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In this thread I rank my favorite post-Beatles Beatles songs: 291-1. (5 Viewers)

krista4 said:
---MINI-LUDE – Thrillington (1977)---

Before I post another song from Ram, I wanted to mention this unusual project, which was an orchestral version of the entire Ram album.  It had been recorded in 1971 a month after the release of Ram, but wasn’t put out until 1977, under the name Percy “Thrills” Thrillington.  Thrillington was allegedly an “Irish bandleader” who was also an sprightly socialite whose activities began to be eagerly reported in the UK press (as well as in Rolling Stone).  After a dozen years of keeping mum about the project, Paul admitted in 1989 that he was Thrillington, which of course anyone with brain cells already suspected, and that he had planted the spottings of the “socialite” in the various publications.  At the same time, he also owned up to being “Clint Harrigan,” who wrote the liner notes for this album and Wild Life, as previously discussed.  When Thrillington was re-issued in 2012, Paul set up a Twitter account where he again pretended to be Thrillington.  Paul really can be one weird dude.

One interesting aspect of the record is that Paul used the same orchestral arranger for it who had done the arrangement of “The Long And Winding Road” that Paul absolutely despised.  I don’t much care for this album despite being a huge fan of Ram and generally being instrumental friendly, but I thought I should point it out in case anyone who hasn’t heard it wanted to check it out.  My notes for various songs include “plodding AF,” “granny music,” “boring and dissonant,” etc. – in general it was too granny loungey for me. 

I’m either entranced or disturbed by the ram violinist on the cover.
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Not to get gross or political, but our current president engaged in similar behavior. Not sure what that says. 

 
krista4 said:
170.  Six O’Clock (Ringo, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #9)

I hate not having a song I know someone else loves higher.  In this case, I believe that @Dr. Octopus said this was his favorite Ringo song, but hey, #9 Ringo isn’t bad either, right?

This song was written by Paul for Ringo’s album, Ringo.  John and George had already contributed songs to the album, and Ringo rang up Paul to make sure he didn’t want to be left out.  I think it’s a beautifully written song, but I really want to hear Paul sing it!  I know Ringo’s vocal can be a problem for some, and it usually doesn’t bother me that much, but it does moreso on this song, especially in the “I don’t treat you like I’d like to treat you” part.  Paul and Linda also contributed backing vocals, and Paul played piano and did the string arrangements, the later of which I think are a highlight of the song.  That’s Klaus Voormann on bass instead of Paul.  Even though I’d prefer a different vocal, I still love this charming ballad.

Fun fact:  when asked by the press why he had written this song for Ringo, Paul said he would do that for any friend, so Rod Stewart called and demanded a song.  Paul obliged, which resulted in Stewart’s song, “Mine For Me.”
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I think this might have been cheesier with a Paul vocal. I could see it getting too far into Ob-La-Di territory that way. I like the synth or whatever it is that's doing the solos. Agreed on everything else. 

 
krista4 said:
And here we go.

169.  How Do You Sleep?  (Imagine, 1971)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #35)

Twice today I’ve felt kinda bad about ranking something lower (Binky, higher) than another poster whom I like.  I think that @Raging weasel indicated that this was his favorite John song!  I get it, since it’s a great song.  At this point the differences are minor, but this falls a little lower on my John scale simply because, as I mentioned, I tire of John’s vitriol, and in this instance I don’t admire that he is so lacking in subtlety.  It's a direct, personal attack on Paul that is not interesting in its lyrical content.  As a response to Paul’s “Too Many People,” it falls materially short of the quality and cleverness of that song.  It’s just too much for me.  And I understand that it was toned down by suggestion of Ringo and George from how much worse it was to begin with!  Ringo famously said, “That’s enough, John” when both he and George were mildly horrified by the lyrical content.  Allen Klein also convinced John to remove a line suggesting that Paul hadn’t composed “Yesterday”:  “You probably stole that ##### anyway.”  As you know from the Beatles thread, I’m an unabashed (OK, maybe slightly abashed) John fan, and he is way better than this.  His lyrics usually have no peer, but he went for the “easy” here.  Not clever or funny, just childish in their pointedness and viciousness.

To put a finer point on it (“say I’m the only bee in your bonnet”), these are the full lyrics:

So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise
You better see right through that mother's eyes
Those freaks was right when they said you was dead
The one mistake you made was in your head

Ah, how do you sleep?
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

You live with straights who tell you you was king

Jump when your momma tell you anything
The only thing you done was yesterday
And since you're gone you're just another day

Ah, how do you sleep?
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

Ah, how do you sleep?
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

A pretty face may last a year or two
But pretty soon they'll see what you can do
The sound you make is muzak to my ears
You must have learned something in all those years

Ah, how do you sleep?
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

&

Despite all my criticism above, this still ranks fairly high for me on the John scale due to the musical quality of it.  The piano by Nicky Hopkins and especially the slide guitar work by George are fantastic.  The deep groove is nice.  As I mentioned, John ripped off his own string parts from this song for “Steel And Glass,” so I suppose he liked those as well as I do, too.  But man, I hate the puerile snark in those lyrics so much that as write this, I wish I’d ranked it lower.
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The music is fantastic. So is the melody. And the creepy strings -- which I don't mind that he reused for that other song. We'll never know why he felt compelled to use this as the wrapping for a flaming bag of poo flung at Paul.

