In this thread I rank my favorite post-Beatles Beatles songs: 291-1. (3 Viewers)

[Alex P Keaton]

reaction

I felt the exact same way

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I'm going to be unavailable for a few hours, so I'll leave you with my #3 and then come back later this afternoon with the big reveal.   

3.  What Is Life (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #3)

George sings soul!  In 1969, George was working on Billy Preston's record That's The Way God Planned It, and while driving to one of the sessions, he came up with this song, which he originally intended to offer to Preston for recording, as he did with "My Sweet Lord."  Instead he ended up keeping this classic for himself, which must have been the way God planned it.  Not sure what I could say about this song even if I had more time, as it's nearly perfect from the beginning fuzzy guitars through the build to the cacophony at the end.  I even love the use of horns in this one.  The word "nearly" comes from the place you might expect - the huge Wall of Sound makes George too lost in the song for me.  Still it's one of my favorite songs from anyone, ever.

Despite being supposedly obsessed with George, I had never heard this song until a couple years ago.  Or didn’t remember hearing it before.  How does that happen?  What piss poor role models did I have to reach that point?

Love it so much.  Nearly perfect is good enough.

 

[yoman]

My personal favorites are your 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 songs. I love All Things Must Pass but I would put it behind those songs. 

1) Band On The Run - was infatuated with this as a kid and it brings back great memories. Unlike Morton I liked rock operas. 

I would have to put a lot of thought into how I would rank the other 4.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I felt the exact same way

 

[Binky The Doormat]

My own countdown is over, but I'd love to keep the conversation going with less of a "me" focus.  Would like to hear other people's favorites, whether overall or as pertains to one Beatle (Morton, you owe us a bunch!).  And also I'd love to hear any new favorites you discovered during the course of this countdown.  Thanks to you all for being so kind and supportive through my silliness.

unbelievable job krista ...gigantic piece of work

highlight of FFA over the past several months

thanks!  

 

[falguy]

Congrats to @neal cassady and @Dr. Octopus!!!

I don't know how you guys managed to get all three of my non-Ringo choices, when they were a variety of chalk and non-chalk.  Especially with all those good Paul choices available, and that I took a non-standard George song...wait, are you in my brain???

So, you guys tied, and my tie-breakers didn't help.  Since I had vowed to donate $100 for each overall #1 as well as the $300 for the winner, I'm going to deem you co-winners and send $300 to each of your charities.  Just let me know where it should go and if there's any particular tribute you wish to make. 

I demand a recount!  Must be some sort of fraud. Did they submit their picks by mail? 

Unpossible they could legitimately get 3 correct. 

I refuse to concede defeat.

 

[wikkidpissah]

My own countdown is over, but I'd love to keep the conversation going with less of a "me" focus.  Would like to hear other people's favorites, whether overall or as pertains to one Beatle (Morton, you owe us a bunch!).  And also I'd love to hear any new favorites you discovered during the course of this countdown.  Thanks to you all for being so kind and supportive through my silliness.

a sense of melancholy is already setting in from the realization that our kristaverse will necessarily shrink with the completion of this dense project......the kindness is all yours.

am sweating NBA free agency tonite but will weigh in on my "how i would have listened to post-Beatle solo Beatles if they hadnt been Beatles" exercise sometime this wkend

 

[yoman]

I demand a recount!  Must be some sort of fraud. Did they submit their picks by mail? 

Unpossible they could legitimately get 3 correct. 

I refuse to concede defeat.

Hire Rudy Giuliani to hold a hair-dye sweating press conference. 

 

[krista4]

My personal favorites are your 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 songs. I love All Things Must Pass but I would put it behind those songs. 

1) Band On The Run - was infatuated with this as a kid and it brings back great memories. Unlike Morton I liked rock operas. 

I would have to put a lot of thought into how I would rank the other 4.

Band on the Run is also one I remember liking as a kid.  That and Live and Let Die.

I demand a recount!  Must be some sort of fraud. Did they submit their picks by mail? 

Unpossible they could legitimately get 3 correct. 

I refuse to concede defeat.

It was the ghost of Hugo Chavez.

am sweating NBA free agency tonite but will weigh in on my "how i would have listened to post-Beatle solo Beatles if they hadnt been Beatles" exercise sometime this wkend

I look forward to that.

 

[DaVinci]

I'm going to be unavailable for a few hours, so I'll leave you with my #3 and then come back later this afternoon with the big reveal.   

3.  What Is Life (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #3)

George sings soul!  In 1969, George was working on Billy Preston's record That's The Way God Planned It, and while driving to one of the sessions, he came up with this song, which he originally intended to offer to Preston for recording, as he did with "My Sweet Lord."  Instead he ended up keeping this classic for himself, which must have been the way God planned it.  Not sure what I could say about this song even if I had more time, as it's nearly perfect from the beginning fuzzy guitars through the build to the cacophony at the end.  I even love the use of horns in this one.  The word "nearly" comes from the place you might expect - the huge Wall of Sound makes George too lost in the song for me.  Still it's one of my favorite songs from anyone, ever.

This is the only George song I have liked, for this very reason.  

 

[krista4]

This is the only George song I have liked, for this very reason.  

Your disdain for George has been noted previously.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

My own countdown is over, but I'd love to keep the conversation going with less of a "me" focus.  Would like to hear other people's favorites, whether overall or as pertains to one Beatle (Morton, you owe us a bunch!).  And also I'd love to hear any new favorites you discovered during the course of this countdown.  Thanks to you all for being so kind and supportive through my silliness.

This was awesome. You have incredible musical insights and incredible talent at writing. Thanks for taking us on your journey. 

