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In this thread I rank my favorite post-Beatles Beatles songs: 291-1. (1 Viewer)

191.  Marwa Blues (Brainwashed, 2002)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #55)

This instrumental was named after Raga Marwa (or Marva), one of George’s favorite Indian ragas.  This raga is seen as quiet and contemplative and is defined by the sunset, when the "onrushing darkness awakes in many observers a feeling of anxiety and solemn expectation."  My feeling when listening to this is that it is permeated in melancholy, which might be a combination of that solemnity and anxiety.

George plays both the slide guitar and the keyboard on this song, with the guitar part considered by some of be among his best and “most personal and emotionally resonant” guitar work.  This beautiful, meditative piece was the winner of a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental. 

 
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190.  Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers (feat. Paul McCartney) - Best Love (Rare Bird Alert, 2011)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #88)

I’m slowly clearing out the songs that weren’t written by a Beatle, but I do still have five cover songs (one by Ringo, one by Paul, and three by George) still to come.  This song written by Martin gets an extra boost by being written by k4 all-time favorite in my whole damn life, Steve Martin, whom I’ve loved beyond reason since I was a kid. 

On a David Letterman segment, Martin told the story of how the song came to be:  “First of all I wrote all the songs on this record – and by the way they’re all terrible – actually the idea of having Paul McCartney sing a song that I wrote has to be one of the most exciting things of his life.”  Then the 15-year-old son of the record’s producer suggested that Martin ask Paul to sing on it.  Emails between Martin and Paul ensued, as did confusion as Paul thought Martin only wanted him for backup, while Martin had, being a self-described “terrible singer,” wanted Paul for the lead vocal.  Paul responded, “Well as a little-known band from Liverpool once said, we can work it out.”  When Paul heard Martin’s guide vocal, he mentioned that he thought Martin was being humble in saying he was a terrible singer, but learned he wasn’t.  :lmao:  

Love this song, so catchy, with AMAZING lyrics (“thanks for solving Friday’s crossword, who knew Ivan was a tsar:lmao: ), and the band sounds tight.  Plus, there’s cello!  The only slight downside to this song in the rankings for me, other than its not being a Paul-composed song, is…Paul himself.  I don’t feel much energy or excitement in his performance, like he was mailing it in a bit.  Perhaps it’s just that a song of this style needs a different style of vocal than Paul can provide.  He sounds fine, but just lacking in connection to the song and oomph, in my opinion.  Still it’s a favorite of mine that remains in regular rotation.

 
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190.  Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers (feat. Paul McCartney) - Best Love (Rare Bird Alert, 2011)  Spotify  YouTube
Nice! I also love Steve Martin. He doesn't even have to say a word, and his facial expressions make me laugh. I love the homegrown Steep Canyon Rangers too.  I hear what you're saying about Paul's vocals on this style song, but he doesn't sound bad at all. I like it. 

 
190.  Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers (feat. Paul McCartney) - Best Love (Rare Bird Alert, 2011)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #88)

I’m slowly clearing out the songs that weren’t written by a Beatle, but I do still have five cover songs (one by Ringo, one by Paul, and three by George) still to come.  This song written by Martin gets an extra boost by being written by k4 all-time favorite in my whole damn life, Steve Martin, whom I’ve loved beyond reason since I was a kid. 

On a David Letterman segment, Martin told the story of how the song came to be:  “First of all I wrote all the songs on this record – and by the way they’re all terrible – actually the idea of having Paul McCartney sing a song that I wrote has to be one of the most exciting things of his life.”  Then the 15-year-old son of the record’s producer suggested that Martin ask Paul to sing on it.  Emails between Martin and Paul ensued, as did confusion as Paul thought Martin only wanted him for backup, while Martin had, being a self-described “terrible singer,” wanted Paul for the lead vocal.  Paul responded, “Well as a little-known band from Liverpool once said, we can work it out.”  When Paul heard Martin’s guide vocal, he mentioned that he thought Martin was being humble in saying he was a terrible singer, but learned he wasn’t.  :lmao:  

Love this song, so catchy, with AMAZING lyrics (“thanks for solving Friday’s crossword, who knew Ivan was a tsar:lmao: ), and the band sounds tight.  Plus, there’s cello!  The only slight downside to this song in the rankings for me, other than its not being a Paul-composed song, is…Paul himself.  I don’t feel much energy or excitement in his performance, like he was mailing it in a bit.  Perhaps it’s just that a song of this style needs a different style of vocal than Paul can provide.  He sounds fine, but just lacking in connection to the song and oomph, in my opinion.  Still it’s a favorite of mine that remains in regular rotation.
I like it, feel similarly about Steve Martin and had NEVER heard this before.  Thanks SO much!

