Quote: Linda La Hughes @ July 21 2009, 4:19 AM BSTBack in the USSR is one of those songs where you crank up the volume, grab anything that resembles a microphone and sing and dance like a fool. Which happens to be a favourite pastime of mine.
Totally, I always belt that one out!
This is a bit long and not really interesting. And more than likley complete cobblers. Apols.
Something struck me today, listening through some of the early stuff. I've always had a problem with the early songs in regards George's solos. Quite a few (well, more than a few) are ropey, drift in timing, and never seem to hit a climax but rather peter out before the singing returns. I'd describe them as plinky-plonky. He tends to play single notes with distinct breaks between each note rather than much use of holding or sliding into a note. He does slide notes but often between chords within a solo.
I'm ignoring the Albums here. I went through Past Masters 1 + 2 to check out some solos and realised nearly every non-album pre-65 'Beatle penned' track on a single or EP fails to have a real solo. I call Your Name (64) has an example of a rare (non-album) solo but of the type I mention above. Quite plinky-plonky and robotic (but not in the good sense of bang on time).
The songs they covered (Long Tall Sally / Slow Down/ Matchbox etc) have solos done to a far higher standard but perhaps George is being pretty faithful to the original version's guitar. Although I can't confirm as I've heard few of the versions the Beatles were emulating. But even then he manages to buck the trend with Bad Boy featuring uninspired ropey segments.
The I Feel Fine / Day Tripper / We can work it out / Paperback Writer era of singles, he's either absent in any solo or a solo is very compressed. In Day Tripper, the solo is a trebly punched up version of the main guitar riff with a tiny lead squeezed into the last few bars. Similar with I Feel Fine but in reverse, a few bars of an alternative riff that returns to the original for a repeat to bring in the vocals. She's a Woman is the first of a sequence of Beatle penned songs to start to feature more traditional guitar leads but (like I Call Your Name) it's recorded in 64. I'm Down (65?) is an improvement.
I tried going through an early album too. On With The Beatles there's a decent solo in All My Loving but it's short, more chordal than single notes, and sounds like a vocal transcribed to guitar. On his own song, Don't Bother Me, the solo (which I'd assume was his own work) is very uninspiring and typically Harrison of the era, few held notes. Roll Over Beethoven has good sections but the intro is barely passable and drops time plus the centre lead is buggered up as he prepares for the verse. Saying that, Til There was You features a brilliant Nylon Guitar lead, with all the elements of a great ballad solo, just to make me look like a dick. I even suspected it wasn't him playing the studio version, but he repeats the version live on the Ed Sullivan show.
I'm wondering why the difference between the albums and the destined-for-singles tracks - was it the amount of time they could dedicate to an album track being longer than a single B-side or EP filler?
However, the riffs in I Feel Fine / Day Tripper / We can work it out / Paperback Writer are, without argument, stunning - although I have a suspicion he's playing something Lennon or McCartney would've originated while writing the song. It seems that when he was working within a structure or imitating he was more than competent but when it came to creating an idea from scratch he took a long time to mature.
But when he did mature, he was awesome.
Quote: Linda La Hughes @ July 20 2009, 4:40 AM BSTBack in the USSR
You don't know how lucky you are boys.
I sang this once in a karaoke bar in Houston Texas.
Didn't go down too well, the choice of song hadn't occured to me.
Afterwards the compere just said "Well at least it wasn't Iraq" 
Quote: SlagA @ July 21 2009, 10:59 PM BSTSaying that, Til There was You features a brilliant Nylon Guitar lead,
Being unfamiliar with this one, I listened to it on "The Decca Tapes". Was this the version you mean? If so, I'm sorry but it doesn't sound brilliant to me; he flunks a few notes and it doesn't sound like he's trying. Could it be that the phenomenon you have observed is, to a degree, a matter of your personal preference?
Favorite Beatles song?
I'm finding it difficult to think of one I actually liked.
Quote: Jack Massey @ July 21 2009, 11:45 AM BSTSeargent Pepper is an album of pure genius, it will surely rank as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band- Like
With a Little Help from my Friends- Okay, but don't rate Ringo as a vocalist
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds- Classic song
Getting Better- No classic, but a decent song
Fixing Hole- Like
She's Leaving Home- Good song, but a bit depressing for my liking, great vocals in it
Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite- The best song on the album. A true classic, top lyrics, top top song
Within You Without You- Inspirational Harrison. I really like it, I like sitar music
When I'm Sixty Four- No classic, but a good song
Lovely Rita- Like. But I can never work out if Rita is a traffic warden or a prostitute
Good Morning Good Morning- Really like this one. The Meet the Wife lyric is inspired genius
Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)- Good idea to put it on the album, no classic.
A Day in the Life- What a true classic to have at the end of the album, a true classic of a song.
For an album you call 'pure genius', you don't really give it all that great a review there!
Quote: Jack Massey @ July 21 2009, 12:38 PM BSTSgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band- 9/10
With a Little Help From my Friends- 7/10
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds- 9/10
Getting Better- 8/10
Fixing a Hole- 8/10
She's Leaving Home- 8/10
Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite- 10/10 (Best song on the album)
Within You Without You- 9/10
When I'm 64- 8/10
Lovely Rita- 9/10
Good Morning- 9/10
Seargent Peppers Reprise- 7/10
A Day in the Life- 10/10
Ok. You do here. Ignore above. 
I own no Beatles stuff. I'm sure I will one day, but I personally prefer bands like The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Doors and others from that era.
Quote: Fred Sunshine @ July 22 2009, 12:20 PM BSTYou don't know how lucky you are boys.
On the other hand, this song will go down like a storm in almost any place East of me. 
Quote: WrongTale @ July 22 2009, 6:08 PM BSTOn the other hand, this song will go down like a storm in almost any place East of me.
Too true.
It think the Beatles put it best themselves when they sang:
Right people, right time, just the wrong location!
Quote: NoggetFred @ July 22 2009, 4:56 PM BSTBeing unfamiliar with this one, I listened to it on "The Decca Tapes". Was this the version you mean? If so, I'm sorry but it doesn't sound brilliant to me.
Nope, the Decca Tape solo is truly awful. The excellent studio version isn't on YT but this is a passable live version of the solo although the band performance lacks atmosphere.
Although I was talking to a Beatlephile, yesterday, who's met Macca and he (the Beatlephile) believes Lennon was doing a lot of the early studio solos.
I've always rather liked 'Nowhere Man'.
Quote: SlagA @ July 27 2009, 11:21 AM BSTNope, the Decca Tape solo is truly awful. The excellent studio version isn't on YT but this is a passable live version of the solo although the band performance lacks atmosphere.
Yes, that's much better, although I think the answer to your original question is that you just happen to like certain solos for your own reasons. I assume you play, too? It's a very simple solo, and hardly something to warrant any in-depth analysis IMO.
It's more the absence of solos that got me wondering.
And yes, it's all subjective. Some people may love the early solos whereas (for me) his later work - '66 onward is on another level.
Quote: SlagA @ July 27 2009, 11:57 AM BSTIt's more the absence of solos that got me wondering.
And yes, it's all subjective. Some people may love the early solos whereas (for me) his later work - '66 onward is on another level.
OK
Personally, while I love The Beatles to pieces, it's got nothing to do with any particular technical ability by any of them, it's for their unparalleled ability to write those sorts of songs. I often prefer other people's versions of their songs, but that's to take nothing away from them.
It might sound weird, but I rate Macca as being the best guitarist in the group.
Quote: NoggetFred @ July 27 2009, 12:05 PM BSTIt might sound weird, but I rate Macca as being the best guitarist in the group.
How often does he play guitar then?