I was first exposed to this when I bought the Replicants self-titled (and only) album. They were a side project of guys from Failure (a '90s band I discussed in the jukebox draft and Summerpalooza threads) and Tool who in 1995 put out an album of all covers, each of which were radically reimagined. Also, most of them were not playing their usual instruments. (Failure's guitarist played bass, Failure's bassist played drums, Tool's bassist played guitar. But Tool's touring keyboardist played keys). For whatever reason, this was the one Beatles-related song they decided to tackle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fqb7M0o-BY 

 
krista4 said:
ANNOUNCE ANNOUNCE ANNOUNCE

I don't entirely know what happened that let "Wrack My Brain" sneak into my Ringo songs, but as I said the "not on Spotify" songs had a tendency to do that.  It was undoubtedly on an early cut but slipped through by not being on a Spotify relisten, and I really don't want it in my top ten Ringos!  I am ***OFFICIALLY*** replacing that song with this one as my Ringo #10:

Have You Seen My Baby (Ringo, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

This might disappoint @falguy, who had it chosen for my #1 Ringo based on this being his #1 Ringo, but at least it's on the list now.  Please enjoy this much more listenable Ringo.

Oh!  I forgot a write-up.  My write-up is that this is a better song than "Wrack My Brain."'  Thx.
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This is indeed a better song than Wrack My Brain, which is not a high bar to clear. The "hold on" part, especially with the way the guitars, piano and horns sound behind it, reminds me a bit of T. Rex's Bang a Gong. 

 
krista4 said:
168.  Ballroom Dancing (Tug Of War, 1982)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #78)

This is a clever little number about Paul’s childhood memories.  He starts with lyrics about the types of games he would play as a kid, with the verses being what he has called all his childhood memories distilled into one song.  Then he moves into memories from being a teenager, “when George Harrison and I used to go to the local dance and neither of us would ever dare to ask a girl to dance until the last waltz. It was then that we thought, ‘Oh God, we’ve wasted all our money when all we came here for was to touch a girl. We’ve got to do it. Okay, let’s waltz, come on.’ We were always too shy but we’d always try and grab someone for that last dance. But most times we’d get refused. We never really got into ballroom dancing but that was where you went if you wanted to dance. We’d go to The Locarno or The Grafton, all the big ballrooms. And with The Beatles, the ballroom circuit was a big circuit. We did a lot of ballrooms in our early career before we gravitated to the theatres.”

It's a bouncy, somewhat zany song with some excellent lyrics; I laugh at them throughout, but my favorite is “ballroom dancing made a man of me.”  Paul’s in great voice and plays almost all the instruments here (other than a couple of guitar parts. the clarinet, and the horns); I love the jumping bass part in particular.  For a song that sounds a little like granny music on its face, it’s actually quite sophisticated and complex with all of the musical overdubs, plus a clarinet glissando by the guy who was first clarinet for the Royal Philharmonic for nearly 20 years.  The middle section is fantastic, from the horns to the guitars and the piano to…Peter Marshall!  The announcer you hear in the song is the former host of The Hollywood Squares and other shows.   This song manages to be joyous and fun without being silly, all the while telling a true story of Paul’s past.  Expertly crafted in every way.
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This is very well-done but also very silly. The musical shift that happens around 2:30 is cool. Another one that probably drove Wenner and his buddies crazy. 

 
krista4 said:
167.  Ram On/Ram On (Reprise) (Ram, 1971)  Side One:  Spotify  YouTube  Side Two (Reprise):  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #77)

Paul once again ties together an album by reprising an established theme from a prior track, with an initial "Ram On" contained on Side One, and a 56-second Reprise tying Side Two of the album to the first.  The two sections were part of the same recording, with the last portion simply lopped off to become the Reprise, so I'm taking them as one.

This was a particularly difficult song for me to place; at times it didn't even make my top 100 Paul due to being...well, not really a song so much as a collection of ideas mushed together into a fragment of a song.  It ends up fairly high on my list, though, because the various ideas so mushed tend to be interesting ones.  This song was unusual on Ram in that all instruments were played by Paul, with the only other contributor being Linda on backing vocals, which she pulled off quite well on this track.

The core of the "song" is Paul strumming a ukelele in a little folksy melody; Paul has said that during this time he would just carry a uke around with him wherever he went, much to the befuddlement of NY taxi drivers who had some weirdo with a uke in the back seat of their cars.  (Yes, that was spotlighting.)  In this instance, Paul was in the studio simply rocking side to side while playing the uke and singing the repeating "ram on" vocal, and an on-the-ball engineer set up a mic on the uke, one by Paul's face, and two by his feet, capturing the foot tapping from Paul that you hear on the track, too.  Paul repeats that basic vocal for three verses, but in each verse, differing flourishes are added to the backing vocals, so that even though each verse is repetitive, they all sound different, and the minor to major chord changes back and forth add to the interest.  I'm a fan of the second verse's especially ethereal feel.  Between the second and third verses is a section with the same basic pattern, but with lyrics replaced by mouth noises; I dig that, too.  The Side One portion ends with Paul whistling the melody, which is then picked up again as the beginning of the Reprise on Side Two.  The Reprise then contains one repeat of the verse before changing into Paul singing what became the first lines of #212 selection "Big Barn Bed" on the Red Rose Speedway album two years later.  To all of this was added some reverbed percussion and electric piano, plus an intro that came from a different session, comprising a nice piano arpeggio section and some chatter.  The end result was a somewhat hauntingly beautiful, compelling track (or tracks).  Do I know what the lyrics are about?  No.  Do I care?  Also no.

