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McCartney Sabotaged Lennons Songs?

I am a huge Beatles fan. Not to start a flame war or anything but I have always been of the opinioin that Paul McCartney would have been a star without John Lennon but the converse would not have been true. Both were clearly better than the sum of their individual parts but I always found Lennon to be less talented than PM. That is not to say that Lennon was talentless but next to McCartney, few musicians look like stars. He's so well rounded...bass player, pop vocalist, songwriter, personality.

As for his personality (at least what has been on display), Lennon always seemed petty, childish and the kind of guy I probably wouldn't want to spend time with. So, I guess this comment doesn't surprise me.

I'm sorry to the JL fans out there...all opinion, of course...

I think when I compare the two from a technical standpoint, McCartney was the better musician and Lennon was the better artist. But both were brilliant in both realms, which is why they complemented each other so well.
 
Lennon complained that, knowing McCartney would come into recording sessions with a boatload of songs, Lennon felt pressured to bring in as many of his own as he could so that he wouldn't be underrepresented on the album.
It can be a challenge to be heard when you're in a band with a fountain-of-ideas guy such as Paul. Especially considering all the validation given by their success. If John felt pressured, what about George?
It wasn't easy being a Beatle, I'm guessing.
 
From what I have heard Lennon was one amazing and amazingly insufferable s**t.

John would agree: "My defenses were so great. The cocky rock and roll hero who knows all the answers was actually a terrified guy who didn't know how to cry. Simple."



John Lennon was just a regular,tho very talented, guy in his 20's who had the world at his feet. He knew it was all a charade that would come tumbling down eventually.



The man wasn't even comfortable in his own skin until his late 30's.Read later interviews,he adresses his childishness quite often.
 
in an interview with I think Rolling Stone magazine, Lennon was really nasty to Macca, accusing him of ruining his songs by recording them with a boring and unimaginative bass parts, while his songs were adorned with beautiful lines crafted for them.
I for one cannot understand what he is talking about!
Macca laid some lovely lines for Lennon including Mr Kite and most of the white album especailly the slow version of Revolution!
Lennon played bass on Long & Winding Road and made a right hash of it! At least Macca never left any blemish on a released recording! :ninja:

Oh yay, Rolling Stone prints something sensationist about Macca and Lennon or who said what about who. Such revelations are about as common on RS as the sun coming up the next day, and about as actionable.
 
I'm no expert but you might think the bass lines would naturally be more involved if the bass player isn't concentrating on singing.

When he is singing, he may have played less simply becuse he was doing two things at once.

I don't think I would be too quick to call it delebrate.

-eSmith.

I didn't say it was deliberate, and your theory actually reflects my own. Perhaps John thought it was deliberate, though, or annoying, or just didn't fit with his personal vision for certain songs. I don't know. I haven't heard enough of his comments on the subject to know one way or the other. Some of the quotes provided here, however, make me think it was just a conflict of visions.
 
The 1970 Wenner interview is full of things John would later regret saying.He and Paul lashed out at each other in interviews and songs for about 4 years after the Beatles broke up.


Here's another quote from Lennon that is probably closer to his true feelings on the subject: “Paul was one of the most innovative bass players ever. And half the stuff that is going on now is directly ripped off from his Beatles period.”

Isn't the song how do you sleep directed right at Macca as well as Paul penning some music aimed at John off of his first solo album
 
It makes sense, since at the time, Paul was so musically fertile, that he'd want to add his personal stamp when it came to contributing to someone else's composition.

I believe it was George who said the bass part on "Something" was a bloody bass solo.

Of course, it's perfect.
 
I believe there was an inherent jealousy and competitiveness between the two from which we all benefited. I recall a post-Beatle article in which Lennon complained that, knowing McCartney would come into recording sessions with a boatload of songs, Lennon felt pressured to bring in as many of his own as he could so that he wouldn't be underrepresented on the album.

Thankfully we had George Martin to help sort it all out :)

McCartney actually had a serious case of writer's block during the Help! recording. Lennon basically bailed them out on that one.
 
From what I gather, Lennon didn't really care for creative bass parts.

Lennon's not the only one.

During the rehearsals and recording sessions for "Here Comes The Sun," George Harrison continually asked Paul to tone it down and simplify. Listen to how much time McCartney spends on the root. Very uncharacteristic, and the result of much Harrison discouragement.
 
Inter-Beatles dynamics were often a complete fiasco. Don't get hung up on anyone interview, it's not an accurate picture.

The Bob Spitz book is a good read if this type of thing interests you but we'll never know the real Beatles story.
 
Are you guys referring to the original Paul, or the post-1966 look-alike?

:hiding:

GreatHoax.jpg
 
Isn't the song how do you sleep directed right at Macca as well as Paul penning some music aimed at John off of his first solo album

How Do You Sleep is a direct swipe at Paul.


Part of the reason you see so many swipes at Paul from the others is that they were going to keep the break-up hush-hush until a date that they all agreed on.

Then Paul rushed his solo album out ahead of the agreed upon date,which contained a press release hinting at the Beatles breaking up.


All the Beatles were sick of being Beatles by the end,and sometimes took it out on each other in the years following.They all regreted it as the years went by.

Except maybe George.







Inter-Beatles dynamics were often a complete fiasco. Don't get hung up on anyone interview, it's not an accurate picture.




^ Bingo.
 
I'd like to now what interview this is from. I thought I had read or heard all the interviews out there and I have never heard this. In fact, in the Playboy interview, Lennon is asked what is the one thing he could say Paul was under rated as and his reply was Bassist. He said Paul was phenomenal bassist and whatever else he thought about his songwriting, i.e. "The sound you make is muzak to my ears" etc.., No one was better than Paul.

Doesn't really fit with the description we're discussing here. Can someone post a link to this interview for me please.