THE TOPPERMOST OF THE POPPERMOST (Part Two)
And so, we continue with my favorite TEN Beatles songs (as of now, of course). Read Part 1 here.
4. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY SLEEPS
The White Album is probably my favorite Beatles LP (Abbey Road runs a close second) and there are numerous songs I adore on this fabulous double album (Back on the USSR, Dear Prudence, Martha My Dear etc etc etc) but if I had to choose just one as representative then it would have to be George Harrison’s seminal rock interpretation of the I Ching. The icing on the cake, is of course, Eric Clapton’s performance on lead guitar. That and the vibrato organ. Oooh!
5. GETTING BETTER
From the opening clipped guitar chords, the repetitive piano notes to the Indian tambura at the final verse, there is a driving drone evident throughout this powerful song. The contradiction in the chorus – “it can’t get no worse” (from Lennon) – is the Beatles at their humorous best. Sophisticated pop-rock that has seldom been bettered since. Heh!
6. TAXMAN
The Fab Four were constantly creatively curious, and with more time in the studio the band began to change the very concept of pop and rock music. Taxman opened the ground-breaking Revolver, George Harrison’s tirade against the kind of high taxes the likes of Beatles had to face. Musically, Paul McCartney’s contribution was stellar: a raga-influenced solo and a bass line that has been imitated ad nauseum ever since. John Lennon provided much of the backing vocal concepts including naming the two main political party leaders of the time viz Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. Memorable!
Stay tuned for Part 3.
