Happy to see there are 8 other musical geniuses who placed "Back To The Egg" as their favorite. It was overlooked due to the massive disco surge when it was released. But it is powerful.
Yes, I'm one of the other geniuses who wrote on "Back To The Egg". To me, his last original, group effort album with rock overtones. Great classic flow and style. Last album with Denny and that real band feel.
Sad that it was the final Wings album. "Getting Closer" has been one of my favorite solo Paul songs. Maybe by this point, Paul was getting tired of trying to keep Wings together. Back To The Egg featured the fourth version of Wings, with Lawrence Juber and Steve Holley replacing Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English, who both left the group in 1978.
@@robertzastrow4648 - The ending of "Getting Closer" is one of my favorite jams of all-time. So uplifting and yet so sad at the same time. Nothing else quite like it.
you're an exceptional journalist, Matt. Beyond anything 'Rolling Stone' could aspire to, and a testament to all good things the new media can offer. We're so lucky to have this channel. Ty
I voted for All Things Must Pass as my number 1 solo Beatles album but it is not because of Phil Spector's over producing. I hate that. It's because of Harrison's song construction/creativity. The youngest Beatle with a Huge post Beatles LP! Outstanding it was and is!!!
As a 12-year-old kid, my Dad bought both "Plastic Ono Band" and "All Things Must Pass" when both albums came out. I listened to both quite a lot. I developed an opinion that most of ATMP was great and rejected a few filler parts ("It's Johnny's Birthday" ). Plastic Ono Band also great. Later as the seventies turned into the eighties, I listened to other solo Beatles albums from all four and never found anything of the quality of those two albums.
Several years ago I gave all of my vinyl to some nieces and nephews. Probably over 200 albums including a pretty large collection of Beatles' albums and two John Lennon solo albums. However my copy of "Plastic Ono Band" was not among them. Not because I kept it. In the early 1980s I worked at a Nissan parts warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida. One of my buddies there was a HUGE John Lennon fan. Prior to my going into the Air Force in 1982 we had one more big bash at his apartment. I brought my copy of that album and gave it to him. Hopefully it still has a good 'home' with him or somebody else.
yeah "stuck inside a cloud"-excellent song. "brainwashed", for myself as well, is the beatles solo album i listen to the most. the production really fills out the songs and gives them a vitality that i enjoy very much.
Walls and Bridges! How could that not be in the top 3? Ringo’s 1973 “Ringo” lp is awesome too. All of The Beatles are on it and 3 great hits plus an excellent recording.
Matt. Just a quick note to let you know how much I appreciate all of the work that goes into this, and the effort necessary is fully acknowledged. I appreciate the channel and your work. Keep it up, please.
I thought your criteria was smart. So many of our favourite songs and albums rank high because of emotional attachments and the memories they revive. The criteria was an attempt to make us look at the albums objectively. However, sometimes emotion can't be ignored. To me, all the "filler" in All Things has become an essential part of the album. Conversely, I was consumed by Steely Dan during a bad period of my life, and when I came out of it, I couldn't listen to their music for 20 years. I'm glad you're such a fan of George -- my favourite solo Beatle -- but it's interesting how our tastes are different. I find Material World a brilliant album, and Cloud 9 mostly a Jeff Lynn wank-fest. Still, I enjoy hearing your take.
In my younger days I worked in four different record shops. Solo Beatles always sold well on vinyl, much more than on CD. If the shop ordered forty Flaming Pie CDs we also ordered 100 vinyl copies. You couldn't go wrong. That may be neither here nor there to many people but it happened every time. Beatle people like vinyl albums.
My all-time top McCartney albums: 1. Ram 2. Band On The Run 3. Chaos And Creation In The Backyard* 4. McCartney II *This is an amazing and extremely underrated or overlooked album. I love it so much.
I'm intrigued to see why you're not keen on Living in the Material World. By your criteria it's a very strong album. Hits - Give Me Love, Give Me Peace on Earth Strong songs - Try Some Buy Some, Living in the Material World, Be Here Now, Who Can See It Reach/impact - was a big seller at the time, artists like Bowie have covered tracks from it (I know he heard the Ronnie Spector version first) Cohesion and flow, and artisitc spiritual depth - yes the pace is mid tempo at best but the cohesion is spot on. This feels like a concept album for George's spritiual struggles, a real delve into his life and mind Definitely low to no filler. I think it has slightly gone under the radar since as it's a slow burn of an album that requies a few listens, and is probably best suited to certain moods (late night, contemplative etc) but it's a real honest work of art.
@@allanforrester2612 Agreed that Dark Horse is underrated. Yes George's voice is weak, which somewhat prevents it truly flying, but it's another great statement of his life. So Sad, Simply Shady, that weird mean Bye Bye Love and of course Dark Horse. It's not a great album, too flawed, but it is interesting, worth listening to and contains so much of interest and value.
Speaking of Ringo. He has a four(4) song EP due out October 13th called 'Rewind Forward'. By the way, his Fall Tour starts 9/19 and his All Starr Band is really great. Lots of videos on youtube of his spring tour posted. He sings 1/2 the tunes and the rest of the band play their songs. Edgar Winter's 'Frankenstein' steals the show. Check it out.
A lot of fun going over the results here Matt, as a data fanatic I find this analysis really fascinating! I was one of the McCartney II write-ins, haha. I said in my vote it's probably more infamous than beloved but I think there's a strong case for it's lasting influence and it being cohesive in its own unique way. Also worth considering that Wonderful Christmastime comes from these sessions and shares its distinct aesthetic, even if it's not directly on the album. I enjoy a lot of McCartney albums more than that one but I didn't think they really met the criteria. I love Back to the Egg but personally think the flow is off, I have my own modified tracklist I use. Same with Red Rose Speedway. Chaos and Creation is amazing but is too much of a hidden gem. Venus and Mars probably makes the most sense since it coincided with the Wings Over America tour and is just a great album. Outside of Macca, Cloud 9 absolutely makes the most sense for next in line on that list, even though it'd probably be in the middle of my personal George rankings. I also love Brainwashed, it's probably my second or third favorite George album!
5:19 Cloud 9 is literally my favorite 80s album. It helps that I have an 80s car (two 80s cars, actually) to listen to my cassette copy in and I like that period (mostly because Paul and George leaned me into the sound), but George was able to sprinkle the production of that period onto the record without it being overbearing. It's an 80s album, no doubt, with the Bob Clearmountain drums and early digital synths and such, but George was able to make it sound warm and not cheesy in a way that Paul and a lot of other contemporaries trying to stay relevant (**cough**The Moody Blues**cough**) could not. It helped I think that George was very adamant, until the end of his life, to stick with analog recording.
How about rating solo songs, using criteria of course. Maybe a double survey? An introductory video and we comment best solo songs in comments then use that for nominations. I think a good criteria to add for this is ‘legs’ via re-releases, remakes, remixes/remasters with new videos, or covers being hits.
Regardless of whichever solo Beatles albums are the "best", the ones which I most enjoy listening to from start to finish are (in order per artist) George - "George Harrison" , "Thirty-Three and a Third", "Living in the Material World", "Brainwashed", "Cloud Nine", " All Things Must Pass. " John - "Walls and Bridges", "Mind Games", " Imagine ", "Plastic Ono Band." Paul - "Flaming Pie", "Chaos and Creation", "Ram", "Driving Rain", Venus & Mars", "Driving Rain", "Tug of War", "Band On The Run". Ringo - "Ringo", "Time Takes Time" , "Goodnight Vienna", "Beaucoups Of Blues."
Oh Matt I can't wait for the Beach Boys video!! Some of these results are truly baffling to me. I'm a McCartney guy and always will be but as much as I adore the first McCartney album, I can't believe that it would be chosen over Venus and Mars. Would it still be chosen if it did not have Maybe I'm Amazed? Half of the album are demos or instrumentals made up on the spot! I have to say that's part of the charm of the album for me as well so I guess I understand why people picked it BUT I'm not sure if that album really meets the criteria half as much as albums like Venus and Mars, Back to the Egg, or even London Town. I love it all so I'm fine with most any Macca albums.... but I do wonder where the McCartney album would stand if Maybe I'm Amazed weren't on it. Great choices that everyone picked and considering Venus and Mars is my favorite McCartney album, barely ahead of Ram, I'm at least glad that it made the top 4 for Paul. Also nice to see Walls and Bridges get some love. Great album and totally underrated.
Thanks for the feedback. Very good points on McCartney vs Venus. I think some of what is on McCartney I is a joke. I guess if you grew up with it, you love it? I grew up with a couple of Archies albums but I don't try to pass them off on any "the best" lists.
Great topic. There’s a lot of quality in the solo music. Ram is probably my favorite of all but I do love All Things Must Pass and Wall and Bridges. Mind Games is also a favorite especially after the remix by Peter Cobbin in 2002. Thanks for putting this together and looking forward to your Beach Boys series.
