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2022 FBG, 172 to 1 Beatles Countdown 1-25 lists... And 173 to 1 Countdown from 1-64 lists! (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Zegras11
- Start date
Interesting to have Long, Long, Long and Blue Jay Way show up back to back. I love George if that wasn't already apparent from my earlier posts. And I feel like Long, Long, Long is criminally underrated here. It shows up at 74 on my list. Just beautiful. Blue Jay Way is the opposite for me. Even though I like psychedelic stuff, I think the fact that, as Krista puts it, they use every single damn effect on this track is distracting for me. I feel like there is good psychedelia and bad psychedelia. Good psychedelia, like the Dead at their best, is loosely structured because you can feel the genuine passion for the music being channeled through the musicians. Bad psychedelia sounds fake. To me all the effects in Blue Jay was push it a little more to the latter Though to be clear, I am not saying I hate the song; there are still elements in it I really like. It ended up at 170 for me.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Long, Long, Long -- I had no opinion on this song for years because I could barely hear it on my CD version of the White Album. At first I thought I had a bum copy, but no, that's just how it was. The remixes have really improved things. It is one of George's most spiritual songs, and the churchy organ parts really drive that home. I still have it as my #3 George on the White Album, though.
Blue Jay Way -- Psychedelic as heck, and younger me loved every second of it. It actually reminds me a bit of very early Pink Floyd, especially the organ sound and the vocal cadences, which is funny given the anecdote that Floyd was recording their debut at the same time in the same studio as the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper. Seriously, the passage around the 2-minute mark is not that different from Careful With That Axe, Eugene. It's got the drone and mantras of George's Eastern music despite the lyrics being as lightweight as you can get. I'm not as infatuated with it today, but the effects don't bother me* as much as seems to be the case for many of you.
Good Day Sunshine -- I think the Beatles may have invented yacht rock with this track. Maybe that's why some folks hate it so much. This is another one I remember from a very young age -- which again fits my "my mom sometimes had the Adult Contemporary station on in the car" theory. Anyway, this song sparks joy, as the hyper-organized people like to say these days.
Real Love -- I do kind of agree that this gives off a "Paul, George and Ringo showed up at the Double Fantasy sessions" vibe. But if the Beatles still existed in 1980, this may very well be what they would have sounded like. They were always changing -- in 1969 they sounded nothing like they did in 1964, so in 1980, they would have sounded nothing like they did in 1969. George's guitar parts are my favorite aspect of this song.
* - see what I did there?
Blue Jay Way -- Psychedelic as heck, and younger me loved every second of it. It actually reminds me a bit of very early Pink Floyd, especially the organ sound and the vocal cadences, which is funny given the anecdote that Floyd was recording their debut at the same time in the same studio as the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper. Seriously, the passage around the 2-minute mark is not that different from Careful With That Axe, Eugene. It's got the drone and mantras of George's Eastern music despite the lyrics being as lightweight as you can get. I'm not as infatuated with it today, but the effects don't bother me* as much as seems to be the case for many of you.
Good Day Sunshine -- I think the Beatles may have invented yacht rock with this track. Maybe that's why some folks hate it so much. This is another one I remember from a very young age -- which again fits my "my mom sometimes had the Adult Contemporary station on in the car" theory. Anyway, this song sparks joy, as the hyper-organized people like to say these days.
Real Love -- I do kind of agree that this gives off a "Paul, George and Ringo showed up at the Double Fantasy sessions" vibe. But if the Beatles still existed in 1980, this may very well be what they would have sounded like. They were always changing -- in 1969 they sounded nothing like they did in 1964, so in 1980, they would have sounded nothing like they did in 1969. George's guitar parts are my favorite aspect of this song.
* - see what I did there?
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Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
@krista4 -- for some reason I felt compelled to listen to GOLDEN Smog's cover of the Faces' Glad and Sorry today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LklxmPb-J9w
krista4
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I know that! I just love the shtick about getting them confused.Supergroup not Smog which is Bill Callahan.
With that out of the way...
Someone burned me the first GS album long ago, probably because pretty much everyone who knew me in the early '00s knew how heavily I was in to Wilco.
simey
Footballguy
Georges guitar parts stood out to me. His guitar playing had that distinct sound, and I associate that sound more with his solo stuff.
Since you mentioned Double Fantasy, I remember being so excited to buy that album when it first came out. I was getting Beatles proper albums at that point, and also their solo stuff. I was a freshman in high school, and his new album was highly anticipated. "Just Like Starting Over" came out as a single a little before the album, and I couldn't wait to hear the rest. The big high of the album finally being released quickly turned to the opposite of emotions less than month later with his murder.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I was 9 when all of that happened, but I remember Just Like Starting Over being a big deal when it came out. Then the big songs from that album were everywhere after he was killed.
