Two George tracks for Beatles Red Album

Allen Klein dropped the ball when compiling the Red Album. Not only is it two tracks less than the Blue Album (which makes no since, given the songs are shorter) but it also fails to feature a single lead vocal by the Quiet Beatle (even Ringo got one!).

So here's your chance to right a 44 year wrong. Choose two tracks with George on lead vocal, from the fourteen which featured him, as released from 1962 - 1966 (really 63-66, but keeping with the LP's title).

Note: I included the four, non-Beatle penned tunes, even though the Red / Blue comps consist of entirely original material. I would have preferred leaving them out of the poll, but knew if I did, someone would ask where Roll Over Beethoven was, so they're all here (but no You Know What To Do. It's a demo, and not released in 62-66. And no Decca audition, BBC, Star Club, etc.).

 

Don't Bother Me and I Need You.

These are personal choices as oppose to what probably should be on there from a marketing point of view.

 

I voted "do you want to know a secret" and "think for yourself" as I wanted to keep them as all penned by the beatles and I thought it was fitting to do one that was Lennon/McCartney and one of his own. Though I do believe several of George's own tracks should have made the cut officially.

 

Don't Bother Me, I Need You, If I Needed Someone, Taxman? Too many? OK, drop I Need You. Still too many?

 

Wanted to give George 2 originals, didn't want to go with 2 from Rubber Soul.

So I took If I Needed Someone from that as his catchiest, and I Need You as probably his most widely known thanks to being in Help!

 

For me I chose Chains and I Want To Tell You two favorite George lead vocal tracks. Interesting that I was introduced to Chains via the Capitol Records Lp The Early Beatles as opposed to the Parlophone Lp Please Please Me. So quite a span between the two records. I Want To Tell You is just a cool song!!!

 

All very difficult.
I would not change a thing in regards to The Beatles Legacy.
It would be like changing the order of the Ten Commandments.
You just don't do it, don't go there, leave well alone.
# set in stone

 

If I Needed Someon and Taxman - two of hos strongest cuts up to 66

 

The Red album is already overfilled with tracks from Rubber Soul, so I can't vote for "If I Needed Someone". Revolver is surprisingly underrepresented, so "Taxman" gets the nod as choice #1. As for the other choice, I'll go with "I Need You" as this would fit best soundwise with the other tracks on the album.

 

Went for If I Needed Someone and I Need You. The former is a must, the latter is not a strong song but I think it suits stylistically better than any of the others. Taxman is probably the best but somehow I think it is a little too 'brazen' stylistically.

 

Although I prefer Don't Bother Me and If I Needed Someone, I voted Do You Want To Know A Secret as it was a massive hit and Taxman as it is an iconic album opener.

 

Taxman
I Want to Tell You

 

Taxman is one of the two for me. Great song and album opener.
I also think that the Red album could do with more songs from "Revolver".
The other I went with is "If I Needed Someone".
Classic track imo, even tho thinking about it there is indeed an abundance of "Rubber Soul" tracks.
Still it wouldn't hurt to have these two songs included.

 

Voted for:
If I Needed Someone
I Want To Tell You

 

Taxman
I Want to Tell You

Was going to vote for If I Needed Someone but there's already enough Rubber Soul songs.

 

Taxman is the obvious choice here.
For the second, I went with Do You Want To Know A Secret.
It's a great song. It was a US Hit during that first Beatlemania wave, it's Len/Mac, and it's George.
What's not to love?

As for Klein, was the Red Album compiled during the period when George had a falling out with him?
Poor George always got the short end when it came to comps.

 

Yes it was botched.
Not only was it missing George songs, it was missing two songs total since each album had 13 (not 14), Rubber Soul was over-represented and Revolver was under-represented.

Here’s the fix:
Album 1
Add “I Need You” somewhere on side 2.

Album 2
Remove “Girl” and “Michelle”
Add “If I Needed Someone” (to side 1) and ”Taxman” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” to Side 2 (as the last song).

That gives George 3 for the double LP, slightly below his average of 4 for two albums.

 

1) Taxman, because it's awesome.
2) Roll Over Beethoven, just because I always liked it.

 

1. Do You Want To Know A Secret. If Rubber Soul wasn't so overrepresented already, I would have voted If I Needed Someone. But DYWTKAS is a nice song and performance, and it was a hit in USA.
2. Taxman. His best song before 1967.

 

Think For Yourself
It's a lot harder for me to choose a Revolver track because I love all three of them. Taxman would be most obvious, I Want To Tell You is great with it's modal imbalance, Love You Too is my favorite but probably most people's least fave. So I went with I Want To Tell You.

Maybe I'll have to change my vote to 2 Revolver tracks...

 

From a marketing standpoint, I think Secret and Taxman are great choices.....my faves (this morning) though are Don't Bother Me and I Need You.

 

If I Needed Someone
I Need You

 

By the way - this means one George song per side.

 

Obvious that they would put his two best songs from that period on the LP.

If I Needed Someone
Taxman

 

Do you want to know a secret and I want to tell you are the ones that stand out to me as having strong vocals. The lets me whisper in your ear oh woah oh closer bit is really good. Taxman is a great song and it's full of energy but it's not something that stands out to me as... wait a minute this isn't what this thread is about.