Althouse: Lennon or McCartney?

December 15, 2014

Lennon or McCartney?

(Via Metafilter.)

70 comments:

richard mcenroe said...: Dolenz.; 12/15/14, 6:41 PM
jr565 said...: Early Beatles. Lennon
Mid Beatles Lennon/MccCartney; 12/15/14, 6:50 PM
Saint Croix said...: McCartney.; 12/15/14, 6:51 PM
jr565 said...: Late Beatles McCartney/Lennon.

Solo Mccartney; 12/15/14, 6:51 PM
Amexpat said...: Lennon and dogs, coffee, beer and boxer shorts.; 12/15/14, 6:51 PM
Phil 314 said...: Both...

Sum of the parts etc; 12/15/14, 6:52 PM
Meade said...: Martin; 12/15/14, 6:56 PM
jr565 said...: I liked them less as they grew in self importance. Yes, their artistry grew, but youre also conscious of the fact that they are "important artists". Early Beatles is just effervescent.; 12/15/14, 6:56 PM
jr565 said...: Even though I say I liked them less, I still consider them the best band ever. So, its not that I'm disparaging them. I just go to the earlier records more now.; 12/15/14, 6:57 PM
pm317 said...: Lennon; 12/15/14, 6:58 PM
Heartless Aztec said...: Best; 12/15/14, 7:00 PM
Heartless Aztec said...: Or maybe Stu...; 12/15/14, 7:01 PM
Bob R said...: Left handed bassists have to stick together.; 12/15/14, 7:04 PM
Saint Croix said...: Pete Townsend said McCartney so he's the winner.; 12/15/14, 7:13 PM
Saint Croix said...: Apparently I've been spelling his name wrong all these years. Wow.; 12/15/14, 7:14 PM
David said...: Ringo.; 12/15/14, 7:14 PM
jr565 said...: I play left handed guitar because of McCartney. (even though he played bass) and because I'm left handed. But I learned guitar first the "normal" way. Then switched because McCartney played lefty. I suppose I could do Hendrix, and play both ways now, but I'm pretty bad as a righty guitar player.; 12/15/14, 7:21 PM
khesanh0802 said...: They are only musicians, like Dylan. The answer is unimportant. Grant or Sherman? Twain or Bierce? Marshall or Holmes? Van Gogh or Picasso? Those are interesting questions.; 12/15/14, 7:24 PM
Bobber Fleck said...: Carl Perkins

Del Shannon

Phil and Don Everly

Eddie Cochran

I'm almost exactly the same age as our host (January 1951), but never found the Beatles interesting. Actually, I grew up without a turntable in the age of 45's and 33 LP's. I couldn't afford records, so it didn't matter. "Summertime Blues" was my anthem as work consumed my time off from school. My memories of youthful music are from the 50's and early 60's on AM radio (WLS).; 12/15/14, 7:24 PM
Titus said...: Althouse...my mom is going out for her "holiday" lunch with her friends: the gay catholic priest, who drinks too much, her fab friend who lives on Jennifer Street, and her other fab friend who gave big bucks to the new Civic Center.

They are going to Cento-have you been Helen?

I had to read the menu to my mother so she would understand what the meals meant-she decided on a "fruit salad" but didn't realize it was a fruit salad based off it's description. I told her when looking at the menu under "ensalada" which she didn't know means salad, look for the word grapes!

Any reviews Gertrude on Cento?

Thanks,
tits.; 12/15/14, 7:26 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: VGPS-period Ray Davies. I'm sick to death of all things Beatles.; 12/15/14, 7:31 PM
Meade said...: Insalata not ensalda, Titus. It's Italian, not Mexican.
But the advice about grapes was good.; 12/15/14, 7:42 PM
Doug said...: McCartney remains to this day a lightweight and a nitwith with a show-off streak a mile wide. He wrote some amazing songs and collaborated on some others, but Lennon - mean insufferable bastard that he was and also a bit of a hippy wanker - could write songs that he liked, without wondering would the mums and dads think they were okay.; 12/15/14, 7:43 PM
chickelit said...: Lenin or McCarthy?; 12/15/14, 7:48 PM
Danno said...: Mick Jagger with the very recently departed Bobby Keys playing his heart out on sax!; 12/15/14, 7:49 PM
Revenant said...: Neither did anything I particularly liked, outside their work in The Beatles. So, neither.; 12/15/14, 7:54 PM
Beldar said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/15/14, 8:09 PM
garage mahal said...: Neither. Anyone but McCartney though.; 12/15/14, 8:10 PM
Yancey Ward said...: I think interesting that neither really produced much that was truly memorable after the breakup. That synergy was missed greatly by both.; 12/15/14, 8:11 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: McCartney, despite the fact that he did the worst Christmas song ever.; 12/15/14, 8:22 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: My God, this goes on for over half an hour, and I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.; 12/15/14, 8:23 PM
MadAir said...: Concert hall: McCartney
Home alone: Lennon or Harrison; 12/15/14, 8:29 PM
Temujin said...: I've got blisters on my fingers…; 12/15/14, 8:31 PM
Anonymous said...: Is this an artist thing? Is the question "Lennon or McCartney?" and the artists know what to answer? I admit I did not take a half hour to see if an explanation of what is going on pops up in the middle.

