"Old Brown Shoe" v. "Dear Prudence" v. "Rocky Raccoon" v. "The End"
"Dear Prudence" is among the most gorgeous songs ever written. It begins nearly funereal before working up too a fever about the sky being blue. Truly an amazing song. This was written for Mia Farrow's sister, if memory serves, as an attempt to get her to quit being a prude and have a good time with everyone else. I can't imagine it not working.
"Rocky Raccoon" is an amazing track as well, though. Paul decided to write this for the album after having heard Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding, along with other country-tinged tracks like "Mother Nature's Son." The characters from Wind In the Willows walk into a Dodge City saloon. Beautiful. The nonsensical scatting over the ragtime piano is even a revelation.
Overall, "The End" is a better song than "Old Brown Shoe," but if I have to limit it to Ringo's contributions, even if it is one of his best the prize goes to "Old Brown Shoe."
This round:
John: 4
Paul: 3
George: 2
Ringo: 1
Totals thus far:
John: 30
Paul: 28
George: 24
Ringo: 18
Showing posts with label Fab War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fab War. Show all posts
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
We Can't Work It Out: The Fab War -- Round 3
"I Want To Tell You" v. "Nowhere Man" v. "Eleanor Rigby" v. "What Goes On"
Things haven't been looking too good for George Harrison lately, even though I do consider him my favorite Beatle pre-competition. I still have faith in him though; he's a dark horse, the kind that will charge from behind. He's not ready to do it here, though. "I Want To Tell You" is a great song, but the competition is heady. John and Paul wrote excellent songs this round and both "What Goes On" and "Nowhere Man" feature better lead guitar playing.
"Eleanor Rigby" doesn't have guitar playing, but its so expertly put together that it is hard to imagine George wouldn't have played better on it under Paul's arrangement. "Yesterday" is usually lauded as par excellence, and I've often seen it cited as the first mix of pop and chamber music. Both claims are less than true. "Eleanor Rigby" is a thousand times more poignant, mysterious and beautiful than "Yesterday;" it is the true achievement. (In terms of being first, Buddy Holly used strings for his recording of the eerily transcendent, and perhaps superior to both Beatles songs, "True Love Ways.") What is with those crazy lyrics like "keeping her face in a jar by the door"? Who is that for? Decidedly, however, these lyrical peculiarities only deepen the listener's curiosity.
"Nowhere Man" features a great band performance and introspective lyric. It is one of the finest songs ever, dealing with the turmoil of one man's desire to shut himself off from the world. This song was a major move forward for Lennon and remains a standout track. While, "Nowhere Man" recreates one man's alienation, however, "Eleanor Rigby" is able to create a whole community's alienation.
Ringo's first composer credit, co-credited in this case with Lennon/McCartney, is a driving pop tune that nearly foreshadows "Don't Pass Me By." "What Goes On" features great playing by all four Beatles and a really upbeat tempo and melody that underscore the lyric, a Beatled-up (or Beatled-down, depending on how you want to look at it) version of one of Bob Dylan's famous put-down songs. Not the greatest piece of work ever, but an overlooked gem that Ringo should get more credit for.
Scores thus far:
John - 8
Paul - 12
George - 4
Ringo - 6
Things haven't been looking too good for George Harrison lately, even though I do consider him my favorite Beatle pre-competition. I still have faith in him though; he's a dark horse, the kind that will charge from behind. He's not ready to do it here, though. "I Want To Tell You" is a great song, but the competition is heady. John and Paul wrote excellent songs this round and both "What Goes On" and "Nowhere Man" feature better lead guitar playing.
"Eleanor Rigby" doesn't have guitar playing, but its so expertly put together that it is hard to imagine George wouldn't have played better on it under Paul's arrangement. "Yesterday" is usually lauded as par excellence, and I've often seen it cited as the first mix of pop and chamber music. Both claims are less than true. "Eleanor Rigby" is a thousand times more poignant, mysterious and beautiful than "Yesterday;" it is the true achievement. (In terms of being first, Buddy Holly used strings for his recording of the eerily transcendent, and perhaps superior to both Beatles songs, "True Love Ways.") What is with those crazy lyrics like "keeping her face in a jar by the door"? Who is that for? Decidedly, however, these lyrical peculiarities only deepen the listener's curiosity.
"Nowhere Man" features a great band performance and introspective lyric. It is one of the finest songs ever, dealing with the turmoil of one man's desire to shut himself off from the world. This song was a major move forward for Lennon and remains a standout track. While, "Nowhere Man" recreates one man's alienation, however, "Eleanor Rigby" is able to create a whole community's alienation.
