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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)

What You’re Doing
2022 Ranking: 123T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: @Encyclopedia Brown (10) Krista (Craig) (19)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz:  25th song to be NR in 2019.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  168

2019 write-up:

What You're Doing (Beatles for Sale, 1964)

Another that John and Paul aren't too impressed with, and I am more so.  The drum solo at the beginning (repeated at the end), followed by George's Rickenbacker riffs, immediately hook me in and make me feel groovy, and I like the lilting-but-angsty sound of Paul's vocal.  Big fan of that middle eight and some of the clever internal rhymes in the lyrics, too.  What I don't like about it, which is a part loved by many others, are the shouty parts - "YOU!" 

Mr. krista:  "I like the Rickenbacker riff and the heavy chords. It sounds good too, great arrangement.  Sounds so good, great arrangement, might be a better recording than a song.”

2022 Supplement:  The Beatles hadn’t been satisfied in the beginning with the sound of the bass on their recordings, which they wanted punched up.  This song is an example of their success in getting that sound, as the heavy mix on the bass combines with those heavy drums and guitar to test the limits of the recording equipment.  Still love the drums on this one, and the shouting doesn’t bother me as much as it did three years ago.

To hear some of the progression of this song, listen to this earlier take:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97KVTxw4Hhw  You can hear why they went to the “shouting” of the back vocals, given John’s wandering around aimlessly when trying to provide harmonies.  That is a rough, rough sound.  This version is also missing the heavy drum sound and the intro from the drums, which I think are key to the success of the song.

Paul called this song “filler,” but I think he sells it short.

2022 Mr. krista Supplement:  This just tells you how hard it is to write a song.  It’s a steep curve, to go from nothing on a blank page to something.  This is better than silence.

Guido Merkins

Over the years there has been this thing about the Beatles being tremendously influenced by the Byrds.  This is absolutely true.  However, what that part of the story leaves out is that it was the Byrds who were first influenced by the Beatles.  Roger McGuinn and other members of the band went to see A Hard Day’s Night and loved the sound of George’s guitar, but they couldn’t figure out how he was getting that sound, until he turned to reveal his 12 string Rickenbacker.  McGuinn loved that sound and got him a Rick and the rest is history.  Undoubtedly one of the songs they were influenced by was What You’re Doing from the Beatles For Sale album.

What You’re Doing is a song written by Paul that he doesn’t seem to care much for, but it was written, it seems like, after some issue with Jane Asher (Paul has a lot of those songs) and featured that jingly jangly 12 string sound.  I also like Ringo’s drum intro.  

This song has a really good alternative version that did not appear on any of the Anthologies, take 11.  Once again, I like this song far more than the composer does.

 
Revolution 9
2022 Ranking: 123T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: Krista (Worth) (11) Krista (Rob) 18
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 131T/1/5

Getz:  Who are these people?  I feel like I need to take a shower now.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  203

2019 write-up:

Revolution 9 (White Album, 1968)

Feel like I'm going a bit chalky here with these first (or last) two, but rest assured that the full list will be aggravatingly un-chalky.  I really want to like this and am a more natural audience for it than most people, as I'm interested in sound collages and in musique concrète.  Wait, is this where we should start talking about Yoko?  Maybe I'll save more Yoko discussion for when we get to Ballad of John and Yoko or something else, but here's a preview:  I think Yoko is talented.  There, I said it.  And I'm not sure I can name another song where her influence is so directly felt.  But in my opinion this just...doesn't work.  I like some of the sounds, but it's too much of a mishmosh of ideas.  Even this type of work needs a structure - or maybe better put, a logic - and cohesion, and this doesn't have it.  And good lord, it's too long.  At three minutes I might listen to it when it comes on, but at 8+, that's a big nope.

It's interesting to me that Paul was doing so much more work in the avant-garde realm at this time, and yet this composition by John was the one to make the album.  Maybe that's why Paul didn't want it on there.  I know he's said that he (Paul) didn't think his avant-garde work was worthy of their albums, and I doubt he thought John's was either.

John thought he was painting a picture of revolution and spent more time on this song than any other, though I'm not sure if he was pleased with the result since he said later that he mistakenly painted a picture of anti-revolution.  I've read that there is a humor in the way it's constructed, and certainly John was known to have a fantastic sense of humor and has said the "number nine" part at the beginning is in there because he just found the way it was said hilarious.  Unfortunately Charles Manson heard a lot he liked in this composition and was inspired by it; I guess the "revolution" idea got through to someone.  So there are plenty of people - some of them presumably not mass murderers - who "understand" this work better than I do.  I'd be interested in hearing from someone who likes this one as to what you like about it.  I'm open to learning on this.  When it comes down to it, I'm glad they tried this, even though I don't like it.