 
Run Devil Run is my #1. Even though Paul didn't write most of these songs it - to me - shows who he is, where he came from, and how much he loves the music that made him.ru

Band On The Run would be #2, followed by Flaming Pie, McCartney II, and Ram in varying order.
I know this post is a couple of days old now, but I was just thinking of it tonight as I listened to a Run Devil Run song in my re-ordering.  I'm just happy that someone loves that record so much. As you said, it's PAUL.  It's just ####### Paul.  Fully Paul more than anything else...I guess an argument could be made for McCartney and McCartney II, but those don't occur without the Run Devil Run music.  As much as I love Flaming Pie or Ram or the others, that album is pure Paul, and pure Paul at his ####### best.

 
Mister Marks, I can pay her well
If she comes along and can stay a spell
I will promise now that I'll treat her right
And will rarely keep her 'til late at night
I need a

She can be a belly dancer
I don't need a true romancer
She can be a diplomat
But I don't need a girl like that
She can be a neurosurgeon
If she's doing nothing urgent
What I need's a temporary, temporary secretary


 
Actually, I should open this up to everyone.  I was asking Morton as being the most unabashedly Paul guy, but Shaft is, too, and even those who might have other "favorites" love Paul as well.  To me, it seems like George has one obvious choice for everyone, and Ringo is...well, Ringo.  We've had some discussion of John, and while there can be love for Imagine or Walls and Bridges, it seems like most everyone gravitates to Plastic Ono Band if forced to name a favorite.

But Paul has so many.  Maybe y'all go chalk with Band On The Run, which would be understandable, but it seems like he has a lot of great options that could be in the mix.

I'll start:  if I could only listen to one, I'd choose Flaming PieBand On The Run is a very close second.
If I could only listen to one it would be McCartney...but there's plenty I would miss including Band on the Run, Flowers in the Dirt and Venus and Mars.

If we're including live albums then I would likely go with Wings Over America as that's the Paul record I listen to the most.

 
Nobody’s Child:  Romanian Angel Appeal, a project organized by George’s wife to benefit Romanian orphans. 
I actually owned this CD. Other than "Homeword Bound" and Guns N Roses' "Civil War" (prior to it's inclusion on Use Your Illusion II) I don't remember what else was on it.

 
192.  Wings – Mull Of Kintyre (single, 1977)  Spotify YouTube

(Paul #89)

Bagpipes incoming!

“Mull Of Kintyre,” Paul’s tribute to the natural beauty of the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland where he has his “farm,” was begun in 1974 but finished later by Paul and Denny Laine, and finally committed to a recording in 1977 by Wings.  It dislodged a little-known song called “She Loves You” by an obscure band known as “The Beatles” (sp?) as the highest-selling single in UK history, recording over two million sales for the first time ever.  In 1984, its sales were eclipsed in the UK by those of “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” because Paul Young y’all, but it remains the best-selling non-charity single of all time in the UK. 

Despite being so beloved, the song was not without some controversy surrounding it, primarily from its co-writer and its musicians.  Laine, despite contributing significantly to the composition, wasn’t given what he believed was a fair recompense for the best-selling single in UK history, saying he got “very little out of it” and that when he asked Paul for something more for the tune, he was told, essentially, “I’m Paul McCartney, and anyone who writes with me is privileged.”  Likewise, the 14 members of the Campbeltown Pipe Band, who contributed the bagpipes and drums, were paid minimum wage for their efforts after a month of rehearsals.  After some public complaints following the song’s success, Paul sent them an additional 200 pounds each.

What I love most about this song…  First, the writing and recording of it were both very cool.  While Paul had written the general idea and chorus of the song earlier, it was finished when Paul and Laine just walked around the hills of Scotland strumming their acoustic guitars and drinking the local ales (and maybe a touch of scotch).  Due to the bagpipes, most of the song was recorded outside, as bagpipes generally must be.  But Paul’s vocal and the guitars were also recorded outside, with a sock put on a microphone to deal with some of the wind noise.  Second, sorry weasel but I love the bagpipes!  They supplement the beautiful melody perfectly and aren’t overwhelming in this instance.  Overall the song is a sweet folk singalong – in waltz time! – that provides a firm sense of place.

