В составлении списка десяти лучших битловских вещей участвовали Michael Wright, Bryan Wawzenek, Andrew Vaughan, Sean Dooley, Arlen Roth, Aidin Vaziri, Russell Hall, Ellen M. Barnes, Ted Drozdowski, Paolo Bassotti, Apple Records’ Tony Bramwell, Elliot Easton (The Cars), Ric Olsen (Berlin), Doug Powell (Swag), Chris Stein (Blondie), Richard Thompson, а также были учтены голоса посетителей Gibson.com.
10. “Let It Be” (1970 – single/ Let It Be )
The title track from The Beatles’ final album carries an air of resignation – with the band members at war and the pressure of success wearing down their defenses, Paul McCartney was visited in a dream by his late mother Mary, who reassured him, “It will be all right, just let it be.” Despite the singer’s protestation over Phil Spector’s handling of the production on the final version and John Lennon’s general distaste for the song all together, it remains one of the group’s most epic ballads – a lighter-waving staple at McCartney’s concerts and the tune to close out charity concerts with an all-star ensemble. When it was released in 1970, though – after the group had already announced it had split – it was just balm for the jilted fans. – Aidin Vaziri
9. “Across the Universe” (1970 – Let It Be )
Inspired equally by domestic turbulence (“Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup”) and a blossoming interest in Transcendental Meditation (“Jai guru deva om”), Lennon’s cosmic folk tune has that rare ability to stop you in your tracks – just as it did the man who wrote it. “The words are purely inspirational and were given to me – except for maybe one or two where I had to resolve a line or something like that,” Lennon said. “I don't own it; it came through like that.” To get the harmonies just right, the band roped it some of its teenage fans lingering outside Abbey Road studio. Although John wasn’t thrilled with the final recording that appeared on Let It Be (on which Phil Spector slowed down the original tape and embellished it with airy strings), he claimed “Across the Universe” was one of his best songs. – Aidin Vaziri
8. “Something” (1969 – single/ Abbey Road )
Despite George’s songs usually receiving short shrift next to John and Paul’s tunes, both Lennon and McCartney held his song “Something” in the highest regard. John felt it might have been the best track on all of Abbey Road, while Paul later said it was the best song George had ever written. “Something” was the first Harrison-composed song to appear on the A-side of a Beatles single (it was double A-sided with “Come Together”). The lyrics for “Something” came well after the music, and for a while George used the placeholder “attracts me like a cauliflower” in place of “attracts me like no other lover.” Initially George wasn’t too keen on the song because it had come to him fairly easily, so he sat on it for about six months before giving it a chance. Because the promotional video featured George’s wife at the time, Pattie Boyd, most believed (including Pattie) that it was about her. In 1996, however, George revealed that he’d actually been thinking about Ray Charles when he wrote it. – Sean Dooley
7. “Help!” (1965 – single/ Help! )
When it was time to write and record their fifth album, Lennon was not in the best shape. Fame was taking its toll, he’d packed on a few pounds and the adrenalin-fired excitement of getting to the “toppermost of the poppermost” had been diluted by the tedium of promotion, touring, interviews and insane fan frenzy. The opening line’s (“Help, I need somebody!”) vulnerability and honesty would signal a new direction in Lennon’s writing. Already influenced by the more direct style of Bob Dylan (interestingly, “Help!” knocked the Dylan-penned surreal masterpiece “Mr. Tambourine Man” by The Byrds from the U.K. #1 spot), Lennon would never again simply craft pop songs for radio and TV appeal. With “Help!” The Beatles started making music for grown-ups. – Andrew Vaughan
6. “Hey Jude” (1968 – single)
A powerful and poetic masterpiece, this tune, The Beatles’ biggest hit of all time, certainly is a song of true grandeur. I can still recall the first time I heard it on a far-off AM radio station that made it almost impossible to hear. Yet the riveting power of this record was so undeniable, its impact still came through despite all the static and interference. It features one of the great “ride-outs” of all time, and seemed to put a final capper on the ’60s as a song that took all that the decade had to offer musically, while delivering it in a package that still, to this day, stands up as one of the greatest recorded songs in history. A work of art of intense and complex mastery for sure! – Arlen Roth
5. “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966 - Revolver )
The final track on Revolver was a quantum leap forward for modern recorded music. Primarily a Lennon track (inspired largely by the Tibetan Book of the Dead ), “Tomorrow Never Knows” marks the exact moment when pop music became rock music and when recorded songs transmogrified into aural journeys. With double-tracked vocals put through a Leslie speaker, it sounds as if John is raining down trippy wisdom from a distant mountaintop. Add to that backwards guitars and cymbals, droning sitar and tambura and almost avian tape loops – who knew a song built around o...
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