I'd be remiss if I didn't note that the words "ram on" could be a reference to the pseudonym Paul used in the Beatles days, "Paul Ramon," which The Ramones adopted for their band name.  Paul sure does love his pseudonyms.
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This encapsulates the whole Ram thing for me. It feels simple and complex at the same time, and lo-fi and high-end at the same time. 

 
166.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (single, 1971)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #34)

It’s a Christmas song!  It’s an anti-war song!  It’s both!  John had discovered from the success of “Imagine” that putting an anti-war sentiment in a pretty little package might find a more receptive audience for his message.  The song was a build upon a global campaign in 1969 in which John and Yoko had rented billboards in major world cities, including one in Times Square in NY, declaring “WAR IS OVER! If you want it, Happy Christmas, John and Yoko.”  In addition to cribbing his own billboard phrasing (which itself might have been cribbed from Phil Ochs’s song “The War Is Over”), John also incorporated a melody from the English standard “Stewball,” lyrics from Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People,” guitar riffs from “Try Some, Buy Some,” and possibly other retreads.

While the song was only mildly successful in the US upon its initial release, reaching #42 on the charts, it was immediately a much bigger hit in the UK when released there the following year, and in subsequent years has become a Christmas staple around the world both in its original form and in covers by numerous artists.  John called in some of the usual for the recording – including Keltner and Hopkins, and Spector on production – but added Hugh McCracken on guitar, unaware that McCracken was also working on Paul’s Ram album, and the Harlem Children’s Choir for the counter-melody and chorus.  It’s this last bit that is probably a highlight for many people but is why I don’t enjoy it quite as much.  I simply don’t like children’s singing.  Ever.  No, you are not going to come up with an exception.  Bah humbug.  I also find Yoko’s parts on this song to be particularly jarring.  Still, I like this song for its composition, for the little bits like the chimes and glockenspiel, and for John’s lovely vocal, so it gets an overall positive ranking. 

We’ve now had a Christmas song from each of Paul, John, and Ringo on the countdown.  Will we be adding George’s attempt at creating a new Christmas standard, “Ding Dong, Ding Dong”?  No, no we won’t.  This is the last of the holiday tunes.

 
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krista4 said:
166.  Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (single, 1971)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #34)

It’s a Christmas song!  It’s an anti-war song!  It’s both!  John had discovered from the success of “Imagine” that putting an anti-war sentiment in a pretty little package might find a more receptive audience for his message.  The song was a build upon a global campaign in 1969 in which John and Yoko had rented billboards in major world cities, including one in Times Square in NY, declaring “WAR IS OVER! If you want it, Happy Christmas, John and Yoko.”  In addition to cribbing his own billboard phrasing (which itself might have been cribbed from Phil Ochs’s song “The War Is Over”), John also incorporated a melody from the English standard “Stewball,” lyrics from Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People,” guitar riffs from “Try Some, Buy Some,” and possibly other retreads.

While the song was only mildly successful in the US upon its initial release, reaching #42 on the charts, it was immediately a much bigger hit in the UK when released there the following year, and in subsequent years has become a Christmas staple around the world both in its original form and in covers by numerous artists.  John called in some of the usual for the recording – including Keltner and Hopkins, and Spector on production – but added Hugh McCracken on guitar, unaware that McCracken was also working on Paul’s Ram album, and the Harlem Children’s Choir for the counter-melody and chorus.  It’s this last bit that is probably a highlight for many people but is why I don’t enjoy it quite as much.  I simply don’t like children’s singing.  Ever.  No, you are not going to come up with an exception.  Bah humbug.  I also find Yoko’s parts on this song to be particularly jarring.  Still, I like this song for its composition, for the little bits like the chimes and glockenspiel, and for John’s lovely vocal, so it gets an overall positive ranking. 

We’ve now had a Christmas song from each of Paul, John, and Ringo on the countdown.  Will we be adding George’s attempt at creating a new Christmas standard, “Ding Dong, Ding Dong”?  No, no we won’t.  This is the last of the holiday tunes.
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What, we're not simply ... haaaaaaaving ... that song? 😅

I'm OK with Yoko's vocal part because it sounds like any other average person who can't sing trying to sing Christmas carols. So it fits!

This had the potential to be extremely cheesy but isn't thanks to the melody and the non-sappy but also non-strident lyrics. 

 
Pip's Invitation said:
Not to get gross or political, but our current president engaged in similar behavior. Not sure what that says. 
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Yes, I know.  Purposefully did not go there.

Pip's Invitation said:
I think this might have been cheesier with a Paul vocal. I could see it getting too far into Ob-La-Di territory that way. I like the synth or whatever it is that's doing the solos. Agreed on everything else. 
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Excellent point.

Pip's Invitation said:
This encapsulates the whole Ram thing for me. It feels simple and complex at the same time, and lo-fi and high-end at the same time. 
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Another excellent point.  :)  

 
Pip's Invitation said:
What, we're not simply ... haaaaaaaving ... that song? 😅

I'm OK with Yoko's vocal part because it sounds like any other average person who can't sing trying to sing Christmas carols. So it fits!

This had the potential to be extremely cheesy but isn't thanks to the melody and the non-sappy but also non-strident lyrics. 
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We already talked simply about that other song.  ;)  

 
Fixed the crediting on the prior song - should have included Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band.

