DM's Beatles forums

Beatles forums => Songs => Topic started by: nimrod on November 27, 2020, 05:00:26 AM

Title: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: nimrod on November 27, 2020, 05:00:26 AM
The Beatles had 27 number one hits as per their 1 album.

There are quite a lot of songs that I feel would have made number one but were just released as album tracks.
List your 7 tracks a side alternate Beatles number one album.

Here Comes the Sun
I Saw her Standing There
All My loving
It won't be long
I should have known better
Drive my car
Strawberry Fields forever

If I needed someone
Do you want to know a secret
Back in the USSR
Taxman
Obla di obla da
Lucy in the Sky with diamonds
I am The Walrus
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: zipp on November 27, 2020, 09:30:21 AM
Eight Days A Week was number one in the US. It's on the 1 album.

Please Please Me was number one in UK charts except for the chart used by the 1 album.

If Hello Goodbye/I Am The Walrus had been issued as a double A-side it would have counted as a number one. But imho Walrus wouldn't have made number one on its own.

Obla di obla da was a UK number one for Scottish group Marmalade.

You forgot Michelle on your list which was number one for the Overlanders in the UK.

Billy J Kramer's Do You Want To Know a Secret was number one on the NME chart in the UK.

Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields was number one on the Melody Maker chart.

So in a way 4 or 5 of your songs plus Please Please Me and Michelle were definitely number one material.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: zipp on November 27, 2020, 12:34:49 PM
My album would be :

I Saw Her Standing There
Please Please Me
Do You want To Know A Secret
All My Loving
You Can't Do That
Drive My Car
Michelle

Got To Get You Into My Life
With A Little Help From My Friends
Back In The USSR
Obladi Oblada
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Birthday
The One After 909

Only Please Please Me was actually released as a single in the UK but it was robbed of official number one status. All the others weren't released in the UK as singles and would have had a very good chance of being number one.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Bulldog on November 27, 2020, 10:01:48 PM
Do you want to know a secret
Please Mister Postman
You can't do that.
Rock & Roll Music
In my life.
You've got to hide your love away.
Got to get you into my life.

With a little help from my friends
Your mother should know.
Dear Prudence
Birthday.
Hey Bulldog
You never give me your money.
I've got a feeling.

---------

At least one song from each official album. A couple of covers but the Beatles versions were superior to the originals in my view.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Moogmodule on November 28, 2020, 06:29:50 AM
I saw her standing there
Twist and shout
It won’t be long
All my loving
Tell me why
No reply
You’re going to lose that girl

If I needed someone
Nowhere man
Got to get you into my life
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Blue jay way (just kidding ;D )
Back in the ussr
Here Comes the Sun
She came in through the bathroom window

Could have put several more on. Couldn’t really find genuine alternative singles off Let it Be though. Short of assuming any half decent song by the Beatles would have done well.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Bulldog on November 28, 2020, 08:30:42 AM
I saw her standing there
Twist and shout
It won’t be long
All my loving
Tell me why
No reply
You’re going to lose that girl

If I needed someone
Nowhere man
Got to get you into my life
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Blue jay way (just kidding ;D )
Back in the ussr
Here Comes the Sun
She came in through the bathroom window

Could have put several more on. Couldn’t really find genuine alternative singles off Let it Be though. Short of assuming any half decent song by the Beatles would have done well.

'Here Comes the Sun' is a good choice. George's songs were now so good he was due a single release. 'Something' being the chosen song.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Bulldog on November 28, 2020, 08:38:10 AM
I saw her standing there
Twist and shout
It won’t be long
All my loving
Tell me why
No reply
You’re going to lose that girl

If I needed someone
Nowhere man
Got to get you into my life
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Blue jay way (just kidding ;D )
Back in the ussr
Here Comes the Sun
She came in through the bathroom window

Could have put several more on. Couldn’t really find genuine alternative singles off Let it Be though. Short of assuming any half decent song by the Beatles would have done well.

'She came in through the bathroom window' is too short to be released as a single. However the 3 song medley was good enough and the right lenght for a single. It would also be something different.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: zipp on November 28, 2020, 09:19:29 AM
At least one song from each official album. A couple of covers but the Beatles versions were superior to the originals in my view.

In the UK the Beatles would avoid putting a cover song out as a single. That's why I didn't use any, even if I was tempted.

I intended to put Here Comes The Sun but forgot. Unfortunately George was getting too prolific in this period and the others wouldn't have accepted two Harrsion A sides in a row.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: zipp on November 28, 2020, 09:22:33 AM
The Beatles had 27 number one hits as per their 1 album.

There are quite a lot of songs that I feel would have made number one but were just released as album tracks.
List your 7 tracks a side alternate Beatles number one album.