Great write ups. And that video is beautiful.Getzlaf15 said:Real Love
2022 Ranking: 134T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 19
Ranked Highest by: Shaft41 (Daughter) (7)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR
Getz comments: Of all of the amazing moments in the 2019 countdown, this was my favorite. @Shaft41's daughter singing Let It Be. The story behind the song and her voice and performance make meevery time. And now, three years later, she has graced us by submitting a list and her first song to make the list is this beautiful song.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: N/A
2019 write-up: N/A
2022 Supplement: This is awkward since I don’t know the order these will be presented in. I already wrote up “Free As A Bird” and don’t know if that will come first or if I need to give more background on these songs. Well, whatever the ####, I’m just going to skip over all that and assume it’s been covered by Guido or me.
While I prefer “Free As A Bird” as a song, the video for this one, which I assume Getz will have posted, brings me to tears every time. When they sing about “real love,” they’re singing about each other. These guys shared something that no one else in the world could have ever experienced. Much is made of the tensions and their eventual break-up, but they shared such a deep love for each other even in the bad times. Watching the Get Back documentary really hammered this home for me, especially in the way that John and Paul would look at each other. Best mates who could drive each other crazy with their differences but those differences are also what made them the best songwriting team of all time. What struck me most strongly in watching them together was how damn much they admired each other. Sure, they loved Ringo and George, but they were simply blown away by each other. The quibbles and disagreements were, to me, minor when you take into account their ages. They grew up together! And of course they started to drift apart as people do when they begin to focus on families and such. They had to work through that inevitability in full view of the world, and the world responded by acting as if John and Paul were the only people who ever went through that. It’s Yoko! It’s Paul being a micromanager! It’s the death of Brian Epstein! Whatever. They were just growing up and working through it all better than most any of us could.
But that way they looked at each other, as if in awe of one another…that never changed.
Damn it, where did all this dust come from?
Was I supposed to write something about the song here?
2022 Mr. krista Supplement:
I don’t love it. There’s something bothersome about John singing in that falsetto. It sounds like b-sides to Double Fantasy, not good enough to be on a record that was tepid by John standards. I kinda wish that what got the remaining Beatles back together wasn’t doing a mediocre John Lennon song, but Long Tall Sally. Or Paul could write a song, George could write a song, Ringo could kind of write a song maybe, or the jury’s out on that. Or even to do a tribute to John, not have him be the missing person in the room. [I point out “All Those Years Ago” was a tribute to John.]
Guido Merkins
The first time I heard Real Love was on the 1988 soundtrack for the Imagine: John Lennon documentary soundtrack. At that point, it was called Real Life, a demo played by John on guitar, circa 1979 or 1980. In this version, it had the same haunting beauty that the Strawberry Fields Forever demo on Anthology 2. I was absolutely transfixed by this version of the song and it remains one of my favorite demos by the Beatles or anyone else. Other demos of this song exist called Real Love with John playing piano. It was one of these that Yoko gave to Paul when he asked for demo recordings from John that the Beatles could work on for the Anthology project along with Free As A Bird, Grow Old With Me, and Now and Then with only Free As A Bird ever seeing an official Beatles release. Real Life was actually a later demo than the Real Love one the Beatles used to record in 1995. In fact, Real Life was the latest demo and John considered it for the Double Fantasy album in 1980.
Real Love was a more finished song than Free As A Bird, but there were significant technical problems to get it ready to record. The demo had significant tape hiss and a hum and was out of time. Also, Paul, George, and Ringo had to get past the emotional hurdle of recording without John. They did so by pretending that John had gone out for lunch and they were just finishing the track.
My reaction when I heard it in 1995 was that….it sounds like the Beatles. Everything. The drumming, the guitar solo, the harmonies….it’s the Beatles. Does the song belong with Strawberry Fields Forever, no. But it’s far from the worst Beatles song ever and you could easily imagine the Beatles getting together some time in the 80s if John had lived and recording this and it sounding like this.
simey
Footballguy
ProstheticRGK
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
I just looked for the first time back at the 2019 rankings to see when I should start expecting to see some of my songs. Had a few that were outside the top 100 last time so I feel like some could make an appearance soon.
The good news was that the song I’m trying to learn on guitar was top 50 so maybe there’s a chance I can stop butchering this barre chord by the time I do the video.