As you know, I am a George guy. Now that I've been exposed to your favorites, my top 30 George looks something like this:

1. What Is Life

2. All Things Must Pass

3. My Sweet Lord

4. Let It Down

5. Awaiting on You All

6. Art of Dying

7. Isn't It a Pity

8. Handle with Care

9. Beware of Darkness

10. All Those Years Ago

11. End of the Line 

12. Wah-Wah

13. Devil's Radio

14. Heading for the Light

15. I'd Have You Anytime

16. When We Was Fab

17. If Not for You

18. Pisces Fish

19. Cheer Down

20. Got My Mind Set on You

21. Any Road

22. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)

23. Tired of Midnight Blue

24. Blow Away

25. Looking for My Life

26. Not Guilty

27. Run So Far

28. Hear Me Lord

29. Your Love Is Forever 

30. Far East Man

 

[Pip's Invitation]

14.  Souvenir (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #6)

As this is my ninth(!) and last song from Flaming Pie, I hereby give @Dr. Octopus and @prosopis full power and authority to go experience the album in full.    Thank you for humoring me over the weeks.

I’m endlessly fascinated by this song and feel like I hear something new and interesting on each listen.  If I were to put together a Morton-esque list of what I want in a Paul song, this would have every element:  fantastic vocal over a huge range; unexpected key and tempo changes; cool arpeggiated guitar riffs; interesting lyrics I don’t quite understand; a structure that I can’t quite map out; odd sounds and recording techniques; Jeff Lynne production that is Beatle-y but not overstated; heart; soul.  Let me repeat that last bit:  heart; soul.  This is fully a soul song.  I don’t understand it, and I don’t know where it’s going – please map out to me where there’s a verse or a chorus or a middle eight?  Instead it’s all odd twists and turns punctuated by Paul’s incredible vocal ranging from strong gospel to soft ballad, and his playing whatever was in front of him, from harpsichord to drums to everything in between.  To me it’s the most complex and oddly captivating song he’s put out in the last 50 years.

This is the third of the four songs OH identified in our listening parties as his favorites:  “I thought it was great from beginning to end.  That’s just a great song, man.  The first time I’ve wanted to listen to a Paul McCartney song twice since four or five years ago when we started this project, and we listened to one of those Elvis Costello ones twice.  It’s been a while.  Maybe another song on McCartney II.  [k4:  "Waterfalls"]  So that’s like four really great songs in like 20 years.  It seems like it was constructed in a way that…I haven’t forced you to listen to a lot of Bedhead and The New Year – but they’re similar in that they’re in a time signature that sounds like a waltz but isn’t, or is a waltz, but sounds different, a rock song but kind of lullaby-ish, they sound more like constructions of songs than songs in a way that’s really inviting, so you’re compelled to listen to all the elements of the songs, to try to get your brain to see how it all works.  It’s always really intriguing to me.  Sonically, you wouldn’t confuse the two, but it seems to be composed like that, with that quality of a collective mind at work putting things together in a way that seems to be surprising or confounding.  It’s what I love about all music, or all art…somebody creates an expectation and then subverts that expectation in a way that you wouldn’t anticipate.  That’s what great plays do, great paintings, all of it.  That’s a lot of words to say it’s a badass song and I like it a lot.  Notice the conspicuous absence of ‘blues lawyer’ riffs, too.”

I'm gonna try to finish the individual song comments tonight, or get close.

What is a blues lawyer riff, other than something that is not found in this song?

This segues into all kinds of different stuff, but more seamlessly than Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and the like. The guitar reminds me of certain passages from Abbey Road. This is quite an adventure and seems like one of those songs that reveals something new on each listen.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

13.  That Day Is Done (Flowers In The Dirt, 1989)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #5)

This might not be a surprise to anyone who’s read my posts waxing poetic (or at least waxing) over my dual love of Elvis Costello and Paul, or who remembers that my upbringing resulted in a soft spot in my heart for gospel anthems, or who recalls my love of waltz time.

The song began with Costello, who had the opening ideas and much of the imagery based on his grandmother’s deteriorating health:  “It was the unhappy sequel to ‘Veronica.’ Over the time that Paul and I had been working together, my Nana’s condition had become fairly wretched. There was little more to do than anticipate the end. I thought a lot about the pageant of her farewell, wondering if I would find myself on the other side of the world when that time came. It was a fear better sung out than held inside...”  When he brought this to Paul, Paul sat down and immediately banged out the chorus, using a slightly different musical cadence each time, which Costello compared to the same idea as was used in “Let It Be”:  “It seemed so obvious, once it was in place. I couldn’t believe that I’d not been able hear it for myself, but there was a reason I was not writing these songs alone.”  Paul was also responsible for suggesting the addition of the brass to give it what he called “New Orleans funeral music.”

All the elements put together make this song pretty much perfect for me.  Paul’s lead vocal gives me chills, and the layered harmonies from Costello and Hamish Stuart are breathtaking.  The lyrics are a heartbreaking tale of regret and sorrow that affect me deeply.  The musical support, especially the drums (those fills!), Nicky Hopkins on piano, and those mournful horns, enhances the drama and gospel styling perfectly.  The production is shimmery but tasteful.  Sure, it’s huge and bombastic, but it works for me.  Have I mentioned Paul’s vocal enough?  The way he glides seemingly effortlessly between huge rock vocal into gentle mourning sound is extraordinary.  As good as it gets, especially on the insanely powerful bridge.

