The Beatles, The Rutles or The Buggles?

[applecorped]

The Beatles were okay. The Rutles legend lasted a lunchtime. The Buggles foresaw MTV's domination.

Which one?

[MG1962]

No planet X option

Or note that the Buggles got absorbed into 'Yes' about 12 months after their first album ;)

[JohnG]

Truly a Sophie's, er Barry's choice, but I'm morally bound to vote for the Beatles in any "best of" poll.

[politas]

The Rutles were funny, but there's a lot more Beatles music on my standard playlist.

[Dave Rogers]

Yes.

No, I mean it. Drama was a sadly underrated album.

Dave

[fatewilleatyou]

Buggles!
I thought women in tubes would appeal to this crowd.

[ugot2bekidding]

Great, now I have "Video Killed the Radio Star" stuck in my head.

Dave, I agree about Drama. It was certainly more Yes-like than the later Trevor Rabin incarnation, IMO.

(voted Beatles, btw)

[Piggy]

The Beatles were not "ok".

The Beatles were like sex.

When they were good, they were the best.

When they were bad, they were still pretty good.

[Hokulele]

Yes.

No, I mean it. Drama was a sadly underrated album.

Dave


Dammit, where did I leave my Relayer CD? It has been too long since I last listened to it...

[ugot2bekidding]

Dammit, where did I leave my Relayer CD? It has been too long since I last listened to it...

One of the more under-rated Yes albums (and my personal favorite).

Edit: anyone seen Across the Universe? I really dug it. I particularly liked the 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' sequence, and how they turned it into a sad song via tempo change and context.

[Piscivore]

I will grant that the Beatles were better musicians, but "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "Living in the Plastic Age" find a home on my iPod far more often.

[maddog]

Beetles: Ick.
Other two: who?
Vote: Shemp!

[Monketey Ghost]

"When they were good, they were the best.

When they were bad, they were still pretty good." ~ Piggy


Gotta get near agreeing that. Beatles. To vote any other way, you can't do that.


Fact of the matter, those who vote Beatles deposit here your most-recently-listened-to track.

Rain.

[Monketey Ghost]

I will grant that the Beatles were better musicians, but "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "Living in the Plastic Age" find a home on my iPod far more often.


:wide-eyed

[ugot2bekidding]

The Buggles foresaw MTV's domination.



And their "Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first music vid aired on MTV.

[dafydd]

I saw the Beatles at the Capitol,Cardiff 7 Nov 1964.Saw being the operative word.I harldy heard a note above the screaming of the girls.It sounded like a jet engine,I have never seen or heard anything like it.Not a dry seat in the house.

[Piggy]

Fact of the matter, those who vote Beatles deposit here your most-recently-listened-to track..

Julia

Most recently sung in shower: Ballad of John and Yoko

[Monketey Ghost]

Ha! I'm gonna play Hey Bulldog now. Heck, may as well open the whole thing up and random-track it for a few hours.

[politas]

I was playing "Let it Be" on my guitar last night.

[Wolrab]

And their "Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first music vid aired on MTV.
Yeah, right. MTV playing music videos. You crack me up!

[brodski]

Innes/ Idle are much more talented than Lennon/ McCartney ever were.

[Drudgewire]

Hey diddle diddle
cat and the fiddle
piggy in the middle

:g1:

[Blackadder]

The KLF

[applecorped]

The Beatles were not "ok".

The Beatles were like sex.

When they were good, they were the best.

When they were bad, they were still pretty good.

:D:D:D

[applecorped]

~ Piggy


Gotta get near agreeing that. Beatles. To vote any other way, you can't do that.


Fact of the matter, those who vote Beatles deposit here your most-recently-listened-to track.

Rain.

Two of Us.

[Monketey Ghost]

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

my best friend argues that this song is about a guy who burns his chick's apartment down.

"So, I lit a fire, isn't it good, Norwegian Wood"... ...mm?

[ugot2bekidding]

Yeah, right. MTV playing music videos. You crack me up!