165.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono - I Don't Wanna Face It (Milk And Honey, 1984)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #33)

Oh John, you had me at "eins zwei hickle fickle"!  I genuinely love this song, much more than some songs I'll have ranked above it.  But as with #235 "I'm Stepping Out," it's ranked lower by virtue of its feeling unfinished.  In fact, this one sounds much less complete than "I'm Stepping Out," but I really, really love this one.  I love the edgy, self-deprecating lyrics, I love the guitar, I love the rest of the rocking band, I love the intro, I love that little bark at 1:25, I love the spoken outro.  Have I mentioned I love this one?

This was one of two songs on Milk And Honey that John originally intended for Ringo's next album (later called Stop And Smell The Roses), along with "Strange Days Indeed" (which became "Nobody Told Me").  After John's death, Ringo couldn't bear to record the songs so passed on them.  John's assistant, Fred Seaman (teehee) also gave a copy to Julian Lennon for possible recording, but Yoko prevented that from happening, so we're left with this unfinished cut and a couple of demo versions.  

 
I got pulled into a project this afternoon that's going to make my work life even more hellacious for the next 7-10 days.  Believe it or not, I work a ton of hours in the best of times, and these are not they.  

Given that I am not at all ahead in my write-ups, while I'll work them in during this time, they are going to be fairly short and simple.  I'll leave it to the lot of you to add to the discussion and analysis, which you do already.  The alternative is to put everything on hold until the end of next week, but I made the executive decision not to do that.  wikkid, I do have your 'ludes for whenever they come up, as I'd completed those about 10 days ago.

 
krista4 said:
I got pulled into a project this afternoon that's going to make my work life even more hellacious for the next 7-10 days.  Believe it or not, I work a ton of hours in the best of times, and these are not they.  

Given that I am not at all ahead in my write-ups, while I'll work them in during this time, they are going to be fairly short and simple.  I'll leave it to the lot of you to add to the discussion and analysis, which you do already.  The alternative is to put everything on hold until the end of next week, but I made the executive decision not to do that.  wikkid, I do have your 'ludes for whenever they come up, as I'd completed those about 10 days ago.
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It's your list. Go at whatever pace works for you. We'll be around regardless.

However, since you don't sleep, I suspect that ultimately you'll be more "productive" on this thread during the project than you currently expect. Good luck! 

 
krista4 said:
I got pulled into a project this afternoon that's going to make my work life even more hellacious for the next 7-10 days.  Believe it or not, I work a ton of hours in the best of times, and these are not they.  

Given that I am not at all ahead in my write-ups, while I'll work them in during this time, they are going to be fairly short and simple.  I'll leave it to the lot of you to add to the discussion and analysis, which you do already.  The alternative is to put everything on hold until the end of next week, but I made the executive decision not to do that.  wikkid, I do have your 'ludes for whenever they come up, as I'd completed those about 10 days ago.
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i'll hang on as best i can. i just worry i might fall back to my ol' prolim with kristameth

 
krista4 said:
After John's death, Ringo couldn't bear to record the songs so passed on them.  John's assistant, Fred Seaman (teehee) also gave a copy to Julian Lennon for possible recording  
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Interesting. I would have thought he’d record them as a tribute but guess he was really broken up.

 
krista, do you know what this image says? I tried to make out what the words may be, and put it in an Italian to English translator thing, and it didn't work out well. It is in cursive, and I'm not sure what some of the words are. My friend bought some paintings at an estate sale, and this was on the back of one of them. I know you can speak Italian, so I thought maybe you could make out what it says if you can read that cursive scribble.

 
krista4 said:
John's assistant, Fred Seaman (teehee) also gave a copy to Julian Lennon for possible recording, but Yoko prevented that from happening, so we're left with this unfinished cut and a couple of demo versions.  
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Yoko seemed to like to alienate Julian even when Lennon was alive. I remember Julian suing Yoko for some of his dad's estate. Lennon had left Julian out of his will, and Julian took her to court saying she influenced his dad's decision to cut him out. It dragged out in court for 16 years, and Julian ultimately got an undisclosed settlement. Based on Julian's resentment of his dad's neglect, my guess is he would have rather have had his dad's love than his money. 

 
It's basically a receipt, saying that the person received xxxxxx lire (I can't really read the number) for ancient engravings that are authentically from the 17th century.

Edit:  thought I had quoted simey's post.

 
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krista4 said:
It's basically a receipt, saying that the person received xxxxxx lire (I can't really read the number) for ancient engravings that are authentically from the 17th century.

Edit:  thought I had quoted simey's post.
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Thanks, k!

