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

[krista4]

73.  Wings - Hi, Hi, Hi (Binky - Lo, Lo, Lo) (single, 1972)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #32)

Fun song.  Love the bass line and especially the change in tempo near the end. This single reached #10 on the US charts, and Paul expressed his pride in the song at the time, but 15 years later admitted he didn't like the song anymore.  The song was banned by the BBC for the lyrics "get you ready for my body gun," and Paul tried to protest that the lyrics were actually "get you ready for my polygon."    The banning, as is often the case, led to more interest in the record, and it reached #5 in the UK.  I do love the non-sensical yet somehow sexually charged lyrics on this song.  Sweet banana!

OH: "Those lyrics are so ridiculous.  It’s really funny, though.  Is he calling the woman with the bootleg in her hand a sweet banana?  Or was it even a woman?  There’s a lot of questions.  I have questions, Sir Paul.  How you gonna get somebody ready for your polygon?  What is your polygon?  I don’t know.  I like that song.  It seems inspired.  I don’t ####### get it.  I’m not even pretending to get it."

UP NEXT:  Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice...?

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Sweet bananas, salamanders, the guy knows how to address women. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

73.  Wings - Hi, Hi, Hi (Binky - Lo, Lo, Lo) 

 

[krista4]

72.  So Sad (Dark Horse, 1974)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #22)

George wrote and recorded this song in 1972 to reflect the breakdown of his marriage to Pattie.  As discussed in previous posts, at this time, George was having an affair with both Maureen Starkey and Ron Wood’s wife Crissy, and Pattie was having affairs with Wood and with Eric Clapton.  I might have forgotten some, but there were at least those going on.  The song reflects a deep despair over all of these events and coming to terms with the fact his marriage was over.  I like songs about deep despair and devastation.

Having not used the song for Living In The Material World, George gave it to Alvin Lee, who released a countrified version that included George on dobro.  George then returned to the song during the Dark Horse sessions and recorded a new version with Ringo and Keltner on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Willie Weeks over-dubbing a bass part late in the production.  The sound of this song is mostly George, though, as he played every guitar part and all the electronic piano, plus overdubbed his own vocals for the harmonies.  It’s a deeply and candidly personal song and performance – almost John-like in its raw honesty about the state of his marriage and his life. 

UP NEXT:  With Halloween almost over, it's time to move on to Thanksgiving…

 

[prosopis]

72.  So Sad (Dark Horse, 1974)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #22)

George wrote and recorded this song in 1972 to reflect the breakdown of his marriage to Pattie.  As discussed in previous posts, at this time, George was having an affair with both Maureen Starkey and Ron Wood’s wife Crissy, and Pattie was having affairs with Wood and with Eric Clapton.  I might have forgotten some, but there were at least those going on.  The song reflects a deep despair over all of these events and coming to terms with the fact his marriage was over.  I like songs about deep despair and devastation.

Having not used the song for Living In The Material World, George gave it to Alvin Lee, who released a countrified version that included George on dobro.  George then returned to the song during the Dark Horse sessions and recorded a new version with Ringo and Keltner on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Willie Weeks over-dubbing a bass part late in the production.  The sound of this song is mostly George, though, as he played every guitar part and all the electronic piano, plus overdubbed his own vocals for the harmonies.  It’s a deeply and candidly personal song and performance – almost John-like in its raw honesty about the state of his marriage and his life. 

UP NEXT:  With Halloween almost over, it's time to move on to Thanksgiving…

This song is very sad and depressing. Not in a good way.

 

[krista4]

Gotta post this a little early as I'll be out the rest of the afternoon/evening.  See you guys either tomorrow or when I'm drunk later tonight!

71.  John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – Cold Turkey (single, 1969)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #16)

Official story:  John wrote this song about the withdrawals he and Yoko had after going “cold turkey” to quit their heroin addictions.  Unofficial story from John’s long-time assistant Fred Seaman (tehe):  John got sick on leftover holiday turkey (it was Christmas rather than Thanksgiving, but who’s counting), and the song deals with food poisoning, but John didn’t want to admit this and seem uncool.  Seaman’s (tehe) account seems silly and not very believable, and this is a much better song in the context of its actually stated background.  In fact, John had brought this song to the Beatles for recording, but Paul rejected it due to its blatant association with heroin.  It was then that John spontaneously formed a band with Clapton and Voormann to perform it at the Toronto Rock and Roll Festival, which became a factor in the Beatles’s ultimate demise when John learned how much he enjoyed performing with a different group of musicians.  He recorded the song two weeks later (replacing Alan White with Ringo on drums), and it became the first song he would release with only himself as the songwriter – even “Give Peace A Chance,” which Paul had no involvement in, had been initially credited to “Lennon/McCartney.”

The centerpiece of this song is, of course, that relentless guitar riff.  It sounds a bit like “Yer Blues” to me, and even a little like Paul’s later “Let Me Roll It.”  Love that riff, even though it’s played by Eric Clapton.  That and John’s wailing at the end are my favorite parts of the song, as the bass and drums by Voormann and Ringo are disappointingly nondescript.  The guitar parts carry this to its high ranking!

One sorta funny side note on this song, which peaked at #14 in the UK and then began to slide back down the charts.  When John returned his MBE medal to the Queen in 1969 (all the Beatles had received them in 1965), his note read, “I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag.”

UP NEXT:  Pie to go with your Thanksgiving turkey…

 

[simey]

72.  So Sad (Dark Horse, 1974)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #22)

Having not used the song for Living In The Material World, George gave it to Alvin Lee, who released a countrified version that included George on dobro.  George then returned to the song during the Dark Horse sessions and recorded a new version with Ringo and Keltner on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Willie Weeks over-dubbing a bass part late in the production.  The sound of this song is mostly George, though, as he played every guitar part and all the electronic piano, plus overdubbed his own vocals for the harmonies.  It’s a deeply and candidly personal song and performance – almost John-like in its raw honesty about the state of his marriage and his life. 