I didn't participate in the survey, to be honest, I don't have a good knowledge of Paul and Ringo's solo works-tho I do still like Beaucoups of Blues-thank you for taking the time to do this-very interesting!
delighted to note Walls and Bridges is appreciated by way more than just moi! Smashing! It is the album John at last took the pains to get the sound he wanted or some such, to some degree at least. The wonderful muscularity and vivacity of the instrumentation, never stales and does indeed leave Macca's sound feeling ...well. Wingsians? Showing that the break up was a liberating event for the actually Beatles themselves, not the disaster it was absurdly represented as by the 'commentariat?' Matt continues to bring the standard of analysis/appreciation of the music to a standard it has long desperately required for any objective measure...my compliments and gratitude to you Matt and more importantly...Respects! I must get round to telling you of my near Betale encounters, as their absurdity and unexpected or unsought-ness might amuse lol must get the laundry done tho for now so you are spared my dear chap!!!
Thank you Johnny - those are very kinds words and I appreciate you recognizing my hard work. I really enjoy doing this. Your encounters are always welcome, but I fully understand that your laundry won't clean itself!
yeah, sorry to ramble...I'll try keep this as short as possible. @@popgoesthe60s52 Your 'Back To the Egg' mention took my egg back to the times-when I encountered to my astonishment, somebody involved in the recording of the very album you mention. I met him at his flat and was there to show him the material for the album we wanted him to produce to save me from self sabotage of being clueless behind the board. He had a guitar there he wanted me to demonstrate certain songs on in their more basic form to test quality and me and such. The guitar was a rehearsal guitar of Jimmy Mculloch, by then ex of wings. he had kept hold of for sentimental reasons. Pals and such. I enjoyed the antidotes and tapes he played us 'from the studio floor' from the album sessions. Very very interesting, to say the least and some most unexpected insights into a certain ex Beatle. I was naively shocked I must confess. Enjoying the Kessler Lennon series by the way. Smashing!!
Love the comment mentioned at 18:29 which criticizes but offers no suggestions. Interesting survey results...thanks for sharing. Glad that "Ram" did well as I was very late in my appreciation for that LP (last ten years or so).
Some very interesting survey results, some that I guessed before I started the video, and some that were a bit of a surprise to me! Interesting and thought-provoking as always! 🌼
Their early solo stuff is the most cutting edge and vital. Paul proving he could make music on his own with a home tape recorder for "McCartney." John expunging the Beatles myth and his personal demons on "Plastic Ono Band." George pouring out his suppressed song catalog and love of the Lord on "All Things Must Pass." After that, a lot of it, unfortunately, came out as musical wallpaper.
The early Beatle solo efforts really stood out to me, too. I'm a big fan of the McCartney debut, but didn't really care for a lot of what came after. Of course some of Paul's later stuff is excellent, but he was never able to exceed the gritty and original sound of his first album.
I enjoyed this one. My vote was Wings at the Speed of Sound. Not my personal favorite, but I picked it due to the criteria laid out by Matt: It was a big deal because of the historic 1976 tour of Wings, and it was a big album commercially. Although it's less creative than other Wings albums, it's also a decent album that flows pretty smoothly, has a enjoyable mix of songs, and it contains two massive hits, one of which has really endured (Silly Love Songs). I thought about picking Double Fantasy: I actually dislike it, but it's a massive and historic album both due to John's comeback and John's death. It has massive and enduring hits, and the concept-album nature and the track order with the John/Yoko back-and-forth give it a depth and a call-and-respond flow. It's a very thought-out album. Unfortunately, it's not an enjoyable one, unless you like Yoko's musical work. The best song to my ears is I'm Losing You.
Birthday Greetings Matt, Hope all is good with you, and your wife is doing very well. - I enjoyed doing this survey,it was very well done and very original👍 cant think of anyone doing this before on TH-cam- alot of fun!!! Thanks and best wishes ✌️
I'd say Walls and Bridges i 0:02 albums to listen to all the way through, especially as there is a rare track, Surprise Surprise, where he sounds genuinely happy. Bless You is a genuinely moving and reflective song about his relationship with Yoko, lacking the self-abasement he often brought to such songs, and #9 Dream is sublime. Altogether lacking in the preachiness that, for me, disfigures Imagine, or the aimlessness that is a feature of Mind Games. Having said that, John did definitely have his mojo back by 1980, and I think would have gone on to greater heights.
69 year old Beetle freak here. Cannot believe red-rose Speedways ranking. I've always thought red rose Speedway could be thought of as McCartney's best album not a week song on it. Genius melodies. Genius vocals. A bit of a shock.
Hey Keith! I must confess, Speedway is an album I really dislike. I only like Big Barn Bed and My Love. The rest I simply can't listen to, especially that medley. Different strokes for different folks!
Thanks for responding. Love your channel. I know I'm an outlier on Red Rose. I've always been a sucker for sweet pop. Carpenters, etc. But I still think it's a great album. Like you said, " Different strokes......"@@popgoesthe60s52
Matt- nice review of the results. I would only mention the following; Ringo is hard to vote for when you consider that a major portion of the songs were written and produced by other Beatles. It is kind of like voting against the same Beatle in a sense. The other is the All Things Must Pass album. The only double album in the group, and thus has an opportunity to have more hits and better songs than the standard album. That said, it has an incredible amount of filler, especially if you include all the studio gibberish. I took it down many notches as a result of that, because a good album should be strong from start to finish. Thanks for doing the survey. Nice work on your channel.
Count me as a big supporter of the proposed production/arrangement criterion. This is why the Grammys have separate Song of the Year and Record of the Year categories. And the Beatles were master arrangers. Take a track like “Drive My Car.” None of those great parts - like the bass and guitar riff in the verse and the repeated piano fill in the chorus - were inherent to the song. Or Paul’s Lowrey organ part in “Lucy in the Sky.” Or how Paul radically changed the arrangement of “Come Together,” with the swampy feel and bass hook. And forget about “Strawberry Fields” without factoring in the production and arrangement. Even the choice to leave a song like “Julia” bare bones is an arrangement choice. I see the song as the Esher demo and the production-arrangement-song combo as what appears on the album.
Now I want to hear your review of Living in the Material World. Enjoyed the survey results and glad to see Chaos and Creation in the backyard getting some write in votes.
Thanks Matt. As an avid Lennon/McCartney fan, I think I’ve listened to all of their solo albums and not quite every track of George’s solo work, but I’ve never bothered to check out Beaucoup of Blues or Time Takes Time. Can’t wait to give them a listen.
Sorry Matt, I know you’re not really too impressed with ATMP by George, but it’s my fav solo Beatle album. You made many valid points criticizing ATMP that make me rethink the quality, but I still think that it’s George’s finest album. I’m more on the spiritual side too, plus I don’t get tired of the slide guitar. Thanks for doing this.
Hey jb, I did do a fair amount of praising All Things Must Pass as well and called it perhaps the best solo LP. But there was certainly room for criticism. Thanks for the comments!
George Harrison’s self titled album I think only went gold but “blow away” was all over the radio although it was only top 20. It is one of the most ubiquitous songs of the late 70s when it comes to radio airplay
I believe Blow Away hit #2 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, which speaks volumes about the type of music he was making by then. I think it's his best solo single.
Loved this poll roundup Matt! And the results were pretty much what I figured would happen. A couple of our things here and there, but overall, this is pretty typical. Glad to see both Cloud 9 and Brainwashed get some love! Time Takes Time is my Ringo keeper! Cheers
I do enjoy these surveys and it would seem that this one was particularly difficult for most fans and on another we would probably have voted slightly differently. I have suggestion for another survey. As an older Beatles fan, I'm 68, I am continually surprised to find that younger people are Beatles fans too. I would like to know the age range of people here and what their preferences are, particularly with McCartney's solo output, do they like his newer material? How many older people buy the box sets as opposed to younger fans?
I would love to tackle that topic and I've been trying to figure out the youth demographic of the Beatles/solo. My initial observation is that social media makes the younger demographics of Beatle fans seem larger than they actually are. In other words, the Beatles are merely a niche for the multiple generations 13 - age 30. I do have some data but I need more in order to do a proper video. Good suggestion!