The good news was that the song I’m trying to learn on guitar was top 50 so maybe there’s a chance I can stop butchering this barre chord by the time I do the video.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
I’m looking two you
You’re all the same
- Paul after looking at the calendar this morning, probably
You’re all the same
- Paul after looking at the calendar this morning, probably
Shaft41
Footballguy
True story: I had trouble sleeping last night. When I awoke this morning, it was raining, I was surrounded by cats on the bed and that universally beloved Beatles classic about growing up in Liverpool, “Penny Lane” was in my head.
For a moment, I thought I turned into Krista.
For a moment, I thought I turned into Krista.
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
Real Love bothered me from the day it came out. Felt like a money-grab at the time and I equate it with "fake Bealtes." I know that's overly harsh and in a truly neutral listen, I'd probably think it's a nice little song but I can't be neutral on it. Love Long, Long, Long, by the way. It has aged well.
9 of the 38 songs thus far have been Singles. Just shy of 1/4 for those who may be math impaired. Meaningless, but just throwing it out there while I'm still employed.
Real Love is another song that I had never heard previously. Also another that would probably be in my top 60-75 - especially after watching the vid.
Real Love is another song that I had never heard previously. Also another that would probably be in my top 60-75 - especially after watching the vid.
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Zegras11
Footballguy
Bad Boy
2022 Ranking: 134T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 19
Ranked Highest by: @DaVinci(7)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 80T/2/27
Getz: Another song taking a bit of a hit from last time.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 198
2019 write-up:
Bad Boy
One of three songs by Larry Williams that the Beatles covered on their records, this is the only one where I feel they didn't do him justice. John simply can't match the shriek of Williams's "Now Junior, behave yourself!" or his Coasters-esque deeper-range "Bad boy!" (which the Beatles version omits entirely); George's guitar sounds plodding in comparison to the rollicking of the original; and to my ears the cover really misses the saxophone. Maybe as merely a wannabe "bad boy" at that time, John just couldn't hit the depths of the true "bad boy" Larry Williams, who's a bit of a tragic figure. Drugs and violence throughout his life, ending in a "ruled suicide" that many people suspect was a murder, he might be better known at this point for pulling a gun and threatening to kill Little Richard more than for any of his songs, if the Beatles hadn't covered them.
I enjoy the other songs they covered from Williams - "Slow Down" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" - but feel like this one falls flat. See if you agree: original.
By the way, is it just me or did Larry Williams look a lot like Terrence Howard?
Mr. krista is a man of few words on this one: "Yeah. I got nothin'."
2022 Supplement: I wrote about Larry Williams in my “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” supplement, which might or might not have been posted by now. If not, then you have that to look forward to. Save the date.
As to this song, it’s one of my least favorite Beatles covers in large part due to being nowhere near as good as the original, IMO. I’ll be interested to see what live version Getz finds, though. This was a staple of the Beatles’ shows for many years, and I suspect the live versions might be more appealing to me. I could imagine its being more bluesy and rootsy than it is in this recording.
Sorry, not a lot to say, twice, about one I don’t like that much.
Guido Merkins
John was a really big fan of Larry Williams. The Beatles covered 3 of Williams’ songs, all sung by Lennon. Slow Down was recorded in 1964 and released on the Long Tall Sally EP. Dizzy Miss Lizzy was recorded in 1965 and released on Help. Bad Boy was recorded at the same session as Dizzy Miss Lizzy and was released only in North America, for some reason. It finally appeared in the UK on A Collection of Beatles Oldies in 1966. Because of the circumstances, it remained one of the least heard Beatles songs for a long time. In 1987 with the release of the Beatles CDs and Past Masters Volume 1 and 2 which collected all the Beatles, non album tracks, it was finally widely heard.
Bad Boy, IMO, is the best of the Larry Williams covers. It features a blistering vocal from Lennon and great guitar from George. It’s the Beatles last great cover and was a revelation the first time I heard it in 1987 on CD. You still get the occasional mouth breather who think the Beatles couldn’t rock. This song farts in your general direction.
2022 Ranking: 134T
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 19
Ranked Highest by: @DaVinci(7)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 80T/2/27
Getz: Another song taking a bit of a hit from last time.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 198
2019 write-up:
Bad Boy
One of three songs by Larry Williams that the Beatles covered on their records, this is the only one where I feel they didn't do him justice. John simply can't match the shriek of Williams's "Now Junior, behave yourself!" or his Coasters-esque deeper-range "Bad boy!" (which the Beatles version omits entirely); George's guitar sounds plodding in comparison to the rollicking of the original; and to my ears the cover really misses the saxophone. Maybe as merely a wannabe "bad boy" at that time, John just couldn't hit the depths of the true "bad boy" Larry Williams, who's a bit of a tragic figure. Drugs and violence throughout his life, ending in a "ruled suicide" that many people suspect was a murder, he might be better known at this point for pulling a gun and threatening to kill Little Richard more than for any of his songs, if the Beatles hadn't covered them.