I like Alvin's version better than George's, but I don't think George's version is bad. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Gotta post this a little early as I'll be out the rest of the afternoon/evening.  See you guys either tomorrow or when I'm drunk later tonight!

Speaking of that, when's the drunken live blog of Give My Regards to Broad Street happening? 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

73.  Wings - Hi, Hi, Hi (Binky - Lo, Lo, Lo) (single, 1972)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #32)

Fun song.  Love the bass line and especially the change in tempo near the end. This single reached #10 on the US charts, and Paul expressed his pride in the song at the time, but 15 years later admitted he didn't like the song anymore.  The song was banned by the BBC for the lyrics "get you ready for my body gun," and Paul tried to protest that the lyrics were actually "get you ready for my polygon."    The banning, as is often the case, led to more interest in the record, and it reached #5 in the UK.  I do love the non-sensical yet somehow sexually charged lyrics on this song.  Sweet banana!

OH: "Those lyrics are so ridiculous.  It’s really funny, though.  Is he calling the woman with the bootleg in her hand a sweet banana?  Or was it even a woman?  There’s a lot of questions.  I have questions, Sir Paul.  How you gonna get somebody ready for your polygon?  What is your polygon?  I don’t know.  I like that song.  It seems inspired.  I don’t ####### get it.  I’m not even pretending to get it."

UP NEXT:  Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice...?

Even though this was a big hit at the time, I don't remember hearing it until seeing the Rockshow movie. 

I like that version better than this one. This is a grinding rocker that's not far afield from a lot of what was going on at the time. Live, it has more momentum and transcends the trends of its time. The lyrics are silly, but that doesn't usually bother me with rockers. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

72.  So Sad (Dark Horse, 1974)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #22)

George wrote and recorded this song in 1972 to reflect the breakdown of his marriage to Pattie.  As discussed in previous posts, at this time, George was having an affair with both Maureen Starkey and Ron Wood’s wife Crissy, and Pattie was having affairs with Wood and with Eric Clapton.  I might have forgotten some, but there were at least those going on.  The song reflects a deep despair over all of these events and coming to terms with the fact his marriage was over.  I like songs about deep despair and devastation.

Having not used the song for Living In The Material World, George gave it to Alvin Lee, who released a countrified version that included George on dobro.  George then returned to the song during the Dark Horse sessions and recorded a new version with Ringo and Keltner on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Willie Weeks over-dubbing a bass part late in the production.  The sound of this song is mostly George, though, as he played every guitar part and all the electronic piano, plus overdubbed his own vocals for the harmonies.  It’s a deeply and candidly personal song and performance – almost John-like in its raw honesty about the state of his marriage and his life. 

UP NEXT:  With Halloween almost over, it's time to move on to Thanksgiving…

This starts out as a dirge but gets better quickly. His voice sounds better than on the title track -- it's probably in a range he was better able to handle, and if you're trying to convey sadness and depression, having some strain in your voice is probably a good thing. I like what the piano and slide guitar do when the song transitions from the dirgey parts to the faster parts. 

At 4:35, is he teasing If I Needed Someone? 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Gotta post this a little early as I'll be out the rest of the afternoon/evening.  See you guys either tomorrow or when I'm drunk later tonight!

71.  John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – Cold Turkey (single, 1969)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #16)

Official story:  John wrote this song about the withdrawals he and Yoko had after going “cold turkey” to quit their heroin addictions.  Unofficial story from John’s long-time assistant Fred Seaman (tehe):  John got sick on leftover holiday turkey (it was Christmas rather than Thanksgiving, but who’s counting), and the song deals with food poisoning, but John didn’t want to admit this and seem uncool.  Seaman’s (tehe) account seems silly and not very believable, and this is a much better song in the context of its actually stated background.  In fact, John had brought this song to the Beatles for recording, but Paul rejected it due to its blatant association with heroin.  It was then that John spontaneously formed a band with Clapton and Voormann to perform it at the Toronto Rock and Roll Festival, which became a factor in the Beatles’s ultimate demise when John learned how much he enjoyed performing with a different group of musicians.  He recorded the song two weeks later (replacing Alan White with Ringo on drums), and it became the first song he would release with only himself as the songwriter – even “Give Peace A Chance,” which Paul had no involvement in, had been initially credited to “Lennon/McCartney.”

The centerpiece of this song is, of course, that relentless guitar riff.  It sounds a bit like “Yer Blues” to me, and even a little like Paul’s later “Let Me Roll It.”  Love that riff, even though it’s played by Eric Clapton.  That and John’s wailing at the end are my favorite parts of the song, as the bass and drums by Voormann and Ringo are disappointingly nondescript.  The guitar parts carry this to its high ranking!

One sorta funny side note on this song, which peaked at #14 in the UK and then began to slide back down the charts.  When John returned his MBE medal to the Queen in 1969 (all the Beatles had received them in 1965), his note read, “I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag.”

UP NEXT:  Pie to go with your Thanksgiving turkey…

I'd heard about this song, thanks to the MBE story, but I'd never actually heard it before.

This is another one for the Dirty Mac if they became a real band. This is raw and minimalist -- Ringo is positively metronomic in spots -- and I'm surprised it was released as a single at all. No one sounded like this at the time save for The Stooges. The guitars indeed are the star of the show. The ending seems like a dry run for the rawest stuff on JL/POB the next year. 

 

[krista4]

I like Alvin's version better than George's, but I don't think George's version is bad. 

Can't disagree with this.  I like Alvin's, too...but I won't say better than George's because this is my Beatles thread.   

Speaking of that, when's the drunken live blog of Give My Regards to Broad Street happening? 

Soooooo need to do.  Maybe next weekend?  Depends upon what happens in the world before then.  I could be hiding out in a foreign country.

This starts out as a dirge but gets better quickly. His voice sounds better than on the title track -- it's probably in a range he was better able to handle, and if you're trying to convey sadness and depression, having some strain in your voice is probably a good thing. I like what the piano and slide guitar do when the song transitions from the dirgey parts to the faster parts. 

