37th: 289 points

Revolution

 

 

Voters:

 

Severin 40

Notorious D.O.T. 39

Bjork 36

dandy* 35

Jade 34

jimwatts 30

popchartfreak 23

danG 20

Brer 14

Chez Wombat 12

WhoOdyssey 5

JulianT 1

 

This is a song from the “White Album”. Multiple versions were recorded, including the best known rocky version, a slower bluesy version called “Revolution 1” and the abstract blend of sounds and noises called “Revolution 9” which doesn’t really bear any relation to the song people know.

 

The Beatles rarely involved themselves with politics, “Taxman” being an exception. This was a response by John to some of the political left at the time putting pressure on them to be revolutionaries.

 

'I Feel Fine' is grand.

'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away' is gorgeous, such a tender and moving John ballad :wub: I find the Help! project underrated in terms of Beatles album discourse - it'd probably scrape into my top 5 of theirs, plenty of great songs even if not quite as ground-breaking as later work.

 

'With A Little Help From My Friends' has grown on me exponentially over the years, I find it really charming these days.

 

'Revolution' is awesome - what an attention-grabbing, unhinged intro *.* I used to be obsessed with one of the slower versions of it as well, 'Revolution 1 Take 20', as someone used the entirety of it in the background of their Beatles collection video on YouTube - it was instantly lodged in my brain. That version was 11 minutes long and I apparently have 70 scrobbles of it on my last.fm, which I think would've all come from my iPod during sixth form days, the fixation was real :lol:

 

I absolutely love the riff throughout 'I Feel Fine' and that intro feedback is indeed a standout feature too <3

deep into Beatles classics now! You've Got To Hide Your Love Away was written about gay manager Brian Epstein, apparently, which adds pathos given what happened to him, and it certainly had an emotional impact on me in my teens, there weren't any other obvious songs offering support until Killing Of Georgie in 1976 (thanks Rod).

 

I Feel Fine I bought in 1976, amongst the Beatles chart invasion as all the singles were out with new (awful) sleeve covers - plus Yesterday for the first time. I was mad on those riffs and the intro! Revolution lived in the shadow of Hey Jude, but it got some airplay in the 60's, It was the Blue Album Xmas 1975 that got me into it big time. Rifftastic, and John as always had his finger on the pulse of what needed saying at the time.

36th: 291 points

All My Loving

 

 

Voters:

 

jimwatts 46

Bjork 40

ben08 40

…ready for it 32

King Rollo 25

Roba. 25

JulianT 21

WhoOdyssey 15

Severin 13

dandy* 13

danG 12

popchartfreak 8

Notorious D.O.T. 1

 

This is a 1963 Paul track included on “With The Beatles”. While not a single it received considerable airplay, and was subsequently released as the title track of an EP including 2 tracks from “Please Please Me” and 2 from “With The Beatles”.

 

Although it’s very much a product of the more primitive early Beatles sound, I think this uncomplicated ballad has a lot of heart to it, and it’s done very well here for an early non hit.

 

 

'All My Loving' has done well indeed.

Yes, that was unexpected! 6-year-old me thanks everyone who voted it this high, I loved it more than actual Beatles singles at the time!

35th: 293 points

Can’t Buy Me Love

 

 

Chart run: 8-{1}-1-1-2-4-7-13-15-22-25-30-38-44-47R(2)->15

 

Voters:

 

…ready for it 44

Roba. 35

WhoOdyssey 34

Brer 33

Bjork 29

ben08 29

gooddelta 28

Severin 27

popchartfreak 15

steve201 8

danG 7

Jade 4

 

It’s a double of early songs today, as the lead single from “A Hard Day’s Night” lands here. This was a #1 in many countries including the UK and US, and remains their 3rd biggest pure seller in the UK with over 1.5 million copies, the 4th biggest seller of the 60s and one of the 40 biggest selling singles of all time.

 

“Can’t Buy Me Love” is certainly a stonker of a rock ‘n’ roll song, but there’s a clear evolution between it and “A Hard Day’s Night” and I think this marks the end of their early phase before they really began to push the envelope.

 

 

 

me dad bought this one so a soundtrack to my Liverpool life and beyond, and yes I agree it's the end of the innocent "I love you" songwriting phase and onwards into cynicism, sex and drugs and rock n roll and politics - along with more interesting takes on love and life and death and humour.

