Worst Beatles song on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Though I think Getting Better is the one that really inspires my ire. (Except for that telling burst of sarcasm "can't get no worse")

This'll be easy – so many duds. "Within You, Without You," "When I'm Sixty-Four," "Fixing a Hole." I went with "Sixty-Four" because, for all its supposed charm and polish, it makes me want to eat babies.

The middle section of WYWY, when the sitar and strings accelerate against each other and the tabla really starts going for it too; fucking awesome.

I don't hear how this album is Revolver MKII AT ALL, Charlie; in terms of both texture and mood, this is vastly different.

OK I want to hate this record; I should hate it given its rote (and pernicious) position as the greatest this, that, or the other (not to mention its influence on decades of crappy self-expression). But life is rarely so neat and as it turns out, I adore the shit out of the thing (just like Citizen Kane, groan). What can I do? Every track gives me goosebumps and/or chokes me up even my pick for the worst song, "When I'm Sixty-Four" (never noticed Paul rolling his r's at the end of "your" in "grandchildren on your knee" - so cute!). And while I'll continue to pick on Paul, my absolute fave is "She's Leaving Home" which I now hear as one of the last glimpses of a Paul/John utopia.

Yeah, that's a very Scottish pronunciation of "on your knee"; I'd venture at Aberdeen area of Scotland too if I thought I knew wtf I was talking about. I've always been intrigued by it; I assume McCartney has some Scots heritage and is aiming to express that?

I wonder if anyone will vote for the title track. It seems too vestigial for anyone to truly hate (or love?).

And there's no option for the outgroove or do people hear that as part of "A Day in the Life?"

Irish heritage surely? Probably Ulster? (xp)

As I'm used to Pepper on CD I've always heard the outgroove as a coda to A Day In The Life.

voted for mr. kite, so annoying.

Nick, you've gotta remember the last time I really really listened closely to these albums (as opposed to delving into them on occasion) was 10 years ago as a sixth former. Working through those albums in my late teens, I was very disappointed by Peppers when I got to it, especially after Revolver which blew me away. Given this, I have a sneaking suspicion that my ear will be more willing to accept things like WYWY a little more now than it did at 17. I have only so far purchased the Abbey Road remaster so far, so I'm gonna wait till I can afford the new version of Peppers till I do this.

I'd be interested in what way you think the texture and mood of Peppers is so different from Revolver. I maintain Sgt Pepper's is a weaker version of Revolver, and I don't understand why it was this record that got lauded for so many years as this huge progressive step, when I'd consider the difference between Rubber Soul and Revolver much greater than that of Sgt Peppers, which for the most part sounds like a retread of a lot of previous ground. Some great tracks on here, but I find things like "Lovely Rita" and "Good Day Sunshine" to be really awkward-sounding - and I'm a McCartney fan(!)

Kevin OTM about "When I'm Sixty Four" - is it true Macca wrote this one several years prior to it being recorded?

he wrote it in 1935

I wonder if anyone will vote for the title track. It seems too vestigial for anyone to truly hate (or love?).

I love the hellllllll out of the title track and its reprise.

Like, that last little lick at the end of reprise almost brings me tears of joy.

this album as a whole irritates me -- too much preciousness, mostly -- but taken individually, i like most of the tracks. it's just the cumulative effect that makes it something i rarely listen to. the title track/reprise is the best bit, imo. contenders for worst (which in this case means most annoying) are "she's leaving home" (because i think the lyrics are sort of lame -- "fun is the one thing that money can't buy," ugh), "within you without you" (george at his most cottonheaded), maybe "good morning good morning," tho it's too slight to really be irksome.

taken individually, i like most of the tracks. it's just the cumulative effect that makes it something i rarely listen to.

Exactly.

It's strange, because even some of the tracks I'm not very fond of ("Within You Without You," "Good Morning," "Mr. Kite" especially) have amazing parts in them (the time signature is "Good Morning," the caliope - ?? -- circus bit in "Kite," etc.) making any of them impossible to write off. And yet, it's still nothing like my most-played Beatles LP. (I'm convinced it's one of the greatest LPs ever, though, for fans of amazing bass lines.) Anyway... "Within You Without You" is one I do tend to skip over, so I'll go with that.

Also "too slight to really be irksome" is exactly what irritates me about the album. There's a whole strain of 'art-pop' birthed by this album which demands a similar attention level.

Thing is, there's so much in the way of accolade heaped upong "OMG OMG SGT. PEPPER OMG BEST RECORD EVAH MADE" etc. contrasted with "NOT AS GOOD AS REVOLVER CHALLOPS" that I was actually quite surprised when I finally, as an adult, heard the album as a whole and realised how many good tracks were on it (and not just the obvious well known ones.) It's a record that is rather overwhelmed by its reputation.

Also, it's true that there's something good in even the bad songs (the "can't get no worse" on Getting Better, the harmonies on the "Isle of Wight" middle 8 of When I'm 64) that I can't bring myself to vote for them.

I might wimp out and vote for the title track which I have always found annoying.

There are no songs worth voting for here. "(Reprise)" by default I suppose.

The title track and "Day in the Life" are the best things on it

... it's the bits in between I'm less impressed by

There are no songs worth voting for here. "(Reprise)" by default I suppose.

I've always thought "(Reprise)" was one of the best tracks!

Went with "Getting Better". Nothing wrong with it per se, just nothing about it makes me want to listen to it unless I'm playing the album all the way through.

I do not understand the hate for "Good Morning, Good Morning." A crazy time signature, awesome saxophones, another great McCartney guitar solo . . . seriously, wtf?