Mr. krista's thoughts:  "My problem with this is that I think that sound collages and tape art…I’m very interested in that stuff.  Glenn Gould’s are some of the best things I’ve ever listened to.  And it’s clearly artful in the way they’ve done it, but they’re long, immersive, complicated things that need to be perfect in order to work well.  It can’t be a montage where you could take any part of it and replace it and it would be the same thing.  It still needs to function in the same way as music does. Stuck in the midst of a record like this with pop songs, it’s flung at you.  And it doesn’t draw you in.  If anyone is interested in this, then Steve Reich, or Glenn Gould’s The Idea of North are really good places to start, and you can then go back to this and see what Yoko was on about.  But it’s a lot less artful than the best of collage art.  I feel like my aesthetic is much more sympathetic to something like that, and yet I don’t like it."

Suggested cover version:  Alarm Will Sound  I thought this would be a hard one to find a cover of, but there are a shocking number of cover versions.  People be cray.  But holy hell, these people performed it live.  Though I still don't enjoy the song, this is worth a viewing just for the ballsiness of it.  Impressive.

2022 Supplement:  I’m embarrassed to admit I have two friends who voted for this one.

Guido Merkins

The Beatles were pioneers in the use of tape loops.  Contrary to popular belief, it was Paul McCartney who was most into avant garde music and introduced the band to tape loops.  Tomorrow Never Knows was the first song that used these tape loops.  The 2nd song, was Revolution 9.

The Beatles recorded 3 versions of Revolution.  Revolution 1 is the version on the White Album.  The last 6 minutes of the Revolution 1 recording is John saying “all right” and them improvising over Ringo’s drum beat.  They took that 6 minutes from Revolution 1 and layered different sound effects.  Crowds cheating, random talking, John saying #9, #9, backwards symphonic performances, and everything but the kitchen sink.  It’s basically a collage of sound.

It’s not really music, per se, which I don’t have an issue with, but at over 8 minutes long, it’s just too much for me.  If they had taken the best 2 minutes and put it on the record, it would be fine and would fit with the chaos of the ‘White Album (like Wild Honey Pie), but it’s too long.

It is easily my least favorite recording from the Beatles.  Any number of George Harrison songs could have replaced it on the album and the album would have been better off.

 
Chalk Rankings Top 10. #123T = 49.5 pts. Sponsored by: Dove Men's Body Wash
 

1 --Krista (Mom)---197.5

2 --Krista (Worth)---158.5

3 --DaVinci---137

4 --anarchy99---123.5

5 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---112

6 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---101

7 --BinkyTheDoormat---94.5

8 --Krista (Rob)---86.5

9 --Krista (TJ/Michael)---81.5

10 --Krista (Craig)---77

 
# of Songs to Have Appeared on The Countdown to Date

1 --Krista (Mom)---7

2 --Krista (Mom/Hub)---5

3 --anarchy99---5

4 --Krista (Worth)---5

5 --Man Of Constant Sorrow---4

6 --DaVinci---4

7 --Krista (TJ/Holly)---3

8 --Krista (Sharon)---3

9 --BinkyTheDoormat---3

10 --Krista (Rob)---3

11 --Encyclopedia Brown---3

12 --Shaft41---2

13 --OTB_Lifer---2

14 --Neal Cassady---2

15 --ManOfSteelhead---2

16 --Mac32---2

17 --Eephus---2

18 --Krista (TJ/Michael)---2

19 --Krista (Craig)---2

20 --zamboni---1

21 --wikkidpissah---1

22 --Uruk-Hai---1

23 --Ted Lange as your Bartender---1

24 --Shaft41(Daughter)---1

25 --rockaction---1

26 --ProsteticRKG---1

27 --murph---1

28 --Lardonastick---1

29 --Krista (TJ/Slug)---1

30 --Krista (TJ/Alex)---1

31 --jwb---1

32 --Just Win Baby---1

33 --John Maddens Lunchbox---1

34 --FairWarning---1

35 --Dinsy Ejotuz---1

36 --Dennis Castro---1

37 --ConstruxBoy---1

38 --Alex P Keaton---1

39 --AAABatteries---1

 
There it is!!  I've been waiting for this one to come up.  If you guys were mad about where some of the George songs landed before, I expect all-out war now.

 
Getzlaf15 said:
What You’re Doing
2022 Ranking: 123T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: @Encyclopedia Brown (10) Krista (Craig) (19)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz:  25th song to be NR in 2019.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  168

2019 write-up:

What You're Doing (Beatles for Sale, 1964)

Another that John and Paul aren't too impressed with, and I am more so.  The drum solo at the beginning (repeated at the end), followed by George's Rickenbacker riffs, immediately hook me in and make me feel groovy, and I like the lilting-but-angsty sound of Paul's vocal.  Big fan of that middle eight and some of the clever internal rhymes in the lyrics, too.  What I don't like about it, which is a part loved by many others, are the shouty parts - "YOU!" 

Mr. krista:  "I like the Rickenbacker riff and the heavy chords. It sounds good too, great arrangement.  Sounds so good, great arrangement, might be a better recording than a song.”

2022 Supplement:  The Beatles hadn’t been satisfied in the beginning with the sound of the bass on their recordings, which they wanted punched up.  This song is an example of their success in getting that sound, as the heavy mix on the bass combines with those heavy drums and guitar to test the limits of the recording equipment.  Still love the drums on this one, and the shouting doesn’t bother me as much as it did three years ago.

