Friday Poll Thread #5 - Best Beatles Album

[Heston]

Quite a spread vote and no one voting for Pepper so far. Surprising. Would expect Revolver to win.

I'd love to go with Revolver given that "Tomorrow Never Knows" is my favourite Beatles song—that fucker still gives me shivers—but there are several songs there that I regularly skip.

Here, There and Everywhere is the most overrated Beatles song ever, not least by Macca.

"Got To Get You Into My Life" just doesn't work as a Beatles tune. And "Taxman" is unappealing whining. But Lennon's stuff throughout is exceptional.

I hate the lyrics of Taxman but enjoy the song.

[Dr. Medulla]

Quite a spread vote and no one voting for Pepper so far. Surprising. Would expect Revolver to win.

I'd love to go with Revolver given that "Tomorrow Never Knows" is my favourite Beatles song—that fucker still gives me shivers—but there are several songs there that I regularly skip.

Here, There and Everywhere is the most overrated Beatles song ever, not least by Macca.

"Got To Get You Into My Life" just doesn't work as a Beatles tune. And "Taxman" is unappealing whining. But Lennon's stuff throughout is exceptional.

I hate the lyrics of Taxman but enjoy the song.

How about the tune to "Love You To"? I really want to enjoy his sitar songs because the sound itself is appealing, but the songs themselves are unappealing.

[revbob]

White album, Helter Skelter is their best song, so White Album. I dont hate the Beatles by any means I'm just not a big fan. I realize that's heresy but I find that the Beatles often lacked an edge that other bands from that era did have. I realize I never saw them live so perhaps live I might have found them more interesting as live performances often have a rawness to them that studio recordings lack.

Depends on how you define "edge," but the one thing that has always struck me about the Beatles is how quickly they got tired of something and went to something else. On the one hand, that's the advantage of success—being able to pursue your curiosities. On the other hand, as MIke Love infamously said, don't fuck with the formula. When the assumption is that your time in the music biz is short-lived, it's hard not keep milking that teat. So in that respect, I regard the Beatles as one of the edgier bands of their time. But ymmv.

I see your point and I guess I'm more familiar with the early stuff ...

[Dr. Medulla]

White album, Helter Skelter is their best song, so White Album. I dont hate the Beatles by any means I'm just not a big fan. I realize that's heresy but I find that the Beatles often lacked an edge that other bands from that era did have. I realize I never saw them live so perhaps live I might have found them more interesting as live performances often have a rawness to them that studio recordings lack.

Depends on how you define "edge," but the one thing that has always struck me about the Beatles is how quickly they got tired of something and went to something else. On the one hand, that's the advantage of success—being able to pursue your curiosities. On the other hand, as MIke Love infamously said, don't fuck with the formula. When the assumption is that your time in the music biz is short-lived, it's hard not keep milking that teat. So in that respect, I regard the Beatles as one of the edgier bands of their time. But ymmv.

I see your point and I guess I'm more familiar with the early stuff ...

That reminds me—and this is no criticism of you here—of a student I had a couple years ago. Talented kid, but a serious bullshit artist (big surprise, he had ambitions to do a law degree). He said he dislike the Beatles because he said all their songs sounded the same. I asked him if "Please Please Me," "Tomorrow Never Knows," and "Let It Be" all sounded the same, and he said yes. Still, I loved the guy in class because he was an instigator—so good at provoking others. (I later learned that he referred to me as Billy Corgan. )

[tepista]

"Got To Get You Into My Life" just doesn't work as a Beatles tune.

yeah, not a fan either

[Wolter]

I like Revolver and all of the songs on it. Oh well.

[Flex]

I like Revolver and all of the songs on it. Oh well.

revolver does, in fact, rule

[Wolter]

I like Revolver and all of the songs on it. Oh well.

revolver does, in fact, rule

It’s quite good.

[BitterTom]

Toss up between Sgt Pepper, Hard Day's Night and Abbey Road for me.

Try as I may though, I can't get into them. Lost count of the amount of times I've downloaded them on Deezer and said right today let's put Revolver on ect and it really doesn't do much for me.

Went for Sgt Pepper, pretty much all good except Within You Without You. Never in the mood much for a sitar.

[101Walterton]

Revolver for me as it was the album that showed me 1977 wasn’t necessarily correct.
I was working in a record shop when The Jam released Start which I would play but the older guys who worked there put on Taxman to make some pointless point but I as a result I got to hear the album and then bought it.

[Dr. Medulla]

Revolver for me as it was the album that showed me 1977 wasn’t necessarily correct.

Not disagreeing with you here, but the original punk attitude would have pointed to that album as proof that they (punks) were correct, that the Beatles were prime guilty parties in betraying rock n roll with their experimentation and intellectualization of a basic form that anyone should be able to play. It was post-punk that said, hold up, it's that experimentation that keeps the music from getting stale.

[matedog]

I’ve only listened to Revolver, Rubber Soul, and Abbey. Peppers too I guess. The only that actually moved me was AR. Reminds me of London Calling a bit.

[Dr. Medulla]

I’ve only listened to Revolver, Rubber Soul, and Abbey. Peppers too I guess. The only that actually moved me was AR. Reminds me of London Calling a bit.

I believe George Martin considered AR their finest achievement, basically Pepper 2.0. It being their last recorded album and them doing it knowing that this was going to be the last one probably influences a lot of its reputation. It's a fine piece of work, but the circumstances around its creation give it extra consideration, I suspect.

[dave202]

Revolver comes and goes with me, but is the one more often than not. However, the compilation I'd like to be ranked is 'The Beatles 1967-1970' when it was released in Spain in 1973. Why? 'One After The 909' replaces 'The Ballad Of John & Yoko' which had been banned under Franco's censorship laws for blasphemy, rather than anything in the wedding in Gib. So, The Beatles had the tracklisting of a compilation changed in one country of the world due to a fascist dictator! Beat that you Rolling Stone rebels! If you want more info look up this, an exhibition I saw in Barcelona a few years ago. https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/ ... ibrations/

[101Walterton]

Revolver for me as it was the album that showed me 1977 wasn’t necessarily correct.

Not disagreeing with you here, but the original punk attitude would have pointed to that album as proof that they (punks) were correct, that the Beatles were prime guilty parties in betraying rock n roll with their experimentation and intellectualization of a basic form that anyone should be able to play. It was post-punk that said, hold up, it's that experimentation that keeps the music from getting stale.

I don’t know about that all I know is that it introduced to some great music as up to then thanks to school assemblies I thought The Beatles were Yellow Sumsrine, Maxwells Silver hammer and Obladi Oblada shit!!