4.58pm
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1 May 2011
Ringo’s version of ‘LMD’ was issued first and then the album came out with Andy White’s and then at some point White’s became the single replacing the original single. I think thats right.
EMI -> confusing Beatles fans since 1963.
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5.28pm
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18 March 2013
georgiewood said
At least we can all agree that Long, Long, Long isn’t very good.
Even Bob doesn’t agree with you gw!
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17 December 2012
meanmistermustard said
Ringo’s version of ‘LMD’ was issued first and then the album came out with Andy White’s and then at some point White’s became the single replacing the original single. I think thats right.EMI -> confusing Beatles fans since 1963.
The turning point was September 1963’s The Beatles Hits EP. At that point EMI decided to use only the album version, and so the master of Ringo’s version was destroyed, and the White version replaced Ringo’s on the single. The Ringo version that is now used is a needledrop of the original single.
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
6.20pm
22 September 2014
AppleScruffJunior said
georgiewood said
At least we can all agree that Long, Long, Long isn’t very good.Even Bob doesn’t agree with you gw!
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
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6.40pm
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29 August 2013
georgiewood said
At least we can all agree that Long, Long, Long isn’t very good.
As you have seen – no we can’t 🙂
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7.24pm
17 October 2013
AppleScruffJunior said
georgiewood said
At least we can all agree that Long, Long, Long isn’t very good.Even Bob doesn’t agree with you gw!
Maybe even The Sad Eyed lady From the Lowlands, (on which it was based) disagrees……..Well flattered as they should be they both would!
But I’m not sure georgiewood would though neither would I. (You see what i did there)…. We all have our opinions and they’re equally valid thank you ET. In my case it’s been a clash of logical/emotional/critical and historical.
My verdict on ‘LLL’ was mostly critically based…….I found it, on that first hopeful listen in 1968 to be disappointing and dirge-like….The use of too soft and too loud I found over contrived and irritating…..The repetition of LONG LONG LONG……Drags…….The repetition of ‘You’ is annoying.
It’s been a long long long time
How could I ever have lost you
When I loved you
It took a long long long time
Now I’m so happy I found you
How I love you
So many years I was searching
So many tears I was wasting, oh oh
Now I can see you, be you
How can I ever misplace you
How I want you
Oh I love you
You know that I need you
Ooh I love you
Oh”
‘Oh’ indeed…..My only emotional engagement therefore was and has remained negative in comparison to other Beatles’ songs I like more. I tried hard that Christmas to like this song, I couldn’t, still can’t……Turgid stuff.
However, I can’t say it deserves to be much lower……..Only that it would be if I were writing a personal list from 0 to 220. In a poll like this you get results you don’t agree with and surely that’s the fun of them.
I gave ‘Yes it is’ a full 10…..hasn’t helped it.
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georgiewood10.17pm
5 February 2014
I can’t believe we’ve lost Long Long Long, It’s All Too Much , Savoy Truffle , Wait , Do You Want To Know A Secret , All I’ve Got To Do and What You’re Doing … but not Mean Mr. Mustard, It’s Only Love , I Need You , The Long And Winding Road , She’s A Woman , Yellow Submarine , When I’m Sixty-Four and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (not to say those are bad songs… but songs I would eliminate before the first lot I said!)
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Matt Busby11.24pm
17 October 2013
Nothing is definitive……just a contemporary view of a group of fans.
For instance NZ ….’Yes it is’ is presumably where you think it should be as it doesn’t appear on your list of ‘regrets’ Long Long Long is on your list and so you feel should be higher…..That’s a view I respect but disagree with.
I remember ‘Yes it is’ reached number 99 in the RollingStone top 100 Beatles’ songs…….Amongst us Biblers its gotten nowhere near as high.
Allow me to indulge myself for a moment…….And compare my personal feelings and thought processes regarding my rating of both songs.
I’ve talked above about the, (to my ears), naggingly repetitious lyrical structure employed in ‘Long Long Long’
Well ‘Yes it is’ repeats itself a fair amount too….
“Yes It Is “
If you wear red tonight
Remember what I said tonight
For red is the color that my baby wore
And what is more, it’s true
Yes it is
Scarlet were the clothes she wore
Everybody knows I’ve sure
I could remember all the things we planned
Understand, it’s true
Yes it is, it’s true
Yes it is
I could be happy with you by my side
If I could forget her, but it’s my pride
Yes it is, yes it is
Oh, yes it is, yeah
Repeat verses…..
Here though, the repetition of ‘Yes it is’ is climatic, adding drama and emotion to his plea….’ Yes it is, yes it is
Oh, yes it is, yeah”……Similar to how John creates drama with his repetition of, ‘You can talk to me’ in Hey Bulldog and Come on Come on in Please Please Me .
Seeing red make him blue…..Nut John perhaps conscious of too much repetition substitutes one of the ‘reds’ with ‘scarlet’ conjuring up an immediate image of a scarlet woman, hinting perhaps at betrayal..his pride is hurt….The substitution in this case of ‘red’ for ‘scarlet’ is effective, it works in that it adds something.
Now look at how George handles substitution in Long Long Long……
…He’s lost someone, God apparently…..He’s lost and searched for and loved this someone for many wasted years many wasted tears. After repeating ‘Long’ enough times and ‘you’ more than enough times, to avoid further repetition he substitutes ‘lost/lose’ with ‘misplaced’ …….. You lose someone you love George…. we can emote with you about that…we can have empathy…..But you misplace something that you don’t care about…..”Where are those bloody scissors when you need them…. they were here 5 minutes ago?”…..‘Misplace’ subtracts something from any emotional reaction. It just sounds trite.
67 takes of the backing track of Long Long Long…….67!! That’s a Long Long Long try at turning a pig’s ear into a silk purse. Undoubtably they made the best job they could of it but its still not a silk purse……..At least not to my pig-ears.
By comparison with ‘Yes it is’ they knew they were on to a winner. It took only 2 hours to get the backing track with George’s swelling guitar notes that also add to the drama and emotion. It took 3 more hours of live singing to melt three wonderful voices together as one…….These are quintessential warm Beatles’ harmonies. Perhaps the best they ever did.
And a beautiful melody to boot…….
Play the track on Anthology……The first time I heard the transition from John’s barked ‘Da da dee da’ guide vocal to what they had arrived at 3 hours later it gave me goose bumps.
OK so I gave 58 songs a 10…….I can justify everyone of them as I’ve tried to do here……But in the end it’s only their value to me…..
I can’t see why ‘Yes it is’ has scored so lowly…..but there you go!!
Mean ,modal, or median it will all average out.
Takes off glasses……”It’s only a poll Paul”
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Matt Busby11.45pm
8 February 2014
meanmistermustard said
‘Till There Was You ‘ has one of George’s best guitar solo’s – listen to the Decca version and you’ll be amazed how far the Beatles came in less than two years: the pace is non-existence thanks to Pete Best, Paul is trying so hard its worse than amateurish and George seems unable to play guitar never mind forgotten how to. Can only imagine
Funny, that came on just as I came to your post. It’s one of my faves, I even sang it karaoke one week, but the Decca version sounds like the boys are underwater compared to the released album (WTB) version. Or any of the BBC performances for that matter.
To Know Her is to Love Her from Decca is also very watered down. It’s no wonder they were turned down (but what a lucky turn of events it turned out to be).
12.12am
8 February 2014
170 (231) Till There Was You – Im among those who like this song better than 170th
=167 (233)
Words Of Love – As with the above I think this should be higher, it’s one of their best covers.
=161 (238)
The Inner Light – I’m not a fan, I know it’s taken almost verbatim from whatever ancient text but while it may be true, George and pretty much everyone who learns it does so by traveling a long way and realizing the answers aren’t out there – few learn it just by reading it.
=155 (240)
Don’t Pass Me By – Well the song I hoped would be the top Ringo song is gone…please don’t let it be Octopus’ Garden!
It’s All Too Much – this song kind of irritates me, it’s too much like the stereotypical feeling of an acid trip and not at all like the way it really feels (er, felt to me).
Run For Your Life – I’ve been convinced by the folks who mentioned this was “down and out nasty John” and like it more now than I did when I rated it.
=151 (242)
There’s a Place – I like this song better than the ones around it but I really can’t justify it being any higher.
=149 (243)
Piggies – poor AD40! I think this should be in the top 100.
