The Best Beatles Album Tracks
Not the Beatles. TR singing There’s a Place, London 1995
The Best Beatle Album Tracks
A companion bookend to my August 25th piece on the worse Beatles album tracks. A much harder prospect than the previous article, sifting the best will be difficult but – hey! – that’s why I get paid the big bucks. Only rule is that (UK) singles are not permissible, other than that, let’s get down to it!
Please Please Me – There’s a Place
Already I’m in trouble. Some of my very favourite Beatles tracks are on this one album. The winner could have been Baby It’s You, I Saw Her Standing There, Twist and Shout or Anna (Go to him)… But on reflection, I’ll go with this introspective Lennon song. Used to play it with my group in the mid-90’s. No one cared (though the photo above is me playing the song in London).
With The Beatles – You Really Got a Hold On Me
The Beatles go Smokey Robinson. Supercharges the original, great arrangement, powerful vocals by Lennon. Edges out Money and Devil In Her Heart.
Hard Day’s Night – I’ll Be Back
Had the most trouble with this album. There’s five John songs on the album that I could have picked. He was undisputed leader of the group in all senses at this period in time. I’ll Be Back is an understated, and more powerful for it, acoustic ballad that showcases John’s early song writing.
Beatles for Sale – Baby’s In Black
Baby’s in Black is part of the strongest trio of songs ever to start off an album (No Reply and I’m a Loser being the other two). Only the Beatles could have written and performed this crazy, swinging, blues, country song. Weird but oh so right. Brilliant guitar solo from George.
Help! – You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
Lennon does Dylan. The result is pure Beatles, pure John. Acoustic, hypnotic, great tune, ambiguous lyrics and, yes I keep saying it, great Lennon vocals. Number one busker’s song.
Rubber Soul – Norwegian Wood
Acoustic guitars, sitar, understated, epic. A classic from a classic album. Nuff said.
Revolver – She Said She Said
“She said, I know what it’s like to be dead” lyrically is a million miles away from the boy meets girl constructs of previous Beatle songs. Great stinging lead guitar from George (who also played bass as Paul threw a wobbly and walked out of the session).
Sgt Pepper – Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
I not a big subscriber to the view this is the Beatles best album. It seems to me the production overshadows the actual songs. Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds contains some of Lennon’s best images and has a cracking chorus to boot. From its haunting keyboard opening, Paul’s intelligent bass, this is the standout track.
The Beatles (White Album) – Back in The USSR
An erratic album but with some absolute gems. This McCartney rocker kicks off the album. It’s wild, badly mixed, recorded without Ringo, but it takes on the Beach Boys at their own game and gives them a beating. Wipe out!
Magical Mystery Tour – I Am The Walrus
Lennon snarls his way through four and a half minutes of invective, which provided the whole basis for Liam Gallagher’s career. A song only Lennon could have written. The production is amazing but what holds it together, as usual, is John’s vocal.
Abbey Road – Here Comes The Sun
Harrison’s unstoppable juggernaut takes over the Beatles and flattens Lennon and McCartney. George writes the album’s two best songs. Something could equally have been in this position but as it was the single I’ll go for Here Comes The Sun. Anyone who grew up in the 70’s would be familiar with the guitar figure as it used to the theme tune of the Holiday programme. Beautiful song.
Let It Be – I’ve Got A Feeling
The Beatles as garage band. Live and unadorned, the Beatles rock out. Appropriate that this is a Paul/John combination song showing how great they could be together (check out the version on Anthology 3 to see how John could inspire Paul). Hypnotic riff, powerful harmonies, the song gets better with age.
Who knows? I'll probably change my mind on all of these tomorrow. Or later today. That's the beauty of it, I guess.
Cheers
Tim
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Hip Tunes for Hep Cats!
This week I’m mostly listening to Stan Getz in his early 1960's bossanova phase. I’m a hip cat, daddy-o. Black polo neck sweater, natty goaty beard, copy of On the Road in my trench coat. Oh yeah, Peter Sellers, Princess Margaret, Profumo, Harold Macmillan. Cool beans, man.
Stan Getz – The Girl From Ipanema
Yeah, okay, so I’ve picked the Beethoven’s Fifth of bossanova. I know other stuff too – and can pick a passable Desafinado on the guitar when the mood takes me – but if I want to get into a beat-poet/ hipster mood, The Girl From Ipanema does it for me. I listen to the long version with both Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto trading verses.
