Beatles - Please Please Me 50 years ago!

[Iolanthe]

Yesterday Radio 2 celebrated the making of the Beatles' first album at Abbey Road - Please Please Me. I missed it at the time as I know that I had not heard of the Beatles until I went to secondary school in September 1963, but the first LP I ever bought was their 2nd, With the Beatles, Mono of course, released November 1963. Of that LP I have very fond memories. The Beatles completely spanned my teenage years and were an enormous influence on my early life. There had been nothing like them before, they were such personable young men that we looked up to, everything was so new.

There are too many songs and memories for me to have a favourite, but I do love "If I fell in love with you" www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcDISOpKZbk This one has some amazing harmony and changes of key.

Looking back now, and most of you won't have experienced the excitement of their beginnings as I did, what do you think of the Beatles, their influence on popular music and on life in general?

[Cail]

My opinion of them has evolved over time. I don't hate them anymore. Their influence on songwriting, production, and recording was HUGE. Likewise was their influence on music marketing.

I find that, with a few exceptions, I enjoy their music more when someone else is playing it.

[lorin]

When I was 10 I got my first 'record player' and my parents gave me my first 45 - Hey Jude. I played it over and over and over and over. And then one day I came back from school and went to play it and it was gone. pooooofffff = never saw it again.

[Iolanthe]

When I was 10 I got my first 'record player' and my parents gave me my first 45 - Hey Jude. I played it over and over and over and over. And then one day I came back from school and went to play it and it was gone. pooooofffff = never saw it again.

How sad! We always had a record player as my Dad had 78s, but when I was about 12 my parents got a Radiogram! And my sister and I had reel to reel tape recorders.

My opinion of them has evolved over time. I don't hate them anymore. Their influence on songwriting, production, and recording was HUGE. Likewise was their influence on music marketing.

I find that, with a few exceptions, I enjoy their music more when someone else is playing it.

Gosh. Perhaps it was the Liverpool accent, but JPG&R were part of the whole package at the time.

[Cail]

Two quick examples....

- "I'm Losing You". Granted, that's Lennon solo, but the version Cheap Trick recorded with Lennon's voice (look for it on YouTube) is fantastic.

- "I Am the Walrus" is a nearly-forgettable hippy-dippy song that becomes positively ferocious at the hands of Oingo Boingo.

That said, no one should ever cover "Blackbird" or "Two of Us", as they're nearly perfect as-is.

[Iolanthe]

- "I'm Losing You". Granted, that's Lennon solo, but the version Cheap Trick recorded with Lennon's voice (look for it on YouTube) is fantastic.

- "I Am the Walrus" is a nearly-forgettable hippy-dippy song that becomes positively ferocious at the hands of Oingo Boingo.

That said, no one should ever cover "Blackbird" or "Two of Us", as they're nearly perfect as-is.

Listened to Cheap Trick/JL - never heard that song before, but then that's JL not The Beatles. It was OK. I was out of it by then (1980) - married with two young children and didn't hear much new music unless it was on the radio. Agree about Blackbird - we have the White Album downstairs (vynil), plus most of the others.

[sgt.null]

they are amazing. love, love them. constantly find something they did to be amazing. especially love the deeper cuts.

[dlbpharmd]

I don't think I'll ever truly like the Beatles. Someone gave me a Paul McCartney live CD (dumped it on me would be more accurate) and I will occaisionally listen to it on my ipod. I find I like Paul's later stuff much more than the earlier stuff.

[Vraith]

I find that, with a few exceptions, I enjoy their music more when someone else is playing it.

Yes. The times I give them a break is often cuz I heard a cover.

I didn't "evolve" on them so much as one night not so long ago realize I only really hated them when someone was in my face about how great they were.
Other than that, mostly between bored and neutral with occasional dips into suck, and even rarer elevations [none of which are "fucking BRILLIANT," a few though "damn good."]

They were better than the Stones, I'll give them that.
But who wasn't?
Oh...yea, Madonna wasn't.
But other than that...

[Iolanthe]

I find that, with a few exceptions, I enjoy their music more when someone else is playing it.

Yes. The times I give them a break is often cuz I heard a cover.

They were better than the Stones, I'll give them that.
But who wasn't?
Oh...yea, Madonna wasn't.
But other than that...