 
164. Don’t Be Careless Love (Flowers In The Dirt, 1989)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #76)

This one starts strong for me with that gorgeous a cappella intro that sounds like a hymn, and I’m a fan of the weakness and straining in Paul’s voice as he really goes for it and seems literally to be pleading.  The dark lyrics show Elvis Costello’s influence and are strong in my opinion.  There are two demos of this song on the 2017 remaster of Flowers In The Dirt, and I might prefer the original demo that was just the two of them on acoustic guitars, with Costello’s voice up in the mix, to the initially released track.  As it is, this version suffers from the overproduction characteristic of much of the album.  OH is actually more charitable about this song than I am:

“Plug in that 80s filter.  He’s reaching above his range.  The vocals are perfect.  They’re the ####.  The absolute best.  I’d kill to hear just the drum track and Paul McCartney’s vocals.  Maybe a little of Elvis Costello’s backing vocals.  Or any band other than this studio band.  That chord progression came into R&B in the 70s and then into mainstream in the 80s, and it sounds dated because nobody sings that way anymore, but it’s super effective and totally sincere.  There’s a reason why a lot of people adopted that, and it’s a shame that that particular tempo and progression hasn’t been sampled in contemporary hip-hop, so people hear it now and it sounds dated because it hasn’t been used.  A shame because it’s great.  Sir Paul McCartney singing an octave out of his very broad range is just fantastic.  And perfect for the song, he sounds like he’s pleading, mewling, don’t #### me over, ####.  It makes even those falsetto embellishments sound like someone trying to recover from having admitted too much or expressed too much.  Instead of recovering – like someone trying to make a joke of tripping – it makes all that work.  He’s really reaching for something just beyond what he can do, and he’s ####### Paul McCartney, what CAN’T you do.  It’s like he’s coming to grips with what he can’t do.”

 
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Let's go country!

163.  Paul McCartney and Wings - One More Kiss (Red Rose Speedway, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #75)

It's a sweet little country-inflected song that arose from an interaction with Paul's daughter Mary:  "Mary was three or four around this time, so just a little kid. And you know how fathers often fuss over their kids? So I was fussing over her, she was a really cute baby. And I’m fussing away going, ‘Give me a kiss. Come on, give me a kiss!’ And she’d get fed up with me and sort of go: ‘Dad. Alright. But only one more kiss.’ So I got one more kiss… and a song!"  Not much to say here other than to point out Paul's excellent vocal; unlike something like "Rocky Raccoon," he nails the country inflection here (including that little back-of-the-throat thing) while belting it out beautifully.  Great countrified electric guitar work by Henry McCullough, too.  It's a charmer.  I sing this one to my cat, The Squirrel, replacing "little girl" with "little Squirrel."  File that in "things you were better off not knowing."

 
Pip's Invitation said:
Interesting piece in the NME, from an interview Elton John did with Sean Lennon for BBC radio special commemorating John’s 80th birthday. John was so nervous before his live performance with Elton that he was “physically sick”: https://www.nme.com/news/music/john-lennon-was-physically-sick-before-performing-with-elton-john-in-new-york-2765520?fbclid=IwAR0By89wnOldc6LO2eyExhM6M2PuoXZrF-o1V6fwzIA01_zCUZciw8P8sxk
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Don't have time to read this yet, but the portion you mentioned with lots of other information about John's terror on live performances (a problem George had as well).  It was supposedly the reason he didn't show up as promised to help out George at the end of the Dark Horse tour, too.

Might have to do with that fear of being "found out" that wikkid described. 

 
---INTERLUDE - More Red Rose Speedway---

I just realized that "One More Kiss" is the penultimate song I'll have on this list from Red Rose Speedway, and the final one won't come up for a while.  Since I'm not taking much time for write-ups right now, in the interim please enjoy these OH comments on some RRS songs that won't make my list.

Get On The Right Thing

OH:  This song makes me really feel bad for the engineer, who had to listen to it probably 350 times. 

Single Pigeon

OH:  That song was short! 

k4:  Is that all you have to say?

OH:  Yeah.

When The Night

OH:  I realize Linda can’t sing, but ####.  Awful.  Clicky. 

k4:  You don’t have to listen to this whole song if you don’t want to. 

OH:  Uggggghhhhhhhh. 

Loup (1st Indian On The Moon) 

OH:  This is ####### bull####.

 
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krista4 said:
Let's go country!

163.  Paul McCartney and Wings - One More Kiss (Red Rose Speedway, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #75)

It's a sweet little country-inflected song that arose from an interaction with Paul's daughter Mary:  "Mary was three or four around this time, so just a little kid. And you know how fathers often fuss over their kids? So I was fussing over her, she was a really cute baby. And I’m fussing away going, ‘Give me a kiss. Come on, give me a kiss!’ And she’d get fed up with me and sort of go: ‘Dad. Alright. But only one more kiss.’ So I got one more kiss… and a song!"  Not much to say here other than to point out Paul's excellent vocal; unlike something like "Rocky Raccoon," he nails the country inflection here (including that little back-of-the-throat thing) while belting it out beautifully.  Great countrified electric guitar work by Henry McCullough, too.  It's a charmer.  I sing this one to my cat, The Squirrel, replacing "little girl" with "little Squirrel."  File that in "things you were better off not knowing."
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Great little tune.  This is the Ringoiest song Ringo never sang.  And yes, I just successfully created a word with three consecutive vowels.  

 
Shaft41 said:
Great little tune.  This is the Ringoiest song Ringo never sang.  And yes, I just successfully created a word with three consecutive vowels.  
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Excellent Ringoing on that word creation.  It is a sweet tune.  I actually have another that will come up in the next couple of days that I was going to mention sounded like it should have been a Ringo song.

 
162.  The Fireman – Lifelong Passion (Electric Arguments, 2008)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #74)

This song is also the penultimate one from its album, and the final song will not be ranked for a while (though Morton knows what it is).  I suspect Electric Arguments is not for everyone, but you can see it’s certainly for me even though it’s not my favored style of music.  As with every song on this record, this was written and recorded in a day, first laying down the instrumental components and then adding a largely improved vocal.  In this instance, Paul wrote the song revolving around one chord and then added a variety of instruments using Indian rhythms for texture, including a harmonium in addition to the more typical keyboards, synths, guitars, bass, and drums.  What results is this mystical, trippy love song devoid of Paul’s occasional tendency toward sappiness, but with a sense of meditative longing in his beautiful vocal. 