To hear some of the progression of this song, listen to this earlier take:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97KVTxw4Hhw  You can hear why they went to the “shouting” of the back vocals, given John’s wandering around aimlessly when trying to provide harmonies.  That is a rough, rough sound.  This version is also missing the heavy drum sound and the intro from the drums, which I think are key to the success of the song.

Paul called this song “filler,” but I think he sells it short.

2022 Mr. krista Supplement:  This just tells you how hard it is to write a song.  It’s a steep curve, to go from nothing on a blank page to something.  This is better than silence.

Guido Merkins

Over the years there has been this thing about the Beatles being tremendously influenced by the Byrds.  This is absolutely true.  However, what that part of the story leaves out is that it was the Byrds who were first influenced by the Beatles.  Roger McGuinn and other members of the band went to see A Hard Day’s Night and loved the sound of George’s guitar, but they couldn’t figure out how he was getting that sound, until he turned to reveal his 12 string Rickenbacker.  McGuinn loved that sound and got him a Rick and the rest is history.  Undoubtedly one of the songs they were influenced by was What You’re Doing from the Beatles For Sale album.

What You’re Doing is a song written by Paul that he doesn’t seem to care much for, but it was written, it seems like, after some issue with Jane Asher (Paul has a lot of those songs) and featured that jingly jangly 12 string sound.  I also like Ringo’s drum intro.  

This song has a really good alternative version that did not appear on any of the Anthologies, take 11.  Once again, I like this song far more than the composer does.
Click to expand...
It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that many of what John and Paul considered crap and filler are songs I'm totally loving at this stage in my fandom.  The drums in this one are killer.  

 
Getzlaf15 said:
Revolution 9
2022 Ranking: 123T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: Krista (Worth) (11) Krista (Rob) 18
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 131T/1/5

Getz:  Who are these people?  I feel like I need to take a shower now.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  203

2019 write-up:

Revolution 9 (White Album, 1968)

Feel like I'm going a bit chalky here with these first (or last) two, but rest assured that the full list will be aggravatingly un-chalky.  I really want to like this and am a more natural audience for it than most people, as I'm interested in sound collages and in musique concrète.  Wait, is this where we should start talking about Yoko?  Maybe I'll save more Yoko discussion for when we get to Ballad of John and Yoko or something else, but here's a preview:  I think Yoko is talented.  There, I said it.  And I'm not sure I can name another song where her influence is so directly felt.  But in my opinion this just...doesn't work.  I like some of the sounds, but it's too much of a mishmosh of ideas.  Even this type of work needs a structure - or maybe better put, a logic - and cohesion, and this doesn't have it.  And good lord, it's too long.  At three minutes I might listen to it when it comes on, but at 8+, that's a big nope.

It's interesting to me that Paul was doing so much more work in the avant-garde realm at this time, and yet this composition by John was the one to make the album.  Maybe that's why Paul didn't want it on there.  I know he's said that he (Paul) didn't think his avant-garde work was worthy of their albums, and I doubt he thought John's was either.

John thought he was painting a picture of revolution and spent more time on this song than any other, though I'm not sure if he was pleased with the result since he said later that he mistakenly painted a picture of anti-revolution.  I've read that there is a humor in the way it's constructed, and certainly John was known to have a fantastic sense of humor and has said the "number nine" part at the beginning is in there because he just found the way it was said hilarious.  Unfortunately Charles Manson heard a lot he liked in this composition and was inspired by it; I guess the "revolution" idea got through to someone.  So there are plenty of people - some of them presumably not mass murderers - who "understand" this work better than I do.  I'd be interested in hearing from someone who likes this one as to what you like about it.  I'm open to learning on this.  When it comes down to it, I'm glad they tried this, even though I don't like it.

Mr. krista's thoughts:  "My problem with this is that I think that sound collages and tape art…I’m very interested in that stuff.  Glenn Gould’s are some of the best things I’ve ever listened to.  And it’s clearly artful in the way they’ve done it, but they’re long, immersive, complicated things that need to be perfect in order to work well.  It can’t be a montage where you could take any part of it and replace it and it would be the same thing.  It still needs to function in the same way as music does. Stuck in the midst of a record like this with pop songs, it’s flung at you.  And it doesn’t draw you in.  If anyone is interested in this, then Steve Reich, or Glenn Gould’s The Idea of North are really good places to start, and you can then go back to this and see what Yoko was on about.  But it’s a lot less artful than the best of collage art.  I feel like my aesthetic is much more sympathetic to something like that, and yet I don’t like it."

Suggested cover version:  Alarm Will Sound  I thought this would be a hard one to find a cover of, but there are a shocking number of cover versions.  People be cray.  But holy hell, these people performed it live.  Though I still don't enjoy the song, this is worth a viewing just for the ballsiness of it.  Impressive.

