I’m on kind of a Beatles kick after seeing Love in Las Vegas, so I think I’ll plow through all the Beatles albums and post some thoughts. Since the songs are so familiar to me, I’ll rate each from one to five stars, and generate an amusing “Best Beatles Songs” list.

Amazon link

My ratings may seem a bit harsh - but they’re relative to other Beatles songs - two or three star ratings appear often because the four and five star songs are so incredible.

Note: I’m not including this CD along with the list of Beatles albums because of its compilation nature.

Day Tripper

= 5 stars

Starting with a taut guitar lick (doubled in the bass), this song nearly tumbles into my ears. All the Beatle elements are here, neat guitar playing, high harmonies, a curt tambourine, Ringo experimenting, and a build-up (more laid back) but similar to Twist and Shout. When John reaches up for a high note near the end on “so long” it’s shiver-inducing.

We Can Work It Out

= 5 stars

This is a classic Beatles tune because it’s split in two, half optimistic Paul and half questioning John. The Paul side is acoustic with an accordion, the John side minor and with a 3/4 descender. The contrast is both musical and personality-wise - summing up the two songwriters in more digestible manner than A Day In The Life.

Paperback Writer

= 4 stars

Pretty simplistic song which lyrically is admittedly dumb, but Paul’s bass playing and Ringo’s drumming keep it interesting for me.

Rain

= 5 stars

So put the melodic bass (nice triplets on a later verse) and Ringo drumming in a better song, and you get Rain, a stunning example of the Beatles at their best. I can’t name a thing awry about this tune. It has a great groove, some neat harmonies (just before “I don’t mind”), and even the slightly gimmicky backwards vocals during the outro fit the slightly droopy mood.

Lady Madonna

= 5 stars

Nice rhythm, some great horns, and a not too ornamented piano. It also showcases Paul’s deepening baritone he sometimes lapses into. The John harmony vocal on “see how they run” pushes it over the edge into 5 stars for me.

The Inner Light

= 3 stars

A better Indian buffet than Within You Without You, but it’s not really Beatle-y until Paul comes in with some tidy harmonies on “Do all without doing.” Still, I like the zen “yes-is-no “lyrics. I just wish the music were more my cup of jasmine tea.

Hey Jude

= 5 stars

Paul McCartney sometimes lapsed into cheese with cheese on top, but this one song has a decent dose of protein. It starts out like a typical Paul ballad, but moves through several phases that the Beatles were masters at: adding harmonies, a tambourine, and then a wonderful coda that throws in horns and a sing-along chorus, where Paul switches to baritone improvising and screaming. The final running time is 7 minutes, 20 seconds.

Revolution

= 5 stars

This is spectacular John rocker, leaping into the chaos that was the late sixties with a flash-bulb intensity. I also appreciate a wry sense of humor mentioning Chairman Mao and the way the moaning collides with a spinning guitar solo. Lastly, the manner in which John yelps out “all right!” after the last colliding guitar chords is just exquisite.

Get Back

= 5 stars

This is rather corny Paul as well, but at least it has a beat and a shiny keyboard solo from Billy Preston. I guess this is the album’s statement about getting back to one’s roots, and while the other three didn’t totally go along with the idea, the sentiment is more or less there, here. And what I didn’t give to Paul on his song Let It Be, I feel better about giving him credit here.

Don’t Let Me Down

= 4 Stars

This is a good John song, talking about his relationship with Yoko. It’s included on the Let It Be… Naked album. There is some interesting rhythmic shifting, and a nice, syncopated guitar lick on the middle.

The Ballad of John and Yoko

= 2 stars

I don’t like this song that much, mostly because I find it over long and a bit boring. I appreciate the sentiment - just not my cup of tea.

Old Brown Shoe

= 2 stars

The beat here makes me itchy.

Across the Universe

= 5 stars

Here’s John at his most introspective best, wondering about all the crap going on in the world and finding peace within his own happy, active mind, although surely a bit burned out from all the drugs and interpersonal tension. I especially love the sentiment “nothing’s going to change my world,” repeated several times like a mantra.

Let it Be

= 4 stars

It may be sacrilege for me to rate this song at 4 stars, but I’ve always heard it as a second version of Hey Jude and unfortunately, the awkward George guitar solo hurts the otherwise perfect aura. A close 5 star contender, but I’ve been reserving the 5 star rating for perfection.

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)

= 2 stars

This is an amusing Beatle play-around tune that reminds me of Monty Python, the Muppets, or Tony Clifton - something like that. There’s some dippy show-boating, silly voices, saxophone playing but doesn’t really add up to much.

 Please subscribe to the Webomatica RSS Feed!

Categories: General, Music, The Beatles :: ::
Previous Post: Music Notes: The Beatles, Yellow Submarine
Next Post: Spam, Spam, Spam…