I guess engineers don't ask questions like "First law of thermodynamics or first law of motion?" We all might have an opinion on that.

By coincidence I was just reading about the breakup of the Beatles earlier today. Apparently the manager died and no one else knew how to manage all the egos, John was taking too many drugs to make a business decision, Paul married into a family of lawyers and started suing people to get his way, and Yoko kept hanging around the studio making suggestions. It just wasn't fun anymore.; 12/15/14, 8:31 PM
madAsHell said...: Hendrix!

I suppose I could do Hendrix, and play both ways now, but I'm pretty bad as a righty guitar player.

There's a story that Hendrix was sharing riffs with Keith Richards. Richards apologized that he didn't have a left handed guitar. Didn't matter to Jimi. He just flipped the right handed guitar over, and played it backwards.

There are several videos showing Jimi tuning his guitar by ear while talking to the audience.

Things I cannot do!!; 12/15/14, 8:38 PM
Anonymous said...: Lennon.; 12/15/14, 8:44 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: Great: a Beatles post. Now I'll be humming 'Revolution #9' all day.

I am Laslo.; 12/15/14, 8:48 PM
The Godfather said...: Is this "Jeopardy"? The answer is Lennon or McCartney, and we're supposed to guess the question?

If the question is, Which one is still alive? the answer is McCartney.

If the question is, Which one wore the funny wire glasses? the answer is Lennon.; 12/15/14, 8:57 PM
Scott said...: Mead nailed it. The Beatles wouldn't have been great without George Martin.

I don't think either of them wrote any great songs after the breakup. McCartney has more of the common man vibe about him, so he would be my choice. Lennon was a poser. Like his widow.; 12/15/14, 9:15 PM
SteveR said...: I am happy not to choose.; 12/15/14, 9:19 PM
Tank said...: McCartney was the magic.; 12/15/14, 9:42 PM
glenn said...: Chuck Berry

On stage. Stockton Civic Auditorium. 1958.; 12/15/14, 10:10 PM
mccullough said...: Lennon; 12/15/14, 10:54 PM
Mark said...: I suspect an ideological tint where the arrogant prigs picked Lennon and everyday type of people picked the more common-man, middle-class McCartney.; 12/15/14, 11:06 PM
eddie willers said...: Now I'll be humming 'Revolution #9' all day.

You've said a lot of funny things, but that one made me genuinely LOL.

You Know My Name, Look Up the Number.; 12/15/14, 11:19 PM
chickelit said...: Titus: I've heard good things about Cento from people I know in Madison. Have her try the Carpa locale coi funghi.; 12/15/14, 11:25 PM
Captain Ned said...: Strictly between the two, it's Paul.; 12/15/14, 11:39 PM
William said...: I would have thought that the cute girls would prefer McCartney and the tortured intellectuals would opt for Lennon. But that's not the way it worked out. All the answers seemed idiosyncratic. Apparently there are no stereotypical McCartney fans..........The more important question is: Glen Miller or Benny Goodman? People used to debate that. I think Goodman had a better critical reputation, and Miller sold more songs. Nowadays, who cares?; 12/16/14, 12:36 AM
William said...: Sadly, we will never know Shirley Temple's answer to that question. If I had to guess, I would say McCartney. I just can't see Shirley doing Working Class Hero, but I bet she would really rock Uncle Albert.; 12/16/14, 12:50 AM
CatherineM said...: McCartney!

How many of these people said Lennon because he's dead and anti-war cool?

McCartney has many more songs that are known and WINGS. You can not forget WINGS.

So please. Give me a break.

