Posts Tagged ‘ beatles ’

All Time Top 5 – Solo Beatles Songs

March 29, 2011

I randomly picked up Plastic Ono Band (the Lennon one, not the Ono) at a record shop in Baltimore a few months back. I had never heard the album (gasp!) and was always of the opinion that Lennon had by far the worst solo career of all the Beatles. “Imagine”? Come on does anyone really like that sentimental, tacky crap? Turns out Plastic Ono Band is brilliant, and there are many gems to be found in Lennon’s discog. In honor of Dave picking me up a significantly better copy of POB, here are the All Time Top 6 (I couldn’t decide on just 5) songs by solo Beatles!

All Time Top 5 is a bi-weekly feature written by Those Who Dig where we combine our love for High Fidelity, lists, and musical trivia into a totally arbitrary article of rankings. It’s a win-win.

Ringo Starr – I’m The Greatest

My Dad is a huge Beatles’ nut and had most of their albums on vinyl when I was growing up. He also had Ringo Starr’s first rock solo album Ringo. For some odd reason, my 8 year old self couldn’t get enough of that shit. In my older, wiser years I realized Starr was the crazy, least talented Beatle and I forgot about that album for a long time.

When I finally revisited it, I found to my surprise that it is by far one of the strongest solo Beatles albums. Now, this is probably because all his fellow ex-Beatles played on it and wrote some of the songs along with big names like The Band and Harry Nilsson. Nevertheless, Ringo pulled some talent out of his butt with this one. The stand-out track to me is the self-confident, bragging jam “I’m The Greatest” that is (of course) written by Lennon and has Harrison shredding.

Paul McCartney – Jet

I should probably rank my Beatles at this point. While in the Beatles, my order was as such: Harrison, Lennon, McCartney, Starr. McCartney’s solo stuff always seemed pretty cheesy to me and a little too radio-friendly. But I’ll admit it. Band on the Run is a pretty great album. And “Jet” is just a flat-out fun song. It has awesome horns and that reggae swing. And McCartney constantly yelling shit. That’s a win in my book.

John Lennon – Well Well Well

I know this isn’t the most profound song on Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band. I just love it. This album spawned out of Lennon’s primal scream therapy and served as a way to release his deep emotions about his family and upbringing. The heat and passion explodes all over your face throughout “Well Well Well” as Lennon does his best Wilhelm Scream. Over and over. And over.

George Harrison – If Not For You

This was probably the hardest choice for me. Picking the best song from All Things Must Pass is like choosing between an amazing sandwich and tuna steak. It’s impossible, because it’s all so amazing. “If Not For You” is one of those simple love songs that would only be written in the 1970′s. It’s so straightforward and sentimental. But Harrison kills it with a pedal steel and a great vocal performance. Miss ya, Georgie.

John Lennon – Oh Yoko!

I know I gave “Imagine” shit earlier, but the album had one of the greatest solo Beatles songs on it. “Oh Yoko!”, despite it’s namesake and throwaway lyricism, is a rollicking, undeniable, addictive pop tune. It’s so ridiculously catchy, you just want to put it on repeat and listen to it for the length of a 6 hour road trip. Not that I’ve ever done that….it was only a 3 hour trip. Also, I can’t say the inclusion in Rushmore didn’t help.

John Lennon – Working Class Hero

I read a great word describing this album once: “unflinching”. Lennon bares it all on Plastic Ono Band like maybe nobody has since . “Working Class Hero” is stripped down and bare. It’s a man, his guitar, and decades of sadness and emotion. It’s profound, universal, and personal. It’s also the greatest solo Beatles song.

-Words by Kyle

There are two kinds of music fans in this world…

February 3, 2011

By Tsuru

PR shots from the internet…

A long time ago it was once said there are two kinds of music fans, either the Beatles or Elvis?

“My theory is that when it comes to important subjects, there’s only two ways a person can answer. For example, there’s two kinds of people in this world, Elvis people and Beatles people. Now Beatles people can like Elvis. And Elvis people can like the Beatles. But nobody likes them both equally. Somewhere you have to make a choice. And that choice tells me who you are.” – Mia Wallace

Some people have said that it’s actually Beatles and Rolling Stones… But whatever it is, you get the gist. Personally, I feel like either way you look at it, it’s rather dated, something meant for old baby boomers and what not. So, I updated it for “my generation”, that you either love REM or U2 more. As Stylus once wrote in greater depth than I could imagine, both followed very similar career paths, but where U2 was hell bent on taking over the world as loud & obnoxiously as they can..