It's hard to believe, I know. But seriously, I saw it on the History Channel. Archeologists think they were some sort of mix of music and moving pictures. Neat.

[Monketey Ghost]

Good Morning

[Piggy]

Two of Us.

My favorite of all time. Not only a great tune, and one that reminds me of my own youth, but it reminds me of the era before the acrimony, when they were just kids bumming around Europe. I sing it out loud whenever it comes around on the CD changer in my car.

[fuelair]

Yeah, right. MTV playing music videos. You crack me up!
Yeah. I miss MTV. Fortunately, YouTube has some. I was watching the first day MTV was on- and videotaping. Still remember the VJ's too - and "FreeeeNelson Mandela" and "Domo Arrigato, Mr. Roboto".

[applecorped]

My favorite of all time. Not only a great tune, and one that reminds me of my own youth, but it reminds me of the era before the acrimony, when they were just kids bumming around Europe. I sing it out loud whenever it comes around on the CD changer in my car.

Two of Us was actually written by Paul about his travels with Linda when they were first going out. I always thought is was about John and Paul growing up and I think I will always associate it with the two of them. I believe I read about in the book A Hard Day's Write by Steve Turner.

[Piggy]

Two of Us was actually written by Paul about his travels with Linda when they were first going out. I always thought is was about John and Paul growing up and I think I will always associate it with the two of them. I believe I read about in the book A Hard Day's Write by Steve Turner.

The story I heard, from George I think, was that it was about when they played at the Star club in Hamburg. They did daily sessions there, and after one stretch of gigs, they only had enough money for 2 of them to get back to England. George and Pete took the train.

That left John and Paul to thumb it. They wrote the song about their trip back from Germany, but it stayed in the can for several years until Phil Spector selected it from the hours of leftover tape to include in Let It Be.

At the time, John and Paul were not even on speaking terms, so Paul claimed it was a song about Linda. (John was saying some very nasty stuff publicly about Paul at that point.) And simultaneously, John claimed in a Playboy interview that it was about Yoko!

Note that the original -- visible in the Let It Be documentary -- was a "rocker" song typical of their work during the Star Club era.

Given the status these guys had at the time they met Yoko and Linda (which hardly matches the lyrics), and the flavor of the original version of the song, and the circumstances, and their conflicting claims, I'm very inclined to believe that it was written very early, about their hitch-hiking through Europe together, but simply never found space on any of their records til Phil admired it and included it on Let It Be.

Compare this song to The Ballad of John and Yoko, for example, or My Love.

It just doesn't make sense to me that it was written later for either of their wives.

In any case, in my heart, it's about their early friendship.

[applecorped]

The story I heard, from George I think, was that it was about when they played at the Star club in Hamburg. They did daily sessions there, and after one stretch of gigs, they only had enough money for 2 of them to get back to England. George and Pete took the train.

That left John and Paul to thumb it. They wrote the song about their trip back from Germany, but it stayed in the can for several years until Phil Spector selected it from the hours of leftover tape to include in Let It Be.

At the time, John and Paul were not even on speaking terms, so Paul claimed it was a song about Linda. (John was saying some very nasty stuff publicly about Paul at that point.) And simultaneously, John claimed in a Playboy interview that it was about Yoko!

Note that the original -- visible in the Let It Be documentary -- was a "rocker" song typical of their work during the Star Club era.

Given the status these guys had at the time they met Yoko and Linda (which hardly matches the lyrics), and the flavor of the original version of the song, and the circumstances, and their conflicting claims, I'm very inclined to believe that it was written very early, about their hitch-hiking through Europe together, but simply never found space on any of their records til Phil admired it and included it on Let It Be.

Compare this song to The Ballad of John and Yoko, for example, or My Love.

It just doesn't make sense to me that it was written later for either of their wives.

In any case, in my heart, it's about their early friendship.

I also think about the early Lennon/McCartney friendship when I hear this song and always will.

From Wiki:

It was written for Linda Eastman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_McCartney), McCartney's soon to be wife, though it sounds at times as if it is addressing Lennon, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_of_Us_%281969_song%29#cite_note-rith-0)whose relationship with McCartney was tense at that time.

