We Can't Work It Out: The Fab War -- The Prologue

Here's the premise: everyone fights over their favorite Beatle, but no one gets too particular. Paul is cute, John is political, George is spiritual and Ringo is fun(ny-looking). Most people are happy to pick the Beatle whose identity they most identify with and go from there. I decided that wasn't enough. Thus, here's what I am doing:

I have compiled a 22-song track list for each Beatle, respresenting both their contributions to the Beatles and their work as a solo artist. The track lists are arranged chronologically, and are my personal favorite tracks from that artist. This means that some artists have more Beatles work than others and so the chronology doesn't always match up, but nothing's perfect. Also, my taste is pretty idiosyncratic. Each track number on each list will go up against its own track number on the other discs in a four-song battle royale. The song that comes out on top will recieve four points. The runner up will get three points. Third place gets two points. The loser gets one point. (No, I don't foresee Ringo ending up with 22 points.) Following 22 rounds, scores will be docked points based on each Beatles' worst work (i.e., "Ebony and Ivory" and "Revolution No. 9"). Whichever Beatles emerges on top will become my new favorite.

A little background going in:

Paul McCartney -- bass, keyboards, drums, etc.

Paul was probably the poppiest composer of the group as well as the most stereotypically cute. He was an ace of bass as well as a menagerie of other instruments. This meant that he'd sometimes become control freakish and insist on playing everything himself, which probably played at least as big a role in the breakup of the Beatles as Yoko did. He led Wings in the seventies and has toured extensively. Despite horrid duets with Michael Jackson, he had the longest marriage and was probably the most commercially successful solo artist among the Beatles, if that counts for anything.

1. That Means A Lot
2. Paperback Writer
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Here, There and Everywhere
5. Got To Get You Into My Life
6. Penny Lane
7. When I'm 64
8. Hello Goodbye
9. The Fool On the Hill
10. Rocky Raccoon
11. Back In the U.S.S.R.
12. You Never Give Me Your Money
13. She Came In Through the Bathroom Window
14. You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
15. Come and Get It
16. Junk
17. Uncle Albert/Admirable Halsey
18. Maybe I'm Amazed
19. Live and Let Die
20. Band On the Run
21. Ever Present Past
22. Mr. Bellamy

John Lennon -- rhythm guitar, piano:

John was the most political and likely the most stereotypically "artsy" Beatles. He divorced his first wife Cynthia in favor of an avant garde Japanese artist. He was rawly emotional in his songs, presaging the emo movement by decades and accomplishing more than it could hope to. He also discovered several artists and had great names for the bands he was associated with, such as Plastic Ono Band, Elephant's Memory and The Elastic Oz Band.

1. If I Fell
2. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
3. Nowhere Man
4. In My Life
5. Wait
6. She Said, She Said
7. Strawberry Fields Forever
8. I Am the Walrus
9. Sexy Sadie
10. Dear Prudence
11. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me and My Monkey
12. Revolution
13. Hey Bulldog
14. Come Together
15. Don't Let Me Down
16. Across the Universe
17. Working Class Hero
18. Instant Karma!
19. Imagine
20. Jealous Guy
21. #9 Dream
22. Woman

George Harrison -- lead guitar:

George was the spiritual Beatles, and also a crack guitar player. His influence can be heard in the work of everyone from Prince ("I Could Never Take the Place Of Your Man") to Dean Ween ("What Deaner Was Talkin' About"). Despite having his hot, hot wife stolen by Eric Clapton, he still nice enough to organize the Rainbow Concert that helped bring Clapton out of a downward spiral caused by his heroin addiction. When not helping to save overblown rock stars, Harrison helped out the starving children of Bangladesh and hung out with Hari Krishnas. He later became de facto leader of the Traveling Wilburys, the superest supergroup ever to walk the planet.

1. Don't Bother Me
2. Taxman
3. I Want to Tell You
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. Savoy Truffle
6. Not Guilty
7. It's All Too Much
8. Something
9. Here Comes the Sun
10. Old Brown Shoe
11. For You Blue
12. I Me Mine
13. I'd Have You Anytime
14. My Sweet Lord
15. What Is Life?
16. Crackerbox Palace
17. When We Was Fab
18.Handle With Care
19. Heading For the Light
20. Cheer Down
21. Any Road
22. Pisces Fish

Ringo Starr -- drums:

Ringo was everyone's buddy. He wasn't a great drummer, but he wasn't a slouch either. He replaced the showier Pete Best, which most people lament but it was better that way for the band. Ringo's steady-but-not-too-showy drumming provided a perfect backdrop for the Beatles. Also, when uberdrummer Keith Moon recorded his solo album, Two Sides of the Moon, he hired Ringo to play drums, so he can't be all that bad. Ringo had a great sense of humor. He was friendly, humble, and a much better songwriter than anyone ever gives him credit for.

1. I Wanna Be Your Man
2. If You've Got Trouble
3. What Goes On
4. Yellow Submarine
5. With A Little Help From My Friends
6. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
7. Don't Pass Me By
8. Good Night
9. Octopus's Garden
10. The End
11. Beaucoups of Blues
12. It Don't Come Easy
13. Early 1970
14. Back Off Boogaloo
15. Photograph
16. I'm the Greatest
17. Oh, My My
18. Snookeroo
19. Only You
20. (It's All Down To) Goodnight Vienna
21. Wrack My Brain
22. Fading In and Fading Out