# Best of the Beatles: Yellow Submarine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 27, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665 "2014-03-27T03:34:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/1 "2014-03-27T03:34:12Z")
After looking at _The Beatles_, otherwise known as _The White Album_ ([Part One](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=717988) and [Part Two](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=718787)), it’s time for _Yellow Submarine_! _Yellow Submarine_ is another soundtrack album, to the rather psychedelic film of the same name. After the disaster that was _Magical Mystery Tour_, the Beatles weren’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of yet another film, but they _were_ interested in the idea of it being animated. They only actually appear in the film at the very end, as the voices of their animated selves are not their own voices. It was a huge hit in theaters, and today is generally regarded as one of the best films of the band’s. The album itself, like _Magical Mystery Tour_, is much less of a cohesive whole than others - the songs were collected from a relatively wide span of time. In fact, there are only four truly new songs on the album - “It’s All Too Much,” “Only a Northern Song,” “All Together Now,” and “Hey Bulldog.” Despite this, I’ve decided to include all the songs in the poll, repeats or not. Fun fact: all the tracks on the second side, with the exception of “Yellow Submarine in Pepperland,” were composed by George Martin. Let’s vote! ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/2 "2014-03-27T04:06:47Z")
“Hey Bulldog” seems like the no-brainer here; really, it’s pretty obvious the original songs are all outtakes. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/3 "2014-03-27T04:18:37Z")
The Beatles made a deal with UA for 3 movies. A Hard Day’s Night and Help were 2/3s of the deal. Magical Mystery Tour was mostly one of Paul’s ideas. After it was completed, they offered it to UA to finish their part of the deal. UA said “No way”. I don’t know if it aired in the UK, but there was an animated Beatles cartoon series every Saturday morning on TV. It was sort of like The Monkees but animated with English accents and at least 2 Beatles songs. So, the people who made that got signed up for Yellow Submarine. The pop artist Peter Max was really hot then, so there’s a serious Peter Max flavour to the animation. Other than agreeing to it, all the Beatles did was put on their circa 64 collarless suits and appear for maybe 20 minutes at the end. And I suspect they only did that much so UA would have to accept it as the last movie in their deal. And yeah, all the music by the Beatles were either outtakes, or previously recorded stuff (Yellow Submarine and All You Need Is Love) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/4 "2014-03-27T04:31:19Z")
I wasn’t going to vote in this one – not really a Beatles album, IMHO – but I decided, what the heck, it gives me a chance to vote for my favorite Beatles sing when I was three years old – the title track, naturally. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/5 "2014-03-27T05:38:50Z")
Bulldog. FWIW, I’ve always liked Martin’s instrumental suite as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/6 "2014-03-27T12:02:24Z")
I seem to be out of step with majority opinion on George Harrison’s songwriting, because I don’t like many of his more popular songs such as “Something” or “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, but I utterly love the rather overlooked “It’s All Too Much”. Superb psychedelic wig-out. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/7 "2014-03-27T12:19:23Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > “Hey Bulldog” seems like the no-brainer here; really, it’s pretty obvious the original songs are all outtakes. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/8 "2014-03-27T12:24:08Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > I seem to be out of step with majority opinion on George Harrison’s songwriting, because I don’t like many of his more popular songs such as “Something” or “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, but I utterly love the rather overlooked “It’s All Too Much”. Superb psychedelic wig-out. Do you like “The Inner Light”? I love that one. I’ll consider it when we wrap up this series with the Past Masters discs\* – though it will of course have a ton of juicy competition, so I don’t expect it to get any votes. \*Please, let’s not do “Anthology” just so we can include “Free as a Bird,” “Real Love,” and “You Have Reached The Lennon-Ono Residence, Please Leave a Message After the Beep.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/9 "2014-03-27T12:49:53Z")
The album is very underrated. Yes, the second side is worthless, but “Hey Bulldog” is a classic and the two George Harrison songs are among his best work. “Only a Northern Song” deserved to be on “Sgt. Pepper” instead of “Within You Without You.” ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/10 "2014-03-27T13:13:05Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > but I utterly love the rather overlooked “It’s All Too Much”. Superb psychedelic wig-out. It pushes my buttons , and I just have to accept that in this case my buttons are different than most people’s. And this might be my favorite George joke: _Show me that I’m everywhere And get me home for tea_ ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/11 "2014-03-27T13:14:01Z")
