Two blogs?

I'm batshit insane.

Anyways, since I don't have anywhere else to do this shit, welcome one and all to PrymeStriker's Editorials. This will be a less sarcastic, less crude, less frequently active blog where I just sort of write things that I feel like. There's no schedule, no objective, and no sodomy. Just good 'ol freedom. Since I've seen people do random shit on a blog around here, I thought, "hey! I can do that too!" And thus, PrymeStriker's Editorials were born. Now, you may have already noticed that we're going to be discussing the Top 20 Beatles Songs. At least, my picks for the top 20, that is. While Top 20's, 10's, and 5's will be featured on this blog, they won't be the central focal point, as I'll do rambling about a shit ton of other topics as well. For example, why I am allowed continued existence, etc. So without further ado, the editorial.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Beatles have got to be one of the most innovative and influential bands of the 20th century, and while they've certainly been hyped up, I've just sort of held them in high regard for my own sake for quite a while. I've gone as far as to buy all 14 of their albums and listen to every song they've ever put on record, so it's pretty clear that I'm quite the casual fan. Therefore, I've always thought about publishing a "Top 10 Beatles Songs" somewhere, just so I have my 50 cents somewhere. However, upon reconsideration, I couldn't help but think that 10 wasn't enough. Not that the Top 10 wouldn't be a list of their best work, but I felt like I was excluding a lot of songs that I thought really deserved a mention on something. So my resolve? Top 20. Of course, 20 is a lot to follow, so I'll split this editorial into two parts so that everyone's brains can comprehend the awesomeness. Part 2 will likely go up tomorrow at some point since I've still got to do the next installment of PrymeStriker's Episode Reviews. As such, let's commence slots #20 - 11!

20. Within You Without You
Writer: George Harrison ----- Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ----- Year: 1967

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was the first Beatles album I listened to in full, and it is still to this day my favorite album. However, some of the songs on this album did take time for me to warm up to, as is with most music I take for a gander. "Within You Without You" was no exception, however I soon came to adore this song as one of the highlights of the album. This was shortly after the spark that started George Harrison's Indian philosophy trip, and as such, "Within You Without You" is a full-on Indian classical spiritual awakening. I'm always more partial to the instrumental side of music over the lyrics, so this one fulfills that satisfaction ten-fold. From the trippy Dilrubas to that glistening sitar, and back down to the consistently invigorating tabla rhythms, there's never a dull moment in this song's atmospheric setting. That said, the lyrics are of interesting merit as well. I'm not all that keen on Hindustani philosophy, but I do think Harrison's lyricism works well with both itself and the album around it. Call it preachy of you want, but "Within You Without You" is not something you should glaze over. This is one of Harrison's masterpieces.

19. The Abbey Road Medley
Writers: Paul McCartney / John Lennon ----- Album: Abbey Road ----- Year: 1969

I know what you guys are thinking...
PRYMESTRIKER YOU CHEATING FUCK! YOU CAN'T PUT 9 SONGS IN ONE SLOT!!!

My response is...yes I can.....at least in this case. This will be the only instance of me putting more than one song in a slot, but I don't think you can just pick one song out of the Abbey Road Medley and put it on this list. For those who don't know, the Abbey Road Medley are the last nine of eleven songs that make up the second half of the Beatles' final recording, Abbey Road. It consists of Paul McCartney's "You Never Give Me Your Money", followed by John Lennon's "Sun King", "Mean Mr. Mustard", and "Polythene Pam", and capped off by McCartney's "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window", "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight", "The End", and "Her Majesty". I couldn't possibly pick a favorite out of the bunch to fill the slot. Sure, I'm particularly fond of "You Never Give Me Your Money", "Sun King", "Mean Mr. Mustard", and "The End" over the rest, but I don't think would be fair to single them out. The truth is, the Abbey Road Medley is such a kick ass beast because it's nine flowing songs that constantly engage your attention. Aside from the first and last songs on the medley, they're not exactly the longest tracks in existence, floating around one to two minutes in length. For that, there's never a dull moment, and all things considered, this medley brings excellent closure to the Beatles' career. It's fair to say that the Abbey Road Medley is a set that I listen to all the time. The love you take is equal to the love you make.