My top 15: 15. George Harrison-Extra Texture (Read All About It) (1975) 14. John Lennon-John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band (1970) 13. Paul McCartney-Red Rose Speedway (1973) 12. George Harrison-George Harrison (1979) 11. John Lennon-Imagine (1971) 10. Paul McCartney-Venus and Mars (1975) 9. George Harrison-Living in the Material World (1973) 8. Paul McCartney-McCartney (1970) 7. John Lennon-Walls and Bridges (1974) 6. Paul McCartney-Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005) 5. Paul McCartney-Band on the Run (1973) 4. Paul McCartney-Flaming Pie (1997) 3. Paul McCartney-Ram (1971) 2. John Lennon-Double Fantasy (1980) 1. George Harrison-All Things Must Pass (1970)
Terry Tutor here...Do the flow thing with McCartney's albums ( we probably agree on that)...Also, please review "Living in the Material World"...I don"t like it either....This was very enjoyable...Peace and Love, Terry Tutor
Hi Matt. Wow, thanks for getting the results back to us quickly. :- ) I was genuinely surprised ATMP won, but it DID pass the criteria and you must have a lot of Harrison fans subscribing. To me, they really all won, and the results were determined by your followers who had an interest enough to take the poll and vote.
You have made me to go back to these. I am a big GH fan, so I have a few of his albums on my phone. I did download JLs W & Bs album, after listening to that after many years, I only really like a few tunes off of it, I liked his POB and Imagine much more etc. for MAC, I liked a lot of his tunes but not all the albums as a whole, I like the early stuff , His 1st , RRS, BOTR , Flaming Pie. London Town and BTHE have some cool tunes. Ringo I think was his best, with some decent tunes spread out thru the years. Keep it rolling.
In a way Im both sadden and privileged to be one of two that picked NEW as a write in answer. I personally feel it’s Paul last genuinely great album, probably should’ve stopped there. In retrospect I do probably prefer Venus And Mars or Speed Of Sound, but I still stand by NEW being a solid album for 2013. I was surprised that no one picked Wild Life, Pipes Of Peace or even Ringo’s Rotogravure, albums I personally have loved more and more with each listen. I also must admit Matt, at first I was a bit judgemental towards this whole idea of only 6 solid Beatles albums but now with the this survey’s conclusion, I actually like hearing both your and the fans opinions! It brings a very unique look at the solo catalogs. Plus seeing what fans felt were the runners up to the 6 actually paints a good picture of their most popular albums as a whole which I found really cool. Anyways, I had fun with this video. Thanks for doing the work you do for us viewers. Can’t wait to see the Beach Boys project! Cheers!
I think we should give Paul credit for producing pretty solid albums from the late 90s onwards, consistently. Of course he's not going to be setting new trends, nor could he be expected to. But with albums such as New and Egypt Station he is still writing and producing quality music. You can only do Band on the Run once! Anyway, he really has nothing left to prove.
Excellent Matt;, thank you! An album I really like that didn't meet your criteria, was the original rejected Somewhere In England by George. It's got great songs, and a much better flow than the eventual released version. Really loving these polls: thank you!
I like that you differentiate between your favorite & the best. For example I'd probably say Revolver is the best Beatles albums, however, Rubber Soul is my favorite. I've listened to RS more than any other Beatles albums. And while I know Sgt.Pepper is a very good album and massively important, there's about 4 maybe 5 albums I'd put in front of it as my favorites to listen to.
Thanks, Matt! I forgot about Wonderwall. It's interesting (to me) that I listen to that album on an iPod player as I fall asleep with the windows open and the crickets and cicadas singing along in the background. It's very summer-soothing. Weird, I know. Whatever.
A very good review of the survey. I don't think the criteria is too strict I just think the lists are going to be subjective. I'm really looking forward to the next video,
Because of the criteria some of my favourite Paul albums didn't make the cut! Chaos, Memory Almost Full and Egypt Station are strong to me despite two or three fillers on each album. I chose All Things Must Pass as the strongest solo album even though, like Plastic Ono band I don't play it that often. Because of the criteria anything after 1989 no matter how good will never make a best solo Beatles album. Tug Of War with Ram are probably my most listened to Paul albums, John it will be Walls And Bridges and George Cloud Nine and self titled and no Ringo! It might be conceited of me but most of Paul's albums I could improve by either pruning or swapping in and out tracks from the sessions. On a more morbid subject would this exercise be different when Paul passes as I feel George's music overall seems to be more highly regarded since he died.
I was anxiously awaiting the results Matt, and was surprised ATMP topped the list (especially by that margin). For the criteria, it's hard to compare a 3-disk LP to single LP's. I was also (pleasantly) surprised for Ram being so closely tied with Imagine (as at the time it was pretty hated), as well as Walls & Bridges topping the write in's (as that was mine), which I didn't think would do that well at all, as at the time I remember it wasn't as well liked either (too MOR sort of reviews). Interesting results and probably a good gauge for you of the pulse of your subscribers. Thanks. Watching your Beach Boys video now. :- )
Matt, I realize I'm late to the game on this and I haven't watched the results video yet. I listened to your parameters and they are sound ones. However I think we all end up dissolving into a subjective POV. Mine boiled down to a single rule: If stuck ona desert island, which of the Beatles solo discs would you take? McCartney - One listen for the rest of eternity? Band On The Run Harrison - Tough. Probably ATMP, but I'm a sucker for 33&1/3 certain days along with Brainwashed. Lennon/Ringo - Neither has made a solo album that supports multiple listenings, so they are relegated to Greatest Hits. Lennon - Shaved Fish. Ringo - Photograph: TVBO I'll cross-post this to the results video as well. And as always, thanks for the great content.
I can't remember what my write-in list was. I do know that rushed through it, which was not a good idea. I just went back and watched the beginning of your last video and wrote down the seven categories of criteria that you mentioned. I now wish that you would do this poll all over again. This time, include the category of production/arrangement that one of your viewers mentioned. Also, give us an advance warning so we can actually make intelligent choices, because in my opinion, that would force us to go back and listen to these albums and see which ones meet one or more of the criteria that you mentioned. Next time, I will pay more attention.
Criteria subjective but important....I admire your respect. Criteria in my depth. IS hours. How many per album that I find I do? Have done? Did it make me joyous? Did it make me cry with emotion? I've listened more to Beatles and John Lennon more than George Harrison or Paul McCartney...not to mention Ringo...but one only has so many hours in a day for music. Plus...God knows...many other artists who command my attention and deservedly so. Dylan being one. Thank you for this "tour" of Viewers Votes.
Memory Almost Full is an excellent album and so is Egypt Station They are from 2007 and 2018 so they are relatively new and people may not be familiar with them. If you haven't listened to them check them out online. You are missing out if you haven't heard them. They are excellent.
My issue with Egypt Station is Fuh You, Not a top tier McCartney tune IMO I know that McCartney tried hard to make it a hit and wanting to be popular with the younger crowd but this is just bad.
@@erniericardo8140I agree that he did try a bit too hard to make Fuh You along with Come on to Me hits but one thing I'll add is that I saw him live during that period and Fuh You sounded really really awesome in concert.
I agree, Egypt Station is a very good album, and you can only object to Fuh You and Come On To Me if you take things too seriously, and/or expect every Macca song to be Hey Jude or Penny Lane. Not everything is meant to be a big artistic statement.
I love “Who Cares” & it’s fun video with Emma Stone as Paul the Hypnotherapist’s client. It’s on my fave pop rock playlist of songs of the last 35 years.
Well done on the survey Matt. I think all of us Beatles fans have our favorites between John, Paul George and Ringo and that makes it hard not to blur our objectivity.
7:30 I think George really flagged after Living In The Material World (really after ATMP) and the infamous Dark Hoarse tour didn't help. Thirty Three & 1/ॐ and George Harrison represented a comeback for him, creatively (the former rather than the later), but nobody wanted to know by that point, as you said.
I’m glad to see Walls and Bridges rank as highly as it did. It is very much deserving to be a top 10 album of the solo Beatles. It’s just validation that the masses consider it a great album. When you finally talk about the album, Matt (hopefully with John Heaton), I have a feeling I will disagree with most of your takes concerning that album
Strictly speaking it's not a solo album (though neither is Ram), but I'd put the first Traveling Wilburys album above everything other than ATMP and Band On The Run. I'd put Brainwashed and Cloud Nine up there too, at least above Imagine and probably above Ram too. I've never heard the Ringo album, so didn't think it right to do the survey.
I previously dismissed most of Lennon's solo career, minus Imagine, Plastic Ono and Double Fantasy until I bought his entire box set on album. They all contained some dogs, but in my opinion his stuff holds up the best. Mind Games and Walls and Bridges are really solid.
Thank you for this. What a great list.! Pretty amazing that John decided in August of 1980 to record a double fantasy and came up with the songs so quickly and then was assassinated in December
Although it's true that George Harrison had the last top 10 with Got My Mind Set On You, Paul McCartney came REALLY close with Find My Way in 2020 at #12 on the US hot R&B billboard.
Hey Matt, the only way to go next is the 10 top Beatles' solo singles! More fun for me would be in line with your upcoming Beach Boys episode, how about the Top 5 Beach Boys sounding songs? Back In The USSR? Back Seat Of My Car? Beach Baby? The Loco-Motion by Grand Funk Railroad? Could be very fun!
