Favorite Beatles tunes/specific-recordings??

[Rooster_Ties]

For no damn good reason, I've recently stumbled (on-line) on a couple Beatles tracks that -- who knows why? -- are tunes I've just hardly ever heard in my life. And that's probably only half-a-dozen Beatles tunes, at most, that I didn't ever chew on quite a bit in my early years.

I went through my major Beatles phase early, when I was between the ages of 12 and 14 (7th and 8th grade, after which I moved on to Hendrix!! ). And my entire Beatles "collection" (at the time) consisted of cassette tapes I made of all the Beatles albums I could find and borrow from the parents of school-friends of mine, plus maybe an LP or two from the public library. (I was born in 1969, but my parents were old enough to be my grandparents, and the Beatles came into vogue WAY after they gave a flying flip about pop culture -- so my parents never owned any Beatles albums, far as I know.)

But even though (back then) I thought I had nearly everything (on tape, anyway), there must have been at least one or maybe two LP's that I just never got -- or else (more likely) I got 'em, but didn't think highly enough of a very small handful of tunes to tape them (at the time).

ANYWAY, here (the posts below) are a few tunes that I'm thinking about including. (This is for an 80-minute CDR for the car, for roadtrips -- so I'm hoping to introduce some lesser-known material that is mostly new to my wife, since she never really heard the Beatles much growing up (her parents were older too, and they never liked the Beatles either, just like my parents).

OH, and you're wondering why I don't know all these tunes NOW??

I've just never bothered to purchase much of the Beatles catalog on CD. I do own all three volumes (6 CD's) of the Beatles "Anthology" series (outtakes, demos, etc...), but I've never owned any of their original albums on CD. What can I say?? By the time they came out on disc, I just had other priorities - and I haven't ever gotten back to them. (Maybe if new remasters come out in the next couple years, I'll finally pick up a few.)

And I'm finding Youtube clips for lots of these (though some have visuals that aren't specifically related to the Beatles), so here they are...

Edited September 26, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Rooster_Ties]

HEY BULLDOG -- WOW, what a great tune. Before 24 hours ago, I'd probably only ever heard this tune maybe 2 or 3 times in my entire life. I mean, I kind of vaguely recognize it -- but just barely. What a GREAT tune. This has to be a tune I just never heard back in the day -- cuz I would have taped it for sure.

[Rooster_Ties]

Tomorrow Never Knows -- what an interesting tune. I actually know a jazz version of this tune (from here) better than the original (oddly enough). Another recording (the original) that I've maybe only heard twice in my entire life.

Here's another interesting Youtube clip...

The Beatles explain 'Tomorrow Never Knows' And here's another video mostly about the song (Howard Goodall on the Beatles), including that Lennon's voice was piped through a Leslie speaker for the tune.

Edited September 26, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Rooster_Ties]

While I suppose I could include the original Helter Skelter, I'm thinking more of including one of McCartney's recent live versions...

.

So, yes, remakes of Beatles tunes BY SOLO BEATLES are OK for this compilation. -- but NO covers of Beatles tunes by non-Beatles (thanks!), well, unless they're exceptionally exceptional.

Edited September 26, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Big Al]

"Only a Northern Song" and "It's All Too Much" are two of my favorite George Harrison songs. Also "If I Needed Someone."

[Rooster_Ties]

"Only a Northern Song" and "It's All Too Much" are two of my favorite George Harrison songs. Also "If I Needed Someone."

"It's all too much" -- gosh, I haven't heard this tune in years (although I know it better than the two I mentioned up above).

Haven't heard "Only A Northern Song" in ages either, I'm discovering. Edit: I sure don't remember the trumpet on this track (is that what it is??), that's for sure. Yikes!!

I am (or at least was) a big Harrison fan (OK, I still am - but I don't listen to him all that much anymore) -- so I was definitely going to include a good dose of George. Probably the White Album outtake (demo) of George's "Not Guilty" from volume 2 of the Anthology series (which he later re-recorded for his 2nd or 3rd solo album). This tune kicks ass!! Very dark, like the best of George's tunes (IMHO), like Taxman - for instance.

Edited September 26, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Big Al]

Haven't heard "Only A Northern Song" in ages either, I'm discovering. Edit: I sure don't remember the trumpet on this track (is that what it is??), that's for sure. Yikes!!

Pretty sure it is.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

Has anyone ever come across link on internte for transcript of george harrisons 1987 rockline interview???!??

