Beatles songs no 4: The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill

[Bungo the Mungo]

Voted Good - far from a classic, but perennially happiness-inducing.

To be fair, set up nicely by Macca's previous wacky experimentalism.
The quiet flamenco guitar intro with sudden loud chorus never fails to lift the spirits.
Great Chris Thomas mellotron too.
Classic Yoko mini-lead vocal.
Macca's bubbly minimalist bassline.
The whistling at the end

...what's not to like?

Precisely. Lots of fun.

Ten times better than the joyless Harrison monstrosity that follows, for sure

Makes no sense, that line. I've heard it a few times here, now. I suspect that those responsible have half-digested Ian Macdonald and are regurgitating it willy nilly all over BCB.

We need a new definitive Fabs' book.

[Jeff K]

Didn't Macdonald care for While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

I haven't read the book.

[Bungo the Mungo]

Didn't Macdonald care for While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

I haven't read the book.

He said it was mean-spirited, or turgid, or something like that.

[mentalist (slight return)]

I don't mind it within the context of the album, but I've never enjoyed it much.
There's something unpleasant about that plodding, but strident chorus, and hitting you with it right at the start seems to make it worse.

That's about right. If they were going to include it anywhere the white album was the place for it. It's mildly enjoyable as its part of the Beatles story, they're sort of falling apart, there's Yoko with her less than appealing voice, but it's scrappy Beatles fare. Poor.

And Muskrat is right, Howzat is much better!

[Johnny Dumfries]

Ten times better than the joyless Harrison monstrosity that follows, for sure

Makes no sense, that line. I've heard it a few times here, now. I suspect that those responsible have half-digested Ian Macdonald and are regurgitating it willy nilly all over BCB.

We need a new definitive Fabs' book.

Not Guilty (boom tish!).
Got the LP 5 years before MacDonalds's book came out - never warmed to the track, ever.
Meanders, self-pitying, obsessed with it's own righteouness, and Clapton's guitar just gets on your tits.
Plus, it plays as though the Abbey Road tape recorder batteries were running out - it just sounds wonky and out of tune (in a terminally shite way) - esp. towards the fade.
Edited straight away from my single CD version.

[Bungo the Mungo]

Fair enough.

I've never thought of it as a classic, but I like the chord changes and the way it moves into the chorus. The vocal melody in the chorus is very George, I think - that yearning quality.

[mentalist (slight return)]

While My Guitar Gently Weeps sounds very '70s, I like the version on Anthology 3 better.

[Johnny Dumfries]

Fair enough.

I've never thought of it as a classic, but I like the chord changes and the way it moves into the chorus. The vocal melody in the chorus is very George, I think - that yearning quality.

But it's out of tune, maan.
I'll concede its marginally better than Savoy Truffle and that unbearable Honey Pie smug-fest (which makes you want to eat your fucking eyeballs) on side 4.

Not Guilty is a far better track.

[Bungo the Mungo]

What do people make of 'Something'?

Maybe I should start another thread...

[Quaco]

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" ... "Time" (Bowie, on the other thread) ... I think 4:00-5:00 slow tracks are out of style at the moment. At one time, they were the key tracks on their albums.

[Johnny Dumfries]

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" ... I think 4:00-5:00 slow tracks are out of style at the moment. At one time, they were the key tracks on their albums.

What, more key than Revolution 9?
Happiness is Warm Gun towers over WMGGW like a colossus - in a different league entirely

[Quaco]

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" ... I think 4:00-5:00 slow tracks are out of style at the moment. At one time, they were the key tracks on their albums.

What, more key than Revolution 9?
Happiness is Warm Gun towers over WMGGW like a colossus - in a different league entirely

OK, a key track. I certainly agree with your other two suggestions as well.

[Piggly Wiggly]

Voted Good - far from a classic, but perennially happiness-inducing.

To be fair, set up nicely by Macca's previous wacky experimentalism.
The quiet flamenco guitar intro with sudden loud chorus never fails to lift the spirits.
Great Chris Thomas mellotron too.
Classic Yoko mini-lead vocal.
Macca's bubbly minimalist bassline.
The whistling at the end

...what's not to like?

Precisely. Lots of fun.

Ten times better than the joyless Harrison monstrosity that follows, for sure

Makes no sense, that line. I've heard it a few times here, now. I suspect that those responsible have half-digested Ian Macdonald and are regurgitating it willy nilly all over BCB.

We need a new definitive Fabs' book.

Wash your mouth out with soap, Coan. I really disliked the Macdonald book, and...my antipathy towards the bloated slow album take of "While...." stretches back two decades now.

The earlier take on Anthology 3 is really pleasing to me.

I am a definitive Fabs' book.

[Bungo the Mungo]

[Quaco]

Wash your mouth out with soap, Coan. I really disliked the Macdonald book, and...my antipathy towards the bloated slow album take of "While...." stretches back two decades now.

The earlier take on Anthology 3 is really pleasing to me.

I am a definitive Fabs' book.

"Really dislike"? Why?

[Mr Maps]

It's the one Beatles album with a bit of spook to it (no Billy Preston jokes, please).

Ironic it's known as The White Album.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps sounds very '70s,

Must have sounded pretty hot in 1968.

[Piggly Wiggly]

Wash your mouth out with soap, Coan. I really disliked the Macdonald book, and...my antipathy towards the bloated slow album take of "While...." stretches back two decades now.

The earlier take on Anthology 3 is really pleasing to me.

I am a definitive Fabs' book.

"Really dislike"? Why?

It's overlong, over-slow, over-disciplined in its playing (the Fabs were almostpathologically dynamic, alchemic, and spontaneous), the warbling of the lead guitar and organ gets tiresome quickly (not a standard Beatles criticism), and...just fade the fucker already, right?

[king feeb]

"Bungalow Bill". Yes, please.

It's one of my favorite weird Beatles tracks. Totally off-kilter and utterly bizarre. The chorus is the sort of thing that could play on an endless loop inside your brain and totally drive you nuts. What else can one ask for?

I concur with Our Man From Chicago about "While My Guitar", although I probably like it a little more than he does. It just goes on too damn long, widdly-wooing away on the fretboard. I thought it was better when Chicago ripped it off and made "25 Or Six To Four" out of it.

[Piggly Wiggly]

"Bungalow Bill". Yes, please.

It's one of my favorite weird Beatles tracks. Totally off-kilter and utterly bizarre. The chorus is the sort of thing that could play on an endless loop inside your brain and totally drive you nuts. What else can one ask for?

I concur with Our Man From Chicago about "While My Guitar", although I probably like it a little more than he does. It just goes on too damn long, widdly-wooing away on the fretboard. I thought it was better when Chicago ripped it off and made "25 Or Six To Four" out of it.

You acknowledge one of my other big "While....." complaints - Slowhand. Starstruck Beatles is not a pretty thing.

[Piggly Wiggly]

The book? It was as if some guy with lesser insight than, say, you or I wrote a "definitive Beatles book".

Anyhow, to - hopefully - end the digression, THIS is just about as open, generous, and beautiful as it gets.