roceci Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 (edited) I consider myself pretty well-rounded/versed when it comes to musical knowledge & listening experience past & present but there's always been a big Beatles-shaped hole in my knowledge. I've got massive appreciation for what they represent musically & culturally, but just never taken to them & so have never taken the time to seek out their tunes or do much reading up on their history generally. However, inspired by a combination of a recent BBC4 show which explored the musicality of Sgt Pepper, Blue's detailed declarations of worship on here & my daughter constantly bigging their songs up, I've rinsed each of their albums from Sgt Pepper onwards in the car throughout the week & thought I'd share my thoughts on em. Cos there's simply not enough examples of people sharing their thoughts about the Beatles on here, or anywhere So, for no particular reason & all IMHO etc... They did lots of amazing, groundbreaking stuff both musically & just sonically, & should always be respected for this alone. They had some really, really great songs (Here Comes the Sun, Come Together, Sgt Pepper (both the first one & the reprise), While My guitar..., Let it Be, Day in the Life to name some, basically the well known ones from Sgt Pepper album onwards. Hey Jude & so on. They had some shocking songs that others consider sublime. Mostly Lennon's stuff. Lennon's songs annoy me, they're either sneery or just all over the shop in a bad way. Strawberry Fields is a massive exception here. Lennon just annoys me full stop. McCartney is a fantastic bassist in both his approach & execution, an excellent all-round musician & an often-genius songwriter. However he's guilty of dicking around with whimsy & styles too much on a lot of tunes & it's annoying. George Harrison really blossomed as songwriter late on aye, but his geetar solos were second rate. Their entire catalogue is ruined by sh*te drumming. "It wouldn't have been the Beatles without Ringo" blah blah blah...if Ringo had raised his game, they'd have still had him & they'd have sounded better. I can't comment on stuff before Sgt Pepper, I realise it was game-changing stuff but the sound leaves me cold. Anyway, there's my two pennorth, & I can now comfortably pursue the remainder of my days in the knowledge that I've contributed to the greatest debate that no one actually wants but ultimately can't resist in chiming in on, ever Edited November 24, 2017 by roceci 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivansc Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Opinions are like Azaleas - everyone has one. Not that any of it is that relevant these days, but Ringo had a great, sloppy feel. And FWIW I hear he speaks highly of YOUR playing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 13 minutes ago, roceci said: I consider myself pretty well-rounded/versed when it comes to musical knowledge & listening experience past & present but there's always been a big Beatles-shaped hole in my knowledge. I've got massive appreciation for what they represent musically & culturally, but just never taken to them & so have never taken the time to seek out their tunes or do much reading up on their history generally. However, inspired by a combination of a recent BBC4 show which explored the musicality of Sgt Pepper, Blue's detailed declarations of worship on here & my daughter constantly bigging their songs up, I've rinsed each of their albums from Sgt Pepper onwards in the car throughout the week & thought I'd share my thoughts on em. Cos there's simply not enough examples of people sharing their thoughts about the Beatles on here, or anywhere So, for no particular reason & all IMHO etc... They did lots of amazing, groundbreaking stuff both musically & just sonically, & should always be respected for this alone. They had some really, really great songs (Here Comes the Sun, Come Together, Sgt Pepper (both the first one & the reprise), While My guitar..., Let it Be, Day in the Life to name some, basically the well known ones from Sgt Pepper album onwards. Hey Jude & so on. They had some shocking songs that others consider sublime. Mostly Lennon's stuff. Lennon's songs annoy me, they're either sneery or just all over the shop in a bad way. Strawberry Fields is a massive exception here. Lennon just annoys me full stop. McCartney is a fantastic bassist in both his approach & execution, an excellent all-round musician & an often-genius songwriter. However he's guilty of dicking around with whimsy & styles too much on a lot of tunes & it's annoying. George Harrison really blossomed as songwriter late on aye, but his geetar solos were second rate. Their entire catalogue is ruined by sh*te drumming. "It wouldn't have been the Beatles without Ringo" blah blah blah...if Ringo had raised his game, they'd have still had him & they'd have sounded better. I can't comment on stuff before Sgt Pepper, I realise it was game-changing stuff but the sound leaves me cold. Anyway, there's my two pennorth, & I can now comfortably pursue the remainder of my days in the knowledge that I've contributed to the greatest debate that no one actually wants but ultimately can't resist in chiming in on, ever That post is a funny read. Kicked off Friday morning nicely. I bet 'Blue' is twitching in his sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roceci Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 36 minutes ago, ivansc said: Opinions are like Azaleas - everyone has one. Not that any of it is that relevant these days, but Ringo had a great, sloppy feel. And FWIW I hear he speaks highly of YOUR playing.... Great sloppy feel?? What does that mean? Are you saying he went into the studio every day thinking "I can't wait to lay down a big, sloppy drum part today!"? & the rest of the band commended him on his sloppiness? It makes no sense. He sounds more like he's hanging on for dear life for most of it to me. Now Charlie Watts is a sloppy drummer, but I can forgive him because he could groove. Ringo's all thwack & hope for the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roceci Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 46 minutes ago, lowdown said: That post is a funny read. Kicked off Friday morning nicely. I bet 'Blue' is twitching in his sleep. Indeed Although I'm not trying to be provocative here. I respect Blue's devotion, we've all got it for some band or other I'm sure. I certainly have. Just had these thoughts bumping around my head & had to give voice to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 i suspect the line "you had to be there" will come up in this thread once or twice.