The Beatles

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Originally Posted by Annabel

As a child in the 60's with 3 older sisters, I grew up listening to the Beatles and loved everything they did. One of my sisters still has every 7" single and all the albums. I have a few of my own.

I was lucky enough to see Wings in concert in Brighton on my 18th Birthday. Amazing. Best family birthday party I have ever missed lol. :thumbsup:

In the last year at her Junior school, (year 6) my oldest daughter got to study the Beatles as part of the National Curriculum. She grew to love them too and bought a greatest hits CD of her own that she still has and plays on her i-pod. Sadly they didn't repeat those school lessons 2 years later when her little sister was in year 6, and she still hasn't discovered the magic of them yet.

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Wow, Annabel, I can imagine how exciting it was for you to be attending a Wings concert! I'm :jealous: :wink:

Gosh, I wish The Beatles were part of my school studies!! Well, at least I got to share my obsession with my teachers and classmates: in Grades 10 and 12 I did orals on John Lennon, and in Grade 11 I did orals on Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

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Originally Posted by MikeA

The sad thing about growing old is that inevitably, I find myself longing for the years that I got only glimpsed as a result of the way I was raised. Oh, I knew what was going on, but I wanted to be a part of it instead of a spectator! On the other hand, I was privileged to be there when it was happening and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything!

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Mike, spare a thought for me who was born in 1976 - I missed out on all my favourite eras of music while they were happening! :wink:

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Originally Posted by MikeA

The Beatles were a big part of that period of Jr and Sr School for me. They were, well, different! I didn't really care much for anything other than Blues back before the Beatles. And I didn't win any popularity contests because of my infatuation with Blues Music....you can imagine what it was called by the kids I was in school with....kids are NASTY creatures and our school was no exception.

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I hear you, Mike - my high (or senior) school years were at times nightmarish because of my passion for Elvis and The Beatles. I even got teased and made fun of when I sang and played guitar. It was only when I reached my final year that I started garnering some respect from my peers.

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Originally Posted by MikeA

I cannot make any adverse comment about anything Mrs Frey documented.

Brilliant.

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Thank you, Mike! That means a lot coming from you.

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Originally Posted by Ive always been a dreamer

I also agree that Lennon and McCartney that are in a league all by themselves in terms of the quanity and quality of their body of work and definitely set the bar for all who followed.

Now, as far as Henley and Frey - while they were not that prolific in terms of the quantity of work they produced, the quality of their overall body of work is almost unsurpassed, IMHO.

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I was a bit harsh on them. They are a superb songwriting team, as we all know; the very best Eagles songs are by them or with one extra collaborator.

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Originally Posted by Mrs Frey

Thank you, PM! Yes, John was in a creative resurgence when he was murdered. After his 5-year hiatus (when he spent time as a "househusband", raising his second son, Sean), he put out "Double Fantasy", which features wonderful songs like the aforementioned "Woman", "(Just Like) Starting Over" as well as "Watching The Wheels". The irony of this album is that it didn't sell as well as it could have before his death, due to the number of Yoko Ono songs on it as well (with apologies to all Yoko fans). The posthumous album, "Milk And Honey", also features songs that John recorded during that period.

I must say, I'm not really a fan of some of the work John put out just after The Beatles split. In my opinion, he was losing his musicality and becoming too focused on politics, which also landed him in some hot water. "Imagine" is the only album of his from the early '70s that I own.

Paul was the more commercially minded of the two, and reaped the benefits thereof. I'm also not a fan of everything Paul put out as a solo artist, but I think he pipped John to the post regarding commercial success, if we are to measure such things. Paul wrote some wonderful, tuneful songs post-Beatles, both with Wings and solo. "Maybe I'm Amazed" is just one example of such material.

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I agree with this; I have struggled with the apparent orthodox line John = good; Paul = bad. The best solo Beatles album is Band On The Run; it is far more enjoyable than the sacred but didactic Imagine.

(There is a solo Eagles parallel here but I'm not going into that).

Favourite Beatles Vocals (I will restrict myself to five each):

John

Come Together
I Am The Walrus
Money (That's What I Want)
Strawberry Fields Forever
Help!

Paul

Hey Jude
Eleanor Rigby
I'm Down
Back In The USSR
Let It Be

George

Something
Here Comes The Sun
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Taxman
Love You To

Ringo

With A Little Help From My Friends
Don't Pass Me By
What Goes On
Octopus's Garden
Boys

That's what I call scraping the surface!

