The Beatles Thread

Topic on the Fab Forum show last night: Favorite cover song they did.

I've got a soft spot for Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey because they play it at the K after Royals wins, and it's a different take on Kansas City.

But my actual favorite might be Act Naturally.

 

Twist and Shout.

 

Ferris Buehler agrees.

 

On the topic of covers, it would be really interesting to have one of the real good tribute groups do a CD on the premise the Beatles had survived long enough to cover songs by groups they influenced themselves.

Think of Lennon singing lead on "Losing My Religion," for starters.

 

I have a real weakness for good counter melodies used as harmonies. Going back to "She's Leaving Home" the counter melody over the chorus with the long drawn out "Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee is leaviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing ..................... hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooome" sung up high and sweet just kills me. Even in "Help" they use this really well with the harmony to the verses "When I was young ........ I never neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeded anybody's help in any way" with the counter melody catching up and joining the melody at the end of the line is fabulous.

And when I sing along in the car (which I do loudly and lustily) I always sing the counter melody.

NB: Apologies for the poor attempt at notating music with words.

 

Backup/ harmony vocals is where the Beatles and Beach Boys had the real Olympian rivalry.

 

To me they used vocal harmonies so differently it's apples and oranges - both brilliant in different ways.

 

They both started out very simple in the style of typical pop songs of the day, but both took quantum leaps ahead with every album. See "Paperback Writer"'and then "Good Vibrations."

 

the one thing the beach boys have that the Beatles don't is a hit song like sail on, sailor aka someone not in the core group singing leads and therefore sounds like nothing else in the discography.

Oh, and I guess the beach boys can also claim they recorded a song by Charlie Manson whereas the Beatles only inspired him.

 

Haven't posted here in a long time but as a diehard Beatles fan I had to jump back in.

Anyone who doubts Ringo Starr's ability/talent needs to listen to the Super Deluxe Nerd Edition box set of Sgt. Pepper that came out this year. So many of the alternate tales have incredibly complex drum fillls that Ringo made different, yet almost the same on each take. A Day In The Life and Strawberry Fields Forever are alternate takes to check out.

Also, a prominent Beatles historian (may have been Mark Lewisohn but I can't remember) listened to ALL the EMI recordings. All the songs, all takes, everything. He noted that you could count on two hands the number of times a take broke down because of a mistake Ringo made. In 7 1/2 years. That's unbelievable.

 

Why the hell would the Beatles screw around with songs with lead singers not in the group? Two first ballot HOF lead singers in the group and a Hall of Pretty Gooder in George, and even a fan favorite novelty voice in Ringo, should they have been handing off lead vocal slots to Donovan or Billy Preston or Harry Nilsson?

You could say "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" is a Beatles song that sounds like nothing else in their catalog, with good reason: it sucks. They were fucking around in the studio and put it on tape, as The Beach Boys did with "Barbara Ann."

"Sail On Sailor" came about basically because Brian Wilson had devolved mentally at the time to the point he could barely function.

During the Beatles' career, John had several fallow periods of several months at a time when he was relatively unproductive, and those were coincidental with times he was using drugs heavily, but he never went comatose as Brian Wilson for all intents did during the recording of "Holland."

And in the periods when John was zoned out, Paul usually stepped up.

 

Always thought Lennon would have covered "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding".