The Beatles

[chaim]

It's a hard task for me, a life-long fan of The Beatles, to choose my favorite Fab Four songs. With every turn of my mood the list changes. Anyways, let's give it a try.

A Day In the Life
Long Long Long
Across the Universe
I'm So Tired
I Am the Walrus
Hey Bulldog
Something
Penny Lane
Tomorrow Never Knows
Norwegian Wood

That's the top ten for today

I love every song on this list, except I'm So Tired. It's good, but not a "WOW!" experience for me. But the reason I'm quoting is this post is Hey Bulldog. It's amazing. Once again it's one of those "nonsense lyric" songs that Lennon usually hated after writing them, but I love it. There's this edge, or whatever it is in English.

[chaim]

I only got to sing untranslated Beatles songs at music classes as far as I remember but I think I have seen some stupid Finnish translations somewhere
Yeah and let's talk more about the songs we DO LIKE

I personally like the early stuff not because of their sophistication(they were relatively simple and not so great lyrically) but because of the unique feeling of the boy's energy and enthusiasm. Out of the early ones There's a Place is a favorite of mine and It's Only Love which Lennon hated but I like because of the way he sings it

Yeah, I saw a rather recent "music book" for lower grades, and even that had OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA, and only in Finnish. The beginning goes something like:

Elämältä halua en enempää, vaikka siltä vähän ehkä sain
Multa turha kysyä on kenen pää noin täällä lisää parkuu aina valittain

"Enempää"/"Kenen pää"
And how many filler words can one fit into one sentence: "noin täällä lisää aina"...The translator was a great lyricist, but this is not a great piece of work, and worst of all, it doesn't capture the humour of the original version. And it says Lennon/McCartney. The translator's name is also mentioned of course, but this serious-and-also-clumsy Finnish lyric doesn't represent the Beatles very well! The song was originally a light, tongue-in-cheek tune. When it's in a book like that, for people who don't know anything about the Beatles, I think it's a very bad decision. That book may have contained Let It Be too, however, with the original lyric.

And this is an issue for me only because I love Beatles so much. I'll end my complaining here, I give my word.

[bluefeather]

"noin täällä lisää aina" is UNBELIEVABLY bad, one of the worst combination of filler words you could possibly have for sure! Enempää/Kenen pää is stupid too but funny in a way

[bluefeather]

I'm listening to Hey Bulldog and I just remembered it's one of my absolute favorites and I'd also say it's a great Lennon nonsense song

[WalshFan88]

Top 10 Beatles songs...hmmm.

Here Comes The Sun (always been my fav)
Get Back
I Am The Walrus
I Saw Her Standing There
I Feel Fine
Revolution
In My Life
Drive My Car
Paperback Writer
Hey Jude

[bluefeather]

I like your list Austin

[Brooke]

Fantastic. I can't wait to hear what your favourite tracks will be. Revolver is the greatest album of all time, by anybody, in my opinion.

Ok, I've been listening to this album and my other two quite a lot for the past few weeks and I will start by reviewing Revolver, since most here like it the best. I'm too new to decide that yet, but will try to rate the songs as far as how much I like them. Since I really didn't know much Beatles music other than their bigger hits, I found it very surprising, to say the least! I still can't reliably pick out who is singing which song sometimes. I guess Paul's voice stands out the most to me and I think his is the one I prefer. I've made up my own rating system based on one we used here somewhere, but couldn't find it to use exactly, so this is as close to it as I can remember!

Love it-5 stars
Really like it-4 stars
Like-3 stars
It's ok-2 stars
Meh, moving on-1 star
Hate it-0 stars

Taxman-A familiar song but I didn't know George sang it. I figured it was Paul for some reason. 3 stars

Eleanor Rigby-Paul-One of my favorite Beatles songs-5 stars

I'm Only Sleeping-John-Shocked by weird music-what is that instrument?-2 stars

Love You To-George-more weird music-2 stars

Here, There and Everywhere-Paul-Very pretty song-4 stars

Yellow Submarine-Ringo-Very popular, but I can't say I really like it, it's silly!-1 star

She Said She Said-John-Pretty-3 stars

Good Day Sunshine-Paul-a good sing along song-4 stars

And Your Bird Can Sing-John-3 stars

For No One-Paul-3 stars

Doctor Robert-John-What?-1 star

I Want To Tell You-George-2 stars

Got To Get You Into My Life-Paul-4 stars

Tomorrow Never Knows-John-more weird stuff-1 star

I didn't know they were so 'in' to experimenting with different instruments and was pretty shocked by some of it! At least I didn't 'hate' any of them!

Fp, what makes this album the greatest album of all time for you? I'm thinking it will take years for me to get used to some of this! I'd also like to know what you think of each song, when you have the time.

[Freypower]

I think you have approached it very well for a first listen. Your comments are appropriate given that you didn't know this was the start of the experimental period. I will write something more detailed later, but briefly I think it's the greatest album of all time because of the stunning inventiveness & variety of these songs. There is not one weak track (IMO) whereas Sgt Pepper, great though it is, is slightly weakened by the vaudeville of When I'm 64 & George going a bit too far with the Indian music in Within You Without You (none of the other Beatles even play on that track). Let me think about it & I'll get back to you (to coin a phrase).

[chaim]

I'm Only Sleeping-John-Shocked by weird music-what is that instrument?-2 stars

Perhaps you mean the guitar solo that is played backwards?

[irga]

Perhaps you mean the guitar solo that is played backwards?

That was also my guess.