In the 60s you were either a Stones fan or a Beatles fan. Apart from Brown Sugar, which was great to dance to, the Stones didn't do it for me. But at the time we really had nothing to compare them to (the Beatles I mean), and first impressions tend to stick.

[dlbpharmd]

I can't stand the Stones. Early Madonna was actually better.

[dANdeLION]

Yes covered the Beatles. Rush covered the Beatles. XTC. Pat Benatar, U2, Oingo Boingo, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, Joe Cocker, The Who, The Ventures, Alice Cooper, Frank Zappa, and the list goes on and on and on.......

[Cail]

I find that, with a few exceptions, I enjoy their music more when someone else is playing it.

Yes. The times I give them a break is often cuz I heard a cover.

They were better than the Stones, I'll give them that.
But who wasn't?
Oh...yea, Madonna wasn't.
But other than that...

In the 60s you were either a Stones fan or a Beatles fan. Apart from Brown Sugar, which was great to dance to, the Stones didn't do it for me. But at the time we really had nothing to compare them to (the Beatles I mean), and first impressions tend to stick.

The Stones peaked with Let It Bleed. Other than the odd decent song afterwards, they were awful. Undercover of the Night came out in 1983, and they've done nothing worth a damn since.

The Stones have existed since 1970 on nothing more than attitude and reputation.

[StevieG]

I had a run on the Beatles sometime during the 80s when I realised that some of their music had a lot more substance that I originally gave them credit for. The fact that so many bands have covered them is a testament to their ability as song writers. That some covers sound better than the original could be a sign of their production ability...

I was never much of a Stones fan though. Honky Tonk Woman is one of the few I can think of that I actually liked.

[SleeplessOne]

I've always liked the Beatles to an extent (was born after they broke up, to put it in context; Lennon was killed when I was about 6 I think).

I've recently been on a two-year Beatles binge though and can now say I have a pretty good knowledge of the depth and breadth of their body of work.

Re-reading Ian MacDonald's "Revolution in the Head" at the moment, and what a truly insightul, lucid bit of writing it is !

The peripheral debates and intrigue which surround their music are almost as rewarding and interesting to me as the music itself; e.g. :

Ringo's drumming - previously I'd repeatedly been told that Ringo's drumming was very ordinary and that MacCartney was the best drummer in the band; having listened for myself now I can confirm that it is utter bollocks; Ringo was a really cool drummer who was a great servant to the songs; he could get wild and inventive if required (e.g. Tomorrow Never Knows, She Said, She Said, or Strawberry Fields Forever) but was just as content to simply keep time.
The tracks that MacCartney is said to have played drums on do nothing to elevate him above Ringo in my opinion; Macca could certainly play the drums, but not with any particular flair or character.
That said, and here is what I was talkin' about regarding peripheral arguments earlier, MacCartney regularly came up with interesting patterns for Ringo to play, e.g. Ticket to Ride ... whether MacCartney could actually have played his own ideas better than Ringo we'll never know, but I doubt it.

MacCartney's guitar solos on a few songs however have lead me to believe he was probably a more inventive and exciting guitarist than George Harrison; his solo on Taxman is one of my very favourite things in music.
As a bass player MacCartney was brilliant, he produced some amazing and diverse basslines during his time with the Beatles.

Given MacCartney's undoubted talent though, it's usually Lennon's songs which capture my imagination and fuel my excitement the most.
He'd definitely be among my top 10 favourite rock/pop vocalists of all time, and lyrically he was generally ahead of MacCartney and usually clever and interesting (Cail; personally I Am the Walrus is one of my very very favourite Beatles songs, and I would have actually thought of it as one of the more enduring Beatles tunes, it is killer).

MacCartney was more prolific than Lennon as a song-writer, particularly in the 2nd half of their careers, and he had more #1 songs than Lennon, but when he put his mind to the task Lennon was able to produce the more challenging work than Macca, who was a bit more of a traditionalist.
However MacCartney's contributions in helping Lennon to realise many of his greatest songs were huge, Macca probably did more to expand Lennons tunes than Lennon did for MacCartney's; MacCartney was more autocratic and often presented completed songs to the band; Lennon was more likely to enlist the creative talents of those around him to embellish his ideas.

