dumb Beatles question

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

If/When arguing about who your favorite Beatle is, do you take into account their post-Beatles output? Songwriting? Personality? Favorite songs?

A friend of mine and I are involved in a perfectly reasonable yet heated debate over this (he's a Paul guy) and he then said 'It pretty much all boils down to "Strawberry Fields Forever" versus "Penny Lane"'.

Which pretty much convinces me not so much that I win, but that he loses the debate. I mean, who picks "Penny Lane" as a quintessential Paul song? or "Strawberry Fields Forever", for that matter? I mean, if that's the criteria, doesn't George Martin win?

Kingfish · **Posted:** Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:38 pm

cotton Wrote:

If/When arguing about who your favorite Beatle is, do you take into account their post-Beatles output? Songwriting? Personality? Favorite songs?

A friend of mine and I are involved in a perfectly reasonable yet heated debate over this (he's a Paul guy) and he then said 'It pretty much all boils down to "Strawberry Fields Forever" versus "Penny Lane"'.

Which pretty much convinces me not so much that I win, but that he loses the debate. I mean, who picks "Penny Lane" as a quintessential Paul song? or "Strawberry Fields Forever", for that matter? I mean, if that's the criteria, doesn't George Martin win?

Either way, John wins.

While I wouldn't pick either songs, I can see why someone would. I'm overexposed to it but Strawberry Fields is pretty amazing. For me though, classic Paul is probably Elenor Rigby.

Senator LooGAR · **Posted:** Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:45 pm

Kingfish Wrote:

cotton Wrote:

If/When arguing about who your favorite Beatle is, do you take into account their post-Beatles output? Songwriting? Personality? Favorite songs?

A friend of mine and I are involved in a perfectly reasonable yet heated debate over this (he's a Paul guy) and he then said 'It pretty much all boils down to "Strawberry Fields Forever" versus "Penny Lane"'.

Which pretty much convinces me not so much that I win, but that he loses the debate. I mean, who picks "Penny Lane" as a quintessential Paul song? or "Strawberry Fields Forever", for that matter? I mean, if that's the criteria, doesn't George Martin win?

Either way, John wins.

While I wouldn't pick either songs, I can see why someone would. I'm overexposed to it but Strawberry Fields is pretty amazing. For me though, classic Paul is probably Elenor Rigby.

I'm just goimg to let Tanner speak for me. He is Of Counsel for LooGar Consultants.

DumpJack · **Posted:** Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:49 pm

Plastic Ono Band vs. Wings.

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

i don't mind people picking John, but people who are super anti Paul really annoy me.

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

for what it's worth, I don't really have an opinion either way, since I ultimately think that the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts, but I think it's interesting the criteria some people use when designating their favorite.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

jewels santana Wrote:

i don't mind people picking John, but people who are super anti Paul really annoy me.

So George Harrison is your least favourite Beatle?

nobody · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:41 am

Ringo.

PopTodd · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:45 am

jewels santana Wrote:

i don't mind people picking John, but people who are super anti Paul really annoy me.

You hear that Matt?!?!
Let it go!!!

And, to answer the original question:
"All of the above."

And, my knee-jerk reaction is to call myself a George guy. But, if I stop to think about it, there is no way in hell that I can pick a favorite.
They're The freaking BEATLES.

christian · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:46 am

It's probably because Penny Lane really is Paul's best song and quite possibly not only the best Beatles song, but best song period.

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

konstantinl Wrote:

jewels santana Wrote:

i don't mind people picking John, but people who are super anti Paul really annoy me.

So George Harrison is your least favourite Beatle?

i don't understand this comment

DumpJack · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:00 am

christian Wrote:

It's probably because Penny Lane really is Paul's best song and quite possibly not only the best Beatles song, but best song period.

Beatles threads are the best because they keep on giving.

Cap'n Squirrgle · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:03 am

I don't really have one either way. Probably Paul, but then songs like The Long And Winding Road make me want to vomit.

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

a common theory is that Paul had the melody and John brought the cynical edge. But John had it in him to have sickeningly sweet song, and Paul brought the edge to many of John's compositions.

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

I think I've decided that forming an opinion based entirely on the solos in "The End" is just as valid a decider than any of the categories listed above.

christian Wrote:

It's probably because Penny Lane really is Paul's best song and quite possibly not only the best Beatles song, but best song period.

Okay, now you're just talking crazy insane.

Cap'n Squirrgle · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:36 pm

np: white album

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

yeah, I found a full discography online last night after posting this question and I've decided to make a day of it.

np: Live at Decca

Cap'n Squirrgle · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:31 pm

Cap'n Squirrgle Wrote:

np: white album

goddamitty, when Birthday hits the little breakdown, then the chorus...

I forgot how fucking good this was. Headphone volume: Disgusting / Dangerous.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:34 pm

I have to be shithoused to sit through a beatles album but I always enjoy it. instead, today, I'm gonna go into my basement and listen to Rick Ross.

Cap'n Squirrgle · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:39 pm

This guy is Black Putin Wrote:

shithoused

Maybe next meetup we dust off Abbey Road AND call Cotton.

Kingfish · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:52 pm

This guy is Black Putin Wrote:

I have to be shithoused to sit through a beatles album but I always enjoy it. instead, today, I'm gonna go into my basement and listen to Rick Ross.

This sounds unbearably white.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:52 pm

I'm into it like an inuit
[img][415:500]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/6/68/20070731104612!Inuit_women_1907.jpg[/img]

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

and as a result of my fine last night, I've been blasting handpicked selections from everything from Meet the to the Past Masters collections and everything in between as I kick the living shit out of my homework.

I forgot how much fun "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" -the long-ass version with the Brian Jones sax- is to listen to, especially while cooking. Shit, this will get worse before it gets better.

Still have no strong opinion on a favorite, though. I think my "The End solos" grading technique has left me at even greater an empasse.

Edit: Also, I keep thinking about Eddie Murphy saying "She's Got a Ticket to Ride (But the Bitch Don't Care)" now and wondering how I can track that one down.

FT · **Posted:** Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:53 am

Ringo's '70s solo output definitely raised my opinion of him significantly.

Conversely, Paul's post-Wings output definitely lowered my opinion of him significantly.

Kingfish · **Posted:** Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:10 am

I've been thinking about this, Cotton. I think a more interesting question is whether you include their work from before 65' in the equation. For me, it's harder to tell who's responsible for what, and they were more of a team then. Or at least closer to being an actual team.

It also wasn't until 65' that McCartney started dropping his over-sentimental crap into Beatles canon with the godawful Michelle.

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