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  1. #1
    Forum Regular MindGoneHaywire's Avatar
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    Idea for a Beatles-related group comp

    I haven't participated actively in any group comps in nearly 3 years, so forgive me if this one has been proposed before. I was listening to a late-period Beatles comp I'd thrown together a few years ago, on which I'd inserted a couple of songs from the first McCartney LP. For years & years I'd always heard the song 'Teddy Boy,' which has rich harmonies, as something that sounded as though it had been written for Abbey Road, and probably discarded, one that didn't make the cut. When the Anthology Series came out there was a version of it tucked in amongst the Abbey Road material, so I'd guessed right. Also, in with the White Album stuff, there was an early version of 'Junk,' another from that first McCartney album. So, much like I'd always read about George Harrison's 'All Things Must Pass,' and similar to Lou Reed using songs he'd brought to the VU on his early solo albums, it seemed like the Beatles had plenty of songs that never made it to Beatles albums that eventually ended up on solo recs. With this in mind, I'd slipped the McCartney versions of Junk & Teddy Boy onto this comp in amongst the White Album & Abbey Road stuff, respectively, that I placed on it. And while listening to it, the idea came to mind to try to construct a Beatles LP out of outstanding tracks from the first few solo albums.

    I'd like to say that this has nothing to do with everything I've been reading about the new Let It Be, but in truth I guess it has to have something to do with it. All of the debate I've seen on message boards, I suppose, and some of the conflicting sentiments expressed in reviews. I haven't heard it, but I've had bootlegs, which basically have to sound pretty similar, from what I've read, for more than 20 years. So I have a basic idea of what it's going to sound like. Now, history tells us that the White Album was made under conditions where each member brought his songs in, and the band functioned as a backing band to 4 solo artists. Then McCartney got the bright idea to bring together a band that had been drifting apart, with the result being the forced, uncomfortable Get Back sessions that only drove the band further apart. In retrospect it's kind of amazing that they pulled it back together enough to manage to come up with something like Abbey Road.

    I was wondering, if Get Back hadn't happened, if the band might have continued in the form it assumed during the recording of the White Album--each member bringing in a song, with the band just being a backing band. The Beatles were obviously never going to be as they once had been, but is it possible that they might have continued working together/apart the way they did on the White Album? What then? The Beatles probably don't break up when they did, and who knows? At this Troy is probably smirking & saying 'who cares,' but I do, I guess. I see nothing wrong with the White Album approach, so I wonder what could have been, what might have been. I never have before; they broke up, and that's that. But then I came up with an idea.

    Since every Beatle except Paul employed other ex-Beatles on their own solo recordings, how about the idea of coming up with a comp consisting of the best tracks from the early Beatles solo albums? In essence, most were recorded using an approach similar to the White Album, so what's the difference? John used either George or Ringo on 3 albums, George used Ringo on 2 albums, and on Ringo's first proper pop album he used all 3 ex-Beatles. So I thought about details & parameters. If anyone has any major objections to any of these, let me know.

    Like, how far past 1970 could it be for a song to qualify? I think that what makes the most sense would be to choose from both of each member's first two solo albums. The pool of albums to choose from would be as follows: for John, Plastic Ono Band & Imagine. For Paul, McCartney & Ram. For George, All Things Must Pass and Living In The Material World. And for Ringo, Beaucoups of Blues and Ringo. I know the dates aren't exactly consistent (Paul & John had each released 2 albums by 1971, while Ringo didn't come out until November 1973), but I'm not sure it makes sense any other way.

    There were several 'solo' albums released prior to Let It Be. Can't say I see any point in including any of them, either. Most are not typical rock albums: Paul's 'The Family Way,' from 1967, is an instrumental movie soundtrack; John's 'Two Virgins,' 'Life With The Lions,' & 'The Wedding Album' are all mostly self-indulgent collections of nonsense sounds; and while I've never heard George's 'Wonderwall Music' or 'Electronic Sound,' I've never heard great things about either, and I would assume that if either were worthwhile they'd be discussed a lot more than they are. As for Ringo's 'Sentimental Journey,' uh, what's the point? Who has it anyway? It's actually a record I'd like to hear, but, again, nobody's ever told me how great it was, so I never really looked for it. I would, however, suggest including his country album, 'Beaucoups of Blues,' which has some really good songs on it. There's certainly one on there I would choose. The only one I think there would be a strong case for including would be John's Live Peace In Toronto, but let's face it, as good as half of that record is, it's a bunch of oldies & hits. I say no that as well.

    Then there's the makeup of the album. I propose that it would make sense to have five songs each by John & Paul, three from George, and two from Ringo. We could each vote on, say, our top three from each, and tabulate it. I also think that including one of the two 'new' songs from the Anthology would be good, too. Actually, I'm not big on 'Free As A Bird,' but I think 'Real Love' would fit in quite nicely. Maybe we could vote on one of the two, or just a yes or a no to including either. If one of those were included, it would come out to 16 songs, which I think should fit comfortably on a comp. Actually, we could do more--say, 6 each for Paul & John & 4 for George--but personally I'm more interested in the idea, the spirit, of constructing a faux Beatles album than just filling up a CDR with extra songs to pad out a comp.