Paul produced not one, not two, but three promo videos for this one.  Here are two of them:  A One  And A Two
This is another one I'd never heard before despite being such a big deal in the UK. It is indeed a sweet folk singalong with bagpipes. Why that compelled 2 million Brits to buy the single, I have no idea. 

The bagpipes were surprisingly less annoying than I expected. 

 
191.  Marwa Blues (Brainwashed, 2002)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #55)

This instrumental was named after Raga Marwa (or Marva), one of George’s favorite Indian ragas.  This raga is seen as quiet and contemplative and is defined by the sunset, when the "onrushing darkness awakes in many observers a feeling of anxiety and solemn expectation."  My feeling when listening to this is that it is permeated in melancholy, which might be a combination of that solemnity and anxiety.

George plays both the slide guitar and the keyboard on this song, with the guitar part considered by some of be among his best and “most personal and emotionally resonant” guitar work.  This beautiful, meditative piece was the winner of a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental. 
George's slide guitar here sounds as much David Gilmour's style as his own. I could see it as a passage in Shine on You Crazy Diamond or a selection on one of the art-film soundtracks Floyd did in the late '60s and early '70s. Regardless of whether you agree, this is gorgeous. 

 
190.  Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers (feat. Paul McCartney) - Best Love (Rare Bird Alert, 2011)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #88)

I’m slowly clearing out the songs that weren’t written by a Beatle, but I do still have five cover songs (one by Ringo, one by Paul, and three by George) still to come.  This song written by Martin gets an extra boost by being written by k4 all-time favorite in my whole damn life, Steve Martin, whom I’ve loved beyond reason since I was a kid. 

On a David Letterman segment, Martin told the story of how the song came to be:  “First of all I wrote all the songs on this record – and by the way they’re all terrible – actually the idea of having Paul McCartney sing a song that I wrote has to be one of the most exciting things of his life.”  Then the 15-year-old son of the record’s producer suggested that Martin ask Paul to sing on it.  Emails between Martin and Paul ensued, as did confusion as Paul thought Martin only wanted him for backup, while Martin had, being a self-described “terrible singer,” wanted Paul for the lead vocal.  Paul responded, “Well as a little-known band from Liverpool once said, we can work it out.”  When Paul heard Martin’s guide vocal, he mentioned that he thought Martin was being humble in saying he was a terrible singer, but learned he wasn’t.  :lmao:  

Love this song, so catchy, with AMAZING lyrics (“thanks for solving Friday’s crossword, who knew Ivan was a tsar:lmao: ), and the band sounds tight.  Plus, there’s cello!  The only slight downside to this song in the rankings for me, other than its not being a Paul-composed song, is…Paul himself.  I don’t feel much energy or excitement in his performance, like he was mailing it in a bit.  Perhaps it’s just that a song of this style needs a different style of vocal than Paul can provide.  He sounds fine, but just lacking in connection to the song and oomph, in my opinion.  Still it’s a favorite of mine that remains in regular rotation.
This is sweet. I don't think Paul's vocal is disengaged, but I think his style/range when he was younger would have fit better than his style/range of 2011. 

It's crazy that Steve Martin is a genius comic and actor and ALSO an accomplished bluegrass musician. That's just not fair. 

 
This is sweet. I don't think Paul's vocal is disengaged, but I think his style/range when he was younger would have fit better than his style/range of 2011. 

It's crazy that Steve Martin is a genius comic and actor and ALSO an accomplished bluegrass musician. That's just not fair. 
My sense is that His Paulness was singing down to what Martin could replicate live in case the exposure of having a Beatle sing with them made the tune a crowd favorite. Guessing he would have thrown a lot more of his own lilt & bounce at it, left to his own devices.

 
I actually owned this CD. Other than "Homeword Bound" and Guns N Roses' "Civil War" (prior to it's inclusion on Use Your Illusion II) I don't remember what else was on it.
Funny you should mention this!