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roceci Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 I was there tho! I was in my car when I listened to the Beatles in my car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 1 hour ago, ivansc said: ...but Ringo had a great, sloppy feel... Oh gawd! I can't remember the last time I had one of those. You should hear him perform on the brown paper bag too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyKnees Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 A sloppy feel sounds like something that happened round the back of the bike sheds... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 (edited) regarding Macca and Lennons songs, I'm the other way round, apart from a few exceptions I found McCartney's songs twee and middle of the road, Lennon's had a lot more bite to them, something for everyone I suppose, Ringo's drumming always sounded ok to me, I'm told he was behind the beat, but then again a drummer's got to be really bad before I notice, it's not difficult hit the snare on the off beat, right? it's not like they've got to play the right notes Edited November 24, 2017 by PaulWarning 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roceci Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 3 minutes ago, PaulWarning said: I'm told he was behind the Beatles Fixed as they say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 No love for George's lyrics then? He really blossomed when the Beatles finally folded. Nobody noticed much in the shadow of what went before but I feel sad knowing we've heard the last of his music. He was damned good at it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 1 minute ago, SpondonBassed said: No love for George's lyrics then? He really blossomed when the Beatles finally folded. Nobody noticed much in the shadow of what went before but I feel sad knowing we've heard the last of his music. He was damned good at it. Macca's take on that was he had written his good songs while in the Beatles, he just couldn't get them on albums, it was downhill after all things must pass he seemed to be suggesting, then again, most of the post Beatles stuff wasn't as good (imo), no quality control, i.e. that song is stinky poo Paul, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Just now, PaulWarning said: Macca's take on that was he had written his good songs while in the Beatles, he just couldn't get them on albums, it was downhill after all things must pass he seemed to be suggesting, then again, most of the post Beatles stuff wasn't as good (imo), no quality control, i.e. that song is stinky poo Paul, love the profanity filter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I disagree with most of what you say, but will concede that George was a.. lazy guitarist. The rooftop concert. The 'All You Need Is Love' solo. Even McCartney and Lennon eclipse him at the end of the Abbey Road medley. But he was a bit off-the-wall, influenced the direction of the band and wrote handful of classics. I strongly disagree re: Ringo. Even Bernard Purdie rates him enough to try to steal his credit. McCartney's 'twee' stuff often has a bit of a sinister undercurrent which appeals to me, and I have no problems with Lennon's voice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roceci Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Ringo Starr & Bernard Purdie in the same sentence! Twice! Sid Vicious & Victor Wooten! Do agree on the undercurrent stuff, love that approach to songwriting. Big part of why I love the Dan actually, 'Everyone's Gone to The Movies' is a prime example of this. Creepy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Just now, roceci said: Ringo Starr & Bernard Purdie in the same sentence! Twice! Sid Vicious & Victor Wooten! Do agree on the undercurrent stuff, love that approach to songwriting. Big part of why I love the Dan actually, 'Everyone's Gone to The Movies' is a prime example of this. Creepy. For a long time Bernard Purdie has claimed he overdubbed a number of Ringo's parts. I doubt he'd peddle that guff if he didn't rate his playing...! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Ringo is/was a very underrated drummer. He does/did what is/was needed. That is all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 3 minutes ago, wateroftyne said: For a long time Bernard Purdie has claimed he overdubbed a number of Ringo's parts. I doubt he'd peddle that guff if he didn't rate his playing...! So... if Ringo used a brown paper bag to guff in, what's confusing me is how Bernard managed to get the same effect using a moped?!? Oh 'eck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 2 hours ago, roceci said: I've rinsed each of their albums from Sgt Pepper onwards in the car throughout the week [...] I can't comment on stuff before Sgt Pepper, I realise it was game-changing stuff but the sound leaves me cold It's unfortunate, because for me that's the point where it all starts to go downhill. They did a lot of important, groundbreaking stuff in the last part of their career, but the ratio started to skew towards "interesting studio experiments" and away from "actual good songs" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I love some of the Beatles stuff and like almost all of the rest of it . No particular Beatle influences for or against the stuff I love or like . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 2 hours ago, SpondonBassed said: No love for George's lyrics then? He really blossomed when the Beatles finally folded. Nobody noticed much in the shadow of what went before but I feel sad knowing we've heard the last of his music. He was damned good at it. Ah yes, author of lines such as "I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping". Genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilp Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 For what it's worth, I think Ringo was a cracking drummer, I love Lennon's songwriting, and I think "twee" is the perfect word for McCartney, except that maybe some of his songs sound creepy because he is a bit creepy? Shows how different we can feel about things and still not be wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 If more drummers played like Ringo instead of trying to be Neil Peart* amateur music would be a happier place. * Not a dig - I think he's fab, mainly because he can actually play like Neil Peart. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Just now, spectoremg said: If more drummers played like Ringo instead of trying to be Neil Peart* amateur music would be a happier place. * Not a dig - I think he's fab, mainly because he can actually play like Neil Peart. Just as well you added that caveat, otherwise the previous poster might have felt very hurt. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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