I don't really think the beatles catalogue is a POS

[JuanCarlosVejar]

folks ,

 

 

I don't really think the beatles are a POS while I don't like them that much I enjoy a few of their songs .

but I still stand behind that JL and PM got to being real songwriters when they went solo .

 

I just wanted to prove that we can say a certain band makes bad music or doesn't move us and so on and so on ... but if you talk about the beatles then it gets people really sensible and thinking you are a loony tune .

 

I like songs like yesterday , strawberry fields and others ...I can certainly understand the charm they had but I just don't dive in to the music and it's not a generational thing ... I have friends my age and younger who really love them .

 

 

but I have to say something about Aaron Lewis ... if you think the guy has no talent please check out this video and listen the the song (don't comment about his style or the way he shaved because there might be a good reason for it ) ... he's playing a really great sounding gibson so maybe you might want to comment on that or on the lyrics :

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6zdPD81kY0

 

 

 

that song was a song he used to play solo acoustic at bars and stuff like that the song had revolving lyrics ( he only had the chord progression and would change the lyrics every time he played it) and that night at that particular show he made up those lyrics and they were so good ... that when they recorded the album that was the version that went on it .

 

 

JC

[EuroAussie]

Hey JC, you dont have to justify yourself mate. Im generally on your side, great respect for the Beatles but I also happen to listen more to Aaron Lewis than the Beatles.

 

Although not sure if this example was the best one to showcase Mr Lewis's skills, he seemed to still be learning how to play the guitar here - its probably going back 10 years or so ?

 

Its all good.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

Hey JC, you dont have to justify yourself mate. Im generally on your side, great respect for the Beatles but I also happen to listen more to Aaron Lewis than the Beatles.

 

Although not sure if this example was the best one to showcase Mr Lewis's skills, he seemed to still be learning how to play the guitar here - its probably going back 10 years or so ?

 

Its all good.

 

his guitar playing wasn't that great at any time in his carrer ... I think that's just the Aaron Lewis way of playing guitar here's another great one :

 

he retunes the guitar because he had been playing a few songs in a differnt tuning

 

 

 

 

JC

[mountainpicker]

I met this woman in the main hot springs tub in Riverbend Hot Springs in T or C, New Mexico a couple of years ago and she was the first person I ever met that said she didn't like the Beatles. I found that my very first reaction was that I was offended by her perspective since, to me, they were the defining band of my generation. When you read what motivated lots of famous and not so famous musicians to take up the guitar the answer, a lot of times, is "The Beatles". But then that was that generation. My twenty year old son thinks Pink Floyd in general and David Gilmour in particular is the only music from my generation worth listening to, but my twenty-two year old daughter prefers the punk music that I consider a freakish reaction at the end of an era (except for maybe The Ramones) to be "where it's at".

I took up the acoustic guitar about nine years ago and it has been nothing but an enjoyable learning experience, at every turn. One thing I've learned is that it is very difficult to be consistently good singing and playing simultaneously, night after night, and anyone that can do it at a high level has my utmost admiration regardless of the genre. The Beatles records and record speaks for itself in how highly regarded they are by the ears of the listeners but it doesn't say anything about the people who don't like their music. Some like the sound of a J-45, some like the sound of a D-18. Same kind of thing I guess.

[merseybeat1963]

folks ,

 

 

I don't really think the beatles are a POS while I don't like them that much I enjoy a few of their songs .

but I still stand behind that JL and PM got to being real songwriters when they went solo .

 

I just wanted to prove that we can say a certain band makes bad music or doesn't move us and so on and so on ... but if you talk about the beatles then it gets people really sensible and thinking you are a loony tune .

 

I like songs like yesterday , strawberry fields and others ...I can certainly understand the charm they had but I just don't dive in to the music and it's not a generational thing ... I have friends my age and younger who really love them .

 

 

but I have to say something about Aaron Lewis ... if you think the guy has no talent please check out this video and listen the the song (don't comment about his style or the way he shaved because there might be a good reason for it ) ... he's playing a really great sounding gibson so maybe you might want to comment on that or on the lyrics :

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6zdPD81kY0

 

 

 

that song was a song he used to play solo acoustic at bars and stuff like that the song had revolving lyrics ( he only had the chord progression and would change the lyrics every time he played it) and that night at that particular show he made up those lyrics and they were so good ... that when they recorded the album that was the version that went on it .