189.  The Traveling Wilburys - Nobody’s Child (Nobody’s Child:  Romanian Angel Appeal, 1990)  YouTube (not available on Spotify)

(George #54)

Like the “Homeward Bound” version I posted at #193, this song was included on the Romanian Angel Appeal charity record put together by George’s wife, Olivia.  It’s a cover of a song first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949.  You might not wish to listen to the lyrics too closely unless you are a cold *******; it’s a heartbreaking tale of a blind orphan whom no one wants.  The Wilburys sounds in great voice here, with gorgeous harmonies on the chorus.  OK, Dylan sounds a little off, but that’s to be expected. 

The song was also covered by Tony Sheridan, who recorded it in 1961 in Hamburg.  Guess who his backing band was

 
Funny you should mention this!

189.  The Traveling Wilburys - Nobody’s Child (Nobody’s Child:  Romanian Angel Appeal, 1990)  YouTube (not available on Spotify)

(George #54)

Like the “Homeward Bound” version I posted at #193, this song was included on the Romanian Angel Appeal charity record put together by George’s wife, Olivia.  It’s a cover of a song first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949.  You might not wish to listen to the lyrics too closely unless you are a cold *******; it’s a heartbreaking tale of a blind orphan whom no one wants.  The Wilburys sounds in great voice here, with gorgeous harmonies on the chorus.  OK, Dylan sounds a little off, but that’s to be expected. 

The song was also covered by Tony Sheridan, who recorded it in 1961 in Hamburg.  Guess who his backing band was
Now I do remember that as well. I like this song.

 
Mister Marks, I can pay her well
If she comes along and can stay a spell
I will promise now that I'll treat her right
And will rarely keep her 'til late at night
I need a

She can be a belly dancer
I don't need a true romancer
She can be a diplomat
But I don't need a girl like that
She can be a neurosurgeon
If she's doing nothing urgent
What I need's a temporary, temporary secretary
I need-AH

I need-AH

Can't wait to see where this one lands on your list.  It was ALL over mine.  Never made it into the top 50 as that was a line I simply could NOT let it cross, but it got close before ultimately falling back when I came to my senses.

 
Thanks. I actually kept a list of the shows I saw during some of those years on an old Ween message board, but it doesn't look like the board exists anymore. If you were at Irving Plaza to see Umphrey's McGee on December 10, 2004 and saw a guy vomiting in the stairwell, that was me. 😆

Aside from the larger venues where you needed a ticket in advance, it wasn't uncommon to see me at the Mercury Lounge, Piano's or the Tribeca Rock Club. 

(As I typed my response, "Summer Girls" by LFO came on the Summerpalooza draft podcast, which includes the line "Michael J. Fox played Alex P. Keaton." 😆)
You're welcome.

 
I need-AH

I need-AH

Can't wait to see where this one lands on your list.  It was ALL over mine.  Never made it into the top 50 as that was a line I simply could NOT let it cross, but it got close before ultimately falling back when I came to my senses.
I move it around a lot, too.  I've noticed that this song's ranking has the most direct correlation to how much I've been drinking.

 
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---MINI-LUDE – All Things Must Pass (1970)---

C’mon.  I can’t imagine I have anything to say about this record you guys don’t already know.

OK, here’s one:  did you know that when George put together the remastered 30th anniversary reissue, he colorized the cover art and on the inner sleeves included various items such as highways and nuclear towers to indicate his concern over the encroachment of the urban jungle?  He called it “a little dig at the way our planet has gone in the last 30 years – it’s just turning into a big concrete block.”

Oh, you knew that?  Well, did you know that All Things Must Pass was actually George’s third solo studio album?  His first, Wonderwall Music (1968), was a collection of Indian-influenced instrumentals, many of them under two minutes long.  His second, Electronic Sound (1969), consisted of two experimental tracks played on a Moog, with one being 18+ minutes lonog and the other 26+.  The experimental record isn’t something I could get into, but if you like that type of music, check it out.  I do enjoy several tracks on Wonderwall, though didn’t put any on my list.  “Love Scene” is my favorite.

Oh, you knew about those albums, too?  How about the fact that Phil Collins was brought in to play congas on one song for All Things Must Pass, which he did until his hands practically bled, but his version of the song didn’t make the record?  I find this story hilarious.

