The Beatles

This is a new low

eheh. That said, it's for that kind of unexpected (or wtf) heated debates that ILX is classic !

The Beatles - Untitled#1

Metallica has some great stuff on it, but I'd rather save my thoughts on Metallica for a Metallica thread.

The Beatles isn't untitled, it actually says both The Beatles on its cover and its spine. It's the actual title vs. the mythology.

The Beatles also has a cover - if it had no cover, then that would have been the stupidest idea and would have led to a lot of the records being scratched in transit before they'd even reached the shops.

fyi the spines of albums often identify the artists responsible for them, but i'm glad you brought this up as it is now clear at last that the title of this LP is Stereo SWBO 101. i'll kindly ask everyone itt to start using that - or are you all too bogged down in mythology? wake up, sheeple!

You can call it that if you want, but you'd be wrong.

Poll!

What's the real name of The White Album?

The Beatles
The White Album
Stereo SWBO 101

Anyway, to steer the conversation away once more from The Beatles' self-titled (and patchy) double album from 1968, and back to what we were originally talking about (how good the early Beatles were) ...

"Eight Days a Week"
Lennon's vocals on that one are so good (especially the "oh ohohohh" before one of the choruses) !
Sometimes I wish they had recorded a slower version of "Help!", without the rocknroll arrangements, like Lennon wanted it to be, as he expressed later on....

― AlXTC from Paris, Monday, December 4, 2017 12:12 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, agreed that the vocals on 'Eight Days a Week' ... I think 'Help!' would have worked well at a slower tempo too, but I'm glad they didn't record it that way. 'Please Please Me' was originally a lot slower, and while it would have worked well that way, I'm glad they ramped up the tempo... a huge part of the appeal of the early Beatles is the way they used to tear into the uptempo numbers with such enthusiasm - compare 'Please Please Me' to the laboured "fun" of 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' and it really isn't a contest.

I think we've stumbled on the real reason for the Manson Family killings.

In fact, 'Please Please Me' is so good - Ringo's drumming, the harmonies, that harmonica line, the way the middle eight brings a whole new dimension to the song, the energy, the enthusiasm... it's hardly a surprise the band caught on with songs and performances like that. Let's not forget that this was the kind of stuff the band made their name with, and there's many good reasons for that.

(x-post)

fred i think you're missing some variant capitalization possibilities in that list. but we should take this to one of the many Stereo SWBO 101 threads.

if it had no cover, then that would have been the stupidest idea and would have led to a lot of the records being scratched in transit before they'd even reached the shops

https://www.popsike.com/pix/20090821/260465780537.jpg

I'll bet that sold about 10 copies to a closet full of people in New York.

Well obviously "Help!" is great as it is but I can't help thinking an alt. slowed down version would have been stronger and maybe less dated. It would have suited better Lennon's plaintive and raspy voice, imo.
The actual version is a bit too fast and the arrangements too cheerful for the song.
That said the version I imagine would have been anachronistic at the time it was done.

Anyway, to steer the conversation away once more from The Beatles' self-titled (and patchy) double album from 1968, and back to what we were originally talking about (how good the early Beatles were) [...]compare 'Please Please Me' to the laboured "fun" of 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' and it really isn't a contest.

― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), 4. december 2017 15:46 (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Eight Days a Week"
Lennon's vocals on that one are so good (especially the "oh ohohohh" before one of the choruses) !
Sometimes I wish they had recorded a slower version of "Help!", without the rocknroll arrangements, like Lennon wanted it to be, as he expressed later on....
― AlXTC from Paris, Monday, December 4, 2017 12:12 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Uh it's clearly an ohohohuhwoah uh shocking ignoramus *preens*

Actually 'Ste-Re-O, S-W-Bo' was the original name for 'Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da', back when it was more clearly a song about two employees at Apple Corps who were having marital troubles, but after rather horrific later developments in their relationship, the band changed the lyrics to the song, but then kept the chorus as the title of the album.

Well obviously "Help!" is great as it is but I can't help thinking an alt. slowed down version would have been stronger and maybe less dated. It would have suited better Lennon's plaintive and raspy voice, imo.
The actual version is a bit too fast and the arrangements too cheerful for the song.
That said the version I imagine would have been anachronistic at the time it was done.

