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All 213 Beatles songs ranked worst to first!

Just started looking at this and I'm already agitated. I don't love Good Day Sunshine, but it is far from their worst song. Did the writer listen to Octopus's Garden?

Dig a Pony at 209? The lyrics are a little silly, but there are plenty of silly Beatles songs. Musically, this song is very strong - great guitar riffs, interesting chord changes, and pretty vocal harmonies. Very nice guitar solo.
 
Just started looking at this and I'm already agitated. I don't love Good Day Sunshine, but it is far from their worst song. Did the writer listen to Octopus's Garden?

Dig a Pony at 209? The lyrics are a little silly, but there are plenty of silly Beatles songs. Musically, this song is very strong - great guitar riffs, interesting chord changes, and pretty vocal harmonies. Very nice guitar solo.
I wonder where Sir Paul's solo offerings as well as his work with Wings would fall? Talk about some dreck. Ebony and Ivory, Jet ...
 
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Imo, there are no 'worst' Beatles songs. Maybe a ranking of Outstanding to merely good....

Some songs they wrote for Ringo's limited vocal range were more on the lighter, fun side, maybe more of a mental break for them.

I read somewhere that after they broke up and John was writing songs in bunches, he would send some to Ringo that he felt that he (John) didn't like as much and that Ringo could use.

Paul did some great stuff on his own, but that awful collaboration with MJ was nowhere in the zip code of that category.

But I'm very much a Beatles fan from the onset, so I'm not objective in the least, nor do I try/want to be.
 
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Just started looking at this and I'm already agitated. I don't love Good Day Sunshine, but it is far from their worst song. Did the writer listen to Octopus's Garden?

Dig a Pony at 209? The lyrics are a little silly, but there are plenty of silly Beatles songs. Musically, this song is very strong - great guitar riffs, interesting chord changes, and pretty vocal harmonies. Very nice guitar solo.

yeah...but it is just some schmuck's opinion. Its no different from David Jones questioning the 3rd and 2 call in the fourth quarter of a key game; but worse. in this case, its art. If Octopuses Garden speaks to you, so be it.

i mean, WTF is this (below)? someone spilled the paint. I mean, somebody paid $140,000,000 for it:

top20_most_expansive_paintings_17.jpg
 
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yeah...but it is just some schmuck's opinion. Its no different from David Jones questioning the 3rd and 2 call in the fourth quarter of a key game; but worse. in this case, its art. If Octopuses Garden speaks to you, so be it.

i mean, WTF is this (below)? someone spilled the paint. I mean, somebody paid $140,000,000 for it:

top20_most_expansive_paintings_17.jpg

Art like this isn't about Art. It is about parking assets. Just like $20mm NYC apartments.

Difference is the carry costs on art are almost zero. And you can move it.
 
Art like this isn't about Art. It is about parking assets. Just like $20mm NYC apartments.

Difference is the carry costs on art are almost zero. And you can move it.
Right...agree...but that is the economics. At some point, someone thought Pollack's stuff was cool and, therefore, valuable. So that is where the "art" part comes in. Lest they'd be paying a ton of money from my 12 year old daughter's fourth grade drawings and spirographs on the wall near my desk.

gallery18595_1.jpg
 
Right...agree...but that is the economics. At some point, someone thought Pollack's stuff was cool and, therefore, valuable. So that is where the "art" part comes in. Lest they'd be paying a ton of money from my 12 year old daughter's fourth grade drawings and spirographs on the wall near my desk.

gallery18595_1.jpg

I'm not sure if the work has as much to do with anything as the artist.

But good point.
 
Right...agree...but that is the economics. At some point, someone thought Pollack's stuff was cool and, therefore, valuable. So that is where the "art" part comes in. Lest they'd be paying a ton of money from my 12 year old daughter's fourth grade drawings and spirographs on the wall near my desk.

gallery18595_1.jpg
Did you live in Dallas? I recognize the Interfirst building and the Hyatt Regency, not sure its called the Interfirs anymore.
A future Grandma Moses. I like it but then I like Jackson Pollock as well.:)
 
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yeah...but it is just some schmuck's opinion. Its no different from David Jones questioning the 3rd and 2 call in the fourth quarter of a key game; but worse. in this case, its art. If Octopuses Garden speaks to you, so be it.

i mean, WTF is this (below)? someone spilled the paint. I mean, somebody paid $140,000,000 for it:

top20_most_expansive_paintings_17.jpg
I read a great piece in the late, lamented Spy Magazine about an artist from
Memphis so fed up with phony modern art and powerful critics that he played a great gag. He submitted a piece of rough concrete that he and the janitor of his building covered in burlap strips, spray-painted, then took the strips off. He called it "Accelerated Movement #2". It won 2nd prize in the Memphis art competition. It took him and the janitor 10 minutes to make
 
