Hokeyboy

Which one do you consider to be the "best"? And define best however you want. Your personal favorite song, the strongest song to introduce an album as a body of work, your favorite Ringo drum moment on an album opener, whatever. I got enough aggravation.

I'm also throwing the US Capitol albums into the mix, because I love those records dearly, and it's my poll so BLEARGH! Also: Magical Mystery Tour.

And the nominees are:

• "I Saw Her Standing There" -- Please Please Me (1963) [UK]
• "It Won't Be Long" -- With The Beatles (1963) [UK]
• "I Want To Hold Your Hand" -- Meet The Beatles (1964) [US]
• "Roll Over Beethoven" -- The Beatles Second Album (1964) [US]
• "A Hard Day's Night" -- A Hard Day's Night (1964) [US/UK]
• "I'll Cry Instead" -- Something New (1964) [US]
• "No Reply" -- Beatles For Sale (1964) [UK] / Beatles '65 (1964) [US]
• "Love Me Do" -- The Early Beatles (1965) [US]
• "Kansas City"/"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" -- Beatles VI (1965) [US]
• "Help!" -- Help! (1965) [US/UK]
• "Drive My Car" -- Rubber Soul (1965) [UK] / "Yesterday and Today" (1966) [US]
• "I've Just Seen A Face" -- Rubber Soul (1965) [US]
• "Taxman" -- Revolver (1966) [US/UK]
• "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" -- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
• "Magical Mystery Tour" -- Magical Mystery Tour (1967) [US]
• "Back in the USSR" -- The Beatles (1968)
• "Yellow Submarine" -- Yellow Submarine (1969)
• "Come Together" -- Abbey Road (1969)
• "Two Of Us" -- Let It Be (1970)

Poll forthcoming, as well as my own choice.

Hokeyboy

The easy answer was almost Sgt. Pepper's, but I went with I've Just Seen A Face from the US Rubber Soul. It set the tone for what was The Beatles first artistic and evolutionary triumph of an album, as well as its repackaging in the US as a more folksy, acoustic affair. A nostalgic favorite of mine for sure, but it really works beautifully as a way of introducing the album as a singular work.

Supermallet

Beatles For Sale is the weakest Beatles album (not including Yellow Submarine, which I consider an EP with film score tacked onto it), but No Reply is their best opener. From the spare start to the accusatory tone, the song feels like a statement.

Fist of Doom

What a great list of songs. I voted "I Want To Hold Your Hand". It's just a perfect pop song and full of energy.

davidh777

The U.S. Rubber Soul is what really hooked me on the Beatles, and Sgt Pepper and Come Together are great openers, but I voted Hard Day's Night for the opening strum alone.

PhantomStranger

I've always thought Help! was one of their best songs, so I went with it. The film wasn't bad either, if you are into '60s nostalgia.

http://www.doblu.com/2013/07/05/beat...bluray-review/

Oliver Clothesoff

doesn't get any better than "One, two, three, FAH!"

Hokeyboy

The "One, two, three, FARRRRRRR" chant that introduces "I Saw Her Standing There" was a tempting choice as well.

With the exception of "Kansas City", there isn't a clunker in the bunch.


EDIT: Get out of my head, Oliver.

CRM114

Two of Us because it's the best song on the list.

cdollaz

Magical Mystery Tour, with Help! and A Hard Day's Night very close behind.

Decker

A Hard Day's Night. It sets the tone perfectly for the fun, vivacious album and for the nuttiness of the movie. And while the same could be said of Help!, there's something amazing, magical, unique and un-reproducible about that first note of Hard Day's Night. That crazy, metallic twang that lingers for a few seconds. Is it an accident? I don't know, but it's so awesome that there's no mistaking it for any other song once you hear it.

Arpeggi

No Reply.

Fist of Doom

17 votes after nearly nine hours...well, I know I ain't in the Steve Hoffman forums.

Pizza

Someone had to vote for Sgt. Pepper. I love it and the segue into A Little Help is magical.

Hokeyboy

Reported.

TomOpus

I went with "A Hard Day's Night" because I love that opening cord. I almost went with "Come Together" since it was the last album recorded together and it seemed like John was telling the other Beatles "let's do this last one together."

Rocketdog2000

My thoughts exactly. Not only a great album opener, but one of the best openings to any song, ever.

Hiro11

Taxman, bar none. Come Together in second.

Supermallet

Can I please change my vote to "Taxman"?

cultshock

Taxman!

Otherwise this thread would be 15 pages by now.

JAA

Not even close . . . A Hard Day's Night. It was heavy before there was heavy.

Spiderbite

I went with It Won't Be Long. The song is just all kinds of kick ass. It starts off with the rushed, urgent chorus which had to be unique in the pop music world at that time. George's guitar work stands out and Ringo's drums are rocking. Paul and George blend together well behind John smooth singing after the chorus. John's singing "Yeah" back and forth with a screaming, repeating Paul in the background just adds to the frenzy. They even give you a little harmony at the end.

That is the way to start off a second album and it proved to the naysayers that they weren't fucking around and were not a one album wonder. And they amazingly do all of this in a scant 2 minutes 15 seconds. I miss short songs like this.

JANK

Tough tough call but I went with Magical Mystery Tour. Hard Days Night was tied. Yes that STRUM!!!

dom56

I voted Back In The USSR. Just a great opeining rocking tune.

Hokeyboy

I'm actually surprised that Sgt. Pepper's didn't run away with this poll.