 
ANNOUNCE ANNOUNCE ANNOUNCE

Tomorrow begins a series of theme days.  As I was re-ordering my list yet again a day or two ago, I realized that some of them were naturally sorting themselves into groups of three.  And if they weren't naturally there, I might have un-naturally moved stuff a little since 2-3 slots here or there when we're still in the 100s doesn't matter to me, let alone anyone else.

Tomorrow's theme is a song from each of George, Ringo, and Paul where they shared lead vocals.  These are great songs that I'm putting a little lower since our lads aren't the only featured singers.  

Friday will be the first of two "guilty pleasure"-themed days.  Getcha tomatoes ready!  Pew-pew-pew!

 
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krista4 said:
162.  The Fireman – Lifelong Passion (Electric Arguments, 2008)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #74)

This song is also the penultimate one from its album, and the final song will not be ranked for a while (though Morton knows what it is).  I suspect Electric Arguments is not for everyone, but you can see it’s certainly for me even though it’s not my favored style of music.  As with every song on this record, this was written and recorded in a day, first laying down the instrumental components and then adding a largely improved vocal.  In this instance, Paul wrote the song revolving around one chord and then added a variety of instruments using Indian rhythms for texture, including a harmonium in addition to the more typical keyboards, synths, guitars, bass, and drums.  What results is this mystical, trippy love song devoid of Paul’s occasional tendency toward sappiness, but with a sense of meditative longing in his beautiful vocal. 
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See, this is what I get for actually reading the posts.  While reading this description of this song by this grammatically incorrect group, I thought "Well, I doubt I'll like this one too much.  Doesn't sound like my kind of tune."  And then I listened to it.  And I dug it.  I could have used a little more vocal variety in the notes, but laying his vocal back in the mix behind all the sonic cornucopia served it well.  

 
krista4 said:
ANNOUNCE ANNOUNCE ANNOUNCE

Tomorrow begins a series of theme days.  As I was re-ordering my list yet again a day or two ago, I realized that some of them were naturally sorting themselves into groups of three.  And if they weren't naturally there, I might have un-naturally moved stuff a little since 2-3 slots here or there when we're still in the 100s doesn't matter to me, let alone anyone else.

Tomorrow's theme is a song from each of George, Ringo, and Paul where they shared lead vocals.  These are great songs that I'm putting a little lower since our lads aren't the only featured singers.  

Friday will be the first of two "guilty pleasure"-themed days.  Getcha tomatoes ready!  Pew-pew-pew!
Click to expand...
Are we getting that doggone song?

 
Shaft41 said:
See, this is what I get for actually reading the posts.  While reading this description of this song by this grammatically incorrect group, I thought "Well, I doubt I'll like this one too much.  Doesn't sound like my kind of tune."  And then I listened to it.  And I dug it.  I could have used a little more vocal variety in the notes, but laying his vocal back in the mix behind all the sonic cornucopia served it well.  
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Sorry for my poor description.  :(  

Pip's Invitation said:
Are we getting that doggone song?
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Is this a "The Girl Is Mine" reference?  My brain is mush right now.

 
krista4 said:
I just realized that "One More Kiss" is the penultimate song I'll have on this list from Red Rose Speedway, and the final one won't come up for a while.  Since I'm not taking much time for write-ups right now, in the interim please enjoy these OH comments on some RRS songs that won't make my list.

Get On The Right Thing

OH:  This song makes me really feel bad for the engineer, who had to listen to it probably 350 times. 

Single Pigeon

OH:  That song was short! 

k4:  Is that all you have to say?

OH:  Yeah.

When The Night

OH:  I realize Linda can’t sing, but ####.  Awful.  Clicky. 

k4:  You don’t have to listen to this whole song if you don’t want to. 

OH:  Uggggghhhhhhhh. 

Loup (1st Indian On The Moon) 

OH:  This is ####### bull####.
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looking for moar OH   :lmao:

I envision him making these comments while sucking on a lemon

 
krista4 said:
The Beatles did do that cover of "Leave My Kitten Alone," which might have applied to buttholes.
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As usual, these things take me down rabbit holes ...

I listened to this because it didn't ring a bell - turns out I had heard it, but its been years.  

Posted to the side was a 1964 Beatles press conference in Sydney that was pretty cool and one that I had never seen.  Amazing how charming John was and how much George talked.  

The kicker is that Ringo was delayed a few days with laryngitis and they had some dude, "Jimmie Nicol", sitting in for Ringo for a couple of weeks - with them at the press conference.  I vaguely recall stories about the situation but it too had slipped from memory for the most part over the years.  

Apparently, things didn't turn out well for Jimmie after that flirtation with greatness. 

Nicol would inadvertently play another role in Beatles’ history years after the tour. During an afternoon walk with his dog in 1967, McCartney recalled that whenever the band would ask Nicol how he was coping with the pressures of the tour, the drummer’s stock answer was “It’s getting better.” McCartney and Lennon turned the phrase into the tune "Getting Better" for the 1967 LP Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

As a part of the interview George mentions that he had only written one song to that time that the group had recorded.  I looked it up ...of course, yet another one of my favorites.  