Anyway that's just scratching the surface of things that interest me about the Beatles, but it would all mean nothing if I didn't genuinely find the music generally brilliant.

possible top 10 tracks :

* A Day in the Life (mainly Lennon, Macca does the middle bit)

* Strawberry Fields Forever (Lennon; with a lot of help from George Martin and his production team - MacCartney plays the iconic opening riff on the Mellotron)

* Yesterday (MacCartney. This song is probably seen as cheesy in some circles, it has certainly been played to death as has many of the Beatles tunes - but if you can play the guitar at all, get a hold of the fricken tab, it is a veritable labyrinth; how can such a tricksy song sound so effortless and natural ? Genius)

* Eleanor Rigby (MacCartney, with a very nice string score by producer George Martin)

* Tomorrow Never Knows (Lennon, but MacCartney made half of the still-inspired tape loops that elevate this song into the mystic realm it still inhabits today; I think Macca also came up with the idea for Ringo's propulsive drum pattern)

* I Am the Walrus (an on-his-game Lennon, with the help of some brilliant work by George Martin on the freak-out outro)

* Norwegian Wood (Lennon with a significant contribution from MacCartney; Harrison plays the sitar part)

* Taxman (Harrison. This was a rare tune in which Harrison was given significant assistance from MacCartney and Lennon; Lennon assisting with the lyric and MacCartney playing a firey guitar solo as well as contributing the incredible bassline - Harrison usually had to go it alone when developing his songs, and it often showed; there are quite a few Harrison fans or even apologists out there, but I reckon he only wrote maybe 6 good-to-great Beatles songs)

* In My Life (mainly Lennon, but with a lot of help from MacCartney - one of their most sublime songs, surprisingly I dont think I ever heard this song at all growing up, only became aware of it a few years ago but it is rightly recognised as one of their absolute classics)

* She Loves You (Lennon/MacCartney. I really could have chosen any of their 50/50 collaborations from this period, they are all dripping with energy and thrills, e.g. I Wanna Hold Your Hand, From Me To You)


a further 10 songs which casual listeners may not know, but which only underline the depth of their catalogue :

* Rain (Lennon)
* She Said, She Said (Lennon)
* Every Little Thing (MacCartney)
* Golden Slumbers (MacCartney)
* You Can't Do That (Lennon)
* I'll Be Back (Lennon)
* She Came In Through the Bathroom Window (MacCartney)
* The Word (Lennon/MacCartney)
* If I Needed Someone (Harrison)
* 50 other songs

[Iolanthe]

Yes, all that. Thanks SleeplessOne. Now imagine what effect all that had on me and my peers who suddenly found ourselves amongst an explosion of "pop music" having never heard anything like it before

As for a day in the life

"I read the news today oh, boy
Four thousand holes in blackburn, lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the albert hall"

Absolutely brilliant!

[Vader]

I also prefer the Beatles over the Stones. Sgt Pepper's was (and still is) such a great tune and album.

[lucimay]

Ringo's drumming - previously I'd repeatedly been told that Ringo's drumming was very ordinary and that MacCartney was the best drummer in the band; having listened for myself now I can confirm that it is utter bollocks; Ringo was a really cool drummer who was a great servant to the songs; he could get wild and inventive if required (e.g. Tomorrow Never Knows, She Said, She Said, or Strawberry Fields Forever) but was just as content to simply keep time.
The tracks that MacCartney is said to have played drums on do nothing to elevate him above Ringo in my opinion; Macca could certainly play the drums, but not with any particular flair or character.
That said, and here is what I was talkin' about regarding peripheral arguments earlier, MacCartney regularly came up with interesting patterns for Ringo to play, e.g. Ticket to Ride ... whether MacCartney could actually have played his own ideas better than Ringo we'll never know, but I doubt it.

YES!! yes yes yes. couldn't agree more!!

I've been involved in one way or another (played and sang in bands, had musician boyfriends and friends, etc) with music and musicians all my life and the best of the drummers I've know have ALL without exception revered Ringo's drumming. I once had a drummer friend tell me that if I wanted to "hear" all the instruments in a song to focus on the drums first, so if i'm trying to separate guitar or keyboard or bass parts I do that.
because I do that I've listened very closely to a LOT of drummers.
my 4 most favorite drummers ever: Bill Bruford, Phil Selway, John Bonham, and Ringo Starr.

[lucimay]

saw this on facebook today and thought of this thread.


www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archi ... me/280801/