This is the last of the top four songs on OH’s list (along with “Waterfalls,” “Junk,” and “Souvenir”):  “This is when the 80s reverb is working for you.  This guy is sounding like John Bonham.  Yeah, that’s the best song.  That song is dope.  That’s the 'Hallelujah.'  If I could remix that record, on the fader where the other tracks where it’s not the two guys sing – the organ and the drums – every track that doesn’t have those two dudes singing, maybe the bass – and I’d just turn the rest of it the #### down.  It’s the same song.  I don’t need the gospel chorus.  It’s big enough.  Whatever stairwell they recorded that kick drum in, it’s perfect.  People try really hard to get it to sound that good.  Did you notice that unlike those weak-### jams that ended in a fade…that song ended because it was done, and everybody knew it, and ####, set it!  It’s a gospel song.  It’s a devotional song in every element that I bothered paying attention to in service of that.  It’s perfect.  I’m saying all these things I’d change, but no I wouldn’t.  You already did it, it’s great.  Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello wrote the ####er and they’re good with it.  They’re better at this than I am.  Go for it.  Leonard Cohen is my favorite songwriter of all time, and all but two of his records sound like absolutely horse####, like they were recorded in a Soviet-era subway station.  But it’s his ####### record.  I still listen.”

This sounds like a drinking song AND a funeral song -- which seems appropriate for something New Orleans-influenced. 

I love the way Paul sings "dooooooone." And the guitar chords remind me of Oh! Darling in spots. This is indeed a powerhouse song.

This is one of the few on this list I've seen performed live -- by Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint in 2006. (The others that come to mind are Handle With Care, which Tom Petty played all three times I saw him, and Let Me Roll It, which I saw Ween cover in 2006.)

 

[Pip's Invitation]

12.  Isn’t It A Pity (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #6)

There’s a bit of disagreement over how many times, but this song was undoubtedly rejected by the Beatles more than once before their breakup.  Some have said it was presented as early as the Revolver sessions (when supposedly George intended to offer it to Frank Sinatra after it was rebuffed), while others have said it first arrived during Sgt. Pepper’s or Let It Be.  The rejection during the Let It Be sessions is well documented and impossibly sad, when George plays it and says, “It can be any speed you want, really,” while the others generally ignore him.  I think we can all agree that John and Paul were insane to reject it whenever it was, right?  The lyrics are among George’s best, simultaneously grieving the loss of friendship while heralding the beauty and love of mankind in general.  While he is mourning a universal experience, George doesn’t couch this in any third-person mask – this is George grieving, deeply and openly, but bringing the listener in to the shared experience by use of “we” instead of “I.”  His rueful vocal is hypnotic and gives the sense of genuine loss and sorrow.

On the music side, this is one of the more grandiose pieces on ATMP, featuring the largest slate of musicians of any song on the record, but somehow it never sounds overdone to me.  The strings provide a compelling counterpoint to the guitar part, rising as it falls, just as the chorus and the harmonies counterbalance each other as well, lifting in joy while anchoring in sorrow.  All of this interplay makes each of the layered bits of instrumentation seem necessary to the story and deliberate in their placement, building slowly and by design to the grandeur of the song’s culmination.  Both lyrically and musically, the argument could be made that this song forms the heart and soul of the album – full, rich, and majestic, with a simple plea at its base yet grand in its hopes and vision.

By the way, I am officially claiming both versions of the song for my countdown, though linking the official version one above.  The second “reprise” version is more stripped down and lacking the majestic gospel feel.  Worth a listen, though I heartily prefer the first one.

This is one of those songs that would work pretty much any way you try it -- as evidenced by George including two successful versions on ATMP. Solo piano or guitar piece? Sure, the lyrics and melody are strong enough for that. Gospel arrangement? Sure, the music lends itself to grandiosity and the words are about human failings, as are many religious songs. Stripped down and more conventionally pop? Sure, the guitars are strong enough for that. Sitars? Why the hell not, their drone would serve the same purpose as the strings on version 1. 

The "what a pity" coda on version 1 is spectacular. With every round, just a little bit more is added, always bringing excitement to the proceedings, never bogging it down. 

These have their own identities. Version 1 is a Grand Statement on the Failings of Humankind. Version 2 is a sad, personal meditation. That's hard to pull off with the same lyrics and the same general melody. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

11.  My Sweet Lord (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #5)

I'm pretty sure everyone knows as much about this song as I do, and I've already discussed the lawsuit. I have nothing interesting to add.  This is the song I referenced that I disliked for years until hit with a lightning bolt one day.  While I love it now, I still feel like the "hare krishna"s at the end go on a tad too long.

 

Pure joy. I have nothing else to add, so I'll go back to Morton's post-countdown Paul musings until this song finishes. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

10.  Lennon/Ono With The Plastic Ono Band - Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (single, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #2)

For a person who complains a lot about Phil Spector, I sure do have a lot of his productions at the top of my favorites.  I guess that’s inevitable when he was so heavily involved in John’s and George’s early solo works.  I do hold a grudge against this song, though – his involvement in it directly led to his being brought in to the Let It Be sessions, where in my opinion he ruined a bunch of songs. 

Setting aside my unreasonable notion that a composition could be responsible for actual human actions, this gets my vaunted #2 spot on the John list because it’s freaking awesome.  OK, maybe I can break it down better than that.  First of all, it’s AN ALAN WHITE SHOWCASE!  Hmmm, doesn’t have the same ring.  But that drumming is madness and not something I’d have expected from White based on my other knowledge of him (I don’t do Yes, so I’m talking about other Beatles collaborations).  Truly phenomenal.  I wouldn’t want to rank a song so highly, though, if it were dependent upon the contributions of a non-Beatle, and this isn’t.  John’s vocal is Twist-And-Shouty goodness, absolutely shredding it.  And although I don’t believe in karma, I think the lyrics are the most interesting of his overtly political tomes, with their tongue-in-cheek “get yourself together” criticisms combined with the optimism of “we all shine on” or the exhortation that we aren’t here to live in pain and fear.  It’s a decidedly positive and communal view of where we can go, unlike the more individual directives of, for instance, “Give Peace A Chance.”  In that sense, it’s more reassuring that if we all work together as one, we could accomplish something, though this idea was presented here in a less polished fashion than “Imagine.”  The more optimistic lyrics are complemented by the upbeat vocal and accompaniment – unlike many John songs of this vintage, he sounds like he’s having fun.

