Well, for me, it’s probably “Wild Honey Pie,” off the “The Beatles” — the very definition of “double-album filler.” When I posed the same question on Twitter about a year ago, it was in response to re-experiencing “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” as an absolute traffic stopper on “Sgt. Pepper,” but I’ve since been convinced that the tape editing and other sonic tomfoolery on that song at least advanced ideas of what was possible in the recording studio. Ergo, not unnecessary.
But allow me to rephrase the question for Watch List subscribers: If you had to boot one song, and just one song, out of the Fab Four canon, which would it be? Ground rules: Original tunes only, since picking a cover like “Mister Moonlight” is shooting carp in a fishbowl. Likewise, George Martin’s orchestral stylings on the “Yellow Submarine” soundtrack are off-limits. And when I say canon, I mean canon: No “Anthology” alternate versions or rehearsal tracks. Otherwise, have at it. “Revolution 9”? “The Long and Winding Road”? “Octopus’s Garden”? Let the bloodshed begin.
You Know My Name (Look Up My Number). Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (even the other Beatles hated that song). I take exception to knocking Mr. Kite. It features prominently on my ‘trippiest Beatles song’ playlist.
OK, I won’t link to the Pixies incendiary cover of “Wild Honey Pie” because I’m sure someone has sent you that before, but if not: it justifies that song’s entire existence.
That said, I’d nominate “What Goes On” as the ultimate pointless Beatles space-filler, an audibly half-assed attempt to give Ringo a spotlight on Rubber Soul (in its original UK track list, anyway - Capitol US knew better). And don’t get me wrong - I love hearing Ringo cover “Act Naturally” one LP earlier, or offer his own “Octopus Garden” a few years down the road - but there’s nothing “necessary” about “What Goes On” for me.
I've always wanted to root for the Beatles underdog, Ringo, but jeez "Don't Pass Me By" is beyond unnecessary, it's embarassing. You're Gonna Lose That Girl is pretty mediocre
I always thought The Long and Winding Road was an awful song, until I heard the version in the movie Yesterday....Revolution #9 is horrendous, as are a number of songs from the whtite album, which represent a bunch of stoned guys with the time to screw around in the studio. Rocky Racoon really annoys me. But the song that always drives me crazy (though I can't remember who sang or wrote it) is "Yes it Is". Music is okay, but the lyrics are such mauldin drivel and resort to such crappy rhymes and other lyric writing cop outs...
"If you wear red tonight,
Please don't wear red tonight
For red is the color that my baby wore, and what's more, it's true, yes it is".
First of all, being that hung up on a color that your ex-girl friend wore (and we're given no reason to think she's dead), especially a common color like red, is a bit silly. But once the singer has said so: why shouldn't we believe him, and how dare him put in "more" just because it rhymes. Bah.
re “Mister Moonlight,” more like shooting crap in a fishbowl...sorry, have a lifetime of spleen for that particular cover, and apparently I’m in good company.
but having just looked at the tracklist for almost all the albums, I find that right now the worst I feel about any original is that it’s lesser, maybe a bit flimsy and not all that memorable. But almost all the songs—and I know them all, way too well—are somewhere between great and having at least one memorable element, from a harmony or novel chord change to a lyric or arrangement. The catalogue that holds up pretty damned well. hell, that’s a huge understatement. I might have done better with this a couple decades ago, when I still found McCartney often banal or downright sappy. If I had to pick one now, the closest would be “She’s Leaving Home,” not for any musical reason, but bc the She running away bc her parents didn’t offer her much fun has come to seem like the worst sort of indulgence from that era. I mean, now that I’m old I have more sympathy for the parents of the Youthquake, whose offspring were so judgmental and showed so little compassion for the plight of their elders.
Even as a small child, I thought Octopus's Garden was pretty forgettable.
I like Ringo having a song on a album. Ringo writting that song, not so much. Even a bad song by one of the other members at least illuminates their better work by way of contrast.
There are Beatles songs I like less, but nothing seems as disposable as this.
I wouldn’t boot You Know My Name, Revolution #9, Her Majesty, or the other fun or pushing-the-creative-limits songs, even if I don’t like or play them much. I think Don’t Pass Me By, Dig It, and Why Don’t We Do It in the Road are good boot candidates.
I'm excluding the White Album here since I think most of that album is filler - leaving off one of many tracks wouldn't make a significant difference. I'm going to go with Maxwell's Silver Hammer as it's a stupid song on an otherwise brilliant album. I always skip over it.