At 4:35, is he teasing If I Needed Someone? 

This was the first song recorded for the album, so he hadn't hit that awful "Dark Ho(a)rse" point yet.  Nice catch on If I Needed Someone!

I'd heard about this song, thanks to the MBE story, but I'd never actually heard it before.

This is another one for the Dirty Mac if they became a real band. This is raw and minimalist -- Ringo is positively metronomic in spots -- and I'm surprised it was released as a single at all. No one sounded like this at the time save for The Stooges. The guitars indeed are the star of the show. The ending seems like a dry run for the rawest stuff on JL/POB the next year. 

Great point about Dirty Mac.  Ringo is definitely a metronome, but he always was; I wanted more.  Such an excellent comparison to the Stooges and that POB scream-therapy would take this to its natural conclusion in another year or so.  Not sure he needed the "doctor" when he was already doing it, but then again it might be chicken-egg? 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Great point about Dirty Mac.  Ringo is definitely a metronome, but he always was; I wanted more.  Such an excellent comparison to the Stooges and that POB scream-therapy would take this to its natural conclusion in another year or so.  Not sure he needed the "doctor" when he was already doing it, but then again it might be chicken-egg? 

John was always looking for answers and went to some pretty strange places to find them. 

 

[krista4]

John was always looking for answers and went to some pretty strange places to find them. 

Damn, you couldn't have said it better.

 

[jwb]

78.  Take It Away (Tug Of War, 1982)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #34)

Been about 20 years since I've heard this - what a great song (and like you said in writeup that I didn't quote, it is a little like Goodnight Tonight for me in that it's a Paul song I really like, but always forget he did.)

 

[krista4]

70.  The World Tonight (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #31)

A few posts ago I referred to Paul's changing his vocal style dramatically within the context of a single song; this was one that I had in mind.  I love how Paul sings the verses in a husky lower register, but then skips up an octave and uses his "rock voice" on the bridges.  I think Paul was in as good voice in 1997 as at any time in his life.  This song also features a terrific harder-edged guitar sound, which Paul has said Linda encouraged, inspired by their love of - Pip alert! - Neil Young.  Very cool interlude with that heavily reverbed vocal, too. 

I'm a huge fan of the lyrics to this song.  My favorite line, "I go back so far, I'm in front of me," is one that Paul says John would have loved, too:  "I don’t know where that came from, but if I’d been writing with John he would have gone ‘OK, leave that one in; we don’t know what it means but we do know what it means’."  Love the internal rhyme schemes I've bolded below.

I saw you sitting at the center of a circle
Everybody
Everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there

I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing
Caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you swaying there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I heard you listening to a secret conversation
You were crying
You were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in

Never mind what they want to do
You got a right to your point of view
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were hoping
You were hoping that the ground would swallow you  <----Ok, rhyming "hoping" with "hoping" isn't the best
I saw you hiding there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

&

UP NEXT:  Timothée Chalamet...

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Neil Young, you say?

 

[krista4]

69.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (Double Fantasy, 1980)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #15)

Beautiful lullaby.  John could do sweet and tender well, as evidenced by “Oh My Love” and this song, which he wrote for Sean.  John hadn’t been much involved in Julian’s upbringing, through a combination of being on the road and lacking in interest or knowledge of how to parent, but he had made a decision that this would be different with Sean.  He took five years off of the music business to be a househusband and heavily participate in bringing Sean up:  “The joy is still there when I see Sean. He didn’t come out of my belly but, by God, I made his bones, because I’ve attended to every meal, and to how he sleeps, and to the fact that he swims like a fish. That’s because I took him to the ‘Y’. I took him to the ocean. I’m so proud of those things.  He is my biggest pride, you see.”

In addition to the lovely lyrics (including the well-known “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” line), the production on this song is a highlight, as it sounds so full and warm.  The steel drum seems like an odd touch that wouldn’t work, but somehow it does.  I love the spoken word part at the end:  “Good night Sean.  See you in the morning.  Bright and early.”  This song is a favorite of both Paul and Yoko.  I think if I had kids, I might find it even more wonderful and meaningful.

I mentioned Timothée Chalamet because in 2018 he starred in an overlooked gem of a movie with Steve Carell and Amy Ryan called Beautiful Boy (and the song does feature in the movie).  I’ve never dealt with anyone who suffered from a drug addiction, but if you have, you might find it even more compelling and poignant.  So I wanted to give a little shout-out to that movie and to Chalamet specifically, who I think is the best actor in a couple of generations. 

John songs on the countdown that begin with a Tibetan prayer bell (running total):  1

UP NEXT:  a song with “menace”…

 

[Dr. Octopus]

70.  The World Tonight (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #31)

A few posts ago I referred to Paul's changing his vocal style dramatically within the context of a single song; this was one that I had in mind.  I love how Paul sings the verses in a husky lower register, but then skips up an octave and uses his "rock voice" on the choruses.  I think Paul was in as good voice in 1997 as at any time in his life.  This song also features a terrific harder-edged guitar sound, which Paul has said Linda encouraged, inspired by their love of - Pip alert! - Neil Young.  Very cool bridge with that heavily reverbed vocal, too. 

I'm a huge fan of the lyrics to this song.  My favorite line, "I go back so far, I'm in front of me," is one that Paul says John would have loved, too:  "I don’t know where that came from, but if I’d been writing with John he would have gone ‘OK, leave that one in; we don’t know what it means but we do know what it means’."  Love the internal rhyme schemes I've bolded below.

I saw you sitting at the center of a circle
Everybody
Everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there

I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing
Caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you swaying there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I heard you listening to a secret conversation
You were crying
You were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in

Never mind what they want to do
You got a right to your point of view
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were hoping
You were hoping that the ground would swallow you  <----Ok, rhyming "hoping" with "hoping" isn't the best
I saw you hiding there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

&

UP NEXT:  Timothée Chalamet...