2022 Supplement:  I’m embarrassed to admit I have two friends who voted for this one.

Guido Merkins

The Beatles were pioneers in the use of tape loops.  Contrary to popular belief, it was Paul McCartney who was most into avant garde music and introduced the band to tape loops.  Tomorrow Never Knows was the first song that used these tape loops.  The 2nd song, was Revolution 9.

The Beatles recorded 3 versions of Revolution.  Revolution 1 is the version on the White Album.  The last 6 minutes of the Revolution 1 recording is John saying “all right” and them improvising over Ringo’s drum beat.  They took that 6 minutes from Revolution 1 and layered different sound effects.  Crowds cheating, random talking, John saying #9, #9, backwards symphonic performances, and everything but the kitchen sink.  It’s basically a collage of sound.

It’s not really music, per se, which I don’t have an issue with, but at over 8 minutes long, it’s just too much for me.  If they had taken the best 2 minutes and put it on the record, it would be fine and would fit with the chaos of the ‘White Album (like Wild Honey Pie), but it’s too long.

It is easily my least favorite recording from the Beatles.  Any number of George Harrison songs could have replaced it on the album and the album would have been better off.
Click to expand...
Holy ####.

 
Getzlaf15 said:
What You’re Doing
2022 Ranking: 123T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: @Encyclopedia Brown (10) Krista (Craig) (19)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz:  25th song to be NR in 2019.
Click to expand...


I really like this song but it's one of those that don't typically come to mind. "The Beatles For Sale" of all their albums is the one that I know least.  Gonna have to really go back through this album a lot more.   

 
Getzlaf15 said:
Revolution 9
2022 Ranking: 123T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: Krista (Worth) (11) Krista (Rob) 18
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 131T/1/5

Getz:  Who are these people?  I feel like I need to take a shower now.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  203

2019 write-up:

Revolution 9 (White Album, 1968)

Feel like I'm going a bit chalky here with these first (or last) two, but rest assured that the full list will be aggravatingly un-chalky.  I really want to like this and am a more natural audience for it than most people, as I'm interested in sound collages and in musique concrète.  Wait, is this where we should start talking about Yoko?  Maybe I'll save more Yoko discussion for when we get to Ballad of John and Yoko or something else, but here's a preview:  I think Yoko is talented.  There, I said it.  And I'm not sure I can name another song where her influence is so directly felt.  But in my opinion this just...doesn't work.  I like some of the sounds, but it's too much of a mishmosh of ideas.  Even this type of work needs a structure - or maybe better put, a logic - and cohesion, and this doesn't have it.  And good lord, it's too long.  At three minutes I might listen to it when it comes on, but at 8+, that's a big nope.

It's interesting to me that Paul was doing so much more work in the avant-garde realm at this time, and yet this composition by John was the one to make the album.  Maybe that's why Paul didn't want it on there.  I know he's said that he (Paul) didn't think his avant-garde work was worthy of their albums, and I doubt he thought John's was either.

John thought he was painting a picture of revolution and spent more time on this song than any other, though I'm not sure if he was pleased with the result since he said later that he mistakenly painted a picture of anti-revolution.  I've read that there is a humor in the way it's constructed, and certainly John was known to have a fantastic sense of humor and has said the "number nine" part at the beginning is in there because he just found the way it was said hilarious.  Unfortunately Charles Manson heard a lot he liked in this composition and was inspired by it; I guess the "revolution" idea got through to someone.  So there are plenty of people - some of them presumably not mass murderers - who "understand" this work better than I do.  I'd be interested in hearing from someone who likes this one as to what you like about it.  I'm open to learning on this.  When it comes down to it, I'm glad they tried this, even though I don't like it.

Mr. krista's thoughts:  "My problem with this is that I think that sound collages and tape art…I’m very interested in that stuff.  Glenn Gould’s are some of the best things I’ve ever listened to.  And it’s clearly artful in the way they’ve done it, but they’re long, immersive, complicated things that need to be perfect in order to work well.  It can’t be a montage where you could take any part of it and replace it and it would be the same thing.  It still needs to function in the same way as music does. Stuck in the midst of a record like this with pop songs, it’s flung at you.  And it doesn’t draw you in.  If anyone is interested in this, then Steve Reich, or Glenn Gould’s The Idea of North are really good places to start, and you can then go back to this and see what Yoko was on about.  But it’s a lot less artful than the best of collage art.  I feel like my aesthetic is much more sympathetic to something like that, and yet I don’t like it."

Suggested cover version:  Alarm Will Sound  I thought this would be a hard one to find a cover of, but there are a shocking number of cover versions.  People be cray.  But holy hell, these people performed it live.  Though I still don't enjoy the song, this is worth a viewing just for the ballsiness of it.  Impressive.

2022 Supplement:  I’m embarrassed to admit I have two friends who voted for this one.

Guido Merkins

The Beatles were pioneers in the use of tape loops.  Contrary to popular belief, it was Paul McCartney who was most into avant garde music and introduced the band to tape loops.  Tomorrow Never Knows was the first song that used these tape loops.  The 2nd song, was Revolution 9.

