The Beatles Bible - Topic: What makes a great Beatles song

Old Siam Sir on What makes a great Beatles song

Tue, 29 May 2012 07:53:53 +0100

What makes a great Beatles song...

DUH!

Paul - John - George - Ringo

Rat Salad on What makes a great Beatles song

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:50:35 +0000

Paulsbass

You make great points. They did stick to their message of love, or at least they refused to get caught up
in the popular politics of time which was anti-love. They wanted to play music independent of the cultural pressures around them. Those pressures annoyed them. They were also egotists and fought. Nothing sacred about them.

Was the music scene lame and simple when they emerged? I would disagree.

For instance, the only thing the Rooftop Singers “Walk Right In” in 1963 lacked was a Lennon/McCartney sound
and a Lennon/McCartney “middle -eight.” It had the beat, the lyrics, the syncopation, the pathos, ...

paulsbass on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:26:49 +0000

Rat Salad said:

So, what makes a Beatles song great? Without analysis: energy, wit, complex but seemingly-easy harmony and counterpoint in vocals and instrumentation, raw but rich (and varied among the three) vocal qualities, the willingness to engage me in the story (something missing from more modern rock), and often something whimsical, a familiar novelty – a pleasing surprise.
I can’t think of a lugubrious or opaque Beatles song. With so many rock bands, even very famous and “great” ones, I get the feeling they’re playing for themselves or doing a recital, and I’m supposed to sit back and admire ...

Rat Salad on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:46:16 +0000

Max Weinburg did play drums for the Beatles when Ringo was sick with salmonella poisoning and sitting things out in his retreat in Majorca for two weeks while the boys recorded "Sgt. Pepper" in London. Weinburg was there chasing some chick (as was mentioned in an earlier post) and simply happened upon a great opportunity. His tracks were never used in a final mix. He drummed along silently (never actually hitting the skins) while the others either sang their parts or played their overdubs. But they watched him for the timing as he was the only one able to hear the ...

Rat Salad on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:20:54 +0000

GniknuS said:

Anderson said:

Looking at today's current music scene, what is really pushing someone to make a great piece of music? This is what made that time period so great, there were so many different ideas at the time, some of the ideas worked and some didn't. But at least they tried.

Funny that the old days offered more choices than today. It's what you're saying. All this Internet connectivity isn't creating more diversity, it's honing everyone to a wider and stricter standard. New ideas don't get an audience now; they wander off into some "community's" world, and ...

Rat Salad on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:12:48 +0000

GniknuS said:

Anderson said:

"Right, and you could argue that this is what is wrong with music today, the lack of competition."

In the time of the Beatles, the outlets were the same -- an AM radio station or two. Playlists. Now, there can be no competition, and by design. There is no "mass audience" to hear it or make decisions about what is popular, great, or good. This is "democracy" in action. We all hear just what we want to hear. There is no competition, and in the world of "social media," nobody wants competition. They want what they want ...

mr. Sun king coming together on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:43:33 +0000

If Ringo doesn't play, and Max Weinburg plays drums (in spite of the fact that Max Weinburg only got into drumming because his sister [I believe, can't verify] went to England and got With The Beatles)! That is the only thing that makes great Beatles songs!

Obviously, I'm not serious. To apply rigid criteria (if a and b are in this, it's great) is strange. A great song is a song that could be played for masses, and they'll walk away saying "Who was that? I better figure out." If I could walk into my classroom tomorrow, play the song and ...

Rat Salad on What makes a great Beatles song

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:55:50 +0000

I doubt this can or should be a technical discussion
(musically or philosophically), but it’s an interesting question. Here are my two cents worth, if I may.

Music is sounds organized intentionally to communicate a feeling. The artist intends this, and the audience expects it. This communication is mostly devoid of semantic content, as I believe John and Paul would both agree since they often wrote their songs using gibberish words for place holders in the melody until the arrangement was approximately completed (“Yesterday” was about scrambled eggs, and John told George to sing about cauliflower in some melody until ...

Joe on What makes a great Beatles song

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:54:35 +0000

I've stayed out of this thread because I don't really want to play the heavy mod role. I'd rather people sort out their differences by explaining their objections rather than calling each other names. It was quite interesting seeing it all unfold.

For what it's worth I really enjoyed parts of the debate – it's a relief to have some thoughtful discussions about The Beatles rather than the endless "thing a vs thing b"- or "what are you thinking about right now"-type threads, which I'm not really a fan of. More substance, please!

GniknuS on What makes a great Beatles song

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:56:45 +0000

I am a bit confused that Anderson still hasn't explained what he really thinks makes a great Beatles song. I figured since he was agreeing with what I was saying and that we seemed to be having a civil conversation, he would simply reply with an adequate explanation. Perhaps he was just a troll looking for trouble, or maybe a bullshitter who couldn't really come up with anything better than vague references to vampy Lennon vocals and bi-polar McCartney bass playing. It's a shame too, I've never really heard a cool description like "bi-polar playing" and was hoping he would ...

mithveaen on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:20:16 +0000

Zig said:

Wow - 7 pages of posts when all we had to say was, "I don't agree, but your post was very well written". I laughed a lot - thanks to all of you.

Hahahaha well done Zig!!

Von Bontee on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:26:43 +0000

Hahaha holy shit, Zig, I was watching my "Top Secret" DVD not five days ago! "Skeet Surfing!"

Zig on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:48:11 +0000

Wow - 7 pages of posts when all we had to say was, "I don't agree, but your post was very well written". I laughed a lot - thanks to all of you.

With this thought in mind, "Alles, was Sie brauchen, ist Liebe", I will heed the second part of Anderson's signature.

I know a little German. He's sitting over there..

minime on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:00:10 +0000

Hey, what's wrong with Lennon's "virgin" idea? I think it's awesome

GniknuS on What makes a great Beatles song

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:16:14 +0000

Anderson said:

I completely agree with nearly everything in this paragraph. Just to clarify a possible obscurity, when I use the word "self-expression," I don't just mean that the artist puts his or her emotions, personality, and feelings into the song (although that's a part of it). Self-expression is also an expression of the artist's skill, talent, or genius. So when I say an "excellent and creative instance of self-expression," and you say "pushed to a height never before seen," I think we're pretty much saying the same thing. Let me give another example.

After Rubber Soul, Brian Wilson felt motivated ...