[lofgoernost]

Beatles.

That's not to say I haven't spelled out "Cheese and Onions" from time to time.

[applecorped]

Get up and Go!!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RFxencNmZw

[Piggy]

In all seriousness, I have to say, The Beatles are hands-down the greatest pop group of all time.

It is impossible to imagine contemporary Western music without The Beatles.

There is no other act that has had such profound worldwide impact on popular music.

They were the first group to elicit the scale of mob scenes that showed up for their concerts, even their arrivals at airports.

And they did it by singing quite mundane popular tunes. But they had a genius for it which, combined with George Martin's experience with arrangement and recording, went straight to the nerve.

And they were extremely professional. Pete Best was kicked out because he wouldn't do the haircut and the uniform. They understood marketing in the same way that Dickens did when he permanently transformed the landscape of fiction publishing.

And here's the thing -- at the height of their success, they made the unbelievably ballsy decision to stop touring!

It was pure insanity. Who in the world would have done that? It was absolutely unprecedented.

But it freed them to take advantage of Les Paul's little invention -- multi-track recording -- in a way that no one else had before.

When Brian Wilson heard Rubber Soul, he was inspired to create Pet Sounds. When The Beatles heard Pet Sounds, they bounced back with Sgt. Pepper's. When Pink Floyd heard Sgt. Pepper's, they (and Alan Parsons) responded with Atom Heart Mother.

And when Cobain came out of his bedroom with About a Girl in his hand, it was obvious he'd been listening to one helluva lot of Beatles.

The Beatles both reflected and inspired international trends in music, fashion, activism, and the psychedlic youth culture. They took staggering gambles with each new production, and they all paid off.

There is no other group or solo artist whose work is hummed by more people in more countries around the world than The Beatles.

They are literally incomparable, and they deserve every word of praise that has ever been written about them.

[Jeff Corey]

Maybe two of the above. http://pythonline.com/node/8668012

[negativ]

But it freed them to take advantage of Les Paul's little invention -- multi-track recording -- in a way that no one else had before.

I'd like to introduce you to a little ditty by Frank Zappa called "Lumpy Gravy".

[Piggy]

Maybe two of the above. http://pythonline.com/node/8668012

:D I love it!

I tell you what fascinates me about Dylan, Lenon, and McCartney (and Robert Hunter, as well) is why their nonsense songs actually work.

I co-write songs with some guys in Athens, and we accept it as a truism that country songs have to make sense, but rock and roll songs don't.

I think Dylan borrowed heavily from some deep folk tunes that had evolved nonsense lyrics and leveraged these into what became contemporary folk.

Lenon actually said that he heard Dylan's work and thought to himself, hey, if he can sing rubbish and get away with it, then why can't we? So they did. :D

That set the trajectory for many Beatles lyrics, and in consequence for modern rock lyrics (e.g. Champagne Supernova (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3C7DECI0jU) -- just try to watch that vid without thinking of The Beatles).

But I would give my left arm to understand why it is that Beatles/Dylan/Hunter "rubbish" is classic, and almost everything else isn't.

[Piggy]

I'd like to introduce you to a little ditty by Frank Zappa called "Lumpy Gravy".

Oh, no objections there. But Rubber Soul came out 2 years earlier.

[Piggy]

Oh, no objections there. But Rubber Soul came out 2 years earlier.

And this track came out one year earlier than Lumpy Gravy.

SVUzTZ5dgwQ

I rest my case.

[applecorped]

In all seriousness, I have to say, The Beatles are hands-down the greatest pop group of all time.

It is impossible to imagine contemporary Western music without The Beatles.

There is no other act that has had such profound worldwide impact on popular music.

They were the first group to elicit the scale of mob scenes that showed up for their concerts, even their arrivals at airports.

And they did it by singing quite mundane popular tunes. But they had a genius for it which, combined with George Martin's experience with arrangement and recording, went straight to the nerve.

