100 TOP BEATLE SONGS (According to Rolling Stone)

[Paperback Writer]

Check this out! Top 100 Beatle Songs (?)

http://mediocremusicblog.com/2010/08/rolling-stone-picks-their-top-100-beatles-songs-of-all-time/

OK, these lists..............this list is in a special edition of Rolling Stone - since no one ever agrees with a whole list, you have to look at the big picture - Is it credible?  Does your mood at the time effect how you rate songs on a particular day?  I say yes to both, so this one is as good or better than other lists.

The really nice thing is - it is comprised of 122 pages of quality stock paper, with  a soft cover, it's worthy of being called a book due to the fine pictures/photos (Some of the pics, I don't remember seeing at all or very much) and fair to  good song-story-tidbits.
If it had a hard cover, they COULD have charged $25.00.  It is actually just 10.00 and only $9.00 at Barnes and Noble.

It can introduce newbies to the Beatles, always a good thing and start interesting discussions.  It has an essay by Elvis Costello who makes an interesting comment on when he wrote with Paul, saying he wanted to get Paul back to writing like Beatle - Paul because his sound had changed in Wings. (Post that at Mike's place for a firestorm).

BUT because of the vast amount of great Beatle songs, 100 isn't enough, inevitable, some are left off.  Here are just the top twenty off the top of my head - absent from the top 100 list, in no particular order that should be in the top hundred or could be 101st.

P.S. I love You

Words of Love

What Your Doing?

It's Only Love

The Word

Michelle

Wait

I'm Looking Through You

Getting better

Fixing A Hole

Being For the benefit of Mr. Kite

Good Morning, Good Morning

Fool On the Hill

Magical Mystery Tour

It's All Too Much

Glass Onion

Obla Di Obla Da

Martha My Dear

I  Will

Why Don't We Do It In the Road

Check it out!

[2 of 3]

Personally, I have more respect for Your Top 100 than Rolling Stone PW. I know these guys are trying to sell magazines..but they, and the other music rags have a top something or other about 6 times a year.  I did notice though....that out of that 100 songs....47 were Lennon...about 35 were McCartney...and the rest were  co-written songs or Harrison. My figures could be wrong since I don't really know who wrote what with 100% accuracy..but Harrison has 2 in the Top 10..which I think is very cool. 

[Kylenz]

Words of Love is a Buddy Holly cover, so that would be why it isn't on the list.

I used to be into these 'lists' in a big way, but these days I look at them philosophically and place all the Beatle songs in roughly the same hemisphere in terms of quality. Is A Day In The Life (#1) really a superior track to Penny Lane (#32)? Many would argue Penny Lane is the better song. Would A Day In The Life still be regarded their greatest song if it didn't have that orchestral swoop in the middle?

[Kylenz]

My 2 favourite songs, by the way, are placed at #81 and #100 - Hey Bulldog and Hello Goodbye - what a travesty!   

[Paperback Writer]

Right KyleNZ on Words of Love, yeah, the lists....hell I disagree with my own lists from day to day...... I just like having Beatle music discussed, hoping newer music listeners listen , appreciate and form their own opinions.

A Day In the LIfe - Brilliant song WHEN IT CONCLUDES SGT. PEPPER - not isolated as a song, as on a list.  I never listen to it, unless it's in the context of listening to the whole album

As brilliant as Paul and Neil Young are, I don't think their  renditions, live, work too well.

Really curious what that song would have been like WITHOUT the orchestra - did they finish a version without?  (I'll have to pull out Anthology, again, sugar plum fairy........)
Great point, Kyle.  The orchestra works on the concept album.........but otherwise......

2/3, thanks, I do have a Beatle list, see new post on Beatle 'growers.'  LOL

[Greg]

Well I do like this kind of thing just for the sake of discussion.  It's fun to me, but I like Kylenz's statement about the "same hemisphere" when it comes to Beatle songs.

Placing Beatle songs in order of "best" just doesn't seem like a good use of time for the people at RS.  Of course they might have phone calls to make to teen pop idols or reality show contestants for their next cover.  I used to love this magazine somewhat even though the Clash has been on the cover the same number of times as Carnie Wilson.