44th: 240 points (14 voters)

Yellow Submarine

 

 

Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby chart run: 8-{1}-1-1-1-3-5-9-18-26-30-33-42->13

 

Voters:

steve201 42

…ready for it 39

gooddelta 35

Chez Wombat 23

Notorious D.O.T. 20

WhoOdyssey 18

jimwatts 15

Severin 12

popchartfreak 11

ben08 10

King Rollo 8

Roba. 4

Bjork 2

Jade 1

 

A “Revolver” track and part of a double A side UK #1, this was written primarily as a children’s song by Paul and included experimentation with sound effects. It inspired the 1968 animated film of the same name. It’s the second of three songs here with a Ringo lead vocal.

 

I think a notable feature of the 4 double A side singles released by The Beatles is that in all cases the 2 tracks are very complementary, none more so than “Yellow Submarine” / “Eleanor Rigby”. This is the first of the 8 double A side tracks to appear.

Oh dear, I'm going to be tumbling down the leaderboard now.

 

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is iconic to me, I know it's essentially a short album opener but I love what's there and it sets the scene for what's to come.

 

Real Love is a beautiful song, if they'd released that for the Christmas 1995 market instead of Free As A Bird I wonder how it would have done. I love Tom Odell's cover too. I'd love to hear them remaster the vocals on these two songs with the tech they used to make Now And Then sound so good.

 

Yellow Submarine is wonderful, a classic that I heard such a lot as a child.

Edited April 23, 20241 yr by gooddelta

43rd: 244 points

Lady Madonna

 

 

Chart run: 11-{1}-1-4-6-9-26-35->8

 

Voters:

dandy* 38

King Rollo 36

…ready for it 26

Severin 24

danG 24

WhoOdyssey 20

steve201 18

popchartfreak 17

Notorious D.O.T. 14

jimwatts 7

gooddelta 7

Roba. 7

Chez Wombat 6

 

A non album single and UK #1 composed by Paul, this was a surprising change of direction after all the psychedelia of the previous couple of years. Its style is “boogie-woogie”, a type of 1920s blues rock and Paul said he was thinking of Fats Domino when he wrote it. John assisted with the lyrics about an exhausted mother.

 

This sat well with a rock ‘n’ roll revival in the UK in 1968. However its official chart run was quite short and it only peaked at #2 on the rival Melody Maker chart, and only at #4 in the US.

42nd: 249 points

The Fool On The Hill

 

 

Voters:

popchartfreak 48

King Rollo 48

JulianT 36

Notorious D.O.T. 33

Chez Wombat 30

dandy* 19

Jade 17

…ready for it 13

jimwatts 4

danG 1

 

This is a Paul track included on the 1967 “Magical Mystery Tour” EP. The film of the same name included a video of the song with pictures of Paul on a hill in France.

 

It’s one of my favourite Beatles ballads: like “Nowhere Man” it can be seen as an outsider’s anthem, and I love its folky style with the flutes and the slightly dizzy swirling feel to it. It had some big supporters but the 8 zeroes really hurt it.

Oh I was the biggest supporter of Lady Madonna :o I’ve always thought it had a real groove to it, and I love the bit in the middle and general piano line throughout

Yellow Submarine I think of every time I go to Puerto De Mogan on Gran Canaria - it has an actual yellow submarine for trips to look at sea life - but it's total 8-year-old John nostalgia, Liverpool era. Lady Madonna is RAF Lincolnshire countryside incessant boogie blues, and both tunes sound better in the revamped form than they previously did. Fool On The Hill is one of those lesser known Macca gems, what a ballad, beautifully sad, much-covered at the time but it needs something to give it some more love these days. A film spot would do nicely...

41st: 258 points

I’m Only Sleeping

 

 

Voters:

 

jimwatts 47

Notorious D.O.T. 38

JulianT 37

Jade 29

King Rollo 29

Brer 29

Chez Wombat 26

Roba. 19

popchartfreak 4

 

Another “Revolver” track; this one was primarily written by John. From 1966; it’s very much an early venture into psychedelia with George’s backwards guitar parts. John is reported to have spent a long time in bed, whether just sleeping or under the influence.

 

Another one of their very finest ballads for me here, I love the vague drowsy feeling about it and the way it conveys the sheer joy of just having a lie in once in a while. Despite some strong support half the voters slept on this one and it falls just short of the Top 40.

 

 

'I'm Only Sleeping' is wonderful Revolver psychedelia :wub: I did sneak 'Yellow Submarine' in but I wish that had been confined to its film soundtrack and swapped out with 'Rain' on Revolver.

 

'The Fool On The Hill' is a standout on Magical Mystery Tour - both lyrically and with its flutes and recorder sound.

(1962-1966 Disc 1)

1. Love Me Do

2. Please Please Me

3. I Saw Her Standing There

4. Twist And Shout

5. From Me To You

6. She Loves You

7. I Want To Hold Your Hand

8. This Boy

9. All My Loving

10. Roll Over Beethoven

11. You Really Got A Hold On Me

12. Can’t Buy Me Love

13. You Can’t Do That

14. A Hard Day’s Night

15. And I Love Her

16. Eight Days A Week

17. I Feel Fine

18. Ticket To Ride

19. Yesterday

 

(1962-1966 Disc 2)

20. Help!

21. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away

22. We Can Work It Out

23. Day Tripper

24. Drive My Car

25. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

26. Nowhere Man

27. Michelle

28. In My Life

29. If I Needed Someone

30. Girl

31. Paperback Writer

32. Eleanor Rigby

33. Yellow Submarine

34. Taxman

35. Got To Get You Into My Life

36. I’m Only Sleeping

37. Here, There And Everywhere

38. Tomorrow Never Knows

 

