Michael Fraiman ventured an opinion that deserves serious consideration. In answer to the question "Are the Beatles overrated?", Fraiman answered Yes. This is what he said (or part of it, anyway):
I’m not going to argue that the Beatles are a lousy band, even though that’s what my side of this debate seems to be implying. Rather, I think what we need to acknowledge here is the definition of “overrated”--something that is rated highly beyond what it deserves. To be overrated is to deny justice and fairness.
Perhaps the Beatles deserve all the credit they got, but is it fair just to ignore all other great bands of the time? When it comes to The Beatles vs. a band like, I don’t know, the Dave Clark 5, then the word “overrated” springs to mind....
[T]he fact that a great band can be shunned aside because of another band’s sheer popularity seems a little ridiculous. Especially given the fact that not everything the Beatles churned out was brilliant--another common misconception in modern society.
“Oh man, ‘Wild Honey Pie’ is such a good song.”
To which I say, “NO! ‘Wild Honey Pie’ is NOT A GOOD SONG!”
Needless to say, Fraiman's opinion prompted a lot of negative nabobbing, of which this was my favorite:
...Now more than 44 years after they first played together in the Cavern on August 22, 1962, they are affectionately remembered not only for their musical contributions but for their charm, wit and charisma....
Now I happen to like Ringo Starr as an artist (especially in his early 70s solo work), but I think that the Beatles established themselves long before George got his black eye.
On the other hand, Kelly's response shows some thought:
...I DO think its important that the issue be addressed once every decade or so. To blindly worship the band without questioning their worth once in a while would almost inhibit us from truly appreciating everything they contributed to music....
And here's what J.P. said:
the kinks were the beatles/stones bratty little brothers, but their hooks were just as sharp. i'm somewhat inclined to agree with mr. fraiman here. share the wealth, everybody. nobodies knocking the beatles, but can we maybe take a look at some of the other artists from the time period and share some love? please?
Of course, then J.P. went on to say:
by the way, a lot of the white album sucks, because it's not cohesive and they didn't like each other by that point.
I disagree on that point; the diversity in "The Beatles" is its strength.
And then there's Jayhawk:
The Beatles are not the worst but surely there are better I personally think Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd much live up to thier hype more than the Beatles.
Frank wasn't so convinced about Led Zeppelin:
To answer your question,they [may be] slightly overrated.But not as much as U2,led Zep,Doors and countless others.
Good point to pause and note that I think highly of U2 and Led Zeppelin, believing that both bands have/had exhibited growth and produced some really good music. While the Doors' music exhibited some variety over their career, I don't put them on the same level as the Beatles, U2, or Led Zeppelin. At this point I'm not sure where I'd put Pink Floyd; their music was excellent, but so was Sha Na Na's.
And if you want another take on Michael Fraiman's views on the Beatles, check his review of the Cirque du Soleil soundtrack "Love."
And see his answer to the following question, Has Christian Music Grown Stale?
Posts
Tom Petty's second and third breakdowns
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I just authored a post on my "JEBredCal" blog entitled "Breakouts, go ahead
and give them to me." I doubt that many people will realize why the title
was...
3 years ago
15 comments:
LAWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really havt to debunk what Michael Fraiman and some other posters said about The Beatles in the topic,Are THe Beatles Overrated? but every time I type the correct security code in it tells me it's an error and the wrong code.Could you possibly post my posts that I'm sending to you? I would really appreciate it. Thank you,fanofthefab4
I really have to debunk what Michael Fraiman wrote about The Beatles and the totally ignorant things that some of the posters said like Juggadore who said the totally ignorant ridiculous comment that Paul McCartney wasn't/isn't a great bassist or pianist, and that they wrren't that great as singers, and what Eric,Jayhawk and some others said. Seriously where do these people come from,and I'm really glad that you are in the minority and that I don't know any of you!!
Bob Dylan actually gave the ultimate praise to Paul McCartney and John and George in a Spring 2007 Rolling Stone interview! He said he's in awe of Paul McCartney and that he's the only music artist he's in awe of! He said that Paul has the melody,he's got the rythym,he can sing the ballad really good,and he can play any instrument and that he's so darn effortless! Bob Dylan also said that George Harrison was a very good song writer in his own right and that he would have emerged big anyway but he was stuck behind John and Paul,and Bob said who wouldn't get stuck behind them! He also said there are no greater singers than John Lennon and Paul McCartney!
Even, Ozzy Osbourne said in an online 2002 Bender Magazine interview that The Beatles Are The Greatest Band To Ever Walk The Earth! He's been a huge fan since he's been a teenager and he says not loving The Beatles is like not loving oxogen! The Rolling Stones were very good friends and fans of The Beatles and Mick Jagger was at 4 Beatles recording sessions and Keith Richards was at 2 of them with them! Also,The Beatles even wrote one of The Rolling Stones first hits with the song, I Wanna Be You're Man in late 1963.
And The Beatles Were *NEVER* a boy band at all not even in their 1963,1964,1965 and 1966 period. The Beatles started out playing 8 hours a night for two years in a row in the sleazy strip clubs of Hamburg Germany wearing tight black leather jackets and pants ,smoking,drinking,cursing and taking speed pills to stay awake and going to bed with a lot of young women groupies. There were a lot of rough German thugs that came into those clubs and if The Beatles didn't play good live they would have beaten the crap out of them playing for 8 hours a night for two years,instead they became the most successful and popular group in Hamburg even with a lot of competition from other German and English groups playing in those clubs. The Beatles cleaned up image was a totally fake image created by their manager Brian Epstein which John hated and resented the most.And The Beatles also played successfully at The Cavern Club in Liverpool for several years before their manager Brian Epstein discovered them. too.
As for the other inaccurate comments that some people say The Beatles didn't even stay together for 2 decades,well they didn't have to because they did about 50 years worth of innovative,creative,diverse,prolific great critically acclaimed popular songs and albums in just a remarkable 8 year recording career! The Beatles are in The Song Writing Hall Of Fame & The Vocal Hall of Fame,and As The All Music Guide says in their excellent Beatles biography,"So much has been said and written about The Beatles and their story is so mythic in it's sweep that it's difficult to summarize their career without restating cliche's that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans ,to start with the obvious,they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era ,and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century." "As vovalists John Lennon & Paul McCartney were among the best and most expressive in rock and the groups harmonies were intricate and exhillirating."
And music critics as well as brilliant classical composer Leonard Bernstein called John &Paul the most brilliant song writers of the 20th century when they were still a band . As for The Beatles playing live,they sounded pretty good playing live considering that when they were playing in 1963,1964,1965,and 1966 the sound systems back then were very limited and primitive,they only had 100 watt amplifiers,no feedback monitors so they couldn't even hear themselves play and sing,yet they amazingly played in tune and in sync anyway,and at the August 1965 Shea Stadium concert which was the first big outdoor rock concert with over 55,000 fans,they were plugged into the PA system that they announce baseball games with plus the screaming crowds drowing out their great music! Can you imagine The Rolling Stones and The Who playing on these very limited primitive sound systems? They wouldn't have sounded much better! Thats why they gave up touring,because they were serious music artists,composers,and musicians and they wanted their great music to be heard and valued. It would be like Beethoven playing on these limited primitive sound systems and screaming crowds! Also they were now writing music that was too complex to reproduce on stage at that time. I also forgot to mention two more great Beatles rockers, Paul's Get Back and John Lennon's great 1968 rocker Hey Bull Dog.
