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21 comments:
It's 50 years since Sgt. Pepper so, being for the benefit of BiTBA, I ask five...FIVE...Beatles questions (answer any or all):
1) Which is best: Penny Lane or Strawberry Fields Forever ?
2) How many of the background figures on the Sgt. Pepper cover do you recognize ? Have you ever tried to find out who they all are ?
3) Which Beatles album has the best cover design ?
4) Which is the best Ringo Starr song (including his solo career) ?
5) Are Free As A Bird (1995) and Real Love (1996) proper Beatles songs ? Was John Lennon looking down and smiling or turning in his grave ?
Today it's a Beatles bonanza (and I'm not particularly a fan - go figure as they don't say over here).
And a happy birthday to Doug BAB Wadley if he drops by today !
1) I'd say Strawberry Fields for being more groundbreaking (but Penny Lane is sheer pop genius).
2) I could not say now and I never tried. Not that much a fan!
3) The white album. Revolver comes closely second.
4) As I said, not fan enough for solo albums, so With a Little Help from My Friends.
5) Since is almost impossible to find them in any available compilation, I'd say no. John was probably just looking down and cracking jokes!
Oh, I'll TOTALLY jump on this one with ya, Colin! Big Beatles fan, me-- since about 1973-ish.
1) Ha-- almost a trick question, as the two are always identified as a "Double A Side" release, and are often associated with each other. As an adult, I slightly prefer John's STRAWBERRY FIELDS. As a kid, it was probably PENNY LANE.
2) A few, but not all, to tell you the truth. But I've 2 or 3 books that provide a diagram w/ a list. And some of them are certainly on the obscure side. (Aliestar Crowley? Really, John??)
3) It's funny, every single one of them is sort of iconic at this point. I'd probably go with REVOLVER and then SGT PEPPER. Some of the covers on the early American releases were utterly forgettable corporate-promotion-as-usual garbage (BEATLES 2ND ALBUM; SOMETHING NEW)-- looking exactly like every other youth/pop album out there. And the replacement cover for YESTERDAY. . . AND TODAY is just an awful-looking photo session, regardless of the haste in which it was made. Badly-lit, no effort at appropriate make-up, no attempt to create anything like a cheery demeanor, unremarkable clothes. . . ugh.
4) I do like a few of his songs, yup. IT DON'T COME EASY and THE NO-NO SONG come right to mind. I think Ringo's best vocal performance though is on the BEATLES AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL album, where he sounds, if anything, vocally stronger and freer than his clearly-fatigued band-mates.
5) Sure they are, I suppose--- they're just not home-runs, y'know? It was a fine project to undertake, the songs are certainly listenable and well-produced (mmmm-- possibly over-produced), and do have a nice sense of collaboration. John just didn't leave behind anything more. . . upbeat?. . . driving?. . . so these rather laconic tunes were all that were on the table. On the whole, I think their presence is far preferable to their absence.
(Still groovin' on the new Sirius/XM Beatles channel!!)
HB
Oh yes-- and Happy Birthday, Doug! Your youth remains eternal!
HB
1) Didn't initially understand the question, as I thought you were asking which is the best Beatles song and only giving us the choice of those two (there's tons of other Beatles songs I like better than these), but Nobile and HB cleared up that conundrum for me. I guess I'd go with Strawberry Fields.
2) It's easy enough to find charts now that list all of the names. Back when I was a teen and had the album (as a cassette), I only recognized a few on sight, like Bob Dylan, Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Temple, Karl Marx and Marlon Brando.
3) Revolver (also tied with Rubber Soul as my favorite Beatles album)
4) Octopus's Garden
5) Not really. And, neither.
And happy b-day to Doug, from me, as well. (And Doug, you should really start using 'Bab' - or better yet, Babs - as your nickname...)
Heh-- Doug Babs and Karen Babs--- the Babs Twins. . . !
HB (non-Babs)
Hi, gang!
Big 5-1 for me today, and thanks to Colin and subsequent commenters for the well wishes! My wife, who never watches the MCU, Apes, Star Wars, etc. films that I like is taking me to see Wonder Woman. I hope she likes it; I've not heard a bad thing about it.
