JOHN IS A TITAN OF CULTURE, MUSICALLY, HIS BEST QUALITIES?

[Paperback Writer]

It is hard for me to write about John, because of the enormity of: 1. The

Man, 2/ His influence upon culture. 2. His real and mythic genius 3. His

complexity. 4 His tragic death.

What is easier to appreciate, witness and revel in - is his music!

So much talent! I am interested in what aspects of his music, mainly just

the music, that people love the most.

I feel this is often over-looked, due to his death, personality, Yoko,

relations with Paul and his social-political conscience.

So please forward your musical appreciation here.

Some starting points of note here are:

1. Prolific writing, especially hisHard Day's Night period, his blossoming

reflective work right afterwards and throughout the Beatles period.

2. His supreme rock and roll vocals.

3.His slashing rythym rock and roll guitar work.

4. His harmony/counter vocals.

5.His wit and precision in lyrical style.

6.His tender ballads and personal reflective songs.

7. Being a "big boy" and inviting, fostering and collaberating with another

colossal talent (Macca) for the betterment of the band, our listening

pleasure and in his life.

Please share your musical appreciation of John!!!!!

[Paperback Writer]

.............With all the posts that contain "gossipy," tabloid, silly,

vindictive and re-hashes of personal nastiness related to John posted

here nearly every day, I find it sad that no one has yet responded to

share their appreciation and views on John's music!

Come on people, share your vibes on how John's music affects your

musical DNA and what aspects of his music most move you.

[Paperback Writer]

Same as above posts, gonna keep doing this until we hear from fans on John's MUSIC - feel free to expand from there!

[kylestyle]

Well as some Macca-Central members had noted, in a thread where you name your favourite song off every Beatles album, I chose John songs in the majority of instances. This is because I believe John was at his creative peak while in The Beatles, and wrote amazingly cool songs. Strawberry Fields, I Am The Walrus, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, this is my favourite John era.

But I think his post-Beatles work flattened out somewhat after the aftermath of the breakup. Let's take for example the singles that 'exploded' around the time of Plastic Ono Band. Cold Turkey, Instant Karma, Power to the People. All these songs would make classic Beatles tracks. Jealous Guy and Imagine of course also fall into that category. But apart from that, you have to wait until 1980 when he finally writes great music again. Such a pity, with such a genius being cut short in mid-flight we never saw enough of him at his best.

[james1985]

There's nothing to be said that hasn't been said before. You all know what a huge John fan I am.
His Revolver-period songs are peerless, i get shivers whenever i listen to And Your Bird Can Sing.

The guy just wrote great, great songs. He and Paul complimented each other s well. What a voice he had, and a great wit.

We all miss him

[Paperback Writer]

Thanks Kylestyle and James for lending your voice, I just want people to remember how John became an icon, for in this day of sensationalism and tabloid trash - I don't want newer fans to lose sight of the substance of his monumental work. The wit in his music is also side-splitting!

[llvlleanllvllrllvllustard]

Hey, I love John... I give him his props. I even made my screen name after a song that he wrote. I agree with James because there is nothing that has been said about him that hasn't been said a thousand times before. I also agree with Kyle that he was at his creative peak while he was with The Beatles and shortly after the break-up.

(I want to say: "I feel thats because of his monkey, she crippled the guy emotionally.", but I won't because I'm tired of even thinking of the reasons -

1. why The Beatles broke up
2. why John got killed and
3. why she treated him so horribly and then plays like everything was peachy-keen.)

Sorry about that..... just had to get that off my chest....

[ANGRY]

well, part of the problem with john will always be, that when it comes to the latter years, you have the acidic breakup, the scorching songs off p.o.b. and a few others...and then it's a downhill slide. it begins, again, with a fantasy of starting over, and great promise, but ends too swiftly, too tragically.
and, unfortunately, in the midst of all of that is the presence of yoko...and his abandonment of julian. to some extent, that's not a pretty picture.
so much of johns latter work, from the last few years w/the beatles, but esp. into the solo stuff is so caustic.
then, he just disappeared..
yea, we all love it. you got to if you're slightly intelligent, right ?
but it's hard to "celebrate" that pain.
i happen to think, and this may be blasphemous to some, but john needed the paul 'sounding board/b.s. meter' just as much, maybe even more, than the other way around. whoever said the best writing for john was in the beatle years was close to very much being right. without the others to keep him somewhat grounded, he became too overinsulated from reality. i think he was getting back there (to reality) with his hiatus. and i think he achieved it with Double Fantasy.

[Cologne girl]

What I find very strange about all these people, critics but also so-called John fans, who praise John's merits at Macca's expense (which you haven't been doing here, this is just a different thought) is that they hardly ever make any mention of John's great voice. Because that's where, IMHO, they would really have a point. I have just listened to a couple of John songs, and even if I have heard them a zillion times, I am still surprised at the man's great voice.

[llvlleanllvllrllvllustard]

To be brutally honest....I never really liked John's voice after The Beatles. To me it became to rough, scratchy, screechy, and whiny. Kinda like someone that has been smoking cigarettes for too long and it kinda burns their throat up. I hate that when it happens to a woman. Their voice gets so deep they sound like a man! To me thats horrible....

I read that John didn't like it when women smoked. Maybe thats why John didn't like women to smoke? Maybe he didn't like what happened to their voices either? Who knows?