The Beatles recorded 3 versions of Revolution.  Revolution 1 is the version on the White Album.  The last 6 minutes of the Revolution 1 recording is John saying “all right” and them improvising over Ringo’s drum beat.  They took that 6 minutes from Revolution 1 and layered different sound effects.  Crowds cheating, random talking, John saying #9, #9, backwards symphonic performances, and everything but the kitchen sink.  It’s basically a collage of sound.

It’s not really music, per se, which I don’t have an issue with, but at over 8 minutes long, it’s just too much for me.  If they had taken the best 2 minutes and put it on the record, it would be fine and would fit with the chaos of the ‘White Album (like Wild Honey Pie), but it’s too long.

It is easily my least favorite recording from the Beatles.  Any number of George Harrison songs could have replaced it on the album and the album would have been better off.
Click to expand...
You know what would make this even more awesome?

you can never have too much Shruti box

 
In honor of this last song, I boarded and sat down, and then some adult about 10 rows behind me burped incredibly loud for 5 to 6 seconds. Both really disgusting 

 
No more complaining about George not getting credit for his contributions

:ptts:  

In a 1992 interview for Musicianmagazine, George Harrison said that it was he and Ringo Starr who selected the sounds, sourced from EMI's tape library, including the "Number nine, number nine" dialogue. Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter write that the content of Harrison's lesser-known experimental piece "Dream Scene", recorded between November 1967 and February 1968 for his Wonderwall Musicalbum, suggests that Harrison had a greater influence on "Revolution 9" than has been acknowledged. In his book about the Beatles' White Album, titled Revolution, David Quantick lists Lennon, Ono and Harrison as the "actual writers", despite the Lennon–McCartneycomposer's credit. In the 2011 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Ono says that "George, John and I made ['Revolution 9']" and that Harrison "sort of instigated it" and pushed them to create the piece.

 
BobbyLayne said:
No more complaining about George not getting credit for his contributions

:ptts:  

In a 1992 interview for Musicianmagazine, George Harrison said that it was he and Ringo Starr who selected the sounds, sourced from EMI's tape library, including the "Number nine, number nine" dialogue. Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter write that the content of Harrison's lesser-known experimental piece "Dream Scene", recorded between November 1967 and February 1968 for his Wonderwall Musicalbum, suggests that Harrison had a greater influence on "Revolution 9" than has been acknowledged. In his book about the Beatles' White Album, titled Revolution, David Quantick lists Lennon, Ono and Harrison as the "actual writers", despite the Lennon–McCartneycomposer's credit. In the 2011 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Ono says that "George, John and I made ['Revolution 9']" and that Harrison "sort of instigated it" and pushed them to create the piece.
Click to expand...
####### George 

 
We've hit the big 5-0 so I'll post the update album counts again.

Code: 
Singles	10
White Album	8
With The Beatles	6
Beatles for Sale	5
Help!	4
Magical Mystery Tour:	4
Revolver	3
A Hard Day's Night	2
Please Please Me	2
Rubber Soul	2
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band	2
Let It Be	1
Yellow Submarine	1
 
OMG, something worked!  Thanks to Krista's friend who gave me an alias to get on this thread.  So, this is Krista's mom and I am eager to get info on here about a little of my history as an old woman who is a relatively new Beatles fan.  And also to explain, perhaps defend, some of my choices here.  But that will have to wait for another day as we will soon be heading to a nationally recognized restaurant in Seattle, where I anticipate an incredible evening.  I look forward to actually being involved in this project instead of just an observer. 

 
Wrighteous Ray said:
OMG, something worked!  Thanks to Krista's friend who gave me an alias to get on this thread.  So, this is Krista's mom and I am eager to get info on here about a little of my history as an old woman who is a relatively new Beatles fan.  And also to explain, perhaps defend, some of my choices here.  But that will have to wait for another day as we will soon be heading to a nationally recognized restaurant in Seattle, where I anticipate an incredible evening.  I look forward to actually being involved in this project instead of just an observer. 
Click to expand...
:hifive:

 
Wrighteous Ray said:
OMG, something worked!  Thanks to Krista's friend who gave me an alias to get on this thread.  So, this is Krista's mom and I am eager to get info on here about a little of my history as an old woman who is a relatively new Beatles fan.  And also to explain, perhaps defend, some of my choices here.  But that will have to wait for another day as we will soon be heading to a nationally recognized restaurant in Seattle, where I anticipate an incredible evening.  I look forward to actually being involved in this project instead of just an observer. 
Click to expand...
welcome KristaMom!

 
Hi Krista’s Mom!  You can change the avatar and password to the account if you want, it’s all yours.  Unfortunately there’s no way to change the name.

My dream is that you continue to use it here even after this Beatles silliness is over.  I could point you in the direction of some interesting threads.

 
Getzlaf15 said:
Martha My Dear
2022 Ranking: 132T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 19
Ranked Highest by: @Eephus (16) @MAC_32

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.  
Click to expand...
It's like Martha knocked over a lamp or peed on Paul's favorite carpet. Look what you've done! But Paul being such a good guy, he wasn't going to hold it against poor Martha.