    So: provided this has never been done before (if it has, I sure missed it), what do you think? I'll hold off on my choices until I see whether or not there's enough interest to put this together. If there's not, I'm most certainly going to do my own version. So please do let me know what y'all think of this.

    I don't like others.

  2. #2
    Close 'n Play® user Troy's Avatar
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    Who Cares?


    Hey knock yourself out, but having recently bought a used copy of "Ringo!", let me just say IT SUCKS. Keep the song Photograph, but that's it. So unless you dig the "No no Song", your comp is gonna be a bit light on Ringo material . . .

    Tisk tisk. All this LIB Naked fuss. Move ON, people!

  3. #3
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    Not a bad idea for a comp and nice post, but I don't really have much to say about it, so.......

    Anyway, I just got a copy of the new Shins album in the mail yesterday and have been playing it incessantly ever since and contrary to what my buddy tentoze said in another thread, this album is outstanding and easily bests most of what I have heard this year, especially in the sounds-kind-of-like-a-modern-day-Beatles category. At times they even manage sound a little bit like something Kurt Cobain might have come up with in his Beatles inspired moments - in fact one song does even remind me of On A Plain (I think that's the one it reminds me of). Just wanted to say something Beatles oriented
    Last edited by Davey.; 11-20-2003 at 09:11 PM.

  4. #4
    Forum Regular nobody's Avatar
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    As long as everybody is throwing out comp ideas, I'll get completely off the subject and mention one...

    Added Tracks.

    Like when they release a record, then re-release it with more tracks. You buy it first and get screwed. Like I grabbed the new Beth Gibbons record when it was an import. Now, they release it as a US version and add a Velvet Underground vcover that I don't have. Or, when they released the Smiths Meat is Murder, then re-released it with Meat is Murder after the video became a hit. Or, after Moby's Play got big, they started selling them with a bonus disc of stuff included. But, people who already bought it were screwed. That kinda thing.

  5. #5
    Toon Robber tentoze's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davey.
    Anyway, I just got a copy of the new Shins album in the mail yesterday and have been playing it incessantly ever since and contrary to what my buddy tentoze said in another thread, this album is outstanding and easily bests most of what I have heard this year....
    I put that one on Friday nite to give it another listen, and took it out after about the 3rd song. It's not that I think it's BAD, because I don't- it's fairly slick, tuneful, pleasant enough- but it really just doesn't hold my attention for long. I guess bouncy pop stuff, no matter how well executed, all blends together in my ears. Fetch The Band of Blacky Ranchette's latest release- THAT one holds my attention all the way through, and then some.

    ----Never Off Topic, Never Rude-----

  6. #6
    Indifferentist Slosh's Avatar
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    ...and the nomination goes to...

    Quote Originally Posted by Davey.

    Anyway, I just got a copy of the new Shins album in the mail yesterday and have been playing it incessantly ever since and contrary to what my buddy tentoze said in another thread, this album is outstanding and easily bests most of what I have heard this year, especially in the sounds-kind-of-like-a-modern-day-Beatles category.
    The White Stripes' Apple Blossom speaks BeAtlese to me.

    If I'm stuck with early solo stuff I'll go with Monkberry Moon Delight from Ram just because I always thought it sounds like something that would fit on the white album.

    NP: Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West

  7. #7
    Indifferentist Slosh's Avatar
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    wanna sell it to me?

    Quote Originally Posted by tentoze
    I put that one on Friday nite to give it another listen, and took it out after about the 3rd song. It's not that I think it's BAD, because I don't- it's fairly slick, tuneful, pleasant enough- but it really just doesn't hold my attention for long. I guess bouncy pop stuff, no matter how well executed, all blends together in my ears.
    I'll buy your Shins CD for whatever you paid. I have the LP and think it's outstanding but the LP is red translucent vinyl with quite a bit of surface noise and distorted vocals, so I wouldn't mind taking the CD off of your hands

    Don't know if the e-mail links actually work (never tried) but we can also employ the private message thingy assuming you actually want to unload this album

  8. #8
    Toon Robber tentoze's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slosh
    I'll buy your Shins CD for whatever you paid. I have the LP and think it's outstanding but the LP is red translucent vinyl with quite a bit of surface noise and distorted vocals, so I wouldn't mind taking the CD off of your hands

    Don't know if the e-mail links actually work (never tried) but we can also employ the private message thingy assuming you actually want to unload this album
    Let's just call it an early xmas present from the desert, and let it go at that. If I don't have yer mailing addy when I get home, I'll let you know.
    ----Never Off Topic, Never Rude-----

  9. #9
    Indifferentist Slosh's Avatar
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    thanks buddy!

    Quote Originally Posted by tentoze
    Let's just call it an early xmas present from the desert, and let it go at that. If I don't have yer mailing addy when I get home, I'll let you know.
    Hey, I wanted to hit ya with my year-end comp but misplaced your addy (I got it from the CRSv8 distro from allears via actual paper, not from his e-mail so it ain't anywhere in my Outlook folder )

  10. #10
    Bipolar Bingo Enthusiast Chip_B's Avatar
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    I like the idea, but...