On the roof top concert in The Let It Be Film,they sounded great,because by January 1969 the sound systems had improved somewhat(although not anywhere near the 1970's,1980's,1990's and especially today's!) and they had changed and people had changed so there were no more screaming crowds so they could be heard.When I was a teenager I met 3 people who saw The Beatles in concert two of them were teachers who saw them in 1966 and he and she told me they were great,and my cousin saw them at age 16 at The Baltimore Colsieum in 1964 the year before I was born,and she said they were great. Former Kiss guitarist and grammy winning producer Bob Kulick who made the heavy metal Beatles tribute album Butchering The Beatles last year,says in an online interview,that he saw The Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1966 and that he could only make out pieces of the songs because of the screaming,but he could make out the songs Baby's In Black and Paperback Writer and he said they sounded amazing! He also calls The Beatles The Greatest Rock Band Ever!
George Harrison at only age 14 would stay up playing his guitar until he got all of the chords exactly right and his fingers wer e bleeding! And One of The Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick says that in early 1966 when The Beatles were recording John's song I'm Only Sleeping,George Harrison played backwards guitar the most difficult way possible even though he could have taken an easy way,and it took him 6 hours just to do the guitar overdubs! He then made it doubly difficult by adding even more distorted gitars and Geoff says this was all George's idea and that he did all of the playing! Eric Clapton said in a 1992 interview when he and George were asked what they admired about each other during their Japan tour,that George is a fantastic slide guitar player. He and George were very good friends and they obviously admired and respected each others guitar playing and George played guitar on Cream's song Badge. Roger McGuinn of The Byrds says The Beatles used unusual folk rock chords in their early music and that they invented folf rock without even knowing it! He started to play a 12 string guitar after he saw and heard George Harrison playing one in The Beatles great film A Hard Day's Night in early 1964.
In an online Eric Clapton interview called,Eric Clapton In His Own Words he says that John Lennon was a pretty good guitar player and he would have known since he played live in concert with John as a member of John's 1969 Plastic Ono Band! On an excellent site called,The Evolution Of Rock Bass Playing McCartney Style by Dennis Alstrand Stanley Clarke,Will Lee,Billy Sheehan,Sting,George Martin,and John Lennon are all quoted saying what a great,melodic,influential bass guitar player Paul McCartney has always been! The 1992 Rolling Stone Album Guide calls Paul a remarkable bass player and rightfully calls John & Paul the 2 greatest song writers in rock history! Both Phil Collins and Max Weinberg both Beatles fans and both praise Ringo's drumming and Phil Collins says that Ringo's great drumming on A Day In The Life can't even be repeated even by him!
Also on Rankopedia The Beatles are # 1 Greatest Rock Band,# 1 Greatest Most Innovative Rock Band,John & Paul are # 1 Greatest Rock Song Writers,John & Paul are on The Greatest Rock Male Vocalist list,and Paul McCartney is # 2 after John Enwistle as Greatest Rock Bass Players,John Paul Jones is # 6,and Bill Wynman is # 20! And on Digitaldreamdoor where many musicians post,The Beatles are # 1 Greatest Rock Artists,John & Paul are # 1 Greatest Rock Song Writers,they are both on The Greatest Rock Male Vocalists list,and Paul McCartney is # 8 out of 100 Greatest Rock Bass Players,John Paul Jones is # 21,and Bill Wynman is # 95! George Harrison is # 54 On The Greatest Rock Guitarists out of over 100.
And there are many music professors teaching music courses at good universities on the brilliance of The Beatles especially of John & Paul,including by award winning music professor and composer Dr.Glen Gass,who has been teaching a course on The Beatles and rock music at Indiana University since 1982. On his web site for his course it says the main purpose of this course is to get students to have a better appreciation of this extraordinary group and their remarkable recordings. Dr.Gary Kendal's Beatles course is the most requested course at North Western University. And a music professor by the last name of Heinonen teaches a Beatles course at JYVASKYLA University in Finland,and the university of California also teaches a Beatles course etc.
Also check out Ken's Classic Rock n Roll Site he also runs a Rolling Stones & John Lennon fan site. And he made a Top 10 List and voted and the fans voted. He voted John &Paul # 2 after Bob Dylan as Greatest Rock Song Writers,the fans voted them # 1! He voted Paul McCartney # 2 after John Entwistle as Greatest Rock Bass Player,the fans voted Paul # 3. He voted John Lennon # 2 after Keith Richards as Greatest Rock Rhythm Guitarist,and the fans voted John in a tie with Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones at # 4 ! He voted John Lennon # 1 in a tie with Elvis as Greatest Male Rock Vocalist and the fans voted John # 1,he voted Paul # 6 and the fans voted him # 7. Ken says Darn The Beatles were one great group in his review of The Beatles album 1967-1970,and he also says that John on Get Back showed why he should have played lead guitar more often because he did such a good job! He also said that John on their hard rocking great 1968 single Revolution,played one of the first and best acid guitar parts.And he also said that John played a pretty good slide guitar on George's For Your Blue. And he says in his review of The Beatles 1962-1966,that if you don't love or at least like The Beatles and their music than you are not a true rock fan and more than likely will never get it.
And Brian Wilson said on a 1995 Nightline TV Beatles tribute show,that Sgt.Pepper is the single greatest album he ever heard,and he played With A Little Help From Friends on the piano and he said I just love this song. He also said he thinks John Lennon &Paul McCartney were the 2 greatest song writers of the 20th century! He also said when he first heard The Beatles great 1965 album Rubber Soul,that he was blown away by it,he said all of the songs flowed together and it was pop music but folk rock at the same time,and this is what he couldn't believe. He said this inspired him to make Pet Sounds. Elton John said in a 1991 CBS morning news show,when he was asked who he musically admires,he said You can talk about your Rogers &Hammerstein but for the quality of quanity songs that Lennon &McCartney did in that short period of time,they were the 2 greatest song writers of the 20th century! Most music artists want to believe and want the public to believe that *their* the greatest so when they say other music artists are the greatest it really means a lot!
The Beatles are also the most covered music artists of all time with everyone from Motown,jazz,classical,and even heavy metal music recording their great diverse music! And in 2001 VH1 had a panel of well known musicans and music critcs,that voted The Beatles The Greatest Rock Band Ever,and in 2004 Rolling Stone did the same thing and several people said on message boards that Rolling Stone had a recent pael poll like this and The Beatles were voted # 1 again and for darn great reasons too! Nobody created as much innovative,creative,quality,critically acclaimed,popular diverse songs and albums in such a short amazing period of time as The Beatles and thats why most people know that The Beatles Are The Greatest Rock Band That Ever Was Or Will Be!!!!
Oh and A Day's Night is a great pop rock album!!!! And even Bob Dylan said decades ago about The Beatles early music,that their chords were outrageous,and the harmonies were wonderful and they were doing things in music that nobody had done before,and music critics of The London Times were praising their interesting and unusual chords that they used even in early songs like She Loves You & I Want To Hold Your Hand. Which were not as simple as they seemed and had clever subtleties in them.Infact Bob Dylan said in a Rolling Stone interview this Spring that he's in awe of Paul McCartney and he said he's the only one he's in awe of. He said that Paul has the melody,he has the rhthym and he can sing the ballad very good,and he can play any instrument. He also said there were no better singers than John Lennon &Paul McCartney and he said if George wasn't stuck in the shadow behind John & Paul and he said who wouldn't get stuck,he would have emerged as a great song writer in his own right anyway.
And by the way I have read some people saying on message boards that they don't think The Rolling Stones were the best technical musicians,and many even some fans have said they haven't done anything good in 35 years, and that their overrated and I have also found many people saying they hate or don't like The Rolling Stones and many people say the only Rolling Stones song they like is Paint It Black! Oh and by the way,in every major poll of The Beatles vs The Rolling Stones,The Beatles always win as # 1 even on sites and message boards that are not Beatles fan sites!
