The Beatles

Forostar said:
The non album singles were very good.
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Yeah, that’s another thing I love, everything was about quality. You don’t just slap an album song on a single and call it a day, you write some of your best material just for the single so that people get their money’s worth. I wish it was a concept more bands used nowadays. “Day Tripper” / “We Can Work It Out” in particular is one of the strongest offerings they’ve ever done, and a key reason I love Past Masters, particularly Volume Two.
 
It wasn't easy to make a personal Beatles Top 50 because many great songs didn't even make it, and the ranking of songs was a hard day´s night too... :help2: I love all these 50 songs, some more than others.

01. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
02. Penny Lane
03. A Day In The Life
04. Strawberry Fields Forever
05. We Can Work It Out
06. Eleanor Rigby
07. Hello Goodbye
08. Ticket To Ride
09. Blackbird
10. In My Life
11. For No One
12. Lady Madonna
13. Here Comes The Sun
14. Yesterday
15. All You Need Is Love
16. Nowhere Man
17. Let It Be
18. Help!
19. Fool On The Hill
20. Eight Days A Week
21. Michelle
22. Norwegian Wood
23. The Long And Winding Road
24. Paperback Writer
25. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
26. Magical Mystery Tour
27. Tomorrow Never Knows
28. You´ve Got To Hide Your Love Away
29. I Am The Walrus
30. Something
31. Drive My Car
32. Can´t Buy Me Love
33. Come Together
34. Lovely Rita
35. A Hard Day´s Night
36. No Reply
37. I´ll Be Back
38. With A Little Help From My Friends
39. All My Loving
40. Day Tripper
41. I Want To Hold Your Hand
42. From Me To You
43. I´ve Just Seen A Face
44. Sgt. Pepper´s Lonely Hearts Club Band
45. Getting Better
46. I Feel Fine
47. Please Please Me
48. Mother Nature´s Son
49. Love Me Do
50. Get Back
 
Forostar said:
Thanks for the effort @MindRuler ! I wasn't sure if I should put them in order, that would be very difficult. Maybe I will, now!
First I need to select 50.

edit: wow, no Helter Skelter, interesting.
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I noticed I forgot I Saw Her Standing There...
Yeah there are some other songs like Revolution, Across The Universe, Rocky Raccoon,... that deserved a place too but it´s hard to pick only 50.
 
Well, this speaks about quality of the band. I can't say nothing against those 50 Beatles sons that @MindRuler listen and yet, one of my favorite ones aren't there (Across the Universe.)
Funny, considering their solo careers, I always disliked Lennon's. But recently I found out that most of the Beatles songs I like are written by Lennon (or he started the idea and Paul joined later). I guess it shows how much does a musician depends on others i.e. how somebody can change the musical direction he's creating when he's joined by somebody else.
 
I have been busy for weeks with a top 50. An update:

First I got to a group of 83 songs (not bad, since they have more than 200). This went relatively quick.
Then I've been trying to get this to 50 but this is very hard. I am now at 52 songs. Here are the 31 that didn't make the last 52.
They still manage to enjoy me, and are worth mentioning. In chronological order: no. 53-83

01 Please Mr. Postman / With The Beatles (1963)
02 Sie Liebt Dich / single (March 1964)
03 I Call Your Name / Long Tall Sally EP (June 1964)
04 Slow Down / Long Tall Sally EP (June 1964)
05 A Hard Day's Night / A Hard Day's Night (1964)
06 I Should Have Known Better / A Hard Day's Night (1964)
07 Honey Don't / Beatles for Sale (1964)
08 Bad Boy / Beatles VI (June 1965)
09 Help / Help! (1965)
10 I Need You / Help! (1965)
11 Yesterday / Help! (1965)
12 Think for Yourself / Rubber Soul (1965)
13 Michelle / Rubber Soul (1965)
14 I'm Looking Through You / Rubber Soul (1965)
15 In My Life / Rubber Soul (1965)
16 Rain / single (June 1966)
17 Love You To / Revolver (1966)
18 Yellow Submarine / Revolver (1966)
19 For No One / Revolver (1966)
20 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
21 With A Little Help Of My Friends / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
22 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
23 Fixing A Hole / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
24 I Am the Walrus / Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
25 Back in the U.S.S.R. / White Album (1968)
26 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill / White Album (1968)
27 Don't Pass Me By / White Album (1968)
28 Old Brown Shoe / single (May 1969)
29 Two of Us / Let It Be (1970)
30 Get Back / Let It Be (1970)
31 I've Got A Feeling / Let It Be Naked version

No "Help!", "A Hard Day's Night" and "Yesterday" in a Beatles top 50 ??
Controversial innit? I guess I've heard these a lot. Not that special to me. After all, these three songs made me not delve deeper in their catalogue. A bit like Run to the Hills... a successful Maiden staple, but a lot of other songs captivate me more, thanks to this journey.
 
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I'm trying to do my 50, but I'm currently stuck at 78 and I haven't even started sorting them from best to "worst".

And for the record, I also haven't considered including Help, A Hard Day's Night nor Yesterday (and not even Hey Jude), not even for a moment.

Also, I think my preference for some of the tracks (incl. some of the covers) might also surprise many a connoisseur, but what you're gonna do?

Controversy #1 - the only song off Let It Be I'm considering for inclusion in my top 50 is I Me Mine...

