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10.50pm
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29 August 2013
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My search skills fail yet again. So, bear with me here, we need to consider Ringo as his first solo album for this to have any chance of working; since he called his 6th album Ringo the 4th, it seems he thinks so too, and we may not be stretching too far. So, their first solo albums after Let It Be was released:
John – Plastic Ono Band
George – All Things Must Pass
Ringo – Ringo
Paul – Ram (this one is likely to be the most contentious, I know lots of people like other albums of his more)
But I think that first rush of freedom seems to have inspired an amazing period of creativity, even if we have a few divergent opinions of best album for any of them. I always wished they could have got the first few years out of the way solo and then got back together – even if only for an album or two to recharge their creative energy – which seemed to wane in the mid-70s. I have this dream that in some alternative universe this happened (the Titanic also missed the iceberg in that other world).
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11.17pm
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1 May 2011
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4 very incredibly strong albums. Erm….
A while back i would have had Ram last but have gotten into it a lot more recently.
So…… working back (least to greatest)
4. Ringo is great but there is a few very average tracks (Oh My My, Have You Seen My Baby?, Devil Woman ) so that would be fourth (love the album tho, against many other solo Beatles it comes out as the best of them – maybe higher than all of John’s other LP’s).
3. Ram – have gotten into it a lot more recently, and its definitely growing on me the more i hear so it might get shuffled up a notch or two later in life (hence why its above Ringo), but considering for so long have found it to feature some overlong songs (Monkberry Moon Delight , Back Street of My Car) and some a bit crap (Smile Away , 3 Legs ) it can’t go higher – yet. Again, it’s all growing on me – ask me in a month or two and it might be higher.
2. All Things Must Pass – A very close second but a little too over-produced and heavy handed by Spector (George H agreed later on) and the Jams bring it down a touch. Also My Sweet Lord bugs the living daylights out of me, seriously have to grit my teeth thru it. 95% of the time simply stunning and deserves its masterpiece status but for the reasons posted its #2.
1. John Lennon /Plastic Ono Band – Raw, stripped, fantastically produced (Spector didn’t get the chance to shove 79 guitars, 34 organs and 5 choirs on it like on All Things Must thankfully), great songs where nothing bugs the living daylights of me (Well Well Well being the closest but play it very loud and it works). Play it all the way thru and from the opener i’m hooked and not thinking of hitting skip once. And the vocals and arrangement on God give it an extra boost in the brilliance department. John’s best album by a country mile.
Good question trcanberra that was damn hard to answer but i’m happy with my conclusion.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
11.35pm
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17 December 2012
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Sorry, but Ringo-wise, both Sentimental Journey and Beaucoups of Blues were both post-Beatles. The only reason Ringo does the Ringo the 4th trick, is that those first two were largely cover versions albums. Doesn’t make them any less Ringo albums. You need to make excuse after excuse to make 1973’s Ringo his first solo album. All that Ringo the 4th says is, 4th album after Ringo. Don’t bullsh*t me that Ringo is Ringo’s first solo album, just because of a later album title, because it palpably isn’t!
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
11.38pm
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1 May 2011
Offline According to wiki Ringo the Fourth refers to it being his fourth rock album – despite it having more of a dance flavour; i haven’t heard it nor plan on doing so before i’m dead.
And mja please be nice to people even when you disagree with what they post.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
11.41pm
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline mja6758 said
Sorry, but Ringo-wise, both Sentimental Journey and Beaucoups of Blues were both post-Beatles. The only reason Ringo does the Ringo the 4th trick, is that those first two were largely cover versions albums. Doesn’t make them any less Ringo albums. You need to make excuse after excuse to make 1973’s Ringo his first solo album. All that Ringo the 4th says is, 4th album after Ringo. Don’t bullsh*t me that Ringo is Ringo’s first solo album, just because of a later album title, because it palpably isn’t!
Ha ha – agree with you – but I was thinking first solo album with some of his own material on it – so it gives us a better idea for comparing each of their first solo albums post Let It Be release with original stuff on – like I said, needed to stretch it for the sake of the comparison.
==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
11.42pm
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline ^^^^ nice analysis mmm – so hard to rank these four.
How do you feel about my proposal that they may be (arguably) the best work they did solo?
==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
11.48pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline meanmistermustard said
And mja please be nice to people even when you disagree with what they post.
Where wasn’t I nice, apart from saying it was bullsh*t not to consider Ringo’s first two albums as Ringo albums. I’m sorry, I find it quite when people pretend they don’t exist! I just strongly disagree with two great albums being ignored to make the crowd-friendly Ringo his first solo album. It just isn’t true.