 
Run For Your Life
2022 Ranking: 122
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: @Anarchy99 (16) Krista (Sharon) (17) @zamboni (22)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 70/3/35

Getz:  Three votes again, but 12 less points…

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  93

2019 write-up:

Run for Your Life (Rubber Soul, 1965)

It's a great song that I dock 40 spots for murderous impulses and terroristic threats.  Only 1/4 joking about that - the lyrics to this song bring it way down the list from where it would otherwise be.  They are disturbing on their face, but made more so by the particularly menacing way in which John sings them and by his sometimes violent history with women.  While a lot of John's songs allude to his jealousy and temper, this one is far too explicit about it for me.

The lyrics were based around a line from an Elvis Presley song, "Baby, Let's Play House":  "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man."  That line in itself can be read as just a particularly pitiful lament, but John added lyrics that made a lament into a series of threats:

Well, I'd rather see you dead, little girl

Than to be with another man

You better keep your head, little girl

Or you won't know where I am

You better run for your life if you can, little girl

Hide your head in the sand, little girl

Catch you with another man

That's the end'a little girl

Well, you know that I'm a wicked guy

And I was born with a jealous mind

And I can't spend my whole life

Trying just to make you toe the line

You better run for your life if you can, little girl

Hide your head in the sand, little girl

Catch you with another man

That's the end'a little girl

Let this be a sermon

I mean everything I've said

Baby, I'm determined

And I'd rather see you dead

It's icky.  And it's too bad, because musically this is a helluva jam.

Mr. krista:  "It’s disturbing when you see how poorly John Lennon treated women.  It’s also a song about jealousy, and while I don’t think you can ascribe stuff to the first person, he beat his first wife and abandoned his kid.  It’s a great rockin’ blues song.  Sort of transgressive as far as the Beatles go.  Kind of bold and leaning toward darker territory."

Suggested cover:  Cowboy Junkies

2022 Supplement:  We’ve talked enough about the lyrics to this one.  The best part of this song, for me, is George’s guitar work, at least four different guitar parts that he performed on two different guitars.  John has said that this was one of George’s favorites, which is understandable considering his leading role in it.  Paul has called this “a macho song” that showed John “on the run” because he was married and not supposed to be messing around, while Paul was in an open relationship with Jane Asher.  Check out this fun version the gang played around with years later, during the “Get Back” sessions:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAwHVuDMZqc

Guido Merkins

“I’d rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man” starts the final track on Rubber Soul called Run for Your Life.  John stole that line from Elvis’ Baby Let’s Play House.  Once again, John viewed this song as a throwaway, but George liked it.  I can see why since George’s guitar is the best part of the song.  The lead phrases are very Carl Perkins with the solo being kind of in Paul’s style more than George’s, yet everything I’ve read says it was George.  

It was a very quick session, as were many of the sessions on Rubber Soul, which took 30 days to record.  A masterpiece in 30 days?  Yep, such was life as a Beatle.  As much as I love Rubber Soul, I always thought this was kind of a disappointing ending.  Compared to Twist and Shout and Money and Tomorrow Never Knows and A Day In the Life.  Having said that, I can’t think of another song that should have ended the album either.

 
Getzlaf15 said:
Revolution 9
2022 Ranking: 123T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: Krista (Worth) (11) Krista (Rob) 18
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 131T/1/5

Getz:  Who are these people?  I feel like I need to take a shower now.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  203

2019 write-up:

Revolution 9 (White Album, 1968)

Feel like I'm going a bit chalky here with these first (or last) two, but rest assured that the full list will be aggravatingly un-chalky.  I really want to like this and am a more natural audience for it than most people, as I'm interested in sound collages and in musique concrète.  Wait, is this where we should start talking about Yoko?  Maybe I'll save more Yoko discussion for when we get to Ballad of John and Yoko or something else, but here's a preview:  I think Yoko is talented.  There, I said it.  And I'm not sure I can name another song where her influence is so directly felt.  But in my opinion this just...doesn't work.  I like some of the sounds, but it's too much of a mishmosh of ideas.  Even this type of work needs a structure - or maybe better put, a logic - and cohesion, and this doesn't have it.  And good lord, it's too long.  At three minutes I might listen to it when it comes on, but at 8+, that's a big nope.

It's interesting to me that Paul was doing so much more work in the avant-garde realm at this time, and yet this composition by John was the one to make the album.  Maybe that's why Paul didn't want it on there.  I know he's said that he (Paul) didn't think his avant-garde work was worthy of their albums, and I doubt he thought John's was either.

John thought he was painting a picture of revolution and spent more time on this song than any other, though I'm not sure if he was pleased with the result since he said later that he mistakenly painted a picture of anti-revolution.  I've read that there is a humor in the way it's constructed, and certainly John was known to have a fantastic sense of humor and has said the "number nine" part at the beginning is in there because he just found the way it was said hilarious.  Unfortunately Charles Manson heard a lot he liked in this composition and was inspired by it; I guess the "revolution" idea got through to someone.  So there are plenty of people - some of them presumably not mass murderers - who "understand" this work better than I do.  I'd be interested in hearing from someone who likes this one as to what you like about it.  I'm open to learning on this.  When it comes down to it, I'm glad they tried this, even though I don't like it.