 

 

JC

 

Oh no Juan

I hope you are not judging them solely on modern Radio Air Play..cause you are a young guy.

Even I , born in 1959 was a touch late for the full impact.

You have to hear the Records in Full from Please Please Me untill the fragments in "Let it Be"

I can understand a person(not meaning you) just hating them after hearing the same old shite on the radio for decades, but the songs were magic.

That sound hypnotized the people. It was like listening to liquid love.

 

The post Beatles thing was so much less...especially Paul McCartney.

It has come to my mind that it was really not humanly possible to write that many good songs in that span of time..Maybe it was all just a set up ?

Post Beatles songs are in comparison distinctly Mortal in comparison. And more possible.

[merseybeat1963]

I met this woman in the main hot springs tub in Riverbend Hot Springs in T or C, New Mexico a couple of years ago and she was the first person I ever met that said she didn't like the Beatles. I found that my very first reaction was that I was offended by her perspective since, to me, they were the defining band of my generation. When you read what motivated lots of famous and not so famous musicians to take up the guitar the answer, a lot of times, is "The Beatles". But then that was that generation. My twenty year old son thinks Pink Floyd in general and David Gilmour in particular is the only music from my generation worth listening to, but my twenty-two year old daughter prefers the punk music that I consider a freakish reaction at the end of an era (except for maybe The Ramones) to be "where it's at".

I took up the acoustic guitar about nine years ago and it has been nothing but an enjoyable learning experience, at every turn. One thing I've learned is that it is very difficult to be consistently good singing and playing simultaneously, night after night, and anyone that can do it at a high level has my utmost admiration regardless of the genre. The Beatles records and record speaks for itself in how highly regarded they are by the ears of the listeners but it doesn't say anything about the people who don't like their music. Some like the sound of a J-45, some like the sound of a D-18. Same kind of thing I guess.

 

Radio usually is the only place one can hear the music we came up on involentarily (without looking for & selecting it) ...and radio rehashes the same old songs over and over to the point that even a person who liked

those particular songs has come to hate hearing them em...which in turn also confirms the dislike of those songs to those who didnt like em in the first place..and assures they never will.

Radio airplay is so bigoted,segregated,confined & controled that it does not generate any natural fire.

Same freakin few records over and over.

[livemusic]

I can't even imagine any musician not respecting the unfathomable talent that was the Beatles. In my mind, they were the most talented band in history. It is beyond belief what they produced in, say, a decade. Just this morning, I spent a half hour on youtube listening to a guy dissect the vocal harmonies of several of their songs. They had it all, but one thing they had, for sure, was an incredible skill in 3-part harmonies. Amazing stuff. I like a LOT of music, but for me, the Beatles are in a league of their own.

 

And their post-Beatles work wasn't anything close to what they made together. (Except George.) JMO. The planets aligned for those lads.

[E-minor7]

Can I recommend Let It Be. . . Naked, merseybeat1963. . .

[drathbun]

I don't see how it is at all necessary to put something else down just to elevate your particular tastes. My Mom used to say "You don't build yourself up by tearing someone else down". The argument that The Beatles weren't great songwriters until they split up is a logical non-sequitur to the argument that Aaron Lewis IS a great songwriter (talented whatever). They are completely unrelated.

 

BTW my favourite Staind song is "Tangled Up In You". However, I could play a different favourite Beatles song once a week and still not be through the list a year later.

[livemusic]

... However, I could play a different favourite Beatles song once a week and still not be through the list a year later.

 

And therein lies the rub. As a songwriter, I am blown away by their catalog. Not to mention... mind-blowing innovation.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

I don't see how it is at all necessary to put something else down just to elevate your particular tastes. My Mom used to say "You don't build yourself up by tearing someone else down". The argument that The Beatles weren't great songwriters until they split up is a logical non-sequitur to the argument that Aaron Lewis IS a great songwriter (talented whatever). They are completely unrelated.

 

BTW my favourite Staind song is "Tangled Up In You". However, I could play a different favourite Beatles song once a week and still not be through the list a year later.