I wasn’t intending not to be nice, just opinionated!
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
11.51pm
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29 August 2013
Offline mja6758 said
meanmistermustard said
And mja please be nice to people even when you disagree with what they post.Where wasn’t I nice, apart from saying it was bullsh*t not to consider Ringo’s first two albums as Ringo albums. I’m sorry, I find it quite when people pretend they don’t exist! I just strongly disagree with two great albums being ignored to make the crowd-friendly Ringo his first solo album. It just isn’t true.
I wasn’t intending not to be nice, just opinionated!
No worries here mja. I have both the first albums and like them a lot – I was just looking for comparison with the album which first had his own material on as mentioned above. It is also a stretch as it is so much later than the other 3 chronologically.
==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
12.12am
Reviewers
1 November 2013
Offline I consider Band On The Run to be Paul’s finest solo work, however the other three are right on.
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12.17am
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1 May 2011
Offline trcanberra said
^^^^ nice analysis mmm – so hard to rank these four.How do you feel about my proposal that they may be (arguably) the best work they did solo?
Ringo – i haven’t heard a lot of his material after Rotogravue, nor have much desire to do so if i’m honest (every time i contemplate going near a new Ringo album La Di Da sends shivers down my spine and i stop). I loved Rotogravure when i was young, more than Ringo, but haven’t heard it for so long so for all i know it’s aged very badly. Ringo is certainly better than the other ones i have heard.
Paul – so many of his albums suffer from having at least one bum track i cannot stand in the slightest (Jet on Band On The Run , Bip Bop on Wild Life ). So solo-wise Flowers In The Dirt is possibly my favourite solo album of his, with Wings it’s probably Wings At The Speed Of Sound : both very consistent and i like the different vocalists on WATTSOS a lot. McCartney II would be another i would have higher than Ram at the moment as well.
George – whenever George’s best album comes up i immediately think of Cloud Nine ahead of ATMP , its so close, and again the most well known track (in this case Got My Mind Set On You) is the one i find the most irritating and like the least. To me it shows that with his heart in it and given time and space to write the material, instead of having to release an album every year or so, George really could. For a very poppy album, which is what it really is, its quite something. As said in the Brainwashed thread i went thru George’s solo albums (well the ones i have so not Dark Horse ) towards the end of last year and Gone Troppo was the one that i liked the most out of the remaining albums – i felt George was just enjoying himself and doing the album for himself, not giving a s**t what the current trends were (aside from Wake Up My Love – the worst song on the album), whether the record company would like it or not, or if the public would buy it.
So to answer the question i’m torn between ATMP and C9. Both would be no-brainers and immediate selections for my 10 favourite solo Beatles albums.
John – as said above POB is my favourite album of his hands down and by a country mile. All his albums after this contain some filler (Gimmie Some Truth and I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier on Imagine + i am sick to death of the title track (50% down to Yoko shoving it down my throat)), the production sucks (Mind Games , Walls And Bridges ) or i have to rule out because Yoko makes up 50% of the album, and Some Time In New York City only has 3 songs i ever go near (New York City and the live Cold Turkey and Baby, Please Don’t Go cuts). John’s tracks from Double Fantasy and Milk And Honey do make a nice album when put together but some of the songs do sound like what they are – studio run-throughs – and Woman is too syrupy.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
12.23am
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1 May 2011
Offline mja6758 said
meanmistermustard said
And mja please be nice to people even when you disagree with what they post.Where wasn’t I nice, apart from saying it was bullsh*t not to consider Ringo’s first two albums as Ringo albums. I’m sorry, I find it quite when people pretend they don’t exist! I just strongly disagree with two great albums being ignored to make the crowd-friendly Ringo his first solo album. It just isn’t true.
I wasn’t intending not to be nice, just opinionated!
It’s just how it came across when read, that’s all. Here’s an apple as an act of peace-making.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
1.03am
9 January 2014
Offline Ram is my favourite post-Beatles album by any of them. It has a tremendous amount of character. So do McCartney, Plastic Ono, and All Things but I suppose I appreciate the slightly off-kilter, highly melodic, and simple nature of Macca’s album.
1.10am
Reviewers
1 November 2013
Offline ivaughan said
Ram is my favourite post-Beatles album by any of them. It has a tremendous amount of character. So do McCartney, Plastic Ono, and All Things but I suppose I appreciate the slightly off-kilter, highly melodic, and simple nature of Macca’s album.