I feel the same way I did with the last set – the sentiment Zig echoed this time around – we’re into that middle muddle of songs that we all probably agree should be between 100 and 175 but we disagree on exactly where. I don’t think a song placing in this area can be thought of as being “hated on”, there’s just a lot of better songs to come and all these had to come somewhere below them. I’d consider the ones lower than 175 to be “hated on” (some deservedly), except that even the lowest averaged nearly 4, which is hardly hating in my book.
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1 May 2011
nzbeatlefan said
I can’t believe we’ve lost Long Long Long, It’s All Too Much , Savoy Truffle , Wait , Do You Want To Know A Secret , All I’ve Got To Do and What You’re Doing … but not Mean Mr. Mustard…
I’d like to think its because of me and how amazing I am that it is coming in so high (top 150+).
The edit of ‘Yes It Is ‘ on ‘Anthology 2 ‘ jars for me going from so basic an outtake to the polished version. Let the damn thing play out so we can hear John mess about; thankfully the full outtake has been booted.
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6.07am
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29 August 2013
nzbeatlefan said
I can’t believe we’ve lost Long Long Long, It’s All Too Much , Savoy Truffle , Wait , Do You Want To Know A Secret , All I’ve Got To Do and What You’re Doing … but not Mean Mr. Mustard, It’s Only Love , I Need You , The Long And Winding Road , She’s A Woman , Yellow Submarine , When I’m Sixty-Four and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (not to say those are bad songs… but songs I would eliminate before the first lot I said!)
Yellow Submarine ? Really? Yellow Submarine ?
Shoo in for top 5 surely?
🙂
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6.27am
Reviewers
16 December 2013
Long, Long, Long is one of my all time favorite songs. I never understand why it isn’t liked much.
6.49am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Though I’m not sure I’ve seen this said before, @ScrambledEggs, I think part of the problem people have with Long Long Long is bad placement on the album. In the same way that many complain about Dizzy Miss Lizzy coming after Yesterday on Help !, I think you get the same problem in reverse with LLL following Helter Skelter . It’s too jarring a transition from the raucousness of HS to the quiet meditation of LLL for many, and how it’s viewed is affected by that transition.
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
7.01am
1 November 2013
ScrambledEggs said
Long, Long, Long is one of my all time favorite songs. I never understand why it isn’t liked much.
I find that I can’t remember what it sounds like.
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7.02am
1 August 2014
Ron Nasty said
Though I’m not sure I’ve seen this said before, @ScrambledEggs, I think part of the problem people have with Long Long Long is bad placement on the album. In the same way that many complain about Dizzy Miss Lizzy coming after Yesterday on Help !, I think you get the same problem in reverse with LLL following Helter Skelter . It’s too jarring a transition from the raucousness of HS to the quiet meditation of LLL for many, and how it’s viewed is affected by that transition.
I wouldn’t agree it’s the transition. The whole White Album is about transitions. Back In The USSR to Dear Prudence , Why don’t we do it in the road to I Will , Bungalow Bill to While My Guitar Gently Weeps , then almost the whole other disc which goes – Yer Blues – Mother Nature’s Son – Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey – Sexy Sadie – Helter Skelter – Long Long Long. Maybe even Revolution 1 .
Notice the pattern there? Aside from “intentional” transitions, like Bungalow Bill to WMGGW, it usually follows the quiet-loud pattern. Or just the feeling of it, soft vs hard, however you prefer.
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1 May 2011
I’ve always thought the quietness of ‘Long, Long, Long ‘ after the raucous ‘Helter Skelter ‘ works perfectly as it gives your ears and entity a rest. Easily one of my favourite George tracks, but then i prefer ‘I Want To Tell You ‘ to ‘Taxman ‘ so . Actually ‘Taxman ‘ is my number 3 George track on ‘Revolver ‘.
With ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy ‘ on the other hand its a massive jolt, like being electrified or having your hand in warm water and then suddenly hot molten lava is poured over you.
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17 December 2012
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
4.22am
Reviewers
16 December 2013
4.39am
17 October 2013
ScrambledEggs said
Still, individually, I think it easily stands out as one of George’s best tracks. But I suppose I’ve just become a bit too emotionally attached to the song. ^^
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I gave I think three of George’s songs a 10….Funnily enough the only one I have an emotional attachment to, (The Inner Light ) I gave a 9 precisely because it means more than it’s whole to me.
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