Wow, loved this one. Flaming Pie will surely make it into my Paul rotation after the countdown is done. I’d put this song up against any prime McCartney stuff.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

69.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (Double Fantasy, 1980)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #15)

Beautiful lullaby.  John could do sweet and tender well, as evidenced by “Oh My Love” and this song, which he wrote for Sean.  John hadn’t been much involved in Julian’s upbringing, through a combination of being on the road and lacking in interest or knowledge of how to parent, but he had made a decision that this would be different with Sean.  He took five years off of the music business to be a househusband and heavily participate in bringing Sean up:  “The joy is still there when I see Sean. He didn’t come out of my belly but, by God, I made his bones, because I’ve attended to every meal, and to how he sleeps, and to the fact that he swims like a fish. That’s because I took him to the ‘Y’. I took him to the ocean. I’m so proud of those things.  He is my biggest pride, you see.”

In addition to the lovely lyrics (including the well-known “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” line), the production on this song is a highlight, as it sounds so full and warm.  The steel drum seems like an odd touch that wouldn’t work, but somehow it does.  I love the spoken word part at the end:  “Good night Sean.  See you in the morning.  Bright and early.”  This song is a favorite of both Paul and Yoko.  I think if I had kids, I might find it even more wonderful and meaningful.

I mentioned Timothée Chalamet because in 2018 he starred in an overlooked gem of a movie with Steve Carell and Amy Ryan called Beautiful Boy (and the song does feature in the movie).  I’ve never dealt with anyone who suffered from a drug addiction, but if you have, you might find it even more compelling and poignant.  So I wanted to give a little shout-out to that movie and to Chalamet specifically, who I think is the best actor in a couple of generations. 

John songs on the countdown that begin with a Tibetan prayer bell (running total):  1

UP NEXT:  a song with “menace”…

One of my favorite songs - period.

 

[krista4]

One of my favorite songs - period.

For some reason I had in the back of my mind that you loved this song.  I can't remember where it came up.  

 

[Dr. Octopus]

For some reason I had in the back of my mind that you loved this song.  I can't remember where it came up.  

I’m not sure but it’s a top 50 overall song for me. I actually just texted my step son to see how he’s doing after listening to it on your link again. I had texted him this song when he was going through a tough time a few months back.

 

[krista4]

I’m not sure but it’s a top 50 overall song for me. I actually just texted my step son to see how he’s doing after listening to it on your link again. I had texted him this song when he was going through a tough time a few months back.

How sweet.  I hope he's doing well.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

How sweet.  I hope he's doing well.

Thanks. Yes, he’s doing better.

 

[krista4]

68.  You Want Her Too (Flowers In The Dirt, 1989)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #30)

I love how bizarre this song is, from the off-kilter circus sound (in waltz time!) in the intro, to its re-use and then the sudden appearance of a big-band sound in the outro.  Plus, of course, it features two of my favorite singers both sounding in great voice - Paul in particular really kills the vocal here.   Each song at this point is one that I love, so choosing something to be "up next" is ridiculously difficult, but the reason I chose this one now is a small quibble I have with the song:  Costello sound too menacing for my taste.  The two of them wrote the song in what Paul described as similar to some of his writing with John, where they would shoot sharp lines back and forth at each other, and I think that process made the song sound kind of...angry?  There's an unpleasantness that makes me dock it slightly.  Compare and contrast the softer approach by Costello in the original demo - I believe this style of vocals in the final product would have launched this up my Paul list by 15+ spots.

Paul wasn't originally satisfied with this song and tried to re-record it performing both vocal parts himself, but he decided it didn't work and reinserted Costello's part.  Even if I think Costello's performance is somewhat too snarly, I suspect that was a good choice by Paul, as it seems like it would have sounded strange to have him singing both parts back-and-forth to himself.  

Though a different Flowers In The Dirt song made OH's Paul top five, he was also a huge fan of this one (sorry, this might not have been my best transcription):  "Love the way it begins and ends.  If Elvis Costello had recorded by himself, he could have emphasized the necessary parts – the lyrics, obviously, the drums, because it really swings, which it’s a song about why can’t I say I love her, torn, and therefore rocks very hard, and the organ – those little flourishes that come in and out.  Starts in major key and ends in minor, with circus-y stuff.  Could have been 70s dubplate or early 80s electronic…I could see Beastie Boys making a whole record of that.  Really love it."

UP NEXT:  another Paul collaboration...

 

[krista4]

I have my next two days of songs set (I think) though haven't done the write-ups.  I'm going to try to push through these six Monday/Tuesday, and then I might take Wednesday off because I'm taking it off from life in general.  Seriously, I've scheduled PTO at work and might be avoiding the world.

Knowing that after these six Monday/Tuesday I was going to be perilously close to my overall top 50, I've been auditioning songs to see which ones will make it, and it reminded me that at this point, I love every one of these songs.  I listened to one I was considering for non-top-50, and it made me sob.  Needless to say, that one will make the top 50.

I wanted to thank you all for being so engaged and supportive so far.  Our group of regulars is smaller than the Beatles thread, but the quality of the discussion is great.  And I never get over the giddiness of posting a song that someone hasn't heard before and turns out to love.  Much gratitude and  to you guys.

 

[prosopis]

70.  The World Tonight (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #31)

A few posts ago I referred to Paul's changing his vocal style dramatically within the context of a single song; this was one that I had in mind.  I love how Paul sings the verses in a husky lower register, but then skips up an octave and uses his "rock voice" on the choruses.  I think Paul was in as good voice in 1997 as at any time in his life.  This song also features a terrific harder-edged guitar sound, which Paul has said Linda encouraged, inspired by their love of - Pip alert! - Neil Young.  Very cool bridge with that heavily reverbed vocal, too. 

I'm a huge fan of the lyrics to this song.  My favorite line, "I go back so far, I'm in front of me," is one that Paul says John would have loved, too:  "I don’t know where that came from, but if I’d been writing with John he would have gone ‘OK, leave that one in; we don’t know what it means but we do know what it means’."  Love the internal rhyme schemes I've bolded below.

