[DavidMahler]

Beatles are big here these days, so I had an idea.....

Anyone who wants to could use this thread to show what they think would be a very invaluable chronological documentation of The Beatles work in a single disc.......Pick roughly about 20-30 songs which would constitute no more than 80 minutes of play time.
The goal of your song selection should be more concerned with the growth and development of them as a band rather than a selection of their biggest hits....Beatles 1 did the hits thing pretty well despite some pretty obvious album omissions.

So if you were to create a playlist of a single CD of the Beatles and it were to be called.....

The Beatles: A Retrospective.....

what songs would you choose? P.S. It should document all the different periods and styles of their work, which may cause you to omit certain favorites of your own for other songs.

Have fun....

 

[DavidMahler]

Here's my list.....but I look forward to hearing others...

1. Please Please Me
2. All My Loving
3. I Want To Hold Your Hand
4. This Boy
5. Tell Me Why
6. Can't Buy Me Love
7. I'm A Loser
8. Yesterday
9. Help!
10. Day Tripper
11. Michelle
12. In My Life
13. Eleanor Rigby
15. Tomorrow Never Knows
16. Strawberry Fields Forever
17. Penny Lane
18. A Day In The Life
19. Hey Jude
20. Revolution
21. While My Guitar Gently weeps
22. Blackbird
23. Sexy Sadie
24. Let It Be
25. Across The Universe
26. Come Together
27. Something
28. Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End

 

[LFF]

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

???

 

[DavidMahler]

Is something unclear about my thread? lol

 

[Jubei]

But ... which tracks in mono which tracks in mono?

 

[fuseboxx]

Not satisfied with this, tbh. On any other day, I would have picked some tracks differently. The most notable omission here is the anthemic "Hey Jude", but I already have a 7-minute song in there and I think "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" shows a much more experimental Beatles than "Hey Jude".

I assume that you're limiting this to 80 minutes because that's the maximum length that a CD can hold. With that in mid, I think it would also be interesting to make a cassete tape version for the ff reasons:

* The "mix tape" charm
* Longer playing time (120 mins max) = more songs!
* You'd also have to think of how what tracks should appropriately bookend both sides of the tape.

Just my .02

But here's my list based on your rules (and some comments):

01. Love Me Do (first hit single. 'nuff said)
02. Don't Bother Me (first harrison song)
03. A Hard Day's Night (pennultimate example of the beatles as a pop-band)
04. If I Fell (a slower, ballady-type song for variation)
05. I'm A Loser (rare introsepctive song early on, a bit folky and shows how lennon's style will develop)
06. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (folk song that shows the dylan influence)
07. In My Life (great melody, iconic piano solo, meditative lyrics)
08. Nowhere Man (one of the major songs to show the beatles' thematic shift in their songwriting)
09. Eleanor Rigby (beatles delving into the morose... with strings! lots of them!)
10. Tomorrow Never Knows (probably the most experimental thing they've done up to this point)
11. Within You Without You (obviously because of the eastern influence)
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonley Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In The Life (epic. unconventional song structure and experimention make this)
14. Flying (because we need an instrumental track =p)
14. I Am The Walrus (overdubs, psychedelic lyrics and various samples make this song a lush treat)
15. Strawberry Fields Forever (the iconic and definitive lennon song for the era when it was released)
16. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (the iconic and definitive harrison song. period.)
17. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (who would have thought anyone could do so much in 165 seconds?)
18. Helter Skelter (proto-metal \m/)
19. Hey Bulldog (the most underrated beatles song, but's a crazy good psychedelic piano-driven tune)
20. Across the Universe (beautiful... abstract... transcendental...)
21. I Want You (She's So Heavy) (long, heavy and bluesy number with a lot if experimental quirks)
22. Golden Slumbers (see below)
23. Carry That Weight (see below)
24. The End (just the perfect and most appropriate swan song ever written and it's just fitting that it's for the greatest band ever. good job paul. even if I only took three of your songs for this compilation)

Running Time: 79:55

Yeah, I'm not so much a Paul fan when it comes to songwriting

 

[Sherwood]

Entire remastered catalog in 8bit mp3. I bet I can fit it all on one.

 

[fuseboxx]

of course... because decreasing the bitrate will also decrease the playing time... O.o

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Quote:

Is something unclear about my thread? lol

Haha! No!

LFF's post didnt load the image for me yesterday, so it was an empty post, and I went huh?

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LFF /img/forum/go_quote.gif

It is because this compilation does not include a single track from Rubber Soul / Sgt Pepper OR The White Album that this compilation could never be considered a definitive retrospective of their work, although it does have an obvious and very valid theme.