Ballad of J & Yoko-Old Brown Shoe- Abbey Road or Let it be

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by johnny moondog 909, Aug 9, 2018.

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  1. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    I still cant believe Apple put Past Masters on the green Apple USB instead of the music chronologically. WTF?????
     
  2. johnny moondog 909

    johnny moondog 909 Beatles-Lennon & Classic rock fan Thread Starter

    You are far from the only fan who has a problem adding non LP singles to the albums.

    But you're reluctance is more common among English fans, & perhaps Europe.

    In America in the 60s-70's we knew the Beatles via the Capitol versions, which added all the singles & created several entire albums that never existed. It wasn't until the 80s with Beatles being released on CD, that most Americans heard the UK versions that were what the Beatles intended.

    Personally I'd like to jettison past masters, & add the singles to the corresponding album. Or redo Capitol style extra albums, using singles, outtakes etc, but without butchering the tracklists of the 12 studio albums, as Capitol did in the 70s. These singles were all part of the same album sessions, & mostly, sound like the corresponding albums.
     
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  3. Big Pasi

    Big Pasi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vaasa, Finland
    For me, both songs fit in very well on Abbey Road.
     
  4. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    For those of you who don't know (or are in denial) both of the songs in question were already released on an album in February 1970 on Apple Records. The label stated the album title was The Beatles Again, while the spine of the jacket stated it was titled Hey Jude. The album contained "Can't Buy Me Love", "I Should Have Known Better", "Paperback Writer", "Rain", "Lady Madonna", "Revolution" and "Hey Jude" in stereo for the first time in North America. It wasn't issued in England until 1979. It was finally issued on CD in 2014.

    It is therefore redundant trying to jam them onto existing albums because they were already issued on an album before Let It Be even came out!
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2018
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  5. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Exactly. "New York City" rocks, and Lennon sounds great, but like the rest of Some Time in NYC, his lyrical talents seem to be on vacation. It's kind of cluttered and you can't remember much even after a few listens. "The Ballad of John & Yoko" is lyrically much more economical, with phrases and images that stick. I love the use of the ABCCB modified limerick ("There once was a man from Nantucket") structure to kind of propel the song along, which helps as it's kind of a travelogue. It's very careful, disciplined writing by a gifted writer.

    This video is so great. It even shows Peter Brown calling to say you can make it ok, you can get married in Gibraltar near Spain.

     
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  6. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Now that I think about it, if you buy the Mono box, and supplement that purchase with Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let it Be, these are the only two songs that you would still be missing.
     
  7. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    The Yellow Submarine tracks are already on the Mono Masters disc in The Beatles In Mono box.
     
  8. A well respected man

    A well respected man Some Mother's Son

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    Sonically, I don't think they fit in either. But for filing issues (like which Deluxe box they belong to), I would put them in Abbey Road. The Get Back/Let It Be sessions have certain pecularities (recording at Apple, live takes as a base) these songs don't comply. They just started recording like they used to, so these two could have ended up in AR.
     
  9. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    I agree Old Brown Shoe can hang nicely with that batch.

    Ballad is only two Beatles, sure, but their raunchy harmonies easily fit the fraternal mood of their harmonies on the likes of One After 909, Don't Let Me Down, Two of Us, and (the film version of) Across the Universe.

    So, Let It Be for both. Closer to its minimalist approach, vs. Abbey Road's grander production values.

    (not that they "belong" on either album, but since the question was asked....)
     
  10. KevinP

    KevinP Forum introvert

    Location:
    Daejeon
    'Old Brown Shoe' is an innocuous Harrison song, decent enough but ultimately not memorable in the grand scheme of things. Abbey Road sports his two greatest songs, at least pre-breakup and perhaps ever.

    The two songs in question work fine the Hey Jude compilation, so let it be. If not, Let It Be.
     
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  11. SJB

    SJB Beloved Parasitic Nuisance

    John sang lead on both sides of two earlier singles, "Ticket to Ride"/"Yes It Is" and "All You Need Is Love"/"Baby, You're A Rich Man." The lead vocal is typically an indicator of the primary writer, although exceptions surely exist.
     
