Ok, let's go back to the days of starvation, happy pills, and 8 hour sets, in good old Hamburg. During their various trips, they made the mainly atrocious LP for Polydor, bar one track, no, not 'My Bonny' or 'Aint She Sweet', but 'Cry for a Shadow' - the instrumental no doubt inspired by Hank and the boys. Good tune, the best use out of a poor guitar ( by George ), and good tight drumming from Pete, which is rather ironic considering the most persistent rumours/reasons for his departure. This was rounded off by a sadly now unknown German engineer who got the best out of a then bum group. Ok, we're off the mark.( UPDATE: FEB 27. This page has attracted more interest than I thought it would. I've had an E Mail from someone in the Canary Islands, telling me that the German engineer was Bert Kaempfert. Well, I'm not sure. I know he had an interest in Polydor Germany, but I think it was as manager, maybe even as a contracted musician, because as we know he went on ( perhaps already was )to be a respected Impresario/Big Band leader. But I seem to remember reading that in this instance, he was just a middle man between Sheridan/The Beatles and the studio. Anyone who knows for sure, please do E mail me. Thanks. Back to the Top Sixteen. ))
Fast forward to London, late 62/Jan 63. I don't know which session saw the final mix, but 'Please, Please Me' from their first album of the same name, is my next choice. The song had been knocking about for a few months, and I think Pete even featured on one or two duff takes, but by the time of the album's release, the song was perfect. Master melody, brilliant use of harmonica, brilliant, perfect, high-pitched dipping and soaring vocals, superb use of single guitar notes, acting as a mini-bridge before the 'Come on, Come on!' parts. Now, very early on in this break-down, you may be surprised to learn that this is my own choice for the best-ever Beatles song. The song stands high and mighty in all events, but when you consider that they were still a club band, and that in all honesty, many of their live peformances up to that time were bad ( contentious this, I know, but this is based on the many tapes I have heard of their Hamburg / Liverpool pre-EMI days. ), then this recording is the gem of all gems. Also, I think George Martin has to take equal credit here. If legend is actually truth, then he was the one who improved the tempo, resulting in a faster, snazzier effort. One final point on this, please do try and get the single mono version of this - the song sounds even stronger and zestier.
And still in 1963, and my next choice is 'She Loves You'. This is a very simple ( seemingly ) but highly effective boy-girl single, and today this song still defines the 'Mop-Top' era. The very sly 'seemingly' is a doff of the cap to L&M for their superbly written and sung harmony and descant. How many times have you sung or hummed this song, only to find that you are singing John's bit, and then another time Paul's? Well worth it's place in the top sixteen.
And, amazingly still stuck in 63! This time it's 'It Won't be Long' from 'With the Beatles'. I've selected this for it's thumping energy, and it's duelling qualities vocally. In this song, they manage the same duel with their voices as they do with guitars in 'Can't Buy me Love', which incidentally will not figure in this list. You can almost imagine the recording of this song breaking down many times, due to them not being able to prevent a laugh at the 'Yeah? - Yeah!' stage, in fact, I think this just about shows in the recording. It's also the best of the early back-clap songs.
Two out and out smoochy love songs from the 1964 'Hard Days Night' album. I'm going to bracket them together, not only because they are from the same album, but because these two songs, along with 'Hard Days Night' and 'Can't Buy me Love' saved the album. I don't know about you, but for me, the other ten songs ranged from average to dross, not their best album, in fact, it was their second worst. But 'If I Fell' and 'And I Love Her' are both excellent, and shows us that simplicity is often the best route, although after having said that, the harmony on the former is very good, and for anyone wanting to play this on guitar in the right key, make sure your chord power is up to it, because there is an absolute stinker in there somewhere, of the type which held Dylan in awe, apparently.
Now, an oddity. I've never heard such a difference in the same song after remastering, as 'Slow Down', from the 'Long Tall Sally' EP. If memory serves, there was a limited Capitol ( although it could have been Apple ) single release of this song, with 'Matchbox' on the B Side. Now as much as I am in awe of George Martin, occasionally he can be bettered, and some geezer at Capitol did so, with 'Slow Down'. How he was allowed to change the mix, is an absolute mystery, but he did, and the result is fantastic. If you can get hold of both mixes, play them both and hear the difference, the Capitol take has so much more energy and fills the room. So, one unknown US sound engineer along with his mix of 'Slow Down' get their joint place on this podium.