Interesting, FP! I'm not even going to attempt lists like this - I love so much of their vocals, it is just too difficult! :smile:

(chronological order)

John:

No Reply
I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Strawberry Fields Forever
Baby You're A Rich Man

Paul:

What You're Doing
Tell Me What You See
Here There And Everywhere
Lovely Rita
Two Of Us

George:

I'm Happy Just To Dance With You
I Need You
It's All Too Much
Long Long Long
Here Comes The Sun

Ringo:

Boys
Honey Don't
With A Little Help From My Friends
Good Night
Octopus's Garden

SS, of your list, No Reply is an absolute stormer as is You've Got To Hide Your Love Away. I considered Long Long Long but I wanted to acknowledge George's work on Revolver, my favourite album (I also strongly considered I Want To Tell You). Interesting that I haven't included one of John's Revolver vocals. They are all so brilliant; Tomorrow Never Knows, And Your Bird Can Sing, She Said She Said, Doctor Robert.

And Your Bird Can Sing could easily have made my list. In fact, there are very few Beatles songs I consider weak. Surprisingly, one of them made your list! Can you guess which one it is?

Don't Pass Me By?

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Originally Posted by Freypower

Don't Pass Me By?

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Actually, Don't Pass Me By almost made my list! Right Beatle, though . . .

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Originally Posted by Scarlet Sun

Actually, Don't Pass Me By almost made my list! Right Beatle, though . . .

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It can only be What Goes On then. I just like the way Ringo sings that song.

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Originally Posted by Freypower

It can only be What Goes On then. I just like the way Ringo sings that song.

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I like Ringo's singing, I just feel that the song itself is very weak, especially when it comes to the Beatles

I actually think that if I wrote the list again I would probably have Yellow Submarine instead of What Goes On but didn't think it was right to have both the kids' songs, great though they are. Or Act Naturally.

Tonight is the 49th Anniversary of the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show...Here some famous rockers recall how seeing the Beatles that night changed their lives when they decided they wanted to be in a rock band!:band:

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beatl...tars-remember/

Here is the full performance, 5 songs. I don't think performers ever get to do 5 songs on a tv show anymore!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=WHuRusAlw-Y

Pretty cool!

Sometimes it's easy to forget the impact they had & are still having.

That's for sure. The Beatles are super super super amazing. For me, John's voice is the richest on there. I'm in love with his voice. I don't know which Beatles songs I love the most. They are wonderful.

Paul McCartney with an all star band from 1999 featuring David Gilmour of Pink Floyd on lap steel, the late Mick Green on lead guitar, Ian Paice of Deep Purple on drums and Pete Wingfield on piano with the title cut to Paul's 1950s rock covers album Run Devil Run performed in 1999.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xymG6decYJo[/ame]

Thanks for finding that - it is awesome!

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Originally Posted by Ive always been a dreamer

Thanks for finding that - it is awesome!

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Run Devil Run is a superb covers album and IMHO McCartney's best solo album since 1982's Tug of War (although Run Devil Run was mainly covers with three new tunes, including the track I shared, it was excellent plus a supergroup which was a supergroup (Paul with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, Ian Paice of Deep Purple, Pete Wingfield and the late Mick Green of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates)).

OK; I found this thread.

I realise that most people here who have commented prefer the Eagles' vocal blend to that of the Beatles. I would only say that I love the way the Beatles varied the type of harmonies they sang. I suppose this is preference only.

Compare the almost atonal hissing of 'that'ssss what I want' in Money and the raucousness of I'm Down to the achingly beautiful block harmonies of Because. Or the joyful choruses of Carry That Weight & Bungalow Bill, as opposed to the urgency of Help! & Eleanor Rigby. Then there is the way the three voices sound so soothing in Here Comes The Sun for example. Or how they comment on the narrative in Ticket To Ride & She's Leaving Home & Taxman. Or what they do in She Loves You & I Want To Hold Your Hand. Or....

Or Hey Jude. Wow. No more uplifting song has ever been written, in my opinion, and a lot of the power of it is due to the 'na, na, na' stuff at the end. Is it corny? Perhaps? Does it instantly make you want to sing along with it? Well, for me, yes it does.

This is extremely inadequate. Sorry. I had to say something though. They are too important to me for many reasons.

You're preaching to the choir here, FP! You know I love The Beatles. They are my all-time favorite band, including the Eagles. They did more in their short time together to progress rock music to so many different levels. I always think to myself, there would be no Bohemian Rhapsody without The Beatles. They paved the way for bands to experiment with all kinds of sounds.

That said, I still stand by my opinion that the Eagles have just about the best blend of vocals that I have ever heard, including The Beatles.

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Originally Posted by StephUK

The Beatles - In my opinion they were OK but there have been many better bands since. I'm too young to remember Beatlemania. I always find it strange that in the US the Beatles are still revered like gods while here in the UK they are hardly mentioned anymore, and most people under 35 don't even know who they were. I guess that's why Paul McCartney does far more solo shows in the US than he does in the UK!