Not really related to your survey as such, but I didn't even buy Ram for well over a decade due to the negative reviews it received (when it was even mentioned at all) in solo Beatles album reviews in books like The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, etc. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, the Lennon Remembers and Shout! narratives were also so pervasive, and without much to balance them out, that I was very much a John Lennon fan. When the quality of biographies began to improve in the 1990s, and when I had more disposable income, I began to tentatively buy more McCartney and Harrison albums. I found Ram to be an absolute revelation. So much so, in fact, that it superseded Plastic Ono Band as my favourite Beatles solo album. All Things Must Pass, Band on the Run and Imagine are fine albums, but I'll now listen to them only occasionally, but Ram and POB are regular listens, with my second favourites being Mind Games and Flaming Pie. Edit: Apologies for writing a second comment here. I hadn't realised I'd already done so eight months ago. This comment at least fleshes out my original.
Hat tip to @alexnejako777 for mentioning "Take it Away"... probably the last McCartney single I really loved. I listened to it on my paper route when it was popular. I just listened to it again for the first time in forever and it totally held up. Enjoyable little tune
P.P.S me again sorry but I've just remembered an album not even mentioned on your whole page.Lennons classic 1972 " Sometime in new York" so great even Yoko couldn't f*** it up.
Matt, I really do appreciate that you try to separate objective from subjective with your criteria. Working in a record store in a small college town for over 35 years, I could not help but notice that college (and high school) students readily identified with certain sounds that were the soundtrack of those years of change. Meanwhile our older clientele often kept buying albums by the artists of their youth, but were more objective in their judgments. The daily grind of a job offered fewer aha moments and thus less emotional connection with the new purchases. Of course this is an exaggeration, but I'd bet that this is why some folks (including yours truly) value some music that is not as objectively good. I am not trying to denigrate other people's opinions, but your objectivity is especially appreciated in the sea of personal favorites. Although I would really like to see you do a show on your favorites just to see. And did I say another great job?
Great subject for the survey! My votes were almost identical to the final standings. Here's a idea for another survey: Best post-Beatles singles. Is there any song that is going to beat "Imagine"? "Photograph"? "My Sweet Lord"? "Live and Let Die"? Might be some interesting surprises there.
I've always really enjoyed George for his guitar playing and sound above all and i feel that he really peaked or was at his best as a guitarist on Living In The Material World. If your complaint with it is a lack of memorable songs you're right. It's not a hooky album by any stretch. And the lyrics get a bit preachy ("The leaders of nations are acting like little girls." Not exactly Crass is it ?) and in fact i prefer his raspy vocals on Dark Horse to his yowling sitar impressions on 'Living'. However i admit to being a sucker for what came to be called 'raga rock' and I think the album qualifies as a raga rock album. The music has depth and intricacy and i get something new out of it each time i listen. I need to find your review and hear what irked you about it. And ps I think Aja had absolutely perfect production. With Steely Dan slickness is a virtue.
It is the album I listened the most since the last 30 years. The fun McCartney had doing this album is contagious. His voice is at its peak, he does whatever he wants and because its Paul, it's always classy. And no fillers, (except maybe Eat at home that is just fine), just great songs, one after another.
I think Time Takes Time is a very good Album too. I was surprised Egypt Station got very few or no votes as I like that album to a degree, but I felt it went on too long with a lot of filler. I thought I Don't Know was a a beautiful ballad, that I play on the piano myself,which also adds to my point of view. I have bought almost all of the versions of All Things Must Pass, but have no problem at all with the original production. I listened to side one of Double Fantasy the day in came out in a music store and almost did not by it at all till i heard Women a week later on the radio in a car garage.
I think I would really love a discussion on Living in The Material World not my fav album either but if you were to find someone who loved it and tried to argue its merits it might be a good colab video. PS I love the surveys fantastic job from yourself and the community!!!!!
@@popgoesthe60s52 I love LITMW and I would gladly argue that it contains some of the deepest, most heartfelt and most beautiful songs that George ever created. There is nothing in the entire Beatles catalogue which even approaches "Be Here Now" for transcendent serenity. "Who Can See It" is the quintessence of George having the integrity to present his artistic vision purely on his own terms. "Give Me Love" is one the very best solo Beatles singles and features some of the most sublime slide guitar work of George's entire career. I also think that George's voice was never in better shape than it was on this album, apparently as a result of his having quit smoking for several months prior to the recording.
@@gerrycoogan6544 I didn't know he quit smoking for a period. I'm not sure I would argue much against the depth or serenity of those 2 songs but I would argue that they lack melody, are maudlin, have awkward time signatures (at least in Who Can See It), and can be over preachy. Maybe Lord John Heaton will balance my dislike for this album in another collab. Stay tuned!
Matt, you're going to Carry that Weight. lol you have me thinking of couple albums that i never heard, one by George and one by Ringo. Also, i like the fact that my favorite sound and production would be Double Fantasy of John of course. then i thought that sound is similar to The Knack - Roundtrip which is my favorite by them and also Starz - Violation all produced by Jack Douglas. 😁
In the end you are going to get people's favourites despite laying down some criteria. I was planning on doing my vote based on the criteria. I even went and bought Ram to check if it is as bad as I remembered (it isn't). Using the criteria was going to take time but the vote result came quicker than I could manage.
Agreed. Both are great albums but I wonder how much recency bias there is with All Things Must Pass being reissued with a lot of publicity just a few years ago?
I would enjoy hearing the Paul McCartney 'album flow' video. I was one of the surveyors who qualified Double Fantasy as not a solo album while being my favourite John Lennon album. Said that, I love Yoko's songs as much as - with two of her songs there even more than - John's.
One thing I've noticed about good/great songs from any band, including the Beatles, is that if a particular song is good it will start sounding good within a few notes or a few seconds. If you have to keep waiting for the song to eventually start sounding good, then it most likely sucks, including and especially the Beatles solo songs. I went back and listen to Walls & Bridges, Living in the material world, and Venus and Mars. Other than one or maybe two songs on each of those albums that sound good right from the beginning, the other songs on each of those albums sound like a local garage band jamming. Paul's: Listen to what what the man said, George's: Give me love, and John's: Whatever gets you thru the night, are the only good songs from those albums, most of the rest from each of those albums are difficult to listen to even once. You may not agree with or like what I've said here, but it's my opinion, right or wrong. Again, in my opinion, the Beatles were a powerhouse together, but, individually, they were average at best, and I believe these albums prove it. Hell, didn't Ringo have more #1 hits than all the rest of the Beatles combined?
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Happy to see there are 8 other musical geniuses who placed "Back To The Egg" as their favorite. It was overlooked due to the massive disco surge when it was released. But it is powerful.
Wasn't overlooked. Just a bad album.
Yes, I'm one of the other geniuses who wrote on "Back To The Egg". To me, his last original, group effort album with rock overtones. Great classic flow and style. Last album with Denny and that real band feel.
Sad that it was the final Wings album. "Getting Closer" has been one of my favorite solo Paul songs. Maybe by this point, Paul was getting tired of trying to keep Wings together. Back To The Egg featured the fourth version of Wings, with Lawrence Juber and Steve Holley replacing Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English, who both left the group in 1978.
@@robertzastrow4648 - The ending of "Getting Closer" is one of my favorite jams of all-time. So uplifting and yet so sad at the same time. Nothing else quite like it.
It's a great and adventurous album. I wish Paul would have it remixed.
you're an exceptional journalist, Matt. Beyond anything 'Rolling Stone' could aspire to, and a testament to all good things the new media can offer. We're so lucky to have this channel. Ty
That is very kind of you Aceface. I do take a lot of care to deliver my best!
Tug of War was worth the time put into recording it. I bought it based on Take it Away and Ebony and Ivory and the whole album was wonderful.
It is a great album and so underrated. It makes me wonder what some people hear.
I voted for All Things Must Pass as my number 1 solo Beatles album but it is not because of Phil Spector's over producing. I hate that. It's because of Harrison's song construction/creativity. The youngest Beatle with a Huge post Beatles LP! Outstanding it was and is!!!
I have no problem with this pick.
As a 12-year-old kid, my Dad bought both "Plastic Ono Band" and "All Things Must Pass" when both albums came out. I listened to both quite a lot. I developed an opinion that most of ATMP was great and rejected a few filler parts ("It's Johnny's Birthday" ). Plastic Ono Band also great.
Later as the seventies turned into the eighties, I listened to other solo Beatles albums from all four and never found anything of the quality of those two albums.
Several years ago I gave all of my vinyl to some nieces and nephews. Probably over 200 albums including a pretty large collection of Beatles' albums and two John Lennon solo albums. However my copy of "Plastic Ono Band" was not among them. Not because I kept it. In the early 1980s I worked at a Nissan parts warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida. One of my buddies there was a HUGE John Lennon fan. Prior to my going into the Air Force in 1982 we had one more big bash at his apartment. I brought my copy of that album and gave it to him. Hopefully it still has a good 'home' with him or somebody else.
yeah "stuck inside a cloud"-excellent song. "brainwashed", for myself as well, is the beatles solo album i listen to the most. the production really fills out the songs and gives them a vitality that i enjoy very much.