Here Comes the Sun
I Saw her Standing There
All My loving
It won't be long
I should have known better
Drive my car
Strawberry Fields forever

If I needed someone
Do you want to know a secret
Back in the USSR
Taxman
Obla di obla da
Lucy in the Sky with diamonds
I am The Walrus

You replaced Eight Days A Week with Here Comes The Sun!
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Bulldog on November 28, 2020, 09:59:32 AM
The plan at the beguinning was an album every 6 months and single every 3 months.

They could easily have released a single every 2 months. A brand new stand alone single followed by an album track single.

The album track single to be released prior to the album release.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: nimrod on November 28, 2020, 01:42:26 PM
I saw her standing there
Twist and shout
It won’t be long
All my loving
Tell me why
No reply
You’re going to lose that girl

If I needed someone
Nowhere man
Got to get you into my life
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Blue jay way (just kidding ;D )
Back in the ussr
Here Comes the Sun
She came in through the bathroom window

Could have put several more on. Couldn’t really find genuine alternative singles off Let it Be though. Short of assuming any half decent song by the Beatles would have done well.

You had me worried with Blue Jay Way  ;D
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 29, 2020, 01:03:56 AM
You had me worried with Blue Jay Way  ;D

I love that song!
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: nimrod on November 29, 2020, 01:45:52 AM
I love that song!
Along with Mr Moonlight  ;D
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 29, 2020, 02:33:46 AM
Along with Mr Moonlight  ;D

Right!   ;D
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Moogmodule on November 29, 2020, 07:55:28 AM
'She came in through the bathroom window' is too short to be released as a single. However the 3 song medley was good enough and the right lenght for a single. It would also be something different.

I was sure you were wrong. But I was surprised to see it was a tick less than two minutes. So yes. Not really single material. I’ll have to keep blue jay way  ha2ha
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Moogmodule on November 29, 2020, 08:05:55 AM
'Here Comes the Sun' is a good choice. George's songs were now so good he was due a single release. 'Something' being the chosen song.

I think either something or here comes the sun would have gone well as singles.  As you say, they picked something, to me because it was just so obviously commercial. The slightly quirky time signatures might have steered them away from here comes the sun. But George has had the last laugh in a way. HCtS is by far the biggest Beatle song on Spotify and Apple Music. HCtS is around 200 million streams clear of no 2 Come together on Spotify. Even my youngest lad, who’s just getting into music now and spends all his time listening to the latest pop act says you can’t not feel happy listening to HCtS.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: zipp on November 29, 2020, 10:14:43 AM
I think it would have been wrong to release any part of the medley as a single.

But Here Comes The Sun instead of Something would have been an excellent choice.

Something only made number 4 in the UK charts and was number one in the US for one week only because Billboard added the sales and radio play of Come Together and put both songs at number one.

Here Comes The Sun imho would have made number one in both countries without the help of any other song.

Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Moogmodule on November 29, 2020, 10:25:46 AM
I think it would have been wrong to release any part of the medley as a single.

But Here Comes The Sun instead of Something would have been an excellent choice.

Something only made number 4 in the UK charts and was number one in the US for one week only because Billboard added the sales and radio play of Come Together and put both songs at number one.

Here Comes The Sun imho would have made number one in both countries without the help of any other song.

Something’s chart performance was also probably affected as it was released a couple of weeks after the album. Most  Beatle singles weren’t even on albums let alone released after.  Releasing Something as a single almost seemed an afterthought.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 29, 2020, 10:58:32 AM
I was sure you were wrong. But I was surprised to see it was a tick less than two minutes. So yes. Not really single material. I’ll have to keep blue jay way  ha2ha

From Me To You and I'll Follow The Sun are both less than two minutes long.

Good things come in small packages.   :)
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: zipp on November 29, 2020, 12:58:42 PM
Something’s chart performance was also probably affected as it was released a couple of weeks after the album. Most  Beatle singles weren’t even on albums let alone released after.  Releasing Something as a single almost seemed an afterthought.

Yes indeed. In the UK it should have been released before the album and not after it ... if at all.

And they should have coupled it with a less strong song (Maxwell anyone?).

Putting two strong songs on a single in the US raised the possibilty of sales and radio airplay being divided, which is exactly what happened here.

Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: nimrod on November 29, 2020, 01:09:45 PM
From Me To You and I'll Follow The Sun are both less than two minutes long.

Good things come in small packages.   :)

I love I'll Follow the Sun.
Beautiful song, love playing and singing it.
Title: Re: The Beatles alternate No 1s
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 29, 2020, 04:17:30 PM
I love I'll Follow the Sun.
Beautiful song, love playing and singing it.


Me too, Kev.

And Paul could stretch it out, huh?


https://youtu.be/RoRbIkew1Ck (https://youtu.be/RoRbIkew1Ck)

 ;)