Rolling Stone declares Greatest Beatles Songs

[brammy]

"Every Little Thing" - not high on my list

"No Reply" - I agree.... a pure gem and one of those underrated Beatles songs

[jimk]

Despite its lyrical third person/second person conflict, one of my favorites in "I'll Cry Instead."
(The singer can't quite decide whether he's talking to his ex-girlfriend, or reporting a breakup to some unnamed third party listener, ever a niggling little detail that bothers me.)
JimK

[johnnysain]

I think Paul's 'Blackbird' is underrated.

Also, I wished Harrison had conceived and played the lead for "Guitar Gently Weeps",...which is why I rank his "Here Comes the Sun" slighty ahead of it.

[doesitmatter]

Shocked "I am the Walrus" didn't make the top 10.

[johnnysain]

The best way to make 'Top Beatles' lists is,....

Their 10 best collaborations,
John's 10 Best,
Paul's 10 Best,
George's 3 Best,
Ringo's best singing performance.

[servant]

What is wrong with Rolling Stone?! Why isn't Imagine high on that list??

http://www.rickresource.com/phpBB3/view ... ne#p641262

[johnnysain]

What is wrong with Rolling Stone?! Why isn't Imagine high on that list??

'Imagine' was done post-Beatles.

[brammy]

The best way to make 'Top Beatles' lists is,....

Their 10 best collaborations,
John's 10 Best,
Paul's 10 Best,
George's 3 Best,
Ringo's best singing performance.

good point

[johnnysain]

Actually, I should've said Ringo's best original.....since he did write Octopus's Garden. I'm not sure if he wrote any more.

[FretlessOnly]

Ringo wrote Don't Pass Me By, which I like very much; certainly more than Octopus' Garden.

If I had to pick my top 20 Beatles tunes, there would probably be about 16 of John's songs, two of Paul's and two of George's. Lennon's compositional style and execution can really work for me. Another major factor is how McCartney tended to push the limits of bass playing on John's songs moreso than on his own.

[johnnysain]

Ringo wrote Don't Pass Me By, which I like very much; certainly more than Octopus' Garden.

If I had to pick my top 20 Beatles tunes, there would probably be about 16 of John's songs, two of Paul's and two of George's..

Hey Jude, Eleanor Rigby, Yesterday, Let it Be, Blackbird, For No One, Here,There & Everywhere, Get Back, Good Day Sunshine, Birthday, Rocky Racoon, Lovely Rita, Hello Goodbye, Sgt Pepper's, The Long and Winding Road, I Will, When I'm Sixty-Four, Two of Us, Got to Let You Into My Life, Back in the USSR, I've Got a Feeling, Penny Lane, Fixing a Hole, Things We Said Today, She's a Woman, Good Day Sunshine, I Saw Her Standing There, I've Just Seen a Face, I'm Looking Through You, Paperback Writer, Lady Madonna, Michelle, Fool on the HIll,..........

Yeah,...If I'm being very generous,...I'd say 1, maybe 2 of those are 'above average' compared to Lennon's stuff........

[antipodean]

Don't forget that it's all very subjective.

I think "Taxman" is superior to "While my Guitar Gently Weeps".

I tend to like Paul's material more than John's.

These opinions say more about me than they do about the quality of the material. I like "Taxman" because it reveals a side of George that we almost never see - there is an element of aggression and cynicism toward authority that is very "Rock and Roll" - almost proto-punk. I find Paul's material more melodic than Johns (on average), and I love a good melody.

I also like being challenged by other people's opinions, especially when the posts include some of the reasoning behind the opinions... excellent food for thought.

[FretlessOnly]

Yeah,...If I'm being very generous,...I'd say 1, maybe 2 of those are 'above average' compared to Lennon's stuff........

So you're making the point that my opinion is worthy of mockery? Aren't they all?

Rain
And Your Bird Can Sing
I'm Only Sleeping
Tomorrow Never Knows
Strawberry Fields Forever
Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite
A Day in the Life (partial credit for J&P on this one)
I am the Walrus
All You Need is Love
Across the Universe
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
Happiness is a Warm Gun
Yer Blues
Everybody's Got Someting to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
Sexy Sadie
Cry Baby Cry
I Want You (She's So Heavy)

I would choose to listen to any of these over a Paul composition 90% of the time. You seem not to understand that I hold Paul in the highest regard, but more as a bass player than as a songwriter. But John's compositions have an edge that Paul's generally do not. I like me some edge.

As for melody, as Evan said, Paul's compositions tend more to the melodic, but I like my melody more in the bass than in the central theme of the tune. And now I've said more than I really care to, since my opinion is clearly inferior to that of others.

[johnnysain]

Edge?,.....you got it!

[dbailey62]

What is wrong with Rolling Stone?! Why isn't Imagine high on that list??

'Imagine' was done post-Beatles.

(Dean was making a joke. See the smilies?)