(I decided to write a little history, but please, scroll to the end and check out the playlist and let me know what you think!)
I'm sure many of you know of and like The Beatles. I think they are the most talented and influential band to have existed. At the time, a lot of their music was experimental. They wrote the first songs in what are now full fledged genres. They wrote the first metal-like songs. They wrote reggae, country, rock, etc. If it weren't for them, much of the music you now listen to wouldn't exist, or would be quite different.
After the groundbreaking LP "Abbey Road", the Beatles tragically fell apart. Paul's prominent and melodic bass-lines in this LP forever changed rock music; the bass segments were not typical, and for them, he has been labeled one of the most proficient bass-players of all time. And his voice is in top form, as evidenced in songs like
Oh! Darling. He has a stronger voice and a greater vocal range than any popular musician of this century. Also, on this LP, John's powerful character and brilliant mind show through in
songs like
Come Together. There has never been anything so successful (in pop music) as the Lennon-McCartney partnership. Ever since the Beatles split up, people have been trying to re-create their success. They have been trying to determine what formula was needed for such innovative, inspired music. The Lennon-McCartney combination was highly unique -- often producing songs that rose above either individual artist, even though each was great in his own right.
After the split-up, John and Paul diverged in their styles. Before they were essentially one composing unit -- so closely weaving their individual strengths into single compositions that it was difficult to see each artist in a particularly different light. But after, John became quite harsh and simple in his writing. His lyrics are carefully written, meaningful, and often have personal relevance. His writing was almost entirely autobiographical. On the other hand, Paul's writing started to depart further from reality. His writing became increasingly mythological; and instead of focusing on the meaning of his lyrics to the extent Lennon did, he seemed more interested in how their sounds worked with the music. Overall, his post-Beatles writing was musically more sophisticated than Lennon's, and still quite inventive in some aspects. You can still hear the interesting melodic bass-lines in his post-Beatles compositions. And he wrote in huge variety of genres -- hard rock, synthetic rock, disco, 1970s rock, soft pop, ballades, Scottish folk etc.
I've put together a play-list of what could have been a Beatles album after Abbey Road! I think this would have made a pretty amazing album follow-up. Keep your base turned up for the McCartney melodies, and enjoy! Let me know what you think. I've chosen songs that are somewhat Beatle-esque, and I've also tried to contrast the divergent McCartney and Lennon song-writing styles. (e.g. "Oh My Love", right next to "My Love"). I've tried to make song and ordering choices so that it could plausibly have been a Beatles album. Play it in the background when you're doing homework or forum-reading or something, and don't look at the track listing, and tell me how it works.
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Here's the playlist <----
I've only used songs written from 1970 (the Beatles split in 1969), up until John's tragic death in 1980 (just after he had released a new album after a 5 year break). After 1973, Paul's voice began to deteriorate. He was still capable of making it sound very good until 1980, however. After this point, he tragically lost many of his skills. It's too bad they didn't get back together during the period the following songs are written. (Note: McCartney played all (or most) of the instruments on many of the songs listed here -- e.g. Maybe I'm Amazed, Coming Up, ...).
Track Listing:
1. Imagine - John Lennon
2. Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney
3. Let me Roll it - Paul McCartney
4. Isolation - John Lennon
5. Band on the Run - Paul McCartney
6. Jet - Paul McCartney
7. Oh My Love - John Lennon
8. My Love - Paul McCartney
9. Instant Karma - John Lennon
10. Jealous Guy - John Lennon
11. Goodnight Tonight - Paul McCartney
12. Mull of Kintyre - Paul McCartney and Denny Laine
God - John Lennon
14. Crippled Inside - John Lennon
15. I'm Losing You - John Lennon
16. Coming Up - Paul McCartney
17. #9 Dream - John Lennon
18. No Words - Paul McCartney and Denny Laine
19. Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney
