Solo Beatles single by single thread

I checked the album's liner notes - Dr. John did in fact play the keyboards on A Dose Of Rock & Roll. Wikipedia's entry on Ringo's Rotogravure states that Lennon played piano and sites The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia by Bill Harry (2004) as the source. We all know that Wikipedia is not necessarily gospel. Anyway, I apologize for perpetuating the mistake.

 

Dose of Rock n Roll/Cryin'
I don't think I've ever heard Cryin' before and I don't ever need to hear A Dose of Rock n Roll again. This is the beginning of Ringo's long slide.

 

I'm not a fan of Arif Mardin as a producer in general, not just on this album. That said, I always liked this tune -- a fun, likeable, Ringo sort of tune.

 

I loved Silly Love Songs back in 76. Still do. It was THE song of 1976 for me. I love the funky bass and love the trademark Wings harmonies from Linda and Denny with Paul. Great song.

 

I Never especially cared for "Let 'Em In". It just kinda walks on by.
Which brings me to my theory (unbacked by anyone of note. Okay by anyone.) that Paul created the suddenly hot genre of Sousa Rock.
And that brings me to yet another theory I can garner no support for, that Paul gives each of his Beatle bro.s a hat tip.
Brother John (obvious since Paul has no brother John.)
Uncle Ernie (Ringo's performing persona on the London Symphony Orchestra LP of Tommy)
Martin Luther ( George, for his religiosity. Of course the reference would be meaningless without the other two "name" checks.)

Lastly, I was surprised to be reminded that "A Dose of Rock and Roll" actually made it as high as #26

 

Crying is a better song than Dose Of Rock n Roll.

 

But Linda did have a brother John.

But, yes, it could be Mr Lennon too.

 

i think if you purport to be a serious artist, and Macca was one half of the greatest songwriting partnership in history and 1/4 of the biggest and most important act in history, then if you release a kids song you have to be prepared to take stick from critics.

Why should we/they give a free pass on a track just because " its a kids song "

The fact they are rock critics doesn't mean that they can't see its a kids song, in fact they are having a go at them simple because they are kids songs and Macca undermines himself by releasing ( some of ) them. Its self indulgent just as John could be equally self indulgent when he lost his counterweight.

 

Yes, some people think that my songs are crap - but they are SUPPOSED to be crap. People just take them out of context...

 

Who cares if it's a kids song? Sure it's a kids song, but I still enjoy it.

After all I used to be a kid, and I love songs...

 

yep like kids songs crap songs should get a free pass too

 

so did i , but we grow up, and to put it into context I think Mary had a little lamb would have had me reaching for the in flight bag after the age of about five, but i'd have certainly loved it between the ages of 1 and 5 though.

And at around the same time he even managed to make a protest song ( Give Ireland ) sound pathetically lightweight , but then he also released great tracks like Back Seat, Hi Hi Hi and My love so he still had it in him but he had no John anymore to keep him honest ( and vice versa ).

 

George Harrison - "This Song" (1976)


B-side: Learning How to Love You
Released: 16 November 1976
Charts: #25 (US), N/A (UK)

"This Song" was written after the week Harrison spent in a New York courtroom, unsuccessfully trying to convince a judge that his 1970 song "My Sweet Lord" did not intentionally infringe the Chiffons' 1963 hit "He's So Fine". According to Harrison, the plaintiff got ridiculously in-depth, breaking "My Sweet Lord" down into several melody lines, or "motifs", as they referred to them.[1] Apparently, the plaintiff also drew up several charts with large musical notes on it to prove their point.[1] Harrison said in his autobiography, I, Me, Mine, that after several days, he "started to believe that maybe they did own those notes".[1]

After he lost the case, Harrison wrote "This Song", which released his frustration of the infringement case in the form of an uptempo, piano-driven boogie. It features Billy Preston on piano and organ, and Monty Python's Eric Idle calling out a falsetto "Could be 'Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch' – No, sounds more like 'Rescue Me'!" interjection right before the instrumental break. The company Bright Tunes owned the copyright to He's So Fine, which inspired the line, "This tune has nothing Bright about it". Writing for Goldmine magazine in January 2002, Dave Thompson described "This Song" as "a brilliantly constructed commentary on Harrison's more recent travails".[2]

The song also has a humorous music video (shown on the 20 November 1976 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Paul Simon, in which Harrison was a special musical guest), which features George in a courtroom along with a cast of many of his friends (dressed up as the jury, bailiff, defense experts, etc.). Drummer Jim Keltner appears as the judge and the Rolling Stones's Ronnie Wood (dressed as a "Pepperpot" character) mimics Idle's aforementioned falsetto words. The video was directed by Michael Collins for Rosebud Films.

 

Here is a "live" performance from the German TV show "Disco":

 

Man I fell far behind here. I'll be around more this week. This has been a great thread. Something I probably would have done if you didn't do it HariStar. You're doing a great job and I think there should be more focus on their solo careers anyway. Well all 4 solo careers. This is a good way to review them all at once. I'll try to catch up quick so I don't mess up the thread any.

 

Wow never knew of this video thanks HariStar. Other than the perm-he looks great.

 

"This Song" is such a cool track. His music had been pretty downbeat in 1974-5, but this is the fun, humorous George that I love so much, and thankfully his music would remain like this for the rest of his career.

In typical George style this song of course is a parody of his lengthy (and unfair) court case that dominated most of the 1970s.

 

I honestly think getting into things with Monty Python turned his attitude towards his records and public appearances. He finally loosened up for the first time since 1966 before India. Okay I'm exaggerating -he wasn't that serious all the time. (Hari Krishna)

 

I've never really liked 'This Song'. Funny that Eric Idle is on the record, because I feel that George's songs started to become a bit too much like Python songs.

 

Yeah definitely, and also he met Olivia around 1975 as well.

I agree that Monty Python was a big influence on George. He started including humour in his lyrics, which differed from his serious 1969-1975 material, started taking his music videos less seriously, and inspired him to join the movie business. Without his love of Python, who knows what his career post-1975 would have been like?

 

i loved George but to me this is just a pleasant filler, never single quality as its chart positions dictate - having said that You i thought was a great 45 but that never did much either.

As for the court case, all i know is that, knowingly or otherwise there is no doubt MSL is He's so fine just as much as Happy xmas is Stewball. Sorry George it really was a fair cop guv....

 

Well yes the singles, but not the rest of the album. Don't know why he released "True Love" as a single-or "It's What You Value"-they don't seem single worthy but not really Monty Python. 'Dear One' 'See Yourself' 'Learning How to Love You' are like Material World philosophy lyrics. 'True Love' 'Pure Smokey' are tributes and 'Beautiful Girl' is a straight love song.

 

This is an enjoyable thread, but it does show how the solo efforts in the 70s gradually became mediocre and almost irrelevant compared to what else was going on in music at the time. Huge contrast from a decade earlier.

 

But it is pleasant because the production is brighter and the melodies are good. Compare these melodies to the ones he has on 'Somewhere in England'. But yes, lighter weight songs despite 'Dear One' 'Learning How to Love You' and 'See Yourself'. Only 'Woman Don't You Cry For Me' has any grit. There's no grit, not much slide guitar or not as much as he used in the past. So yeah, a lot of sweetening with little on the earthy side.

 

No, that would be 1972 or 1973 when Dark Horse Records was signed to A&M Records (Olivia was a secretary at that time at A&M). By 1974, Olivia was on the scene, turning up on tour with George in late 1974 and appearing on one of the labels of George's Dark Horse album (also late 1974):