The backstory of this song is crazy, with John having gone from concept to composition to recording to release in…get this…10 days.  It reached #3 on the US charts and was the first “solo” Beatle recording to sell a million copies.  It wasn’t exactly solo, of course, since George played guitar and electric piano and provided backing vocals.  George and…everyone else on the planet.  In typical Spector-y fashion, a billion and one musicians were brought in to work on the track, from mainstays Voormann, White, and Preston, to a chorus of uncredited backing vocals that included awful-person Allen Klein.  To that Spector added his usual echo and reverb effects and wanted to add strings, too, but John deemed the song complete without them, thank goodness.  I believe strings would have detracted from the raw, primal nature of the song that makes it one of my top 10.

John and Yoko did a lot of promotion for this song.  They cut off their long hair and presented it to a Black power activist as some sort of signal of a “new beginning” for 1970.  And they did a series of TV performances of the song, including this little number that features Yoko soundlessly knitting with a Kotex pad taped to her face as a blindfold.  

Both in terms of message and vocal inflection, there's a lot of Dylan in this. And there's also a lot of not-Dylan in this -- the driving piano, the chorus, and other elements are all John characteristics. 

A lot of John's message songs seem dated now, but this one has aged well. The strong vocal and melody help, as does the message, which is an optimistic call-to-action thing that never devolves into hippie cliches or twee naivete. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

9.  Paul McCartney and Wings – Little Lamb Dragonfly (Red Rose Speedway, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #4)

Setting aside all the earlier shenanigans, what I said last night is true, which is that I have one deeeeeep track in my top 10, and that it’s the only song in the countdown that makes its way on, and to a high ranking, due to a personal story behind it.

2020 has been hell on pretty much everyone, me included.  I’ve been lucky not to have suffered some of the effects of the pandemic that many have, such as lost jobs or lost loved ones, but the stress of it is enormous for all of us.  When you add to that that I filed for divorce in March, which was granted in June, lost one of my kitty buddies in September, and have now been in process of uprooting us to a new house shortly…well, it’s not been my favorite year.  Again, I do have it pretty good compared to many, so I haven’t lost sight of that.

Somewhere around the beginning of this year, I was playing around with my list of Paul songs and this one hit me as it hadn’t before.  It’s so beautiful, such a soothing lullaby.  And I started playing it every night before I went to bed, to try to ease myself into a better spot instead of the mind-racing-100-mph (kph?) that usually keeps me awake.  At times I’d play “Calico Skies,” too, but always always this one.  And still my mind would sometimes race, but sometimes it worked.  It just made me feel better.  It still does.  I love this song and its effect on me.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time extolling the musical virtues of the song, since it’s an emotional connection that makes it one of my favorites, but I also do think it’s a great song!  Paul’s vocal has to be considered one of his best ever, yes?  The harmonies/backing vocals are heavenly as well, and the guitars shimmer.  And it’s a cool little suite, like others I love so much where he put a few different musical ideas together to form this beautiful whole.  And just to make it even more touching to me, it’s fairly well accepted that the middle part – the “dragonfly” portion, which is by far my favorite – is about John and Paul’s love for him and hope for forgiveness/reconciliation. 

Oh, also, I have only one tattoo, and it is a dragonfly.  They’ve always had a special meaning for me.

I've never heard this one before. It's a gem. Everything you said is totally true. This seems like another one that you could see on a Beatles album if they still existed in 1973. It's got adventurous, experimental elements but never forgets it's a pop song. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

8.  Paul McCartney and Wings – Let Me Roll It (Band On The Run, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #3)

Guitar riff!  Sure, it sounds a lot like the one from “Cold Turkey.” And sure, Paul seems to have adopted some other stylistic elements from John, such as the stripped down production and the nasally vocal with strong echo effect and the screaming at the end, but…guitar riff!!!  And sure, the phrase “let me roll it to you” is exactly the same as the last line of the first verse of George’s “I’d Have You Anytime,” but…guitar riff!!!

While it’s what draws me most into the song, I don’t love it only for that insistent guitar riff(!!!).  I love the quirky drum fills, the heavy organ sound, and especially the simple arrangement that works to highlight the phenomenal vocal delivery.  Paul’s wailing is even better than John’s.  Oh, did I accidentally mention John again?  Well, maybe what I like best overall is that it sounds like a John song.  It’s like getting both of them for the price of one.  John, by the way, borrowed back that guitar lick in “Beef Jerky” on Walls And Bridges (as well as borrowing almost all of "Savoy Truffle," it seems).

This John Paul song was the b-side to smash hit “Jet” and became wildly popular as well.  Paul has continued to play it through and including his last tour.  Even thread favorite Elvis Costello has seen fit to cover it in his concerts  (WARNING:  terrible recording quality).  

There's something about how each iteration of that riff just stops. It's set up like something else should follow, but it doesn't. That's part of what makes it so memorable. 

This is another one that would have made sense as a Dirty Mac song had they become a real band. Note that up until now I have only said this about John songs. 

I found a recording of the Ween cover of this that I saw in concert (sound quality not great): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9AdYMpYRIc This was the first Ween show I took my wife to, and it was a big deal because I know some of the members personally; if she hated them, that would have been awkward. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

7.  Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (Living In The Material World, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #4)

Three songs in a row from 1973!  Where is tim’s Best of 1973 thread?