I still think Band On The Run is Paul’s non-Beatle masterwork. With such brilliant songs (sorry mmm, I enjoy Jet ) as Band On The Run , Let Me Roll It , and Nineteen Hundred Eighty Five, possibly the best bass he ever played on Mrs. Vandebilt, and the other ones being at worst, solid songs. Ram is good, but Band On The Run , is in my opinion the best Beatles solo album.
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1.20am
9 January 2014
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IveJustSeenAFaceo said
ivaughan said
Ram is my favourite post-Beatles album by any of them. It has a tremendous amount of character. So do McCartney, Plastic Ono, and All Things but I suppose I appreciate the slightly off-kilter, highly melodic, and simple nature of Macca’s album.I still think Band On The Run is Paul’s non-Beatle masterwork. With such brilliant songs (sorry mmm, I enjoy Jet ) as Band On The Run , Let Me Roll It , and Nineteen Hundred Eighty Five, possibly the best bass he ever played on Mrs. Vandebilt, and the other ones being at worst, solid songs. Ram is good, but Band On The Run , is in my opinion the best Beatles solo album.
I can certainly understand that opinion and it’s a popular one. And certainly Band On The Run is a great album and up there with the best Beatles solo album. For me personally, though, I feel that Paul lost just a little something special when he started to go the stadium-rock route which essentially began with this record. There is a kind of specialness with the first few solo McCartney albums – something about them that seems almost more authentically McCartney than anything else he ever did – that went away when he started making those bigger albums, if you know what I mean. Of course, though, there’s so much great stuff on BOTR – the title track, Bluebird, Let Me Roll It , 1985, and, yes, have to say, love Jet as well.
2.50am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline I’ve already taken issue with Ringo being considered Ringo’s first post-Beatles album, and about to drop another downer on this list.
Ram ? While it happened on top of Let It Be , what happened to McCartney?
Surely, if there is a question here, it is which of their first solo offerings after they knew The Beatles were dead (long live The Beatles!) was the most successful.
For John that would be Plastic Ono Band, for Paul that would be McCartney (the album he used to announce the break-up of The Beatles), for George, the aptly titled, All Things Must Pass , and for Ringo Sentimental Journey.
You can’t pick and choose what their first post-Beatles albums are, as they are what they are.
In which case, John and George are a tie, with Paul close behind, followed by – as expected – Ringo.
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
5.28am
17 October 2013
Offline I agree in that a lot of the Ringo discussion is about ‘first solo album’……. ‘MacCartney’ is definitely that for Paul………Unless… Family Way get’s in. But then if it is, shouldn’t that go up against John’s nightmare experimental stuff and George’s Electronic short-circuit?
I see what the OP is getting at……I just think that for consistency he has to take Ringo’s first album after LIB as Ringo’s first album. He’s always gonna be 4th anyway.
So for me Ringo……George…….Paul……..John.
7.09am
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline Atlas said
I agree in that a lot of the Ringo discussion is about ‘first solo album’……. ‘MacCartney’ is definitely that for Paul………Unless… Family Way get’s in. But then if it is, shouldn’t that go up against John’s nightmare experimental stuff and George’s Electronic short-circuit?
I see what the OP is getting at……I just think that for consistency he has to take Ringo’s first album after LIB as Ringo’s first album. He’s always gonna be 4th anyway.
So for me Ringo……George…….Paul……..John.
Agree in a way – but I was trying to make it the first album by each that had stuff on it they had written. I chose after Let It Be because that was when they all had the weight of doubt and secrecy lifted from them. [EDIT] George’s ‘electronic short-circuit’ was his 2nd album, and I don’t agree on Ringo always being fourth – see below.
If we make it actual first albums I would say George with Wonderwall had the best, with Ringo and Sentimental Journey next followed by Family Way and then Two Virgins a long way back. Unless of course you don’t count Family Way in which case Macca ‘wins’ by a country mile or three.
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7.41am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline Here are the facts.
The earlier albums, such as The Family Way , Wonderwall, Two Virgins , Live Peace In Toronto etc, were side projects from The Beatles.
The last Abbey Road session, which — as an album — George Martin has always said they knew was their last album, was 20 August 1969. The last Beatles session, to involve more than 1 Beatle, I Me Mine , 3 January 1970, to finish off Let It Be .
Let It Be was released 8 May 1970. After Paul had made The Beatles split official. Only Ringo’s album pre-dated that split announcement, though Ringo knew the band were no more during recording.
