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Thread: The Beatles' Worst Songs

  1. #251
    Quote Originally Posted by Hal... View Post
    Considering what came immediately before and what came after, I think Beatles for Sale is a bit of a dud. The cover photo, however, is my favorite photo of the group.
    It's usually rated as the least favorite by fans.
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  2. #252
    Member since 7/13/2000 Hal...'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    It's usually rated as the least favorite by fans.
    You commented earlier how John was such a great "rock & roll" singer, and I agree, but Paul really nailed "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey", don't you think?

    I've wondered if maybe the problem with the album was due to their hectic touring schedule and just being generally tired & uninspired.
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  3. #253
    Quote Originally Posted by Hal... View Post
    You commented earlier how John was such a great "rock & roll" singer, and I agree, but Paul really nailed "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey", don't you think?

    I've wondered if maybe the problem with the album was due to their hectic touring schedule and just being generally tired & uninspired.
    Many factors, I'm sure. They were also smoking a lot of dope. AS John put it, they were "eating marijuana for breakfast."

    I agree about Paul; what a killer singer. One of the greats, himself. Many people mention how John nailed his epic "Twist and Shout" vocal in one take, which is quite an accomplishment. Many don't know that Paul also nailed an epic vocal of his own in a single take: "Long Tall Sally."
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  4. #254
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hal... View Post
    You commented earlier how John was such a great "rock & roll" singer, and I agree, but Paul really nailed "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey", don't you think?

    I've wondered if maybe the problem with the album was due to their hectic touring schedule and just being generally tired & uninspired.
    I love this as much as any of the others, apart from the two weak Carl Perkins covers. I like the songs themselves, just the George/Ringo vocals on them aren't too good. However, they left a killer cover of 'Leave My Kitten Alone' on the shelf.

    The originals continue their maturity and sophistication.

    My least favourite remains Spector's Let It Be. It's a mish mash. I think ...Naked was a better salvage job from these sessions and I certainly play it more, but it still has issues. Losing the 'passed the audition' coda was downright criminal.

  5. #255
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I'm fine with the original Let It Be the way it was recorded.

  6. #256
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    Spector made some good decisions which were kept on Let It Be Naked; 'I Me Mine' as it stood was basically only half a song, his artificial cut-and-paste at least extended it. (In the film, you see that early on they were toying with a sort of flamenco influenced instrumental section.) I also think he tightened up 'Dig A Pony', although I don't really rate the lyric. But I don't like the added overdubs or the studio chat in this context...why pretend it's an audio verite album when you have vocal/choir overdubs on some tracks? Leaving 'Don't Let Me Down' off was also baffling.

    Beatles For Sale was recorded and released like any other they made. Let It Be saw an outsider drafted in to do a salvage job, and it shows.

  7. #257
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hal... View Post
    I've wondered if maybe the problem with [Beatles For Sale] was due to their hectic touring schedule and just being generally tired & uninspired.
    I thought they had said as much themselves. From what I've read the grind to write and record A Hard Days Night should have earned them a year off. But the powers that be said "No -- give us another album. Oh, and by the way you're touring the world. Again." I think that's where George's disillusion with the whole thing really started.
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  8. #258
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    The Sirius XM Beatles channel plays these live Mini Concerts that I think they cobble together from somewhere. Where do the live tracks come from? Are there any good, live Beatles albums? Are they all from bootlegs? Don’t know. I’m not really interested in live solo stuff, but Beatles is one band where I only really know studio work. I think? Aside from some of the rooftop show at the end.

  9. #259
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    The Sirius XM Beatles channel plays these live Mini Concerts that I think they cobble together from somewhere. Where do the live tracks come from? Are there any good, live Beatles albums? Are they all from bootlegs? Don’t know. I’m not really interested in live solo stuff, but Beatles is one band where I only really know studio work. I think? Aside from some of the rooftop show at the end.
    The Hollywood Bowl album was rereleased (finally) in the wake of Ron Howard's (somewhat disappointing) movie. That combines performances from '64 and '65. (They should have released both full sets.) There have been live tracks released on the Anthologies, including some of the great Stockholm '63 stuff, random performances (Ed Sullivan, Royal Variety, etc.) and some live BBC tracks. I would guess that's where they are coming from. Along with those, they could be peppering (no pun intended) their live broadcasts with solo performances of Beatles songs that were on Wings Over America, John Lennon Live in NYC, The Concert for Bangla Desh and maybe even Ringo's tours.