It’s another gorgeous devotional from George, which he described as having been written in a stream of consciousness as “a prayer and personal statement between me, the Lord, and whoever likes it.”  It’s safe to say most everyone likes it, as this became George’s second #1 and continues to be among his most beloved works.  This time, he stripped most of the Spector effects that had been featured in All Things Must Pass and instead presented this as a simple and plaintive plea, with his loving, fervent vocal supplemented most prominently by his amazing slide guitar work, which forms its own counter-melody in between the guitar solos.  The main melody here is stunning, and the interplay between it and the guitar work is stellar.  The lyrics are affecting in their simplicity and universality; this isn’t George haranguing us to be as spiritually enlightened as he, but relaying a common desire for inner peace and love through his own struggle to find it.  It also features an old George trick that gets me every time, which are the frequent time signature changes that make me feel for poor Jim Keltner.  Overall it’s just a phenomenally warm work that makes me smiling and happy every time I hear it, and since George was kind enough not to add any gibberish that sounds like French, I can even sing along!

Intra-thread tie-in alert!  Guess what song this one knocked from the top of the US charts?  Yep, “Spies Like Us” “My Love.”

"Where is tim’s Best of 1973 thread?" It'll probably have a lot of Three Dog Night on it just to piss off Wikkid. 

Who does the piano on this one? That's what really makes the song. Especially the trills (is that the right word?) that come after the chorus. 

I never thought about the time signatures on this, but after reading your description, yeah, there's some weird ish going on toward the end. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

6.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Watching The Wheels (Double Fantasy, 1980)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #1!!!!!!!)

As was clear from my Beatles thread, overall John’s songs were my favorites in the band’s output.  But here he comes in third, and it’s heartbreaking for me to think of how much we all missed out on due to his murder - not just musically, but to see how he developed as a human, what causes he undertook, what differences he might have made.  On the musical side, we got only five post-Beatles years of him due to his break for parenting.  While his last album might not have been my overall favorite, it contained my favorite John song, and I count us all so lucky that he came out of retirement for that very short time before his death.  John’s personal experience was expressed in this song in a universal fashion, as most of us can relate to the idea (dream?) of getting off the “wheel.”  The fact that it was released as a single posthumously seems to me like a perfect coda for his life, the tale of a “bad boy” who stepped off the wheel and became content in a domestic life where he didn’t have to be “John Lennon,” but instead “now…I’m John.”

Few people were as good at giving us a glimpse of their life through song as John was. This is one of the best examples of that, and my favorite of the big three from DF. 

The drum fills before the chorus 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

"Imagine" there were well-considered words where the blah blahs are.

5.  Paul McCartney and Wings - Band On The Run (Band On The Run, 1973)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #2)

Blah blah blah, hopefully you guys read my ---INTERLUDE--- on the album, which will be more elucidating than this, blah blah blah, suite of three different song smushed together which you know I love, blah blah blah, ongoing theme of freedom.  Wait!  Did you know that one of the lyrics, “if we ever get out here,” was from an Apple Records meeting where George said that?  Blah blah blah, escape, blah blah blah, pot busts, blah blah blah, third #1 single for Paul.  Hey, even John called this one “great”!  Blah blah blah, shockingly strong and confident performance by Paul on drums, blah blah blah, majestic and cinematic, blah blah blah, exhilarating vocal, blah blah blah..

Masterpiece.

This is my number 1 Paul, yadda yadda yadda, car radio as a kid, yadda yadda yadda, synths were really cool sounding in the 70s, yadda yadda yadda, there's a reason he ended his sets with this in 1976 instead of a Beatles song. 

And we are living the opening lines in 2020.

Stuck inside these four walls
Sent inside forever
Never seeing no one
&

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I'm not really a fan of too many popular pop culture type things, but there is always this desire to rank them.  Krista's list is different, because it's her personal ranking, not an attempt at determining definitively what is the "best", but I always see rankings of the best "Seinfeld" episodes or the best seasons of "Survivor" (which are like the only two other pop culture things I'm a devoted fan of other than the Beatles).  I've never gotten into doing rankings, and I never really knew why.  I think these last couple days on this countdown has solidified the reason why for me.  It's too #######' hard!  Seriously, once we got to the top 40 of this countdown, I have no clue how to differentiate my enjoyment of all these great songs, much less the "greatness" of one over the other.  All you people who can do that, kudos to you.  My top 40 solo Beatles rankings would have at least 124 songs in it.  

Survivor Reddit really jumped the shark with that this year. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

4.  Maybe I’m Amazed (McCartney, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

Also Wings  - Maybe I’m Amazed (single, 1977)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #1!!!!!!!)

Gahhhhh, I’m really pressed on time now.  Some stuff came up today work- and life-wise, and I’ve a buncha stuff…

I think what I would have focused on most about this song is how he made himself, in the original version, sound like a big freaking band.  Every element is terrific, but it really sounds like a gosh darned band playing together seamlessly, not a guy with a four-track weaving together a bunch of parts.  Amazing achievement.  And then, somehow, he even improves this with the live Wings version a few years later, which made it full and majestic, expanding in a way that this sweet ode wouldn’t have seemed able.  Every sound on both versions is perfectly placed, and I can never decide which I prefer.  Luckily, for countdown purposes I get both, since the first was on an initial album release and the second was released as a single.  Yay, me.

One of the most gorgeousest songs ever written. I don't really have anything else to say so I'm just gonna listen to it twice and check if Tim has put a bubblegum song ahead of Cinnamon Girl on his 1969 list. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I'm going to be unavailable for a few hours, so I'll leave you with my #3 and then come back later this afternoon with the big reveal.   

3.  What Is Life (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #3)

George sings soul!  In 1969, George was working on Billy Preston's record That's The Way God Planned It, and while driving to one of the sessions, he came up with this song, which he originally intended to offer to Preston for recording, as he did with "My Sweet Lord."  Instead he ended up keeping this classic for himself, which must have been the way God planned it.  Not sure what I could say about this song even if I had more time, as it's nearly perfect from the beginning fuzzy guitars through the build to the cacophony at the end.  I even love the use of horns in this one.  The word "nearly" comes from the place you might expect - the huge Wall of Sound makes George too lost in the song for me.  Still it's one of my favorite songs from anyone, ever.

