The Beatles Bible - Topic: Cumulative song-writing contributions

kelicopter on Cumulative song-writing contributions

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:27:33 +0100

I also remember reading a quote, (can't remember for the life of me who said it, maybe Mark Lewisohn?), that said that in all the years of recording with The Beatles, Ringo only messed up enough to stop recording a handful of times. That kind of proves how great a drummer he is, being able to consistently perform that well.

EDIT: Never mind, I found the quote.

It is true that on only a handful of occasions during all of the several hundred session tapes and thousands of recording hours can Ringo ...

meanmistermustard on Cumulative song-writing contributions

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:33:25 +0100

I love the quote where a beatle, i think John after the split, said that all he had to do was blink and the other 3 would know where the song was going instinctively.

George's guitar solo for And I Love Her has been highlighted recently as being an amazing addition.

Talking of Ringo and his drumming, was listening to the isolated drum track for Revolution and it does add a huge amount to the song, its solid for 3 minutes without wavering, and Lady Madonna only works for me because of his drumming. I think around that time how they were ...

Michael B on Cumulative song-writing contributions

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:12:25 +0100

meanmisterm.....

I totally agree. Take Ringo. I mean, Ringo's drums are an essential part, imho, of A Day in the Life and Tomorrow Never Knows to name just two obvious choices. Without his touch, they're different songs. We all could easily list, what, fifty songs in which his particular drumming style absolutely completes the song--not just complements it but really helps make the song what it is.

And this goes for all of them. The key was they all were contributing brilliantly to the whole package with very little showing off. I love what someone on this forum (I think) wrote about George's guitar on ...

meanmistermustard on Cumulative song-writing contributions

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:27:26 +0100

There was so much input by all Beatles into songs, even in the later days, that pure authorship and lyrics cant be judged as the main factor as all the other elements are just as important. A great song can have crappy lyrics and a crap song can have great lyrics but is just all wrong. A quick thought towards beatle covers would show that many people have destroyed them.

As an example Paul wrote Michelle, with help from others, but one of the telling contributions was by John on puting the emphasis on the "i love you", "i want you" and "i need ...

Michael B on Cumulative song-writing contributions

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:45:03 +0100

So here I am, a relative newbie, possibly stirring up the Paul vs. John vs. George as the “real genius” silliness. Even as I contribute to the madness, I feel like stating the obvious. All of these guys were brilliant. Geniuses. And also at different points in my life I’ve fed off of each of their respective songs more than the others. They’ve all been, at one time or another, my “favorite Beatle.”

In a way, of course, Paul McCartney is the last person in the world who needs “defending.” The dude is mega rich, the most popular singer and songwriter ...