I enjoy the other songs they covered from Williams - "Slow Down" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" - but feel like this one falls flat. See if you agree: original.
By the way, is it just me or did Larry Williams look a lot like Terrence Howard?
Mr. krista is a man of few words on this one: "Yeah. I got nothin'."
2022 Supplement: I wrote about Larry Williams in my “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” supplement, which might or might not have been posted by now. If not, then you have that to look forward to. Save the date.
As to this song, it’s one of my least favorite Beatles covers in large part due to being nowhere near as good as the original, IMO. I’ll be interested to see what live version Getz finds, though. This was a staple of the Beatles’ shows for many years, and I suspect the live versions might be more appealing to me. I could imagine its being more bluesy and rootsy than it is in this recording.
Sorry, not a lot to say, twice, about one I don’t like that much.
Guido Merkins
John was a really big fan of Larry Williams. The Beatles covered 3 of Williams’ songs, all sung by Lennon. Slow Down was recorded in 1964 and released on the Long Tall Sally EP. Dizzy Miss Lizzy was recorded in 1965 and released on Help. Bad Boy was recorded at the same session as Dizzy Miss Lizzy and was released only in North America, for some reason. It finally appeared in the UK on A Collection of Beatles Oldies in 1966. Because of the circumstances, it remained one of the least heard Beatles songs for a long time. In 1987 with the release of the Beatles CDs and Past Masters Volume 1 and 2 which collected all the Beatles, non album tracks, it was finally widely heard.
Bad Boy, IMO, is the best of the Larry Williams covers. It features a blistering vocal from Lennon and great guitar from George. It’s the Beatles last great cover and was a revelation the first time I heard it in 1987 on CD. You still get the occasional mouth breather who think the Beatles couldn’t rock. This song farts in your general direction.
Zegras11
Footballguy
Till There Was You
2022 Ranking: 132T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 19
Ranked Highest by: @neal cassady(12) Krista (Mom/hub) (21)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 130/1/6
Getz: Krista’s mom and hub now battling it out as each has five songs listed now. YT live in DC.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 145
2019 write-up:
Till There Was You (With the Beatles, 1963)
A ballad is generally not my cup of tea, but this one ranks higher than some of the other covers because I think the Beatles significantly outperformed the original from the musical The Music Man. I think this is a fabulous early Paul vocal, so tender and pure, and George's classical guitar work really shines with that gentle Latin groove and a solo that glides perfectly back into the vocal. Ringo on bongos completed the flamenco feel.
It's strange to imagine this being part of the band's Hamburg days, but Paul gave a nifty explanation: "I could never see the difference between a beautiful melody and a cool rock 'n' roll song. I learnt to love all the ballady stuff through my dad and relatives – 'Till There Was You,' 'My Funny Valentine' – I thought these were good tunes. The fact that we weren't ashamed of those leanings meant that the band could be a bit more varied. And there was a need for that, because we played cabaret a lot. Songs like 'Till There Was You' and 'Ain't She Sweet' would be the late-night cabaret material. They showed that we weren't just another rock 'n' roll group." I've also read that they kept this song in their repertoire as a tribute to the older crowd, to let them know that hey, it wasn't so bad for them to let their kids listen to the Beatles.
I'm going to make the bold prediction that this is a @timschochet favorite. [EDITOR’S NOTE: It turned out I was wrong.]
Mr. krista: "The vocals are really nice, and the guitar playing is kind of jazzy and jangly; the leads are really good. The pitter-patter bongos sort of bum me out. Something I might enjoy more in the context of The Music Man. Weakest track on this record so far."
2022 Supplement: A prime example of where my 2019 system of using the comparison of the covers to the originals heavily in my rankings broke down. This is nice enough, but it’s no, for example, “Long Tall Sally.” George’s guitar work is the star of the show; the Latin-jazzy style was one he hadn’t dabbled much in but he pulled off well, including a really lovely solo. His phrasing was notably good in this song, as well as his smooth chord changes. The Beatles weren’t really remaking the original in this version, but instead the Peggy Lee version that she had put out in 1960: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9pgxT4bkhg If you listen to that one, the line to the Beatles makes a lot more sense.