This is my #1 George. The fuzz guitar opening hooks me every time, and then its momentous joy from there on out. This is one of the best possible ways a rocker could have adapted R&B/soul to their own sound. (Ol' Yowly has nothing in that category.)

It's Wall of Soundy, but the guitars and horns stick out and drive the song fantastically. 

(Is this the first time Ol' Yowly has been brought up in this thread?)

 

[Pip's Invitation]

2.  All Things Must Pass (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #2)

I think these are George’s best lyrics:

Sunrise doesn't last all morning
A cloudburst doesn't last all day
Seems my love is up and has left you with no warning
It's not always going to be this gray

All things must pass
All things must pass away

Sunset doesn't last all evening
A mind can blow those clouds away
After all this, my love is up and must be leaving
It's not always going to be this gray

All things must pass
All things must pass away

All things must pass
None of life's strings can last
So, I must be on my way and face another day

Now the darkness only stays at nighttime
In the morning it will fade away
Daylight is good at arriving at the right time
It's not always going to be this gray

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
All things must pass away

&

1.  Beware Of Darkness (All Things Must Pass, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #1!!!!!!)

And I think this is George’s best vocal.

It’s not that I compare the two directly, vocal over lyrics.  The one with the lyrics also has a stunning vocal, and vice versa.  These two are close for me; they both give me chills, and "All Things Must Pass" sometimes brings me to tears from its sheer beauty.

But there’s always been something about “Beware Of Darkness” for me. Every time that vocal starts, I’m breathless until the song ends.  I’m not going to try to tie it to anything – this little vocal trill here, this guitar pattern there.  It’s simply the only song that, when it comes up in the mix, I stop anything I’m doing and listen every time.  And every time I’m fascinated by it and can’t quite understand it.  I’m going to keep trying.  In the meantime, there’s no song I’d rather hear.  While many songs have moved around in my countdown, there's not been any question from the beginning that this is the song that kills me. 

My link is to the stripped down version, which is what I listen to and am going to deem my official selection even though it breaks my rules.  #### da police!  I do what I want! 

The piano, horns and guitar at the beginning of ATMP the song are one of my favorite beginnings to any song, and George comes in with one of his most expressive vocals soon after. This is already one of the greatest songs ever written, and we haven't even gotten to the chorus, which as you might imagine, is a particularly heavy one for me this year. 

It makes me sad and a little angry every time I think about how this was supposed to be on Let It Be but they couldn't get their ish together to cut a version that everyone was happy with. This song is orders of magnitude better than I Me Mine and For You Blue. Obviously it worked out in the end, but George deserved a better send-off on their final released album. 

Both versions of Beware of Darkness are fantastic. I have this just a shade below my big 7 from ATMP but that's a very high bar to clear. It's the best of George vocally and persona-wise; wisened, helpful, questioning and yearning. 

And there we have it. Thanks again for taking us on this ride! 

 

[krista4]

This was awesome. You have incredible musical insights and incredible talent at writing. Thanks for taking us on your journey. 

As you know, I am a George guy. Now that I've been exposed to your favorites, my top 30 George looks something like this:

13. Devil's Radio

I struggled with this one.  Originally it was on my list, but that "gossip gossip" part is pure torture for me to listen to, so it didn't make the final cut.  Love the rest of the song.

 

[krista4]

I'm gonna try to finish the individual song comments tonight, or get close.

What is a blues lawyer riff, other than something that is not found in this song?

This segues into all kinds of different stuff, but more seamlessly than Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and the like. The guitar reminds me of certain passages from Abbey Road. This is quite an adventure and seems like one of those songs that reveals something new on each listen.

Sterile, fake bad-guy riff like "Bad to the Bone," stuff that lawyers-by-day, wanna-be-guitarists at night try to play at Guitar Center.

 

[Zegras11]

 

[krista4]

There's something about how each iteration of that riff just stops. It's set up like something else should follow, but it doesn't. That's part of what makes it so memorable. 

This is another one that would have made sense as a Dirty Mac song had they become a real band. Note that up until now I have only said this about John songs. 

Great idea.

 

[krista4]

"Where is tim’s Best of 1973 thread?" It'll probably have a lot of Three Dog Night on it just to piss off Wikkid. 

Who does the piano on this one? That's what really makes the song. Especially the trills (is that the right word?) that come after the chorus. 

I never thought about the time signatures on this, but after reading your description, yeah, there's some weird ish going on toward the end. 

Nicky Hopkins.  I should have mentioned that.  It's special.

 

[krista4]

It makes me sad and a little angry every time I think about how this was supposed to be on Let It Be but they couldn't get their ish together to cut a version that everyone was happy with. This song is orders of magnitude better than I Me Mine and For You Blue. Obviously it worked out in the end, but George deserved a better send-off on their final released album. 

It makes me really sad, especially how George just kinda gave up.  He did get what he deserved when ATMP came out, but I still feel bad about the earlier rejections.

 

[jwb]

It makes me really sad, especially how George just kinda gave up.  He did get what he deserved when ATMP came out, but I still feel bad about the earlier rejections.

He was a year or so younger when they started (underage in Hamburg iirc), which started him out as the little brother, and he was a later bloomer with the songwriting. That's tough to overcome - no matter what he did, he was always going to be the #3 guy in a four person band.

This has been a great thread. I didn't contribute that much with astute knowledge, because I don't follow them anywhere near as closely as you and some of the others do, but it was really fun to read everything (except your posts).

Finds from this thread: George's Brainwashed Album, Paul's Run Devil Run. Good stuff.

