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Author Topic: George's Catch 22  (Read 10234 times)

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Mr Mustard

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George's Catch 22
« on: August 10, 2014, 09:53:10 PM »

Surprising when you stop and think that only 22 songs from The Beatles' awesome canon of work were written by George.

in more or less chronological order, they are:

Don't Bother Me
I Need You
You Like Me Too Much
Think For Yourself
If I Needed Someone
Taxman
Love You To
I Want To Tell You
Within You Without You
Blue Jay Way
The Inner Light
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Piggies
Long Long Long
Savoy Truffle
Only A Northern Song
It's All Too Much
Old Brown Shoe
Something
Here Comes The Sun
I Me Mine
For You Blue

Ruthless I know, but if you had to send 50% of them into permanent oblivion - which would you choose to lose?

And of those, which would be the first  half dozen to go?

With a heavy heart I would be forced to jettison:

Blue Jay Way
The Inner Light
It's All Too Much
For You Blue
Piggies
Love You To

in that order, followed by (in no particular order):

I Need You
You Like Me Too Much
Within You Without You
Old Brown Shoe
I Me Mine

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Moogmodule

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2014, 11:00:54 PM »

I think your list covers his underachieving songs pretty well. I'd keep I Need You and I Me Mine.

I'd then toss out Don't Bother Me and It's Only a Northern Song. I don't hate either of those. I'm quite fond of Northern song but it'd get pipped by I Need You and I Me Mine.
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Moogmodule

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2014, 11:02:23 PM »

Be prepared Mr M for the replies along the lines of "Only 50%?  I could chuck out 80!"

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Fab4Fan

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2014, 04:18:01 AM »

While I find all of them listenable, there are a few I can live without:

The first 6 to get the ax:
1) Blue Jay Way
2) Savoy Truffle
3) Old Brown Shoe
4) Piggies
5) For You Blue
6) Something (yeah, I know, but it's never been one of my favorites)

The final cut (now is where it gets difficult to choose):
7) You Like Me Too Much
8) Don't Bother Me
9) I Want To Tell You
10) Long, Long, Long
11) Within You Without You
 
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nimrod

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2014, 05:30:00 AM »

Don't Bother Me
I Need You
You Like Me Too Much
Think For Yourself
If I Needed Someone
Taxman
Love You To
I Want To Tell You
Within You Without You
Blue Jay Way
The Inner Light
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Piggies
Long Long Long
Savoy Truffle
Only A Northern Song
It's All Too Much
Old Brown Shoe
Something
Here Comes The Sun
I Me Mine
For You Blue

Ive bolded the ones I think are good/great songs

The rest I rate as filler (sorry George fans)

I wish he'd done 'What Is Life' with The Beatles - great song
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oldbrownshoe

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2014, 06:31:51 AM »

As 'The Inner Light' would get in my Beatles Top 5 it's unlikely I'd chop that!
Actually, as they're so rare, I wouldn't chop any of George's contributions. It's a bit like a Ringo vocal, it might not be the best song but it somehow wouldn't be right not to have one.

When you factor in cover versions, weaker Lennon-McCartney songs, and a personal (slight) disregard for certain favourites ('In My Life', 'Walrus', 'Lucy', 'Sgt. Pepper's') I reckon George's 22 are pretty much on a par with the other 190 or so.

Story about 'The Inner Light'.....

In the absolutely DIRE 1980s there was no sport more entertaining, in London at least (things were that bad!), than finding a pub which still played 45s on the jukey, seeing if it had 'Lady Madonna', and allowing the 60s dodgers present to 'enjoy' the aural pleasure of 'The Inner Light'. You couldn't have elicited a greater shock than if you'd started limbo dancing in front of them. On one occasion I even remember a landlord turning the machine off!
In that staid, dull, conservative era, it REALLY sounded way out, and it's the main reason I hold it so dearly to this day. 
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Bobber

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #6 on: August 11, 2014, 07:07:17 AM »

Don't Bother Me
I Need You
You Like Me Too Much
Think For Yourself
If I Needed Someone
Taxman
Love You To
I Want To Tell You
Within You Without You
Blue Jay Way
The Inner Light
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Piggies
Long Long Long
Savoy Truffle
Only A Northern Song
It's All Too Much
Old Brown Shoe
Something
Here Comes The Sun
I Me Mine
For You Blue

Ive bolded the ones I think are good/great songs

The rest I rate as filler (sorry George fans)

I wish he'd done 'What Is Life' with The Beatles - great song

I'm with you for a great deal. Not too fond of WMGGW, I'm one of the people that thinks that Clapton ruins the song. Instead I would choose Taxman. I Want To Tell You is not in my list and would replace it for Savoy Truffle.
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Moogmodule

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2014, 07:31:21 AM »

I'm a George fan but I'd agree he had maybe half a dozen really good to great songs with the Beatles.

Here Comes the Sun
Something
WMGGW
Taxman
I Want to Tell You
If I Needed Someone

Then there's a few that are pretty good and I enjoy them.

Think for Yourself
I Me Mine
Savoy Truffle
Long Long Long (although the recording lowers my opinion of this one)

Some such as Northern Song and It's All too Much sound like they could have made it. Perhaps with a bit of help from his friends. Or George Martin.  (It's a pity no one took to nurturing George a bit more. Although can't say whether he'd have welcomed it.)

Old Brown Shoe and For You a Blue are fun enough throwaways and while I wouldn't seek them out I dont skip them.

The rest are skip material.