[mikeweil]

Sorry, my favourite Beatles tunes are some very well known ones:

Norwegian Wood

We Can Work It Out

A band I wanted to do these with split up before we got around to it ...

I'd love to hear a jazz version of Blue Jay Way (from Magical Mystery Tour)

Tony Williams did great versions of "The Fool on the Hill" and "Blackbird".

[jazzypaul]

Since you said spectacular remakes of Beatles tunes could be allowed, I offer two:

Wilson Pickett's Hey Jude

Aretha Franklin's Eleanor Rigby

along with Dear Prudence, What Goes On, and for the very last tune on the CD-R, You Know My Name, Look Up the Number.

[marcello]

I saw Tony Williams do Blackbird live a couple of times. He made silk out of a sow's ear.

Live, as on the recording, he ended the song with a section that he plays only on the cymbals, dancing from one to another for a couple of minutes. It really flowed. What a Master!

Tim Garland - Geoffrey Keezer and Joe Locke do a nice version on their Storms / Nocturnes cd.

[Rooster_Ties]

Again, I'm really looking primarily for ACTUAL Beatles recordings -- overlooked gems that deserve wider exposure. Or remakes of Beatles tunes by any of the solo Beatles themselves. (Or alternate versions by the Beatles themselves.)

I'm pretty sure I won't be including any instrumental versions of anything on this comp. - so NO jazz versions (sorry).

Also, FWIW, another conventional Beatles tune that I barely know (cuz I didn't and still don't like it much) is "

I won't be including that either, I also know that! Edited September 26, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[paul secor]

I guess these aren't all that obscure, but they're not all that overplayed either, and I like them.

The Ballad of John and Yoko - yeah, ok, it's Yoko, but it's still a good song.

Don't Let Me Down

Two of Us

[Rooster_Ties]

Wilson Pickett's Hey Jude

Aretha Franklin's Eleanor Rigby

Now those sound interesting!!

No way I'm going with the original of Hey Jude -- way, WAY, WAY too played out for this compilation. (I can only take the original Hey Jude about once per year at this point, and even that seems a bit too often. Great song -- I've just heard it too damn much over the years.)

My wife has always loved Eleanor Rigby (because of the strings), so Aretha's version is a possibility -- even though the song is so well known.

(Note to self: this may prove useful at some point.)

Edited September 26, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[mikelz777]

How about a couple of rockers like "One after 909" from Let It Be or "Bad Boy" from Past Masters?

[Aggie87]

I like the Anthology version of "Across the Universe" better than any of the other officially released editions.

[Rooster_Ties]

How about a couple of rockers like "One after 909" from Let It Be or "Bad Boy" from Past Masters?

Yes, uptempo rockers would be a good thing for this comp. - since it's for the car.

[jazzypaul]

How about a couple of rockers like "One after 909" from Let It Be or "Bad Boy" from Past Masters?

Yes, uptempo rockers would be a good thing for this comp. - since it's for the car.

I'm Down is pretty much a must then, eh?

[Guy Berger]

Some of my personal favorites:

"She Said She Said"

"And Your Bird Can Sing"

"I Want to Tell You"

"Dr. Robert"

"I'm Only Sleeping"

"Taxman"

"For No One" (Revolver is chock-full of great semi-obscure Beatles songs)

"I'm Looking Through You"

"If I Needed Someone"

"Wait"

"You Won't See Me"

"I've Just Seen a Face"

"The Night Before"

"I Should Have Known Better"

"Any Time At All"

"I'll Be Back"

"You Can't Do That"

"I'll Follow the Sun"

"Every Litting Thing"

"It Won't Be Long"

"All I've Got to Do"

"I Saw Her Standing There"

"She's a Woman"

"I Feel Fine"

"I'll Get You"

"I'm Down"

also, some of their covers from the earlier albums are classics ("Money", "Anna", "Dizzy Miss Lizzie", "Long Tall Sally", "Twist and Shout", etc)

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I played the hell out of this double lp when I was a kid. Sure wish they'd re-issue it plus a few more gems on a couple CDs.

side one

"Twist and Shout" (Medley-Russell)

"I Saw Her Standing There"

"You Can't Do That"

"I Wanna Be Your Man"

"I Call Your Name"

"Boys" (Dixon-Farrell)

"Long Tall Sally" (Johnson/Penniman/Blackwell)

side two

"Rock and Roll Music" (Berry)

"Slow Down" (Williams)

Medley: "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" (Leiber/Stoller)/(Penniman)

"Money (That's What I Want)" (Bradford/Gordy)

"Bad Boy" (Williams)

"Matchbox" (Perkins)

"Roll Over Beethoven" (Berry)

side three

"Dizzy Miss Lizzie" (Williams)

"Any Time At All"

"Drive My Car"

"Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" (Perkins)

"The Night Before"

"I'm Down"

"Revolution"

side four

"Back in the U.S.S.R."