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Gosh, never hear about the Beatles across the pond? Amazing! It seems we hear something about at least one of them every day!

And to me they are definitely legends and had a huge impact on rock music. But I only had the Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's albums back in the day. I only have the One cd now. Once in a while I will listen to it by myself, but never with my husband along. He isn't a fan at all. I've never bought any of their solo albums either. I have a few songs that I really love downloaded.

Very well said, PM. Except for your 3rd sentence, I feel EXACTLY the same way as you. However, as much as I love, appreciate, and admire The Beatles, the Eagles will always hold a special place in my heart as my all-time favorite band.

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Originally Posted by Brooke

Gosh, never hear about the Beatles across the pond? Amazing! It seems we hear something about at least one of them every day!

And to me they are definitely legends and had a huge impact on rock music. But I only had the Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's albums back in the day. I only have the One cd now. Once in a while I will listen to it by myself, but never with my husband along. He isn't a fan at all. I've never bought any of their solo albums either. I have a few songs that I really love downloaded.

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I'm not really a fan either. I have a greatest hits cd, which I hardly ever play. I did have a vinyl copy of Rubber Soul, but don't know whether I still have it.

I like some of Lennon's solo songs. I'm not saying anything about McCartney, 'cos I know a lot of Borderers don't agree with me - I found that out in a previous thread!!

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Originally Posted by Freypower

Albums:

1. Revolver (my favourite album of all time)
2. The Beatles
3. Abbey Road
4. Rubber Soul
5. A Hard Day's Night
6. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
7. Let It Be (totally underrated)
8. Help!
9. With The Beatles
10. Beatles For Sale

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I just watched CBS Sunday Morning and they did a segment on The Beatles and the upcoming tribute special.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/when-the...ed-everything/

My interest was really piqued and I think I will try to find some of these cds and get serious with them for a while! I've always liked a lot of their songs, just never been a huge fan and the only cd I have is One.

Fp, you list "The Beatles" album. There are two-62-66 and 67-70. Which one do you have at #2 or is there another one?

:yay::yay::yay: Beatles is my favorite band and it's great there'r special media coverage coming for the historical day 50(can you believe it) years ago

Brooke, the album Fp is refering to is "The White Album" officially known as The Beatles

Ok, thank you bf!

Brooke, if you want some recommendations, just ask. There isn't a day goes by that I don't think about this band & how much pleasure they have given me & millions of others. I have a thing about Good Morning, Good Morning from Sgt Pepper at the moment. It sums up London in the late 60s. Also The Night Before from Help! which is a great pop song.

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Originally Posted by Freypower

Brooke, if you want some recommendations, just ask. There isn't a day goes by that I don't think about this band & how much pleasure they have given me & millions of others. I have a thing about Good Morning, Good Morning from Sgt Pepper at the moment. It sums up London in the late 60s. Also The Night Before from Help! which is a great pop song.

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Fp, I just ordered Revolver, Abbey Road, and The White Album from Amazon! Gotta get started!

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Originally Posted by Brooke

Fp, I just ordered Revolver, Abbey Road, and The White Album from Amazon! Gotta get started!

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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.

Revolver IS THE GREATEST EVER in my opinion too and frequently gets voted the best ever:yay:

In Joe's forum, we've been discussing the Grammy's Salute to The Beatles show which aired last night on the 50th anniversary of their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. However, I thought I would make some general comments about the show as well.

I thought the show was very entertaining and most all of the performances were very inspiring. Other than Joe, Ringo, and Paul, my favorite performances were Alicia Keys and John Legend's rendition of Let It Be, Keith Urban and John Mayer performing Don't Let Me Down, and Ed Sheeran's (whom I'd never even heard of before) rendition of In My Life.

My only disappointments were that Julian Lennon was a no-show and that Sean Lennon didn't take the stage.

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Originally Posted by bluefeather

Revolver IS THE GREATEST EVER in my opinion too and frequently gets voted the best ever:yay:

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A kindred sprit! What are your favourite tracks? If I had to just give five, they are:

Eleanor Rigby
Taxman
And Your Bird Can Sing
For No-One
Tomorrow Never Knows

and leaving the rest of it out is very hard.

Managed to find out more about Paul & Ringo's performances in the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/ar...tarr.html?_r=0

SO HARD to choose! My favorites would have to be Eleanor Rigby and And Your Bird Can Sing and then For No One, She Said She Said and Tomorrow Never Knows

Another great Beatle album is Rubber Soul, has always been one of my favorites
:guitar::rockguitar::guitar:

Yeah I like Rubber Soul a lot too, it has my favorite Beatles song In My Life