I saw you sitting at the center of a circle
Everybody
Everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there

I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing
Caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you swaying there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I heard you listening to a secret conversation
You were crying
You were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in

Never mind what they want to do
You got a right to your point of view
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were hoping
You were hoping that the ground would swallow you  <----Ok, rhyming "hoping" with "hoping" isn't the best
I saw you hiding there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

&

UP NEXT:  Timothée Chalamet...

I am really looking forward to listening to this album in it's entirety.

 

[krista4]

I am really looking forward to listening to this album in it's entirety.

I shouldn't ask you and Dr. Octopus not to listen now if you wish.    But it's kind of fun to introduce some songs.  Even the songs that didn't make my countdown are generally pretty good, and there are only two on the whole record that didn't make my first set of cuts.  The album is very well-sequenced, too, which is something I was going to mention with the next song that comes up from it.

 

[prosopis]

I shouldn't ask you and Dr. Octopus not to listen now if you wish.    But it's kind of fun to introduce some songs.  Even the songs that didn't make my countdown are generally pretty good, and there are only two on the whole record that didn't make my first set of cuts.  The album is very well-sequenced, too, which is something I was going to mention with the next song that comes up from it.

I am cool doing it your way.

 

[krista4]

I am cool doing it your way.

Fabulous.  Four more to come in the countdown!

 

[Alex P Keaton]

70.  The World Tonight (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #31)

A few posts ago I referred to Paul's changing his vocal style dramatically within the context of a single song; this was one that I had in mind.  I love how Paul sings the verses in a husky lower register, but then skips up an octave and uses his "rock voice" on the choruses.  I think Paul was in as good voice in 1997 as at any time in his life.  This song also features a terrific harder-edged guitar sound, which Paul has said Linda encouraged, inspired by their love of - Pip alert! - Neil Young.  Very cool bridge with that heavily reverbed vocal, too. 

I'm a huge fan of the lyrics to this song.  My favorite line, "I go back so far, I'm in front of me," is one that Paul says John would have loved, too:  "I don’t know where that came from, but if I’d been writing with John he would have gone ‘OK, leave that one in; we don’t know what it means but we do know what it means’."  Love the internal rhyme schemes I've bolded below.

I saw you sitting at the center of a circle
Everybody
Everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there

I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing
Caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you swaying there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I heard you listening to a secret conversation
You were crying
You were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in

Never mind what they want to do
You got a right to your point of view
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were hoping
You were hoping that the ground would swallow you  <----Ok, rhyming "hoping" with "hoping" isn't the best
I saw you hiding there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

&

UP NEXT:  Timothée Chalamet...

Wow, this was great!  I’m a fan anytime the singer starts low and then jumps an octave (as long as they do it well).  This was a great example of that gimmick, and I loved it!

 

[krista4]

Wow, this was great!  I’m a fan anytime the singer starts low and then jumps an octave (as long as they do it well).  This was a great example of that gimmick, and I loved it!

Well, I had this one quite a bit higher and made a game-time decision to move it down, and now seeing how many people have loved it I am not so sure!  Tomorrow in my rankings this might be top 50, haha.  It's so hard at this point to decide; I love every one of these songs.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Well, I had this one quite a bit higher and made a game-time decision to move it down, and now seeing how many people have loved it I am not so sure!  Tomorrow in my rankings this might be top 50, haha.  It's so hard at this point to decide; I love every one of these songs.

Nah.  Don’t react to the crowd.  Certainly don’t base it on my comments, unless you want to move the following two songs into the 80s or 90s.  (Kidding)

Actually really liked the Costello collaboration as well, but not as much as this one.  Not sure why.  Anyway, I’m still catching up.....on songs from weeks ago.  Haha!

 

[krista4]

Nah.  Don’t react to the crowd.  Certainly don’t base it on my comments, unless you want to move the following two songs into the 80s or 90s.  (Kidding)

Actually really liked the Costello collaboration as well, but not as much as this one.  Not sure why.  Anyway, I’m still catching up.....on songs from weeks ago.  Haha!

Ah no, I'm not going to move anything around based on the crowd.  It's just that these are so fluid for me.

My overall #1 has been set in stone forever, though!   

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I shouldn't ask you and Dr. Octopus not to listen now if you wish.    But it's kind of fun to introduce some songs.  Even the songs that didn't make my countdown are generally pretty good, and there are only two on the whole record that didn't make my first set of cuts.  The album is very well-sequenced, too, which is something I was going to mention with the next song that comes up from it.

I like the slow reveal. Hopefully I'll have many years after this to listen at will.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

70.  The World Tonight (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #31)

A few posts ago I referred to Paul's changing his vocal style dramatically within the context of a single song; this was one that I had in mind.  I love how Paul sings the verses in a husky lower register, but then skips up an octave and uses his "rock voice" on the bridges.  I think Paul was in as good voice in 1997 as at any time in his life.  This song also features a terrific harder-edged guitar sound, which Paul has said Linda encouraged, inspired by their love of - Pip alert! - Neil Young.  Very cool interlude with that heavily reverbed vocal, too. 

I'm a huge fan of the lyrics to this song.  My favorite line, "I go back so far, I'm in front of me," is one that Paul says John would have loved, too:  "I don’t know where that came from, but if I’d been writing with John he would have gone ‘OK, leave that one in; we don’t know what it means but we do know what it means’."  Love the internal rhyme schemes I've bolded below.

I saw you sitting at the center of a circle
Everybody
Everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there

I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing
Caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you swaying there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I heard you listening to a secret conversation
You were crying
You were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in

Never mind what they want to do
You got a right to your point of view
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were hoping
You were hoping that the ground would swallow you  <----Ok, rhyming "hoping" with "hoping" isn't the best
I saw you hiding there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

&

UP NEXT:  Timothée Chalamet...

This is more Wilburys than Neil, but that's good too. Paul's vocal sounds like Roger Daltrey (!) in spots. This is extremely well-constructed and performed. Always fun to hear Paul rock out in ways that don't copy Little Richard. 