 
161. The Traveling Wilburys – End Of The Line (The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, 1988)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #48)

George gets 3/7 of the leads on chorus and 0% of the leads on the verses, and even though George was the primary writer, it’s unclear how much is his.  So I’m leaving it a little lower, even though it’s a perfectly charming song.  Love the guitar and especially Tom Petty’s vocal on the verses.  As discussed previously, the official video features the rest of the Wilburys singing to Roy Orbison’s guitar in a rocking chair, after Orbison’s death.  Should get bonus points for making me cry.  George’s mullet also makes me cry.

 
krista4 said:
161. The Traveling Wilburys – End Of The Line (The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, 1988)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #48)

George gets 3/7 of the leads on chorus and 0% of the leads on the verses, and even though George was the primary writer, it’s unclear how much is his.  So I’m leaving it a little lower, even though it’s a perfectly charming song.  Love the guitar and especially Tom Petty’s vocal on the verses.  As discussed previously, the official video features the rest of the Wilburys singing to Roy Orbison’s guitar in a rocking chair, after Orbison’s death.  Should get bonus points for making me cry.  George’s mullet also makes me cry.
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This one feels extremely Jeff Lynne-y. 

Sigh... I rocked that same mullet-type well into the 90's. Now it's evolved into the "dude, you need a haircut" look. Which, at this point in my life, I'm fine with. So many of my friends have nothing up there.   

 
krista4 said:
172.  Crackerbox Palace (Thirty Three And 1/3, 1976)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #49)

This song was a minor hit for George, reaching #19 on the US charts, and arose from George’s meeting a man named George Greif, the former manager for the late Lord Buckley, an American comedian/monologist whom George happened to admire.  Greif invited George to visit Buckley’s home in Los Angeles, which was called "Crackerbox Palace."

I wasn’t familiar with Lord Buckley, but learned that he was an idol not just of George’s, but of such varied folks as Lenny Bruce, Ken Kesey, Robin Williams, Tom Waits, Jimmy Buffett, and Bob Dylan, the last of whom called him “the hipster bebop preacher who defied all labels.”  He was described by the New York Times as “part English royalty, part Dizzy Gillespie.”  I’ve read that this is his most famous and best monologue.

As to this song, I fear I’m going to sound like I’m describing a Ringo song instead, but what I love here is the jaunty, singalong quality of it.  Of course, I also have to mention that rhythm section, with Willie Weeks and Alvin Taylor, that helps the song to sound full of joy.  I love the opening lines of this song, too:  “I was so young when I was born, my eyes could not yet see.”  The only reason it’s not higher is, and I’m a little hesitant to admit this, because…”Crackerbox Palace”?  There’s something so silly about the name that it constantly irritates me.  Just a personal issue, I know.

The music video for this song is particularly interesting; directed by Eric Idle, it is quirky to say the least(!), featuring George, Olivia, and others in a variety of costumes, with..elves, too?  Not surprising that this had a Monty Python connection!  The video was filmed at George’s Friar Park estate, which he nicknamed “Crackerbox Palace” after visiting Lord Buckley’s joint.

By the way, I’ve read that George pronounced the words here “it’s twue” in reference to Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles, but given this is the third song I’ve found where he does this, either it’s a running joke or just a legit speech impediment.

Songs in which George pronounces the word as “twue” (running total):  3
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This sounded like George trying to do a Jimmy Buffett song......that was my first thought, and then I read your writeup!   And lo and behold.....a Buffett connection.  Easy listening. Not a great song.  But catchy in a beach bum sort of way.

 
krista4 said:
161. The Traveling Wilburys – End Of The Line (The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, 1988)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #48)

George gets 3/7 of the leads on chorus and 0% of the leads on the verses, and even though George was the primary writer, it’s unclear how much is his.  So I’m leaving it a little lower, even though it’s a perfectly charming song.  Love the guitar and especially Tom Petty’s vocal on the verses.  As discussed previously, the official video features the rest of the Wilburys singing to Roy Orbison’s guitar in a rocking chair, after Orbison’s death.  Should get bonus points for making me cry.  George’s mullet also makes me cry.
Click to expand...
Great song.  Not a perfect fit for the nature of this list, because George shares so much time on it.  It sounds like Lynne/Petty, but the lyrics are more George.  Anyway, I love this song.  It makes me think of being in a car with my parents and grandmother, driving to northern WI in the summer.  My grandmother didn’t like “modern music” and would have preferred we listen to Johnny Mathis non-stop, but she tolerated the Wilburys because of Roy Orbison.

RIP grandma.

 
jwb said:
This one feels extremely Jeff Lynne-y. 

Sigh... I rocked that same mullet-type well into the 90's. Now it's evolved into the "dude, you need a haircut" look. Which, at this point in my life, I'm fine with. So many of my friends have nothing up there.   
Click to expand...
You continue rocking that hair!  As you alluded to, be thankful you have it.

You're right about the Lynne sound.  The copyright for this song is held by George's entity, which is why he was "credited" with most of the writing, but there was likely heavy Lynne participation.

Alex P Keaton said:
Great song.  Not a perfect fit for the nature of this list, because George shares so much time on it.  It sounds like Lynne/Petty, but the lyrics are more George.  Anyway, I love this song.  It makes me think of being in a car with my parents and grandmother, driving to northern WI in the summer.  My grandmother didn’t like “modern music” and would have preferred we listen to Johnny Mathis non-stop, but she tolerated the Wilburys because of Roy Orbison.

