John Lennon's best Beatle year as a songwriter

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by johnny moondog 909, Mar 18, 2017.

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  1. johnny moondog 909

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

    I'm a huge Beatles, Lennon, MCartney, Harrison & Ringo fan.

    There is no right answer. Lennon himself told Playboy that it was important to view his entire body of work, & not just one song or album or year. But having said that.

    For me Lennon 65 is possibly the peak. Viewed by today's standards these songs would be simple & stripped. Production yes, but done simply & carefully. They hadn't gotten into bouncing with multiple 4 track machines yet. The psychedelia, backwards tapes & heavy overdubbing of several or more instruments, wasn't really happening yet.

    Some of Lennon's 65 classics, & yes McCartney had a hand in some of them. But largely as an arranger I think.

    1. Nowhere Man
    2. Help
    3. Ticket To Ride
    4. Norwegian Wood
    5. Girl
    6. Day tripper ( cowrite )
    7. Hide You're Love Away
    8. In My Life-disputed co/wr
    9. The Word
    10 It's Only Love

    There are about 4 more Lennon 65 tunes, I just picked my fave 10, in random order.. I think we see shades of this Lennon writing style on the Imagine LP 71 & Double Fantasy 1980, that is ultra melodic, semi-softly produced.

    The 63-64 tunes are more primitive, generally speaking, more jointly written imo, & great as his 66-68 songs are, just too many classics in 65, & the 65 tunes rely less on production, or big production. I could play Devil's advocate & make a case for 67 or 68 or 1970. But after 40+ years of consideration, sadly for me in a way, his batch of 65 tunes was a peak, in terms of pure songwriting.

    A few final thoughts , Lately I've been feeling "The Word" is one of those highly underrated Beatles & Lennon tracks. McCartney has been doing it live, apparently he'd call it another of those 60/40 Len/Mac songs like Mr Kite.

    As far as the Beatles peak year, or McCartney's those are different questions. All things considered I'd say the Beatles peaked 65-69, only because the writing & recording got really interesting in 65 & never stopped.

    So Lennon 1965 ? His best year as a writer ? By my count he wrote & or mainly wrote 8 Hall of Fame , all time classics in that one year

    1. Help
    2. Ticket To Ride
    3. Hide You're Love Away
    4. Day Tripper
    5. Norwegian Wood
    6. Nowhere Man
    7. Girl
    8. In My Life

    Lennon's other 5 - 1965 tunes are all good too

    1. The Word
    2. It's Only Love
    3. You're Gonna Lose TG
    4. Yes It Is
    5. Run For Your Life

    Ok your thoughts please agree or disagree
     
  2. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
  3. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    Take those songs away and you pretty much gut the Red album. Take Lennon's songs away from the Beatles and you gut the Beatles' discography and impact. Take Lennon away from the Beatles and you have no Beatles.

    I also like the lead up to 1965, in 1964, where's he's ramping up his writing skills and discovering new modes of writing expression - particularly songs like 'Anytime At All', 'I'll Cry Instead', 'I'll Be Back', 'No Reply', 'I'm A Loser'. He seems to have perfected his craft by 1965. And in 1966 he switches gears almost completely.
     
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  4. George Blair

    George Blair Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    1968. The White Album songs are the absolute peak for me.
     
  5. helter

    helter Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    I like

    1963
    1964
    1965
    1966
    1967
    1968
    1969
    1970
    1971

    Yup
     
  6. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Let's discuss 1972 though ... ;)
     
  7. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    I have to give it to 1968. The music which he put out between White Album and Non-White album songs is tremendous both in terms of quantity, quality and variety. I once created a CD-R utilizing what I felt were his best White Album tracks with Hey Bulldog, Across The Universe and revolution added. i actually wrote liner notes for it stating that this was his first solo album utilizing the other three Beatles as backup musicians. Fantasy aside, it makes for an incredible Rock and Roll album.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2017
  8. Mumbojunk

    Mumbojunk Forum Resident

    Agree. '65 all the way. Though the other years weren't bad... :cool:
     
  9. Tanx

    Tanx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    That era is actually my favorite for Lennon songwriting. I won't argue that it's the "best," but the songs have the excitement of a writer tentatively venturing into new territory. I'll never remember the source, but I recall hearing a critic who repeatedly dismissed the Beatles say he finally stood up and took notice at "I'll Be Back."
     
