George's Catch 22

[Mr Mustard]

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

[Moogmodule]

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.

[Moogmodule]

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

[Fab4Fan]

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
Don't Bother Me
9) I Want To Tell You
10) Long, Long, Long
11) Within You Without You

[nimrod]

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

[oldbrownshoe]

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. 

[Bobber]

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.

[Moogmodule]

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.

[Moogmodule]

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.

[zipp]

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.

[Hello Goodbye]

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. 

[Hello Goodbye]

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.

[nimrod]

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 

[Hello Goodbye]

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)

[nimrod]

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