RIP grandma.
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Aw, sweet.  We still have two more Wilbury songs on the list.

 
160.  Paul McCartney and Wings – I Lie Around (single, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #73)

This song was initially recorded during the Ram sessions in 1970 but not released until becoming the b-side to “Live And Let Die” in 1973.  It was written by Paul, but the lead vocal falls mainly to Wings stalwart Denny Laine, though early demos had Paul singing lead and he does come in to take over late in the song, to beautiful effect.

I want to state without hesitation that I ####### love this song.  Paul used some interesting sound effects to give what I feel is the actual aura of lying around on a lazy summer day, including a Mellotron for various ambient effects in addition to the field recordings of bucolic life at the beginning and the plunge into the lake at the end.  Laine was the perfect choice to sing this song, from the little laugh he gives in the first “...all over the place” to the laid-back vocal throughout.  I don’t think intense, perfectionist Paul could have achieved that mellow effect that brings you into the spirit of the song.  As it is, it sounds to me like a bunch of stoned people making a great song, although OH pointed out that there is an awful lot going on in this song to be a bunch of people actually lying around.  In a sense, he’s right about that, and the intricate guitar work and layers upon layers of sounds are evidence of the huge amount of work Paul did put in.  I assume Laine, Linda, and the others were mostly lying around, though.  I picture everyone lying on bales of hay with straw in their teeth. 

I want to mention and recommend here another song with a Laine lead vocal that won’t be on my list:  “Deliver Your Children,” from the London Town album.  I deleted this from consideration because, being entirely a lead vocal by Laine and a shared writing credit between him and Paul, it just didn’t have enough Paul to make the list.  This has superb Spanish-inflected guitar parts and lovely harmonies.  Reminds me of a Handsome Family song.  Well worth your time!

 
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krista4 said:
It feels particularly odd to put this Ringo song right after the stunningly beautiful post from wikkid, but here we are.  Getcha Ringo on!

199.  Back Off Boogaloo (single, 1972)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #12)

This non-album single reached #2 in the US and was co-written and produced by George, who also contributed slide and acoustic guitar to the song.  Guess who else was on it?  That’s right, Voormann and Wright.  Where’s Jim Keltner?  Well, you see, Ringo is a drummer himself. 

Ringo has said that the “boogaloo” came from Marc Bolan of T. Rex, who used the word so often that Ringo incorporated it into his songs:  “He used to speak: 'Back off, boogaloo ... ooh you, boogaloo.' 'Do you want some potatoes?' 'Ooh you, boogaloo!’.”  NOW WE KNOW WHOM TO BLAME.  Too bad he’s dead.  I mean, too bad in the sense that he died tragically in a car accident when he was 29.  But secondarily that we also can’t properly affix blame.

Critics have consistently considered this song an attack by Ringo on Paul, especially the lyrics of the middle eight, but Ringo has insisted that it was inspired by Bolan, and the middle eight by a football commentator who regularly called plays “tasty,” and there’s nothing more to it.  Considering how affable Ringo is, I tend to believe him; there’s a whole lot about this interpretation you can read if you’re so inclined, but I think it’s all rubbish. 

The song has a great heavy feel, with fantastic Ringo-ing that sounds a bit military to my ears (which I find oddly appealing), repetitive and hypnotic.  George’s slide guitar is mwahhhhk (that’s the sound of me making that Italian kiss sound using my finger and lips, and looking to the sky).  The soulful backing vocals are fantastic.  My only negative on this song, which is a pretty big one, are those lyrics.  Gah.  So pointless.  And yes, I'm aware that "boogaloo" has a different connotation now that makes this an even more difficult listen.

This is a song that Ringo has loved enough to have released it three times on three different albums.  Hold on, I’m told that Ringo has released many of his songs multiple times on many different albums, including multiple recordings of "Goodnight Vienna," "It Don’t Come Easy," "Act Naturally," and "Wings," among others.  No wonder I had to wade through so many albums.  Get more new material, Ringo! 
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Anybody else think this was "Bad Dog Boogaloo" when they were a kid? No? Just me? OK :kicksrock:

 
krista4 said:
Aw, sweet.  We still have two more Wilbury songs on the list.
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Whew.  Would have been a rough discussion at some point if this was the last one.

Btw, I’m not intentionally avoiding comment on on-George songs, it’s just happening that way subconsciously.....

 
159. Buck Owens and Ringo Starr - Act Naturally (single, 1989)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #8)

One of Ringo’s best vocal performances as a Beatle was his cover on the Help! album of Buck Owen’s “Act Naturally,” which had been a #1 hit for Owens and his Buckaroos in 1963.  When Ringo and Owens teamed up for a duet of the song in the late 80s, it was pretty damn magical.  I feel like Ringo steps up his game here to…well, not match Owens in the vocal, but at least hang tough.  It’s clear that they are both having a ####### blast in this recording, and as always the country style suits well Ringo’s vocal…errrr…limitations.  Fantastic song, fantastic performance that surpassed the Beatles version by far.  This version spent 11 weeks on the country charts and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration!  Since it was neither written by Ringo nor sung entirely by him, I can’t move it higher even though I adore it.

Please also enjoy the cute video associated with this song in the YouTube link above.

 
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