Worst Beatles song on Magical Mystery Tour

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I thought Paul was supposed to have died just before Rubber Soul, the photo on the front of the album depicting the Beatles looking down into a GRAVE!!! :-O

dog latin, Friday, 25 September 2009 10:20 (fourteen years ago) link

Didn't the Rutles practically rip off the whole of "Baby You're A Rich Man" for their biggest "hit" "Shangri La"?

dog latin, Friday, 25 September 2009 10:23 (fourteen years ago) link

It was a 6-song, double 7" EP with the first 'side' of the album on it, and the second side of ther album was additional non-album singles & their b-sides from the same era (SFF & Penny Lane, plus AYNIL & BYARM).

It was released in the US in this format in 68 I think, and then everywhere on vinyl in 76 I believe, and then obviously on the CDs in 87 and now.

Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 25 September 2009 10:24 (fourteen years ago) link

I'm a little surprised there isn't more hate for "Fool On The Hill". It's easily my least favorite McCartney tune before 1969.

EZ Snappin, Friday, 25 September 2009 10:28 (fourteen years ago) link

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Flying. In fact, I love this whole album. It's like the most... weird and thrown together and therefore totally psychedelic of the Beatles albums. I totally rate this over Sgt. Pepper.

I already put the kabosh on All You Need Is Love on the Yellow Submarine poll, so HELLO GOODBYE HELLO HELL is gonna get the kicking from me.

Which is odd, coz otherwise the Paul songs on this album don't bother me so much as normal. I like Fool On The Hill and can even put up with Your Mother Should Know because it's engrained into my skull from enough acid trips to the movie.

I Like Daydreams, I've Had Enough Reality (Masonic Boom), Friday, 25 September 2009 10:35 (fourteen years ago) link

I've just figured out that the albums I tend to like the best are the ones I've tripped to the most.

eeeep. :-/

I Like Daydreams, I've Had Enough Reality (Masonic Boom), Friday, 25 September 2009 10:35 (fourteen years ago) link

best beatles album!!

should probably be practising shorthand (country matters), Friday, 25 September 2009 10:51 (fourteen years ago) link

not a real album. picking the title track.

history mayne, Friday, 25 September 2009 10:53 (fourteen years ago) link

genuinely don't know what to vote for but this is just fucking joyous from start to finish, hello goodbye is probably all-time beatles top 3 for me, and i *love* the title track so ha

should probably be practising shorthand (country matters), Friday, 25 September 2009 10:55 (fourteen years ago) link

"hello goodbye is probably all-time beatles top 3 for me, and i *love* the title track so ha"

u mad

history mayne, Friday, 25 September 2009 11:01 (fourteen years ago) link

I like it, but we could lost "Flying."

Alex in NYC, Friday, 25 September 2009 11:04 (fourteen years ago) link

lose

Alex in NYC, Friday, 25 September 2009 11:04 (fourteen years ago) link

C'mon, people! "Blue Jay Way" is the loser!

Little starbursts of joy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 25 September 2009 11:07 (fourteen years ago) link

But "Blue Jay Way" is prime George! One of his best psychedelic songs, actually.

Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 25 September 2009 11:14 (fourteen years ago) link

Blue Jay Way is fantastic! A Beatles fiend in LA actually took me driving up to Blue Jay Way, and we got totally lost and confused, and had to just imagine poor George sitting up there among the trees tripping his face off, wondering where his friends had got to...

As you know, I am utterly Against Drugs and all that, but so much of this music doesn't *truly* make sense until you hear it in that context.

OK, I have become everything I hate and I'm going to STFU now.

I Like Daydreams, I've Had Enough Reality (Masonic Boom), Friday, 25 September 2009 11:30 (fourteen years ago) link

I find Hello Goodbye really irritating.

chap, Friday, 25 September 2009 11:34 (fourteen years ago) link

But the coda!

Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 25 September 2009 11:42 (fourteen years ago) link

flying, eleavator music

Dr X O'Skeleton, Friday, 25 September 2009 12:08 (fourteen years ago) link

I'm expecting Your Mother Should Know to win/lose this poll; it seems like the most lightweight and pointless of Paul's attempts at writing "songs my mum and dad would like" (which peaks with Martha My Dear and troughs with Honey Pie, in my mind). This sums up my thoughts on this aspect of Paul Exactly. Your Mother Should Go.

staggerlee, Friday, 25 September 2009 12:25 (fourteen years ago) link

I find "Hello Goodbye" OK, but the coda is just annoying.

Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 25 September 2009 12:30 (fourteen years ago) link

I'm not really into 'Fool On The Hill', but hearing Oasis pointlessly swipe the title for some brainless lyric made me realise that no, there are worse things on earth than throwaway McCartney.

Ismael Klata, Friday, 25 September 2009 12:36 (fourteen years ago) link

Geir actually did just get an SB for that.

Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 25 September 2009 12:36 (fourteen years ago) link

I'm not really into 'Fool On The Hill', but hearing Oasis pointlessly swipe the title for some brainless lyric made me realise that no, there are worse things on earth than throwaway McCartney.

I love "Fool On The Hill". The melody is beautiful, and I kind of like the lyrics too. Wondering if "The Fool On The Hill" and "Mad John" are actually the same person :)

Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 25 September 2009 12:38 (fourteen years ago) link

Xpost. Paul died on Wednesday morning at 5am, November 9, 1966 after storming out of a Pepper recording session! Geez, get your facts straight!

dlp9001, Friday, 25 September 2009 12:44 (fourteen years ago) link

"Wednesday morning at 5 o clock as the day begins..."

Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 25 September 2009 12:45 (fourteen years ago) link

"Bye, bye..."

young depardieu looming out of void in hour of profound triumph (Le Bateau Ivre), Friday, 25 September 2009 12:48 (fourteen years ago) link

That explains the Scottish accent on 'When I'm 64' too, I suppose.

Ismael Klata, Friday, 25 September 2009 12:52 (fourteen years ago) link

"Messily spread all across the road
Leaving the band to carry on alone
He ran outside to the bus stop clutching his Hohner bass
Quietly planning a 30s pastiche
Hit by a bus we are free.

He (Wrote all the boringest songs)
is de-ad (All of the boringest so-ongs)
Oh! (He gave us everything we didn't want)
He's been squashed flat by a 42 bus
Here come conspiracies. Bye, bye

Ringo snores as..." etc etc...

Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 25 September 2009 12:54 (fourteen years ago) link

this is like my dark horse favorite

even tho it has many redeeming qualities, i guess i don't love "fool" and "all you need is love" is kind of a pain in the ass at this point. and "H/G" is dumb dumb dumb but it sounds fuckin great.

feed them to the (Linden Ave) lions (will), Friday, 25 September 2009 12:59 (fourteen years ago) link

A+ Nick :)

young depardieu looming out of void in hour of profound triumph (Le Bateau Ivre), Friday, 25 September 2009 13:01 (fourteen years ago) link

I bet John and George were so glad they didn't have to do "Your Mother Should Know" live. It's a song I've always liked but when Paul starts doing the "da da da daaa da daaa da da daaa" you kinda want to peg him in the head with a bottle.

Adam Bruneau, Friday, 25 September 2009 13:06 (fourteen years ago) link

"Your Mother Should Know." I actually LIKE "Flying," with the descending parallel-6ths guitar riff, and Ringo's voice dominating the singalong part.

Pancakes Batman (Pancakes Hackman), Friday, 25 September 2009 13:06 (fourteen years ago) link

Why do you think that, Mark? Because of its status as "not a proper Beatles album"?

― Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 25 September 2009 07:05 (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Sorry, N, been out:

Um, no, and not even because of the 'fewest' songs, but more or less because I can't actually see anything here that is dudworthy.

Yeah, people are tired of "All you need" and some might decide that "HelloGoodbye" is the least good Beatles a-side.

Or mabe even because there's no Ringo track!