    But the only proper official live concert album was the Hollywood Bowl one. Although, all of the hundreds of BBC performances are technically live, mostly in the studio and some in front of crowds.
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  10. #260
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    Ron Howard's (somewhat disappointing) movie.
    Agreed. It was well received and wasn't bad, but for less casual fans there was nothing much new, and some of the interviews were banal. Didn't like the colourisation of some footage or the fiddling around with the audio on other clips (dubbing on Hollywood Bowl audio on that old Pathe newsreel footage, why??). I liked Anthology's coverage of this period far more, and that didn't have a Hollywood director!

  11. #261
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    Agreed. It was well received and wasn't bad, but for less casual fans there was nothing much new, and some of the interviews were banal. Didn't like the colourisation of some footage or the fiddling around with the audio on other clips (dubbing on Hollywood Bowl audio on that old Pathe newsreel footage, why??). I liked Anthology's coverage of this period far more, and that didn't have a Hollywood director!
    Yep, the needless colorizing was an abomination. I am still a bit disappointed that it didn't result in a new, comprehensive live release. There are plenty of high-quality recordings that would have made a killer set. I had been toying with compiling my own and hoped they would do something deserving of a great live band. A horrendously missed opportunity.
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  12. #262
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    ^Indeed. They still haven't put out in full the Stockholm 1963 show you mentioned. Anthology 1 had most of it but not all of it, and arbitrarily changed the performance order of the songs they did include. (Maybe not that big a deal when it's not the full show anyway, but still.)

    Then again the Anthology CDs generally, I later discovered, have a lot of issues.

  13. #263
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    Then again the Anthology CDs generally, I later discovered, have a lot of issues.
    Yep, needless editing throughout. But there are many worthwhile gems.
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  14. #264
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    The Hollywood Bowl album was rereleased (finally) in the wake of Ron Howard's (somewhat disappointing) movie. That combines performances from '64 and '65. (They should have released both full sets.) There have been live tracks released on the Anthologies, including some of the great Stockholm '63 stuff, random performances (Ed Sullivan, Royal Variety, etc.) and some live BBC tracks. I would guess that's where they are coming from. Along with those, they could be peppering (no pun intended) their live broadcasts with solo performances of Beatles songs that were on Wings Over America, John Lennon Live in NYC, The Concert for Bangla Desh and maybe even Ringo's tours.

    But the only proper official live concert album was the Hollywood Bowl one. Although, all of the hundreds of BBC performances are technically live, mostly in the studio and some in front of crowds.
    Thanks. I'm thinking of live songs they play that are later than 64 and 65. so it's probably some of the solo stuff you mentioned and also later BBC tracks. I'd love an anthology of the BBC tracks, but I'm not really interested in stuff pre-Help. I enjoy the earlier stuff but don't really care about live or alternate versions.

  15. #265
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Thanks. I'm thinking of live songs they play that are later than 64 and 65. so it's probably some of the solo stuff you mentioned and also later BBC tracks. I'd love an anthology of the BBC tracks, but I'm not really interested in stuff pre-Help. I enjoy the earlier stuff but don't really care about live or alternate versions.
    Some of those early BBC shows had them doing some really great covers that never appeared anywhere else. They really showed they could rock.

    Even though they toured as late as August of '66, many of the songs they had recorded by that time were simply not performed live. Some just couldn't be done, and they were sick of touring so much, that their hearts weren't in it anymore. Even what they did was often lackluster.

    Here's the setlist from their final show, which only lasted about 35 minutes:

    Rock and Roll Music
    She's a Woman
    If I Needed Someone
    Day Tripper
    Baby's in Black
    I Feel Fine
    Yesterday
    I Wanna Be Your Man
    Nowhere Man
    Paperback Writer
    Long Tall Sally
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  16. #266
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    Paperback Writer writer eh? I wonder if they even got close to the great harmonies and parts as recorded on the studio version.