This was included in their first Ed Sullivan appearance, which I linked in the sign-up thread for this countdown. I’ve read that many parents didn’t want their kids watching the show that night (good job on that, guys, as it had over 70 million viewers!), and the Beatles included this one on the lineup to try to appeal to that older segment of viewers. What I’d forgotten until rewatching it was how they put each Beatle’s name underneath them as they appeared during this song. Did they really need to do that?!?! But on John’s, they had not only his name, but something like “sorry girls, he’s married.” I suspect that might also have been to show the older viewers that these guys – or at least one of them – were stable family guys who shouldn’t be scary to the parents.
Guido Merkins
Before I knew much about music, I would hear all the time that George Harrison was just “average.” I didn’t have too much to say. After all, he’s not flashy like Clapton or Hendrix or Page, so what could I say.
Fast forward to the present day and I now know the truth. It’s very difficult to say who is “better” because different musicians bring different things to the table. I once saw a tribute to Carl Perkins. Harrison and Clapton were both present. Guess who played the solos?? Yep, Harrison. Why? Because Harrison is a master of that style. Clapton can play something that fits, but he can’t play in the rockabilly style like George, so you could say that when they are doing that, George is better.
Case in point, but not in the rockabilly style, is a song in a very jazzy style is Til There Was You, which is a song from the play The Music Man. The Beatles as a young band tried very hard to play things that were different from the other bands. So stuff like Your Feets Too Big or Beseme Mucho or Til There Was You were in their repertoire.
If you listen to the original song, you will notice one thing. No solo of any kind. George Harrison created a very tricky, jazzy solo for the song based on the chords and the melody and, guess what, it flows. It’s perfect and tricky and well executed. Are there other guitarists that could pull this off?? Sure. Would they do it exactly like George? No. It’s this kind of musicality that allowed a guy who’s background was in country and rockabilly and tin pan alley go through Indian music, then come out of all of that and create a totally unique slide guitar style. So is Clapton better than Harrison? My question is, at what?? My other question is, who cares? They are both great at what they do.
The song has a great vocal and a great snazzy beat from Ringo and exquisite guitar playing from George and is a highlight on With the Beatles.
2022 Ranking: 132T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 19
Ranked Highest by: @neal cassady(12) Krista (Mom/hub) (21)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 130/1/6
Getz: Krista’s mom and hub now battling it out as each has five songs listed now. YT live in DC.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 145
2019 write-up:
Till There Was You (With the Beatles, 1963)
A ballad is generally not my cup of tea, but this one ranks higher than some of the other covers because I think the Beatles significantly outperformed the original from the musical The Music Man. I think this is a fabulous early Paul vocal, so tender and pure, and George's classical guitar work really shines with that gentle Latin groove and a solo that glides perfectly back into the vocal. Ringo on bongos completed the flamenco feel.
It's strange to imagine this being part of the band's Hamburg days, but Paul gave a nifty explanation: "I could never see the difference between a beautiful melody and a cool rock 'n' roll song. I learnt to love all the ballady stuff through my dad and relatives – 'Till There Was You,' 'My Funny Valentine' – I thought these were good tunes. The fact that we weren't ashamed of those leanings meant that the band could be a bit more varied. And there was a need for that, because we played cabaret a lot. Songs like 'Till There Was You' and 'Ain't She Sweet' would be the late-night cabaret material. They showed that we weren't just another rock 'n' roll group." I've also read that they kept this song in their repertoire as a tribute to the older crowd, to let them know that hey, it wasn't so bad for them to let their kids listen to the Beatles.
I'm going to make the bold prediction that this is a @timschochet favorite. [EDITOR’S NOTE: It turned out I was wrong.]
Mr. krista: "The vocals are really nice, and the guitar playing is kind of jazzy and jangly; the leads are really good. The pitter-patter bongos sort of bum me out. Something I might enjoy more in the context of The Music Man. Weakest track on this record so far."
2022 Supplement: A prime example of where my 2019 system of using the comparison of the covers to the originals heavily in my rankings broke down. This is nice enough, but it’s no, for example, “Long Tall Sally.” George’s guitar work is the star of the show; the Latin-jazzy style was one he hadn’t dabbled much in but he pulled off well, including a really lovely solo. His phrasing was notably good in this song, as well as his smooth chord changes. The Beatles weren’t really remaking the original in this version, but instead the Peggy Lee version that she had put out in 1960: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9pgxT4bkhg If you listen to that one, the line to the Beatles makes a lot more sense.