    Quote Originally Posted by MindGoneHaywire
    So: provided this has never been done before (if it has, I sure missed it), what do you think? I'll hold off on my choices until I see whether or not there's enough interest to put this together. If there's not, I'm most certainly going to do my own version. So please do let me know what y'all think of this.
    I only have 'McCartney', which you already have.
    "The Blues ain't nothin' but a good man feelin' bad"

    -Willie Brown

  11. #11
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    I didn't mean to hurt you.

    I'm sorry that
    I made you cry.

    I didn't want to hu-uurt you.

    I'm just a jealous guy.

    all right

    I'm just a jealous guy.

  12. #12
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    but seriously:

    that sounds like you could make a great album, and I would certainly enjoy listening to it. I don't really have the knowledge to make that knowledgable of a contribution. Predictably, I have Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, as well as All Things Must Pass, but no McCartney to speak of.

    My one principled suggestion is that the search for more obscure songs should not obscure the fact that George Harrison's "What is Life" is one of the greatest works of art yet produced by humankind, and must be included.

    This is not a good group comp idea; it just takes one evil genius. Hmm, who could that be?

    Ok, I think I had a couple too many glasses of wine tonight. I'm Audi 5000.

  13. #13
    PPG
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    I'll weigh in here as I consider myself somewhat of a fan. MGH, here's some track suggestions:

    John:

    Gimme Some Truth
    Love

    Paul:

    Too Many People
    Teddy Boy
    Back Seat of My Car

    George:

    Wah-Wah
    Beware of Darkness
    What Is Life

    Ringo:

    I'm The Greatest


    Let me know your thoughts, and although I don't have all the above tracks, I can provide what I do have. I think this could be an excellent comp with well-selected tracks that are well-sequenced.



    Man, I wish they'd get rid of that silly-ass Best Buy ads at the top - those are some ugly people! I guess that's the idea - to get your attention...

  14. #14
    Forum Regular MindGoneHaywire's Avatar
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    Well, over the weekend I put my thinking cap on (that's right, I found the damned thing), and made this comp. I was trying to put something together that approached the spirit of the White Album, and the trickiest aspect of that was finding a way to place the Plastic Ono Band songs in places where the continuity & cohesiveness of that record didn't mess with the effect of hearing them out of context. Also, it wasn't easy justifying placing only two songs from 'All Things Must Pass.' But while there were a bunch I could've used, 'What Is Life' was the only automatic choice, and 'Let It Down' was the one that most sounded to me like it could've been on a Beatles album. And I couldn't find anything on 'Beaucoups of Blues' I wanted to hear as much as 'You're Sixteen.'

    I had mixed feelings about using 'Real Love,' since according to Anthology 2's liner notes, Lennon recorded it in 1979, but I like it a lot better than 'Free As A Bird,' and in spite of the Jeff Lynne aspect of the production, it seemed like a good place to start, especially since all the Beatles were on it. Or ended up on it. I wasn't crazy about the idea of using the song 'Imagine,' since I'm as sick of it as anyone else, but I took it as a challenge to try to "imagine" it as a Beatles song, and put in a place where it would sound like it made some sense, and deflate that sense of dread that most rational people feel when they realize they have to sit through the song again. The only other thought was that ending the comp the way I did might seem cheap & cynical, but several Beatles albums have dramatic endings, including Abbey Road & Sgt. Pepper, and in fact going all the way back to their first album. So poo if you don't like it. You don't have to listen to it.

    The first draft on this was about an hour long, then of course I had to include this track & that track, and to be able to place them somewhere that sounded right to me I had to add this track & that track. Evil genius, huh? So it ended up closer to the full 80 minutes. But the White Album is that long, so I don't feel as bad about it. I am, though, thinking of this in terms of Side One and Side Two. Not sure why, except that every Beatles album had this. Didn't go so far as to care about there being four sides, though (of course, there would have been on a record album of this length, but what the hay). Here's the tracklist:

    "Side One"

    Real Love (Beatles Anthology 2)
    Give Me Some Truth (Imagine)
    Maybe I’m Amazed (McCartney)
    Jealous Guy (Imagine)
    Let It Down (All Things Must Pass)
    Junk (McCartney)
    Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (Living In The Material World)
    Love (Plastic Ono Band)
    Heart Of The Country (Ram)
    You’re Sixteen (Ringo)
    Back Seat Of My Car (Ram)

    "Side Two"

    Imagine (Imagine)
    Remember (Plastic Ono Band)
    What Is Life (All Things Must Pass)
    Smile Away (Ram)
    O My Love (Imagine)
    Teddy Boy (McCartney)
    Photograph (Ringo)
    Working Class Hero (Plastic Ono Band)
    Every Night (McCartney)
    Isolation (Plastic Ono Band)
    God (Plastic Ono Band)

    Anyone who would like a copy, let me know.

    I don't like others.

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