Nothing has pissed me off lately, other than certain basketball teams that have either won or lost, so I really want to talk about stuff I actually love for a change in honor of the hateful Fred Phelps.
Music has saved my life, and yes I mean literally, on more than one occasion. Listening to The Beatles, jamming to Neil Young, putting the brain on hold with 60's bubblegum or getting all what the fuck with Pink Floyd music has taken me from the depths of depression and self loathing to middle ground and self loathing which is normal to me. Not being a medication type, I have no idea what happy Max's Dad would be like. Frankly, it scares me.
But the music I listen to in an attempt to chill always ends up back at the basics. The Beatles. And then everybody else is 31 lengths back in 2nd place depending on my mood. The Doors, The Stones, Neil Young, CSN&Y, Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, U2, REM, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, The Airplane, Phish, Willie Nelson, Miles Davis, Joe Williams, Ella, Tom Jones, Alanis Morrisette, Chicago, The Doobies, Bob Dylan, The Monkees, Boston, Linda Ronstadt, Wynton Marsalis, or many others can come in 2nd depending on my mood. But the Beatles are always are number one. Period.
Masterpieces. What are masterpieces? The best anyone can ever do. And with that in mind here we go.
The Beatles:
Worst Beatles Song:
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Sorry George, you made my favorite solo album of all four Beatles, All Things Must Pass, but this song so reminds me of Eric Clapton, the most overrated musician of all time, I cannot stand it. It's on a level with crap like Cocaine, the acoustic version of Layla, After Midnight, Tears From Heaven or basically anything else Clapton has subjected us to. Sorry, Clapton fans, I know he's God to many of you, he is a phone it in hack to me.
My favorite Beatles song:
I Am The Walrus- I have no idea why I can listen to this weird ass song over and over and don't care who remakes it. I love it like no other song they ever did. And I loved Bono's version, Jim Carrey did it, I once saw a chorus sing it at a Cheap Trick show and it kicked ass too. I discovered this in 1968 when as a wee lad I bought the 45 of Hello Goodbye at Hospe's Music at the Village. I am the Walrus was the B side. B side my ass!
Beatles Masterpiece:
A Day In The Life. What else can it possibly be? Oh I know there are tons of them that could be, but to me, this song is their masterpiece because you get both geniuses, John and Paul, in one song. From the beginning piano notes and John's "I read the news today" to Paul's "woke up fell out of bed" and back to John and that last note this thing is on par with anything anybody ever wrote. Ever.
One of the happiest moments of my life was seeing Paul McCartney sing his part of the song in person and having the brains to let somebody else do John's part. You could have struck me dead at that moment and it would have been fine because I'd seen it all.
That's my take on the Beatles. In the future other groups will endure my wrath, praise and devotion. Depending on when I get pissed or am pretty mellow like now.
Wait, what did Ted Cruz say???
2 comments:
I agree with what you said about The Beatles always being first. I spent hundreds of hours with the headphones on full blast to hear every word/breath of their songs crying my eyes out for one reason or another or just because I was lonely--they have saved my life too many more times than I care to remember. I think their worst song was Yellow Submarine, my favorite song or the one with the words that touched me the most is In My Life, even had that played at our wedding, and for me their masterpiece was the Sgt. Pepper album. It is hard for me to listen to just one song on that album that I don't end up listening to the entire thing. For me it would be like looking at only half of Van Gogh's Starry Night. I'm glad you love them like I do and you understand.
yep Bonnie I get it. I know what you mean. Once we went to a local show, Yesterday and Today, by the McGuigan Brothers who don't imitate them they just play the music by request. They know all their songs by heart (except apparently my weird request for Old Brown Shoe) and of course all the kids request Yellow Submarine...Some guy our age requested "anything EXCEPT Yellow Submarine"....made me applaud...
Post a Comment