts to include, but I suspect most of 'em will be McCartney tracks.

Quietus quote sounds like any other description of a popular act you dont like/get, nothing specifically mccartney about it

glad to see this POLL on the run though, esp looking forward to hearing some deep cuts from Ringo and Harrison!

hmm I guess the journalist does like macca but he sure is weirdly mean in that article

looking forward to hearing some deep cuts from Ringo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZN_8M4OpMo

Worst song ever, that one.

Oops! https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/worst-songs-ever-ringo-starrs-the-no-no-song/

if you consider the solo work then during the Beatles' final years they recorded two full Beatles albums a year PLUS a bunch of additional stuff incl. George's lovely soundtrack & minimalist LP, 3-4 field recording/noise records, 2 albums worth of krautrock sessions (Ringo-John-Klaus-Yoko), Paul's lofi 4-track DIY album.

xpost

was gonna post Back of Boogaloo but is that a Ringo deep cut? are there such things? isn't every song of his a deep cut?

the weird thing for me is that while I find plenty of Macca's stuff pleasant, I'm hard-pressed to consider what I think his greatest solo songs are. a lot of his hits seem slight or just stupid, and the ones that I consider very good don't really measure up to the more canonical hits from John and George's early runs. I mean, sure "Band on the Run" or "Live and Let Die" are good but ... they aren't *that* great.

His biggest UK hit and a top ten here. I'd say not. But the only Ringo songs I hear on lite FM are "The No No Song" and "It Don't Come Easy."

the weird thing for me is that while I find plenty of Macca's stuff pleasant, I'm hard-pressed to consider what I think his greatest solo songs are.

since 2000:

queenie eye
this never happened before
your way
new
rinse the raindrops
english tea
dsnce tonight
appreciate
mr bellamy
only mama knows

also harrison's self-titled album is a triumph imo, especially blow away