Dung
What?
I don’t like George. Always seemed self-righteous (“try thinking more if just for your own sake”) and a woowoo guy (his suggestions for the Sgt. Pepper montage were ALL gurus.) “Taxman” is about his discovery that the gov’t was taking a bunch of his money.
I think John was probably an asshole, but he was my favorite… mostly because he wrote my favorite Beatles songs.
I think Paul was a better melodist than Elton John, Billy Joel, Carol King or anyone else you care to name. John was as good as anyone except Paul; and had a solid core of “fuckall” that made him a more interesting talent.
Oh, and after it was correctly decided that he had unconsciously ripped off “He’s So Fine,” George wrote “This Song” moaning about the unfairness of the matter. Real classy.
(At least that’s how I interpret “This Song.” Maybe it was just an unfunny joke.)
They were far, far more than the sum of their parts. Apart they were very, very talented musicians; together they were the freakin’ Beatles. Often imitated, never duplicated. I hate having to pick just one.
But oh, OK: Paul. Smart, funny and talented. I always just liked him. Seems like he was having fun and relishing the experience all along, and I respect that.
Ringo. He the funnest, funniest Beatle. You asked for my favorite – not who was the best singer, best musician, most philanthropic, coolest, smartest, musically prolific, eloquent, or anything else. Kinda too close for me to call, 'tho.
George was also sued by Bernie Krause, who taught him how to use the Moog Synthesiser. Krause claimed that side 2 of George’s *Electronic Sound * (“No Time or Space”) was his training session with Harrison, who took credit for “writing” the track with “the assistance” of Krause.
John and then George in my book.
I voted Ringo for his personality and his drumming.
I’m finding people’s reasons for their choices interesting. For me, it’s all about who wrote which songs, and “Here Comes the Sun” is one of my most favoritest songs ever.
Nobody’s said Stu Suttcliffe yet?
http://www.fanpix.net/gallery/barbara-bach-pictures.htm Ringo has been married to Bach for a long time. he wins.
But that’s only one song; if you’re really going by who wrote which songs, Lennon and McCartney wrote more great Beatles songs than Harrison by a significant factor.
Ringo. He’s the only one who never got pretentious on us.
“Great” – matter of opinion. He wrote most of my favorites: “Something,” “Long, Long, Long,” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” in addition to “Here Comes the Sun.”
Fourthed, by and large. Ringo actually doesn’t strike me as dumb exactly and he certainly seemed the least egotistic. Personality-wise, he might be my favorite by a small margin.
But George had the best combination of perceived personality, artistic ability and post-Beatles relevance. In particular his backing ofHandMade Films is a very big deal in my book. I agree that All Things Must Pass is the best of the solo albums. And his Beatles work was generally high enough in quality, if not quantity. Plus he was the lead guitarist, which automatically makes him the coolest :D.
What she said.
Granted, Paul dominates my top ten (6 him, 3 George, 1 John, with a Ringo just off the end of the list), but I rank George’s entries higher.
And I can’t think of a single of George’s songs that I don’t like - neither John nor Paul manages this feat.
I would like to know whether eleanorigby votes for Paul. 
Nope. John wins. BUT, Paul is the most versatile of musicians, and if he had more taste, his post-Beatle’s work would be better. John, while he could be (and often was) a dick, was also a seeker and an asker of the hard questions (unlike shallow Paul). John and George shared that introspective aspect. Ringo just seems like a nice guy. He truly was the glue that held all the egos (and anti-ego; George could be fairly righteous about his humility) together. IMS, Ringo walked out at one point and all the others petitioned him to return.
I prefer more intellectual lyrics and think that Lennon had the quintessential “rock” voice. But Paul is no slouch, nor is George or Ringo. At bottom, I love them all and am grateful for their music enriching my life.
When I was a teen, I crushed heavily on John and George. I saw that Paul was cute and all, but I was always attracted to moody, “difficult” men. (or course, I was 8 when the Beatles broke up, but I benefited from having older sibs who revered them).
I just can’t see the man who could write Eleanor Rigby, She’s Leaving Home and For No One as shallow. Just because Paul’s best lyrics tend to be about specific people rather than Grand Ideas doesn’t mean he wasn’t addressing raw, deep truths about human emotions and circumstances. Paul was much more direct/literal than John, who excelled at poetic/abstract lyrics. John certainly could get analytical, cynical, introspective, and dark, and he did so more often. And yet there’s a purity and honesty in Paul’s lyrics and melodies that actually feel more truthful to me. That’s purely subjective, I know. I just think he gets a bum rap.