Well, that’s all I’ve got.  Instead of posting a bunch more garbage, I want to post the thoughts from someone we all respect and admire, who spoke of this album in my prior Beatles thread:

“I've heard ATMP a thousand times but have listened to it maybe thrice. As someone who always hated bliss, i usually gave it short shrift. During my runaway years, i encountered dozens of alternative communities filled w Blissies and all this city boy could think of was "we've spent 200 years fighting our way out of the yolks of altar & throne........for THIS?! Just trade it all in for yet another myth?!" And, unfortunately, Harrison was the unofficial captain of the "oh....yeah.....cool......peace" movement, so i gave his music much less attention & respect than it deserved. My loss.

I check out that side one more time and i hear everything i want to hear from a side - invention, melody, humor, wisdom and, most important, the ability to hold my sway for a while. That's one thing artists seldom understand any longer, the responsibility of being better than other people being to make other people better. The power to make them offer to put themselves in the palm of your hand that they may be comforted, enlightened, inspired, relieved of life's awful burdens for a short time and given a view from above it all.

He warned us. George Harrison was a product of what he saw, not what he knew, as most great artists are in their approach to their work. And, relieved of the onus of great inner fire, he was able to say, quite early on in counterculture terms, "It's all bull####, don't you know. Find peace in your heart and you will see that it's so. I don't have to be complicated and neither do you. Here are some songs about complicated people and how silly is all they do."

Beware of Maya. Beware of illusions which become delusions. Open your heart before you open your mind and it will go oh so much more easily. And now, almost 50 years on, almost everything is Maya. My gen did indeed cast the bliss aside and what for? Identity & individuality, liberty & license, consumption & concupiscence. Now all we look for is peace, take pills for peace, be mindful for peace. ####ed out, tensed up, pissed off, shut down are we. Oh....yeah.....cool......peace. Sounds pretty good all of a sudden. All things must pass.”

Thus concludes my All Things Must Pass MINI-LUDE, which turned out not-so-mini.  I’ll discuss each song in more detail as it comes up, since every song on the two main records will be on the countdown.

Track listing:

  1. I’d Have You Anytime
  2. My Sweet Lord
  3. Wah-Wah
  4. Isn’t It A Pity (Version One)
  5. What Is Life
  6. If Not For You
  7. Behind That Locked Door
  8. Let It Down
  9. Run Of The Mill
  10. Beware Of Darkness
  11. Apple Scruffs
  12. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
  13. Awaiting On You All
  14. All Things Must Pass
  15. I Dig Love
  16. Art Of Dying
  17. Isn’t It a Pity (Version Two)
  18. Hear Me Lord
  19. Out Of The Blue
  20. It’s Johnny’s Birthday
  21. Plug Me In
  22. I Remember Jeep
  23. Thanks For The Pepperoni

 
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Funny you should mention this!

189.  The Traveling Wilburys - Nobody’s Child (Nobody’s Child:  Romanian Angel Appeal, 1990)  YouTube (not available on Spotify)

(George #54)

Like the “Homeward Bound” version I posted at #193, this song was included on the Romanian Angel Appeal charity record put together by George’s wife, Olivia.  It’s a cover of a song first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949.  You might not wish to listen to the lyrics too closely unless you are a cold *******; it’s a heartbreaking tale of a blind orphan whom no one wants.  The Wilburys sounds in great voice here, with gorgeous harmonies on the chorus.  OK, Dylan sounds a little off, but that’s to be expected. 

The song was also covered by Tony Sheridan, who recorded it in 1961 in Hamburg.  Guess who his backing band was
great song. It's funny - I normally don't like that twang, but when guys like this do it, it works. 

 
188.  Plug Me In (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #53)

A lot of people might not spend much time on the instrumentals comprising sides 5 and 6 of All Things Must Pass, what with some of the best songs ever written being available on the first two records in the set.  I fall into that category, too, but I wanted to highlight my favorite of the jam tracks.  That’s George on guitar along with Clapton and Dave Mason, all of them just sizzling.  The star of this show for me, though, is Jim Gordon on drums.  As much as I love Ringo, when I listen to this album, every time I think, “Who the hell is just killing it on drums,” it’s Jim Gordon. 

Not remembering much about him, a while back I looked up his story, and it’s impossibly sad.  Short version:  he is/was extremely mentally ill but was never given the help he needed, not getting a proper diagnosis despite having heard voices in his head and purposefully starving himself for years.  In 1983, the voices compelled him to murder his mother with a hammer and a butcher knife.  After he was arrested, he was diagnosed with acute schizophrenia, but due to a technicality he couldn’t plead insanity even though the court accepted that the diagnosis was correct; he remains in prison having been denied parole every few years. 