And when we look at the solo career comparison of Mick Jagger's and Keith Richards solo careers with John,Paul & George's,the facts are John Lennon's first brilliant solo album,and his second great album Imagine are rightfully critically acclaimed, and I love John's Walls & Bridges album and Paul McCartney's first solo album McCartney is very good,and he played every instrument all by himself at age 27,and he played so many different instruments great! Wings 1975 Venus & Mars is a great rock album too! And he and Denny Laine are the only musicians on Paul's great 1973 Band On The Run album,which is critically acclaimed and popular,and he played every instrument by himself again on McCartney 2 in 1979,and most of the instruments on his 1997 Flaming Pie album,and his 2 recent acclaimed popular albums,Chaos And Creation In The Backyard,and Memory Almost Full.And John Paul Jones,David Gilmore,John Bonham & Pete Townsend all played on 2 songs with Paul and Wings on the last Wings album Back To The Egg, in 1979,and they played in the last Wings concert too in December 1979. You know I have found over 50 former Beatles haters on many message boards and web sites that are noe HUGE Beatles fans and many say they are now their favorite band and that they were the Greatest Band Ever! I didn't communicate with these people but they said in their posts that they had a lot of inaccurate misperceptions of The Beatles and they hadn't even heard most of The Beatles great songs and albums! Most people don't hate The Beatles in the first place,most people of all ages all around the world love or at least like their music,but it's really something for former haters to turn into big fans and it just goes to show how Great The Beatles music is!!!!
Another thing I want to debunk is that many people have a misperception that The Beatles were a pop band and not a rock band.But this is not true at all,The Beatles were mostly a great innovative,creative,diverse prolific *ROCK* band *not* a "pop" band! John Lennon always aid he just really loved rock n roll and he and Paul wrote plenty of great rock n roll in The Beatles and in their early solo careers! It really would have been news to John that he wasn't the founder and leader of a true rock band!
The Beach Boys were a true pop band because all of their hits were that beach surfing sound. Even The early Beatles had a harder electric guitar sound than The Beach Boys and I have never heard a Beach Boys song played on classic rock stations only oldies stations, But many classic rock stations still play The Beatles! And The Beatles are rightfully categorized as a *rock* band by most rock and music critics and rock journalists,and Rock On The Net says few could argue that one of the best if not the best rock groups was The Beatles. And The Wikipedia the free online encyclopedia as well as the Websters College 2000 Dictionary defines The Beatles as a British Rock Group. And most record stores classify The Beatles correctly as the rock band they were.And a guy on the web site Votenumber1.com said of course The Beatles were a great rock group he said they were the greatest rock group ever and he said he can name about 100 great rock Beatles songs!
And I and many people understandably feel that John Lennon had the best rock voices ever! George Martin said John's voice was one of the best he ever heard,and in May 1967 when The Beatles were recording their song,Baby You're A Rich Man,two recording engineers said they were always fascinated with the sound of John Lennon's voice,and they always wanted to record it live and when they heard him singing this song live they said they couldn't believe how great his voice was and that anyone could sing that well live.
The Beatles wrote many great rock songs that were pretty rocking for the time,John's great song You Can't Do That from early 1964 which he played lead guitar on for the first time,Paul's great blues rocker,She's A Woman from late 1964,John's I Feel Fine from late 1964, with the first use of feedback guitar,and one of the first songs to have a great guitar riff,a year before The Rolling Stone's Satisfaction came out,Paul's screaming hard rocker especially for 1965,I'm Down which they played even louder and more screaming at the August 1965 Shea Stadium concert, and as The All Music Guide says I'm Down was one of The Beatles most frantic rockers,and they said they did a really wild performance of this at The Shea Stadium concert. The All Music Guide also says The Beatles showed they could rock really really hard with their early songs,John's I Feel Fine,Paul's She's A Woman,and the peerless I'm Down.
Plus Day Tripper,Paperback Writer,She Said She Said,And You're Bird Can Sing, Taxman,all with heavy electric guitar sounds,John's 1968 hard rocking single Revolution,Yer Blues,Birthday,Back In The USSR,While My Guitar Gently Weeps,Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me & My Monkey,Get Back,He Bulldog,Polythene Pam,She Came In Through The Bathroom Window plus Paul's Helter Skeklter which as many people have pointed out was the first heavy metal songs,plus John's I Want You She's So Heavy on Abbey Road which many people have also pointed out was one of the first heavy metal songs,plus his great rocker Come Together,Paul's Oh Darling,You Never Give Me Your Money,and the hard rocking jam of Paul,George,and John on the song The End,etc!! So anyone saying THe Beatles were not a rock band You Are Wrong!!
The Rolling Stones were very good friends and fans of The Beatles and Mick Jagger was at 4 Beatles recording sessions and Keith Richards was at 2 of them with them! The Beatles even wrote one of The Rolling Stones first hits with the song,I WAnna Be You're Man in late 1963.
Mick Jagger was such a big Beatles fan that when The Beatles were recording their song,Baby You're A Rich Man in May 1967,he came there and stood on the sidelines just to watch and listen to them record it and his name was on the tape box because he likely sang at the end verses.
The Rolling Stones could also be considered a pop band since they too were very popular,had many hit songs and albums and some of their songs could be classified as pop,Ruby Tuesday,Angie,She's A Rainbow,Lady Jane,As Tears Go By,Waiting On A Friend,Emotional Rescue, their whole Sgt.Pepper rip off Their Satanic Majesties Request and they also put out many greatest hits albums.
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The Beatles are the Most Creative Band of All Time
By Musician and Song Writer Peter Cross
BACKGROUND HISTORY: The first musical bands originated in New Orleans among black musicians who have traditionally been the innovators. The first jazz record ever recorded was by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917, and of course they were white because racism always rears its ugly head to hold black people back. But during the Roaring 20's, young white people couldn't resist the dance beat laid down by the black jazz bands. Fletcher Henderson, a black man, became the first band leader to achieve national fame possibly because he featured Louis Armstrong on trumpet. Duke Ellington, a classically trained musician, brought a level of style and sophistication to jazz that hadn't been seen before. But it wasn't until 1935 that jazz bands with a "swing beat" achieved national attention due to Benny Goodman who I think was the best clarinet player ever to blow air into that instrument. Benny also had the good sense and taste to bring the first great drummer, Gene Krupa, into his band.
When rock and roll exploded into human consciousness during the early 1950's, black musicians like Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Smokey Robinson pioneered the way, but a white DJ named Alan Freed is believed to have coined the term "rock and roll". The first real rock and roll record was "Shake, Rattle and Roll", written by Jesse Stone who was black and recorded by Big Joe Turner who was also black but it wasn't a hit. The first big hit rock and roll record was "Rock Around the Clock" written by James Meyers and Max Freeman of obvious ancestry, and that one catapulted Bill Haley and his Caucasian Comets to stardom. During the 1950's and early 60's, there were countless "do wop" groups, rock groups, singers and songwriters but until The Beatles hit the charts, there had been very few bands which contained talented songwriters. The vast majority of jazz and rock bands recorded songs written by songwriters who were not performers, with occasional exceptions like Duke Ellington and Buddy Holly. As time goes on, it's increasingly clear that Lennon/McCartney songs are brilliant classics which will never be forgotten. Now here's why The Beatles are the most creative band of all time:
1. BEST EXAMPLE OF FORM = CONTENT
As I sit here writing this at the keyboard of my computer facing the unique and colorful Beatles poster in my bedroom, I'm aware that I have been directly and indirectly inspired by John Lennon's music as well as by the way he lived his life offstage. Squarely in front of me is a full color poster of all four Beatles standing in a heavenly-like flower garden at about the time of the Abbey Road album. Paul is angelic in his pink suit with a white laced shirt. John is enigmatic peering out from the background. George is charismatic staring directly into the camera from the lower right. Ringo is on the left with a stylish blue suit and his pink ruffled shirt. I always wished I could dress like those guys but obviously there's a bit of a problem with a money differential there. Surrounding this gorgeous poster which I have never seen elsewhere are my 45 speed original Beatles hit records, including I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Please Please Me, Twist and Shout, Can't Buy Me Love, She's A Woman, Yesterday, and of course, Hey Jude. And surrounding all that is a chain of 1-1/2" long orange flicker flame lights which are the most beautiful and unique Christmas lights I've ever seen. I chose to decorate the wall directly in front of my work station this way because, as I've written elsewhere on this site several times, The Beatles were my major musical influence and having them on the wall in front of me inspires me to write web pages like this one. I was also among the millions of people who were inspired by how The Beatles were actually living their off stage lives. The Beatles' music creatively stimulated millions of people to change the way they were living, and The Beatles behavior encouraged people to have fun by trying new life style experiences. That's what I call a perfect example of FORM = CONTENT. In this case it means that the creatively and masterfully varied music The Beatles were producing (form) embodied the real life styles which each of the four Beatles were living (content), together as a band as well as separately as unique individuals.