(1967-1970 Disc 1)

39. Strawberry Fields Forever

40. Penny Lane

41. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

42. With A Little Help From My Friends

43. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

44. Within You Without You

45. A Day In The Life

46. All You Need Is Love

47. I Am The Walrus

48. Hello, Goodbye

49. The Fool On The Hill

50. Magical Mystery Tour

51. Lady Madonna

52. Hey Jude

53. Revolution

 

(1967-1970 Disc 2)

54. Back In The U.S.S.R.

55. Dear Prudence

56. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

57. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

58. Glass Onion

59. Blackbird

60. Hey Bulldog

61. Get Back

62. Don’t Let Me Down

63. The Ballad of John and Yoko

64. Old Brown Shoe

65. Here Comes The Sun

66. Come Together

67. Something

68. Octopus’s Garden

69. Oh! Darling

70. I Want You (She’s So Heavy)

71. Let It Be

72. Across The Universe

73. I Me Mine

74. The Long And Winding Road

75. Now And Then

 

90s Top 10 hits:

76. Baby It’s You

77. Free As A Bird

78. Real Love

 

Points left to give /1,275:

 

1 (2) Roba. 1,073

2 (5) Chez Wombat 1,044

3= (10) Jade 1,028

3= (12) danG 1,028

5 (1) gooddelta 1,024

6 (4) Severin 1,015

7 (11) JulianT 1,005

8 (14) Brer 994

9= (8) ben08 987

9= (13) Bjork 987

 

11 (6) Notorious D.O.T. 976

12 (15) dandy* 975

13 (3) King Rollo 971

14 (7) steve201 963

15 (9) popchartfreak 950

16 (16) jimwatts 924

17 (18) …ready for it 781

18 (17) WhoOdyssey 750

Every time I think I've escaped the bottom 3 I go straight back in it :lol: top pointer for 'Taxman' and 'I'm Only Sleeping', always happy to immerse myself in the sound of the Revolver album - at least the track between them should fare much better.

A few lower level favourites going out, Yellow Submarine is a novelty classic and such a great song to enjoy for all ages (some in a slightly different way to others x)

 

I'm Only Sleeping and Fool on the Hill were songs I was less familiar with which is was great to hear.

I'm Only Sleeping is one I didn't get to hear till the late 90's! :o The Suggs hit cover was my first introduction to it, which was fun and more upbeat. As I'm not one for sleeping in I can't relate to the lazier-vibe original so much, but it is nicely psychedelic... :)

Ooh top of the leaderboard *.*

 

'I'm Only Sleeping' is great. Shame that just missed out on the 40. Pretty sure I liked 'Fool On The Hill' too but clearly not enough to throw points to, must've been next in line!

40th: 265 points

With A Little Help From My Friends

 

 

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With A Little Help From My Friends chart run: 70-69-{63}->3

 

Voters:

 

gooddelta 38

Bjork 37

Notorious D.O.T. 36

Roba. 34

ben08 32

Jade 21

Severin 19

WhoOdyssey 17

steve201 13

jimwatts 10

Chez Wombat 8

 

This is the second track after the title song on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. I had forgotten that the pair of songs was released as a double A side single in 1978 but only reached #69. Of course “With A Little Help From My Friends” has topped the UK charts no fewer than 3 times, with covers by Joe Cocker, Wet Wet Wet and Sam & Mark, but I don’t think it’s a very hot take to say that the original is much better than any of those.

 

This is the highest lead vocal appearance for Ringo here - technically he isn’t a very good singer but there’s an innocence and sincerity about the way he performs that I find very charming.

 

for me it's Joe Cocker - that was the first version I heard, and after the exhausting performance he did on Top Of The Pops, a showstopper, Ringo's original just sounds so....twee (though classy, unlike the other 2 chart-topper covers) :o :o A bit of fun, but not even his best record - that's Photograph, Back Off Booglaoo, It Don't Come Easy.

39th: 275 points

You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away

 

 

Voters:

 

Notorious D.O.T. 41

Jade 39

dandy* 39

popchartfreak 37

…ready for it 29

JulianT 29

jimwatts 24

Severin 17

DanG 10

King Rollo 4

WhoOdyssey 3

Brer 3

 

This ballad was included on “Help!” in 1965. A version by English folk music group The Silkie, who had been signed by The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, was a UK hit and reached the Top 10 in America.

 

John said that the track was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, and the rhythm and instrumental setup are very like a Bob song though it uses a flute instead of his usual harmonica. I think it’s one of The Beatles’ most rawly emotional ballads.

 

 

 

 

Joe Cockers version of 'With A Little Help..' is the best but their one is very good too!

Not a fan of With a Little Help so I’m glad it hasn’t finished too high. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away is far better though, such a lovely song

38th: 278 points

I Feel Fine

 

 

Chart run: 6-{1}-1-1-1-1-2-7-13-19-25-38-50->13

 

Voters

 

…ready for it 37

Severin 36

Roba. 30

Chez Wombat 25

dandy* 24

popchartfreak 21

danG 21

gooddelta 21

Brer 17

Jade 13

ben08 12

Bjork 9

JulianT 6

jimwatts 5

WhoOdyssey 1

(Zeroes King Rollo; steve201; Notorious D.O.T.)

 

This is the first track with 15 voters, and the first of the 5 Christmas #1 tracks to appear. John wrote the riff while recording “Eight Days A Week” a couple of months earlier, and kept playing it between takes before deciding to go away and write a song for it. As they’d finished the album “Beatles For Sale” it ended up being a non album single.

 

The feedback note at the beginning of this was a first for a rock record and must have been seen as very experimental at the time.