 
187.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band - John Sinclair (Some Time In New York City, 1972)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #38)

John Sinclair was, among other things, a jazz poet who became the manager for the band MC5, as well as one of the founding members of the White Panther Party.  In 1969, he was arrested for offering two joints to an undercover cop and given a 10-year prison sentence, which seems totally in line with the norm and clearly not at all linked to his political activities.  Wait, the opposite of that.  John took an interest in the case and agreed to headline a benefit/rally put on by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin for Sinclair in Detroit, with others such as Stevie Wonder, Phil Ochs and Bob Seger also on the bill.  This seemed to work well for Sinclair, who was released from jail three days later, but not so much for John, as this concert was one of the key reasons that J. Edgar Hoover ended up taking such an interest in him, with a full report on the event ending up on his desk. 

I love the folksy sound of this song that springs from John’s use of the slide on a Dobro.  I expect that the repeated “got to” (I haven’t counted how many) that comes up several times in the song will be a love/hate aspect; I’m in the “love” camp.  This song sounds very much of its time, but in this instance in a good way; to me it fits with the best of the folk protests of the late 60s and early 70s, telling a full story in the song.  Billy Bragg should do a cover of this song.  I just thought of that.   Someone get Billy on the phone!

Fun fact:  John Sinclair was the first person to buy pot after its legalization in Michigan in 2019, including “Forbidden Jelly” and “Gorilla Glue No. 9,” if you must know.

 
It amuses me that I post what's upcoming as if I'm drumming up excitement.  Anyway, since I like amusement, here's tomorrow's agenda:  our first song from McCartney(!), plus another Paul and another George.  Wednesday will be brimming with excitement as we'll be hitting three albums for the first time:  Memory Almost Full; Venus and Mars; and Gone Troppo.  Please contain your enthusiasm over that last one.  :lol:  

 
It amuses me that I post what's upcoming as if I'm drumming up excitement.  Anyway, since I like amusement, here's tomorrow's agenda:  our first song from McCartney(!), plus another Paul and another George.  Wednesday will be brimming with excitement as we'll be hitting three albums for the first time:  Memory Almost Full; Venus and Mars; and Gone Troppo.  Please contain your enthusiasm over that last one.  :lol:  
LEEET'S GOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

 
Oh!  I forgot to mention that I had to run errands today, and the moment I got in the car, "Temporary Secretary" was playing on the Beatles channel.  :excited:   The guy who was doing the show, whatever it was, called it "brilliant" and "a masterpiece."

 
@Morton Muffley, I'd intended to mention, and don't feel at all like you have to do this(!), but I would find it fun if you would keep a running updated list here of what has "hit" on your list so far.  Such as:

3.  Temporary Secretary

10.  Ebony and Ivory

22.  My Love

I know you've posted some when I've "hit" one but would love to see an ongoing list that gets filled in as I hit more.

 
Track listing:

  1. I’d Have You Anytime
  2. My Sweet Lord
  3. Wah-Wah
  4. Isn’t It A Pity (Version One)
  5. What Is Life
  6. If Not For You
  7. Behind That Locked Door
  8. Let It Down
  9. Run Of The Mill
  10. Beware Of Darkness
  11. Apple Scruffs
  12. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
  13. Awaiting On You All
  14. All Things Must Pass
  15. I Dig Love
  16. Art Of Dying
  17. Isn’t It a Pity (Version Two)
  18. Hear Me Lord
  19. Out Of The Blue
  20. It’s Johnny’s Birthday
  21. Plug Me In
  22. I Remember Jeep
  23. Thanks For The Pepperoni
I'd put this up against most of the Beatles catalog. Without putting a ton of thought into it only Abbey Road and Revolver are clearly better (imo).

 
188.  Plug Me In (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #53)

A lot of people might not spend much time on the instrumentals comprising sides 5 and 6 of All Things Must Pass, what with some of the best songs ever written being available on the first two records in the set.  I fall into that category, too, but I wanted to highlight my favorite of the jam tracks.  That’s George on guitar along with Clapton and Dave Mason, all of them just sizzling.  The star of this show for me, though, is Jim Gordon on drums.  As much as I love Ringo, when I listen to this album, every time I think, “Who the hell is just killing it on drums,” it’s Jim Gordon. 

