soundtrack to my life, Vol. VII
Revolution - "The Beatles"
Beatles vs. Stones. The perennial question: who was better?
Both great bands. But the Beatles were better. Much better. Not only that, they were tougher. Most Stones fans labor under the delusion that the lore surrounding the Stones, the wild stories and stage antics, make them the more badass band.
To those people: have you not heard John Lennon scream before?
John Lennon screamed loud. He screamed like he meant it. Listen to the desperate urgency in each "all right!" during the outro of "Revolution". And the scream over the intro riff at the beginning...good god! (NOTE: there is some question as to whether Paul actually did the intro scream, since he performed it live. No matter...he screamed better than any Stone as well). Mick did not and could not have screamed like that. So, even though the Beatles were much poppier than the Stones, even though they never penned a tune that captured the sexual energy of a generation as well "Satisfaction", they had more balls.
So clearly is this the case that I'm overlooking the political overtones of one of the greatest wartime songs ever written, a scorching distorted guitar intro that could probably melt steel, and an unforgettable chorus, to focus merely on the screams of the lead singer. This certainly isn't the sole reason I prefer the Beatles to the Stones. I could list 100 reasons, but so much has been said about the Beatles already, as a musical group and cultural phenomenon. What can one say that hasn't already been said? The lore surrounding the fab four has become almost apocryphal, elevating them to iconic status. Their greatness, at this point, is all but assumed, accepted as a nearly incontrovertible fact. They have become the face of rock n' roll, the yardstick against which all other bands are measured. Their sheer ubiquitousness makes them annoying to some people.
And, somehow, to me, it's still difficult to overstate the importance of the Beatles. They really were that good.
Beatles vs. Stones. The perennial question: who was better?
Both great bands. But the Beatles were better. Much better. Not only that, they were tougher. Most Stones fans labor under the delusion that the lore surrounding the Stones, the wild stories and stage antics, make them the more badass band.
To those people: have you not heard John Lennon scream before?
John Lennon screamed loud. He screamed like he meant it. Listen to the desperate urgency in each "all right!" during the outro of "Revolution". And the scream over the intro riff at the beginning...good god! (NOTE: there is some question as to whether Paul actually did the intro scream, since he performed it live. No matter...he screamed better than any Stone as well). Mick did not and could not have screamed like that. So, even though the Beatles were much poppier than the Stones, even though they never penned a tune that captured the sexual energy of a generation as well "Satisfaction", they had more balls.
So clearly is this the case that I'm overlooking the political overtones of one of the greatest wartime songs ever written, a scorching distorted guitar intro that could probably melt steel, and an unforgettable chorus, to focus merely on the screams of the lead singer. This certainly isn't the sole reason I prefer the Beatles to the Stones. I could list 100 reasons, but so much has been said about the Beatles already, as a musical group and cultural phenomenon. What can one say that hasn't already been said? The lore surrounding the fab four has become almost apocryphal, elevating them to iconic status. Their greatness, at this point, is all but assumed, accepted as a nearly incontrovertible fact. They have become the face of rock n' roll, the yardstick against which all other bands are measured. Their sheer ubiquitousness makes them annoying to some people.
And, somehow, to me, it's still difficult to overstate the importance of the Beatles. They really were that good.
posted by Pj at 3:30 AM
1 Comments:
Revolution is by far my favorite Beatles song, if for no other reason that the pure energy and emotion that exudes from the guitars and well, from Lennon/McCartney as well.
Best memory of this song ever: Being in 8th grade and hearing a bunch of 13 and 14 year old boys attempt to hit the high notes for a class project in history. Classic. :)
-Jaime
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