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  12. A well respected man

    A well respected man Some Mother's Son

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    Please Please Me/Ask Me Why were also both Lennon-penned numbers.
     
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  13. SJB

    SJB Beloved Parasitic Nuisance

    I wasn't counting the earliest singles, because those were more collaborative, even though the contributions on a given song weren't 50-50.
     
  14. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    NEITHER...it was placed where it belonged. : )
     
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  15. JFSebastion

    JFSebastion Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maricopa Arizona
    Actually since Let It Be was recorded before Abbey Road and shelved for 8 months , it changes where these two songs come in at. Ballad of John & Yoko is too organic for anything other than Let It Be. If you look at the three songs John plays lead guitar, Ballad of John & Yoko, Get Back, and For You Blue, there is a connection there. They are all organic in nature, and not quite polished . My ears hear the songs Let it Be , Long and Winding Road and I Me Mine as being pulled off Let It Be. Change Let It Be back to the original title of Get Back and put it Ballad of John & Yoko and Old Brown Shoe on there. Make Let It Be , the album version, the single with You Know My Name still the b-side. I consider the Let It Be single that was issued, to be very inferior to the album cut. IMO. Now you could add The Long and Winding Road to Abbey Road or not. I Me Mine in its original form of 1.25 length could fit on the side 2 medley, giving George a part of the action. I Me Mine was the last song the Beatles, or namely Paul, George and Ringo completed. So that song actually is a closer cousin to Abbey Road anyway. Again this all IMO. Good question.
     
  16. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Right. If you don’t consider the Martin score part of the Beatles’ official oeuvre, you would just need LIB, AR and the Ballad of John & Yoko single and your collection would be complete.
     
  17. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    How about the Hey Jude album for those two cuts? Or 1967-1970? Or Past Masters Volume Two. Mission accomplished.
     
  18. BlueJay

    BlueJay Forum Resident

    Always loved Side 2 of this album. Still have my original 1970 copy. I'd happily replace it with a new pressing if Apple would reissue it. This, and 'A Collection of Beatles Oldies'. The only two original hits albums issued while the band was still together (just). But it probably won't happen since they gave us the staggeringly unattractive Past Masters package instead.
     
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  19. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    Hey Jude is still available on CD as a standalone or in The U.S. Albums box, so it has been reissued, just not on vinyl.
     
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  20. BlueJay

    BlueJay Forum Resident

    For sure, and I do have the cd. But now I want a vinyl copy!
     
  21. beatleroadie

    beatleroadie Forum Resident

    I'm pretty sure Paul wrote the chorus to "Baby, You're a Rich Man." John just had the verses and they finished it together. IIRC "Yes It Is" was a close collaboration as well.

    With Ballad and Brown Shoe, it was the first time in a while that Paul didn't really have any songwriting contribution to a Beatles single, even though of course he was getting a co-write as Lennon/McCartney for the A-side.
     
  22. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    Like you said, a reissue on vinyl probably won't happen. You might have to settle for an old one. Fortunately it was issued not only on Apple but reissued a number of times on orange, purple and black colorband Capitol not to mention U.K. and other international pressings. Good copies are still out there. Personally, my original Canadian Apple pressing still sounds great!
     
  23. Alien Reg

    Alien Reg Forum Resident

    Definitely not on AR for me. It's perfect as it is and even better if you skip "Maxwell" and" Octopus " and " Her Majesty".

    But I have never really considered LIB a proper album so I have no problem butchering it to make an album length playlist including Spector arranged tracks like " Long and Winding Road " and "Universe" and 1967 leftovers like " You Know My Name"." The Ballad of J&Y" and "Old Brown" fit nicely in here to suit me. I don't include out-takes - from Anthology - enough variety in the released stuff!

    Imagine if LIB had been "let be" and not released till say the Anthology 1990s era...
     
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  24. andy749

    andy749 Senior Member

    Both songs sound like they fit on LIB more than "Across the Universe" does.
     
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  25. fmfxray373

    fmfxray373 Capitol LPs in the 70s were pretty good.

    Like way closer.
    Listen to these with some really good speakers and you can just feel the glossy Abbey Road sheen, especially Old Brown Shoe.
     
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