Still in 1964, and I'm sorry if my chronological attempt has gone awry, I think it has, but from 'Beatles for Sale', the runaway best song from there, is 'Mr Moonlight'. Powerful, gutsy vocals, moody stuttery organ, and Ringo, apparently on a packing case. I don't know whether that was untrue hype for the album notes, but, no matter, the end result is great.
Now, the watershed. This was their last outing in many ways for not just the mop-tops, but for standard, somewhat lacklustre recording, although we can only say that now in retrospect. The album 'Help' is overall, naff, and sadly it wasn't down to the songs, but the production. Was George M on holiday? Ill? I'm sure he would not have been happy with this at times over-light tinny sound, amazingly even on the Rock'n'Roll tracks. But there's always a diamond in the rough, and it's the title track. ( You thought I was going to say 'Yesterday', weren't you? I can't stand that song! )'Help!'is brilliantly written, performed and recorded, and it's so effective, people in pub/party sing-songs today, jockey to sing the support lines just as much as the main melody.
And on to 1966, and very definitely the sweets of a different colour era. Although I find 'Rubber Soul' just as light as 'Help!' in some respects, the songs were better, but the one that really stands out above all is 'In My Life', one of John's very, very best almost solo works lyrically. And not for the first time, credit to George M, as I believe he was the harpsichord player, and maybe the composer of that little segment.
Still in 66, and from 'Revolver' George Harrison makes his first entry in this chart, with the cleverly worded and produced 'Tax Man', reproduced so faithfully by Tom Petty and the Heart-Breakers at George's memorial concert. The album is full of great songs, but George topped 'em all on this one. The dum-dum de-dum-dum riff was ripped off by the Jam many years later, but George could hardly complain about that, could he?!!
Another choice from their singles now, and it's 'Paperback Writer'. Very clever lyrics, great tune, well performed, and superb harmony bridges, and good use of falsetto by G&J.
Ok, we come to a rapid conclusion as I'm going to say any four songs from 'Sgt Pepper's..' Er, no I'm not. I don't care about this album's reputuation, it was a great breakthrough in sound recording, but it's not their best work, and I can't choose any from it. 'Ah,' I hear you say, 'he's going for the double-whammy of 'Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields' then'. Sadly, no. These are great songs, too, but they do not figure in my list here. In fact, I'm plumping for 'Revolution', an absolutely mind-blowing recording. Great melody, great guitars, Lennon at his gravelly best, great keyboards, great everything. I know second place wins nothing, but this is my second favourite Beatles song of all time. Try and get the TOTP video, and watch Lennon, whose miming anyway, mouth 'no' when the lyrics are 'yes'.
I'm also going to by-pass another popular candidate for best ever - 'Hey Jude'. I do like it, but it is over long, and suffers because of this. To find the last three of the sixteen we have to journey to that very, very sad era of 69/70. ( Missing out Yellow Submarine and the White Album altogether. ) Despite the rows and eventual break-up, and despite the mess left on the cutting room floor, there was still a lot of good stuff released. First up is 'The Ballad of John and Yoko', - a great, great performance and recording from John and Paul alone. The almost passe 'big ending' from the Cuban Night club era tops the song off nicely.
And now for Something completely perfect - 'Something'. The second of George's songs to be included, and is my third favourite of all time. Ringo does exceptionally well on the drums too, and a great thumping organ in the background, and George's guitar work was of the highest quality.
Seeing as I've already mentioned my favourite Beatles song, this, the last of the sixteen in no set order, is somewhat of an anticlimax, but, nevertheless, last but not least, is 'Let it Be'. Adopted by many, not realising that the Mary featured was Paul's Mum. Great all round performance, considering the hotch-potch state of things at the time. And I do have to agree with Paul McCartney that the non-Specter version is better. I wasn't expecting to ever say this, but after getting the 'Let It Be Naked' album, I most certainly do now.
