The Beatles 20 to 1 (non singles)

Remove this Banner Ad

The Dawes

Premiership Player
Feb 19, 2008
4,737
4,428
Punxutawney
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Liverpool FC, Notts County FC,
It ain't easy, but i'll have a crack at it!

Album tracks only, no A's or B sides.

1. A Day In The Life
2. She Said, She Said
3. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
4. I'm Only Sleeping
5. You're Going To Lose That Girl
6. In My Life
7. Tomorrow Never Knows
8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
9. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
10. Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds
11. For No One
12. Back In The USSR
13. Glass Onion
14. And Your Bird Can Sing
15. Hey Bulldog
16. Across the Universe
17. I Saw Her Standing There
18. It Won't Be Long
19. Any Time At All
20. Drive My Car

great to see some love for Hey Bulldog - vastly underrated song. Got To Get You Into My Life another that's not got too many mentions..... chuck in Doctor Robert & Good Day Sunshine too - well basically all of Revolver.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

JimDocker

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 16, 2007
5,981
3,433
Fremantle
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
Doncaster Rovers, Boston Celtics
Great list. I have played the entire catalogue of The Beatles for the last 2 weeks whenever I have been in the car. I did not know that so many of those were not singles. I'm not going to judge the list one way or another. Agree 100% with number 1 though !
 
Just a Roughie 23 ...... inc three bonus tracks

1 Across the Universe.
2 Golden Slumbers / The End
3 Two of Us
4 I Want You / She's So Heavy [seeing Jack Johnson kill it in concert reminded me how great it is]
5 Julia
5a Things We Said Today
Rock and Roll Music [Wiki says not a UK single ...... same with a few of their early ones??? :huh: ]
6 I've Just Seen a Face
7 Taxman
8 Your Mother Should Know
9 Helter Skelter
10 Rev # 9 mwahaha
11 A Day In The Life. [oops should be higher]
11a Getting Better
12 Good Morning
12a Magical Mystery Tour [there were heaps of EPs, would have to go through them all to see what wasn't released as a single if they are to be included]
13 Nowhere Man
14 Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds
15 Michelle
The Long and Winding Road
16 If I Fell
17 Got To Get You Into My Life [Cliff Bennett's version also brill]
18 With A Little Help From My Friends
19 Lovely Rita
20 Long Long Long
21 "Roll Over Beethoven"
22 I Saw Her Standing There
23 Eight Days A Week

Dunno what I was thinking with those crossed out ones
 
Last edited:
Mar 18, 2013
14,503
30,848
Melbourne
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
University
4.
Michelle (1965, Rubber Soul)

The Beatles won only four Grammy awards while they were together and this ballad won Song of the Year. In France this song went to number 1, and the French verse has become a mondegreen, often misheard as "Sunday monkey won't play piano song.”

1965 must have been a good year for bass solos, with Paul taking charge here, and there’s also John Entwistle’s effort on My Generation. I struggled hard to find a decent version of Michelle online, but all Beatles fans know how good the original sounds anyway. When I typed “Michelle The Beatles” into Google, this clip came up. I don’t know whether the singer is being serious or whether they are attempting a bizarre troll by deliberately putting out a terrible version of this classic. It has more dislikes than likes, but if you can tolerate even half the song, you may get a few laughs.



One of my mate’s Mum’s name is Michelle so another buddy and I always play it out loud or sing it to take the piss. Classic song.

Across The Universe and With A Little Help From My Friends are my favourite non-singles. The former is just beautiful to listen to.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Mar 13, 2015
8,291
7,754
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
The White Album anniversary edition is out in a few weeks!!
I Wanted to post my favourite Beatles interviews, with context!!

Paul McCartney 1980, he is tired and honest here, he'd been through a year of really tough times, but had released a record at the time..


John Lennon in 1975, what a cool guy!


This is my favourite, Ringo and George in 1988, hilarious!
 
The White Album anniversary edition is out in a few weeks!!
I Wanted to post my favourite Beatles interviews, with context!!