IMO George's best solo album besides ATMP. To me, Cloud Nine is like the trial run and Brainwashed is the big payoff.
I love these survey videos because there’s always a moment where we get to see how insane some fans are
Exactly.
Thanks for doing this Matt. Well done.
Thanks Moz!
Walls and Bridges! How could that not be in the top 3? Ringo’s 1973 “Ringo” lp is awesome too. All of The Beatles are on it and 3 great hits plus an excellent recording.
Matt. Just a quick note to let you know how much I appreciate all of the work that goes into this, and the effort necessary is fully acknowledged. I appreciate the channel and your work. Keep it up, please.
Hey Jim - I really appreciate the feedback. This job is very rewarding and challenging. Plenty more to come!
That album by ringo was almost like a Beatles reunion album😊
"Stop to Smell the Roses" WOULD have been a Beatles reunion.
I thought your criteria was smart. So many of our favourite songs and albums rank high because of emotional attachments and the memories they revive. The criteria was an attempt to make us look at the albums objectively. However, sometimes emotion can't be ignored. To me, all the "filler" in All Things has become an essential part of the album. Conversely, I was consumed by Steely Dan during a bad period of my life, and when I came out of it, I couldn't listen to their music for 20 years. I'm glad you're such a fan of George -- my favourite solo Beatle -- but it's interesting how our tastes are different. I find Material World a brilliant album, and Cloud 9 mostly a Jeff Lynn wank-fest. Still, I enjoy hearing your take.
In my younger days I worked in four different record shops. Solo Beatles always sold well on vinyl, much more than on CD. If the shop ordered forty Flaming Pie CDs we also ordered 100 vinyl copies. You couldn't go wrong. That may be neither here nor there to many people but it happened every time. Beatle people like vinyl albums.
That's because we're old!
My all-time top McCartney albums:
1. Ram
2. Band On The Run
3. Chaos And Creation In The Backyard*
4. McCartney II
*This is an amazing and extremely underrated or overlooked album. I love it so much.
I'm intrigued to see why you're not keen on Living in the Material World. By your criteria it's a very strong album.
Hits - Give Me Love, Give Me Peace on Earth
Strong songs - Try Some Buy Some, Living in the Material World, Be Here Now, Who Can See It
Reach/impact - was a big seller at the time, artists like Bowie have covered tracks from it (I know he heard the Ronnie Spector version first)
Cohesion and flow, and artisitc spiritual depth - yes the pace is mid tempo at best but the cohesion is spot on. This feels like a concept album for George's spritiual struggles, a real delve into his life and mind
Definitely low to no filler.
I think it has slightly gone under the radar since as it's a slow burn of an album that requies a few listens, and is probably best suited to certain moods (late night, contemplative etc) but it's a real honest work of art.
I agree, it is a very strong album as is, I would, controversially, say, Dark Horse
@@allanforrester2612 Agreed that Dark Horse is underrated. Yes George's voice is weak, which somewhat prevents it truly flying, but it's another great statement of his life. So Sad, Simply Shady, that weird mean Bye Bye Love and of course Dark Horse.
It's not a great album, too flawed, but it is interesting, worth listening to and contains so much of interest and value.
Speaking of Ringo. He has a four(4) song EP due out October 13th called 'Rewind Forward'. By the way, his Fall Tour starts 9/19 and his All Starr Band is really great. Lots of videos on youtube of his spring tour posted. He sings 1/2 the tunes and the rest of the band play their songs. Edgar Winter's 'Frankenstein' steals the show. Check it out.
A lot of fun going over the results here Matt, as a data fanatic I find this analysis really fascinating!
I was one of the McCartney II write-ins, haha. I said in my vote it's probably more infamous than beloved but I think there's a strong case for it's lasting influence and it being cohesive in its own unique way. Also worth considering that Wonderful Christmastime comes from these sessions and shares its distinct aesthetic, even if it's not directly on the album.
I enjoy a lot of McCartney albums more than that one but I didn't think they really met the criteria. I love Back to the Egg but personally think the flow is off, I have my own modified tracklist I use. Same with Red Rose Speedway. Chaos and Creation is amazing but is too much of a hidden gem. Venus and Mars probably makes the most sense since it coincided with the Wings Over America tour and is just a great album.
Outside of Macca, Cloud 9 absolutely makes the most sense for next in line on that list, even though it'd probably be in the middle of my personal George rankings. I also love Brainwashed, it's probably my second or third favorite George album!
5:19 Cloud 9 is literally my favorite 80s album. It helps that I have an 80s car (two 80s cars, actually) to listen to my cassette copy in and I like that period (mostly because Paul and George leaned me into the sound), but George was able to sprinkle the production of that period onto the record without it being overbearing. It's an 80s album, no doubt, with the Bob Clearmountain drums and early digital synths and such, but George was able to make it sound warm and not cheesy in a way that Paul and a lot of other contemporaries trying to stay relevant (**cough**The Moody Blues**cough**) could not. It helped I think that George was very adamant, until the end of his life, to stick with analog recording.
Better than "Full Moon Fever?" 🙂
@@scottmacphee35 It is. But then again, I'm not the hugest Tom Petty fan who ever lived so...
How about rating solo songs, using criteria of course. Maybe a double survey? An introductory video and we comment best solo songs in comments then use that for nominations.
I think a good criteria to add for this is ‘legs’ via re-releases, remakes, remixes/remasters with new videos, or covers being hits.
Regardless of whichever solo Beatles albums are the "best", the ones which I most enjoy listening to from start to finish are (in order per artist)
George - "George Harrison" , "Thirty-Three and a Third", "Living in the Material World", "Brainwashed", "Cloud Nine", " All Things Must Pass. "
John - "Walls and Bridges", "Mind Games", " Imagine ", "Plastic Ono Band."
Paul - "Flaming Pie", "Chaos and Creation", "Ram", "Driving Rain", Venus & Mars", "Driving Rain", "Tug of War", "Band On The Run".
Ringo - "Ringo", "Time Takes Time" , "Goodnight Vienna", "Beaucoups Of Blues."
If you take off yokos tracks on double fantasy and replace them with johns tracks from milk and honey, then you got an absolute classic album
Yes!!!
Right you are. John was still writing some very good songs.
But also if you removed Yoko's contribution to Imagine you'd be left without the title track. Credit where it's due.
Oh Matt I can't wait for the Beach Boys video!!
Some of these results are truly baffling to me. I'm a McCartney guy and always will be but as much as I adore the first McCartney album, I can't believe that it would be chosen over Venus and Mars. Would it still be chosen if it did not have Maybe I'm Amazed? Half of the album are demos or instrumentals made up on the spot! I have to say that's part of the charm of the album for me as well so I guess I understand why people picked it BUT I'm not sure if that album really meets the criteria half as much as albums like Venus and Mars, Back to the Egg, or even London Town.
I love it all so I'm fine with most any Macca albums.... but I do wonder where the McCartney album would stand if Maybe I'm Amazed weren't on it.
Great choices that everyone picked and considering Venus and Mars is my favorite McCartney album, barely ahead of Ram, I'm at least glad that it made the top 4 for Paul. Also nice to see Walls and Bridges get some love. Great album and totally underrated.
Thanks for the feedback. Very good points on McCartney vs Venus. I think some of what is on McCartney I is a joke. I guess if you grew up with it, you love it? I grew up with a couple of Archies albums but I don't try to pass them off on any "the best" lists.
Great topic. There’s a lot of quality in the solo music. Ram is probably my favorite of all but I do love All Things Must Pass and Wall and Bridges. Mind Games is also a favorite especially after the remix by Peter Cobbin in 2002. Thanks for putting this together and looking forward to your Beach Boys series.
I didn't participate in the survey, to be honest, I don't have a good knowledge of Paul and Ringo's solo works-tho I do still like Beaucoups of Blues-thank you for taking the time to do this-very interesting!
delighted to note Walls and Bridges is appreciated by way more than just moi! Smashing!
It is the album John at last took the pains to get the sound he wanted or some such, to some degree at least.
The wonderful muscularity and vivacity of the instrumentation, never stales and does indeed leave Macca's sound feeling ...well. Wingsians? Showing that the break up was a liberating event for the actually Beatles themselves, not the disaster it was absurdly represented as by the 'commentariat?'
Matt continues to bring the standard of analysis/appreciation of the music to a standard it has long desperately required for any objective measure...my compliments and gratitude to you Matt and more importantly...Respects!
I must get round to telling you of my near Betale encounters, as their absurdity and unexpected or unsought-ness might amuse lol must get the laundry done tho for now so you are spared my dear chap!!!