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yeah...but it is just some schmuck's opinion. Its no different from David Jones questioning the 3rd and 2 call in the fourth quarter of a key game; but worse. in this case, its art. If Octopuses Garden speaks to you, so be it.

i mean, WTF is this (below)? someone spilled the paint. I mean, somebody paid $140,000,000 for it:

top20_most_expansive_paintings_17.jpg
Agree and disagree. Of course opinion is a significant factor. However, there are tangible criteria that can define the quality of the song.
Pitch accuracy
Melodic content
Harmonic complexity - instrument and vocal
Is the rhythm consistent
Arrangement
Mix
Recording quality
Individual instrumental parts (solos, drum fills, etc)
Tone of vocals/instruments (may be more opinion on this)
 
Agree and disagree. Of course opinion is a significant factor. However, there are tangible criteria that can define the quality of the song.
Pitch accuracy
Melodic content
Harmonic complexity - instrument and vocal
Is the rhythm consistent
Arrangement
Mix
Recording quality
Individual instrumental parts (solos, drum fills, etc)
Tone of vocals/instruments (may be more opinion on this)
Yep...but then you get something simple and perfect like "yesterday". How do you factor in the simple complexity of a song like that? Beatles, far and away in my mind, the best ever. Love "Love" in Vegas...sound system exemplifies their harmonies. Just incredible mix of talents.
 
Yep...but then you get something simple and perfect like "yesterday". How do you factor in the simple complexity of a song like that? Beatles, far and away in my mind, the best ever. Love "Love" in Vegas...sound system exemplifies their harmonies. Just incredible mix of talents.
Yesterday is not so simple. It is one of very few pop/rock songs that are in the Jazz Real book.
Start with the arrangement. It begins with acoustic guitar and then a really interesting string arrangement enters in the 2nd verse. The string arrangement changes slightly throughout the song.

It has harmonic complexity - the chords don't follow one key, there are a number of subtle key shifts and also the use of 7th chords. Add in some bass line walk downs and a nice bridge. Top it off with a very graceful melody.
 
Yesterday is not so simple. It is one of very few pop/rock songs that are in the Jazz Real book.
Start with the arrangement. It begins with acoustic guitar and then a really interesting string arrangement enters in the 2nd verse. The string arrangement changes slightly throughout the song.

It has harmonic complexity - the chords don't follow one key, there are a number of subtle key shifts and also the use of 7th chords. Add in some bass line walk downs and a nice bridge. Top it off with a very graceful melody.
OK...I yield to your greater knowledge of music! To me, I just listen to them.

If you are so smart, what is the Chord that opens "Hard Days Night?"
 
OK...I yield to your greater knowledge of music! To me, I just listen to them.

If you are so smart, what is the Chord that opens "Hard Days Night?"
Hope I don't come across as condescending. This is my wheel house.

If I remember right, Hard Days Night starts with a dominant 7 chord with a suspended 4th. Not a very common chord to use in a rock song, and definitely unusual to start with it.

I prefer the dominant 7 #5 chord that starts Oh Darling.
 
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Hope I don't come across as condescending. This is my wheel house.

If I remember right, Hard Days Night starts with a dominant 7 chord with a suspended 4th. Not a very common chord to use in a rock song, and definitely unusual to start with it.

I prefer the dominant 7 #5 chord that starts Oh Darling.

No, not at all. I enjoyed your comments but have to confess, didn't understand a lot of it. Beatles are fascinating in that they had very little training but just gutted it out. Add in old salts that they moved in and out (like George Martin, Eric Clapton, billy preston, etc.) and it is the definition of the "whole being greater than the sum of the parts".
 
No, not at all. I enjoyed your comments but have to confess, didn't understand a lot of it. Beatles are fascinating in that they had very little training but just gutted it out. Add in old salts that they moved in and out (like George Martin, Eric Clapton, billy preston, etc.) and it is the definition of the "whole being greater than the sum of the parts".
George Martin's impact cannot be overstated.
 
George Martin's impact cannot be overstated.
and phil spector! BTW, what do you think of "the long and winding road?" it has long been one of my favorites. But sir paul said that it really killed the group when spector added the symphony without getting the OK. I really like the symphony on it..it gave the song more depth and was symbolic of the long, complex road IMHO.
 
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and phil spector! BTW, what do you think of "the long and winding road?" it has long been one of my favorites. But sir paul said that it really killed the group when spector added the symphony without getting the OK. I really like the symphony on it..it gave the song more depth and was symbolic of the long, complex road IMHO.
Not a personal favorite, but a well written song. Really good arrangement. Interesting about the symphony. I never noticed that before. When the Beatles added strings, it was usually a smaller chamber group, not a large ensemble. Maybe that was what they didn't like. The string arrangement is still very good.

