Controversial opinions

[Facing Addiction]

There are 2 types of people in the world: Those that divide people into 2 types and those that don't.

 

[Driver 8]

In the discussion of hotties on Gilligan's Island we should not pretend Lovey Howell isn't there
You've thought about it

 

[TheWalkingHorn]

We're a volleyball school.

 

[Dionysus]

We're a volleyball school.

As long as we're winning at vb?

 

[Garmel]

In the discussion of hotties on Gilligan's Island we should not pretend Lovey Howell isn't there
You've thought about it

 

[TheWalkingHorn]

As long as we're winning at vb?

 

[washparkhorn.2]

In the discussion of hotties on Gilligan's Island we should not pretend Lovey Howell isn't there
You've thought about it

I must admit - the older I get, the better Mrs. Howell looks.

 

[nashhorn]

Call me whatever but sure would have liked for at least one of those girls to show ‘Hookem’.

 

[horninchicago]

I must admit - the older I get, the better Mrs. Howell looks.

I challenge anyone to go back and find a better First Post.

 

[mchammer]

I must admit - the older I get, the better Mrs. Howell looks.

If you research most of the older movie actresses, they started out as hotties who were able to prolong their career into middle and old age.

 

[BevoJoe]

The April Fools thing is dumb

It's not a real holiday unless everyone get the day off with pay.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

In that case there are no holidays.

 

[Dionysus]

Jo Jo and Loretta still need to get back

 

[Mr. Deez]

Speaking of JoJo and Loretta, here's a controversial opinion. The Let It Be album (which has "Get Back") blows. I know people like it because of the title track and the fact that it was the last album the Beatles released (though not the last they recorded - that was Abbey Road, which was ten times better), but it was garbage.

 

[Monahorns]

Here's one. The Beatles ruined music.

 

[Dionysus]

Get Back has been stuck in my head lately. We recently watched Peter Jackson’s documentary by that name on Disney Plus. Apparently there was 60 hours of video shot in January 1969 with the Beatles in the studio that has never been published before. Pretty interesting doc if you like this kind of thing.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Speaking of JoJo and Loretta, here's a controversial opinion. The Let It Be album (which has "Get Back") blows.

I'll go you one better. ALL Beatles albums blow. Some just blow a little less than others.

 

[Mr. Deez]

I'll go you one better. ALL Beatles albums blow. Some just blow a little less than others.

I can smell the ******** of that opinion from across the pond.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Get Back has been stuck in my head lately. We recently watched Peter Jackson’s documentary by that name on Disney Plus. Apparently there was 60 hours of video shot in January 1969 with the Beatles in the studio that has never been published before. Pretty interesting doc if you like this kind of thing.

I haven't seen it, but my dad has. He says it was good and very interesting. The problem with the actual album is that they were rudderless at the time. Their manager (Brian Epstein) had died, and they were taking more control away from the producer who had put together their best work (George Martin). Since they had started Apple Records, I think they felt like they were the bosses and deserved to call the shots. That meant there was no one to channel their talents, keep their egos under control, maintain order and quality, etc. What was left was a bunch of crap that had to be shelved until Phil Spector could comb through it all and pull together a mediocre product and called it an album.

Of course after Let It Be for shelved, McCartney grovelled to George Martin and asked him to produce their next album the way he used to. He agreed, and that's why Abbey Road was a masterpiece, while Let It Be was mediocre.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

I can smell the ******** of that opinion from across the pond.

Nope. I don't like the Beatles. Overhyped, overplayed, and I am beyond sick of hearing about them.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Nope. I don't like the Beatles. Overhyped, overplayed, and I am beyond sick of hearing about them.

Just out of curiosity, who are your favorite bands?

 

[Monahorns]

Just out of curiosity, who are your favorite bands?

You didn't ask me and they aren't my favorite but The Who is the best of that era. I consider Led Zeppelin as just outside that era, but also much better. Just to compare similar a similar timeframe. Oh and Jimi Hendrix.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Judging music is inherently subjective, so I'm not going to crap on your opinions even if I disagree to a point on the direct comparison to the Beatles. Besides, I also like the bands you mentioned and consider them to be among the greatest ever.

