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rico

The Beatles

By rico, in The Music Forum

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SpacedX

SpacedX

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, foxfanazer said:

They've always been a band I've wanted to love. I've never given their music a massive chance but there are a fair few songs Iof theirs I like. Just never been captivated by them like I have been by bands such as The Smiths 

 

What's the one album of theirs I should start with? 

That's the thing about the Beatles, there isn't one definitive album - although many cite Sgt. Pepper or Revolver as their best work. Perhaps go for a compilation to get a feel for the music, but I do think that the songs are part of evolutionary stages that should be listened to in sequence. The earlier stuff is more accessible and also appreciate that in terms of product, the market and record companies demanded singles throughout much of the sixties and so some of their most well known tracks do not appear on albums. Remember, they went from Please Please Me to the Get Back project that is the footage behind the current Peter Jackson serialisation via eight other studio albums and in the space of 6 years. 

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SpacedX

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20 minutes ago, Rain King said:

Was never bothered by them but got really into George Harrison's stuff a couple of years ago and now find myself fascinated by Beatles.

 

Love Something & Here Comes The Sun.

 

Looking forward to watching the documentary.

It's very sad that he was so marginalised by Lennon and McCartney and at times, treated with such disdain. You can see this in Michael Lindsay-Hogg's original Let it Be film from which the unused footage is derived and restored...I expect this will be glossed over through the revisionist 'feel good' factor of Jackson's project. George emerged in 1969 from a period of great productivity post White Album and the material that he aired at the Get Back sessions was cynically and at times derisively dismissed by John and Paul - one of the contributory factors to him walking out mid project (although aside from Paul, none of them really wanted to be there). His focus throughout much of 67 and 68 had not been on the guitar or primarily The Beatles but his new found faith and learning the sitar. When he left mid Let it Be/Get Back, Lennon simply coldly observed that they can get Eric (Clapton) in to take his place.

 

All Things Must Pass was one of those songs, and Something went on to become arguably the best track on Abbey Road. 

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The Bear

The Bear

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43 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Just finished watching Get Back.

Absolutely wonderful.

The rooftop concert finale, a joyous watch.

I lasted about 30 mins of the first episode. I didn't realise it was going to be 7.5 hours of pure behind the scenes footage. 

 

I really like the Beatles but it was dull as hell. 

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Fox92

Fox92

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22 hours ago, foxfanazer said:

They've always been a band I've wanted to love. I've never given their music a massive chance but there are a fair few songs Iof theirs I like. Just never been captivated by them like I have been by bands such as The Smiths 

 

What's the one album of theirs I should start with? 

I always recommend Rubber Soul as a first album to listen to.

 

Their albums are so diverse and all so different.

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Fox92

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On 27/11/2021 at 18:00, The Bear said:

I lasted about 30 mins of the first episode. I didn't realise it was going to be 7.5 hours of pure behind the scenes footage. 

 

I really like the Beatles but it was dull as hell. 

I find some of it dull, like when they're discussing what is going to with sets etc, but there's a lot of it that's good, stick with it. Gotta watch it because it's fascinating what happened. 

 

Makes me laugh when Goerge quits. He did it so casually "yeah, I'm going to leave the band now". Also couldn't believe he went back to Liverpool when he walked out.

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2 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

I find some of it dull, like when they're discussing what is going to with sets etc, but there's a lot of it that's good, stick with it. Gotta watch it because it's fascinating what happened. 

 

Makes me laugh when Goerge quits. He did it so casually "yeah, I'm going to leave the band now". Also couldn't believe he went back to Liverpool when he walked out.

When Ringo quit during the White Album the summer before, he ****ed off to the Mediterranean on Peter Sellers' yacht for a fortnight - which is hilarious too.

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Blarmy

Blarmy

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Just watched all of Get Back on Disney+, over 5 nights. I played my guitar (quietly) over the bits that I didn’t find particularly interesting and stopped for the good stuff. It was fascinating for me, and the roof-top gig at the end was so powerful! Amazing stuff - I was gobsmacked at their musicality, even though I knew their stuff very well already. Music just flowed through them and they had a laugh with it too. I know they had issues around this time but they never seemed to take themselves too seriously or get diva-ish. 

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SpacedX

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5 hours ago, The Bear said:

Finished it last night. 

 

Is it me or did they play Get Back three times on the roof?!! 

No, you are absolutely correct along with two takes of 'Don't Let Me Down' (the first of which Lennon forgot the lyrics) and two takes of 'I've got a Feeling'. Annoying that this is at the expense of further material and again overlooked George's. 

 

Fun fact as the saying goes - During the performance of 'I Dig a Pony' you can make our a guy called Kevin Harrington come into shot several times. You could write a book about the circumstances of the rooftop concert, but in particular, the assortment of people on the roof that day - and their individual stories. In fact a guy called Ken Mansfield did (who can be seen seated next to the ladies present, under the chimney next to Maureen Starkey, Yoko and the beautiful Chris O'Dell). It's called 'Roof' and I highly recommended it. Kevin had worked his way up as an office boy with NEMS to being in charge of the Beatles equipment and No.2 to Mal Evans their road manager and PA. He was the ultimate gofer and fixer and would do practically anything for the Beatles. You can see him crouched under John's mic stand, braving the blustery January cold, brandishing a sheet with the recently completed lyrics to the song, which Lennon was completely incapable of committing to memory. 