And they were extremely professional. Pete Best was kicked out because he wouldn't do the haircut and the uniform. They understood marketing in the same way that Dickens did when he permanently transformed the landscape of fiction publishing.

And here's the thing -- at the height of their success, they made the unbelievably ballsy decision to stop touring!

It was pure insanity. Who in the world would have done that? It was absolutely unprecedented.

But it freed them to take advantage of Les Paul's little invention -- multi-track recording -- in a way that no one else had before.

When Brian Wilson heard Rubber Soul, he was inspired to create Pet Sounds. When The Beatles heard Pet Sounds, they bounced back with Sgt. Pepper's. When Pink Floyd heard Sgt. Pepper's, they (and Alan Parsons) responded with Atom Heart Mother.

And when Cobain came out of his bedroom with About a Girl in his hand, it was obvious he'd been listening to one helluva lot of Beatles.

The Beatles both reflected and inspired international trends in music, fashion, activism, and the psychedlic youth culture. They took staggering gambles with each new production, and they all paid off.

There is no other group or solo artist whose work is hummed by more people in more countries around the world than The Beatles.

They are literally incomparable, and they deserve every word of praise that has ever been written about them.

;)

[applecorped]

In all seriousness, I have to say, The Beatles are hands-down the greatest pop group of all time.

It is impossible to imagine contemporary Western music without The Beatles.

There is no other act that has had such profound worldwide impact on popular music.

They were the first group to elicit the scale of mob scenes that showed up for their concerts, even their arrivals at airports.

And they did it by singing quite mundane popular tunes. But they had a genius for it which, combined with George Martin's experience with arrangement and recording, went straight to the nerve.

And they were extremely professional. Pete Best was kicked out because he wouldn't do the haircut and the uniform. They understood marketing in the same way that Dickens did when he permanently transformed the landscape of fiction publishing.

And here's the thing -- at the height of their success, they made the unbelievably ballsy decision to stop touring!

It was pure insanity. Who in the world would have done that? It was absolutely unprecedented.

But it freed them to take advantage of Les Paul's little invention -- multi-track recording -- in a way that no one else had before.

When Brian Wilson heard Rubber Soul, he was inspired to create Pet Sounds. When The Beatles heard Pet Sounds, they bounced back with Sgt. Pepper's. When Pink Floyd heard Sgt. Pepper's, they (and Alan Parsons) responded with Atom Heart Mother.

And when Cobain came out of his bedroom with About a Girl in his hand, it was obvious he'd been listening to one helluva lot of Beatles.

The Beatles both reflected and inspired international trends in music, fashion, activism, and the psychedlic youth culture. They took staggering gambles with each new production, and they all paid off.

There is no other group or solo artist whose work is hummed by more people in more countries around the world than The Beatles.

They are literally incomparable, and they deserve every word of praise that has ever been written about them.

Nominated.

[Tumblehome]

...Pete Best was kicked out because he wouldn't do the haircut and the uniform...


Agree wholeheartedly with you about the Beatles, but I think the real reason that Pete Best was canned was that he just wasn't that good. When they were in Hamburg, the Beatles (with Best) recorded an album with an Elvis Presley wannabe named Tony Sheridan. Best's drumming on the album is adequate but dull and uninspired. Not wanting to change his image probably had something to do with them letting him go, but the bottom line is he didn't have anywhere near the imagination and musical intuition that his bandmates had, and they would have been certain to see that themselves.

And of course, I voted Beatles. Even in a joke survey, I have to go with my guys. :)

[Piggy]

Agree wholeheartedly with you about the Beatles, but I think the real reason that Pete Best was canned was that he just wasn't that good. When they were in Hamburg, the Beatles (with Best) recorded an album with an Elvis Presley wannabe named Tony Sheridan. Best's drumming on the album is adequate but dull and uninspired. Not wanting to change his image probably had something to do with them letting him go, but the bottom line is he didn't have anywhere near the imagination and musical intuition that his bandmates had, and they would have been certain to see that themselves.