Mr. krista's thoughts:  "My problem with this is that I think that sound collages and tape art…I’m very interested in that stuff.  Glenn Gould’s are some of the best things I’ve ever listened to.  And it’s clearly artful in the way they’ve done it, but they’re long, immersive, complicated things that need to be perfect in order to work well.  It can’t be a montage where you could take any part of it and replace it and it would be the same thing.  It still needs to function in the same way as music does. Stuck in the midst of a record like this with pop songs, it’s flung at you.  And it doesn’t draw you in.  If anyone is interested in this, then Steve Reich, or Glenn Gould’s The Idea of North are really good places to start, and you can then go back to this and see what Yoko was on about.  But it’s a lot less artful than the best of collage art.  I feel like my aesthetic is much more sympathetic to something like that, and yet I don’t like it."

Suggested cover version:  Alarm Will Sound  I thought this would be a hard one to find a cover of, but there are a shocking number of cover versions.  People be cray.  But holy hell, these people performed it live.  Though I still don't enjoy the song, this is worth a viewing just for the ballsiness of it.  Impressive.

2022 Supplement:  I’m embarrassed to admit I have two friends who voted for this one.

Guido Merkins

The Beatles were pioneers in the use of tape loops.  Contrary to popular belief, it was Paul McCartney who was most into avant garde music and introduced the band to tape loops.  Tomorrow Never Knows was the first song that used these tape loops.  The 2nd song, was Revolution 9.

The Beatles recorded 3 versions of Revolution.  Revolution 1 is the version on the White Album.  The last 6 minutes of the Revolution 1 recording is John saying “all right” and them improvising over Ringo’s drum beat.  They took that 6 minutes from Revolution 1 and layered different sound effects.  Crowds cheating, random talking, John saying #9, #9, backwards symphonic performances, and everything but the kitchen sink.  It’s basically a collage of sound.

It’s not really music, per se, which I don’t have an issue with, but at over 8 minutes long, it’s just too much for me.  If they had taken the best 2 minutes and put it on the record, it would be fine and would fit with the chaos of the ‘White Album (like Wild Honey Pie), but it’s too long.

It is easily my least favorite recording from the Beatles.  Any number of George Harrison songs could have replaced it on the album and the album would have been better off.
Click to expand...
Now that’s some non-chalk right there.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Getzlaf15 said:
Run For Your Life
2022 Ranking: 122
2022 Lists: 3
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: @Anarchy99 (16) Krista (Sharon) (17) @zamboni (22)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: 70/3/35

Getz:  Three votes again, but 12 less points…

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  93

2019 write-up:

Run for Your Life (Rubber Soul, 1965)

It's a great song that I dock 40 spots for murderous impulses and terroristic threats.  Only 1/4 joking about that - the lyrics to this song bring it way down the list from where it would otherwise be.  They are disturbing on their face, but made more so by the particularly menacing way in which John sings them and by his sometimes violent history with women.  While a lot of John's songs allude to his jealousy and temper, this one is far too explicit about it for me.

The lyrics were based around a line from an Elvis Presley song, "Baby, Let's Play House":  "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man."  That line in itself can be read as just a particularly pitiful lament, but John added lyrics that made a lament into a series of threats:

Well, I'd rather see you dead, little girl

Than to be with another man

You better keep your head, little girl

Or you won't know where I am

You better run for your life if you can, little girl

Hide your head in the sand, little girl

Catch you with another man

That's the end'a little girl

Well, you know that I'm a wicked guy

And I was born with a jealous mind

And I can't spend my whole life

Trying just to make you toe the line

You better run for your life if you can, little girl

Hide your head in the sand, little girl

Catch you with another man

That's the end'a little girl

Let this be a sermon

I mean everything I've said

Baby, I'm determined

And I'd rather see you dead

It's icky.  And it's too bad, because musically this is a helluva jam.

Mr. krista:  "It’s disturbing when you see how poorly John Lennon treated women.  It’s also a song about jealousy, and while I don’t think you can ascribe stuff to the first person, he beat his first wife and abandoned his kid.  It’s a great rockin’ blues song.  Sort of transgressive as far as the Beatles go.  Kind of bold and leaning toward darker territory."

Suggested cover:  Cowboy Junkies

2022 Supplement:  We’ve talked enough about the lyrics to this one.  The best part of this song, for me, is George’s guitar work, at least four different guitar parts that he performed on two different guitars.  John has said that this was one of George’s favorites, which is understandable considering his leading role in it.  Paul has called this “a macho song” that showed John “on the run” because he was married and not supposed to be messing around, while Paul was in an open relationship with Jane Asher.  Check out this fun version the gang played around with years later, during the “Get Back” sessions:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAwHVuDMZqc

Guido Merkins

“I’d rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man” starts the final track on Rubber Soul called Run for Your Life.  John stole that line from Elvis’ Baby Let’s Play House.  Once again, John viewed this song as a throwaway, but George liked it.  I can see why since George’s guitar is the best part of the song.  The lead phrases are very Carl Perkins with the solo being kind of in Paul’s style more than George’s, yet everything I’ve read says it was George.  

