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
And my sister and I had reel to reel tape recorders. 