2. BEST SONGWRITERS
This should be self-evident, but just because Paul McCartney has the title of the most popular songwriter in history doesn't necessarily make him the best songwriter in history. The qualities which do make both Paul and John the best songwriters in history go beyond writing the greatest number of catchy classic songs. "Catchy" means that their melodies and lyrics are instantly memorable. "Classic" means that they stand the test of time. But both Paul and John wrote very sophisticated melodies that moved beyond the simple groups of 2, 4 and 8 patterned phrases used by almost all other songwriters. John and Paul's melodies soared, floated, cascaded, dived and peaked with true dynamics, naturally following the syllabic lyric patterns - but not always. Sometimes the melodic and lyric patterns were independent of each other, almost counterpoint in nature, and as a songwriter, they never ceased to astonish me with their brilliance and originality. In the beginning, their lyrics were simple and their songs were simple love songs. But they soon began exploring new territory by writing about subjects that hadn't been covered before. Inspired by Bob Dylan, they wrote true poetry with feeling and depth, using evocative and unusual words. Rubber Soul marked the beginning of their evolution as mature songwriters, Revolver was a break-out album, and Sergeant Pepper was an historic landmark album in terms of new and innovative songwriting as well as production. Every song they wrote was significantly different from the last one even though each song had their unmistakable sound.
Most songwriters are only average players on their instruments, but John and Paul are both sophisticated guitarists who were able to integrate their playing into their songs and even into their song structure so that the "licks" they played became as catchy a part of their songs as the choruses and verses. Blackbird and Dear Prudence are only two examples of songs which couldn't possibly be written by any other songwriter because of the guitar playing which forms an integral part of the song structure. In similar fashion, Lady Madonna is the best example of a great song which derives from the unique and beautiful bass part which only Paul could possibly have created.
Average songwriters achieve the catchy quality by repeating a phrase endlessly or by beating a chorus to death. John and Paul found countless ways to be memorable without ever overly repeating something. The only time they repeated something over and over again for a long time was in Hey Jude, and what they chose to repeat is so gorgeous that one can only wish they had never ended the song. The Beatles were my biggest musical influence and I used to think, "If I could write just one song that's as good as John and Paul's worst song, I'd be happy." People tell me I accomplished that goal and they say one good example is John is Alive, which is my sincere tribute to Sir Lennon.
3. BEST SINGERS
Even Ringo could sing when he got a little help from his friends who lived in the yellow submarine. But to say that Paul and John are two of the best singers in rock and roll is to state the obvious. Combining John, Paul and George created the best harmony vocals the world has ever experienced. Even their two part harmonies were unusual, catching us all by surprise on their first hit record with the fast harmony melisma in the chorus of I Want to Hold Your Hand. John had a knack of placing a unique low harmony line underneath Paul's high melody line so as to form a second melody which created unusual harmony effects. He did that right from the beginning in the verses of She Loves You. Both Paul and John could blast out screaming rock and roll (i.e. Long Tall Sally and Twist and Shout), and both could break our hearts with touching, deep feeling ballads (i.e. Yesterday and Julia). There seems to be no end to their emotional vocal range, and John even explored the heights of vocal psychedelia in songs like She Said (Revolver) and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
4. MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS
Paul brought a new style of melodic playing to the bass guitar, reaching a new high of creativity on Sergeant Pepper with a level of sophistication never heard before. Many other musicians besides me recognize Paul as being one of the best bass guitar players ever. George is underrated as a lead guitarist by people with average or below average musical knowledge or ability, but most guitarists (including Eric Clapton) know better. George's strength is in melody, pure and simple. It would be difficult to find a George Harrison lead which is not melodic, and each of his leads has a strong beginning, a stronger middle and a well defined ending. In fact, that's Eric's definition of what makes a good guitar lead. George continually developed new guitar sounds for each Beatles song. John and Paul are also excellent guitarists and both recorded great leads as well as innovative rhythm tracks. All three of the Beatles guitarists may lack showy technical fireworks but they make that definition of guitar mastery irrelevant by overwhelming the senses with creativity, style, and pure melody. The exact same thing can be said about John and Paul's keyboard playing. Ringo may be underrated as a drummer by the public but he is not underrated by other professional drummers. Ringo mastered the art of drum sounds. No drummer has ever recorded so many different sounds on so many different sounding records. Ringo invented a new style of slow drum playing, epitomized on A Day in the Life and Strawberry Fields Forever. John said many times, "Ringo has the best back beat in the business" and the successful studio drummers understand why John was correct.
5. TOTAL CHARISMA
A good definition of charisma needs to include "an unusual ability to influence people and arouse devotion" and "a personal attractiveness which enables a person to influence others". No musical group prior to or after The Beatles features true charisma emanating strongly from the entire group as well as separately from each member. The Beatles stunned the world with their photogenic quality, their charm, their bubbling and lovable personalities, their cuteness and their unique style. Even before The Beatles achieved fame, people in Liverpool were imitating their haircuts, the way they dressed, the way they behaved, and the way they lived. Such a simple subliminal message about smoking marijuana got communicated to all the hippies who were waiting to happen without actual words ever being spoken. The Beatles had a lot to lose by being explicit on that subject, but they successfully avoided trouble by keeping it very subtle while at the same time clear enough so that we all got it. The Fab Four kept changing their styles rapidly, almost with each album cover, and soon the message became one of explicit spiritualism. After visiting India, The Beatles introduced eastern mysticism and meditation to the Western world for the first time through the mass media. John's long saga with internal angst, drugs, spiritualism, politics, personal battles, and ultimately his marriage to Yoko played out like a movie the whole world got to watch in fascination. Paul's happy life with Linda, George's great focus on meditation, and Ringo's equanimity throughout were all perfect examples of the power, the truth, and the effectiveness of true charisma.
6. SEXUAL AURA
Need I say it? Ask the millions of girls who were screaming and fainting at the very sight of them. "The Boys" didn't move like Elvis or dance like Mick, they just stood there shaking their "mop top" heads around, smiling, laughing, and looking gorgeous as they performed great music and that was it. On their first visit to America, some enterprising weirdo from New York City managed to cut up the hotel bed sheets The Beatles had slept on into 1" square pieces, and these things were actually sold to girls over the public airwaves by adult DJ's on the AM radio stations who should have known better. The Beatles phenomenon went way beyond the rock and roll sex star status that had been seen before. Teenage girls in uncountable numbers fell in love, their hearts to be trapped, their heart strings to be continually plucked, and ultimately, their hearts to be broken by the unobtainable object of their love. Worshiping a star from afar? Infatuation? Obsession? Not real love? For many of them, it was their first experience feeling love for a man/boy. Whatever it was, it was very real to all of them, and we all soon understood that The Beatles were The Real Thing.