It was a very quick session, as were many of the sessions on Rubber Soul, which took 30 days to record.  A masterpiece in 30 days?  Yep, such was life as a Beatle.  As much as I love Rubber Soul, I always thought this was kind of a disappointing ending.  Compared to Twist and Shout and Money and Tomorrow Never Knows and A Day In the Life.  Having said that, I can’t think of another song that should have ended the album either.
Click to expand...
bunch of mysoginists around here eh…

man these are some great chords!

 
Getzlaf15 said:
Revolution 9
2022 Ranking: 123T
2022 Lists: 2
2022 Points: 23
Ranked Highest by: Krista (Worth) (11) Krista (Rob) 18
Click to expand...
I could totally be making this up, but I think I read that if you have a large enough circle of friends, chances are there is someone capable of being a serial killer among them. And you'd never know. @krista4, you have your circle narrowed down to a 50:50 shot, now.

Also, I am still bitter at all of you pointing out just how creepy the lyrics of Run for Your Life are. It was so much better when I was ignorant.

Also, welcome kristaMom, or are you krista3?

 
P.S. I Love You
2022 Ranking: 121
2022 Lists: 1
2022 Points: 24
Ranked Highest by: @PIK95 (2)
2019 Ranking/Lists/Pts: NR

Getz:  Last song with only one voter.

Krista4
My 2019 ranking:  152

2019 write-up:

P.S. I Love You (Please Please Me, 1963)

The b-side to their debut "Love Me Do" single and later included on Please Please Me, this sweet but slight song was written in their Hamburg days and was particularly popular with the ladies when played live back in the day; I picture a lot of fainting.  I love the interplay of the three voices on this, including the way John and George pop in for a word in each bar...treasure...words...'gether, and I love the "ohhhh"s at the end and the ascending "you you you"s.  The song meanders a bit, but it's still lovely.

Notably, this was one of the recordings that caused tension between Ringo and George Martin for a while, as it was recorded during the session in which Martin brought Andy White in to sit for the recordings.  After Martin determined that Pete Best wasn't cutting it, the lads hired Ringo to replace him, and he sat in on a session in early September 1962.  Martin wasn't impressed and brought in White for the next session a week later, at which this song was recorded.  White played the woodblocks on this one, and Ringo was relegated to the maracas.  Martin realized in this session that White wasn't any better than Ringo, so thereafter Ringo was the drummer (except when he briefly quit during the White Album), but it took Ringo a while to forgive Martin for that.

Mr. krista:  "Nice cha-cha beat.  Are those bongos?"

Suggested cover:  I listened to a bunch of covers of this song and liked exactly none of them.  Couldn't even find one with a cheesy video to redeem it.

2022 Supplement:  The Beatles received a telegram in Hamburg in May 1962 from Brian Epstein that he had secured them a record deal and that they should be rehearsing new material, so Paul and John set about writing some new songs for the record.  Later they’ve both agreed that this was largely – it not entirely – a Paul composition, which he said was written in the form of a letter, a device he noted was popular with songwriters at the time (and which he adapted again later in “Paperback Writer”).  He was inspire by both The Shirelles “Soldier Boy” and Pat Boone’s “I’ll Be Home” (which included the line “as I write this letter) for the lyrics, and incorporated a Latin musical feel such as they’d been using in their covers of “Besame Mucho” and “Till There Was You.” 

Amazing fact about this song:  10 takes of the song were recorded in about an hour, with the 10th deemed best and put on the single and album, a live version with no overdubs or editing.

Guido Merkins

When the Beatles first entered the recording studio, producer George Martin liked the group a lot.  One thing, however, he didn’t like was their drummer.  Pete Best was fine in concert, but Martin wanted somebody more exact for recording.  So for their next session, he hired a professional drummer named Andy White, not knowing the Beatles had replaced Pete Best with Ringo Starr.  Martin had no idea whether or not Ringo could play, so he decided for that session to stick with Andy White.  So, other than the random songs where Paul McCartney played drums, there are  only two songs without Ringo on drums one of which is PS I Love You.  Ringo plays maracas on the song which appears on the B side of the Love Me Do single.  Note, the single version of Love Me Do featured Ringo on drums while the album version features Andy White with Ringo on tambourine.

PS I Love You is kind of a precursor to Paperback Writer in that it’s Paul writing a letter.  John said it was Paul trying to write Soldier Boy by the Shirelles.  It is doubtful that John had much to do with the song.  It is very much in Paul’s style.  I like the dark chord behind the word “you” after he says PS I Love You.  Not sure what the story is with that, but it keeps the song from being just a straight ballad.  I also like the way John just sings the harmony on the first word of each line of the verse.  

 
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