  10. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

  11. johnny moondog 909

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

    You're right. What's worse I'm the guilty one who started it, & forgot about it. We can merge them.

    Yeah a good case can be made for almost any active year. But Lennon had more great songs in 1965.. here's a curve ball, if memory serves, Lennon actually wrote Strawberry Fields in 65 & began demoing it... SFF hasn't got what I'd call a pretty melody, but it's a very, very unique & interesting melody. In hindsight, I wish-hope, that they have found a way on one of the new SFF mixes.

    To do a folkier, simpler, even partially acoustic version of SFF. Using parts of the demos, various studio takes, maybe there is some way to keep Lennon's melody, words, phrasing, but get a straighter 3-4 or 5 piece backing from all the various takes & pieces, the Rubber Soul version

    I believe the film, How I Won The War featuring Lennon, directed by Dick Lester was released in 1966, but wasn't Lennon actually in Almeira Spain writing & demoing SFF in 1965 ? Someone ?

    I've always thought there are probably a few good Lennon songs we've never heard from 64-68, he had a good home set up by 65 ? But Lennon erased over his own tapes, had them stolen at least once by Fred Seaman. Apparently Lennon did lots of secret taping where he would demo a song In the middle of an old cassette, erasing older stuff, so people couldn't find his "secret" work

    I wonder if Yoko has old tapes, from the 60s if anyone ever did a complete Lewisohn or John Barrett style listening, cataloguing & saving to digital.

    Jack Douglas said that in 1980 Lennon played him a song called ? Boulevard of Broken Dreams ? & Douglas says, that Lennon wrote the bridge & parts of the song in 1964 as a Beatle.. where are those tapes !!!
     
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  12. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    How I Won the War was filmed in the latter half of 1966 and released in 1967. Filming was during the break between Revolver and Sgt. Pepper. John cut his hair down short for the role and started wearing his granny glasses because of the role.
     
  13. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    No, the film was filmed in late 1966 in Spain and was released in 1967. Your timeline was a year too early.
     
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  14. SixOClockBoos

    SixOClockBoos The Man On The Flaming Pie

    I think 1963/1964 submitted his best work as a Beatle. I also really like 1974 and 1980 if we're talking about after Beatles.
     
  15. Keith V

    Keith V Forum Resident

    Location:
    Secaucus, NJ
    1965 is about right. The songs were accessable and yet very good.
     
  16. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    67 wasn't too shabby.
     
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  17. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    Lennon's craft as a songwriter peaked for me around A HARD DAY'S NIGHT through HELP. Great lyrics, memorable melodies and interesting chord changes.

    1968 was another peak, but the songs were more abstract and insular. The White Album and Plastic Ono Band were two major creative periods although his approach to songwriting was much different.

    There's a reason that Lennon's earlier material gets covered more than the later songs. It's just more accessible.
     
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  18. fishcane

    fishcane Dirt Farmer

    Location:
    Finger Lakes,NY
    best? Plastic Ono Band
     
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  19. msza

    msza Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    The songs that occupy the Lennon Side of my Beatles comp:

    Help!
    In My Life
    Strawberry Fields Forever
    I Am the Walrus
    I'm So Tired
    Revolution
    Across the Universe

    Since 3 of those come from 1968, I'll go with that year.
     
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  20. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Ed Zactly what I was going post. India was a yuge watershed moment for all three songwriters.
    I've posted this before, but it's remarkable that their experience in India isn't seen as the pivotal time that it was for them.
     
    George Blair likes this.
  21. Basically every year up until 1969, when he basically checked out of the idea of the Beatles as a band. 1967 wasn't as consistent as other years, but featured the awesome highs of "Strawberry Fields", "Day In the Life" and "I Am the Walrus", which more then compensates.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2017
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  22. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Without Chuck Berry, it is possible that John would not have even started writing songs:

    [​IMG]
     
  23. mindgames

    mindgames Forum Resident

    Location:
    -
    1964. 1974.
     
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  24. msza

    msza Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    This is a great way to put it. Lennon was a (brilliant) craftsman through early 1965. Around Rubber Soul he transcended craftmanship to artistry, and with that came the usual baggage -- strangeness, inconsistency, etc.
     
    xilef regnu likes this.
  25. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Relatively weak in 67 (great songs, but not many) and 69, otherwise pretty great 63-70.
     
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