I love the Beatles. I can listen to just about everything that they did. Except…
“Within You, Without You”
and
“Words of Love” – Buddy Holly Cover. I didn’t like the original, and have never heard a cover worth listening too. Just aweful.
I have a very low tolerance for “You Like Me too Much” as well.
Eight Days a Week* (with a tip of the hat to Happy)
Your Mother Should Go…erm, Know
Yellow Submarine
Honey, Don’t**
The Long and Winding Road
*[sub]typhoon, the answer is that I find this song boring as hell. The main melodic line is the one underlying “Ooh I need your love, babe, yes you know it’s true.” It’s uninteresting and uninspired, and it gets repeated seemingly ad infinitum in the course of a 2.5 minute song. The other bits of music that form the building blocks of the song aren’t that interesting either, IMHO. And I’m not asking for creative or avant-garde; I’m just looking for a catchy melody that stays catchy. This one stopped being catchy for me a long time ago, I’m afraid. [/sub]
**[sub]Off the Beatles '65 album, in America anyway.[/sub]
Jesus Hell! Thank you! I don’t know which album has the one I like - Past Masters or Let it Be, but the other one, with the sparse guitar part, is comparatively awful, sort of like (big drop here) the synthesizer verion of “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake…
Revolution #9 is the one that starts off, “Number nine, number nine, number nine…”
You’re thinking of the song known as “Revolution” in its 45RPM incarnation, and as “Revolution #1” on the White Album. “Revolution” is the faster-paced one, expecially on the guitar intro. Describing “Revolution #1” as laid-back is putting it mildly.
Oh, and although I generally agree with the sentiment, what the hell is Give Peace A Chance anyway? Bag-ism? Drag-ism? It’s godawful. Likewise All You Need Is Love. “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.” Wow, that’s so true. :rolleyes: I can’t think of a single thing I can do that can’t be done. Nor can I think of anything I can sing that can’t be sung. Did you figure that out all by yourself, John?
Not a Beatles song, for one. Solo Lennon, although I think it’s still got the Lennon/McCartney credit.
I saw a music video/trailer for some upcoming British romantic comedy this weekend that featured a god-awful ethereally-voiced cover version of this song. Now, I like this song, but it’s really Beatles-dependent. Turning into a choir piece brings out the worst of it.
(Seriously, though, when I was a messed up adolescent lad, lines like “there’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be” were quite comforting.)
I’m telling you, you people citing “The Long and Winding Road” are on the right track, but “Fool on the Hill” is the real menace II Beatlemaniacs. The flute. The falsetto. The nattering chorus. Paul as misunderstood genius. Aggh.
Eight Days a Week??? My god, I consider it one of the catchiest songs of all time. I mean, maybe I just haven’t been alive long enough to get tired of it yet, but I honestly can’t see that happening.
In my opinion, I’ve always hated Glass Onion. Basically, I can’t stand it when artists refer to their own songs in other songs, even if it’s a passing reference (I make exceptions for using musical elements from previous songs to make a symbolic point, and the “She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah” at the end of All You Need Is Love). This song is based on that very idea; therefore, it sucks. It’s just way too self-indulgent.
The number 9 had special significance to John throughout his life. I think he just tacked it on for the hell of it.
He also wrote “#9 Dream” (solo song) and “One after 909” (song he wrote while still in high school).
He was born on Oct. 9, Sean was born Oct. 9, he secured the Beatles’ first recording contract with EMI on May 9, he met Yoko on Nov. 9.
(Info taken from “Beatlesongs,” by William J Dowlding)
BTW, the recording of the man saying “Number 9… Number 9…” was just a soundcheck recording tape that John stumbled across in the studio. Having the affinity for the number nine himself, I guess he was just drawn to putting it in the song…er, “sound collage.”
I agree. I’ve been alive plenty long enough, and I’m not tired of it. It was the first 45 I ever bought (unfortunately, it was stolen by the mutant offspring of an ex-girlfriend).
I’d have to say Why don’t we do it in the road edges out Rocky Raccoon by a narrow margin. It’s a tough call due to the difference in lengths. I’d have to place Helter Skelter in third. I don’t even count Revolution #9.
Walloon - I can’t say I hate all sound collages. I’ve been fortunate enough that I haven’t heard all of them.
And, I think what this thread is actually proving, is why the Beatles were so successful. They covered every base, and offered something for everyone.