I could swear I heard this before. The Youtube file says it was the second single from the album, so maybe I came across it on the radio a few times back in the day. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

69.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (Double Fantasy, 1980)  Spotify  YouTube

(John #15)

Beautiful lullaby.  John could do sweet and tender well, as evidenced by “Oh My Love” and this song, which he wrote for Sean.  John hadn’t been much involved in Julian’s upbringing, through a combination of being on the road and lacking in interest or knowledge of how to parent, but he had made a decision that this would be different with Sean.  He took five years off of the music business to be a househusband and heavily participate in bringing Sean up:  “The joy is still there when I see Sean. He didn’t come out of my belly but, by God, I made his bones, because I’ve attended to every meal, and to how he sleeps, and to the fact that he swims like a fish. That’s because I took him to the ‘Y’. I took him to the ocean. I’m so proud of those things.  He is my biggest pride, you see.”

In addition to the lovely lyrics (including the well-known “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” line), the production on this song is a highlight, as it sounds so full and warm.  The steel drum seems like an odd touch that wouldn’t work, but somehow it does.  I love the spoken word part at the end:  “Good night Sean.  See you in the morning.  Bright and early.”  This song is a favorite of both Paul and Yoko.  I think if I had kids, I might find it even more wonderful and meaningful.

I mentioned Timothée Chalamet because in 2018 he starred in an overlooked gem of a movie with Steve Carell and Amy Ryan called Beautiful Boy (and the song does feature in the movie).  I’ve never dealt with anyone who suffered from a drug addiction, but if you have, you might find it even more compelling and poignant.  So I wanted to give a little shout-out to that movie and to Chalamet specifically, who I think is the best actor in a couple of generations. 

John songs on the countdown that begin with a Tibetan prayer bell (running total):  1

UP NEXT:  a song with “menace”…

Of course I've heard this one before. The percussion on this song is fantastic, and of course the lyrics are among John's best, especially if you are a parent. 

Speaking of parenting, I have seen very few non-Disney movies since 2011, so I have never heard of the movie that shares a title with this song, or of Timothée Chalamet. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

68.  You Want Her Too (Flowers In The Dirt, 1989)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #30)

I love how bizarre this song is, from the off-kilter circus sound (in waltz time!) in the intro, to its re-use and then the sudden appearance of a big-band sound in the outro.  Plus, of course, it features two of my favorite singers both sounding in great voice - Paul in particular really kills the vocal here.   Each song at this point is one that I love, so choosing something to be "up next" is ridiculously difficult, but the reason I chose this one now is a small quibble I have with the song:  Costello sound too menacing for my taste.  The two of them wrote the song in what Paul described as similar to some of his writing with John, where they would shoot sharp lines back and forth at each other, and I think that process made the song sound kind of...angry?  There's an unpleasantness that makes me dock it slightly.  Compare and contrast the softer approach by Costello in the original demo - I believe this style of vocals in the final product would have launched this up my Paul list by 15+ spots.

Paul wasn't originally satisfied with this song and tried to re-record it performing both vocal parts himself, but he decided it didn't work and reinserted Costello's part.  Even if I think Costello's performance is somewhat too snarly, I suspect that was a good choice by Paul, as it seems like it would have sounded strange to have him singing both parts back-and-forth to himself.  

Though a different Flowers In The Dirt song made OH's Paul top five, he was also a huge fan of this one (sorry, this might not have been my best transcription):  "Love the way it begins and ends.  If Elvis Costello had recorded by himself, he could have emphasized the necessary parts – the lyrics, obviously, the drums, because it really swings, which it’s a song about why can’t I say I love her, torn, and therefore rocks very hard, and the organ – those little flourishes that come in and out.  Starts in major key and ends in minor, with circus-y stuff.  Could have been 70s dubplate or early 80s electronic…I could see Beastie Boys making a whole record of that.  Really love it."

UP NEXT:  another Paul collaboration...

I don't find the vocal exchanges unpleasant at all, nor do I have any issues with Costello's delivery. These characters are romantic rivals, of course they're not going to be nice to each other. 

Agree with everything else you said. The 15 seconds before the big band coda is the best part musically. 

In the demo version it's less clear that they're singing from different characters' POV. It's still good but I prefer the released version -- which is not something I'd expect to say about a FitD song given that record's production issues. 

 

[Shaft41]

Yes, he is.  I rarely hear Breakfast with the Beatles, unfortunately, since I'm not usually in my car between 5-8 a.m. and I don't often think to listen when I'm at home.

I think I've heard "Maybe I'm Amazed" here and there, but almost never "Imagine."  I wonder why they don't go with these, as you said.  Weird.

Naturally, Saturday morning, I jump in the car to go buy some milk and "Imagine" starts immediately after I put it into drive.  

 

[Shaft41]

Some great songs lately, Krista.  Love "The World Tonight" especially.  However, I think "Beautiful Boy" was my pick for your John #1, so that's a bummer.  I was first introduced to that song in the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus" when Rick Dreyfuss sings it to his son's character, and it definitely takes on a different meaning when you have a son of your own.  The beauty of it and his obvious love for Sean is so heartfelt, but then it also kind of pisses me off since he had kind of shoved Julian aside.  

 

[krista4]

This is more Wilburys than Neil, but that's good too. Paul's vocal sounds like Roger Daltrey (!) in spots. This is extremely well-constructed and performed. Always fun to hear Paul rock out in ways that don't copy Little Richard. 

I could swear I heard this before. The Youtube file says it was the second single from the album, so maybe I came across it on the radio a few times back in the day. 

I think it hit somewhere in the 60s on the US regular Billboard chart and somewhere higher on the "rock track" charts, so you might have.  

Of course I've heard this one before. The percussion on this song is fantastic, and of course the lyrics are among John's best, especially if you are a parent. 

Speaking of parenting, I have seen very few non-Disney movies since 2011, so I have never heard of the movie that shares a title with this song, or of Timothée Chalamet. 