Ringo's first composer credit, co-credited in this case with Lennon/McCartney, is a driving pop tune that nearly foreshadows "Don't Pass Me By." "What Goes On" features great playing by all four Beatles and a really upbeat tempo and melody that underscore the lyric, a Beatled-up (or Beatled-down, depending on how you want to look at it) version of one of Bob Dylan's famous put-down songs. Not the greatest piece of work ever, but an overlooked gem that Ringo should get more credit for.
Scores thus far:
John - 8
Paul - 12
George - 4
Ringo - 6
Thursday, September 27, 2007
We Can't Work It Out: The Fab War -- Round 2
"Taxman" v. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" v. "If You've Got Troubles" v. "Paperback Writer"
"Taxman" is a great satire on the power of The Man to regulate the man's dollar. It features punching guitar and some witty lyrics, including a reference to saving money by putting pennies on your eyes when you are dead. This is a modern twist on an old tradition, which I believe was used so that one would be able to pay for the poling of the ferry across the river Styx and into the underworld. Unfortunately, its still far from Harrison's best work. The aforementioned wit was included in a line which went "be careful, pennies on your eyes." This seems rather lazy writing as its grammatical structure, or lack thereof, forces the listener to work overly hard at figuring the line out. A great track, but not Harrison's best.
"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" is one of Lennon's early Dylan rip-offs, and perhaps his best. "I can't go on feeling two foot small" is a neat grammatical construction reminiscent of Dylan. Lennon is at his most derivatively Dylanesque with the line "gather round all you clowns," and the use of acoustic guitars shows a move toward the folk genre. While parts of this song are great, overall it does sound somewhat rehashed, though well-executed and with excellent use of percussion with the tambourine and maracas combo.
"If You've Got Trouble" features a rip-roaring Ringo vocal and a driving bass riff over a steady beat. This sounds like a Lennon lyrics, and one of his most biting. He seems to be in Dylanesque mode here, emulating "Like A Rolling Stone"'s thematics, but making them completely his own. The Harrison solo that starts about 1:45 into the song bounces and cuts in equal measures. This song may not be the best song ever, but it features excellent performances by all involved, especially Ringo those driving drums and striving vocal make this one of the best tracks he sang.
"Paperback Writer" comes on like a power-chord avalanche. The dirty overdrive that characterizes this song is appealing and catchy. The lyrics are sort of silly, but they nail the kind of pleading that only a pulp writer can do. The echo effects and layered background vocals only add to the affect. Overall, this is one of The Beatles' strongest tracks, and certainly winner of this round, followed by "If You've Got Trouble," "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away," and "Taxman."
Scores thus far:
Paul -- 8
John -- 5
George -- 3
Ringo -- 4
"Taxman" is a great satire on the power of The Man to regulate the man's dollar. It features punching guitar and some witty lyrics, including a reference to saving money by putting pennies on your eyes when you are dead. This is a modern twist on an old tradition, which I believe was used so that one would be able to pay for the poling of the ferry across the river Styx and into the underworld. Unfortunately, its still far from Harrison's best work. The aforementioned wit was included in a line which went "be careful, pennies on your eyes." This seems rather lazy writing as its grammatical structure, or lack thereof, forces the listener to work overly hard at figuring the line out. A great track, but not Harrison's best.
"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" is one of Lennon's early Dylan rip-offs, and perhaps his best. "I can't go on feeling two foot small" is a neat grammatical construction reminiscent of Dylan. Lennon is at his most derivatively Dylanesque with the line "gather round all you clowns," and the use of acoustic guitars shows a move toward the folk genre. While parts of this song are great, overall it does sound somewhat rehashed, though well-executed and with excellent use of percussion with the tambourine and maracas combo.
"If You've Got Trouble" features a rip-roaring Ringo vocal and a driving bass riff over a steady beat. This sounds like a Lennon lyrics, and one of his most biting. He seems to be in Dylanesque mode here, emulating "Like A Rolling Stone"'s thematics, but making them completely his own. The Harrison solo that starts about 1:45 into the song bounces and cuts in equal measures. This song may not be the best song ever, but it features excellent performances by all involved, especially Ringo those driving drums and striving vocal make this one of the best tracks he sang.
"Paperback Writer" comes on like a power-chord avalanche. The dirty overdrive that characterizes this song is appealing and catchy. The lyrics are sort of silly, but they nail the kind of pleading that only a pulp writer can do. The echo effects and layered background vocals only add to the affect. Overall, this is one of The Beatles' strongest tracks, and certainly winner of this round, followed by "If You've Got Trouble," "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away," and "Taxman."