The story of how a gorgeous 19-year-old girl would wander past a coffee shop in Rio de Janeiro and by doing so inspired songwriter Vinicius de Moraes to pen this classic is well known. It’s a touching and lasting tribute to the temporary and fleeting virtues of beauty. A bit lechy too, of course. Add some cool bossanova chords from Antônio Carlos Jobim, some breathy sax from Getz and Gilberto’s restrained vocals and we have a jazz classic.
Madonna – Sorry
Dance floor stomper from Madge (did I mention we’ve met? I should tell you about it sometime). Always partial to a decent dance song with a hummable tune, this hit from 2006 (who knew?) helps pass four minutes whilst doing the washing up.
Shelby Lynne – Leavin’
This moody, confessional, telling it how it is, men are bastards, country tune, starts with our Shelby talking into the mike about some useless tosser of a boyfriend before blossoming out into a fully fledge ‘I Will Survive’ self empowerment affirmation of womanly strength.
Barely there acoustic guitar, hypnotic beat, great harmonies. It’s a late night conversation over the phone with someone who finally has the courage to leave. You go girl!
A mere three this week but a sturdy selection I think you’ll find. Now back to the black coffee and the thinly disguised diary dressed up as fiction I’m writing this week. Ho-hum.
DJ Tim
The Worst Beatles Tracks
A pretty routine observation I make is that, unlike most artists, you can take any Beatles album and find an abundance of classic songs not released as a single. The sort of songs lesser artists would kill to have. Such was the embarrassment of riches within the Beatles, songs would just stack up and be used as album fodder. Which is why listening to any Beatles album is also such a joy. It’s never a couple of hits bulked out with fillers. With very few exceptions, all of the Beatles output is a consistently high standard, even when they were innovating.
So I thought, I'd compile a list of The Beatles' stinkers. There aren't many. One per album.
The Worst Beatles Tracks
Abbey Road – Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. Sorry Paul, it’s drivel.
*Beatles For Sale – Honey Don't. The Ringo badge of quality is added to this borefest. Carl Perkins also managed to write the second worst song too - Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby.
Hard Day’s Night – I’m Happy Just to Dance With You. Paul and John did George no favours here by writing this dirge for him. Bizarrely, I covered this in my infamous Great Eastern solo gig in 1992. Knickers were not thrown.
Help! – You Like Me Too Much. Not a classic. George also wrote I Need You on the same album. Also crap.
Let It Be – For You Blue. George donated this derivative toss off to the Get Back project to protect better songs – Something, Here Comes The Sun – from a substandard album. Wise move.
Magical Mystery Tour – Yes, I know not a proper album. Flying, obviously. The Beatles do lounge music for the MMT film. Aural wallpaper.
Please Please Me – Boys. A Ringo filler. Pair an average singer with an average song and you get a sub average track. Probably worked better live at The Cavern. Or at weddings.
Revolver – Love You To. George and Indian music. Mordant vocals and cod philosophical lyrics to a raga beat. Same album as his fiery and brilliant Taxman.
Rubber Soul – What Goes On. Ringo got a writing credit for this Country and Western song. He should have held out and asked for the rights to Paperback Writer instead.
Sgt Pepper – Within In Without You. Yeah. I don’t really like George’s Indian influenced songs. This one goes on for over five minutes. It feels like it.
White Album – Revolution 9. Of course. John and Yoko's avant garde crap. Unlistenable.
With The Beatles. No weak tracks. Not one.
Yellow Submarine – Only A Northern Song. Sorry George, you again. Trying too hard to be different it just comes across as gauche and dissonant.
[Looking through the list now, it appears I’m overly critical of some of George Harrison’s contributions. Of all the Beatles, it was fair to say he got better as he got older. His voice, monosyllabic and nasal in 1963, matured by 1969 into a fine instrument. His song writing talents, sometimes okay, sometimes poor, had developed so much that by 1969 that he was able to go toe to toe with John and Paul. And win.]
Dirty work but someone's got to do it. Best album tracks next to cheer me up.