This was included in their first Ed Sullivan appearance, which I linked in the sign-up thread for this countdown. I’ve read that many parents didn’t want their kids watching the show that night (good job on that, guys, as it had over 70 million viewers!), and the Beatles included this one on the lineup to try to appeal to that older segment of viewers. What I’d forgotten until rewatching it was how they put each Beatle’s name underneath them as they appeared during this song. Did they really need to do that?!?! But on John’s, they had not only his name, but something like “sorry girls, he’s married.” I suspect that might also have been to show the older viewers that these guys – or at least one of them – were stable family guys who shouldn’t be scary to the parents.
Guido Merkins
Before I knew much about music, I would hear all the time that George Harrison was just “average.” I didn’t have too much to say. After all, he’s not flashy like Clapton or Hendrix or Page, so what could I say.
Fast forward to the present day and I now know the truth. It’s very difficult to say who is “better” because different musicians bring different things to the table. I once saw a tribute to Carl Perkins. Harrison and Clapton were both present. Guess who played the solos?? Yep, Harrison. Why? Because Harrison is a master of that style. Clapton can play something that fits, but he can’t play in the rockabilly style like George, so you could say that when they are doing that, George is better.
Case in point, but not in the rockabilly style, is a song in a very jazzy style is Til There Was You, which is a song from the play The Music Man. The Beatles as a young band tried very hard to play things that were different from the other bands. So stuff like Your Feets Too Big or Beseme Mucho or Til There Was You were in their repertoire.
If you listen to the original song, you will notice one thing. No solo of any kind. George Harrison created a very tricky, jazzy solo for the song based on the chords and the melody and, guess what, it flows. It’s perfect and tricky and well executed. Are there other guitarists that could pull this off?? Sure. Would they do it exactly like George? No. It’s this kind of musicality that allowed a guy who’s background was in country and rockabilly and tin pan alley go through Indian music, then come out of all of that and create a totally unique slide guitar style. So is Clapton better than Harrison? My question is, at what?? My other question is, who cares? They are both great at what they do.
The song has a great vocal and a great snazzy beat from Ringo and exquisite guitar playing from George and is a highlight on With the Beatles.
Shaft41
Footballguy
In the list of Paul McCartney's purest, sweetest vocals, which is an extremely lengthy list, this one is near the top for me. Might be my favorite Beatles cover.
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
Zegras11
Footballguy
Martha My Dear
2022 Ranking: 132T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 19
Ranked Highest by: @Eephus (16) @MAC_32 (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR
Getz: 20th song to be NR in 2019.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 138
2019 write-up:
Martha My Dear (White Album, 1968)
How to make me love a rock or pop song: add a cello. Total sucker for a cello. This song goes further and not only has multiple cellos, but a tuba and, to top it off, Paul wrote this about his sheepdog. Starting with all that, this should make my top 100, but while it's charming and elegant and in some parts intricate, it's otherwise not interesting enough to make it that high. But Paul sure did love that sheepdog.
Mr. krista is less charitable: "This might be the longest I’ve listened to this song. More Paul McCartney Masterpiece Theatre music. Boring-### drawing room music about British people who can’t express themselves and ####. WTF. Why is that interesting? Who the #### cares about any of these people?"
Suggested covers: Punch Brothers Skip to ~0:53 for the real start of the song. World Party version is also nice but a bit on-the-nose.
2022 Supplement: Probably ranked this too highly in 2019, likely due to the sheepdog connection. It’s a nice enough song but doesn’t grab me in any way. And now, Paul has set out to ruin even the sheepdog connection, saying in The Lyrics that as the song progresses, the lyrics morph from being about the dog into being about a person, specifically a relative who had come to town to get away from their gossipy kin in Liverpool and wanted to confide in Paul about his/her affair. Paul says this is where lines like “when you find yourself in the thick of it” came from.
Sigh. Back to sheepdogs. Paul had not been able to have a dog as a child because his parents were away at work too much, and he had always desperately wanted one. He’s admitted he’s a sucker for ads and product placement, and he’d seen a Dulux paint ad on the telly with an Old English sheepdog, which inspired him to get Martha. One nice story Paul has told is how his sheepdog Martha helped bring John even closer. According to Paul, when John came around and saw him playing with Martha, and how much he adored her, he saw Paul letting his guard down and started letting his guard down, too, and warming to Paul more.