I like the arrangement and the performance but for social and moral reasons “Run for Your Life” should be eliminated from The Canon “and that’s the end’a, little girl”.
Ty outlawed George Martins tracks on Yellow Submarine, but how about the title song itself?Despite having sung variants of it in Leeds United football stands in my youth, we could certainly live without it. Also have to agree about Maxwell and Obladi.
Long Winding Road - Phil Spector Version. He ruined it. Paul McCartney thought so, too. From the Wikipedia article about the song: "Spector's modifications angered McCartney to the point that when the latter made his case in the English High Court for the Beatles' disbandment, he cited the treatment of "The Long and Winding Road" as one of six reasons for doing so."
This is probably not literally true, but I'm going to assert that the first time I heard "The Long and Winding Road" on WRKO (top 40) I hunted through the radio dial until I found WBCN. And never dialed back.
Having said that, I'd trade most of the Beatles catalog even-up by new vintage Beach Boys songs as good as "She Knows Me Too Well" or "Kiss Me Baby" or, for that matter "Forever" or "It's About Time" ... and they were written by Dennis Wilson, not Brian.
(Yes, the Beach Boys are a deep track band. Find and play "This Whole World" a few times.)
Okay, without thinking about it too much I'm going with "Rocky Raccoon" (pure fingernails on the chalkboard). I guess this means I think Paul at his worst is worse than Ringo at his worst...
My immediate thought was You Know My Name (Look Up the Number). Such a bit on inanity from the Best Band Ever! Then, i went back in my memory bank to when I first heard the song, as the B side on a far more popular 45, and realized I actually liked it far better than the A side, Let it Be. In fact, Let It Be may very well just be my least favorite Beatle song ever. I have no memory of ever hearing the whole song through with any pleasure whatsoever. Here perhaps my personal experience may have soured me; as a teenager I called into a radio show and was asked to identify the song with the following first line: When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. The prize? 50 rock record albums. I totally blanked. Anyways, I find myself intrigued by the question "Which Iconic Beatles song is your personal least favorite?" Taste is perversely personal.
When I was young I thought is was cool to sing Happiness is a Warm Gun. At 65, I see nothing positive about the lyric. (George Martin read it in a magazine and John got the idea).
I certainly would NOT boot Rev #9. It was a tone poem, a soundscape, while un-Beatles-like, was ahead of its time, and certainly a risky insertion in a rock/pop album. John was listening to some out-there classical composers at the time.
I always liked their goofy humor, so "You Know My Name" is a worthwhile listen. In fact, I look forward to it when I play it.
For me, sure, "Wild Honey Pie" "Why Don't We Do It In The Road", and Mr. Moonlight" are lesser cuts in The Beatles' pantheon. So probably one of those.
I like most of the Beatles output, from Please please please me on...there were always some songs I could do without (like This boy" UGH!) but from the white album on, it became hit or miss. The white album is a strange combinatoin of great songs and dreck...and Let it Be, except for a few songs, doesn't really grab me. Anything that Ringo wrote or sang, except for a Little Help from my Friends, belongs on the scrap heap.
Late to the discussion with a busy weekend but wanted to weigh in. I hear you on 'Wild Honey Pie,' but I gotta say, as someone who likes his music as weird as his movies, that song has a special place in my heart. I love the discordant jangling, and singing it as loudly and off-key as possible in the car - road trip anyone? But speaking of cars, the one Beatles song I'd dispose of would be 'Baby You Can Drive My Car.' I really hope it's some kind of double entendre, because otherwise it's just the dumbest song ever written. And for some reason even though I love shouting "Honey Pie," I get absolutely nothing from a chorus of "Beep beep, beep beep, yeah." I mean wow, yes, musical geniuses and all that, but not evident from that song. Good talk, Russ.
I was ready to agree with my friend Ron who wrote "All Beatles songs are necessary for the well being of the human race." But if I absolutely had to pick one, it would be Revolution #9. What was the point of all those minutes?
Honey Pie is another nod to Sir Pauls Dad, who loved Showtunes and who Paul seemingly honored with too many tributes. The lyrics are strong, but you cannot dance to it.
The Least Necessary Beatles Song is...
You Know My Name (Look Up My Number). Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (even the other Beatles hated that song). I take exception to knocking Mr. Kite. It features prominently on my ‘trippiest Beatles song’ playlist.
Her Majesty
OK, I won’t link to the Pixies incendiary cover of “Wild Honey Pie” because I’m sure someone has sent you that before, but if not: it justifies that song’s entire existence.