Thank you Johnny - those are very kinds words and I appreciate you recognizing my hard work. I really enjoy doing this. Your encounters are always welcome, but I fully understand that your laundry won't clean itself!
yeah, sorry to ramble...I'll try keep this as short as possible. @@popgoesthe60s52 Your 'Back To the Egg' mention took my egg back to the times-when I encountered to my astonishment, somebody involved in the recording of the very album you mention. I met him at his flat and was there to show him the material for the album we wanted him to produce to save me from self sabotage of being clueless behind the board. He had a guitar there he wanted me to demonstrate certain songs on in their more basic form to test quality and me and such. The guitar was a rehearsal guitar of Jimmy Mculloch, by then ex of wings. he had kept hold of for sentimental reasons. Pals and such. I enjoyed the antidotes and tapes he played us 'from the studio floor' from the album sessions. Very very interesting, to say the least and some most unexpected insights into a certain ex Beatle. I was naively shocked I must confess.
Enjoying the Kessler Lennon series by the way. Smashing!!
Love the comment mentioned at 18:29 which criticizes but offers no suggestions. Interesting survey results...thanks for sharing. Glad that "Ram" did well as I was very late in my appreciation for that LP (last ten years or so).
Some very interesting survey results, some that I guessed before I started the video, and some that were a bit of a surprise to me! Interesting and thought-provoking as always! 🌼
I think "Stuck Inside a Cloud" is the most beautiful song George ever wrote. I should take another listen to Brainwashed.
Love that song!!!👍
Their early solo stuff is the most cutting edge and vital. Paul proving he could make music on his own with a home tape recorder for "McCartney." John expunging the Beatles myth and his personal demons on "Plastic Ono Band." George pouring out his suppressed song catalog and love of the Lord on "All Things Must Pass." After that, a lot of it, unfortunately, came out as musical wallpaper.
Music wallpaper is a great term for it.
@@popgoesthe60s52 There's plenty of wallpaper in my house! My quality of life would be seriously diminished without wallpaper!
The early Beatle solo efforts really stood out to me, too. I'm a big fan of the McCartney debut, but didn't really care for a lot of what came after. Of course some of Paul's later stuff is excellent, but he was never able to exceed the gritty and original sound of his first album.
Big thumbs up to what you said.@@keithkarlinsky6632
I enjoyed this one. My vote was Wings at the Speed of Sound. Not my personal favorite, but I picked it due to the criteria laid out by Matt: It was a big deal because of the historic 1976 tour of Wings, and it was a big album commercially. Although it's less creative than other Wings albums, it's also a decent album that flows pretty smoothly, has a enjoyable mix of songs, and it contains two massive hits, one of which has really endured (Silly Love Songs).
I thought about picking Double Fantasy: I actually dislike it, but it's a massive and historic album both due to John's comeback and John's death. It has massive and enduring hits, and the concept-album nature and the track order with the John/Yoko back-and-forth give it a depth and a call-and-respond flow. It's a very thought-out album. Unfortunately, it's not an enjoyable one, unless you like Yoko's musical work. The best song to my ears is I'm Losing You.
Thank you for the comments. Regarding Speed of Sound, I don't think I can ever forgive him for Cook of the House!
Mind Games is one of my fav.
Birthday Greetings Matt, Hope all is good with you, and your wife is doing very well. - I enjoyed doing this survey,it was very well done and very original👍 cant think of anyone doing this before on TH-cam- alot of fun!!! Thanks and best wishes ✌️
Thank you Ernie! That is good feedback and I do pride myself on doing things on the Beatles that no one has done before. :)
I'd say Walls and Bridges i 0:02 albums to listen to all the way through, especially as there is a rare track, Surprise Surprise, where he sounds genuinely happy. Bless You is a genuinely moving and reflective song about his relationship with Yoko, lacking the self-abasement he often brought to such songs, and #9 Dream is sublime. Altogether lacking in the preachiness that, for me, disfigures Imagine, or the aimlessness that is a feature of Mind Games. Having said that, John did definitely have his mojo back by 1980, and I think would have gone on to greater heights.
Quite enjoyable....cheers Matt!
69 year old Beetle freak here. Cannot believe red-rose Speedways ranking. I've always thought red rose Speedway could be thought of as McCartney's best album not a week song on it. Genius melodies. Genius vocals. A bit of a shock.
Hey Keith! I must confess, Speedway is an album I really dislike. I only like Big Barn Bed and My Love. The rest I simply can't listen to, especially that medley. Different strokes for different folks!
Thanks for responding. Love your channel. I know I'm an outlier on Red Rose. I've always been a sucker for sweet pop. Carpenters, etc. But I still think it's a great album. Like you said, " Different strokes......"@@popgoesthe60s52
Matt- nice review of the results. I would only mention the following; Ringo is hard to vote for when you consider that a major portion of the songs were written and produced by other Beatles. It is kind of like voting against the same Beatle in a sense. The other is the All Things Must Pass album. The only double album in the group, and thus has an opportunity to have more hits and better songs than the standard album. That said, it has an incredible amount of filler, especially if you include all the studio gibberish. I took it down many notches as a result of that, because a good album should be strong from start to finish. Thanks for doing the survey. Nice work on your channel.
Thank you, Thomas!
Count me as a big supporter of the proposed production/arrangement criterion. This is why the Grammys have separate Song of the Year and Record of the Year categories. And the Beatles were master arrangers. Take a track like “Drive My Car.” None of those great parts - like the bass and guitar riff in the verse and the repeated piano fill in the chorus - were inherent to the song. Or Paul’s Lowrey organ part in “Lucy in the Sky.” Or how Paul radically changed the arrangement of “Come Together,” with the swampy feel and bass hook. And forget about “Strawberry Fields” without factoring in the production and arrangement. Even the choice to leave a song like “Julia” bare bones is an arrangement choice. I see the song as the Esher demo and the production-arrangement-song combo as what appears on the album.
Now I want to hear your review of Living in the Material World. Enjoyed the survey results and glad to see Chaos and Creation in the backyard getting some write in votes.
Thanks Matt. As an avid Lennon/McCartney fan, I think I’ve listened to all of their solo albums and not quite every track of George’s solo work, but I’ve never bothered to check out Beaucoup of Blues or Time Takes Time. Can’t wait to give them a listen.
This was fun. Thanks!
Sorry Matt, I know you’re not really too impressed with ATMP by George, but it’s my fav solo Beatle album. You made many valid points criticizing ATMP that make me rethink the quality, but I still think that it’s George’s finest album. I’m more on the spiritual side too, plus I don’t get tired of the slide guitar. Thanks for doing this.
Hey jb, I did do a fair amount of praising All Things Must Pass as well and called it perhaps the best solo LP. But there was certainly room for criticism. Thanks for the comments!
George Harrison’s self titled album I think only went gold but “blow away” was all over the radio although it was only top 20. It is one of the most ubiquitous songs of the late 70s when it comes to radio airplay
I believe Blow Away hit #2 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, which speaks volumes about the type of music he was making by then. I think it's his best solo single.
I remember quite enjoying the song while it was on the radio. Not *quite* enough to spring for the album though...@@popgoesthe60s52
Once again.....I really enjoyed the video and the analysis. Looking forward to the Beach Boys video! Have a great weekend!
Loved this poll roundup Matt! And the results were pretty much what I figured would happen. A couple of our things here and there, but overall, this is pretty typical. Glad to see both Cloud 9 and Brainwashed get some love! Time Takes Time is my Ringo keeper! Cheers
Mr. Street! It's always a pleasure to have you stop by.
I do enjoy these surveys and it would seem that this one was particularly difficult for most fans and on another we would probably have voted slightly differently.
I have suggestion for another survey. As an older Beatles fan, I'm 68, I am continually surprised to find that younger people are Beatles fans too. I would like to know the age range of people here and what their preferences are, particularly with McCartney's solo output, do they like his newer material? How many older people buy the box sets as opposed to younger fans?
I would love to tackle that topic and I've been trying to figure out the youth demographic of the Beatles/solo. My initial observation is that social media makes the younger demographics of Beatle fans seem larger than they actually are. In other words, the Beatles are merely a niche for the multiple generations 13 - age 30. I do have some data but I need more in order to do a proper video. Good suggestion!
Flaming Pie is an excellent album. Chaos and Creation is also an excellent album.
My top 15:
15. George Harrison-Extra Texture (Read All About It) (1975)
14. John Lennon-John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band (1970)
13. Paul McCartney-Red Rose Speedway (1973)
12. George Harrison-George Harrison (1979)
11. John Lennon-Imagine (1971)
10. Paul McCartney-Venus and Mars (1975)
9. George Harrison-Living in the Material World (1973)
8. Paul McCartney-McCartney (1970)
7. John Lennon-Walls and Bridges (1974)
6. Paul McCartney-Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005)
5. Paul McCartney-Band on the Run (1973)
4. Paul McCartney-Flaming Pie (1997)
3. Paul McCartney-Ram (1971)
2. John Lennon-Double Fantasy (1980)
1. George Harrison-All Things Must Pass (1970)
Great video, greetings from Costa Rica...