That's why I call The Beatles the Most Creative Band of All Time. They were The Real Thing. The Creative Zenith. The high point on the bell curve of musical history.
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Web page design copyright 1996 © , text copyright 2005 © Peter Cross
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John Stirratt
Windy City Wingman Lays Roots With Wilco
By Brian Fox | February, 2005
In the family tree of alternative country-rock, John Stirratt’s roots go deep. When he got the call in 1993 to take over bass duties from singer/ songwriter Jeff Tweedy in alt-country supergroup Uncle Tupelo, he began a working relationship with Tweedy that led to Wilco, one of the genre’s greatest success stories. It
In the family tree of alternative country-rock, John Stirratt’s roots go deep. When he got the call in 1993 to take over bass duties from singer/ songwriter Jeff Tweedy in alt-country supergroup Uncle Tupelo, he began a working relationship with Tweedy that led to Wilco, one of the genre’s greatest success stories. It’s a tale marked by multiple personnel changes and high-drama record-label relations—the band was dropped from its label, Reprise, after delivering tapes for what would become 2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The making of that watershed album is the subject of Sam Jones’s documentary film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.
Amid the changes, Stirratt’s warm tone and dynamic fingerstyle and pickstyle attack have formed the foundation of Wilco’s seven albums (including two with singer Billy Bragg), which have ranged from raw and rootsy (1995’s A.M.) to richly textured and intricate (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot). The band’s latest, A Ghost Is Born, witnesses Stirratt at his best, especially on the loping bass-driven single “Handshake Drugs.” Stirratt’s thumpy pickstyle line—played on a flatwound-strung Hofner—forms a balanced countermelody to Tweedy’s throaty vocals. Elsewhere, Stirratt’s playing is more staid and supportive, especially on the driving “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” an homage to Krautrock duo Neu!. With Jeff Tweedy at the helm and Stirratt in the engine room, the Chicago-based six-piece is currently touring with guitarist Nels Cline, drummer Glenn Kotche, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. When he is not touring or recording with Wilco, John plays with the Autumn Defense—a band formed with longtime friend Sansone—and with his twin sister in their group, Laurie &John.
Credit: Zoran Orlic
John Stirratt plays half the time with his fingers, the other half with a heavy-gauge Planet Waves pick. When he’s playing fingerstyle, he keeps the pick tucked under his pinkie and ring fingers so it’s easy to access. “I play with my right hand pretty close to the neck,” Stirratt explains, “and when I’m picking, I mute the strings a lot with the heel of my hand. In the studio, I put sponges or Styrofoam near the bridge to mute the strings so there’s no sustain.”
You and Jeff are the only original members of Wilco. How has your playing changed with the various lineups?
We were a four-piece in our previous incarnation, so I felt naked at times. I love having all of the musical information to feed off in this bigger ensemble. With the bigger group, my playing has gotten a lot more melodic, because in a smaller setting, my role is to just hold it down. Now I’ve got more room to move around, and I don’t have to stay on the root as much, because chances are someone else is covering it.
Wilco has always been a band of multi-instrumentalists. Do you ever share bass duties?
On Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and the new album, we had Leroy Bach in the band, and he’s a fantastic bass player—he played on a few tracks, like the ones with bowed upright. In Wilco we’ve always been generous about passing instruments around—I’ve done a lot of the basic tracks on piano or guitar. Having a different voice in the low end from track to track is great. On arabella, my sister and I had a fantastic bass player from Nashville, Brad Jones, on upright and electric. He plays a Gibson EB-2 and a Gibson Les Paul Studio bass through a SansAmp; he’s got a fluid, growly style.
What is the greatest strength you bring to Wilco?
I think I can hear what songs need. In learning to be a songwriter and singer first and foremost, I’ve come to realize the bass’s responsibility. Also, Jeff and I have been singing together for so long, I bring a lot of harmony to the band. That’s a big part of it, for sure. Over the years, the harmonies were either written by me or by [former Wilco bandmate] Jay Bennett. He’s an inventive writer of harmony and countermelodies and I learned a lot from playing with him.
Which bass players have had the most impact on your playing?
Paul McCartney is one of the greatest bass players of all time. If you listen to what he was tracking live in the studio, it’s unbelievable. With his tone and musicality, he was a huge influence. He covered all his harmonic responsibilities really well, but his lines were absolutely melodic and inventive. Also, Rick Danko of The Band was a huge influence on me. I love the idea of a bassist providing the high vocal harmony.
What is your favorite song to play live?
“Hummingbird” has great changes, and it’s one of the most inventive pop arrangements we’ve done, so that’s fun to play as an ensemble. On the other hand, there’s “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” which basically has a one-note line for the whole ten minutes. But there’s a whole world of dynamics that I explore with that song. Every stage is different, and by playing with dynamics, you can turn the stage itself into an instrument. It’s fun to see how that song works in different spaces night-to-night. It really has a life of its own.
A Selected Discography
With Wilco: A Ghost Is Born, Nonesuch; Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Nonesuch; Summerteeth, Reprise; Being There, Reprise; A.M., Reprise. With Billy Bragg &Wilco: (both on Elektra) Mermaid Avenue Volume 2; Mermaid Avenue. With the Minus 5: (both on Yep Roc) At the Organ; Down With Wilco. With Laurie &John: arabella, Broadmoor. With the Autumn Defense: (both on Broadmoor) Circles; The Green Hour. With Uncle Tupelo: Anodyne, Sire.
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Eric Clapton - In His Own Words
In the Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and the Dominos, and his own bands, guitarist extraordinaire Eric Clapton has continually redefined his own version of the blues. He discusses his epic career and how he coped with drug and alcohol problems to become one of the most revered guitarists and dependable hitmakers of the past thirty years.
t a certain point the Yardbirds started getting package tours, with the Ronettes, Billy J. Kramer, the Kinks, the Small Faces, lots of others, and we lost our following in the clubs. We decided to get suits, and I actually designed suits for us all. Then we did the Beatles' Christmas show, and at that point we really began to feel the lack of a hit. We'd be on for twenty minutes or half an hour, and either you were very entertaining or you did your hits. A lot of times the raveup bit got us through, and a lot of times it didn't. It became very clear that if the group was going to survive and make money, it would have to be on a popular basis. We couldn't go back to the clubs, because everyone had got that taste and seen what fun it would be to be famous.
So a lot of songs were bandied about, and we came up with a song by Otis Redding. I thought that would make a great single, because it was still R&B and soul, and we could do it really funky. Then Paul [Samwell-Smith, bassist] got the "For Your Love" demo, and so we went into the studio to do both songs, but we did "For Your Love" first. Everyone was so bowled over by the obvious commerciality of it that we didn't even get to do the Otis Redding song, and I was very disappointed, disillusioned by that. So my attitude within the group got really sour, and it was kind of hinted that it would be better for me to leave. 'Cause they'd already been to see Jeff Beck play, and at the time he was far more adaptable than I was. I was withdrawing into myself, becoming intolerable, really, dogmatic. So they kind of asked me to leave, and I left and felt a lot better.
Eric Clapton's Seventies
Billboard Top 40 Singles
"After Midnight" 11/70 #18
"I Shot The Sheriff" 8/74 #1
"Willie And The Hand Jive" 11/74 #26
"Hello Old Friend" 11/76 #24
"Lay Down Sally" 2/78 #3
"Wonderful Tonight" 6/78 #16
"Promises" 11/78 #9
"Watch Out For Lucy" 3/79 #40
All during Cream I was riding high on the "Clapton is God" myth that had been started up. I was flying high on an ego trip; I was sure I was the best thing happening that was popular. Then we got our first kind of bad review, which was in Rolling Stone. The magazine ran an interview with us in which we were really praising ourselves, and it was followed by a review that said how boring and repetitious our performance had been. And it was true! The ring of truth had just knocked me backward; I was in a restaurant, and I fainted. And after I woke up, I immediately decided that that was the end of the band.