― AlXTC from Paris, Monday, December 4, 2017 3:00 PM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The great thing about tracks like 'Help!' is the combination of upbeat music vs. downbeat lyric, in the sense that it pulls you in immediately with its opening bars and carries you away with its brisk tempo, but upon listening closely to the lyric it opens the song up further.

We've been through this before, but the term "dated" isn't a pejorative - everything is dated and nothing is timeless, and that includes The Beatles. While people continue to enjoy this music, none of it sounds like it was recorded in 2017, and there is nothing at all wrong with that.

I've gotta say, I'm amused by Frederik's and Doctor Casino's attempts to derail the discussion.

Well, "dated" might not be the appropriate word. It's purely subjective and only related to my preferences when it comes to their output. Of course their post 65 stuff is dated too. It's just that I prefer the "dated" post 65 to the "dated" pre65 !
As for "Help!", yes, the contrast is interesting (and Paul's vocal arrangements are great). But again, personally, I imagine I would have preferred a slower version. Since it doesn't exist, there's not much to discuss anyway !

I could imagine the solo Lennon circa 1971-1972 having a go at a slowed down version of 'Help!', but I get the impression that even though he's on record as saying he was dissatisfied with the way The Beatles did some of his songs, he was always keen to move onto the next thing and wasn't one for revisiting things - apart from the rock'n'roll stuff that he was into in the late '50s.

"Shyness is nice, and, shyness can stop you, from saying all the things in life you'd like to"

~Sorry, wrong record.

i am amused by turrican thinking that lecturing to oneself for the millionth time about how nobody appreciates the early beatles constitutes a "discussion"

^ I rest my case.

This is a new low

Smells like ass in here

There, beat that low

goatse.jpg

There's a short recording of "Help!" with Lennon fooling around on the piano (I think it's from 1970 or something).
The problem is it's a total mess (chords, words, you name it !).

https://www.popsike.com/pix/20131014/390679120555.jpg

One thing about Help! that's always got me thinking is that they included 'Act Naturally' as a replacement for 'If You've Got Trouble', but they had 'Wait' around at the time which would have been a better choice. While not one of their finest, it's a lot better than Harrison's songs on Help! and stuff like 'Tell Me What You See' ... I'm curious as to why they initially shelved it, and even more curious to know what led to it appearing on Rubber Soul - they didn't really ressurrect aborted stuff like that often.

The contrast on A Hard Day’s Night between John’s lewd, modulating melody and Paul’s keening bridge that keeps climbing and building tension is one of my favourite early Beatles moments.

For covers, this one’s great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1YKfu5sD24

Well, "I Need You" is a minor Beatles work but it might be my favourite Harrison song.
That said I'm not a big fan of his stuff in the Beatles. All Things Must Pass is great though and is all I need to hear from him.

Ah I remenber an alt. version of "A Hard Day's Night" (no idea where it came from) which was basically the same but a bit slower and with a fat bass and less "clean" vocals (actually, one of the things I prefer in their post 65 stuff is that the production on the vocals is less "clean", with more effects etc).
it was great !

Haven't we learned by now that there's no low Turrican can't manage to squirm under.

I like "Wait" for the line ".. and I've been good, as good as I can be.." which means not very good at all.

i thought this revive wd be about the touring doc that just was on PBS

Don't know what you're talking about - me and AlXTC from Paris are having a discussion about the early Beatles and others are attempting to derail the thread because they don't like an album being called by its actual title. Funnily enough, these people are doing the exact same thing they (wrongly) got all huffy about on other threads. ILM logic in action right there.

(xxpost)

Grow up ffs.

I like "Wait" for the line ".. and I've been good, as good as I can be.." which means not very good at all.

― Mark G, Monday, December 4, 2017 4:12 PM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I like the volume swells/"violining" effect on the guitar - I know this also appears on Harrison's 'I Need You', but it seems to work better on 'Wait' ...

this one deserves posting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5yMKIlwTd0

jeff beck covered "she's a woman" on blow by blow

you've gotta put Jimi Hendrix's live cover of "sgt peppers" on there, rushomancy

"Act Naturally" is one of my favorite Beatle covers. Love the guitar on it, great backing vocals by PM, and it's just a really good song.

I utterly despise every single thing about it. Loathe it.

Buck Owens rules.

yup