Mark G, Friday, 25 September 2009 13:10 (fourteen years ago) link

Definitely an underrated LP. My vote here is for "Fool on the Hill": mawkish lyrics and godawful flute (or is it a tin whistle?) solo. Almost though not quite rescued by the masterful "sees the sun going down" bit. BTW: is that loud swooshing sound that comes in towards the end (sorry, I don't have the CD handy to note the time) a synthesizer?

sw00ds, Friday, 25 September 2009 13:15 (fourteen years ago) link

hella xposts-

Oh man that's twice on these threads Geir has called me out. It's like I must hate melody as well.

Samuel (a hoy hoy), Friday, 25 September 2009 13:17 (fourteen years ago) link

this does have like the worst cover

feed them to the (Linden Ave) lions (will), Friday, 25 September 2009 13:19 (fourteen years ago) link

@Pancakes: "Flying" was my favorite track when I was a kid.

Btw the remaster did some unbelievable things for John's "Walrus" vocal sound!

Adam Bruneau, Friday, 25 September 2009 13:21 (fourteen years ago) link

"The Fool on the Hill" is very tiresome, yes.

Little starbursts of joy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 25 September 2009 13:23 (fourteen years ago) link

Blue Jay Way for being unbearable.

Minge Box Vago (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 25 September 2009 13:36 (fourteen years ago) link

Love this album - Beatles at their trippiest. Even the weaker tracks have enough sonic fucked-upness or instrumental ingenuity to keep me enthralled...except "Your Mother Should Know." I have a higher-than-most tolerance for Paul's twee music-hall ditties, but agree with Nick that "Mother" is the most uninteresting of that lot.

xxxxxxpost - Scott, I believe that's just sped-up backwards tapes, if we're referring to the same whoosh. (I don't have the CD handy either.) George Harrison bought his Moog in '68.

Random trolling, brutal snubs, darted zings & decisive bans (Myonga Vön Bontee), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:31 (fourteen years ago) link

"Blue Jay Way", utterly shit

Aw naw, no' Annoni oan an' aw noo (Tom D.), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:32 (fourteen years ago) link

Oh no, I failed to notice "All You Need Is Love"! One of the worst songs ever written!!!!

Aw naw, no' Annoni oan an' aw noo (Tom D.), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:33 (fourteen years ago) link

i like all you need is love-- have always thought it's an archetypical lennon kind of song. the chorus refrain immediately followed by the downward falling horn lick seems to sum up a lot of what I like about his songwriting. voted "hello goodbye" which is maybe the *dumbest* beatles single

Dominique, Friday, 25 September 2009 14:38 (fourteen years ago) link

:(

should probably be practising shorthand (country matters), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:38 (fourteen years ago) link

but no offense if you like it! i mean, i'm usually a fool for mccartney's marshmellow pop tracks. this one just crosses a line for me

Dominique, Friday, 25 September 2009 14:47 (fourteen years ago) link

"flying" is nice but expendable. i like most of these songs. as a kid i was sort of entranced by this album and the accompanying comic-book style booklet.

http://digilander.libero.it/jamespaul/mmt_booklet/magical_mystery_tour_booklet_page_19_bottom.jpg

flying squid attack (tipsy mothra), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:51 (fourteen years ago) link

I mean did they even plug in Paul's bass during that radio broadcast????

Wasn't he playing piano?

Voted Fool on the Hill.

Blue Jay Way and Flying are my two favourites.

I saw your posse, but now it's me who's bossy (DavidM), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:53 (fourteen years ago) link

I always get mixed up what's on this and what's Yellow Submarine.

Has anyone else watched the film lately? It has dull moments — and the visuals detract from lots of the music — but some of it is kind of extraordinary

thomp, Friday, 25 September 2009 15:11 (fourteen years ago) link

At least the last ten minutes. The creepy restaurant section, the Bonzo Dog/stripper section, the bad Busby Berkely bit.

thomp, Friday, 25 September 2009 15:13 (fourteen years ago) link

The part where the old man and Ringo's aunt are on the beach is oddly very touching mainly because of that orchestrated version of "All My Loving", which I really wish was on this album tbh.

Adam Bruneau, Friday, 25 September 2009 15:15 (fourteen years ago) link

Could pretty much reverse thede rankings for my list

albvivertine, Wednesday, 15 November 2017 11:20 (six years ago) link

three years pass...