There toward the end, we'd been flying with blinkers for so long, we weren't aware of the changes that were taking place musically. New people were coming up and growing, and we were repeating ourselves, living on a legend, a year or two years out of date.
We didn't really have a band with Cream. We rarely payed as an ensemble; we were three virtuosos, all of us soloing all the time. We did a lot of acid, took a lot of trips in our spare time. And we did play on acid a couple of times.
I met John Lennon and would see him a lot around the London clubs. I got the impression that he was very shy, slightly bitter but also a very sweet young man. There seemed to be a sort of game between John and George [Harrison], partly because John was a pretty good guitar player himself. When I was with Cream, George became interested in my playing, and I think he might have told John that he liked my work. So John assumed that if George liked me, I was probably better than George. So we got into the "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" sessions.
A few years later John called me one Saturday morning and said, "Do you want to go to Toronto?" I said, "Sure. When?" And he said, "In a couple of hours." I happened to have my equipment at home, so I met them at the airport, with [bassist] Klaus Voorman and [drummer] Alan White. We all got first-class seats on the plane and I learned the repertoire on the way.
"The idea of dying from drugs didn't bother me... But as I grow older, as I live more, death becomes more of a reality, something I don't choose to step toward too soon."
I got slightly disillusioned when we landed at the other end and John and Yoko were whisked off in a limousine and all the band was left standing in the rain. We didn't know how we were going to get to the gig or anything, but that wasn't their problem. Then before the gig, we did so much coke that I actually threw up and passed out. They had to take me out and lay me on the ground. And at the last minute we realized that we were going on between... I think it was Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, and we were terrified. We were shaking. But it turned out to be a great experience.
There was a lack of direction in Blind Faith, or a reticence to actually declare among ourselves where we were going. Because it seemed to be enough just to be making the money, and that wasn't good; the record company and the management had taken over. I felt that it wasn't good; the record company and the management had taken over. I felt that it was too soon for Steve [Winwood]. He was feeling uncomfortable, and since it had originally been my idea, I was uncomfortable. I started looking for somewhere else to go, an alternative, and I found that Delaney and Bonnie [Bramlett] were a godsend. After the Blind Faith tour, I lived with Delaney for a while.
After the Dominos' Layla album, the band did a very big tour of America. We copped a lot of dope in Miami -- a lot of dope -- and that went with us.
Eric Clapton's Seventies
Billboard Top 10 Albums
History Of Eric Clapton 6/72 #9
461 Ocean Boulevard 8/74 #2
Slowhand 3/78 #2
Backless 1/79 #8
By the end of the tour, the band was getting very, very loaded, doing way too much. Then we went back to England, tried to make a second album, and it broke down halfway through because of the paranoia and the tension. And the band just dissolved. I remember to this day being in my house, feeling totally lost and hearing Bobby Whitlock pull up in the driveway and scream for me to come out. He sat in his car outside all day, and I hid. And that's when I went on my journey into smack. I basically stayed in the house with my girlfriend for about two and a half years, and although we weren't using any needles, we got very strung out. All that time, though, I was running a cassette machine and playing; I had that to hold on to. At the end of that period I found I had boxes full of playing, as if there was something struggling to survive.
I had no care for the consequences; the idea of dying didn't bother me. Dying from drugs didn't seem to be a terrible thing. When Jimi Hendrix died, I cried all day because he'd left me behind. But as I grow older, as I live more, death becomes more of a reality, something I don't choose to step toward too soon.
I did the Rainbow Concert in January 1973 very much against my will. I wasn't even really there. It was Pete Townshend's idea, and I didn't know what I'd done to earn it. It's simply that he's a great humanitarian and cannot stand to see people throw their lives away. It didn't matter to him if I was willing or unwilling; he was making the effort so that I would realize, someday, that somebody cared. I'm always indebted to him for that.
The thing that finally drew me out was when Carle Radle, the Dominos' bassist, sent me a tape of him playing with Dick Sims and Jamie Oldaker. I listened to it and played along with it, and it was great. So I sent him a telegram saying, "Maintain loose posture, stay in touch." And at some point after that I started to get straight.
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As The All Music Guide says in their excellent Beatles biography,"So much has been said and written about The Beatles and their story is so mythic in it's sweep that it's difficult to summarize their career without restating cliche's that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans.To state the obvious,they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era,and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century,moreover they were among the few artists of *any* discipline that were simultaneously the best at what they did,*and* the most popular at what they did Relentlessly imaginative, and expermintal The Beatles grabbed a hold of the international mass consciousness in 1964 and never let go for the next 6 years always staying ahead of the pack in terms of creativity but never losing their ability to communicate their increasingly sophisticated ideas to a mass audience.Their supremacy as rock icons remains unchallenged to this day decades after their breakup in 1970."
"Even when couching praise in specific terms, it's hard to convey the scope of The Beatles achievements in a mere paragraph or two. They synthesized all that was good about early rock &roll and changed it into something orginal and exciting. They established the prototype of the self-contained rock group that wrote and performed it's own material. As composers their craft and melodic inventiveness were second to none and key to the evolution of rock from it's blues R&B- based forms into a style that was far more eclectic but equally visceral. As vocalists John Lennon &Paul McCartney were both among the best and most expressive vocalists in rock;the groups harmonies were intricate and exhillarating."
"The Popularity Of The Beatles as a unit proved eternal. In part this is because the group's 1970 split effectively short-circuited the prospects of artistic decline;the body of work that was preserved was uniformly strong. However it's also because like any great works of art,The Beatles records carried an ageless magnificence that continues to captivate new generations of listeners. So it is that Beatles records continue to be heard on radio in heavy rotation,continue to sell in massive quanities and continue to be covered and quoted by rock and pop artists through the present day"
Rock Bass Players
By Bassist and Music Teacher Andrew Pouska
By Bassist and Music Teacher Andrew Pouska
In our bass lessons we will probably start with learning several rock bass tunes. These are some of the players we will focus on in our lessons:
Paul McCartney
Bassist for The Beatles. The impact The Beatles had on music history is stupendous. Likewise, the impact The Beatles bass player, Paul McCartney , had on rock bass was huge, too. His basslines are very melodic and intelligent. One of the best.
Jack Bruce
The father of heavy rock bass playing. His work with Cream is his most famous. Check out the Live Cream recordings. Three guys with a huge sound together.
John Entwistle
Bassist for The Who. Fast flurries of notes and unrelenting rock power! Another highly influential early rock bass player. The song My Generation contains the first recorded rock bass solo.
John Paul Jones
Led Zeppelin bassist. Some of the best hard rock bass playing ever. Just buy the boxed set!
Geezer Butler
Bassist for Black Sabbath. Great, standard rock bass playing.
Geddy Lee
Extraordinary bass player in the band Rush. He not only plays the bass, but writes songs, plays keyboards, and sings! Consider getting the album Moving Pictures.
Sting
Sting's work with the Police showcases his use of sparse, but effective lines. Listen to The Police - Regatta DeBlanc or Ghost in the Machine. He is also a genius songwriter to top things off.
Tony Levin
Bassist with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson. A rock bass virtuoso. He always plays the right notes at the right time. Never one too many or too few.
Mick Karn
Perhaps the most interesting bass voice I've heard. Karn mixes exotic scales with unusual time signatures on his fretless bass. He takes you to a different planet I swear it.
Les Claypool
Bassist and singer for Primus. Les Claypool's style and sound is very unique.