Cheers
Tim
*Beatles For Sale - Most critics say 'Mr Moonlight' is not only the worst song on the album but in the Beatles entire recording career. A bit harsh, I think. It's not a classic admittedly and the cheesy organ that George Martin adds doesn't help, and yet, and yet, I'm a fan of John Lennon's shouty voice going for big notes (Anna, Baby It's You, Happiness is a Warm Gun). Ironically Lennon's vocals were best demonstrated on the track they left off Beatles For Sale 'Leave My Kitten Alone' - now available on Anthology 1.
This week's Top Ten
First in an occasional series of what I'm listening to. Of course, I'm influenced by my girls so the odd tween anthem may slip through - some would say it's merely nudging at an open door. After some frankly shocking mishaps with the latest Apple upgrade (losing music / playlists / visibility, grrrrr) I quite like their radio / playlists. That and Shazam have allowed me to cast the net wider than Beatles bootlegs or Stones concerts 1969/72. So here goes.
Random Obscure Oldie
Dion - My Girl The Month of May. Swinging 60's sub Beach boys / Carnaby Street / chuck in the kitchen sink type song from Dion. Didn't sell. Shock. Ties should be kipper. Clothes colourful.
Tim's hip. Tim's now. Daddy dancing spot.
David Guetta - Dangerous (Robin Shultz remix). Personally I don't go a bundle on remixes but this one really adds to the, er, mix. Floaty violins break into this club stomper. Light and shade.
Blonde (with Melissa Steel) - I Loved You. Took me yonks to track this down. Briefly kissed the charts last year. A 90's style club throwback. Where's my handbag? I need to dance around it.
Obligatory Stones live track
Stones - Street Fighting Man. Live at Leeds University 1971. Turn it up! Stones in their absolute pomp with Mick Taylor providing magical fluid guitar flourishes to complement Keith's relentless riffs. So good my girls wait at least ten seconds before replacing with Taylor Swift.
Country
Clare Bowen - Black Roses. From the soundtrack to the Nashville TV series. A slow builder which ends in Clare (Scarlett in the series) repeating, declaring, affirming 'I'm not under your spell'. Spell binding.
Kids Choice
Nick Jonas - Chains. This week, my kids are mostly listening to this ditty, currently in the charts.
More next week pop pickers.
DJ Tim
Butterflies, Elvis, Yohanna, Iceland and me.
What a good title for this blog post. Sounds like a folk song or a country music thigh slapper.
Today I posted my critique of Yohanna's Funny Thing Is which is Number 5 on my occasional series of Tim's favourite songs. Yohanna is a young singer from Iceland who specialises in power ballads. She has a great voice and has released some special songs. Funny Thing Is, happens to be my favourite.
As always in this series, I tend to waffle around the subject a bit. My views on small countries, my time as a high flying business exec and female diva / torch songs are explored as well as Yohanna's oeuvre. It's an exciting mix, a real roller coaster of a ride and I enjoyed putting together these 2000 words.
Listen, enjoy. Read, laugh.
Yohanna to read About Funny Thing Is by Yohanna
Cheers ears
Tim
New Song Review To Follow Soon - Funny Thing Is
Spent the last couple of days writing and polishing a song critique of 'Funny Thing Is' by Icelandic singer Yohanna. It's number 5 in my occasional series of my favourite songs. Yes, I'm up my own arse. No, I don't care.
It's nearly finished. The piece has been aided by help from Yohanna herself as she graciously answered some questions I threw at her on Facebook.
If you don't know Yohanna yet, check her out. My song critique in the next couple of days will explain why in much more detail.
Speak soon...
Tim
SONG 4 : Two Gene Clark Ditties
Not one, but two Gene Clark songs make up what I'm inaccurately, but steadfastly, calling, Song 4 on my list. Hey - break the rules, man!
Gene Clark wrote many great songs both during his brief time with The Byrds in the mid 60's through to his untimely death in 1991. I've picked Eight Miles High and I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better which are probably his two most well known songs. Gene was a pioneer in many ways; none of his songs are ever straight forward in either lyric or chord structure. Even when they sound simple, they're often not.
Take I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better. Clark doesn't actually sing the title, the actual lyrics, are 'I'll probably feel a whole lot better'. Ambiguous, no?
Anyway, follow this link and enjoy The Byrds storming through I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better and my take on both songs (click on the song title for my essay). CLICK HERE
Cheers
Tim