Doug,

 

I wasn't really trying to do that ... the truth is people just don't realize that in the 1960's no rock band was writing songs about about abuse , rape , bullying and that kind of stuff . A lot of bands in the 90's captured the way that generation felt about those things . Nirvana , alice in chains , staind , korn , deftones , are just a few that spoke to people in a way that 60's rock could never have .....

 

 

 

 

JC

[ParlourMan]

Ever paid attention to Maxwells Silver Hammer?

 

From a net resource:

 

Come Together - was written to promote Timothy Leary's run for govenor but Timothy was thrown in jail on marijuana possession while running against Ronald Reagan for governor of California

 

While My Guitar Gently Weeps- An expose on the vast differences between eastern and western culture

 

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - many attribute the lyrics to the use of LSD which became popular and accepted by hippies in the 60's

 

Get Back - contained references ("Loretta Martin who thought she was a woman, but was another man") to sexual ambiguity, which was surfacing in the 60's "free and open love" movement

 

Eleanor Rigby - lyrics were aligned with all the lonely people , especially after World war II had ended

 

Hey Jude - highlited for many people the pains of divorce and the pain for children seeing their parents split-up

 

All You Need Is Love - "propaganda song", to change the world (Lennons words) through peaceful/love means not by wars and force

 

Dr Robert - tales of acid induced orgy dodging at a dentists dinner party.

- - -

 

You could arguably say that moody white boys singing about rape in the 90s mightn't actually make the points that many victims of such attacks feel need to made. You could also argue that it was much more difficult to do political or issue songs in the 60s than on the more free speaking 90s.

 

Not that I'm one to massively champion the 60s over anything else, nor do I think we should overlook the fact that just as much bad music was made as in most other decades after.

[bobouz]

Misic is evolutionary, in many ways reflecting the overall culture of the times.

 

What the Beatles did for a few short years was to drive & virtually define the culture through song.

 

Simply an amazing & productively magical run.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

Misic is evolutionary, in many ways reflecting the overall culture of the times.

 

What the Beatles did for a few short years was to drive & virtually define the culture through song.

 

Simply an amazing & productively magical run.

 

but that was back when you only had a radio ... now with Ipods each person can build and organize the soundtrack of his or her life.

something remarkle about the beatles that I admire is that it made Russians (and maybe other people) try and strive to learn english so that's a great thing .

 

 

 

JC

[MR GIBS]

I LOVE The Beatles.

GH is a great songwriter too.

In general they are just GREAT.

[E-minor7]

Accuse me for being old hat, but today it's hard to sense how strong even the most innocent Beatles-tune and their sheer appearance influenced youngsters 'trapped' in an old world - or f.x. freedom-longing people behind the iron curtain. It's almost impossible to explain the instinctive feel for the new winds they sent across. There's nothing like it today (or the last 25 years) and if you want to get the vibe (and I respect your skepticism, JCV), you have to dig into documentarys and footage of the times. Not so much about the act/acts, but the oceans of kid that admired them.

Enjoy – it's worth the trip.

 

 

Regarding the rolling show, the music, the musical deliverance and of course the singing – let's be serious.

 

[ParlourMan]

It's true, the world has changed since then, what that doesn't explain is why certain periods of their music stands the test of time, even in a changed world.

 

Wouldn't that be down to something as simple as the timelessness of the compositions?

 

In the interest of balance though, you can have enough of it now & then. The part of the comparison with the stones that always amuses me is that we tend to celebrate the Beatles for their musical growth and the stones for churning out the same stuff. But like I said before horses for courses. I'm sure there's kids out there who can't see far past Chase & Status or DJ Fresh as the bees knees.

[j45nick]

 

You could arguably say that moody white boys singing about rape in the 90s mightn't actually make the points that many victims of such attacks feel need to made. You could also argue that it was much more difficult to do political or issue songs in the 60s than on the more free speaking 90s.

 

Not that I'm one to massively champion the 60s over anything else, nor do I think we should overlook the fact that just as much bad music was made as in most other decades after.

 

 

You've hit on a pretty important point here. In the deep dark past, you couldn't always say things directly in a song the way that people today take for granted when it comes to songwriting. Look at the sexual themes in so much of blues, for example. Or to be really in-your-face, Billie Holiday's closing song "Strange Fruit", which has nothing to do with fruit. It's about black lynching victims in the south hanging from trees, swinging in the breeze. Ironically, the poem it is based on was written by a Jewish white boy from New York.