And of course, I voted Beatles. Even in a joke survey, I have to go with my guys. :)

I agree he wasn't any great shakes, and they knew he was a weak link, but I believe the real blow-up came over his refusal to work with them on the image. He wouldn't give up his pompadour for the mop-top, wouldn't give up his own outfit for the custom gear, and a unique look was central to the band's plans for world domination. :)

But yeah, perhaps he would have been dropped anyhow.

And despite all the cracks about him, I think Ringo's great. He could deliver what they wanted. And he wasn't just keeping the beat. You can ID a tremendous number of Beatles tunes just from his drum track.

[Swagomatic]

:) Good thread. I have enjoyed reading it. :)

[maddog]

The Beatles suck.

There. I said it.

Nanny nanny boo boo.

[Tony Inchpractice]

The Beatles were not "ok".

The Beatles were like sex.

When they were good, they were the best.

When they were bad, they were still pretty good.

The Beatles are nothing like sex.

I can listen to The Beatles whenever I want. Plus a Beatles' song lasts longer and when it's over I don't have to cry.

QED, or something.

[JohnG]

The Beatles suck.

There. I said it.

Nanny nanny boo boo.


Oh come on, do you really think anyone is going to take such an outlandish statement seriously? Especially on April Fool's Day?

[ugot2bekidding]

And this track came out one year earlier than Lumpy Gravy.



And Freak Out was the first gatefold album cover, even though St. Pepper's somehow got the credit. Of course, FZ famously fired back with a parody of the St. Pepper's cover with his 'We're Only In It For the Money'. :D

[maddog]

Oh come on, do you really think anyone is going to take such an outlandish statement seriously? Especially on April Fool's Day?

You're right - I shouldn't have been so kind to them, it makes it an obvious joke.

I should have said:
[April Fool's] The Beatles totally RAWK, dude! I mean, they're like, awesome! They're even better than, like, Celine Dion, and The Captain and Tennielle! [/April Fool's]

[JohnG]

And Freak Out was the first gatefold album cover, even though St. Pepper's somehow got the credit. Of course, FZ famously fired back with a parody of the St. Pepper's cover with his 'We're Only In It For the Money'. :D


While I'll agree that Frank Zappa himself was one of the coolest, most interesting people who ever lived, just about all of his music leaves me cold, at least what little I've heard of it (I've only heard one of his albums from start to finish and a handful of singles including Valley Girl). Most of it feels to me like the sort of über-arch "Dr. Demento Show" stuff that I outgrew in High School. This, by the way is coming from someone who still loves The Bonzos (who have an obvious connection to the Rutles, lest anyone accuse me of derailing the thread), so don't write me off as an uptight "square" just yet.

I've been known to change my opinion when it comes to music, though. For example, J.S. Bach used to leave me cold as well but now he's probably my favorite classical composer of all time. So, if any Zappa fan can point me to some singles, or a definitive album of his as well as maybe an explanation as to what you feel is so good or important about it, I'd appreciate it and will happily give his music another chance.

[applecorped]

Hot Rats, Joe's Garage and Sheik Yerboutti are a good place to start.

[Piggy]

While I'll agree that Frank Zappa himself was one of the coolest, most interesting people who ever lived, just about all of his music leaves me cold, at least what little I've heard of it (I've only heard one of his albums from start to finish and a handful of singles including Valley Girl). Most of it feels to me like the sort of über-arch "Dr. Demento Show" stuff that I outgrew in High School. This, by the way is coming from someone who still loves The Bonzos (who have an obvious connection to the Rutles, lest anyone accuse me of derailing the thread), so don't write me off as an uptight "square" just yet.

I've been known to change my opinion when it comes to music, though. For example, J.S. Bach used to leave me cold as well but now he's probably my favorite classical composer of all time. So, if any Zappa fan can point me to some singles, or a definitive album of his as well as maybe an explanation as to what you feel is so good or important about it, I'd appreciate it and will happily give his music another chance.

Joe's Garage, Apostrophe, Hot Rats, and Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar are classics I think you should give a listen to.

If you're pretty new to Zappa, I'd recommend them in that order, and skip the last one if you're not really into Frank's solos by the time you finish the other 3, cause that's all it is.