18. Come Together
Writer: John Lennon ----- Album: Abbey Road ----- Year: 1969

The first song on Abbey Road blasts through your eardrums with that iconic baseline, and the rest is history. Recognized as one of the quintessential Beatles rockers, I'd have to agree that "Come Together" has been one of my favorite compositions from the jump. Is it the most intricately arranged or the most musically engaging? No, it's just cool as fuck. It's exactly the kind of song you want playing when your grooving down the street trying to act cool until you trip over a crack and break your iPhone. That said, while the baseline and the kickass tone of the song is just enough to solidify it, Lennon's classic nonsense rhythm lyric really completes the whole thing. There are some theories that each of the four verses refer to each one of the Beatles, which technically isn't true, but I still like to think so. It foreshadows that this is the final curtain call to the Beatles' catalog, and I couldn't think of a more badass way to open the album. But one thing I can tell you is you got to be free.

17. Lovely Rita
Writer: Paul McCartney ----- Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ----- Year: 1967

Just to foreshadow my thoughts on future Pepper tracks, I think the entire second half of the album is vastly underrated. However, no track is dismissed as filler fluff as much as "Lovely Rita". I have to strongly disagree, as this song is yet again one of the album's strong points. Sgt. Pepper's love songs are very few, but the couple that do exist are of extensive musical merit compared to the "She Loves You" style of their Beatlemania heyday. "Lovely Rita" is one of them, and as I'm trained on the piano, this song's chord progression is a lot of fun to play. Possibly the most interesting of the song's chord progression is its verse (I guess, it really doesn't have a traditional verse-chorus structure), where it bounces from Eb --> Ab --> Db --> Gb --> Eb --> Bb and then back again, combining the intrigue of the chord progression to an unusual timing signature, all to a very rhythmic melody and lyrical structure. The ending groove is also very psychedelic in the album's experimental nature, so everything about this one is much appreciated. Needless to say, "Lovely Rita" has towed my heart away.

16. Because
Writer: John Lennon ----- Album: Abbey Road ----- Year: 1969

"Because" is one of those songs that instantly clicks with me because it's trippy as fuck. The atmosphere is ultimately soothing and unsettling at the same time, and it's all done with just a harpsichord, some guitars, a bass, a mellotron, and Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison's triple tracked harmony. Lennon came up with this one when his wife, Yoko Ono, was playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", and he built the idea of the song around the chords played backwards. While they're not played backward verbatim on the finished product as artistic freedom takes over, but it's clear to see the inspiration. Regardless, I think this song's strong suit is the harmony. Normally, I don't give two shits about harmony, but having attempted to play the harmony, it's very interesting in the long run. Even without the musical technicality, as I mentioned before, this nine-vocal harmony vastly contributes to the song's psychedelic tone. Then you have the lyric's play and connection on emotion and condition ("the world is round/it turns me on" -- "the wind is high/it blows my mind" -- "the sky is blue/it makes me cry"), which is Lennon's writing genius at work. Put that all together as the song that leads into the aforementioned Abbey Road Medley, and you have the recipe for one of Abbey Road's best tracks. Just because.

15. She Said She Said
Writer: John Lennon ----- Album: Revolver ----- Year: 1966

"She Said She Said" is one of the songs that I used to say I could imagine on Revolver's predecessor, Rubber Soul, along with a handful of tracks from the second side. However, upon further re-listening, inspection, and practice from me, "She Said She Said" is naturally Revolver. It hits all the right notes musically with its guitar sound and kickass drumming, and creates intrigue in Lennon's insecurities of the time on the lyrical side. My favorite part of the song, has to be the bridges, where the time signature completely changes as semi-free verse goes a rye on the lyrics: "she said you don't understand what I said / I said no no no, you're wrong / when I was a boy / everything was right / everything was right." Not only is the rhythm cool, but the timing of the chords and melody in this section is a lot of fun to play and groove along to. And in the end, it's just as atmospheric as a song about existentialism would be without the abundance of studio tricks. This is one of the songs that's most recently made my favorites list, and I booted "Rain" out of this slot just because I didn't think it was fair not to mention one of Revolver's best songs.

14. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Writer: John Lennon ----- Album: Abbey Road ----- Year: 1969

This. This is the best song on Abbey Road. It's not the most atmospheric song. It's not the most musically interesting. It's not even the most lyrically complex. It's just...the coolest rocker on the album. From the bass rolls at the end of the verses to that heavy theme that pops up in the interludes and then loops 15 times at the end as intimidating white noise fades into climax before cutting off abruptly before it can loop again....GOD. I'll admit the lyrics aren't really that interesting, just sort of keeping to "I want you, I want you so bad, it's driving me mad, she's so......HEAVYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY". You wouldn't really expect 10 words to satisfy a song that's eight minutes long. They don't, but the song is mostly instrumental anyway, so what good is complaining about that? I don't have some big strategical analysis about "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", but fuck it, man. Just listen to that doom rock sound and you'll be hooked. She's so...

13. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Writer: John Lennon ----- Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ----- Year: 1967

This song is regarded as the quintessential acid song, and I'll have to agree. You want pure trip, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is your friend. From the fantastic organ riff to Lennon's rabbit hole imagery, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" sets up this beautiful setting that I think all of us, whether we admit it or not, want to go to. Tangerine trees, marmalade skies, newspaper taxis, and even rocking horse people encompass this land where some cunt named Lucy flies around. Perhaps the lyrics on this one are the song's strong suit. Don't get me wrong, the musical and compositional trade is strong here, especially for the tone of the song, but I always found the lyrics on this one the real focal point. This isn't my go-to Pepper track unlike most people, but I still appreciate and enjoy the wonder and majesty that is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

12. Love You To
Writer: George Harrison ----- Album: Revolver ----- Year: 1966

Harrison forged three strictly Indian works in the Beatles catalog. "Within You Without You", "The Inner Light", and the first of them all, "Love You To". While "Within You Without You" and "The Inner Light" are relatively slow, transcendental meditations based around Hindu philosophy, "Love You To" is about sex. I mean, Harrison sure as hell could fool us with such existential lines like "a lifetime is so short / a new one can't be bought" and "there's people standing around / who'll screw you in the ground / they'll fill you in with all their sins". But even I was surprised when I read that it was about sex. Upon re-listening, it's kind of obvious, but those lyrics mixed with the raga sound from a full ensemble of Indian instrumentals much like its successor "Within You Without You" (although this one has McCartney and Starr playing on it whereas the latter is solo Harrison) certainly cloud that point. Still, I find "Love You To" to be Harrison's best Indian effort and, to be quite frank, his best Beatles song. It's engaging, moving, and the complete opposite of what you were going to expect from a Beatles album given this was still 1966 in the midst of the Beatlemania fangirl craze. All I can say about this one is....well, shit.

And now for the #11 pick to conclude this entry....

11. Helter Skelter
Writer: Paul McCartney ----- Album: The Beatles (White Album) ----- Year: 1968

The Beatles, commonly known as The White Album for unknown reasons, is not one of my favorite Beatles albums. While I do really like it (and trust me, I think it's really good), it's surely not quite as "awesome" as some of their other albums. The Beatles has a lot of really great songs on it, such as "Happiness is a Warm Gun", "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill", "Glass Onion", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", and yes, even "Revolution 9" (avant-garde sound colleges ALL THE WAY!). However, I think the best song on this album is "Helter Skelter". First of all, it kicks ten sorts of ass by being practically the first heavy metal song ever, but this is just the best track to blast when you're pissed off. It's loud raucous noise topped off by one of the finest examples of McCartney's incredible vocal skills. And the stereo version is the best way to listen to it because where the song traditionally fades out, the stereo fades it back in for an extra minute of music. Considering the full recording is somewhere around 27 minutes in the studio, there's plenty of raw Beatles jamming going on during this fade in. Lennon picks up a saxophone and just starts blowing the shit out of it, creating some very eerie sound effects. Harrison apparently lit an ashtray on fire and started running around with it on his head. And at the very end, Ringo Starr bashes the shit out of his kit and screams "I'VE GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS". What more do you need to blow your mind out? Oh, right..."Revolution 9".

And just to think, this was both serial killer Charles Manson and Mark David Chapman's (Lennon's murderer) favorite Beatles song. Keep that in mind while you listen to the pure insanity and awesomeness that is "Helter Skelter".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, there you go. Those are picks #20 - 11. Come back tomorrow, and I'll list off the remaining Top 10. I've already gushed so much over what I've talked about here, so let's see what 10 songs could possibly top it. Stick around if you dare.