Another top pointer, the sentiment of 'All My Loving' may be primitive but the excitement lives on in the music, and those harmonies in verse 2 are indeed fab :wub:

Re- All My Loving, it was a song of their's I'd known for years and not thought much about one way or another until I watched the film Testament (1983), where it is used prominently and quite poignantly. I feel in love with it after that.

34th: 300 points

I Want You (She’s So Heavy)

 

 

Voters:

 

Jade 46

Notorious D.O.T. 46

Brer 46

Chez Wombat 45

King Rollo 42

JulianT 40

danG 33

jimwatts 2

 

This is an “Abbey Road” track that was only finished the last time The Beatles were in the studio together in August 1969. It’s a very unusual, nearly 8 minute track with blues and hard rock sections and changing time signatures. The track has been described as a precursor to heavy metal.

 

No other track in the Top 50 received as few as 8 voters, and this very experimental track clearly has well and truly divided the crowd, with huge love from its big supporters but very little else.

 

Congratulations to gooddelta who I believe is the only participant to have voted for all of the Top 33!

 

"sprawling" is my take on that one, but then I'm not a huge fan of Abbey Road in comparison to earlier Fabs albums. Helter Skelter is my Beatles Heavy Metal track of choice, if that's not a blueprint I don't know what is (with credit to You Really Got Me, too), though obv that was never going to get added to the Blue album...

33rd: 305 points

Blackbird

 

 

Voters:

 

gooddelta 39

Brer 38

WhoOdyssey 37

dandy* 33

King Rollo 30

danG 25

JulianT 25

Chez Wombat 21

Jade 18

ben08 14

Roba. 10

Bjork 7

Severin 4

Notorious D.O.T. 4

 

This was written by Paul and included on the “White Album”. It is thought to allude to the civil right movement in the US, but can also be seen to have a simpler, more literal meaning. It’s a solo performance by Paul with only an acoustic guitar and some foot tapping and bird sounds.

 

“Blackbird” has become a favourite among the ballads of The Beatles and is one of the most coveted songs of all time; notably this year Beyoncé included a version on “Cowboy Carter”.

 

Oh, that seems surprisingly low for Blackbird, it's interesting that it has become so popular among their canon since becoming available digitally, but I can't say it's not deserved.

 

I've heard many lovely covers of it and many less successful attempts.

I never knew the Civil Rights background of it (though it was the era of Civil Right songs) so that passed me by entirely and I just took it literally, a mildly pleasant song about a bird with a broken wing, and that was about that. It could have easily fitted comfortably on McCartney and sounded totally in place. Whenever I tried to rescue birds with broken wings and the like they always ended up dying to my sorrow - being 10 years old, and not having the internet to tell you what to do in those days... :(

My votes have really been taking a hit in this lately and I Want You (She's So Heavy) is another big loss. :(

 

Probably my favourite from Abbey Road, it's such an experience to listen to.

32nd: 330 points

Now And Then

 

 

Chart run: 42-{1}-6-11-30-54-65->7

 

Voters:

 

gooddelta 36

steve201 34

popchartfreak 33

WhoOdyssey 33

danG 26

ben08 26

jimwatts 20

Roba. 18

Notorious D.O.T. 18

…ready for it 17

King Rollo 17

JulianT 17

Brer 15

dandy* 11

Chez Wombat 9

(Zeroes Severin, Jade, Bjork)

 

As mentioned before this was one of the four tracks whose demo was given to the surviving Beatles by Yoko in the ‘90s. John’s voice was extracted using machine-learning assisted audio restoration technology. The single was released with a new stereo mix of “Love Me Do”, meaning that it could be seen to bookend the band’s history.

 

It’s impressive to see how the technology and the quality of the production have moved on from the likes of “Free As A Bird” to this. It is hard to compare this with the old classics, but I think most people saw it as a fitting final single, and most participants did include it in their votes here.

 

Pretty strong result for 'Now and Then'. I feel a few of those that didn't vote for it is because it's too recent maybe.

Personally, not an admirer of Now And Then to be honest. It's nice enough and was good to see them have a hit with it, but I didn't think the song was much cop. Same as I felt about Free as a Bird and Real Love. They sound to me like what they are - songs Lennon didn't think were good enough. Now and Then's the best of the three though.