I recommend googling Paul and Martha for a ton of adorable pics. Here’s one: https://imgur.com/3oC7Tgo
Fun fact: Paul actually had another dog, Eddie the Terrier, at the time, but Eddie didn’t get his own song. That is, until Paul, feeling bad about this, improvises a song called “There You Go, Eddie” during the Get Back sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjWk_Slcos You can hear that Paul then works in various other Beatles’ pets, such as Ringo’s dog Tiger and John’s cat Mimi. This song is delightful!
2022 Mr. krista Supplement: As someone who frequently sings to his cats, makes up songs for them, makes up songs by them about other cats, this is top of the game for songs about pets. I’ve only gotten close to this a few times. It’s not Paul McCartney’s best song, or even his best song about a dog, but it’s way up there. Here’s an exercise: Figure out how many of those are about dogs, or pets at all, and rank them.
Guido Merkins
The vast majority of the Beatles songs were written about love, but it usually referred to love on others, either women or friends or wives, but never about animals, that is until 1968’s Martha My Dear on the White Album.
Paul had an English sheepdog he named Martha and when he was trying to learn the piano, he started playing this part that was especially difficult for him at the time and the words Martha My Dear came to him. The song was about Martha and once you know that, lines like “hold your head up you silly girl, look what you’ve done” make sense.
To me, the song sounds like the typical McCartney jazzy number (as Lennon would call it, Paul’s “granny ####”, but it’s quite pleasant. I like how it modulates, which is not something the Beatles did a lot of.
2022 Ranking: 132T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 19
Ranked Highest by: @Eephus (16) @MAC_32 (17)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR
Getz: 20th song to be NR in 2019.
Krista4
My 2019 ranking: 138
2019 write-up:
Martha My Dear (White Album, 1968)
How to make me love a rock or pop song: add a cello. Total sucker for a cello. This song goes further and not only has multiple cellos, but a tuba and, to top it off, Paul wrote this about his sheepdog. Starting with all that, this should make my top 100, but while it's charming and elegant and in some parts intricate, it's otherwise not interesting enough to make it that high. But Paul sure did love that sheepdog.
Mr. krista is less charitable: "This might be the longest I’ve listened to this song. More Paul McCartney Masterpiece Theatre music. Boring-### drawing room music about British people who can’t express themselves and ####. WTF. Why is that interesting? Who the #### cares about any of these people?"
Suggested covers: Punch Brothers Skip to ~0:53 for the real start of the song. World Party version is also nice but a bit on-the-nose.
2022 Supplement: Probably ranked this too highly in 2019, likely due to the sheepdog connection. It’s a nice enough song but doesn’t grab me in any way. And now, Paul has set out to ruin even the sheepdog connection, saying in The Lyrics that as the song progresses, the lyrics morph from being about the dog into being about a person, specifically a relative who had come to town to get away from their gossipy kin in Liverpool and wanted to confide in Paul about his/her affair. Paul says this is where lines like “when you find yourself in the thick of it” came from.
Sigh. Back to sheepdogs. Paul had not been able to have a dog as a child because his parents were away at work too much, and he had always desperately wanted one. He’s admitted he’s a sucker for ads and product placement, and he’d seen a Dulux paint ad on the telly with an Old English sheepdog, which inspired him to get Martha. One nice story Paul has told is how his sheepdog Martha helped bring John even closer. According to Paul, when John came around and saw him playing with Martha, and how much he adored her, he saw Paul letting his guard down and started letting his guard down, too, and warming to Paul more.
I recommend googling Paul and Martha for a ton of adorable pics. Here’s one: https://imgur.com/3oC7Tgo
Fun fact: Paul actually had another dog, Eddie the Terrier, at the time, but Eddie didn’t get his own song. That is, until Paul, feeling bad about this, improvises a song called “There You Go, Eddie” during the Get Back sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjWk_Slcos You can hear that Paul then works in various other Beatles’ pets, such as Ringo’s dog Tiger and John’s cat Mimi. This song is delightful!
2022 Mr. krista Supplement: As someone who frequently sings to his cats, makes up songs for them, makes up songs by them about other cats, this is top of the game for songs about pets. I’ve only gotten close to this a few times. It’s not Paul McCartney’s best song, or even his best song about a dog, but it’s way up there. Here’s an exercise: Figure out how many of those are about dogs, or pets at all, and rank them.
Guido Merkins
The vast majority of the Beatles songs were written about love, but it usually referred to love on others, either women or friends or wives, but never about animals, that is until 1968’s Martha My Dear on the White Album.
Paul had an English sheepdog he named Martha and when he was trying to learn the piano, he started playing this part that was especially difficult for him at the time and the words Martha My Dear came to him. The song was about Martha and once you know that, lines like “hold your head up you silly girl, look what you’ve done” make sense.