The title track reprise on the new mono remaster is amazing, btw. Gives it a LOT more balls.

Fixing a Hole 4EVA!!!

Yeah, that's a very Scottish pronunciation of "on your knee"; I'd venture at Aberdeen area of Scotland too if I thought I knew wtf I was talking about. I've always been intrigued by it; I assume McCartney has some Scots heritage and is aiming to express that?

― Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 24 September 2009 12:44 (29 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

You know, I played this yesterday, and the scots accent was something that struck me for the first time!

I wouldn't be surprised if that was an Ivor Cutlerism.

The Mono reinstates the guitar chicken noise!

The bit at the end of "Good Morning", cluck 1 is the chicken, cluck 2 is George's guitar where they slowed the tape of "reprise" and quickly sped it back to normal again for the rest of the song.

They didn't bother to do this with the Stereo LP version.

I wouldn't be surprised if that was an Ivor Cutlerism.

Ah! Could be!

"She's Leaving Home" without a second thought

shame on her!

i was going to say ivor cutler - were the beatles fans? i've always noticed the scots accent, but then my granny is from aberdeen/dundee/glasgow/ulster (moved around a bit in her life) so maybe that's why.

Yeah, Paul was, and he asked Ivor to be in the Magical Mystery Tour.

He was also on Parlophone, which helps.

were the beatles fans?

You've not seen "Magical Mystery Tour" then?

"Here, have you been impersonating me again, Mr. McCartney?"

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_24o5BqgMIK0/SNlrqGNIixI/AAAAAAAABUA/JjDMCEAk3EU/s400/MACCA.jpg

about the stereo/mono versions - can these be bought separately or do you have to get the box set?

Apparently they bonded over an unusual chord in Ivor's "I'm Going in a Field", which Macca was especially impressed with (xp)

i think you have to buy the mono as a box set, the stereo versions can be bought individually

Voted Within You, Without You because it is the only song that really doesn't fit in thematically or musically.

No, I don't think that Sgt. Pepper tells a story a la The Who's Tommy or something similar, but the songs definitely tie together in terms of theme and message.

I really don't get the comments about this album being a re-tread of Revolver, but then I buy all the hype...

xpost ah no, i need to see MMT. Love the album of course.

Also even though I can't blame the Beatles for it, "Mr. Kite" resulted in this awfulness:

It was the best part of Across the Universe, however:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59ahx9ckqIw

"I'm Going In A Field" - love that song - a good one to play the day poor mr cutler passed away.

voted "Good Morning"... so annoying. a song for alarm clocks doesn't belong in the middle of an album.

xxp: what the fuck is wrong with people?

i am very surprised that the title track didn't get a vote yet. it is one of the reasons why i never listen to this album. for me the dacapo really ruins the whole album. looking at the song list i just realised that the rest of it is quite good.

Hey! What am I, chopped liver?

sorry, i didn't read all your posts carefully. will you ever forgive me? that song is annoying as hell. in the beatles oeuvre it is only beaten by "the long and winding road", i think.

alex in manhattan's hit on something here - if anything the reason i don't get on so much with this album is its brashness - as someone mentioned upthread, the songs are good on their own, as a whole it's this loud brassy "GET OUT OF BED BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA LISTEN TO ME WAAAAAAAAA" affair, which I guess is what differentiates it from Revolver, which is much more mellow. It's the same reason I always skip the first track on Blur's "Great Escape", it's like this rude awakening I can do without, which I'm sure a lot of people enjoy.

It's the McCartney Smarm Offensive coupled with Lazy Lennon and Who Cares Harrison that bugs me

Revolver, which is much more mellow

Wait, what? Revolver was their most electric-guitary album up to that time, and in fact is MORE so than Pepper. In what way are Tomorrow Never Knows, She Said She Said, I Want To Tell You, And Your Bird Can Sing or Taxman "mellow"?

Yeah, how the hell is Revolver mellow? There is some serious noise on that thing.

Title track is Qanon bc it’s like the entire Beatles have been replaced by a simulacrum band

Crowley at the top of the pyramid

Which one is the most Qanon song?

― Lord Pickles (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 7 December 2022 20:50 (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

That would be the one where the singer says that everyone is blind and only he can see reality, quotes the bible, fingerpointingly accuses his date of being "one of them", and sounds like a member of a dangerous cult ("With our love, we could save the world, if they only knew")

Seductive music, but damn the lyrics are sanctimonious garbage. For all it's Mr Bean dinkiness, When Im 64 is at least based in closely-observed real life.

Also the best song.

I just listened to "Within You Without You" and realized I'd completely forgotten it and what I thought was "Within You Without You" was probably "The Inner Light" and even though I played 5 minutes ago I've forgotten it again.

Within You Without You is one of those songs that I'm glad is on the album but don't actually want to hear much. File with Black Angel's Death Song, Aumgn etc.

As for the worst song, I don't think there are any bad songs but yes, When I'm 64 is the throwaway one here. Not a huge fan of Paul's old-time songs.

I don't know, WYWY kind of sums up what I think about this album, it's extremely well arranged and produced but, as a song, it's just not really up to snuff.

Harrisongs annoy me so I’ll say he was the Q Beatle

This thread took a fucking bizarre turn.

context:

Absolutely shrieking over QAnon discovering the Beatles pic.twitter.com/nBn9L9VRz1

— LeiHouse Of Horror IV (@leilaclaire) December 7, 2022

Revolution #9 has got to be the most Q Anon, right? Illusionary patterns and whatnot.

surely it's the song about how paul was dead

The walrus was Q