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Phil Bowman

Phil Bowman

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On 26/11/2021 at 20:20, Line-X said:

That's the thing about the Beatles, there isn't one definitive album - although many cite Sgt. Pepper or Revolver as their best work. Perhaps go for a compilation to get a feel for the music,

The red and blue compilations are how I first found the Beatles, so very many years ago. I would unreservedly recommend them to anybody.

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Phil Bowman

Phil Bowman

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On 27/11/2021 at 18:00, The Bear said:

I lasted about 30 mins of the first episode. I didn't realise it was going to be 7.5 hours of pure behind the scenes footage. 

 

I really like the Beatles but it was dull as hell. 

They are my favourite band. I don’t understand how they aren’t everybody’s favourite band. I have books about them, I have all the albums including the Anthology ones and the BBC ones, and that stripped back Let It Be one and that weird Love thing full of odd mixes of stuff. And I love all of ‘em. The Beatles have been with me since I first discovered pop music and will be with me till the day I die.

 

And - I’ve seen half of the first episode and I’m not sure when I’ll ever be bothered to get round to watching any more. God, it’s dull! I’ve learned something from it though - I can see why they split up, because being in the Beatles at that time looks very not fun indeed!

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The Bear

The Bear

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13 minutes ago, Phil Bowman said:

They are my favourite band. I don’t understand how they aren’t everybody’s favourite band. I have books about them, I have all the albums including the Anthology ones and the BBC ones, and that stripped back Let It Be one and that weird Love thing full of odd mixes of stuff. And I love all of ‘em. The Beatles have been with me since I first discovered pop music and will be with me till the day I die.

 

And - I’ve seen half of the first episode and I’m not sure when I’ll ever be bothered to get round to watching any more. God, it’s dull! I’ve learned something from it though - I can see why they split up, because being in the Beatles at that time looks very not fun indeed!

I carried on and it was just that first hour that was dull, the rest was good. So my advice is to jump back in and carry on watching. 

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SpacedX

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On 13/12/2021 at 20:45, Dr Marco said:

I fu"""ing love the Beatles! geniuses!

But to me The Beach Boys (Brian Wilson) were better!

 

Beatles main songwriters were Lennon/McCartney, they also had George Martin as a producer

Brian Wilson dit it all by himself

 

Legend

He didn't though. Arguably his finest work, 'Pet Sounds' and 'Smile' were written in conjunction with Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks respectively and to perfprm it in the studio he depended upon the Wrecking Crew. Also, 'Smile' contains quite a lot of inanity. 

 

I do agree that compositionally, he was as gifted as Lennon and McCartney and had a wonderful ear for melody - (despite Murray's best attempts to deafen him). I would also contend that The Beatles produced better music in a shorter time. Some of the Beach Boys later 60's and 70s material is diabolical. 

 

'Surf's Up' is as good as anything that The Beatles recorded though:

 

 

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Dr Marco

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On 17/12/2021 at 23:05, Line-X said:

He didn't though. Arguably his finest work, 'Pet Sounds' and 'Smile' were written in conjunction with Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks respectively and to perfprm it in the studio he depended upon the Wrecking Crew. Also, 'Smile' contains quite a lot of inanity. 

 

I do agree that compositionally, he was as gifted as Lennon and McCartney and had a wonderful ear for melody - (despite Murray's best attempts to deafen him). I would also contend that The Beatles produced better music in a shorter time. Some of the Beach Boys later 60's and 70s material is diabolical. 

 

'Surf's Up' is as good as anything that The Beatles recorded though:

 

 

Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks were only lyricist (as well as Mike Love for previous records) So yes he did all the melodies and vocal harmonies by himself.

and for me lots of songs pre-pet sounds and pre-smile were all fantastics and as good as the Beatles: surfer girl, in my room, the warmth of the sun, don't worry baby....

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SpacedX

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10 hours ago, Dr Marco said:

Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks were only lyricist (as well as Mike Love for previous records) So yes he did all the melodies and vocal harmonies by himself.

and for me lots of songs pre-pet sounds and pre-smile were all fantastics and as good as the Beatles: surfer girl, in my room, the warmth of the sun, don't worry baby....

Yes they were - but lyrical sophistication that was totally beyond Brian. The Beatles did that too. Mike Love was pretty much restricted to surf boards, hot rods, hamburgers and drive in movies - and when he came back from tour, was so incensed by the material for 'Smile' that Van Dyke Parkes fled the studio and went into hiding. lol

 

I genuinely don't think that Wilson was more musical than McCartney or visionary than Lennon - and I think that combined gave the Beatles the edge. So to me, the Beatles were better for that reason, not detracting in any way from the genius of Brian or the very good points that you make. 

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