Paul McCartney 1980, he is tired and honest here, he'd been through a year of really tough times, but had released a record at the time..


John Lennon in 1975, what a cool guy!


This is my favourite, Ringo and George in 1988, hilarious!

Yay look forward to the White Album :thumbsu:
 
Mar 13, 2015
8,291
7,754
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
The White Album for me, is just the perfect album to escape to. It basically invented the first real modern sounding rock record, in my opinion. It still sounds fresh and not many albums from the 1960s you can say that, even Sgt Peppers sounds dated to me. The White Album just always sounds fresh and new and mint.
 
Mar 21, 2016
73,603
116,339
Down South Corvus Tristis
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Sturt, White Sox
The White Album for me, is just the perfect album to escape to. It basically invented the first real modern sounding rock record, in my opinion. It still sounds fresh and not many albums from the 1960s you can say that, even Sgt Peppers sounds dated to me. The White Album just always sounds fresh and new and mint.
It comes across as a jam session of 4 individuals that somehow works. There is no over-arching theme apart from freneticism and experimentation. To me , apart from George Martins involvement, it sounds very guitar oriented
 
Mar 13, 2015
8,291
7,754
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
It comes across as a jam session of 4 individuals that somehow works. There is no over-arching theme apart from freneticism and experimentation. To me , apart from George Martins involvement, it sounds very guitar oriented

I thought this too for a while, but my attention span could never get through it, but over the last few years I can just hear the layers and the effort in each track and i think the songs from Paul and John are some of their coolest blues/rock attempts. For instance. Helter Skelter and Back in the USSR was the beginning of modern rock and punk rock. Hardly any mainstream bands before Helter had what you would call an endless fast bass groove riff in that style, John came up with that part, which was innovative if not accidental. The song itself is arguably the beginning of punk/rock in some ways. Revolution is slowed down, but the confidence in that song is evident, they knew it was good. Then you have Piggies, Sexy Sadie, on and on it goes. Every song is great and cool and fresh.

Abbey Road has that too and it's very difficult for me deciding what i like best out of Sgt Peppers, White Album and Abbey Road. I go for the White Album because it's not consciously trying to create a great album, it's just the band being 100% relaxed and throwing together a double album that somehow loosely works on some level. It's the only album that doesn't sound like it's clearly a 60s sounding record to me, that's why it stays with me for a bit longer in a timeless sense. It's the album i would imagine them doing in 1987 with the reunion LP had that been possible and it's an album that sounds like it could have been made in any decade since it was released. A new band could make The White Album, and you'd think, "Oh yeh, that's a great new album by this band".
 
Last edited:

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Mar 13, 2015
8,291
7,754
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
Love this!
Nearing the end of the Beatles era in the studio, them listening back to "Get Back", must have been weird because their last 5 albums were genuine classics and they knew this would be the last of the string of albums for a while.
note: Firstly it shows people they were a normal bunch of music fans themselves and cool cats! It removes the immortal aura surrounding the guys a little bit and shows them being nerdy and normal.
secondly, it reminds you that it wasn't really that long ago, in terms of relative time, it may seem like a long time ago, but this video proves that it wasn't really that long ago. I think John is playing a handheld monotron, maybe a korg.

 
Last edited:
Mar 21, 2016
73,603
116,339
Down South Corvus Tristis
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Sturt, White Sox
I actually have a website ranking that deals with this very question!

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/stingbitten/unreleased-beatles-songs-that-should-have-been-hits/

Let me know what you think.
Thanks. Across the Universe at 2 I can be happy with

The irony is I thought most of those had been released as singles. Shows how much they infiltrated the mind. I did listen to a lot of albums so I got to know the songs anyway

One song I like is Mr Moonlight but its far from their 'pop craft' that I'm not sure of how it would be received. Maybe in a different time the press officer could put out advance notice that they were returning to their roots instead of using them as album fillers. Johns voice on Mr Moonlight also highlights the point you made about Oh Darling
 

StingBitten

The Midland Steal
May 31, 2012
6,717
13,170
Bayswater
AFL Club
Fremantle
Thanks. Across the Universe at 2 I can be happy with

The irony is I thought most of those had been released as singles. Shows how much they infiltrated the mind. I did listen to a lot of albums so I got to know the songs anyway

One song I like is Mr Moonlight but its far from their 'pop craft' that I'm not sure of how it would be received. Maybe in a different time the press officer could put out advance notice that they were returning to their roots instead of using them as album fillers. Johns voice on Mr Moonlight also highlights the point you made about Oh Darling

Thanks.