To me, the song sounds like the typical McCartney jazzy number (as Lennon would call it, Paul’s “granny ####”, but it’s quite pleasant. I like how it modulates, which is not something the Beatles did a lot of.
Zegras11
Footballguy
Chalk Rankings Top 10. #132T = 40.5 pts. Sponsored by: Crab Bisque from Tracy's Crab Shack, Juneau, Alaska
1 --Krista (Mom)---107.5
2 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---101
3 --anarchy99---81
4 --Eephus---76
5 --Neal Cassady---72.5
6 --Krista (Worth)---65
7 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---60
8 --Krista (Sharon)---57.5
9 --Mac32---52
10 --ManOfSteelhead---50.5
11 --BinkyTheDoormat---50.5
1 --Krista (Mom)---107.5
2 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---101
3 --anarchy99---81
4 --Eephus---76
5 --Neal Cassady---72.5
6 --Krista (Worth)---65
7 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---60
8 --Krista (Sharon)---57.5
9 --Mac32---52
10 --ManOfSteelhead---50.5
11 --BinkyTheDoormat---50.5
Anarchy99
Footballguy
With all the bonuses you successfully negotiated as we discussed previously, take a few Shekels from that and get tix on the secondary market. That should be a mere pittance for you. I'm guessing you already have a book deal lined up and a miniseries in the works off of these threads. TBH, Paul should be asking you directly if he can come play a local gig in your backyard as repayment for the tens of followers you have pushed his way and those 8 extra downloads you have led to. #INFLUENCER.
krista4
Footballguy
@Getzlaf15 still doesn't pay enough for that. Just ask @falguy (if he even still has a job here).
Got the tix, though!
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
I only know one Martha, so I always greet her with "Martha my dear". She has never taken offense to it, so I'm guessing that she doesn't know I stole it from a song about a dog.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Nosebleed heaven? Or close enough to say, "Man, Paul really does look 80!"
@Getzlaf15 still doesn't pay enough for that. Just ask @falguy (if he even still has a job here).
Got the tix, though!
I've already packed up up my belongings.
@Getzlaf15 still doesn't pay enough for that. Just ask @falguy (if he even still has a job here).
Got the tix, though!
Glad you got the tix!
Zegras11
Footballguy
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
They are lower level, but not the section I thought I was getting. I don't know what happened. Now I'm upset.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I told my mother-in-law he was playing two dates near her, and her first reaction was she would probably only go if her husband didn't.
krista knows the backstory that my mother-in-law has a thing for Sir Paul and said if there was ever a chance, he was her one no questions asked, get out of jail free card. Last year she actually quasi-stalked him at his house in London and contemplated trying to sneak in when the gate opened and a car left the premises. She told my father in law he was welcome to watch if that was his thing.
MAC_32
Footballguy
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Anarchy99
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
Another two-fer since I once again forgot to do this yesterday:
On yesterday's date in 1964, the Beatles left NY to fly home after their first invasion of the US, arriving home the next day to a crowd of over 3600 people waiting at Heathrow.
On today's date in 1963, John, Paul, Brian Epstein, and **** James/Charles Silver (in partnership) formed the Northern Songs publishing company, with James and Silver owning 50% of the company. I started to write a synopsis of the sad story of Northern Songs, and how Michael Jackson ended up owning some of the Beatles catalog, but it's easier if you just ready about it here.
On yesterday's date in 1964, the Beatles left NY to fly home after their first invasion of the US, arriving home the next day to a crowd of over 3600 people waiting at Heathrow.
On today's date in 1963, John, Paul, Brian Epstein, and **** James/Charles Silver (in partnership) formed the Northern Songs publishing company, with James and Silver owning 50% of the company. I started to write a synopsis of the sad story of Northern Songs, and how Michael Jackson ended up owning some of the Beatles catalog, but it's easier if you just ready about it here.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
ConstruxBoy
Kate's Daddy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
This is the least of three Williams covers (huh, looks like I'm the opposite of Guido on this), but it's still a lot of fun. John's vocal and the tambourine (I presume that's Ringo) are the best parts of this.
I also think an imposter wrote Krista's 2019 entry.
and to my ears the cover really misses the saxophone.
This is not the Krista I know.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Not my thing, but I wasn't a parent (or any form of life) in 1963/64. George's classical guitar work is easily the best thing about this. Otherwise it might as well be Dean Martin or something.
prosopis
Arizona Chupacabra
krista4
Footballguy
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