|
Post by toddpolt on Dec 29, 2009 22:05:18 GMT -5
None of them after 1970 ever made people forget about what they did before 1970, but each of the four Beatles had success (in varying degrees) as solo artists. Three of them individually got inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame for their solo discography (guess which three), so who was the best?
Certainly McCartney was the most prolific with about 40 something years (so far), Lennon only lived for another decade but he still did "Imagine" and other stuff. Harrison of course did his three-LP classic "All Things Must Pass" (which kneed Let it Be if you ask me), and well Ringo was Ringo.
I vote Harrison.
I mean unless I'm mistaken, he was the only Beatle that Weird Al Yankovic parodied* with "This Song's Just Six Words Long," a mockery of Harrison's hit "Got My Mind Set on You." That's a plus.
*=Technically he also did "Chicken Pot Pie" (a joker on McCartney's "Live and Let Die") but he never got the official OK from Macca, so it never got recorded.
|
|
Triple Kelly
Vegeta
Not once, twice, but three times a Kelly
Posts: 9,470
|
Post by Triple Kelly on Dec 29, 2009 22:07:15 GMT -5
Yes. I like Ringo. Sue me, f***ers.
|
|
|
Post by toddpolt on Dec 29, 2009 22:08:16 GMT -5
Yes. I like Ringo. Sue me, f***ers. Ha ;D EDIT - To be fair, I did like Ringo's "Sixteen."
|
|
|
Post by Mehe is F'n hardcore. on Dec 29, 2009 22:38:27 GMT -5
Ringo for me!
|
|
|
Post by Cry Me a Wiggle on Dec 29, 2009 22:45:39 GMT -5
John and George (and Ringo, if you discount Sentimental Journey and Beacoups Of Blues) both started off incredibly strong with their solo careers, and then kind of petered out. Look, I love their entire solo output, but it's kind of telling that John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and All Things Must Pass were their absolute best.
Paul took the opposite route. Instead of starting his solo career with a huge statement, he went back to square one and rebuilt his momentum. While there were ups and downs, you can at least have a knock-down drag-out argument about his best solo album: Ram, Band On The Run (if you want to count his Wings-era as solo), Tug Of War, Flowers In The Dirt... hell, I'll even make a case for his recent albums (Chaos & Creation, Memory Almost Full, Electric Arguments) as being among his very best.
So Paul definitely wins for consistency. If you follow their careers chronologically, there's always a great Paul album around the corner. John had his ups and downs, and George kind of lost his muse by the mid-'70s.
But I love them all. Even Ringo. The fact that I've pre-ordered his new album "Y Not" proves that.
|
|
Beav
Hank Scorpio
OMG... I just realized I'm a Brony.
Posts: 5,556
|
Post by Beav on Dec 29, 2009 23:01:45 GMT -5
I've listened to Ringo and he is pretty damn good. By no means my favorite Beatle musically, but he is still better that 99% of the crap on today.
That said I really love Paul. Mull of Kintyre, Live & Let Die, Ebony & Ivory, great artist.
|
|
TuneinTokyo
Hank Scorpio
The Mountain from Stone Mountain
Posts: 6,431
|
Post by TuneinTokyo on Dec 29, 2009 23:08:07 GMT -5
Harrison gets my vote
|
|
Lupin the Third
Patti Mayonnaise
I'm sorry.....I love you. *boot to the head*--3rd most culpable in the jixing of NXT, D'oh!
Join the Dark Order....
Posts: 36,316
|
Post by Lupin the Third on Dec 29, 2009 23:11:57 GMT -5
Kelly, you're not alone, for I also enjoyed Ringo.
|
|
|
Post by Young Game on Dec 29, 2009 23:21:59 GMT -5
Three Words: Last Beatle Left. Yup.
|
|
Beav
Hank Scorpio
OMG... I just realized I'm a Brony.
Posts: 5,556
|
Post by Beav on Dec 29, 2009 23:35:40 GMT -5
Three Words: Last Beatle Left. Yup. Four more words: Paul's not really dead.
|
|
|
Post by Cry Me a Wiggle on Dec 29, 2009 23:37:53 GMT -5
Oh, I ratchet up the crazy conspiracy angle up a notch: Paul's not really dead, but there are still two of him.