Not remembering much about him, a while back I looked up his story, and it’s impossibly sad.  Short version:  he is/was extremely mentally ill but was never given the help he needed, not getting a proper diagnosis despite having heard voices in his head and purposefully starving himself for years.  In 1983, the voices compelled him to murder his mother with a hammer and a butcher knife.  After he was arrested, he was diagnosed with acute schizophrenia, but due to a technicality he couldn’t plead insanity even though the court accepted that the diagnosis was correct; he remains in prison having been denied parole every few years. 
Love this.  And I agree, the drumming really took that to another level.  If not for the difficulties he had, maybe Gordon would have supplanted Keltner on the "Most Likely To Be Named Jim And Play On 85% Of Solo Beatle Works" list.  

 
187.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band - John Sinclair (Some Time In New York City, 1972)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #38)

John Sinclair was, among other things, a jazz poet who became the manager for the band MC5, as well as one of the founding members of the White Panther Party.  In 1969, he was arrested for offering two joints to an undercover cop and given a 10-year prison sentence, which seems totally in line with the norm and clearly not at all linked to his political activities.  Wait, the opposite of that.  John took an interest in the case and agreed to headline a benefit/rally put on by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin for Sinclair in Detroit, with others such as Stevie Wonder, Phil Ochs and Bob Seger also on the bill.  This seemed to work well for Sinclair, who was released from jail three days later, but not so much for John, as this concert was one of the key reasons that J. Edgar Hoover ended up taking such an interest in him, with a full report on the event ending up on his desk. 

I love the folksy sound of this song that springs from John’s use of the slide on a Dobro.  I expect that the repeated “got to” (I haven’t counted how many) that comes up several times in the song will be a love/hate aspect; I’m in the “love” camp.  This song sounds very much of its time, but in this instance in a good way; to me it fits with the best of the folk protests of the late 60s and early 70s, telling a full story in the song.  Billy Bragg should do a cover of this song.  I just thought of that.   Someone get Billy on the phone!

Fun fact:  John Sinclair was the first person to buy pot after its legalization in Michigan in 2019, including “Forbidden Jelly” and “Gorilla Glue No. 9,” if you must know.
I have no knowledge of this, since I don't think I'd heard this one before, but I wonder if John just wanted to screw with people by making them think their needle was stuck on the record player.  That's what I instantly was reminded of.  It brought me back to when my "Queen of Hearts" Juice Newton .45 got a scratch in it back in '82.  

 
Oh!  I forgot to mention that I had to run errands today, and the moment I got in the car, "Temporary Secretary" was playing on the Beatles channel.  :excited:   The guy who was doing the show, whatever it was, called it "brilliant" and "a masterpiece."
I've only heard this on the Channel one time.  I've decided that 1980's McCartney is the era of solo Beatles work they play the least.  

 
@Morton Muffley, I'd intended to mention, and don't feel at all like you have to do this(!), but I would find it fun if you would keep a running updated list here of what has "hit" on your list so far.  Such as:

3.  Temporary Secretary

10.  Ebony and Ivory

22.  My Love

I know you've posted some when I've "hit" one but would love to see an ongoing list that gets filled in as I hit more.
So in this hypothetical list:

1. Mary Had a Little Lamb

2. Meat-Free Mondays 

4. Cook of the House

5. Children in Need

6. Love Song to the Earth

7. Wide Prairie

8. B-Side to Seaside

9. Seaside Woman

11. The Light Comes from Within

😅

 
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I have no knowledge of this, since I don't think I'd heard this one before, but I wonder if John just wanted to screw with people by making them think their needle was stuck on the record player.  That's what I instantly was reminded of.  It brought me back to when my "Queen of Hearts" Juice Newton .45 got a scratch in it back in '82.  
this. it was a meme for a coupla weeks in my crew

 
Sorry, I'm going to mix it up a bit and don't have time to do a write-up this morning.  One issue I've had is that when I'm re-ranking and re-re-ranking and re-re-re-ranking, I put together a Spotify playlist of what I think are the next 30-40 songs and then shuffle.  That means that when I'm moving stuff around, the songs that aren't on Spotify fall through the cracks.  As a result, I missed this one and would have had it lower.  I'm just going to throw this one up here and then get back to those I'd already written up.

