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Post by B.E. on Nov 13, 2022 14:38:24 GMT
I've got a soft spot for "Devil In Her Heart". Above all, I probably just find it really charming. But it's a catchy tune, with a nice band performance, and I really like George's youthful lead and the robust backing vocals from John and Paul. (That said, I acknowledge it is probably closer to the bottom than the top of the tracks here.) The thing that stands out on this song for me is George's guitar playing. The intro to the song is the highlight for me. And now I always think of the BBC version that was included on the Baby It's You EP in 1995 - the guys mess up the word's several times. Yes, I completely agree about George's guitar playing. It's a very clean performance and integral to the track.
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Post by B.E. on Nov 13, 2022 15:07:07 GMT
By the way, here's a quote from George Harrison. Just a bit of background and speaks to how tuned-in the Beatles were to the music world. I think it's pretty cool that they'd cover a little-known song like this. (According to wiki, this was the only recording by the group!)
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Post by lonelysummer on Nov 13, 2022 20:57:15 GMT
By the way, here's a quote from George Harrison. Just a bit of background and speaks to how tuned-in the Beatles were to the music world. I think it's pretty cool that they'd cover a little-known song like this. (According to wiki, this was the only recording by the group!) That's cool stuff. Their own songwriting was so amazing, that we sometimes forget what a great cover band they could be. Live at the BBC is one of my favorite Beatles albums - right up there with the studio works.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 14, 2022 22:12:22 GMT
Best: She Loves You
Worst: Roll Over Beethoven
This is a head-scratcher of an album. As I said before, I'm not intimately familiar with these US albums, what was included and why, etc., so I'm coming into these almost cold. I know the songs, but not in this context. And this one, just wow. Still plenty of great stuff, still some good stuff. But it's almost like the mission was to make as mediocre a Beatles album as possible! (Not that it was all that possible.)
Can't help but laugh that The Beatles' Second Album is also their third album (in the US), to.
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Post by lonelysummer on Nov 16, 2022 19:55:09 GMT
It's strange to me to see Roll Over Beethoven picked as a worst track. Like a lot of people, I heard the Beatles versions this song before I heard the original. Chuck's version is much faster! Compared to that, yeah, the Beatles version is kind of stiff. I think the version on Anthology 1 has more swing to it. I'd have to compare that side by side with the BBC version.
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Post by jk on Nov 16, 2022 22:08:47 GMT
It's strange to me to see Roll Over Beethoven picked as a worst track. Like a lot of people, I heard the Beatles versions this song before I heard the original. Chuck's version is much faster! Compared to that, yeah, the Beatles version is kind of stiff. I think the version on Anthology 1 has more swing to it. I'd have to compare that side by side with the BBC version. Ah -- now I was the other way round. My brother was/is a big Chuck fan. Also, I don't like the way George pronounces "Beethoven" and slips in a silly falsetto "oooh", as if it were obligatory. I'm not usually this critical but I have a rather strong opinion about this track!!
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Post by lonelysummer on Nov 18, 2022 19:22:18 GMT
Okay, next up is the A Hard Days Night soundtrack, originally released on United Artists - Capitol got the rights to it in 1981. They released it on CD back in 2012 (I'm guessing).
Tracklist:
A Hard Days Night Tell Me Why I'll Cry Instead (with the first verse repeated) I Should Have Known Better (instrumental) I'm Happy Just To Dance with You And I Love Her (instrumental)
I Should Have Known Better If I Fell And I Love Her Ringo's Theme (This Boy) Can't Buy Me Love A Hard Days Night (instrumental)
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Post by kds on Nov 18, 2022 19:35:41 GMT
Best - And I Love Her - Far more top notch material here. I could've easily selected the title track, I Should Have Known Better, If I Fell, or Can't Buy Me Love. I'm also a big fan of Tell Me Why and I'm Happy Just to Dance With You.
Worst - A Hard Days Night (Instrumental) - Instrumental, alternative versions, I know it's a soundtrack, but (granted I'm saying this without ever listening to this version of the album) I'd imagine (it's easy if I try), these would break up the album a bit.
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Post by jk on Nov 18, 2022 21:54:40 GMT
This is painful but I have to say it... Most memorable: the original UK album. Least memorable: the hatchet job inflicted on North America.
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Post by B.E. on Nov 18, 2022 23:47:55 GMT
I don't believe I've ever given a proper listen to the United Artists version of A Hard Day's Night. I might actually do that for this thread. (I doubt I'll ever have a better reason to.) It's a forgone conclusion, though, that I'll be voting for an instrumental track for worst.
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Post by B.E. on Nov 18, 2022 23:54:16 GMT
Least memorable: the hatchet job inflicted on North America. I wonder how much of a bad precedent this set where George Martin and Yellow Submarine are concerned.
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Post by lonelysummer on Nov 19, 2022 7:28:09 GMT
I honestly can't single out a Beatles track on this album as worst; they're all very good to classic. Even the George Martin instrumentals are decent; the instrumental of A Hard Days Night would be the worst, or ditto for I Should Have Known Better. Now to pick just one best song? It's a toss up between two classic ballads - And I Love Her, or If I Fell. I guess I will pick the latter, for the heavenly harmonies of John and Paul. I've been trying to sing that song for years, and I always instinctively pick Paul's part - I guess that is the actual melody, and John is singing the harmony below that. Almost simultaneously with AHDN being released on United Artists was Something New, released on Capitol. They couldn't release a soundtrack album, but what they did put out overlapped with the soundtrack album.
I'll Cry Instead Things We Said Today Anytime At All When I Get Home Slow Down Matchbox
Tell Me Why If I Fell And I Love Her I'm Happy Just to Dance With You Komm, Gib Meire Deine Hand
Something New was one of the last Beatles albums I added to my collection, because I already had most of the songs on other albums. Great cover shot, though, from the Ed Sullivan Show. If you like, I can post it here.
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Post by B.E. on Nov 19, 2022 16:58:23 GMT
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Post by B.E. on Nov 19, 2022 17:28:17 GMT
A Hard Day's Night (soundtrack): Best - "If I Fell" - I actually might agree with lonelysummer 's first and second picks for both categories. That means "And I Love Her" is runner up. Of the upbeat tunes, I think "Tell Me Why" has climbed the ranks to be at least of equal footing with the title track and "Can't Buy Me Love". That song is just teeming with life! Worst - "A Hard Day's Night (instrumental)" - By far the worst, but I also wasn't too keen on the instrumental for "I Should've Known Better". The ballads are more palatable but are obviously entirely unnecessary as well. I didn't end up listening to the album, and I'm glad. Hearing George Martin's orchestrations interspersed with the Beatles tracks would have been ridiculous. At least the Yellow Submarine LP had the good sense not to do that.
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Post by lonelysummer on Nov 23, 2022 2:52:10 GMT
Just for context, here are the two albums currently under discussion. One of my first Beatle memories is of an older guy up the street who had the Something New album. I kept asking him to play it, but the answer was always "it was damaged because it's a stereo record we tried to play on a mono player". Fortunately, another neighbor had the white album - although one of the records was partially broken, so I had to put the needle two or three songs in to play it! Attachments:
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