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Keno's Classic Rock n Roll Web Site
Ken Runs a Rolling Stones and John Lennon Fan Site too.
GREATEST HITS ALBUM REVIEW
THE BEATLES
1967 - 1970
Released - 1973, on Apple Records. Produced by George Martin, except tracks 27 & 28, produced by Phil Spector
John Lennon - Lead & Backing Vocals, Rhythm, Lead, Slide Guitars, Bass on track 15, Percussion, Harp, Keyboards
Paul McCartney - Lead & Backing Vocals, Bass, Drums & Lead Guitar on track 15, Keyboards, Percussion
George Harrison - Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Backing and Lead Vocals
Ringo Starr - Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, and Lead Vocals on tracks 4 & 25
Additional Personnel - Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Keith Moon, Marianne Faithfull, Pattie Harrison, Jane Asher, Graham Nash, Mike Sammes Singers and several others.
All songs written by Lennon/McCartney except "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Old Brown Shoe", "Here Comes The Sun" and "Something", written by G. Harrison and "Octopus's Garden" written by R. Starkey.
SONG
YEAR RELEASED
RATING
Strawberry Fields Forever 1967 10.0
Penny Lane 1967 10.0
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967 10.0
With a Little Help from My Friends 1967 10.0
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds 1967 10.0
A Day in the Life 1967 10.0
All You Need Is Love 1967 10.0
I Am the Walrus 1967 10.0
Hello Goodbye 1967 10.0
The Fool on the Hill 1967 10.0
Magical Mystery Tour 1967 10.0
Lady Madonna 1968 10.0
Hey Jude 1968 10.0
Revolution 1968 10.0
Back in the U.S.S.R. 1968 10.0
While My Guitar Gently Weeps 1968 10.0
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 1968 10.0
Get Back 1969 10.0
Don't Let Me Down 1969 9.6
The Ballad of John and Yoko 1969 10.0
Old Brown Shoe 1969 6.0
Here Comes the Sun 1969 10.0
Come Together 1969 10.0
Something 1969 10.0
Octopus's Garden 1969 8.4
Let It Be 1970 10.0
Across the Universe 1970 9.0
The Long and Winding Road 1970 10.0
Ave. 9.75
Review
This is the companion greatest hits double album to 1962 - 1966. You sure can see how much not only The Beatles appearance changed in just a few short years (just check out the two LPs covers, with photos taken at the same location of the Fabs just 6 years apart), but boy did their music change too!
No longer a pop group, they were now a pure rock band with songs that said a lot more than just I love you and I wanna hold your hand! Thanks to John Lennon, some of the most far-out lyrics written by anybody were now showing up on their records, and it seemed to rub off on Paul McCartney in some of his songs, too.
The best overall song on here was written by Paul for John's young son, "Hey Jude". It was at the time of its release the longest time running single ever released and was a smash hit, and most people were fooled into thinking the lyrics were about heroin addiction. The best written song in this greatest hits package has to be John's "I Am the Walrus", with "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" (another Lennon penned gem) a close second. One more song to make the "best" list would be "Revolution" with one of the first and best acid lead guitar parts ever played, courtesy of John.
The three greatest songs ever written by George Harrison show up on here, too, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes The Sun" and "Something". But what in the world is his "Old Brown Shoe" doing on here? This one is a weak song, if not for the slide guitar and neat bass it would not even be an average song, but for sure it was not a Beatles greatest hit, nor a song that most Beatles fans cared for. Almost any other song from '67 -'70 would have fitted in better than this dull one!
I guess I could close out this review in the same matter that I closed out my review for 1962 - 1966, nothing more needs to be written about this album, yes, it too speaks for itself! Damn, the Beatles were one GREAT group!
- Keno 2005
To listen to some soundclips from THE BEATLES 1967-1970 or to purchase it, click on: The Beatles '67 - '70
Return to Rock Album's Reviews
A few years ago I once found a music reviewer from England,I don't remember his name who said he never liked Led Zeppelin,and the known music reviewer George Starostin only gives them a grade C and thats way too generous!
I have always totally *hated* Led Zeppelin from the time I was a teenager. They truly sound like one of the worst bands or any "music" I have had the misfortune of ever hearing! They along with Queen,and Pink Floyd are the only 3 bands that I have to get up off of my chair even if I'm very tired and turn off immediately! I'm not alone in feeling this way either,I have found many other people on music review sites saying they hate Led Zepelin even some people on heavy metal sites!
Not only do many people say that Led Zeppelin stole a lot fom many old blues songs, and Led Zeppelin's terrible loud banging noise with no creative quality to it at all,and Robert Plant's common screaming,and sceaching like a retarted monkey,but they also say his lyrics are simple and ordinary and sound like a horny teenage boy wrote them! The Who,The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix are all a Million times better! Heck even Van Halen is much better and I'm not even a fan of theirs. And The Beatles Are A *ZILLION* Times BETTER!!!!!!
Keno's Classic Rock n Roll Web Site
GREATEST HITS ALBUM REVIEW
THE BEATLES
1962 - 1966
Released - 1973, on Apple Records. Produced by George Martin
John Lennon - Lead & Backing Vocals, Rhythm, Slide, Lead Guitars, Harmonica, Percussion, Keyboards
Paul McCartney - Lead & Backing Vocals, Bass, Acoustic Guitar on track 13, Keyboards, Percussion
George Harrison - Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Ringo Starr - Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Backing Vocals and Lead Vocal on track 25
Additional Personnel - Johnnie Scott - Flute on track 15; On track 25: Brian Jones - Percussion &Backing Vocals, Donovan, Pattie Harrison, Marianne Faithfull, Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall - Backing Vocals; Many others play on tracks 13 &24.
All songs written by John Lennon &Paul McCartney
SONG YEAR RELEASED RATING
Love Me Do 1962 10.0
Please Please Me 1963 10.0
From Me to You 1963 10.0
She Loves You 1963 10.0
I Want to Hold Your Hand 1963 10.0
All My Loving 1964 10.0
Can't Buy Me Love 1964 10.0
A Hard Day's Night 1964 10.0
And I Love Her 1964 10.0
Eight Days a Week 1964 10.0
I Feel Fine 1964 10.0
Ticket to Ride 1965 10.0
Yesterday 1965 10.0
Help! 1965 10.0
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away 1965 10.0
We Can Work It Out 1965 10.0
Day Tripper 1965 10.0
Drive My Car 1965 10.0
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) 1965 10.0
Nowhere Man 1965 10.0
Michelle 1965 10.0
In My Life 1965 10.0
Girl 1965 10.0
Paperback Writer 1966 10.0
Eleanor Rigby 1966 10.0
Yellow Submarine 1966 10.0
Ave 10.0
Review
This greatest hits double album was released along with the companion greatest hits double album 1967 - 1970. Every single song found on here is a pure ten, and too think for the time period covered ('62-'66), they had other songs just as good that didn't make it into this package.
Michael Jackson can call himself the king of pop, but the real pop kings in the early '60s were the Beatles, as anybody who was around back then can tell ya. The first 16 songs on here are all pop, but by mid 1965 their music style would slowly start to change, and since the Beatles were the main trendsetters in music, all of rock music changed along with them.Whatever the Beatles did, everybody else would follow.
It is totally impossible to say for sure which song on here is the best one, but I will try. Let's see, the best pop song would be "She Loves You" - better sung and blended vocals are just not possible, best drug song would be "Day Tripper" - even if most fans didn't have a clue what the song was really about when it first was released, and the best of the newer sounding songs is "Girl", a song with a double meaning to it, something that they would get into again in the upcoming years.
I really don't have to say too much more about this greatest hits album, it speaks for itself and if you love the Beatles you more than likely already have it and love it. If you don't love or at least like the Beatles and their music, then you are not a true rock fan, and more than likely never will ever get it.