 

[simey]

Below are my top 25 Paul songs, 

16--Silly Love Songs--That bass is killer

I don't recall this being in k's countdown. I did a search and can't find it. My sister and I would sing it, and we had specific parts near the end of the song. It was fun to sing to.

 

[krista4]

I don't recall this being in k's countdown. I did a search and can't find it. My sister and I would sing it, and we had specific parts near the end of the song. It was fun to sing to.

Not on my countdown, and I figured it might stand out as the most glaring omission.  The bass line is killer, but no matter how tongue-in-cheek it might be, I can’t get past those “Iiiiiii loooove you” lines, especially when they get layered with the “how can I tell you about my loved one” part.   :X  

 

[krista4]

He was a year or so younger when they started (underage in Hamburg iirc), which started him out as the little brother, and he was a later bloomer with the songwriting. That's tough to overcome - no matter what he did, he was always going to be the #3 guy in a four person band.

This has been a great thread. I didn't contribute that much with astute knowledge, because I don't follow them anywhere near as closely as you and some of the others do, but it was really fun to read everything (except your posts).

Finds from this thread: George's Brainwashed Album, Paul's Run Devil Run. Good stuff.

John and Ringo were 2-3 years older, but Paul and George were only eight months apart.  I’m not saying you’re wrong, because he definitely was considered the younger brother - Paul even reasserted that when he described his last visit with George that I mentioned in my —-INTERLUDE—- on George’s death.  I just never understood why they acted that way when he and Paul weren’t far apart.  Maybe because he was also slight and quiet?

I definitely think he was a late bloomer on the songwriting (some George guys here might disagree), but he also didn’t get any help from John and Paul on that.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

This is the only George song I have liked, for this very reason.  

Your disdain for George has been noted previously.

who the hell is this guy???????

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Congrats to @neal cassady and @Dr. Octopus!!!

I don't know how you guys managed to get all three of my non-Ringo choices, when they were a variety of chalk and non-chalk.  Especially with all those good Paul choices available, and that I took a non-standard George song...wait, are you in my brain???

So, you guys tied, and my tie-breakers didn't help.  Since I had vowed to donate $100 for each overall #1 as well as the $300 for the winner, I'm going to deem you co-winners and send $300 to each of your charities.  Just let me know where it should go and if there's any particular tribute you wish to make. 

Thanks. I loved this thread and it feels good to win.

My charity may not seem as "important" as some but it's close to my heart and they came through during a tough time: Shiba Rescue of NJ. A few years back after my (now ex) wife's mother died quickly from sarcoma, she understandably was upset. For whatever reason she insisted that we had to get rid of our dog, a Shiba Inu, because she would not be able to look after him while I was at work (not that she ever did anything for him except open the back door if he wanted to go outside). I was the one that fed, walked and played with him - and that could have continued of course. But it wasn't an argument that I could really win, nor even make, at the time given her fragile state. When I couldn't find anyone I knew to take him, I turned to the Shiba Rescue of NJ, and worked with them to find a foster family for my Loki. Luckily for me, she had a change of heart at the last minute and I was able to keep my boy. Now we're together and he's my life. I appreciated what the Rescue group did, they made a difficult situation more palatable, so I've donated to them a few times since. 

Loki

 

[krista4]

Thanks. I loved this thread and it feels good to win.

My charity may not seem as "important" as some but it's close to my heart and they came through during a tough time: Shiba Rescue of NJ. A few years back after my (now ex) wife's mother died quickly from sarcoma, she understandably was upset. For whatever reason she insisted that we had to get rid of our dog, a Shiba Inu, because she would not be able to look after him while I was at work (not that she ever did anything for him except open the back door if he wanted to go outside). I was the one that fed, walked and played with him - and that could have continued of course. But it wasn't an argument that I could really win, nor even make, at the time given her fragile state. When I couldn't find anyone I knew to take him, I turned to the Shiba Rescue of NJ, and worked with them to find a foster family for my Loki. Luckily for me, she had a change of heart at the last minute and I was able to keep my boy. Now we're together and he's my life. I appreciated what the Rescue group did, they made a difficult situation more palatable, so I've donated to them a few times since. 

Loki

Doge!

I love Loki.  What a sweetheart.  Donation made happily to Shiba Rescue of NJ.  (I mentioned that the donation was in your honor.)

By the way, neal cassady PM'd me that I could make his donation to World Central Kitchen, so I sent his there yesterday.  Thanks, guys!!!

 

[krista4]

The piano, horns and guitar at the beginning of ATMP the song are one of my favorite beginnings to any song, and George comes in with one of his most expressive vocals soon after. This is already one of the greatest songs ever written, and we haven't even gotten to the chorus, which as you might imagine, is a particularly heavy one for me this year. 

It makes me sad and a little angry every time I think about how this was supposed to be on Let It Be but they couldn't get their ish together to cut a version that everyone was happy with. This song is orders of magnitude better than I Me Mine and For You Blue. Obviously it worked out in the end, but George deserved a better send-off on their final released album. 

Both versions of Beware of Darkness are fantastic. I have this just a shade below my big 7 from ATMP but that's a very high bar to clear. It's the best of George vocally and persona-wise; wisened, helpful, questioning and yearning. 

And there we have it. Thanks again for taking us on this ride! 

Special thanks to @Pip's Invitation who took the time to listen to and comment upon the songs as we went through.  I'm not saying other people didn't listen.    But you have not only a better ear for music than most of us, but you connect and put the songs in context of the times and what other bands were doing in a way I never did.  I appreciate your supplementing my thoughts by pointing out a lot of things I'd missed or giving everything a second perspective.  And picking up the slack when I'd get burnt out, like at the end.   