 

Some of the greatest popular songs--and I'm not talking about country music here, which has always been up-front thematically and lyrically--are allegorical rather than explicit. And the Beatles wrote some of the best.

[E-minor7]

Wise old Nick can you please help me settle one thing.

Was Baby's In Black about a woman dreaming of her long gone man while wearing black lingerie ?

[Aster1]

Doug,

 

... the truth is people just don't realize that in the 1960's no rock band was writing songs about about abuse , rape , bullying and that kind of stuff . A lot of bands in the 90's captured the way that generation felt about those things . Nirvana , alice in chains , staind , korn , deftones , are just a few that spoke to people in a way that 60's rock could never have .....

 

JC

All I can say is that I am SO glad the 60's groups DIDN'T write about all that crap!! I hear enough about all that tripe from the media, talking heads, and too many others to almost care anymore (not that I think any of it's a good thing so don't get me wrong)!

 

The majority of the music from the 50's & 60's was Happier music. I didn't feel like I wanted to cut my wrists after hearing someone ranting about the evils of society, life in general, and their own, possibly chemical induced, depression!! I have now found that I love the late 50's & early 60's the best off all the music I can listen too. Think about the great stuff, NOT, that JL & PM wrote when they grew up and went solo like, "Working Class Hero" or "Uncle Albert." "Give Peace a chance" or "Band on the Run." IMHO, when they broke up they should have both been done. Really thin songs w/o being timeless. I will say that JL had pulled it back together with "Double Fantasy" album when Yoko O wasn't singing anything that is.

 

Aster

[zombywoof]

The big difference between then and now is that today everything is neatly placed in a category. Radio stations play only this and that kind of music. Shows feature bands all cut from the same cloth. Back then you could tune in Cousin Brucie on your AM dial and hear the Temptations followed by Johnny Cash followed by the Beatles followed by Louie Armstrong. You would go to concerts and see Woody Herman on the same bill as Led Zeppelin.

 

It has always been fashionable to say there were better bands than the Beatles back in the early 1960s - the Searchers and Most Blues Wailing Yardbirds are often mentioned. And maybe it was just a matter of the Beatles being better packaged than the others. But John Lennon remains the best voice in rock and roll and Ringo had the best back beat in the business. And they were just what we needed at the time. Crap, what a break from the onslaught of Bobbys (Vee, Vinton, Rydell) who appeared in the wake of Buddy Holly's death.

[j45nick]

Wise old Nick – can you please help me settle one thing.

Was Baby's In Black about a woman dreaming of her long gone man while wearing black lingerie ?

 

 

I've always taken that song at face value. Her man is gone, but she won't give me the time of day. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.

 

(For another view of a cigar, see Rudyard Kipling's poem, "The Betrothed". It will confuse the heck out of you as you seek other meanings in the words.)

[merseybeat1963]

Can I recommend Let It Be. . . Naked, merseybeat1963. . .

 

Thanks

Ill give it another good long listen..(I have it but didnt play it much)..The original Phil Spector production was pretty good though Paul blasted him for the liberties he took. : )

 

Those first harmonizing love songs they focused on at the begining was like pure love turned into music.

I really cant explain it..I heard those early songs and it was a life transforming thing.

[E-minor7]

Thanks

Ill give it another good long listen..(I have it but didnt play it much)..The original Phil Spector production was pretty good though Paul blasted him for the liberties he took. : )

 

Those first harmonizing love songs they focused on at the begining was like pure love turned into music.

I really cant explain it..I heard those early songs and it was a life transforming thing.

'Naked' is once in a while a good alternative to the well known splendid original.

[E-minor7]

I've always taken that song at face value. Her man is gone, but she won't give me the time of day. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.

 

(For another view of a cigar, see Rudyard Kipling's poem, "The Betrothed". It will confuse the heck out of you as you seek other meanings in the words.)

Sigmund for sure hit the bulls eye

Rudyard is always a treat

Both of them spoke of tobacco

from opposite sides of the street

 

Freud he did focus on smoking

Kipling got lost in his twirls

Both of them probably joking

tho seriously thinking 'bout girls