I have had it up to here waiting for the Beatles catalogue to be remastered

^^^word.

I thought the word was love? I'm confused.

it's all good, man. peace.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps sounds MASSIVE. Like symphony orchestra huge. YES!

The bass sounds incredible on that one.

but the real early albums mono is just heads and tails above the stereo mixes, so much tougher and more rock sounding to me

One of the reasons why I prefer stereo. Beatles aren't rock, they are pop!

I think you meant to say, "One of the reasons why stereo is better than mono." I have no idea what this word "prefer" means.

^Quit bustin' his chops. He's finally trying to apply the language of subjectivity here!

Who is he and what has he done with Geir?

(also: ONE OF US, ONE OF US, GOOBLE GOBBLE, GOOBLE GOBBLE)

These remasters have forced me to revise my positon on Paul quite considerably. He's still kind of a twat, but the remasters make the music, um, closer? It's hard to hold an objective opinion about sentimentality when the damn music makes you FEEL so strongly. Gah.

Weird sister: don't forget "the walrus was Paul". He was really great.

Ha ha. Yeah, I'm seeing that now. I always hated 'Honey Pie'...but last night I realized what perfect imitation of that music-hall style it really is. I mean, aside from Paul's singing, it doesn't sound like The Beatles. It's kind of genius in that respect. The lyrics, the arrangement, the whole thing...I grew up going to old-time dances with my parents, and we danced to a lot of those 'Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside' type songs. It's incredibly evocative when you take it on its own merits.

Everyone else is thinking either, 'Well duh' or 'She's lost her marbles'.

nah, it's true -- even though "Honey Pie" is def. my least favorite song on the White Album, you really do have to marvel at the fact that the guy who wrote it is the same guy who wrote "Helter Skelter" and "Blackbird" and "I Will" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road." That's covering a lot of stylistic bases, and doing it pretty amazingly well 90% of the time.

Yeah I mean what's the difference between Paul recreating the music hall vibe, and a million bands today trying to recreate Black Sabbath?

You either do it well, or you fail. He did it well.

Paul McCartney >>>>> Wolfmother

LOL. No argument there!

***

I finally picked up a used copy of the Lewisohn book today. The gleeful clerk at Powell's told me that there's a newer addition out now, but that he personally preferred the original as it has less "day to day" stuff.

Then he looked in both directions to make sure no one was listening, and informed me that he used the book to make his own chronological version of the White Album, and that he had to make several command decisions about the track order because some songs were recorded on the same day.

Hi. My Name Is Nathan Carson and I Am In A Cult. A Really Big Cult.

I give Honey Pie a pass since it contains John Lennon's best ever first take guitar solo.

I'm waiting for the chronological box set to come out.

all the songs in chronological order. $600, 910 copies.

You can't fully appreciate the music of the Beatles until you listen to it in the exact sequence it was recorded.

that clerk at Powells was just ahead of the curve.

Yes, to get the full experience you have to listen to the mono mix, then go eat a sandwich and come back and listen to the stereo mix. Just like the Beatles did.

Sarnie

except for Sgt Pepper where someone else has to listen to the stereo mix whilst you are out, for you to fully appreciate it.

Regarding Music Hall, I would say Paul's best through and through pre-rock pastiche would be "Baby's Request" on his "Back To The Egg" album although that one was of course more Tin Pan Alley than Music Hall.
Otherwise, I like it better when he puts elements of music hall into more time-typical pop songs, such as "Penny Lane", "Fixing a Hole" and "Your Mother Should Know". Queen would later do this excellently too, on tracks such as "Seaside Rendez-Vous", "Lazing On a Sunday Afternoon" and "Good Company".

xpost: also Chronological Box set comes with a 'replica' unpeeled Yesterday And Today. Saliva not included.

I give Honey Pie a pass since it contains John Lennon's best ever first take guitar solo.

