B88: Tucson is in Arizona

I've watched all of Get Back now. It's been quite an overwhelming experience, & I can only say it's one of the best things I've ever seen. There isn't room for much more critical analysis than that. I was taken aback by some of my emotional responses. The Beatles are not, after all, the band of my generation, though my generation is, perhaps, by virtue of Anthology, Free as a Bird, Britpop etc, the last to wholeheartedly embrace them en masse. I don't know if that's true, but it doesn't feel like the Beatles have been anywhere near as connected to this decade as to the 90s and turn of the century - till now. [I mean, it's still the Beatles, it's not like the Beatles industry has gone quiet, but maybe you know what I mean ...]

Anyway, I'm already blathering more than I intended. I'm here to make a list, primarily. I'll, for once, let other people make the points. Just two things:

1) holy shit, McCartney and Lennon could sing. I guess we've seen McCartney very impressively still able to sing all his songs deep into his late 70s and got used to it being a slight struggle, but, back then, it was no struggle. His voice was immense and limitless. Likewise Lennon - even though he's messing about so often, disinterested sometimes, when he goes for it, it's magnificent. Obviously, George is a fine singer too. I think the fact that the Beatles were incredible singers is something I've slightly taken for granted.

2) Yeah, the songs. Their last couple of years is not my favourite Beatles period, but they're all concocting songs which are standards 50 years later. Even Ringo. Sometimes, I wonder, are these songs particularly memorable because they're the Beatles and they've just had more chance to be memorable than other people's songs? And I suppose there is that, but hearing John tinkering away at "On the Road to Marrakesh" which will later become 'Jealous Guy', I'm reminded that I didn't realise 'Jealous Guy' and 'Instant Karma' were by John Lennon until I was about 19. I'd heard them on the radio growing up and just thought "wow, those are powerful". I mean, those guys just wrote and sang powerful songs powerfully. And it's Lennon that's the one that's visibly struggling for inspiration, yet he's still got 'Don't Let Me Down', 'Across the Universe', with 'Come Together' and 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' on the way, not to mention 'God', Instant Karma', 'Working Class Hero' and 'Imagine'.

So I'm just going to make a big old Beatles song list, and I'll stop when I run out of songs I love. I'll include solo work, though I am not an aficianado beyond pretty basic hits and classics when it comes to solo material.

The numbering's all over the place really, and I've missed plenty. I'm actually not that great on the earliest albums ... We Can Work It Out being my favourite is a real point of principle for me.

1. We Can Work It Out
2. Penny Lane
3. Instant Karma
4. And Your Bird Can Sing
5. For No One
6. Happiness is a Warm Gun
7. In My Life
8. Revolution
9. A Day in the Life
10. All Things Must Pass
11. Here There and Everywhere
12. Live and Let Die
13. Yesterday
14. Got to Get You Into My Life
15. Ticket to Ride
16. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
17. Jealous Guy
18. Come and Get It
19. Drive My Car
20. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
21. Strawberry Fields Forever
22. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
23. Watching the Wheels
24. I Am the Walrus
25. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
26. Band on the Run
27. She's Leaving Home
28. Oh Darling
29. The Long and Winding Road
30. God
31. Helter Skelter
32. I Feel Fine
33. Girl
34. Across the Universe
35. Let it Be
36. I Want to Hold Your Hand
37. Get Back
38. My Brave Face
39. Eleanor Rigby
40. Please Please Me
41. Something
42. Why Don't We Do it in the Road
43. Woman
44. When I'm 64
45. Sexy Sadie
46. Tomorrow Never Knows
47. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
48. The Ballad of John and Yoko
49. Hey Jude
50. Two of Us
51. Magical Mystery Tour
52. Hey Bulldog!
53. I've Got a Feeling
54. Come Together
55. Yellow Submarine
56. Here Comes the Sun
57. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
58. And I Love her
59. Blackbird
60. She Loves You
61. A Hard Day's Night
62. She Said She Said
63. Michelle
64. Maybe I'm Amazed
65. The Fool on the Hill
66. Good Day Sunshine
67. From Me To You
68. I'm Looking Through You
69. Free as a Bird
70. Imagine
71. Baby You're a Rich Man
72. Nowhere Man
73. Bungalow Bill
74. Paperback Writer
75. Martha My Dear
76. Pipes of Peace
77. Nobody Told Me
78. Hello Goodbye
79. My Sweet Lord
80. Golden Slumbers
81. Carry that Weight
82. Don't Let Me Down
83. Everybody' Got Something to Hide Except Me and y Monkey
84. Help!
85. Norwegian Wood
86. You Never Give Me Your Money
87. Coming Up
88. What is Love
89. Old Brown Shoe
90. Polythene Pam
91. Within You Without You
92. Day Tripper
93. With a Little Help from My Friends
94. Mull of Kintyre
95. All My Loving
96. Isn't it a Pity
97. Octopus's Garden
98. All You Need Is Love
99. Lady Madonna
100. Jet
101. Taxman
102. Gimme Some Truth
103. We All Stand Together
104. Can't Buy Me Love
105. Love You To
106. Ob La Di Ob La Da
107. Ebony and Ivory
108. Dance Tonight
109. Give Peace a Chance
110. Dear Prudence
111. Happy Xmas
112. Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite
113. If I Fell
114. Dig a Pony
115. Rocky Raccoon
116. Mother Nature's Son
117. If I Needed Someone
118. Fixing a Hole
119. Rain
120. Julia
121. Eight Days a Week
122. The End
123. I'm So Tired
124. I Want to Tell You
125. Real Love
126. Because
127. Getting Better
128. Here Today
129. Let Me Roll It
130. Wah-Wah
131. I'm Down
132. The Word
133. Lovely Rita
134. Jenny Wren
135. I'd Have you Anytime
136. Birthday
137. Photograph
138. Misery
139. Just Like Starting Over
140. Love Me Do