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Moogmodule

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #8 on: August 11, 2014, 07:36:17 AM »

I'm with you for a great deal. Not too fond of WMGGW, I'm one of the people that thinks that Clapton ruins the song. Instead I would choose Taxman. I Want To Tell You is not in my list and would replace it for Savoy Truffle.

I really like the acoustic version of WMGGW actually. I like the original too but the acoustic shows the basic melodic qualities of the song.
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zipp

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #9 on: August 11, 2014, 09:32:53 PM »

Be prepared Mr M for the replies along the lines of "Only 50%?  I could chuck out 80!"

Well I'd say the opposite. Most of George's songs fit in well with the albums they're on, both musically and lyrically. I've never considered them as filller.

I'm at a loss for words when someone considers Taxman as expendable. It's an essential song on an essential album.

I'd jettison Long Long Long but I know a lot of people love that song. In any case I'd put Not Guilty in its place, so there'd still be as many George songs around on Beatles albums.
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Hello Goodbye

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #10 on: August 11, 2014, 09:47:21 PM »

Well I'd say the opposite. Most of George's songs fit in well with the albums they're on, both musically and lyrically. I've never considered them as filller.

I agree, zipp.  I can't choose any that I dislike. 
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Hello Goodbye

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #11 on: August 11, 2014, 10:03:10 PM »

Not too fond of WMGGW, I'm one of the people that thinks that Clapton ruins the song.


I'm one of those who feel that Eric Clapton adds greatly to the song.  Hearing it for the first time in 1968, I was impressed with the expressive lead guitar.  We found out later who it was.

George seems to appreciate it too...


George Harrison and Eric Clapton - While my guitar gently weeps (HQ)

2:19

I like how George and Eric Clapton play some harmony guitar at the end.
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nimrod

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #12 on: August 11, 2014, 10:32:42 PM »

Well I'd say the opposite. Most of George's songs fit in well with the albums they're on, both musically and lyrically. I've never considered them as filller.

I'm at a loss for words when someone considers Taxman as expendable. It's an essential song on an essential album.



dont be zipp, I just dont like it, never have, its all just opinions mate  ;)
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Hello Goodbye

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #13 on: August 11, 2014, 10:44:45 PM »

dont be zipp, I just dont like it, never have, its all just opinions mate  ;)


Would this change your mind, Kev?


Taxman -- George Harrison and Eric Clapton (live)

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nimrod

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #14 on: August 11, 2014, 11:47:55 PM »

No Baz, its a nothing song to me, a little riff, like Birthday   ;sorry
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Moogmodule

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #15 on: August 12, 2014, 12:03:15 AM »

No Baz, its a nothing song to me, a little riff, like Birthday   ;sorry

I always liked it but when I realised they'd based the taxman refrain on the Batman theme, like turned to love.

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Hello Goodbye

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2014, 02:32:01 AM »

No Baz, its a nothing song to me, a little riff, like Birthday   ;sorry

I love Birthday!
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tkitna

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2014, 01:50:52 PM »

Don't Bother Me
Think For Yourself
If I Needed Someone
Taxman
I Want To Tell You
Long Long Long
Savoy Truffle
Only A Northern Song
It's All Too Much
Old Brown Shoe
Something
Here Comes The Sun
I Me Mine


Hmph.  I like all of these to an extent.  Thats more then I figured I would.

nimrod

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2014, 10:13:58 PM »

Don't Bother Me
Think For Yourself
If I Needed Someone
Taxman
I Want To Tell You
Long Long Long
Savoy Truffle
Only A Northern Song
It's All Too Much
Old Brown Shoe
Something
Here Comes The Sun
I Me Mine


Hmph.  I like all of these to an extent.  Thats more then I figured I would.

we like what we like Todd  :)

Barry likes everything   ha2ha
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Mr Mustard

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Re: George's Catch 22
« Reply #19 on: August 14, 2014, 01:01:38 AM »

Don't Bother Me
Think For Yourself
If I Needed Someone
Taxman
I Want To Tell You
Long Long Long
Savoy Truffle
Only A Northern Song
It's All Too Much
Old Brown Shoe
Something
Here Comes The Sun
I Me Mine


Hmph.  I like all of these to an extent.  Thats more then I figured I would.

That's a great list and very close to my own, although you've saved thirteen (rather than eleven) from the chop there. But if you were to lose "Old Brown Shoe" and "I Me Mine" and swap "It's All Too Much" for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (which I think we all know you don't like) then it's exactly the same as my preferences.

Part of the reason I put this thread up was to see if anyone would leap to the defence of the Indian stuff. HG and zipp seem to approve since they couldn't bear to lose anything from the list, and OBS is a fan of "The Inner Light", but beyond that most of us seem to have chosen to swerve around the tabla/sitar driven compositions. I wonder if that's partly because they are so very much of their time and fickle Western ears have failed to embrace the aural demands of Eastern tonal music? Just a thought.

I never much rated "Within You Without You" until the LOVE project twinned it to "Tomorrow Never Knows"...wow! for me it took on a whole new dimension and I can now even appreciate the Pepper original and its profound lyrics a lot more than I once could. I'm not sure whether that tribal drumbeat woke up me or the track!

Also just a little shout up for "Don't Bother Me". Even George himself was dismissive of and "embarrassed" by it. But I've always had a soft spot for it, not just because it was Harrison's songwriting debut but because it strikes a wonderfully sulky, saturnine tone in sharp contrast to the gloriously upbeat sentiments being dished up by John and Paul at the time. Nice stubborn bit of independence from George I've always thought!
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