From what I understand the radio stations began playing a lot of Beatles album songs (non-singles) after Sgt Pepper was released - the album changed the face of the planet and didn’t have an official single.

Following that songs off the White Album got a lot of radio play; ie Helter Skelter, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (unfortunately), and off Abbey Road ‘Here Comes the Sun’ was played so often that people actually thought it topped the charts.

To this day I feel George was robbed in never having an A-side release (Something was the B-side or flip Double-A).

I also have ranked every Beatles song, every album and individual songs of each singer if anyone’s interested.
 

worbod

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 26, 2008
5,878
7,506
Bendigo
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Other Teams
Liverpool
I actually have a website ranking that deals with this very question!

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/stingbitten/unreleased-beatles-songs-that-should-have-been-hits/

Let me know what you think.

A very comprehensive website. You could well be the Mark Lewisohn of Australia.


I was interested in your opinion about Helter Skelter. You have written: The one time Paul got hard-rock right in the Beatles - 'Helter Skelter' has all the Manson connotations but in my opinion it's more ferocious than some of the other heavy metal tracks of the time. I think this song would have fit just as snugly in the 'Easy Rider' soundtrack alongside Steppenwolf.

Firstly, do you consider I'm Down to be a hard rock Beatles song of Paul's? Is there something about it you do not like?
What hard rock songs of John's in the Beatles do you appreciate?
Do you consider Taxman a hard rock song?
I feel the 1976 Beatles Rock and Roll compilation album could have included better hard rocking songs, do you agree? I do not mind that the album included cover versions, but I do not see Matchbox, Slow Down, as well as Got to Get You Into My Life and Anytime At All as hard rock songs.
What other heavy metal tracks of the time do you rank along side Helter Skelter?
 

StingBitten

The Midland Steal
May 31, 2012
6,717
13,170
Bayswater
AFL Club
Fremantle
A very comprehensive website. You could well be the Mark Lewisohn of Australia.


I was interested in your opinion about Helter Skelter. You have written: The one time Paul got hard-rock right in the Beatles - 'Helter Skelter' has all the Manson connotations but in my opinion it's more ferocious than some of the other heavy metal tracks of the time. I think this song would have fit just as snugly in the 'Easy Rider' soundtrack alongside Steppenwolf.

Firstly, do you consider I'm Down to be a hard rock Beatles song of Paul's? Is there something about it you do not like?
What hard rock songs of John's in the Beatles do you appreciate?
Do you consider Taxman a hard rock song?
I feel the 1976 Beatles Rock and Roll compilation album could have included better hard rocking songs, do you agree? I do not mind that the album included cover versions, but I do not see Matchbox, Slow Down, as well as Got to Get You Into My Life and Anytime At All as hard rock songs.
What other heavy metal tracks of the time do you rank along side Helter Skelter?

Sorry just got to this, please give me some time and I’ll get back to you!
 
Mar 13, 2015
8,291
7,754
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
It only has Manson connations if you let it, I think it's better to remember that 99% of the millions of fans understand that it was intended to be a great song and it can still remain that way. We don't know what other great songs have been associated with problematic things over the years and you don't have to let it get in the way of enjoying something pretty special. People love to troll the song but you can enjoy it 100% without that side of things effect something fun the band just wanted to try that was fresh. The song enjoyment is certified once the recording is finished. Anything else somebody else does is their problem and their issue, good or bad. The beatles made that song out of what started from a slow blues groove and the enjoyment of musicality. It starts and ends there.
 