Chalamet came to my attention in Call Me By Your Name, which is the antithesis of a Disney movie.    He was also in Ladybird, Little Women, others...  I've never seen someone inhabit space in the way he does.

Some great songs lately, Krista.  Love "The World Tonight" especially.  However, I think "Beautiful Boy" was my pick for your John #1, so that's a bummer.  I was first introduced to that song in the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus" when Rick Dreyfuss sings it to his son's character, and it definitely takes on a different meaning when you have a son of your own.  The beauty of it and his obvious love for Sean is so heartfelt, but then it also kind of pisses me off since he had kind of shoved Julian aside.  

I've always felt so horrible for Julian.  It seems he's turned out to be a great human, though.

 

[krista4]

67.  The Fireman - Sing The Changes (Electric Arguments, 2008)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #29)

One of the pleasures of this countdown for me has been talking about Paul's work with Youth as the irritatingly-named group, The Fireman, and this is my favorite song off my favorite record from their collaboration.  It's just a big stadium anthem the words to which Paul improvised as a stream of consciousness, but it sounds euphoric and is hypnotizing to me with its full, warm sound awash in all that reverb.  Since I didn't have a listening party for this album with OH, I played him this song later because I was so excited about it.  He made a barfing gesture and compared it to Imagine Dragons.  Can't win 'em all.

UP NEXT:  One of Paul's best songs...  

 

[Shaft41]

67.  The Fireman - Sing The Changes (Electric Arguments, 2008)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #29)

One of the pleasures of this countdown for me has been talking about Paul's work with Youth as the irritatingly-named group, The Fireman, and this is my favorite song off my favorite record from their collaboration.  It's just a big stadium anthem the words to which Paul improvised as a stream of consciousness, but it sounds euphoric and is hypnotizing to me with its full, warm sound awash in all that reverb.  Since I didn't have a listening party for this album with OH, I played him this song later because I was so excited about it.  He made a barfing gesture and compared it to Imagine Dragons.  Can't win 'em all.

UP NEXT:  One of Paul's best songs...  

Breakfast with the Beatles played two songs by The Fireman this morning, which is the first time I've heard him (Binky: them) on The Beatles Channel.  I was nomenclaturally irritated all afresh.  

 

[krista4]

Breakfast with the Beatles played two songs by The Fireman this morning, which is the first time I've heard him (Binky: them) on The Beatles Channel.  I was nomenclaturally irritated all afresh.  

Bless Chris Carter.  I've never heard The Fireman on that channel.  

 at the bold.

 

[krista4]

66.  Beautiful Night (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #28)

I might have made a “mistake” here, because I think this song is perfectly composed, arranged, and performed, so I kept moving it up the ranks.  However, I don’t enjoy it personally as much as the last several below it, and since these are my “favorites,” I should have posted it earlier.  This isn’t scientific.  :(  

Anyway, this song is freaking gorgeous, and there is nothing about it I can criticize; it’s simply not a style of song I enjoy as much as others.  Paul got the band back together for this one, with both George Martin and Ringo making contributions that elevate the song enormously, and Geoff Emerick doing an excellent job of engineering as well.  The melody of this song is so strong that it doesn’t get weighed down by Martin’s heavy – but tasteful and appropriate – orchestration.  My favorite part of the song is when you think it’s going to fade out like a typical ballad, but then suddenly it speeds up and reprises musical ideas from the bridge and the chorus.

And there’s Ringo, just holding it all together in such a loving way.  On songs like this and “In My Life,” that is the word that always comes to me for Ringo’s performance – loving.  This song was actually 10+ years old, but Paul had never been satisfied with any previous recordings of it.  Having just worked with Ringo again on “Real Love” and “Free As A Bird,” Paul asked him to work on a few songs on Flaming Pie, and he even ordered an exact replica of the drum kit Ringo had used on those songs to be delivered for the recording sessions.  I’ve read several accounts from various people at the sessions, including both Paul and Ringo, regarding how lovely they were working together.  One directive from Paul is to listen to the “daft stuff” at the very end:  “l think everyone who makes a record has that option, to leave the daft stuff on at the end. You nearly always fade it out but at the end of ‘Beautiful Night’, it had been such a good take that Ringo started having fun, acting like he was a doorman, throwing people out. I love that so much. lt’s very Beatley. lt’s a very Beatley idea to do that, because we did a bit of that in the group… Beautiful Night actually sounds a bit Beatley too… ln fact, I swear that at the end of Beautiful Night, you can almost hear a sort of very John Lennony voice in there. Listen to it. Check it out.”  Yessir.

Yesterday(?) I referenced the sequencing of Flaming Pie, which I think is outstanding.  This is the penultimate song on the record, which might seem where some people would end the album, but instead, immediately after this huge, grand song, Paul had "Great Day," which you'll remember as a simple, acoustic bit that sounds like a "porch song."  Not only is that a perfect way to follow the musicality here, but I even love the titles, as a "beautiful night" is followed by a "great day."

Even OH was a fan of this song:  “Listen to Ringo go.  Yeah, I like that song a lot.  It’s not my kind of music, obviously, but it’s clearly the kind of music they want to make when they get together, and they did it very very well.  I generally abhor arena rock, I don’t like taking in music in those situations, but that’s how you make arena rock, right there.  That’s big in all the right ways.  All that other stuff, like the horns that came in, it all seemed appropriate, not like an ad hoc decision.  And the drumming at the end was as good as Ringo’s drumming in the Abbey Road medley.  If you don’t have a super-strong drummer…everything he does is so musical and embedded in the song, fully in service of what’s being played.  He’s the perfect player.  When you first start a band, everybody wants to show off or have a thing where they stand out, but it seems like the more talented you are, the more likely you are to want to do that, but what every band needs is somebody who just hits on the one and the three and shuts the #### up.  He just never does more than he should, ever.  I can’t believe Ringo is the most personable one of the Beatles.  I’ve never met a drummer who wasn’t a ####### weirdo.  There’s something about thinking in rhythms or patterns or whatever that does something weird to their brains.  But Ringo’s just like, ‘Hey, want a pint?’”