Just stumbled on this from archivist Ron Furmanek, who was asked to remix the soundtrack (sound as well as music) around 1988 for home video release.

George Martin was present for the final mix sessions, and when Furmanek played him the backing tracks to "Blue Jay Way," Martin laughed and said "this is rubbish! Did we release this??"

birdistheword, Monday, 4 January 2021 18:10 (three years ago) link

that's one of the least bad few songs on the album surely? and the production makes it. was he not embarrassed by AYNIL which sounds way worse

for the most part though I think this album sounds way better than it is

Left, Monday, 4 January 2021 19:05 (three years ago) link

lol, love blue jay way but i can imagine how listening to just the isolated tracks could sound like an amateurish mess (especially if you hadnt heard them for 20 years.) it kind of only works when everything comes together for the whole effect

nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Monday, 4 January 2021 19:36 (three years ago) link

AYNIL sounds date-stamped to an exact week in 1967. It's always been a time capsule to me, which means it's not my idea of a great record, but it has the same appeal of an old photo where every anachronistic detail has vanished with time.

I wish I could enjoy "Blue Jay Way" more but it's flat-out dull. The production doesn't make anything because there's barely anything there.

birdistheword, Monday, 4 January 2021 20:05 (three years ago) link

That's the era when Harrison wrote on keyboards.

Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 January 2021 20:11 (three years ago) link

Well, guess what.

Mark G, Monday, 4 January 2021 20:54 (three years ago) link

they shoulda done more stuff like “Flying”

Washington Generals D-League affiliate (will), Monday, 4 January 2021 21:33 (three years ago) link

Johnny L. & The BTs

"what are you DOING to fleetwood mac??" (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 4 January 2021 22:03 (three years ago) link

Banger

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/elvis-costello-the-beatles-live-aid-cover/

piscesx, Monday, 4 January 2021 22:09 (three years ago) link

Except Costello played the whole song in 4/4; as with a number of Lennon’s Beatles songs, there’s a few odd measures thrown in (in this case, 1/4 between the verse lines, and a 3/4 before the chorus), and Costello just ignores those.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 4 January 2021 22:33 (three years ago) link

A decent salvage job. They were running over and basically told Costello that he only had a several minutes to get on the stage, perform and exit, so he settled on something easy that the crowd would know and somewhat fit the spirit of the event. Introducing it as "a Northern folk song" was very amusing.

birdistheword, Tuesday, 5 January 2021 00:22 (three years ago) link

*had several

birdistheword, Tuesday, 5 January 2021 00:22 (three years ago) link

Didn’t recall that. Nicely done.

Dog Heavy Manners (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 5 January 2021 03:54 (three years ago) link

I do like Costello's version, and along with Bon Jovi's stumbling rendition of "Here Comes The Sun" on some awards show just after Harrison passed, it's another reminder to musicians who cover Beatles songs that, oh shit, they sometimes messed around with time signatures, didn't they?

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 5 January 2021 15:00 (three years ago) link

It won't convince the haters, but that B7 in the chorus (the last "all you need") is one of the great Lennon/Beatles chord changes, which Costello's stripped down cover shows off.

dinnerboat, Tuesday, 5 January 2021 15:36 (three years ago) link

He’s on pretty cheery self-deprecating form here. The official Live Aid people just put a whole bunch of this backstage-celebs stuff on their YouTube. Funny to see he’s got the words (or something) written on his hand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpxC4DzeOXg

piscesx, Tuesday, 5 January 2021 17:22 (three years ago) link

I'll add that in addition to being a time capsule, it's musically pleasing on basic level. Even Lennon/McCartney's weakest material is typically very tuneful with at least one memorable hook, and it's easy to see why AYNIL was another #1 hit and why 20 years later it can be familiar to so many people. It's not inaccurate to think of it as a folk song in that way. It may be a dated sentiment rather than the profound philosophy some hoped it to be, but I don't think nursery rhymes have endured for any grand insight they have into life.

birdistheword, Tuesday, 5 January 2021 20:32 (three years ago) link


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