StingBitten

The Midland Steal
May 31, 2012
6,717
13,170
Bayswater
AFL Club
Fremantle
A very comprehensive website. You could well be the Mark Lewisohn of Australia.


I was interested in your opinion about Helter Skelter. You have written: The one time Paul got hard-rock right in the Beatles - 'Helter Skelter' has all the Manson connotations but in my opinion it's more ferocious than some of the other heavy metal tracks of the time. I think this song would have fit just as snugly in the 'Easy Rider' soundtrack alongside Steppenwolf.

Firstly, do you consider I'm Down to be a hard rock Beatles song of Paul's? Is there something about it you do not like?
What hard rock songs of John's in the Beatles do you appreciate?
Do you consider Taxman a hard rock song?
I feel the 1976 Beatles Rock and Roll compilation album could have included better hard rocking songs, do you agree? I do not mind that the album included cover versions, but I do not see Matchbox, Slow Down, as well as Got to Get You Into My Life and Anytime At All as hard rock songs.
What other heavy metal tracks of the time do you rank along side Helter Skelter?

Firstly, do you consider I'm Down to be a hard rock Beatles song of Paul's? Is there something about it you do not like?
I do consider 'I'm Down' to be a pretty frantic rocking number by Paul, he probably delivers the song even better than 'Oh Darling!' due to his purer vocals at the time of release. The point of my chart was to work through unreleased songs that I felt would've been hits - technically 'I'm Down' was a single-release (B-side to 'Help') so it doesn't qualify for this exercise. I believe it charted at #101 in the United States. Could it have done better at release? Possibly, the rehashed 50's numbers (the song was inspired by Little Richard) were hit-and-miss in the 60's depending on the way they were engineered.

What hard rock songs of John's in the Beatles do you appreciate?
Obviously the classics like 'Twist and Shout' and 'Money' are great, and I really believe he was meant to sing 'Oh Darling!'. 'Rock and Roll Music' and 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy' are pretty tidy. 'Tomorrow Never Knows' is pretty heavy, especially due to Ringo's legendary drumming skills (his best next to 'Rain').

But the undisputed heavy John song is 'I Want You (She's So Heavy) on Abbey Road. It unfortunately gets missed amongst some other incredible songs on that album, but if you listen to the entire thing I'd say it even beats anything Led Zeppelin did at the time - not in the sense of 'heavyness' but doom-rock genius.

Do you consider Taxman a hard rock song?
It's pretty heavy, check out 'Dr Robert' - the riff isn't as heavy but it's a lot more aggressive. I think it's the stand out underrated riff on Revolver.

I feel the 1976 Beatles Rock and Roll compilation album could have included better hard rocking songs, do you agree? I do not mind that the album included cover versions, but I do not see Matchbox, Slow Down, as well as Got to Get You Into My Life and Anytime At All as hard rock songs.
I'm glad you've bought up Matchbox - this is one of the underrated Ringo tracks and even charted quite well when it was released in the US. I wouldn't hold 'Got to Get You' and 'Anytime At All' as hard-rock songs, that album is geared towards attracting a new (non-pop based) audience that would be lured by some of the Beatles heavier numbers.​
What other heavy metal tracks of the time do you rank along side Helter Skelter?
This is a tough question to answer as the transformations in music were enormous at that particular time. Consider that the White Album was released in November 1968, just 2 months later in January 1969 Led Zeppelin released their first album which featured extremely heavy numbers like 'Dazed and Confused', 'Babe, I've Gotta Leave You' and 'Communication Breakdown'. The world was scarcely ready for those songs. Steppenwolf featured prominently on 'Easy Rider' and people suggest 'Born to be Wild' as one of the first really heavy songs (the lyric 'Heavy Metal Thunder' fashioned the term 'Heavy Metal').

It would've been interested to see what direction the Beatles might've taken with heavy metal music - by late 1969 the band was finished, which was the Segway period that saw bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and many others enter the foray into heavy metal music. The Beatles clearly had the musical and vocal abilities, but we shall never know.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Back