On to Colin's questions --
1) I appreciate both songs, but Paul's Penny Lane is more attractive to me as a singalong.
2) I could name a fair amount of the figures on Sgt. Pepper. Always thought it was a great cover.
3) I actually like the covers of the Red and Blue albums, the first Beatles albums I owned. The images really represent the changes of the band over time, and are perfect snapshots to go along with the content of the records.
4) I'd also side with Octopus's Garden, although I've been enjoying Good Night more lately.
5) Like HB, John's last two songs are just sort of there. I saw someone say, in regard to the new material on the Anthology albums, that the Beatles truly had given us their best when they were active as a group. I'd agree with that.
And I am also loving the new Beatles Sirius channel. On the way to summer school this morning I heard:
I Saw Her Standing There
Ticket to Ride
Get Back
With a Little Help from my Friends
It was a good 10-minute commute.
Thanks again, all!
Doug
Happy birthday Doug!
For today's questions:
1. Strawberry Fields Forever. Both are great, but "Fields" ranges farther.
2. Recognized some as a youth, most now thanks to those charts Edo mentioned. Always liked the doll with the Rolling Stones shirt.
3. Another vote here for Revolver.
4. HB named my two favorites, "It Don't Come Easy " takes first place.
5. Again following HB's lead. Yes, but they aren't among the most memorable Beatles tunes. They seemed to me a bit heavy with Jeff Lynne's influence. Would have been interested to hear the difference in those songs had they been produced by George Mattin.
I much prefer George Harrison's version of It Don't Come Easy (backed by Badfinger) to Ringo's. But I don't dislike Ringo's.
Doug
1) They're equals. Strawberry Fields' groundbreaking nature hits you in the face. Penny Lane, on the other hand, hides its experimentalism, working its way through about seven key changes in three minutes, fusing Pop and Classical elements seamlessy and creating a landscape in which its characters inhabit a world that is both mundane and surreal simultaneously.
2) These days, all of them, thanks to there being websites that name them all. Without the aid of those sites, I can name probably no more than a quarter.
3) Abbey Road has my favourite cover. There's something about it that perfectly fits the music, the Beatles outside on a sunny day while much of the music inside evokes the mood of a sunny day. Also, maybe I've got synesthesia or something but the colour scheme of the cover (blue and green, with an overall orange tinge to the film stock) feels to me like the colour scheme of the songs themselves.
4) It Don't Come Easy, a genuinely good track, with a great George riff, and a deserved hit.
5) They're not real Beatles tracks for me. As for whether Lennon would have approved, it's hard to say, he was such an unpredictable character. He might have hated them or he might have loved them.
6) Happy birthday, Doug. :)
1) It really depends on preferences.. SFF has such a gorgeous, intricate cello part 3/4 of the way in.., that I always listen for. I'm not Howard Goodall, so I can't spell it out exactly here, but it's magnificent how it changes key so quickly behind the vocals. As for the song itself, I sort of prefer the earlier more tender takes (the 2nd version on Anthology 2). But it is a tour de force regardless. I'm more for the cleaner sound of Penny Lane, I love the fact that four (4) pianos were being heard at the same time, again kudos to Goodall for expertly demonstrating that on the SGT Pepper Revolution special seen recently.
2) I've seen the lists for years, so going in initially I believe I recognized 5-6 folks.
3) It has to be Pepper hands down, it's certainly the most expensive and elaborate. Yellow Submarine, Rubber Soul and Revolver come close. From interviews, George Harrison apparently didn't like the butcher cover idea; even then, he thought it was childish and dumb.
4) I like a few tracks off the Ringo Album, like Paul's '6 o'Clock', 'You're Sixteen', and the closing track where he verbally thanks everyone who participated.
5) The rationale for explaining the project at the time was that 'john was just on holiday, etc let's just finish the song'.. I typically like Jeff Lynne, but obviously it was more of an appeasement to George Harrison for his participation (instead of having to face both George Martin and Paul again...). 'Free' sounded more like a 'White Album' outtake, but I liked 'em both fine. As for John..? Since most Beatle A-side releases for the last 3yrs were McCartney, I'm sure he appreciated the creative involvement.