Scores thus far:
Paul -- 8
John -- 5
George -- 3
Ringo -- 4
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
We Can't Work It Out: The Fab War -- Round 1
"Don't Bother Me" v. "If I Fell" v. "That Means A Lot" v. "I Wanna Be Your Man"
"Don't Bother Me," from With the Beatles, is the first Harrison composition to make it onto a Beatles album, and is a standout track on what is likely their second strongest early album (behing A Hard Day's Night). This guitar part is insanely wicked, especially the solo. The brushed percussion adds a nice tinge. Also, its a break-up song, which is always nice. Depression seems to make for better art, and this is a song of heartbreak where the lamenting male seeks isolation from family and friends; a lot more complex stuff than "Love Me Do."
Meanwhile, "If I Fell" is somewhat of a sappy love ballad, but a damn, damn good one. This excellent track from A Hard Day's Night is supposedly from the point of view of a man afraid to fall in love, though he sounds pretty head over heels already. The melody is super, though. The song caresses a gorgeous melody line through a mid-tempo swing that is perfectly punctuated by occaisional guitar jabs. Musically, this is among the Beatles best songs.
"That Means A Lot" was recorded, I believe, for Help!, though it didn't appear until Anthology 2. This song features some excellent drum rolls by Ringo along with some added maracas-shaking action. Musicially, the song is mostly percussive, and so it is up to Paul's vocal to make the song, and it does so gloriously. He snarls, howls and sneers his way through the song. Lyrically, the song seems to be about a suffocating relationship, where you know that "your love is all you've got." That sounds sweet, but the bitter angst of the bridge's "love can be suicide" shows the song's darkness.
"I Wanna Be Your Man" was Ringo's first Beatle-penned vocal lead on record (his first was the King-Coffin song "Boys"), but was intended to be written for fledgling Rolling Stones. The Beatles push through it like a barn-storm, but its all pushing. The song doesn't really have any nuance or soft edges to balance it out. The repetitive vocal just kills it.
"That Means A Lot" is the best of this bunch. Although rare, it is good enough to hold its own with any Beatles track, and is better than many of the tracks that did make it onto Help! After that, I have to go with "If I Fell" for its gorgeous melody and impeccable sense of timing. I love Harrison, but he has to take third in this round; "Don't Bother Me" is good, but its facing pretty stiff competition. "I Wanna Be Your Man," while driving, is definitely last place this time around.
For those of you watching at home, the scores thus far are:
Paul - 4
John - 3
George - 2
Ringo - 1
"Don't Bother Me," from With the Beatles, is the first Harrison composition to make it onto a Beatles album, and is a standout track on what is likely their second strongest early album (behing A Hard Day's Night). This guitar part is insanely wicked, especially the solo. The brushed percussion adds a nice tinge. Also, its a break-up song, which is always nice. Depression seems to make for better art, and this is a song of heartbreak where the lamenting male seeks isolation from family and friends; a lot more complex stuff than "Love Me Do."
Meanwhile, "If I Fell" is somewhat of a sappy love ballad, but a damn, damn good one. This excellent track from A Hard Day's Night is supposedly from the point of view of a man afraid to fall in love, though he sounds pretty head over heels already. The melody is super, though. The song caresses a gorgeous melody line through a mid-tempo swing that is perfectly punctuated by occaisional guitar jabs. Musically, this is among the Beatles best songs.
"That Means A Lot" was recorded, I believe, for Help!, though it didn't appear until Anthology 2. This song features some excellent drum rolls by Ringo along with some added maracas-shaking action. Musicially, the song is mostly percussive, and so it is up to Paul's vocal to make the song, and it does so gloriously. He snarls, howls and sneers his way through the song. Lyrically, the song seems to be about a suffocating relationship, where you know that "your love is all you've got." That sounds sweet, but the bitter angst of the bridge's "love can be suicide" shows the song's darkness.
"I Wanna Be Your Man" was Ringo's first Beatle-penned vocal lead on record (his first was the King-Coffin song "Boys"), but was intended to be written for fledgling Rolling Stones. The Beatles push through it like a barn-storm, but its all pushing. The song doesn't really have any nuance or soft edges to balance it out. The repetitive vocal just kills it.
"That Means A Lot" is the best of this bunch. Although rare, it is good enough to hold its own with any Beatles track, and is better than many of the tracks that did make it onto Help! After that, I have to go with "If I Fell" for its gorgeous melody and impeccable sense of timing. I love Harrison, but he has to take third in this round; "Don't Bother Me" is good, but its facing pretty stiff competition. "I Wanna Be Your Man," while driving, is definitely last place this time around.
For those of you watching at home, the scores thus far are:
Paul - 4
John - 3
George - 2
Ringo - 1
Monday, September 24, 2007
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
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
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