I know there are a great many other Beatles songs which many think are automatic selections in lists like this, but, nothing like the phenomenon of subjectivity, is there?
Since first posting this, I have received an E Mail from an old RAF mate, who 'demanded' that I include the first manager in the candidates. My initial reply was, 'yeah, not too bad, Barry, and how are you after 25 years?!!' The power of the Internet - incredible.
First, the ( duly revised )candidates; there may be more but I think these are the main ones. ALAN WILLIAMS, ( Happy, Bazzer?!! )Martin, Aspinall, Evans, Best, Sutcliffe, Taylor, Epstein.
Firstly, Alan Williams falls at the starting tape; the band were just as rough and ready in Hamburg as Liverpool as Hamburg, and they would still have developed their sound and song-writing just as effectively elsewhere; this is assuming that no other manager/agent would not have got them out there, anyway .( and there were a few candidates for this in itself, Wooler, Leech, perhaps Fall. )So, Mr Willams is out the race before it's started in earnest. The first, er, next two that always get a mention in this Beatles Grand National, are Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans. These two may have had good jobs at Apple ( and rightly so ) for their early loyalty; especially Neil Aspinall getting them from A to B when they could barely afford guitar strings, but, this could and would have been done by others, I'm sure, if he never had been involved. Poor Mal Evans; victim of an accidental shooting in 1976, was a great friend of the four, but making silly noises to add to Yellow Submarine, controlling the groupies, signing those fake autographed photo's and going for chips, means he is out of the race long before hitting Beecher's the first time round. Then came Derek Taylor, carrying on from Tony Barrow as Press Officer. For me, the relating ( or hiding ) the facts rather than shaping them does not add up to that much and, in my opinion, sees him fall at the Chair. So, we have two musicians and a manager and an engineer/producer remaining in the race. There is no doubt Stuart Sutcliffe influenced John during the Liverpool / Hamburg era , both in art and life which possibly impacted on John's introspective songs a little;- but on poor Stuart's passing, such influence beyond the grave, although existing, was mainly reduced to nostalgia. Pete Best's claim is stronger. He was ( as was Stu ) there from the humblest beginnings, after the wash basin and tea-chest brigade had been shown the door, right up until walking into Abbey Road Studio Number Two; but as we know, for Pete there was a revolving door. Pete and his family certainly helped logistically, which must count for something, but not where it counted in the artistic sense, and his influence if any, ended when he departed; so Pete Best falls at the Elbow, leaving Mr Epstein and Mr Martin to fight it out down the straight. The thing is, both these men have strong claims to be the fifth Beatle, but for entirely different reasons. I'm certain, as is most of the world, that the Beatles as we knew them would not have existed if it were not for Brian Epstein initially, but also George Martin. Ok, tramping the snow-covered streets of an uncaring Capital got them their break-through; but Brian Epstein's knowledge of sound recording was just as wanting as George Martin's idea of promotion and presentation, but being fair to both men, neither were expected to know the other's stock in trade, but it does throw up something not much-mentioned - a secret partnership. The girls turning up and screaming was one thing, but this needed to be backed up with records that would sell, and not just to teenage girls. So, from either side of the rails, both men are still neck and neck in the run-in; but how can they be separated? Time soon told us that Mr Epstein could not last much over five furlongs, but that Mr Martin was the true steeple-chaser, four and a half miles and still running by all accounts; but does longevity pinch the title from Mr Epstein? No. The word pivotal now springs to mind, and then other more sparkly phrases like 'one in a million'. Yes, the story needed George Martin's assent, after listening to a very bad demo tape. But, despite George and Brian really being uncredited partners in a fashion, for at least the three years of the Mop-Top era, it was surely that initial belief which is the father of all that happened after. The hands of the leather and PVC clad scruffs which put pen to paper in the upstairs office of NEMS in 1961, did not just write their signatures on that piece of paper, but wrote the unseen words to 'Imagine' and 'Maybe I'm Amazed'; But it was Brian Epstein's paper. Brian Epstein - The Fifth Beatle.
Back to Home Page