― Darin, Sunday, October 4, 2009 7:31 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

First take? Ha, probably because he wasn't going to want to hear it ever again...

Isn't it on one of these formats where it sort of gets faded out earlier? (i.e. either the mono or the stereo?) The solo, I mean...

I think I need serious help because all I want to do is listen to White Album out takes. Is there a twelve step program for people like me?

the cure is probably listening to those outtakes w/ Yoko talking over them. If that doesn't work, you're fucked.

listening to the White album on Saturday night on the lovely big stereo in the living room, 'Revolution 9' bouncing off the ceiling...LOL'ed at my husband wandering in and reminiscing at how he and his housemates used to get loaded and sit on the couch listening to '9', teeth clenched, eyes following the sounds from the speakers from right to left, left to right. and then when 'goodnight' came on they'd all slump over in a heap and pass out.

Square old me has no such recollections. I just listen to it studiously and think, 'I wonder what those tape sections sound like on their own'. fail.

Awwww... :-)

I am currently away and not in the position to listen to my music. The White Album remasters especially is a record I crave to hear! Jeez.

Never listening to the Beatles while stone out of your mind is a pretty epic fail. You should really do something about that over the holidays.

Hello my name is Sharon and I am Fail :)

Just picked up the Lewison book I ordered from the Library.

There's gold in them hills.

Any more news on the repressing of the mono box?

An early skim through the book pushes the mono=true theory quite hard.

Not sure a repressing is urgently needed. Both my local HMVs still have mono boxes, and Fopp had a pile of them behind the counter when I was in last week. I may be coveting one a little too much - I had a dream the other night that the price had been bumped up another £30. At least I hope it was a dream.

Well, I did see the Stone Roses box was now £129 as opposed to £99, so it's possibly true.

It comes to pass that my previously DLed mp3s of the Mono box were less than optimal rips. Have found a DL at decent bitrate and my tepid reaction to the Mono mixes has now turned to agape agape.

Question: in light of the awesome and highly skronky guitar solos Paul pulls on 'Taxman' and 'Good Morning'-- did he do this kind of shit in Wings much? I am pretty much ignorant of Wings except for the hits.

lol... I find it hard to listen that closely to Wings...natural reaction is to recoil and change the radio station :)

yes but I want more fried psych paul guitar!

no he didn't do that in wings at all

that way lies madness

No skronky fried guitar in Wings. What is even stranger, few awesome bass riffs ala "Taxman" or "Come Together."

just bagpipes and keyboards.

Yes, bagpipes and keyboards ;_;

Makes for an interesting topic though. Lennon's records after the Beatles, musically, in hindsight do truly sound like an extension or evolution of his late Beatles work. Working your way back yu can definitely see his development very clear. There's 'logic' to it.
But Paul in Wings? Not so much. Makes me wonder what the hell happened to him!

(Linda? ;_;)

the cure is probably listening to those outtakes w/ Yoko talking over them. If that doesn't work, you're fucked.

― tylerw, Monday, October 5, 2009 10:48 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark

otm

There's loads of greeat Wings stuff

there is just a LOT of Wings and solo McCartney to work through. You can easily put together a few albums of "beatle-worthy" wings and solo songs though; all of S/T and Ram to begin with, "Dear Friend", a fair amount of "Band on the Run". But yeah his playing for the most part went soft. But so did lots of people in the 70's. At least he didn't commit a crime like that sax on "Whatever GEts You Through the Night"

I love the s/t and the weird new wave attempts on II. I still need to pick up Ram.

For Wings guitar skronk, find "Spin It On" off Back to the Egg. Then stop you search, because that's all you're gonna find in that vein from the Wings catalog.

Put it this way, when Lennon and Harrison passed, the song(s) they were remembered by were solo ones.

Even though Macca has had way more post-beatles music (and success) for fairly obvious reasons, when he goes it'll be "Hey Jude", "Let it be" and so on...

Live and let die, Mark.