REM did it with a more, well, wallflower approach… Quietly doing their own thing, popping up here and there, saying what they have to say, but not grabbing you by the face to make sure you hear it.

But as I trickle ever closer to my middle-ages (dear jeebus, help me) even the REM v. U2 thing seemed out-of-sync in today’s indie-eat-indie world we are living it. Last July I started to wonder who the new torch-bearers are, what two bands kinda represent you modern music persuasions??? My conclusion? Arcade Fire & The Decemberists.

Makes sense, right? Musically, Canada’s Arcade Fire & Ireland’s (which is kinda the Canada of the UK, Iceland is their Greenland) U2 like to ram their messages down your throat with megaphones, coming off as subtle as a vegetable-induced dutch oven fart.

Decemberists & REM, on the other hand, tend to be more folk-rock, super-literates (often to the point of a periodic head-scratching “huh” mid-lyric) living a quiet life out in Portland & Athens, respectively.

Okay. At this point you are either with me or think I’m an idiot (or both), right? Well…. for all you naysayers out there, I’ve got more proof. As if the bands felt compelled to literally pass the torch-bearering responsibilities on check this.

First, as if “O Valencia” from The Crane Wife wasn’t enough…

..the new album by The Decemberists is Colin’s “REM album”, AND even features Peter Buck playing Colin’s knock-offs of REM! — Mmm…. so meta. Not only does it show even further that The Decemberists were pretty much designed for me – seriously… proggy concept albums, countrified REM albums? Oh my! – But all “those kinds” of music fans out there, let’s call them geeks aka me, have a relatively new band to call their own.

HOORAY!

Then there is Arcade Fire. Not only have we seen the passion they wear on their sleeves tweek out Wayne Coyan and more recently that Vincent Moon guy shown here in extra deep artist mode:

Photo by Brantley Gutierrez

..but now they are going to do a concert with U2!

Game. Set. Match.

Can Decemberists fans like Arcade Fire and vicy-versy? Of course, lard knows I do. But, as Mia said.. you can’t like them both equally.

TSURURADIO Presents… And She Was Born In A Bottle Rocket, 1929 Mixtape!!!

February 12, 2010

By Tsuru

Photography “Born In A Bottle Rocket” by Tsuru, Model by Isabella Misery

Well it’s time for the weekend. Finally, right? Can I get a high-five?

Sweet.

What you doing this weekend? Looks like more snow here, so my riding will be relegated to The Tank. BUT, if that good lard’s a-willin’ and the creeks don’t rise, Tuck and I will be driving out the route for April 3rd Super Awesome NO-FRILLS Bike Ride for Breast Cancer!

Keep an eye out for an update for a start location and route if all goes well!

WOOT!

I’m so excited for the ride. No idea how many will show up. But even it’s just a handful of people, it’ll be great and, of course, SUPER AWESOME! Haha!

Okay… got a little Friday mixtape for you today. Kept it old school, just built a nice collection of songs in the order I’d like to hear them. No “mixing”, no necessity for gapless play (though, I recommend it anyway because, well, those 2 sec gap things are just stupid).

This one was inspired by so many things. Matt obsessing over Rural Alberta Advantage, gud giving us a Tom Waits New Orleans song down in the Society, catching Velvet Underground in a movie the other night, or like when Colin Meloy was having his mind blown by Besnard Lakes. Just little things like that, “Ghost”, of course, appears due to the photo at the top of this post, plus our discussion of The Greatest Song Trilogy Of All Time, & my desire to have the lyric tattooed on my arm ASAP.

So yeah, it’s the little things that seemed to hook onto me, latching to my brain. Feels good, feels right. And after all this #musicblogocide2k10 madness going, I wanted to end this week on a good note. So, I’ll shut up and let’s just get to it.

Have a wonderful weekend, bundle up, and keep riding! Oh, and by the way, got a “special valentine’s day” treat for you this weekend, well, maybe more of an anti-valentine’s day treat, by way of our good friend Neil. Keep an eye out, should be ready by Sunday!!! Okay, let’s do this as…

TSURURADIO Presents…