The Beatles

Not a huge Beatles fan these days. Tried to get back into them, but it wasn't happening. "Let it Be," however, is one of my favorite songs.

 

Favorite Beatles album: Can't decide between Revolver, Rubber Soul and Hard Day's Night.

Favorite song: "And Your Bird Can Sing."

 

Jay Cutler loves the Beatles

 

Well, "Get Back" ain't exactly in the same league as "Revolution" as a rocker.

 

The Beatles made great, great music using the tools that every other musician in the world had at the time. Not one of them is a superior musician. They are all solid, not great. They are solid singers, and they never oversing a song.

They just write amazing songs.

Any band in the world can cover their songs and most seem to do just that.

On the other hand...

How many decent Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin or Rolling Stone covers have you ever heard?

That's why I think a song like Sympathy for the Devil is just a shade better than the best song by the Beatles. Just my opinion.

They are all amazing bands.

 

?!

 

Are you suggesting Pink Floyd is better than the Beatles because no one does Floyd covers? Because that strikes me as an utterly bizarre argument.

If you are suggesting those bands are too good for other artists to attempt a cover... well, Britney Spears has covered the Stones. As for "Sympathy for the Devil," there are pretty decent covers by Bryan Ferry, Natalie Merchant and Guns 'N' Roses. There's also an excruciating one by Ozzy.

--------

Anyway, I had a similar experience to Bubbler, playing the Beatles for my oldest when he was little. He's now a fan, and he and his little brother have watched "Yellow Submarine" countless times. He's now getting into the Stones, and declared last week that the guitar in "Satisfaction" is the "greatest ever." When I was his age, I thought the same thing.

I think "Revolver" and "Rubber Soul" are 1a and 1b for their best, though my favorite is "Magical Mystery Tour." Favorite songs:

1. Across the Universe
2. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
3. And Your Bird Can Sing
4. I am the Walrus
5. If I Fell

"Hey Bulldog" could easily be on that list another day.

 

are you kidding? george harrison was considered an exceptional lead guitarist. and mccartney is/was one of the best bass players around, was/is a fine pianist and was acknowledged by everyone in the band to be a better drummer than ringo (which i know isn't considered high praise, though many of his peers considered very underrated).

 

Not a damn thing wrong with saying any number of bands are better than the Beatles. I know that's heresy for the folks who desperately cling to their 60s youth as the nadir of civilization (Super Bowl III was the pinnacle of the NFL!!!!!!!). But there was plenty of great music before the Beatles and there's been plenty since.

 

Shocky, some people also consider The Edge a great guitarist. In no way shape or form, IMHO, is he in the same level as Jimmy Page.

PC, these are the great versions of Sympathy?

I cannot find the Natalie Merchant version (thankfully)

 

Watch the doc "It Might Get Loud." You'll come away amazed by Page and Jack White and thinking The Edge is a minor-leaguer by comparison.

 

Did I say great?

You asked about "decent" covers, and specifically mentioned "Sympathy for the Devil." I listed three.

Artists choose cover songs because they are great songs, not because they're easy to play.

And The Edge is a great musician, but in a way that is totally separate from someone like Jimmy Page. U2's sound is entirely his work, but he's the the type of player who's going to trade riffs with Page without looking silly.