TOP TEN RINGO

186.  Wrack My Brain (Stop And Smell The Roses, 1981)  YouTube  (not available on Spotify)

(Ringo #10)  

This is a song written by George Harrison and performed by Ringo Starr.  :)  

 
Sorry, I'm going to mix it up a bit and don't have time to do a write-up this morning.  One issue I've had is that when I'm re-ranking and re-re-ranking and re-re-re-ranking, I put together a Spotify playlist of what I think are the next 30-40 songs and then shuffle.  That means that when I'm moving stuff around, the songs that aren't on Spotify fall through the cracks.  As a result, I missed this one and would have had it lower.  I'm just going to throw this one up here and then get back to those I'd already written up.

TOP TEN RINGO

186.  Wrack My Brain (Stop And Smell The Roses, 1981)  YouTube  (not available on Spotify)

(Ringo #10)  

This is a song written by George Harrison and performed by Ringo Starr.  :)  
*Binky - higher

 
Sorry, I'm going to mix it up a bit and don't have time to do a write-up this morning.  One issue I've had is that when I'm re-ranking and re-re-ranking and re-re-re-ranking, I put together a Spotify playlist of what I think are the next 30-40 songs and then shuffle.  That means that when I'm moving stuff around, the songs that aren't on Spotify fall through the cracks.  As a result, I missed this one and would have had it lower.  I'm just going to throw this one up here and then get back to those I'd already written up.

TOP TEN RINGO

186.  Wrack My Brain (Stop And Smell The Roses, 1981)  YouTube  (not available on Spotify)

(Ringo #10)  

This is a song written by George Harrison and performed by Ringo Starr.  :)  
The Beatles Channel loves this one.  It's decent enough for a song written by George Harrison and performed by Ringo Starr.  

 
@Morton Muffley, I'd intended to mention, and don't feel at all like you have to do this(!), but I would find it fun if you would keep a running updated list here of what has "hit" on your list so far.  Such as:

3.  Temporary Secretary

10.  Ebony and Ivory

22.  My Love

I know you've posted some when I've "hit" one but would love to see an ongoing list that gets filled in as I hit more.
Would be happy to.  Will think about how best to execute this so that I am not posting a minimally updated list every day. Maybe at each quarter point (i.e. when you reach Paul's #75, #50, #25, and #1).  That will also allow me to provide a one sentence explanation for any song that I think requires a justification of some kind (i.e. much higher or lower on my list).

Lastly, lol at the three songs & rankings you chose for demonstration purpses!  What kind of an animal do you think I am?

 
OK, back to our schedule.

185.  Faster (George Harrison, 1979)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #52)

Vroom!  Vroom vroom!  I’m just singing the opening lines from “Faster,” which begins with the actual sounds from the 1978 British Grand Prix.  As we’ve previously discussed, George took the entirety of 1977 off from music, not even lifting a guitar, and spent much of his time off attending Formula 1 races throughout the world.  During that time, he was continually asked if he was going to write a song about the sport, which George said had been “a million miles” from his mind, but eventually he wanted to honor his racing friends with a song.  Both this and “Blow Away,” written around the same time, jump started George’s creative impulses again.  “Jump started” – see what I did there?  Anyway, for this song, George is said to have drawn inspiration from Niki Lauda’s successful comeback after a near-fatal accident, and George took the title from Jackie Stewart’s autobiography.  While the song was inspired by the determination and dedication of his friends in motorsports, George wrote the lyrics in a fashion so they could equally apply to anyone who pursued their dreams for a career ends up with them in the public spotlight, even, say, a rock star.

George made a video (YouTube link above), during which he performs the song in the back of a car chauffeured by Jackie Stewart.   The song was released as a single in the UK with proceeds going to a cancer-related charity, but it failed to chart. 

I’m a huge fan of George’s acoustic guitar work on this one, and I particularly like the changes in meter that keep the song interesting throughout.  The staccato vocal presentation, fitting more words in a line than it feels like should be there, in “faster than a bullet from a gun” and “quicker than the blinking of an eye” is a particular pleasure for me; I like how his lilting vocal becomes more growly there, too.  This song must have been a favorite for George, too, as I feel like he incorporated portions of it wholesale into “Blood From A Clone” and “Dream Away.”  Listen to those and tell me I’m right?  The only downside on this song for me are the “whooshing” sounds after those lines I mentioned above that are my favorites.  Could have done with a little less Formula 1 in my song; I get the idea without the sound effects.  Vroom vroom vroom!

Songs in which George pronounces the word “twue” (running count):  2

 

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