So actually, there are three Beatles left. Four if you count Pete Best. They should go on tour. It'd be super awkward.
Edit: Did I say two? I meant 10!
Edit II: A fun fact about "Coming Up." John Lennon was so taken with the song that, after hearing it on the radio, he told his driver to pull over so he could buy it in the closest record shop. It started the chain of events that led to him coming out of retirement and recording Double Fantasy.
|
|
|
Post by DiBiase is Good on Dec 30, 2009 0:22:53 GMT -5
Lennon wrote and recorded Imagine, which is IMO the greatest song ever. So he's my choice.
"Got my Mind set on You" may be my second favourite Beatles solo single but as it's a cover I have to disqualify it.
|
|
|
Post by Lionheart on Dec 30, 2009 0:28:59 GMT -5
I grew up on those Thomas the Tank Engine videos with Ringo as narrator, so he will always be my favorite Beatle. ;D
|
|
Dr. T is an alien
Patti Mayonnaise
Knows when to hold them, knows when to fold them
I've been found out!
Posts: 31,353
|
Post by Dr. T is an alien on Dec 30, 2009 0:34:08 GMT -5
I picked George, but they were all great IMO. To be honest, I am a little disappointed that Ringo didn't stick with the acting. Watching Caveman is one of my guilty pleasures.
How about any of the next generation? I like a lot of Julian's work, but I am unfamiliar with the works of Sean Lennon or Dhanni Harrison.
|
|
TuneinTokyo
Hank Scorpio
The Mountain from Stone Mountain
Posts: 6,431
|
Post by TuneinTokyo on Dec 30, 2009 1:57:00 GMT -5
Harrison was a Wilbury
|
|
|
Post by Insomniac on Dec 30, 2009 1:59:12 GMT -5
Harrison did "All Things Must Pass", which I've always thought was far and away the best work done by any of the Beatles after they broke up. He'll get my vote.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Woodrow on Dec 30, 2009 2:11:33 GMT -5
Yes. I like Ringo. Sue me, f***ers. Sue me too. Ringo rocks
|
|
Dr. T is an alien
Patti Mayonnaise
Knows when to hold them, knows when to fold them
I've been found out!
Posts: 31,353
|
Post by Dr. T is an alien on Dec 30, 2009 3:01:48 GMT -5
Lennon wrote and recorded Imagine, which is IMO the greatest song ever. So he's my choice. "Got my Mind set on You" may be my second favourite Beatles solo single but as it's a cover I have to disqualify it. The Beatles did a lot more covers than one might think. A lot of their early albums had a number of them, including a big hit in Twist and Shout. Ringo also had a couple of covers that went to #1 and #5. If those count, then Got my Mind set on You should as well. For those that deride Ringo's solo career, I imagine that 99.99% of all artists out there today would love such a career. He had not only 2 #1's, but he had a string of 7 songs hit the top 10. Nothing wrong with that.
|
|
|
Post by DiBiase is Good on Dec 30, 2009 3:11:21 GMT -5
Lennon wrote and recorded Imagine, which is IMO the greatest song ever. So he's my choice. "Got my Mind set on You" may be my second favourite Beatles solo single but as it's a cover I have to disqualify it. The Beatles did a lot more covers than one might think. A lot of their early albums had a number of them, including a big hit in Twist and Shout. Ringo also had a couple of covers that went to #1 and #5. If those count, then Got my Mind set on You should as well. Count for what?
|
|
Dr. T is an alien
Patti Mayonnaise
Knows when to hold them, knows when to fold them
I've been found out!
Posts: 31,353
|
Post by Dr. T is an alien on Dec 30, 2009 3:17:21 GMT -5
The Beatles did a lot more covers than one might think. A lot of their early albums had a number of them, including a big hit in Twist and Shout. Ringo also had a couple of covers that went to #1 and #5. If those count, then Got my Mind set on You should as well. Count for what? You disqualified it, but I think that it is a bit of a disservice to the performance. The original song was nowhere as good as successful (or as good in my opinion) as Harrison's version.
|
|