These are probably not the absolute top faves of the Zappa purists (except maybe Joe's Garage) but they're accessible, fun, and very well played.

[Jeff Corey]

Bonzos, with not so much beatle innit.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbLDI5lNdRQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideosearch%3 Fclient%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial%26channel%3Ds%26hl%3Den%26q%3D&feature=player_embedded

[politas]

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

my best friend argues that this song is about a guy who burns his chick's apartment down.

"So, I lit a fire, isn't it good, Norwegian Wood"... ...mm?

Just tell him that the title was originally "Knowing She Would", and see him try to support his assertion then.

[Dave Rogers]

One of the more under-rated Yes albums (and my personal favorite).

Saw 'em play the whole thing live. With Moraz. Neener neener.

Dave

[ugot2bekidding]

Saw 'em play the whole thing live. With Moraz. Neener neener.

Dave

Damn you! I have it on video, at least heh (Queen's Park). I didn't start seeing them until Going for the One.

[Jeff Corey]

And Bonzo meets Firesign Theatre. "You got a light, mac?"

[applecorped]

Bonzos, with not so much beatle innit.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbLDI5lNdRQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideosearch%3 Fclient%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial%26channel%3Ds%26hl%3Den%26q%3D&feature=player_embedded

Apollo C. Vermouth produced this.


Anyone know who that is?

;)

[JohnG]

Macca, IIRC

[applecorped]

Right!

How about: Reverend Thumbs Ghurkin?

[JohnG]

I believe John had at least one Producing alias. Is that one of them?

[applecorped]

Right again!!

How about: L'Angelo Misterioso

[JohnG]

Um...did he write The Pirate Song?

[applecorped]

No, but he did sing with Roy, Tom, Jeff and Bob once.

[applecorped]

erm, I mean yeah he did write the pirate song....:o






you can have my avatar........i'm not worthy:(

[JohnG]

Now now. It was a bit out of left field, wasn't it?;)

[applecorped]

I won't even bother with Ringo at this point.

[Tumblehome]

And despite all the cracks about him, I think Ringo's great. He could deliver what they wanted. And he wasn't just keeping the beat. You can ID a tremendous number of Beatles tunes just from his drum track.


Yep, Ringo was a good match for the others, and he could really show his chops when he wanted to, like on Baby You're a Rich Man. The stuff he does on the first two lines of every verse in that song is amazing.

[TX50]

All modern popular music is garbage. So there!

[dafydd]

The oldest gatefold album that I have ever seen was the Verve release "Ella Fitzgerald sings The Cole Porter Songbook", issued in late 1956, featuring 32 songs on two long-playing monophonic records, on Verve MGV-4001-2.

[dafydd]

What was the title of The Ravellers' best (and only) song?

[ImaginalDisc]

I saw the Beatles at the Capitol,Cardiff 7 Nov 1964.Saw being the operative word.I harldy heard a note above the screaming of the girls.It sounded like a jet engine,I have never seen or heard anything like it.Not a dry seat in the house.

I remember seeing (in a documentary) an interview where the Beatles discussed that exact concert and the screaming fans. Lennon compared it to a freak show I believe, where the fans came just to see them, rather than listen to what they had to play.

In a way I'm glad they broke up before I was born because their celebrity seemed to have totally overshadowed their music for a while.

[Kiosk]

What was the title of The Ravellers' best (and only) song?

"Plenty Of Jam Jars", wasn't it?

I haven't heard it for years, but I remember that 1967 (?) Beatles Christmas fan club record being more proto-Python than any "proper" comedy of the time - Milligan, Peter Cook, whatever. No wonder George went nuts for Python the first time he saw it.

[applecorped]

"Plenty Of Jam Jars", wasn't it?

I haven't heard it for years, but I remember that 1967 (?) Beatles Christmas fan club record being more proto-Python than any "proper" comedy of the time - Milligan, Peter Cook, whatever. No wonder George went nuts for Python the first time he saw it.


You Know My Name (Look up the number) is also Pythonesque.