It may not be their best, but my personal favorite is She Said, She Said. The drum part is fantastic.
 
and phil spector! BTW, what do you think of "the long and winding road?" it has long been one of my favorites. But sir paul said that it really killed the group when spector added the symphony without getting the OK. I really like the symphony on it..it gave the song more depth and was symbolic of the long, complex road IMHO.

I knew Phil S. had his hand in a few things on Let it Be but I didn't know that.
Funny thing is I don't like the symphony at all on that.
I've heard another version of that somewhere a long time ago that didn't include it. Rarities maybe?
 
George Martin's impact cannot be overstated.

GG, I don't have your expertise in music but I agree with you here, although I recall a Lennon quote (responding to someone claiming George Martin as the 5th Beatle): "... there was no 5th Beatle...".

I read the list, don't agree with most of it, but, like others here mentioned, I just listen and enjoy my favorites.
 
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Saw this a few weeks ago. I guess you can argue about where individual songs should be placed. But what I found most annoying is that the author gets well under #100 before he has more positive than negative things to say about the songs. You don't have to agree that the Beatles were the greatest band ever, but you can't seriously argue that they had >130 "throwaway songs."

BTW, don't be so hard on Sir Paul. If not for his compositions, we'd have never been treated to Fran Ganter (I think it was him) singing "Ebony and Ivory" on the steps of Old Main in January 1983.
 
I knew Phil S. had his hand in a few things on Let it Be but I didn't know that.
Funny thing is I don't like the symphony at all on that.
I've heard another version of that somewhere a long time ago that didn't include it. Rarities maybe?

I've heard that was the final straw for Paul. he had lost control of his art. The record was released and it was a lot different that what he had imagined.
 
I thought the guy was very negative like he was critiquing the bay city rollers. He crushes Paul all over the place then he hammered John in a couple of places but not as bad. I mean this guy is critiquing the freakin Beatles. That is like saying jack Nicklaus had 19 second place finishes at majors. That sucks!
 
Not a personal favorite, but a well written song. Really good arrangement. Interesting about the symphony. I never noticed that before. When the Beatles added strings, it was usually a smaller chamber group, not a large ensemble. Maybe that was what they didn't like. The string arrangement is still very good.

It may not be their best, but my personal favorite is She Said, She Said. The drum part is fantastic.

yeah, that was phil. I went to wiki and looked up She Said, She Said. If you don't know the back story, pretty interesting.

Tangentially, I saw a post on Twitter this morning claiming that Aerosmith wrote "walk this way" after taking a break from recording to go to the theater and watch "Young Frankenstein". At one point, Igor (who has a hump and walked funny) tells Gene Wilder (I think it was Gene) to "walk this way"; meaning "come with me." Gene takes on the look of the hump and shuffles his feet. Igor looks at him like "WTF?" Its a funny scene. So Aerosmith watches the movie, goes back to the studio and writes their breakout hit "Walk this Way". Funny how life works.
 
yeah, that was phil. I went to wiki and looked up She Said, She Said. If you don't know the back story, pretty interesting.

Tangentially, I saw a post on Twitter this morning claiming that Aerosmith wrote "walk this way" after taking a break from recording to go to the theater and watch "Young Frankenstein". At one point, Igor (who has a hump and walked funny) tells Gene Wilder (I think it was Gene) to "walk this way"; meaning "come with me." Gene takes on the look of the hump and shuffles his feet. Igor looks at him like "WTF?" Its a funny scene. So Aerosmith watches the movie, goes back to the studio and writes their breakout hit "Walk this Way". Funny how life works.
Oh I know. Peter fonda. Here I thought he could handle his lsd.

That's funny about aerosmith. I loved that movie as a kid and know exactly the scene. I'll never listen to that song the same.
 
Buddy Holly - John Wayne movie " That'll be the day"
 
Yesterday is not so simple. It is one of very few pop/rock songs that are in the Jazz Real book.
Start with the arrangement. It begins with acoustic guitar and then a really interesting string arrangement enters in the 2nd verse. The string arrangement changes slightly throughout the song.

It has harmonic complexity - the chords don't follow one key, there are a number of subtle key shifts and also the use of 7th chords. Add in some bass line walk downs and a nice bridge. Top it off with a very graceful melody.
Obviously composed and written by Paul McCartney's replacement after he died in a car crash. ;)
 
Not a personal favorite, but a well written song. Really good arrangement. Interesting about the symphony. I never noticed that before. When the Beatles added strings, it was usually a smaller chamber group, not a large ensemble. Maybe that was what they didn't like. The string arrangement is still very good.

It may not be their best, but my personal favorite is She Said, She Said. The drum part is fantastic.

She said she said is a tremendous song.
 
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