(#2) ... whereas I'm pretty sure Baby, It's You is gonna be really high anyway, all things considered.

#3 - Real Love I'd really like to put in the top 5.
 
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I usually don’t go for big lists, but you guys had me curious if I could get anywhere with a Beatles top 50. I narrowed down my top 50, but now I have to figure out the order.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
I'm trying to do my 50, but I'm currently stuck at 78 and I haven't even started sorting them from best to "worst".

And for the record, I also haven't considered including Help, A Hard Day's Night nor Yesterday (and not even Hey Jude), not even for a moment.

Also, I think my preference for some of the tracks (incl. some of the covers) might also surprise many a connoisseur, but what you're gonna do?

Controversy #1 - the only song off Let It Be I'm considering for inclusion in my top 50 is I Me Mine...

(#2) ... whereas I'm pretty sure Baby, It's You is gonna be really high anyway, all things considered.

#3 - Real Love I'd really like to put in the top 5.
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Have you included "It Won't Be Long"? In my opinion, it is a very underrated song.
 
Black Bart said:
Have you included "It Won't Be Long"? In my opinion, it is a very underrated song.
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I agree it is and I had it there until recently, but it didn't get past the number 63 where I'm now (oooh, only 13 to go), I remember throwing it out rather recently.

Just now I'm thinking about whether to keep Oh! Darling just because those wonderful staccato embellishments in the bridge/chorus and whether should I get rid of Baby You're a Richman if I like everything but the chorus...

I'm getting to the part where I really need to kill my darlings, although I don't see many understanding my torture in having to let go stuff like I've Just Seen a Face or Your Mother Should Know.


Also Controversy #4 - Apart from A Day in the Life, all my potential picks off Sgt. Pepper are quintessential examples of "Paul's granny shit music" (When I'm 64, She's Leaving Home).
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Just now I'm thinking about whether to keep Oh! Darling just because those wonderful staccato embellishments in the bridge/chorus
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I tell you what, Abbey Road is probably my favorite Beatles album and a big part of that is due to the band just having some fun again, unafraid to do what they like. Paul goes HAM on "Oh! Darling" and his vocals are 100% the reason I think it's a great song. It elevates what otherwise would have been a merely solid song.

I will also consider picks for a Top 50, but quick question - are we including stuff like the Abbey Road medley, "Sgt. Pepper" / "With a Little Help" as single entries or 2+?
 
Hi guys, just wanted to say that I like how active this topic suddenly got. Although I'd like to interact more, for now forgive me for not reading your posts well because at the moment I'd rather focus as much as I can on my own view, being busy with trying to get to 50, and then the order.... But after looking again at MindRulers top 50 (now that I know the material better) my hands are itching to give feedback. I think I have a very different take/approach (taste).
 
The two songs that just didn't make my top 50:

51 I Saw Her Standing There / Please Please Me (1963)
I like how this no nonsense approach sounds. Clear sounding, upclose electric guitars, neat, cool riffs (especially the fast one by Harrison?), fine solo.

52 You Never Give Me Your Money / Abbey Road (1969)
Really fine melancholic beginning with contrasting lyrics having a different emotion (rather angry instead).
The next jumpy section is sort of light and fun, not that much my cup of tea musically... then "Oh that magic feeling" is a fine part.
I also like the rocking section when Paul continues singing. Then that lovely guitar bit starting @ 2:48.
This one has good ideas, and I can see why people might have this higher. My son surely has this higher in his list which he is busy with at this moment. For me it is just not as grabbing as 51 other songs, and naturally this says a lot about the quality of the Beatles catalogue.
The One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, all good children go to Heaven lyric was taken by Bad Religion who were (especially Brett Gurewitz) big Beatles fans, and used in the chorus of their song Anesthesia (from the album Against the Grain, 1990).


53-83 group in chronological order.
"I've Got a Feeling" was the last of this bunch that did not make the remaining 52, so that one can be considered as my number 53:
01 Please Mr. Postman / With The Beatles (1963)
02 Sie Liebt Dich / single (March 1964)
03 I Call Your Name / Long Tall Sally EP (June 1964)
04 Slow Down / Long Tall Sally EP (June 1964)
05 A Hard Day's Night / A Hard Day's Night (1964)
06 I Should Have Known Better / A Hard Day's Night (1964)
07 Honey Don't / Beatles for Sale (1964)
08 Bad Boy / Beatles VI (June 1965)
09 Help / Help! (1965)
10 I Need You / Help! (1965)
11 Yesterday / Help! (1965)
12 Think for Yourself / Rubber Soul (1965)
13 Michelle / Rubber Soul (1965)
14 I'm Looking Through You / Rubber Soul (1965)
15 In My Life / Rubber Soul (1965)
16 Rain / single (June 1966)
17 Love You To / Revolver (1966)
18 Yellow Submarine / Revolver (1966)
19 For No One / Revolver (1966)
20 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
21 With a Little Help of My Friends / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
22 Lucy Ia The Sky With Diamonds / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
23 Fixing A Hole / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
24 I Am the Walrus / Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
25 Back in the U.S.S.R. / White Album (1968)
26 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill / White Album (1968)
27 Don't Pass Me By / White Album (1968)
28 Old Brown Shoe / single (May 1969)
29 Two of Us / Let It Be (1970)
30 Get Back / Let It Be (1970)
31 I've Got a Feeling / Let It Be Naked version (no. 53)
 
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