McCartney
Harrison
Lennon; 12/16/14, 1:04 AM
Drago said...: Am I to understand that Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings?; 12/16/14, 1:10 AM
BudBrown said...: ochs or dylan; 12/16/14, 2:15 AM
Scott said...: What do you call a dog with wings? Linda.

Except that joke doesn't work anymore.; 12/16/14, 2:43 AM
Wilbur said...: I try to forget Wings - or post 1967 McCartney - as much as possible. Unlistenable.

Lennon had one good post-Beatles song: "Number 9 Dream".

George Martin was a key contributor to the Beatles success. Just listen to the magic of "Please Please Me", and imagine it as how the Boys wanted to do it - as a ballad. Bleccch.; 12/16/14, 5:50 AM
Bob R said...: Some highlights of the video for those who skimmed through. (Mostly people giving one word answers, and I skipped along a bit.)

1. The comment that Paul was the best instrumentalist in the band though George was the most tasteful. [Kind of agree, though if you listen to Paul's bass lines - particularly on songs that John and George wrote - some very tasteful support.]

2. The number of songwriters who comment on Paul's ability to write melodies. [Even Paul's annoying songs have great melodies (mostly.) It's one of the things that make them annoying.]; 12/16/14, 6:07 AM
Skyler said...: I'm just amazed at how I only recognized a handful of the people being interviewed. Kind of proud of that, really.; 12/16/14, 6:08 AM
dustbunny said...: Impossible to choose. But if Matisse is McCartney and Picasso is Lennon I'll go with Matisse.; 12/16/14, 6:12 AM
JSD said...: I always liked Lennon’s greasy rock stuff (he was channeling Elvis!). Didn’t care for his politics. McCartney songs are probably better (always laugh at Back In USSR). Love the video clip of Hendrix doing Sgt. Pepper.; 12/16/14, 7:12 AM
Skyler said...: It's hard to say Lennon has better or worse politics. They're both hard core Marxists.; 12/16/14, 7:34 AM
kjbe said...: McCartney's way cuter.; 12/16/14, 8:07 AM
Known Unknown said...: I should've killed one of the other Beatles.; 12/16/14, 8:30 AM
Known Unknown said...: t's hard to say Lennon has better or worse politics. They're both hard core Marxists.

Which one of them wrote Tax Man?; 12/16/14, 8:31 AM
Known Unknown said...: Ha! Harrison wrote Taxman!; 12/16/14, 8:31 AM
Unknown said...: McCartney wrote better melodies; Lennon wrote better lyrics. But each has a masterpiece to his credit:

"Yesterday" and "In My Life"

Two of the best songs of the '60's.; 12/16/14, 10:05 AM
George M. Spencer said...: McCartney--

As someone said..."More good songs."

Saw him two months ago live.

Powerful. Romantic. Brilliant.

His post-Beatles work (even before Lennon's death) blew away his former partner. Since then, besides writing scads of great pop songs, he's shown his artistic breadth and depth in his painting and electronic and classical compositions.

Lennon is the easy answer for romantics and rebels. He's the one who blew his mind out in a car with drugs long before the 60s ended. A tragic end doesn't justify a vote for him.; 12/16/14, 11:00 AM
George M. Spencer said...: I'd also add that spiritually McCartney is and always has been in a much better place than his troubled late partner who could only imagine an absence of heaven when instead it was all around him for the taking every day.; 12/16/14, 11:07 AM
sonicfrog said...: It's a rubbish question.... But I'll answer it anyway.

Sir Paul.

Even before I became completely annoyed with the overuse of the song "Imagine" being played every time someone wants to show how thoughtful and deep they were, I was always a McCartney fan. I always found Lennon a bit sanctimonious...

"All we are saying
Is give peas a chance!"

I don't hate Lennon, but McCartney's stuff connects with me.

PS. I love how the Harrison tune is playing throughout. Kind of make the point that he's overlooked in all this.; 12/16/14, 12:50 PM
sonicfrog said...: How about Non-Beatles?

Neil Finn... Followed closely by his brother Tim.; 12/16/14, 12:52 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Imagine there's no heaven" implies a belief in heaven more than a disbelief. But the point is to direct your attention to this world and to do good here, for the present value of a better world. That is not inconsistent with belief in the afterlife.; 12/16/14, 7:30 PM
Billy Oblivion said...: Lennon or McCartney?

Suicide.; 12/18/14, 11:28 PM