UP NEXT:  WGTB, one nation underground...

 

[Rustoleum]

67.  The Fireman - Sing The Changes (Electric Arguments, 2008)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #29)

One of the pleasures of this countdown for me has been talking about Paul's work with Youth as the irritatingly-named group, The Fireman, and this is my favorite song off my favorite record from their collaboration.  It's just a big stadium anthem the words to which Paul improvised as a stream of consciousness, but it sounds euphoric and is hypnotizing to me with its full, warm sound awash in all that reverb.  Since I didn't have a listening party for this album with OH, I played him this song later because I was so excited about it.  He made a barfing gesture and compared it to Imagine Dragons.  Can't win 'em all.

UP NEXT:  One of Paul's best songs...  

I liked this one a lot. I got a bit of a “good” U2 vibe from it (If you subtract about 20 years from the release, jangly-ify the guitar up even more, and can stomach giving  the lead vocals to Bono...)

 

[krista4]

I liked this one a lot. I got a bit of a “good” U2 vibe from it (If you subtract about 20 years from the release, jangly-ify the guitar up even more, and can stomach giving  the lead vocals to Bono...)

I absolutely got the "good" U2 vibe, too!  I almost mentioned it in my write-up, but I was worried I was way off base with that and would feel dumb if someone told me why.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I’ve never met a drummer who wasn’t a ####### weirdo.  There’s something about thinking in rhythms or patterns or whatever that does something weird to their brains.  But Ringo’s just like, ‘Hey, want a pint?’”

I think OH and I would get along very well - though, I don't think our musical taste are close ...I would be a good audience for his observations.  

 

[krista4]

I think OH and I would get along very well - though, I don't think our musical taste are close ...I would be a good audience for his observations.  

I think you'd get along great.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

66.  Beautiful Night (Flaming Pie, 1997)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #28)

I might have made a “mistake” here, because I think this song is perfectly composed, arranged, and performed, so I kept moving it up the ranks.  However, I don’t enjoy it personally as much as the last several below it, and since these are my “favorites,” I should have posted it earlier.  This isn’t scientific.  :(  

Anyway, this song is freaking gorgeous, and there is nothing about it I can criticize; it’s simply not a style of song I enjoy as much as others.  Paul got the band back together for this one, with both George Martin and Ringo making contributions that elevate the song enormously, and Geoff Emerick doing an excellent job of engineering as well.  The melody of this song is so strong that it doesn’t get weighed down by Martin’s heavy – but tasteful and appropriate – orchestration.  My favorite part of the song is when you think it’s going to fade out like a typical ballad, but then suddenly it speeds up and reprises musical ideas from the bridge and the chorus.

And there’s Ringo, just holding it all together in such a loving way.  On songs like this and “In My Life,” that is the word that always comes to me for Ringo’s performance – loving.  This song was actually 10+ years old, but Paul had never been satisfied with any previous recordings of it.  Having just worked with Ringo again on “Real Love” and “Free As A Bird,” Paul asked him to work on a few songs on Flaming Pie, and he even ordered an exact replica of the drum kit Ringo had used on those songs to be delivered for the recording sessions.  I’ve read several accounts from various people at the sessions, including both Paul and Ringo, regarding how lovely they were working together.  One directive from Paul is to listen to the “daft stuff” at the very end:  “l think everyone who makes a record has that option, to leave the daft stuff on at the end. You nearly always fade it out but at the end of ‘Beautiful Night’, it had been such a good take that Ringo started having fun, acting like he was a doorman, throwing people out. I love that so much. lt’s very Beatley. lt’s a very Beatley idea to do that, because we did a bit of that in the group… Beautiful Night actually sounds a bit Beatley too… ln fact, I swear that at the end of Beautiful Night, you can almost hear a sort of very John Lennony voice in there. Listen to it. Check it out.”  Yessir.

Yesterday(?) I referenced the sequencing of Flaming Pie, which I think is outstanding.  This is the penultimate song on the record, which might seem where some people would end the album, but instead, immediately after this huge, grand song, Paul had "Great Day," which you'll remember as a simple, acoustic bit that sounds like a "porch song."  Not only is that a perfect way to follow the musicality here, but I even love the titles, as a "beautiful night" is followed by a "great day."

Even OH was a fan of this song:  “Listen to Ringo go.  Yeah, I like that song a lot.  It’s not my kind of music, obviously, but it’s clearly the kind of music they want to make when they get together, and they did it very very well.  I generally abhor arena rock, I don’t like taking in music in those situations, but that’s how you make arena rock, right there.  That’s big in all the right ways.  All that other stuff, like the horns that came in, it all seemed appropriate, not like an ad hoc decision.  And the drumming at the end was as good as Ringo’s drumming in the Abbey Road medley.  If you don’t have a super-strong drummer…everything he does is so musical and embedded in the song, fully in service of what’s being played.  He’s the perfect player.  When you first start a band, everybody wants to show off or have a thing where they stand out, but it seems like the more talented you are, the more likely you are to want to do that, but what every band needs is somebody who just hits on the one and the three and shuts the #### up.  He just never does more than he should, ever.  I can’t believe Ringo is the most personable one of the Beatles.  I’ve never met a drummer who wasn’t a ####### weirdo.  There’s something about thinking in rhythms or patterns or whatever that does something weird to their brains.  But Ringo’s just like, ‘Hey, want a pint?’”

UP NEXT:  WGTB, one nation underground...

Another one I really enjoyed, although by memory, I think I liked two of the lower (Binky higher)  ones better. For sure the last one.

This one is very sweet. Drifts into schmaltzy Paul, but doesn’t cross the threshold to over-schmaltzy.
 

OH’s “rant” describes Ringo perfectly. I brought it up in my Stones thread, that Charlie Watts is talked about in the same way. The Beatles and Stones will always be linked in music history and one of the many things they had in common was that their drummers were arguably the best musicians in the band (outside of Paul).