Terry Tutor here...Do the flow thing with McCartney's albums ( we probably agree on that)...Also, please review "Living in the Material World"...I don"t like it either....This was very enjoyable...Peace and Love, Terry Tutor
Hi Matt. Wow, thanks for getting the results back to us quickly. :- ) I was genuinely surprised ATMP won, but it DID pass the criteria and you must have a lot of Harrison fans subscribing. To me, they really all won, and the results were determined by your followers who had an interest enough to take the poll and vote.
Man, I love your hair. I wish I still had that hair!
You have made me to go back to these. I am a big GH fan, so I have a few of his albums on my phone. I did download JLs W & Bs album, after listening to that after many years, I only really like a few tunes off of it, I liked his POB and Imagine much more etc. for MAC, I liked a lot of his tunes but not all the albums as a whole, I like the early stuff , His 1st , RRS, BOTR , Flaming Pie. London Town and BTHE have some cool tunes. Ringo I think was his best, with some decent tunes spread out thru the years. Keep it rolling.
Great job 👏
In a way Im both sadden and privileged to be one of two that picked NEW as a write in answer. I personally feel it’s Paul last genuinely great album, probably should’ve stopped there. In retrospect I do probably prefer Venus And Mars or Speed Of Sound, but I still stand by NEW being a solid album for 2013. I was surprised that no one picked Wild Life, Pipes Of Peace or even Ringo’s Rotogravure, albums I personally have loved more and more with each listen.
I also must admit Matt, at first I was a bit judgemental towards this whole idea of only 6 solid Beatles albums but now with the this survey’s conclusion, I actually like hearing both your and the fans opinions! It brings a very unique look at the solo catalogs. Plus seeing what fans felt were the runners up to the 6 actually paints a good picture of their most popular albums as a whole which I found really cool. Anyways, I had fun with this video. Thanks for doing the work you do for us viewers. Can’t wait to see the Beach Boys project! Cheers!
I think we should give Paul credit for producing pretty solid albums from the late 90s onwards, consistently. Of course he's not going to be setting new trends, nor could he be expected to. But with albums such as New and Egypt Station he is still writing and producing quality music. You can only do Band on the Run once! Anyway, he really has nothing left to prove.
Excellent Matt;, thank you! An album I really like that didn't meet your criteria, was the original rejected Somewhere In England by George. It's got great songs, and a much better flow than the eventual released version. Really loving these polls: thank you!
Yeah, now that you mention it, that also got zero write ins. I forgot to included that.
Somewhere in England is perhaps George's most forgettable, and forgotten album.
I like that you differentiate between your favorite & the best. For example I'd probably say Revolver is the best Beatles albums, however, Rubber Soul is my favorite. I've listened to RS more than any other Beatles albums. And while I know Sgt.Pepper is a very good album and massively important, there's about 4 maybe 5 albums I'd put in front of it as my favorites to listen to.
Thanks, Matt! I forgot about Wonderwall. It's interesting (to me) that I listen to that album on an iPod player as I fall asleep with the windows open and the crickets and cicadas singing along in the background. It's very summer-soothing. Weird, I know. Whatever.
A very good review of the survey. I don't think the criteria is too strict I just think the lists are going to be subjective. I'm really looking forward to the next video,
Because of the criteria some of my favourite Paul albums didn't make the cut! Chaos, Memory Almost Full and Egypt Station are strong to me despite two or three fillers on each album. I chose All Things Must Pass as the strongest solo album even though, like Plastic Ono band I don't play it that often. Because of the criteria anything after 1989 no matter how good will never make a best solo Beatles album. Tug Of War with Ram are probably my most listened to Paul albums, John it will be Walls And Bridges and George Cloud Nine and self titled and no Ringo! It might be conceited of me but most of Paul's albums I could improve by either pruning or swapping in and out tracks from the sessions. On a more morbid subject would this exercise be different when Paul passes as I feel George's music overall seems to be more highly regarded since he died.
I was anxiously awaiting the results Matt, and was surprised ATMP topped the list (especially by that margin). For the criteria, it's hard to compare a 3-disk LP to single LP's. I was also (pleasantly) surprised for Ram being so closely tied with Imagine (as at the time it was pretty hated), as well as Walls & Bridges topping the write in's (as that was mine), which I didn't think would do that well at all, as at the time I remember it wasn't as well liked either (too MOR sort of reviews). Interesting results and probably a good gauge for you of the pulse of your subscribers. Thanks. Watching your Beach Boys video now. :- )
Matt, I realize I'm late to the game on this and I haven't watched the results video yet. I listened to your parameters and they are sound ones. However I think we all end up dissolving into a subjective POV. Mine boiled down to a single rule: If stuck ona desert island, which of the Beatles solo discs would you take?
McCartney - One listen for the rest of eternity? Band On The Run
Harrison - Tough. Probably ATMP, but I'm a sucker for 33&1/3 certain days along with Brainwashed.
Lennon/Ringo - Neither has made a solo album that supports multiple listenings, so they are relegated to Greatest Hits. Lennon - Shaved Fish. Ringo - Photograph: TVBO
I'll cross-post this to the results video as well. And as always, thanks for the great content.
I appreciate your view Marc! Some interesting results in the survey for sure!
I can't remember what my write-in list was. I do know that rushed through it, which was not a good idea.
I just went back and watched the beginning of your last video and wrote down the seven categories of criteria that you mentioned.
I now wish that you would do this poll all over again. This time, include the category of production/arrangement that one of your viewers mentioned. Also, give us an advance warning so we can actually make intelligent choices, because in my opinion, that would force us to go back and listen to these albums and see which ones meet one or more of the criteria that you mentioned.
Next time, I will pay more attention.
Criteria subjective but important....I admire your respect. Criteria in my depth. IS hours. How many per album that I find I do? Have done? Did it make me joyous? Did it make me cry with emotion? I've listened more to Beatles and John Lennon more than George Harrison or Paul McCartney...not to mention Ringo...but one only has so many hours in a day for music. Plus...God knows...many other artists who command my attention and deservedly so. Dylan being one. Thank you for this "tour" of Viewers
Votes.
Memory Almost Full is an excellent album and so is Egypt Station They are from 2007 and 2018 so they are relatively new and people may not be familiar with them. If you haven't listened to them check them out online. You are missing out if you haven't heard them. They are excellent.
My issue with Egypt Station is Fuh You, Not a top tier McCartney tune IMO I know that McCartney tried hard to make it a hit and wanting to be popular with the younger crowd but this is just bad.
@@erniericardo8140I agree that he did try a bit too hard to make Fuh You along with Come on to Me hits but one thing I'll add is that I saw him live during that period and Fuh You sounded really really awesome in concert.
I agree that these are two strong late period McCartney albums. I didn’t like come on to me or fuh you, but the rest is very good.
I agree, Egypt Station is a very good album, and you can only object to Fuh You and Come On To Me if you take things too seriously, and/or expect every Macca song to be Hey Jude or Penny Lane. Not everything is meant to be a big artistic statement.
I love “Who Cares” & it’s fun video with Emma Stone as Paul the Hypnotherapist’s client. It’s on my fave pop rock playlist of songs of the last 35 years.
Well done on the survey Matt. I think all of us Beatles fans have our favorites between John, Paul George and Ringo and that makes it hard not to blur our objectivity.
7:30 I think George really flagged after Living In The Material World (really after ATMP) and the infamous Dark Hoarse tour didn't help. Thirty Three & 1/ॐ and George Harrison represented a comeback for him, creatively (the former rather than the later), but nobody wanted to know by that point, as you said.
I’m glad to see Walls and Bridges rank as highly as it did. It is very much deserving to be a top 10 album of the solo Beatles. It’s just validation that the masses consider it a great album. When you finally talk about the album, Matt (hopefully with John Heaton), I have a feeling I will disagree with most of your takes concerning that album
Agreed, a very overlooked album.
Strictly speaking it's not a solo album (though neither is Ram), but I'd put the first Traveling Wilburys album above everything other than ATMP and Band On The Run. I'd put Brainwashed and Cloud Nine up there too, at least above Imagine and probably above Ram too. I've never heard the Ringo album, so didn't think it right to do the survey.
I previously dismissed most of Lennon's solo career, minus Imagine, Plastic Ono and Double Fantasy until I bought his entire box set on album. They all contained some dogs, but in my opinion his stuff holds up the best. Mind Games and Walls and Bridges are really solid.
WINGS OVER AMERICA is one I've always liked, if for nothing else, than the kick-ass live SOILY.