  17. #267
    Quote Originally Posted by Buddhabreath View Post
    Paperback Writer writer eh? I wonder if they even got close to the great harmonies and parts as recorded on the studio version.
    They might have gotten in the general area once or twice (aside from the lack of extra voices overdubbed). But, for the most part, they just didn't care, since nobody could hear them, anyway. They couldn't even hear themselves. Ringo had to watch the others to see where they were in the songs.

    You really don't want to hear it, if you're a big fan of the song.
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  18. #268
    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    They might have gotten in the general area once or twice (aside from the lack of extra voices overdubbed). But, for the most part, they just didn't care, since nobody could hear them, anyway. They couldn't even hear themselves. Ringo had to watch the others to see where they were in the songs.

    You really don't want to hear it, if you're a big fan of the song.
    At least on this version from Tokyo, where the screaming was much less pervasive, the harmony bit is probably the best part of the performance, particularly John chiming in loud and clear. Paul's lead vocal, on the other hand, is shockingly bad.

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  19. #269
    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Triscuits View Post
    At least on this version from Tokyo, where the screaming was much less pervasive, the harmony bit is probably the best part of the performance, particularly John chiming in loud and clear. Paul's lead vocal, on the other hand, is shockingly bad.

    For many years among the bootleg collectors, the Japan shows from '66 were both great and unfortunate. They were, by far, the best-recorded shows available. But the performances undermined whatever good was gained from the quality.
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  20. #270
    Member since 7/13/2000 Hal...'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    Here's the setlist from their final show, which only lasted about 35 minutes
    All their shows were only 30-40 minutes, fwir.
    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    They couldn't even hear themselves. Ringo had to watch the others to see where they were in the songs.
    Ringo said he used to watch "John's ass" (actual quote) to keep time.
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  21. #271
    Quote Originally Posted by Hal... View Post
    All their shows were only 30-40 minutes, fwir.
    correct.
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  22. #272
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    Yes that was standard for the time, Rolling Stones recordings of the period are the same length. I think Keith Richards said that when they went back on tour with Mick Taylor in 1969, they found that the culture had changed- the crowds listened more than they did before and they also expected longer sets, so they had to really go back and work at their craft again. The 'Stones have put out some self-regarding quotes about The Beatles' live act yet I've heard some very ropey live stuff from The 'Stones in the 60s with Brian Jones.

    I like the Anthology where it's said that one of them would wave or something to the crowd and the ensuing reaction would hopefully cover over shaky moments. There is then some footage of Harrison doing just that at one of those Japan shows, in one song.

    But their live act before that was formidable. There's no overdubbing or anything on the Hollywood Bowl tapes, that I know of, simply because the band had no interest in it and it was released well after they split. So it's 100% live.
    Last edited by JJ88; 04-30-2018 at 01:07 PM.

  23. #273
    Member Paulrus's Avatar
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    I don't own any Beatles bootlegs, but the two shows I can think of that have good audio are both from filmed sources: Blackpool '65 and the Australian show from '64.

    And if anyone's interested the Aussie show was up on YT in its entirety, including all of the opening acts (not sure it's all still there.) It's a great way to experience what a night out at a concert was really like back then.
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  24. #274
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    The Shea Stadium footage, however, the audio was heavily overdubbed (done in a studio because the footage was shown on TV). I think with that one, the spectacle is more the thing and the circumstances are why the actual live audio probably wasn't much good; it was the first of its kind. So it's forgivable.

  25. #275
    Quote Originally Posted by Paulrus View Post
    I don't own any Beatles bootlegs, but the two shows I can think of that have good audio are both from filmed sources: Blackpool '65 and the Australian show from '64.

    And if anyone's interested the Aussie show was up on YT in its entirety, including all of the opening acts (not sure it's all still there.) It's a great way to experience what a night out at a concert was really like back then.
    The Washington DC set is definitely one to check out. Ringo is on fire and it's right after they played on Sullivan.

    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    The Shea Stadium footage, however, the audio was heavily overdubbed (done in a studio because the footage was shown on TV). I think with that one, the spectacle is more the thing and the circumstances are why the actual live audio probably wasn't much good; it was the first of its kind. So it's forgivable.
    It was overdubbed with original recordings in some spots. They did not specifically go into the studio to record overdubs. Ringo's performance of "Act Naturally" is the released recording. That being said, I have the direct unedited line recording and it's quite good.
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