The Who is the best of that era.

Which era? The reason I ask is that pop music was changing so fast back then. Music from 1963 sounded very different from music from 2 years later and wildly different from music 4 years later. The Who did some great music, but most of it was after the Beatles had broken up. If you're comparing them in the same timeframe, when the Who was doing "My Generation," the Beatles were doing Rubber Soul. Much better, IMO. When the Who was doing "Magic Bus" and "I Can See for Miles," the Beatles had already done Revolver (which was their best work) and were doing Sgt. Pepper.

What I think gets lost here is that the Who and many others who were great (including the Yardbirds, who became Led Zeppelin) were British Invasion bands, and the Beatles led the Invasion. I'm not saying those groups ripped off the Beatles, though they were certainly influenced by them. I'm saying that the Beatles were the leaders who opened the doors. The Who and the Yardbirds were followers who walked through them.

I consider Led Zeppelin as just outside that era, but also much better.

Overall, I would put Led Zeppelin ahead. Again, the timing makes a big difference. Personally, I consider the Beatles the greatest of the '60s. I consider Led Zeppelin to be the greatest of the '70s. If we control for the eras, I probably have a slight preference for the Beatles best work. However, I have to balance that against the fact that Zeppelin put out great work much longer. Furthermore, Jimmy Page was doing some pretty awesome material with the Yardbirds beforehand and even as a no-name studio musician before that. The guy really has had an incredible career. The individual Beatles did some decent solo work after the breakup, but Jimmy Page's pre-Zeppelin work was better.

Jimi Hendrix.

Great artist, but I consider it a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. I don't consider the Beatles to be a competitor of Jimmy Hendrix. Honestly, I'm not sure he had many competitors. Obviously, he had his influences and imitators like any other artists, but he was sorta in his own class. Of course, countless were influenced by by him after he was gone.

 

[Dionysus]

The problem with the actual album is that they were rudderless at the time. Their manager (Brian Epstein) had died, and they were taking more control away from the producer who had put together their best work (George Martin). Since they had started Apple Records, I think they felt like they were the bosses and deserved to call the shots.

There were some scenes where the guys were actually discussing this — Paul being bossy, George quit for a few days, wondering who is going to make certain decisions, etc. There didn’t seem to be animosity or anger about it, at least not in these scenes, but they were no doubt aware of the changed dynamic.

A few other observations and (perhaps controversial) opinions from the show:

~ John is a goof, very animated and funny. It was sad knowing that a “fan” would take his life just 11 years hence.
~ Paul is the great creative force. Maybe everyone knew that already, I didn’t. John and George are very talented of course but Paul is The Man. Riffs and melodies just seemed to pour out of him.
~ Yoko needs to be silent. Or absent. Sometimes she starts howling into a mic like a wounded hyena and I was just hoping that she would be escorted from the room.
~ Ringo seems happy just to be there playing drums, maybe tickle the piano once in a while. He didn’t say much. I got the impression that he doesn’t easily stress.
~ Linda is hanging around some and taking photos. I didn’t know that she was such an accomplished photographer (lindamccartney.com).
~ Those late 60s fashions! They wore it as well an anyone though.

 

[Mr. Deez]

There were some scenes where the guys were actually discussing this — Paul being bossy, George quit for a few days, wondering who is going to make certain decisions, etc. There didn’t seem to be animosity or anger about it, at least not in these scenes, but they were no doubt aware of the changed dynamic.

That's consistent with what my dad told me. Paul was bossy - seemed to be trying to step into a leadership role that the rest of the band didn't accept or recognize. In previous projects, Martin could have stepped in and kept this under control. It's easy to forget how young the Beatles were at the time. They weren't children, but they were still young men who needed leadership but had the money and success to force themselves into be "in charge."

~ John is a goof, very animated and funny. It was sad knowing that a “fan” would take his life just 11 years hence.

Very sad. I was only 4 when he was killed, but I remember my mom being very upset.