*That* is one hell of a cut!
Thank you for this. What a great list.! Pretty amazing that John decided in August of 1980 to record a double fantasy and came up with the songs so quickly and then was assassinated in December
A very solid collection of songs, however it is now known that a few of those songs had been around for several years.
Although it's true that George Harrison had the last top 10 with Got My Mind Set On You, Paul McCartney came REALLY close with Find My Way in 2020 at #12 on the US hot R&B billboard.
Hey Matt, the only way to go next is the 10 top Beatles' solo singles! More fun for me would be in line with your upcoming Beach Boys episode, how about the Top 5 Beach Boys sounding songs? Back In The USSR? Back Seat Of My Car? Beach Baby? The Loco-Motion by Grand Funk Railroad? Could be very fun!
You are one of several to suggest that topic! Thank you.
Not really related to your survey as such, but I didn't even buy Ram for well over a decade due to the negative reviews it received (when it was even mentioned at all) in solo Beatles album reviews in books like The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, etc. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, the Lennon Remembers and Shout! narratives were also so pervasive, and without much to balance them out, that I was very much a John Lennon fan. When the quality of biographies began to improve in the 1990s, and when I had more disposable income, I began to tentatively buy more McCartney and Harrison albums. I found Ram to be an absolute revelation. So much so, in fact, that it superseded Plastic Ono Band as my favourite Beatles solo album.
All Things Must Pass, Band on the Run and Imagine are fine albums, but I'll now listen to them only occasionally, but Ram and POB are regular listens, with my second favourites being Mind Games and Flaming Pie.
Edit: Apologies for writing a second comment here. I hadn't realised I'd already done so eight months ago. This comment at least fleshes out my original.
Hat tip to @alexnejako777 for mentioning "Take it Away"... probably the last McCartney single I really loved. I listened to it on my paper route when it was popular. I just listened to it again for the first time in forever and it totally held up. Enjoyable little tune
P.P.S me again sorry but I've just remembered an album not even mentioned on your whole page.Lennons classic 1972 " Sometime in new York" so great even Yoko couldn't f*** it up.
Really enjoyed watching that, although kicking myself for not nominating Gone Troppo!
Matt, I really do appreciate that you try to separate objective from subjective with your criteria. Working in a record store in a small college town for over 35 years, I could not help but notice that college (and high school) students readily identified with certain sounds that were the soundtrack of those years of change. Meanwhile our older clientele often kept buying albums by the artists of their youth, but were more objective in their judgments. The daily grind of a job offered fewer aha moments and thus less emotional connection with the new purchases. Of course this is an exaggeration, but I'd bet that this is why some folks (including yours truly) value some music that is not as objectively good.
I am not trying to denigrate other people's opinions, but your objectivity is especially appreciated in the sea of personal favorites. Although I would really like to see you do a show on your favorites just to see.
And did I say another great job?
Great subject for the survey! My votes were almost identical to the final standings.
Here's a idea for another survey: Best post-Beatles singles. Is there any song that is going to beat "Imagine"? "Photograph"? "My Sweet Lord"? "Live and Let Die"? Might be some interesting surprises there.
Yes, a couple other have suggested that as well. Thanks Leek!
A fascinating watch. Also a great wrap up Matt.
Thanks Dave!
Criteria, consensus, quality. Very interesting.
Awesome - love The Beach Boys! Can't wait.
I just heard the Chiffons' version of " He's So Fine" on a national radio request show! If you haven't heard it you should take a listen.
I've always really enjoyed George for his guitar playing and sound above all and i feel that he really peaked or was at his best as a guitarist on Living In The Material World. If your complaint with it is a lack of memorable songs you're right. It's not a hooky album by any stretch. And the lyrics get a bit preachy ("The leaders of nations are acting like little girls." Not exactly Crass is it ?) and in fact i prefer his raspy vocals on Dark Horse to his yowling sitar impressions on 'Living'. However i admit to being a sucker for what came to be called 'raga rock' and I think the album qualifies as a raga rock album. The music has depth and intricacy and i get something new out of it each time i listen. I need to find your review and hear what irked you about it. And ps I think Aja had absolutely perfect production. With Steely Dan slickness is a virtue.
Ram all day
It is the album I listened the most since the last 30 years. The fun McCartney had doing this album is contagious. His voice is at its peak, he does whatever he wants and because its Paul, it's always classy. And no fillers, (except maybe Eat at home that is just fine), just great songs, one after another.
Red Rose Speedway for the WIN.
I think Time Takes Time is a very good Album too. I was surprised Egypt Station got very few or no votes as I like that album to a degree, but I felt it went on too long with a lot of filler. I thought I Don't Know was a a beautiful ballad, that I play on the piano myself,which also adds to my point of view. I have bought almost all of the versions of All Things Must Pass, but have no problem at all with the original production. I listened to side one of Double Fantasy the day in came out in a music store and almost did not by it at all till i heard Women a week later on the radio in a car garage.
I think I would really love a discussion on Living in The Material World not my fav album either but if you were to find someone who loved it and tried to argue its merits it might be a good colab video. PS I love the surveys fantastic job from yourself and the community!!!!!
That may be a good one for John Heaton and I to collaborate on. Good suggestion.
That's exactly what I was thinking. @@popgoesthe60s52
@@popgoesthe60s52 I love LITMW and I would gladly argue that it contains some of the deepest, most heartfelt and most beautiful songs that George ever created.
There is nothing in the entire Beatles catalogue which even approaches "Be Here Now" for transcendent serenity. "Who Can See It" is the quintessence of George having the integrity to present his artistic vision purely on his own terms. "Give Me Love" is one the very best solo Beatles singles and features some of the most sublime slide guitar work of George's entire career.
I also think that George's voice was never in better shape than it was on this album, apparently as a result of his having quit smoking for several months prior to the recording.
@@gerrycoogan6544 I didn't know he quit smoking for a period. I'm not sure I would argue much against the depth or serenity of those 2 songs but I would argue that they lack melody, are maudlin, have awkward time signatures (at least in Who Can See It), and can be over preachy. Maybe Lord John Heaton will balance my dislike for this album in another collab. Stay tuned!
Matt, you're going to Carry that Weight. lol
you have me thinking of couple albums that i never heard, one by George and one by Ringo.
Also, i like the fact that my favorite sound and production would be Double Fantasy of John of course. then i thought that sound is similar to The Knack - Roundtrip which is my favorite by them and also Starz - Violation all produced by Jack Douglas. 😁
Great, I mosty agre with ranking, even I mosty know solo stuff of John and George. Best wishes R
Pretty good list, all in all.
Egypt Station was terrific as was Gone Troppo. As for Ringo, I agree about the top albums. Beacoup De Blues is fabulous. Great feature.
Ringo’s Y Not is actually a very good album.
As is 'Choose Love' from 2005
18:35 Matt, nooo! Don't feed the troll!
In the end you are going to get people's favourites despite laying down some criteria. I was planning on doing my vote based on the criteria. I even went and bought Ram to check if it is as bad as I remembered (it isn't). Using the criteria was going to take time but the vote result came quicker than I could manage.
If this poll were a decade ago, Band on the Run would have been on top. George has gotten a lot of love in recent years.
Agreed. Both are great albums but I wonder how much recency bias there is with All Things Must Pass being reissued with a lot of publicity just a few years ago?
Good point. I'm sure that has had something to do with it.@@keithlelacheur2055
I would enjoy hearing the Paul McCartney 'album flow' video.
I was one of the surveyors who qualified Double Fantasy as not a solo album while being my favourite John Lennon album. Said that, I love Yoko's songs as much as - with two of her songs there even more than - John's.
Remixes of Yoko’s songs became number one hits on the US Dance Charts in the 2010s.
One thing I've noticed about good/great songs from any band, including the Beatles, is that if a particular song is good it will start sounding good within a few notes or a few seconds. If you have to keep waiting for the song to eventually start sounding good, then it most likely sucks, including and especially the Beatles solo songs. I went back and listen to Walls & Bridges, Living in the material world, and Venus and Mars. Other than one or maybe two songs on each of those albums that sound good right from the beginning, the other songs on each of those albums sound like a local garage band jamming. Paul's: Listen to what what the man said, George's: Give me love, and John's: Whatever gets you thru the night, are the only good songs from those albums, most of the rest from each of those albums are difficult to listen to even once. You may not agree with or like what I've said here, but it's my opinion, right or wrong. Again, in my opinion, the Beatles were a powerhouse together, but, individually, they were average at best, and I believe these albums prove it. Hell, didn't Ringo have more #1 hits than all the rest of the Beatles combined?
Thanks much for the survey, Matt. I personally had IMAGINE as my #1. 😊
Me as well. It met all the criteria.
I meant to say I heard the Chiffons' version of My Sweet Lord. Give it a listen. They put their own little twist on it.