-Keno 2005
To listen to some soundclips from THE BEATLES 1962-1966 or to purchase it, click on: The Beatles '62 -'66
Return to Rock Album's Reviews
Also if anyone with an open mind really wants to have this stupid myth that The Beatles are overrated debunked,than please get from your library,The Beatles REcording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn. It's an excellent very thorough detailed music diary of their amazing just 8 year recording career!
Many of their recording engineers and tape operators are interviewed in this book,and some of them were innovative as well. They all describe just how truly innovative,creative and prolific The Beatles really were in the recording studio especially John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
A 15 year old guy said on a message board that he read this book and he's been loving THe Beatles ever since! On Yesfans.com they had the topic,Are The Beatles Overrated? going on from 2004-early 2007 and 75% of Yes fans voted the first option,NO Of Course Not How Dare You Question Their Greatness!Many Yes fans said that they couldn't even believe that this is a serious question and one said it's weird!
Infact one Yes fan said The Greatest Band Of All Time Overrated? Phuck No! Another Yes fan quoted him and said exactly what he just said! And one Yes fan had posted his own quotes from a year before saying he thought The Beatles are overrated,now he posted an emoticon holding a lame sign under his old quotes,and he said "Lame thats just what I was, how did I ever post that? I love The Beatles time changes everything I guess ."
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John Lennon’s Ivor Novello Award Will be Auctioned July 3 in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, June 25, 2007 -(PR.com )--John Lennon's Ivor Novello award, the UK equivalent to the Grammy Award in the US, will be auctioned off in Las Vegas July 3rd including 400 lots of rare and authentic Beatles Memorabilia, Autographs, Photographs and Artwork by ItsOnlyRockNRoll.com and Victorian Casino Antiques.
Since 1955, members of the “British Academy of Composers and Songwriters” have annually selected recipients of the prestigious Ivor Novello award honoring songwriting and composing excellence. The American award equivalent would be the Grammy category for “Song of the Year” and was presented to John in 1968.
Named in honor of the famous British composer, actor and playwright (1893-1951), winners truly appreciate the fact that their selection came from a cross-section of their peers. A wide array of categories, all spotlighting the songs and the songwriters, has contributed to making the annual Ivor's Award Ceremony a very intimate, integrity laden affair.
The engraved plaque reads: “JOHN LENNON - She’s Leaving Home 1967-68”. The circular base upon which the sculpted figure stands reads: “AN IVOR NOVELLO AWARD”.
The idea for the poignant ballad which appears on The Beatles landmark album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, came to Paul McCartney after reading a February 27th, 1967 newspaper account of a missing upper class teenage girl. Incidentally, unbeknownst to McCartney at the time, The Beatles had actually met the girl, Melanie Coe, in October ‘63 when she was a dancer on “Ready Steady Go” (she can be seen with The Beatles in a photo that appears in Steve Turner’s “A Hard Day’s Write”).
“She’s Leaving Home” came to fruition very quickly as George Martin arranged and recorded the string and harp section on March 17th, then on March 20th McCartney’s lead vocal and John Lennon’s backing vocals were added. Neither Harrison nor Starr appears on the track. The Beatles were awarded three Ivor Novellos in March 1968: 1) Best British Song (musically &lyrically), “She’s Leaving Home” 2) Second Best-Selling Record Of The Year, “Hello Goodbye” and 3) Best Instrumental Theme Of The Year, “Love In The Open Air”, Paul McCartney’s theme for the film, “A Family Way”. The Beatles cumulatively won more than twenty Ivors between 1963 and 70; a remarkable achievement.
Ivor Novellos rarely come into the marketplace. The highly stylized sculpted female statuette made from solid brass is 11.25” high with a 7.75” diameter base and green felt bottom. EX.
We’ve added a photo of John Lennon with the Ivor Novello and an unidentified fan. The photo is not included with the lot and is shown here for illustration only.
The auction will focus on Original Memorabilia and Collectibles from the 1964-1969 era, authenticated Beatles group and individual’s Autographs and Handwritten Material, Original Artwork, Concert Posters, Photographs, Lithographs, Awards, Clothing, Personal Effects and Toys.
“One highlight is a previously unknown concert poster advertising The Beatles appearing at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in 1966 that is expected to bring over $50,000,” says ItsOnlyRocknRoll.com president Marc Zakarin. “The woman that consigned it obtained it from the ticket agency that sold tickets at the time and kept it in her drawer for 41 years.” ItsOnlyRocknRoll.com Auctions set the world record for the sale of a concert poster recently when a 1966 Beatles Shea Stadium poster sold at auction for $132,000.
A highlight of the Mirage auction will be items from original Beatles Bass Player Stuart Sutcliffe’s collection including original artwork, paintings, writings and drawings from his days as an original Beatles. Stuart was killed early in the Beatles history and his sister, Pauline Sutcliffe, will be ItsOnlyRockNRoll.com’s special guest appearing at the auction.
The auction will feature fantastic authentic autographs and writings, including Paul McCartney handwritten lyrics to a Gene Vincent song, a Stuart Sutcliffe song list, Hotel registration cards signed by each Beatle, John Lennon's Signed registration for his Rolls Royce, The Animal’s guitarist Hilton Valentine’s Beatles and Animals signed “Thank Your Lucky Stars" television cue sheet, flight attendant Eva Van Enk’s "In His Own Write” book signed by all four Beatles along with her candid photographs from the trip. And a guitar signed by Ringo Starr &His All Starr Band from his 1992 tour.
The Photography section includes hundreds of vintage photos from photographer Sam Leach's archive, along with previously unseen and unpublished photos from Ian Wright and others. Rare toys and merchandise items include a Beatles Phonograph in the original box, a John Lennon Halloween costume in the box and a set of prototype Beatles Bobble Head Car Mascot Nodders in the sale of 300 lots of memorabilia.
Full color catalogs will be available prior to the auction by mail and at the event. The auction will also be live online for bidding at www.ItsOnlyRocknRoll.com and eBay Live with Victorian Casino Antiques of Las Vegas.
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News
May 31, 2000
McCartney Takes Top Honor at Ivor Novello Awards
Sir Paul McCartney led the list of BMI UK songwriters honored at the recent Ivor Novello Awards, Britain's highest honors given to songwriters. McCartney received the Fellowship of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, the first the academy has given. McCartney was cited as "a true giant of the world of songwriters and composers."
BMI's Ivor Novello Award Winners
British Academy of Composers and Songwriters Fellowship
Sir Paul McCartney
BMI represents over 350,000 songwriters, composers, and publishers with more than 6.5 million works.
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McCartney To Be Honoured At Brits
Former-Beatle and Knight Of The Realm Sir Paul McCartney will be holding his thumbs aloft once more when he receives a special Brit Award next February.
The special prize for Outstanding Contribution To Music will be awarded to the music legend at next year's Brit Awards which will take place at London's Earls Court on February 20.
The Brits Committee's Ged Doherty said that McCartney's citation would be an "historic moment" for the ceremony.
He explained: "Sir Paul McCartney is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and a member of Britain's biggest ever group."
During his five-decade career, McCartney conquered the world in the 1960s with fellow Beatles John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, formed the hugely successful band Wings with his late wife Linda the following decade, made an impassioned plea for racial harmony with Stevie Wonder in the turbulent 1980s with 'Ebony &Ivory' while delighting a whole new generation of young fans with The Frog Chorus and 'We All Stand Together'. All thoroughly deserving of a special prize.
More recently, his 21st studio album, 'Memory Almost Full', was distinguished by the fact that it sold more copies in the U.S. during the first week of release than any of his other solo albums. Which either says a lot
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