Only a Northern Song is my favorite Harrison song. Probably not his best, but definitely my fav. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/12 "2014-03-27T13:29:44Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Do you like “The Inner Light”? I love that one. I’ll consider it when we wrap up this series with the Past Masters discs\* – though it will of course have a ton of juicy competition, so I don’t expect it to get any votes. > > \*Please, let’s not do “Anthology” just so we can include “Free as a Bird,” “Real Love,” and “You Have Reached The Lennon-Ono Residence, Please Leave a Message After the Beep.” 🙂 Not that familiar with “The Inner Light” to be honest. Just listened to it and it’s not bad, might grow on me. \*Anthology \*could be fun - I imagine the “new” songs will get a savaging, but I’m actually rather fond of “Real Love”, although of course it sounds more like a Lennon solo song, which is what it is. They should have released that one first rather than “Free as a Bird”. [oh, just realised you said let’s \*not \*do Anthology! I’m OK with that too.] ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/13 "2014-03-27T13:58:08Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > “Hey Bulldog” seems like the no-brainer here; really, it’s pretty obvious the original songs are all outtakes. Yep yep. The original American release of the film cut the sequence in which the song appears, which is a shame. Love the movie. Just got it for my collection a couple weeks ago, not having seen it since the original theatrical run. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/14 "2014-03-27T19:44:47Z")
LOVE me some “Hey Bulldog”! I have this set to play when my player (Paul George) is named the Player of the Game in NBA 2K. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/15 "2014-03-27T20:56:34Z")
The two George songs heralded his break from the Beatles.😛 ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/16 "2014-03-28T13:06:33Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > I seem to be out of step with majority opinion on George Harrison’s songwriting, because I don’t like many of his more popular songs such as “Something” or “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, but I utterly love the rather overlooked “It’s All Too Much”. Superb psychedelic wig-out. Have you heard [Steve Hillage’s cover version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcY8OF7q5bc)? Fantastic stuff. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/17 "2014-03-28T13:42:52Z")
This one is bizarrely hard: 1. I want to vote for YS because (a), it’s their best children’s song, bar none, and (b), it’s another vote for _Revolver_, and (c) Ringo needs love. 2. I want to vote for OANS because (a) it’s a vote for George, and (b) I don’t know how the hell I’m going to vote on the _Abbey Road_ list, so may as well give him props, and (c) it’s a good song in its own right. 3. I want to vote for HB because (a) I went to the University of Georgia, home of the [single greatest mascot in the history of college sports](http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/1997/0428_large.jpg), (b) because it’s probably the best song on the album, and (c), one miraculous night I scored 100% on Rock Band Beatles on Hard difficulty level on this song… and I _suck_ at Rock Band. 4. On the other hand, AYNIL (can we pronounce this “anal”?) is trite crap. There, I said it. Easily the worst of the Beatles #1 hits, it wishes it could be the song Hello/Goodbye is. I went for _Only a Northern Song_. Miss ya, George! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/18 "2014-03-28T20:33:22Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > … one miraculous night I scored 100% on Rock Band Beatles on Hard difficulty level on this song… (Hey Bulldog) If your instrument was bass it counts as 150%. > [@JohnT](#): > > …AYNIL (can we pronounce this “anal”?) is trite crap. There, I said it. There, I agreed with you. “Trite” is exactly the word. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/19 "2014-03-28T22:05:24Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > (Hey Bulldog) > If your instrument was bass it counts as 150%. > There, I agreed with you. “Trite” is exactly the word. I voted “Hey Bulldog,” but “All You Need is Love” would probably be my number two. I really enjoy the somewhat odd beat/timing of the song (alternating four beats and three beats in the verses), the slight “misquote” of the Marseillaise in the intro, the joyful anthemic quality of the song, and the musical stream of consciousness/non-sequitors at the end, quoting Bach, Glen Miller, the Beatles themselves, etc. It’s a nice little post-modern pop patchwork. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665/20 "2014-03-28T22:13:10Z")
I’m surprised to find myself with the noisy majority. Bulldog. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-yellow-submarine/684665.md?page=2)