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOUG. :)
1) Strawberry Fields (probably my favorite Beatles song), but I do love Penny Lane as well.
2) I used to have an issue of Creem magazine (I think) that had a chart naming them all. Where did that thing ever get to...?
3) Revolver, and Abbey Road.
4) Favorite Ringo Beatles is Don't Pass Me By from the White album, favorite Ringo solo song is Photograph.
5)Free Is A Bird is OK but always felt like an after-thought, pretty light-weight.
As for John, given that he never recanted all his bluster about "there ain't no Jesus" and "God is a concept..." Well, wherever he is now, I doubt that he is looking down and smiling...
Oo-- possibly switchin' my cover-design choice to Doug's. The twin photos are indeed what got me to pick up that very first album (Red) as well. Both Red and Blue were in the rack at the grocery store (!!)(THERE'S a throwback bit of retail nostalgia!), and I asked my little sister which album seemed like the best one. She said she thought the Red had better songs. So I got it.
HB
Thank you, Steve and David!
And count me among those who don't care for the butcher cover. Sorry...
Doug
Strawberry Fields
The Hard Days Night and Abbey Road covers (framed in my son's room).
Ringo's impromptu "She Loves you ya ya ya, she loves you ya ya ya..." is my favorite "that's 100% Ringo and only Ringo" musical contribution to the world.
Happy Birthday to you, Doug. Hope it's a great one.
1). I really don't like either of these a whole lot.....at least in my Top 20 Beatles tracks anyway, but I think I like Penny Lane more of the two
2). I actually knew several of them because I looked them up when I was a kid. My uncle had the album and the cover fascinated me.
3). I actually liked the cover of Sgt Pepper's the best. The album is not my favorite, but I liked the way it looked and still do.
4). For me, "Act Naturally" for Beatles career and "Photograph" for solo.
5). I guess the two later tracks should be included in the catalog, but I don't think either would have ever made the grade when the band was together.
1) I'd probably go with Strawberry Fields.
2) My CD has a key that names everyone (and every THING) on the cover; I kind of assumed it was included in the liner notes on the original album, but I guess not?
3) Either Sgt. Pepper or Abbey Road.
4) Maybe "It Don't Come Easy" or "You're Sixteen", though the latter is a bit skeevy.
5) I barely remember the first one and don't think I've heard the second.
@Doug: You say it's your birthday? Well, Happy Birthday to ya! (I'm surprised no one beat me to that, considering today's theme.)
1) Which is best: Penny Lane or Strawberry Fields Forever ?
Penny Lane, but they're both great.
2) How many of the background figures on the Sgt. Pepper cover do you recognize ? Have you ever tried to find out who they all are ?
About half, maybe more. No, I've never tried to find out who they all are, though I do seem to vaguely remember seeing a key to it once.
3) Which Beatles album has the best cover design ?
Probably Sgt. Pepper
4) Which is the best Ringo Starr song (including his solo career) ?
"You're Sixteen". However. "Photograph", "Octupus's Garden" and "It Don't Come Easy" are good, too.
5) Are Free As A Bird (1995) and Real Love (1996) proper Beatles songs ? Was John Lennon looking down and smiling or turning in his grave ?
Tough call. I lean towards no, since Lennon didn't really have a chance to record with the Beatles and perhaps there'd be some back and forth between him and the others, allowing the songs to develop into something else (And hopefully better) though a big part of me really wants to say yes. For what it's worth, I think Real Love is better than Free as a bird. And, as Nobile said, he's probably looking down and cracking jokes.
Thanks for all the comments !
Actually, Charlie had a nice reminder, the UA 'A Hard Days Night' red cover's extremely dynamic in terms of boldness and energy. I also collect the Horzu (European) album covers (like for MMT and 'The World's Best' (showing scene from Strawberry Fields filming..).
Some are more interesting than the American covers, both ones I mentioned above are at least more colorful.
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