That said, I’d nominate “What Goes On” as the ultimate pointless Beatles space-filler, an audibly half-assed attempt to give Ringo a spotlight on Rubber Soul (in its original UK track list, anyway - Capitol US knew better). And don’t get me wrong - I love hearing Ringo cover “Act Naturally” one LP earlier, or offer his own “Octopus Garden” a few years down the road - but there’s nothing “necessary” about “What Goes On” for me.
I've always wanted to root for the Beatles underdog, Ringo, but jeez "Don't Pass Me By" is beyond unnecessary, it's embarassing. You're Gonna Lose That Girl is pretty mediocre
My least favorite Beatles songs are Cry Baby Cry, Dig It, Little Child, and Not a Second Time ... but I wouldn't boot any.
Why Don't We Do It In the Road. Paul's goof of a song should have been left in the vault.
I always thought The Long and Winding Road was an awful song, until I heard the version in the movie Yesterday....Revolution #9 is horrendous, as are a number of songs from the whtite album, which represent a bunch of stoned guys with the time to screw around in the studio. Rocky Racoon really annoys me. But the song that always drives me crazy (though I can't remember who sang or wrote it) is "Yes it Is". Music is okay, but the lyrics are such mauldin drivel and resort to such crappy rhymes and other lyric writing cop outs...
"If you wear red tonight,
Please don't wear red tonight
For red is the color that my baby wore, and what's more, it's true, yes it is".
First of all, being that hung up on a color that your ex-girl friend wore (and we're given no reason to think she's dead), especially a common color like red, is a bit silly. But once the singer has said so: why shouldn't we believe him, and how dare him put in "more" just because it rhymes. Bah.
re “Mister Moonlight,” more like shooting crap in a fishbowl...sorry, have a lifetime of spleen for that particular cover, and apparently I’m in good company.
but having just looked at the tracklist for almost all the albums, I find that right now the worst I feel about any original is that it’s lesser, maybe a bit flimsy and not all that memorable. But almost all the songs—and I know them all, way too well—are somewhere between great and having at least one memorable element, from a harmony or novel chord change to a lyric or arrangement. The catalogue that holds up pretty damned well. hell, that’s a huge understatement. I might have done better with this a couple decades ago, when I still found McCartney often banal or downright sappy. If I had to pick one now, the closest would be “She’s Leaving Home,” not for any musical reason, but bc the She running away bc her parents didn’t offer her much fun has come to seem like the worst sort of indulgence from that era. I mean, now that I’m old I have more sympathy for the parents of the Youthquake, whose offspring were so judgmental and showed so little compassion for the plight of their elders.
I’ve thought about this...really. But can’t come up with a single Beatles throwaway.
Now, the Stones.....
Even as a small child, I thought Octopus's Garden was pretty forgettable.
I like Ringo having a song on a album. Ringo writting that song, not so much. Even a bad song by one of the other members at least illuminates their better work by way of contrast.
There are Beatles songs I like less, but nothing seems as disposable as this.
"The Inner Light" by Harrison.
I wouldn’t boot You Know My Name, Revolution #9, Her Majesty, or the other fun or pushing-the-creative-limits songs, even if I don’t like or play them much. I think Don’t Pass Me By, Dig It, and Why Don’t We Do It in the Road are good boot candidates.
I'm excluding the White Album here since I think most of that album is filler - leaving off one of many tracks wouldn't make a significant difference. I'm going to go with Maxwell's Silver Hammer as it's a stupid song on an otherwise brilliant album. I always skip over it.
Octopus's Garden is the worst because whenever anybody says they don't like the Beatles, it is most cited song.
Also, are we going to move over to Queen soon? I'd like to discuss Seaside Rendez-vous.
“Run for Your Life” deserves the “Hey Joe” Domestic Violence Glorification Song award, don’t you think? And 7th-grade me blithely sang along…
This is like asking which ice cream flavor can I do without. Cannot do it.
I like the arrangement and the performance but for social and moral reasons “Run for Your Life” should be eliminated from The Canon “and that’s the end’a, little girl”.
"Honey Don't" (Or most songs by Ringo).
Ok I thought more about it. Blue Jay Way.
Ty outlawed George Martins tracks on Yellow Submarine, but how about the title song itself?Despite having sung variants of it in Leeds United football stands in my youth, we could certainly live without it. Also have to agree about Maxwell and Obladi.