~ Paul is the great creative force. Maybe everyone knew that already, I didn’t. John and George are very talented of course but Paul is The Man. Riffs and melodies just seemed to pour out of him.

He was an immense creative force. All you have to do is look at songs like "Yesterday," "Eleanor Rigby," "Penny Lane," and many others. His songs presented big departures from what the band was previously recording. He was the one who took them to the next levels - similar to what Brian Wilson did for the Beach Boys. It isn't that he the only one who did that, but he did it the most often.

I think Harrison was an underutilized resource. They only gave him two tracks per album most of the time, but he generally took full advantage of them. He went a little too far with the Maharishi crap and the sitar music in '67 and '68, but by Abbey Road, he was making some of their best stuff ("Something" and "Hear Comes the Sun" and his guitar work on that album was outstanding). Had they not broken up, I think he would have become a more dominant force in the group in the '70s.

~ Yoko needs to be silent. Or absent. Sometimes she starts howling into a mic like a wounded hyena and I was just hoping that she would be escorted from the room.

Again, this is something that I think Martin would have shutdown had he had the authority he had previously. If they brought weird chicks into the studio who were disruptive, he would have shut that crap down. I'm sure John knew how ridiculous she was but he was in his 20s and "bootie blind" like most of us would have been (though not necessarily for her since she looked like a black-haired Cousin It).

~ Ringo seems happy just to be there playing drums, maybe tickle the piano once in a while. He didn’t say much. I got the impression that he doesn’t easily stress.

Yep. George was often called the "Quiet Beatle," because John and Paul were the catterboxes in media appearances, but Ringo was the quieter personality in private. He was also the last member to join (after Pete Best got canned), so he may have felt somewhat subordinate to the rest.

~ Linda is hanging around some and taking photos. I didn’t know that she was such an accomplished photographer (lindamccartney.com).

People crap on her because she got at least some blame for the Beatles breaking up and was pretty superfluous when Paul worked her into his later band (and frankly, because some thought Paul could have gotten a more attractive wife), but she was a decent woman. And you're right. She was a very successful photographer for some major publications before she ever met Paul. She wasn't just some chick off the street latching onto a famous rock star.

~ Those late 60s fashions! They wore it as well an anyone though.

I can't even imagine people dressing like that, and it wasn't just bands. I've seen pictures of my parents from back then (when they lived in San Francisco Bay Area), and they looked completely ridiculous. And they weren't even big hippies. That was just the style back then.

 

[Horn6721]

Linda was also an Eastman of KODAK Eastman money

 

[Dionysus]

she looked like a black-haired Cousin It

The savage precision of this cracked me up

re Linda: maybe I’m in the minority but I think she is so pretty in this film

 

[nashhorn]

La la la la lovely Linda

 

[Chop]

I haven't seen it, but my dad has. He says it was good and very interesting. The problem with the actual album is that they were rudderless at the time. Their manager (Brian Epstein) had died, and they were taking more control away from the producer who had put together their best work (George Martin). Since they had started Apple Records, I think they felt like they were the bosses and deserved to call the shots. That meant there was no one to channel their talents, keep their egos under control, maintain order and quality, etc. What was left was a bunch of crap that had to be shelved until Phil Spector could comb through it all and pull together a mediocre product and called it an album.

Of course after Let It Be for shelved, McCartney grovelled to George Martin and asked him to produce their next album the way he used to. He agreed, and that's why Abbey Road was a masterpiece, while Let It Be was mediocre.

As you can gather from the Let It Be series, Mal (Malcolm) Evans was the glue held that band together. What a great man. Tragically killed by the LAPD. More irony—Mal Evans had previously received a badge as an honorary Los Angeles County Sheriff. Really huge drunk man walking around his house with a gun (air gun) when the cops were called = tragedy. Got his start as the bouncer at the Cavern pub in Liverpool.

See him post-Beatles playing tambourine for John Lennon in the Instant Karma song video.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Linda was also an Eastman of KODAK Eastman money

I used to think that, but it's an urban legend. Her family was Jewish and changed their name to Eastman. Different family from the Kodak folks.