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[jjs]

There are two opposite points of view on StrawberryFF: some don`t like the slow-down part of the song - you mean this is the experimental element?

Well, the version we know differs very much from John's home demos, which are much simpler and more guitar-oriented.

While John ultimately contributed heavily to the sound of the song, the arrangement and instrumentation was a McCartney/Martin experiment. As we know, John couldn't find an arrangement he liked in the finished takes, which is why he asked George Martin to splice different takes together.

By John's words, I think he would have preferred this to be a more guitar oriented song, rather than what it turned out to be.

[Kevin]

Funny though that John liked to position himself as the "honest rock'n'roller" but then provided the heavily produced Because and Sun King for the album.

[alexis]

Funny though that John liked to position himself as the "honest rock'n'roller" but then provided the heavily produced Because and Sun King for the album.

I see these as a continuation of John's life-long love for multiple harmonies, going all the way back to "This Boy", and maybe even to The Teddy Bears "To Know Her is to Love Her".

[Jane]

I see these as a continuation of John's life-long love for multiple harmonies, going all the way back to "This Boy", and maybe even to The Teddy Bears "To Know Her is to Love Her".

Alexis, I wonder if I got you right. You mean that John`s songs were each composed of different harmonies and melodies? Like, for example, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, which comprises four distinct harmonies?
By the way this kind of trick pins you to the song so much!

[jjs]

Alexis, I wonder if I got you right. You mean that John`s songs were each composed of different harmonies and melodies? Like, for example, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, which comprises four distinct harmonies?
By the way this kind of trick pins you to the song so much!

I think he means the harmonized vocals of the songs he mentioned

[jjs]

Funny though that John liked to position himself as the "honest rock'n'roller" but then provided the heavily produced Because and Sun King for the album.

Perhaps...

But there's no telling if the arrangements of those songs were his though...  It's possible, but arrangements and production like that didn't exist at all in his solo music.

He was quite contradictory though... he also wrote "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam", and then complained about Paul writing entirely similar nonsense songs.  Regardless of the occasional departure, though his songs were pretty much standard "guitar-oriented" rock.... and almost without exception that's what his entire mainstream solo career consisted of.

[Jane]

Yes, jjs, John was more into rock than any other Beatle. That`s why i love him so much! He was less pop than Macca and he was more original. All Paul`s solo albums were and are pop, and they lull me into falling asleep. Or getting bored. (Not always, sometimes certainly.) When with the Beatles they both contributed to the diversity of the albums and gained by doing so. It was rock-pop-rock-pop - Beautiful!

[jjs]

Yes, jjs, John was more into rock than any other Beatle. That`s why i love him so much! He was less pop than Macca and he was more original. All Paul`s solo albums were and are pop, and they lull me into falling asleep. Or getting bored. (Not always, sometimes certainly.) When with the Beatles they both contributed to the diversity of the albums and gained by doing so. It was rock-pop-rock-pop - Beautiful!

Well, John's post Beatles stuff has the same effect on me... for my tastes, there's too little musical diversity, in contrast to Paul who I find to have too much musical diversity. I don't know If I'd call Paul's albums 'pop' though, any more than I'd call John's 'rock'. Whatever Gets You Through The Night is a pop song, Imagine is soft rock, etc. Ram had an artsy MMT sound, Londowntown had a folk sound, Back To The Egg had a hard rock sound, and so on.

But my point here is, John was far less "adventuresome" with his mainstream music, and probably wouldn't have arranged Strawberry Fields like it was, or added the orchestral climax to A Day In The Life if it were solely up to him, because his tendency (by his own words and his actions) is toward a simpler, more standard "rock" song structure. I'm not saying that's good or bad, mind you.

[Jane]

John`s tendency towards a simpler, more standard rock was during the 60s. However, later he wasn`t that simple early rock (unfortunately he left the stage). I think he would have developed into a mix between rock and blues. Something close to Eric Clapton.
And here`s another proof how differently people perceive music - I am speaking about the effect of John`s and Paul`s music on us.  :

[jjs]

John`s tendency towards a simpler, more standard rock was during the 60s. However, later he wasn`t that simple early rock (unfortunately he left the stage). I think he would have developed into a mix between rock and blues. Something close to Eric Clapton.
And here`s another proof how differently people perceive music - I am speaking about the effect of John`s and Paul`s music on us.  :

Jane I think you're misunderstanding me. I don't mean "simple rock structure" to mean "simple" chord changes or simple songs or anything like that.  Maybe simple is the wrong word. What I mean specifically is that John's preferred style would seem to fit into what one might call a "standard guitar rock" format, yes, like Eric Clapton and such.  Riff-based guitar songs.  I think this is what he meant by stating that he preferred "straight ahead rock [and roll]"... well I'm sure it is considering he produced such music with few exceptions after the Beatles. For example, even when he wrote ballads or pop songs, one foot would still be firmly in planted in "guitar rock".

[Jane]

Ok, I understand, but still you are not saying that this is good or bad - Eric Clapton and such. To some it`s good, to some it`s bad, tastes differ! And this is good! I am stating it.

[Mr. Mustard]

Clapton is God.

[jjs]

Ok, I understand, but still you are not saying that this is good or bad - Eric Clapton and such. To some it`s good, to some it`s bad, tastes differ! And this is good! I am stating it.

That's because I'm saying that it is what it is, as I see it, not that it's good or bad!  

 

[Bobber]

Clapton is God.

But then, who is God?

[Jane]

Clapton is God.

Agree. But.
It`s only this way, not the reverse - from left to right.