'Sie Liebt Dich'. Totally unnecessary German version of 'She Loves You'. Or 'Flying', the instrumental from Magical Mystery Tour.
Dr. Robert. Audio doodling.
"Octopus's Garden" for sure. Whoever listed "Get Back" or the entire White Album needs a serious sit down.
Long Winding Road - Phil Spector Version. He ruined it. Paul McCartney thought so, too. From the Wikipedia article about the song: "Spector's modifications angered McCartney to the point that when the latter made his case in the English High Court for the Beatles' disbandment, he cited the treatment of "The Long and Winding Road" as one of six reasons for doing so."
It’s “Run for Your Life” hands down
"Hey Jude" ... Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na make it stop.
This is probably not literally true, but I'm going to assert that the first time I heard "The Long and Winding Road" on WRKO (top 40) I hunted through the radio dial until I found WBCN. And never dialed back.
Having said that, I'd trade most of the Beatles catalog even-up by new vintage Beach Boys songs as good as "She Knows Me Too Well" or "Kiss Me Baby" or, for that matter "Forever" or "It's About Time" ... and they were written by Dennis Wilson, not Brian.
(Yes, the Beach Boys are a deep track band. Find and play "This Whole World" a few times.)
Okay, without thinking about it too much I'm going with "Rocky Raccoon" (pure fingernails on the chalkboard). I guess this means I think Paul at his worst is worse than Ringo at his worst...
"The Beatles" is one of my top three albums, but "Revolution 9" is garbage that wouldn't even be fitting to put on a Yoko Ono album.
My immediate thought was You Know My Name (Look Up the Number). Such a bit on inanity from the Best Band Ever! Then, i went back in my memory bank to when I first heard the song, as the B side on a far more popular 45, and realized I actually liked it far better than the A side, Let it Be. In fact, Let It Be may very well just be my least favorite Beatle song ever. I have no memory of ever hearing the whole song through with any pleasure whatsoever. Here perhaps my personal experience may have soured me; as a teenager I called into a radio show and was asked to identify the song with the following first line: When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. The prize? 50 rock record albums. I totally blanked. Anyways, I find myself intrigued by the question "Which Iconic Beatles song is your personal least favorite?" Taste is perversely personal.
When I was young I thought is was cool to sing Happiness is a Warm Gun. At 65, I see nothing positive about the lyric. (George Martin read it in a magazine and John got the idea).
I certainly would NOT boot Rev #9. It was a tone poem, a soundscape, while un-Beatles-like, was ahead of its time, and certainly a risky insertion in a rock/pop album. John was listening to some out-there classical composers at the time.
I always liked their goofy humor, so "You Know My Name" is a worthwhile listen. In fact, I look forward to it when I play it.
For me, sure, "Wild Honey Pie" "Why Don't We Do It In The Road", and Mr. Moonlight" are lesser cuts in The Beatles' pantheon. So probably one of those.
I like most of the Beatles output, from Please please please me on...there were always some songs I could do without (like This boy" UGH!) but from the white album on, it became hit or miss. The white album is a strange combinatoin of great songs and dreck...and Let it Be, except for a few songs, doesn't really grab me. Anything that Ringo wrote or sang, except for a Little Help from my Friends, belongs on the scrap heap.
I think the world could have done without the Beatle's cover of Ain't She Sweet....
"Ob-La-Di..." is up there with "Wild Honey Pie" and "Rocky Racoon."
Late to the discussion with a busy weekend but wanted to weigh in. I hear you on 'Wild Honey Pie,' but I gotta say, as someone who likes his music as weird as his movies, that song has a special place in my heart. I love the discordant jangling, and singing it as loudly and off-key as possible in the car - road trip anyone? But speaking of cars, the one Beatles song I'd dispose of would be 'Baby You Can Drive My Car.' I really hope it's some kind of double entendre, because otherwise it's just the dumbest song ever written. And for some reason even though I love shouting "Honey Pie," I get absolutely nothing from a chorus of "Beep beep, beep beep, yeah." I mean wow, yes, musical geniuses and all that, but not evident from that song. Good talk, Russ.
“Within You Without You” from the Sgt. Pepper’s album. Indian classical “music”
I was ready to agree with my friend Ron who wrote "All Beatles songs are necessary for the well being of the human race." But if I absolutely had to pick one, it would be Revolution #9. What was the point of all those minutes?
Honey Pie is another nod to Sir Pauls Dad, who loved Showtunes and who Paul seemingly honored with too many tributes. The lyrics are strong, but you cannot dance to it.