Plastic Ono Band — 26 September-23 October 1970 (released 11 December 1970)
McCartney — December 1969-February 1970 (released 17 April 1970)
All Things Must Pass — 26 May-late October 1970 (released 27 November 1970)
Sentimental Journey — 27 October 1969-6 March 1970 (released 27 March 1970)
That Ringo chose to make his first two solo albums cover version albums shouldn’t discount them as bar Don’t Pass Me By and Octopus’ Garden, all Ringo’s songs in The Beatles were written for him, or were covers. And around half of the Ringo album also falls within that (songs by John, Paul and George, You’re Sixteen, etc.).
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
10.59am
17 October 2013
Offline trcanberra said
Atlas said
I agree in that a lot of the Ringo discussion is about ‘first solo album’……. ‘MacCartney’ is definitely that for Paul………Unless… Family Way get’s in. But then if it is, shouldn’t that go up against John’s nightmare experimental stuff and George’s Electronic short-circuit?
I see what the OP is getting at……I just think that for consistency he has to take Ringo’s first album after LIB as Ringo’s first album. He’s always gonna be 4th anyway.
So for me Ringo……George…….Paul……..John.
Agree in a way – but I was trying to make it the first album by each that had stuff on it they had written. I chose after Let It Be because that was when they all had the weight of doubt and secrecy lifted from them. [EDIT] George’s ‘electronic short-circuit’ was his 2nd album, and I don’t agree on Ringo always being fourth – see below.
If we make it actual first albums I would say George with Wonderwall had the best, with Ringo and Sentimental Journey next followed by Family Way and then Two Virgins a long way back. Unless of course you don’t count Family Way in which case Macca ‘wins’ by a country mile or three.
Here are the facts. The earlier albums, such as The Family Way , Wonderwall, Two Virgins , Live Peace In Toronto etc, were side projects from The Beatles. The last Abbey Road session, which — as an album — George Martin has always said they knew was their last album, was 20 August 1969. The last Beatles session, to involve more than 1 Beatle, I Me Mine , 3 January 1970, to finish off Let It Be . Let It Be was released 8 May 1970. After Paul had made The Beatles split official. Only Ringo’s album pre-dated that split announcement, though Ringo knew the band were no more during recording. Plastic Ono Band — 26 September-23 October 1970 (released 11 December 1970) McCartney — December 1969-February 1970 (released 17 April 1970) All Things Must Pass — 26 May-late October 1970 (released 27 November 1970) Sentimental Journey — 27 October 1969-6 March 1970 (released 27 March 1970) That Ringo chose to make his first two solo albums cover version albums shouldn’t discount them as bar Don’t Pass Me By and Octopus’ Garden, all Ringo’s songs in The Beatles were written for him, or were covers. And around half of the Ringo album also falls within that (songs by John, Paul and George, You’re Sixteen, etc.).
Thanks both of you ……I was being lazy regarding looking up release dates. I can recall all the albums quoted hitting the stores. I remember turning them in my hands and thinking I just can’t afford these. George’s ‘Wonderwall’ was very enticing because I’d heard Eric was on it. But I never bought any of them. Even, ‘Live Peace In Toronto ‘ was something I could only ask the staff to play for me while I sat in a little box in ‘One stop Records’ off Oxford Street. Then shake my head slowly and say “Nah!” Even though I really wanted it.
There were a lot of Apple releases with Beatle input coming out at that time that I was purchasing with my paper-round money. ‘That’s The Way God Planned It’ and ‘Sour Milk Sea’ both with Eric on. “Cold turkey” too………… Badfinger stuff. It was a great time.
I was usually well-informed on ‘Beatle involved’ releases but as I waited at the Albert Hall, for a Delaney and Bonnie (with EC) concert to start up, they played, unannounced over the PA…. ‘Give Peace A Chance ‘ .I though half-way through, ‘Bloody ‘ell that sounds like John Lennon ”……. I wanted the crazy experimental stuff but had to prioritise. Hence my hazy memory.
11.35am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline The question was “Best solo albums the first ones after Let It Be ?” so after the 8th May 1970.
McCartney was released before – April 1970,
as were
Sentimental Journey – March 1970
Wonderwall Music – 1968
Electronic Sound – 1969
Two Virgins – 1968
Life With The Lions – 1969
Wedding Album – 1969
Live Peace In Toronto – 1969
The Family Way – 1966, credited to George Martin Orchestra according to wiki by the way).
That leaves only Ringo’s Beaucoups of Blues, released in September 1970, which should be before Ringo in context to the question asked.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
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