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Special thanks to @Pip's Invitation who took the time to listen to and comment upon the songs as we went through.  I'm not saying other people didn't listen.    But you have not only a better ear for music than most of us, but you connect and put the songs in context of the times and what other bands were doing in a way I never did.  I appreciate your supplementing my thoughts by pointing out a lot of things I'd missed or giving everything a second perspective.  And picking up the slack when I'd get burnt out, like at the end.   

I have zero musical talent of my own and my ears are shot after exposure to a squillion rock concerts. Where all this came from is that I read a ton of books about rock history in my youth and I have befriended a scintillion of musicians over the years -- I just vibe with them personally. So my perspective may be an unusual one. You did all the work of listening to all of everyone's catalog and arranging songs in an order; I just reacted. 

 

[Morton Muffley]

Not on my countdown, and I figured it might stand out as the most glaring omission.  The bass line is killer, but no matter how tongue-in-cheek it might be, I can’t get past those “Iiiiiii loooove you” lines, especially when they get layered with the “how can I tell you about my loved one” part.   :X  

Understood, but when you do silly love song-y things in a song titled Silly Love Songs you get a complete pass from me.

'Cuz here I go.....agaaiiiin...

 

[Binky The Doormat]

droppin' in ...super drunk

wishing there could be more

reation

 

[wikkidpissah]

droppin' in ...super drunk

wishing there could be more

reation

Bend, little willow
Bend at the elbow, pass out cold tonight
Life, as it happens
Spins like a mofo, willow, hold on tight

Nothing's going to shake you up
Take your cup away
No one's out to break your balls
It only seems that way, hey

Beeeend, little Binky
G'aheeeead and get stinky
etc etc etc
 

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I felt sad earlier today that this thread was over....but then I realized a couple things:

1.  I’ve been listening to Beatles solo work all day which is just awesome 

2.  Due to work being annoying, there are huge chunks of material I missed throughout this thread, which means it will be worthwhile to start from the beginning and listen to every song in order now!

3.  Still need to respond to krista’s request for other people’s lists, etc

4.  Let’s be honest, I’ve barely read anything posted in here other than positive stuff about George songs.  Which means a lot of posts to catch up on.

Thanks especially to krista for doing this.  Can’t fathom the amount of time and effort that went into this.  It was wonderful to see how many people enjoyed this thread.  (Are krista’s writeups being turned into a book?).  Thanks to other posters who know way more about music than I do.  Many of you have super impressive musical knowledge and observations.

Oh, and my kids asked me to stop playing “Any Road” tonight.  Evidently it has gotten to the point of being annoying.  Haha.

 

[krista4]

I felt sad earlier today that this thread was over....but then I realized a couple things:

1.  I’ve been listening to Beatles solo work all day which is just awesome 

2.  Due to work being annoying, there are huge chunks of material I missed throughout this thread, which means it will be worthwhile to start from the beginning and listen to every song in order now!

3.  Still need to respond to krista’s request for other people’s lists, etc

4.  Let’s be honest, I’ve barely read anything posted in here other than positive stuff about George songs.  Which means a lot of posts to catch up on.

Thanks especially to krista for doing this.  Can’t fathom the amount of time and effort that went into this.  It was wonderful to see how many people enjoyed this thread.  (Are krista’s writeups being turned into a book?).  Thanks to other posters who know way more about music than I do.  Many of you have super impressive musical knowledge and observations.

Oh, and my kids asked me to stop playing “Any Road” tonight.  Evidently it has gotten to the point of being annoying.  Haha.

You might even find some non-George stuff you love!  I'm a little angry at the kids re “Any Road”.    

 

[Binky The Doormat]

4.  Let’s be honest, I’ve barely read anything posted in here other than positive stuff about George songs.

reaction

 

[timschochet]

Nicky Hopkins.  I should have mentioned that.  It's special.

I’m taking the opportunity here to highlight some Nicky Hopkins. This is a gorgeous instrumental song he composed and performed on the Jeff Beck album Beck-ola, “Girl from Mill Valley”:

https://youtu.be/wnUZlRdUx8c

I considered this for my 1969 list but it’s far too obscure. But when you mentioned Nicky I had post it here. So beautiful. 

 

[Shaft41]

I hope to take a few minutes and compile a list of a few songs from this extravaganza that I feel are criminally underrated, but I guarantee you one of them is "Getting Closer"  Man, that's good stuff.  

 

[prosopis]

I will now tell you that I came in here with a medium to strong dislike for Paul McCartney. I also had no clue that there was this much post Beatles music from the former mates. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it. Especially Ringos output, wtf? I had no idea. McCartney was a close second though. I vastly underrated the quantity of his output. I did come into this with an open mind.

My mind has been turned around for McCartney. He does have stuff that I feel is excellent. Sadly that's not what I heard on the radio. I loved the Flaming pie album. I also liked the covers album who's name I do not recall. Had the word devil in it? Honorable mention to Ram.

I loathe Band on the Run and will turn the radio off when it comes on. I was hoping this song would not make your list. I would have replaced it with Silly Love Songs which is a fantastic song.

Ringo I just have nothing constructive to say. Rock on brother, you appear to have been the smartest of the bunch.

I did not realize how much I liked George or how much of his music I knew. While I heard many of the songs from ATMP I had never just listened to the album. This was a true find which I have found is a nice companion to Flaming Pie for my taste. I alternated these two albums all weekend while hanging out in the backyard.

John I knew most of and no real finds for me there, other than Krista's write ups. I love back stories to music and this did not disappoint.

I know there were other things I liked and want to return to. I thought there was a list on page one but as of now I do not see one. It would be a cool reference.

Krista I thank you for your knowledge and time. I enjoyed this and I found new stuff to listen to.

Guns and Roses cover of Live and Let Die is freaking awesome and I love it.

Band on the Run is vastly over rated and I don't think that many people really like it. They just say they do.

Elvis Costello is a big no for me. See Band on the Run.