"Helter Skelter"

"Taxman" (Harrison)

"Got To Get You Into My Life"

"Hey Bulldog"

"Birthday"

"Get Back"

[Hot Ptah]

John Lennon's song "Jealous Guy", from his "Imagine" album, began its life in 1968 as a song considered for, but not used, on the Beatles' White Album. It had totally different lyrics then, and was entitled "Child of Nature". There are several imports available of the early acoustic demo sessions for the White Album, which contain John's vocal/acoustic guitar version of "Child of Nature". To me, this is a gem.

[Big Al]

I played the hell out of this double lp when I was a kid. Sure wish they'd re-issue it plus a few more gems on a couple CDs.

side one

"Twist and Shout" (Medley-Russell)

"I Saw Her Standing There"

"You Can't Do That"

"I Wanna Be Your Man"

"I Call Your Name"

"Boys" (Dixon-Farrell)

"Long Tall Sally" (Johnson/Penniman/Blackwell)

side two

"Rock and Roll Music" (Berry)

"Slow Down" (Williams)

Medley: "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" (Leiber/Stoller)/(Penniman)

"Money (That's What I Want)" (Bradford/Gordy)

"Bad Boy" (Williams)

"Matchbox" (Perkins)

"Roll Over Beethoven" (Berry)

side three

"Dizzy Miss Lizzie" (Williams)

"Any Time At All"

"Drive My Car"

"Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" (Perkins)

"The Night Before"

"I'm Down"

"Revolution"

side four

"Back in the U.S.S.R."

"Helter Skelter"

"Taxman" (Harrison)

"Got To Get You Into My Life"

"Hey Bulldog"

"Birthday"

"Get Back"

Wow! That's quite a lineup! But..... no "Come Together"?????

[felser]

My very favorite Beatles tune of all (I liked them best pre-Rubber Soul) is "There's a Place", which is one of the least known of their early cuts (at least in the USA). It was on the 'Introducing The Beatles' album on

Vee-Jay, but deleted from the track lineup when that album was reissued the next year as 'The Early Beatles' on Capitol. Also, the Flamin' Groovies did a spectacular cover of "There's a Place", somehow capturing not just the sound, but the magic of tghe original. Beatlemania is where I first hooked into music. Born in '54, I'm right in the generation who were turned upside down by "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You". All the later stuff was just an anti-climax. To me, the Byrds took over from the Beatles as my favorite group, and then the Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Santana, etc. were what I was taken by rather than 'Sgt. Pepper', 'Abbey Road', etc.

[ghost of miles]

"For No One" (Revolver is chock-full of great semi-obscure Beatles songs)

Completely agree with this--the first tune that came to mind when I saw the title of this thread was "I'm Only Sleeping," probably my favorite non-played-to-death Beatles song. ("She Said She Said" too, though I've heard this one more & more in the past 15-20 years.) "Yes It Is" is an early favorite, as is the whole LP Beatles For Sale. ("Every Little Thing," "I'm a Loser," "What You're Doing," "I'll Follow the Sun,"

etc.)

A friend of mine used to argue that Elliott Smith derived much of his musical aesthetic from the George Harrison song "Long, Long, Long" off The White Album. Quite possibly true--ES was certainly a Beatles devotee and a George Harrison one in particular, and I think I've even heard a bootleg with him covering "Long, Long, Long."

Edited September 26, 2006 by ghost of miles

[Guy Berger]

Completely agree with this--the first tune that came to mind when I saw the title of this thread was "I'm Only Sleeping," probably my favorite non-played-to-death Beatles song. ("She Said She Said" too, though I've heard this one more & more in the past 15-20 years.) "Yes It Is" is an early favorite, as is the whole LP Beatles For Sale. ("Every Little Thing," "I'm a Loser," "What You're Doing," "I'll Follow the Sun,"

etc.)

In general I think the early Beatles albums are overlooked. They're not uniformly great, but neither is the White Album. Also, some of their best tracks appear on the Past Masters compilations.

Guy