Most Obscure Beatles Songs

Originally Posted by digdad

Back to the topic at hand though, no one has yet mentioned I'm Down, due to it being a B-side and not part of an album.

I'm Down is terrific, and has one of the Paul's best screams. I love the Shea Stadium version.

Tony

for me.. well i think people whould know more songs that were #1's b/c they play them a lot more.. and when i started likeing the beatles i know a lot of there songs but i didn't know that a lot that here weren't #1's but i did know more of the #1's then anything alse

Don't Pass Me By.

Hey, Don't Pass Me By was #1 in Poland!

I think I, Me, Mine is relatively unknown. Also And Your Bird Can Sing.

I would have to say "It's All Too Much". I know even huge Beatles fans who don't really know that song, and that fact that it is just sooooo modern sounding and so far ahead of it's time make it curious as to why it was never released on a real LP (Yellow Submarine just doesn't cut it). It seems to me that it would have fit best on the Magical Mystery Tour EP or LP.

Originally Posted by John's Monkey

I would have to say "It's All Too Much". I know even huge Beatles fans who don't really know that song, and that fact that it is just sooooo modern sounding and so far ahead of it's time make it curious as to why it was never released on a real LP (Yellow Submarine just doesn't cut it). It seems to me that it would have fit best on the Magical Mystery Tour EP or LP.

I LOVE "It's All Too Much!" It was the only "original" Yellow Submarine album song that I bought the cd for. I also didn't realize for years that a lot of the songs I searched for were not on albums at all, but were on singles only, like I Feel Fine.

Originally Posted by Georgie Girl

I LOVE "It's All Too Much!" It was the only "original" Yellow Submarine album song that I bought the cd for. I also didn't realize for years that a lot of the songs I searched for were not on albums at all, but were on singles only, like I Feel Fine.

Ya i know what you mean. Really makes you wonder how much more potent and how much more classic their albums would have been had they had some of the singles on them. Like, what if Rubber Soul had "We can work it out" and "Day tripper", or if Sgt. Pepper had "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields" on it.

Originally Posted by Everywhere Man

Hey, Don't Pass Me By was #1 in Poland!

Cool!

I think "Little Child" is the Beatles song I have least listened to. It's not because it's bad but because it is surrounded by more powerful songs and "Don't Bother Me" takes all the sympathy points as being George's first composition on a Beatles album.

"Thank You Girl"

And I think the back-end of With the Beatles is pretty obscure. Like "Not a Second Time."

Originally Posted by AMBOISVERT

And of course, originally, it was a secret, or even a mistake. The song doesn't appear on early covers of the LP. I have never checked the label, but suspect it isn't there either.

Tony

I stand corrected. (sorry, I just really like that smiley.)

Definitely "Rocky Raccoon!" My favourite, but no one else seems to know it...

"Cry For A Shadow" was written by George and John. It is an instrumental, so perhaps it is not a "song". It is pure Beatles, although Pete is on drums. From the same 1961 recording session we have "Why", "My Bonnie", "When The Saints Come Marching In", etc, but these have Tony Sheridan singing lead and being backed by The Beatles.

In conjuction with album "Reel Music", Capitol issued a single entitled "Movie Medley".

If unreleased stuff counts, there are several songs known to exist but that have never been released even as a bootleg. "Carnival of Light" is the most famous one of these because it was almost released on Anthology.

Originally Posted by Everywhere Man

Hey, Don't Pass Me By was #1 in Poland!

I think I, Me, Mine is relatively unknown. Also And Your Bird Can Sing.

I rate And Your Bird Can Sing as one of my favourite Beatle tracks, and probably my favourite non-single release. It sets the tempo perfectly on Revolver, and characterises the band's transformation period leading up to Sgt Pepper.

But I would agree with I Me Mine, and probably a few tracks from the first two LP's and The White Album. Perhaps Chains, Little Child, and Roccy Raccoon.

The most obscure Beatles song for me was "When I Get Home" from AHDN. I've only heard it once my whole life--just this past year, in fact--and I still couldn't tell you how it goes. Just that it's similar to "A Hard Day's Night," sort of a filler song, or as close to a filler song as the Fabs ever got.

Originally Posted by Georgie Girl

The most obscure Beatles song for me was "When I Get Home" from AHDN.

That's what I was going to say. And I think Honey Pie and I'll Cry Instead are pretty obscure too.

Originally Posted by Miss Starkey

That's what I was going to say. And I think Honey Pie and I'll Cry Instead are pretty obscure too.

The only time I had ever heard "I'll Cry Instead" was when Showtime showed AHDN back in 1988, and this song was played to a vignette of stills from the movie. When this came out on home video--the 40th anniversay edition--the vignette was not included. (On tv, it was shown right before the movie started.) I wonder if the song was a B-side of one of their singles.

I think that Matchbox and Slow Down are pretty obscure. I like Slow Down a lot. John's voice is really ripping on that one.

Originally Posted by guitargirl

I think that Matchbox and Slow Down are pretty obscure. I like Slow Down a lot. John's voice is really ripping on that one.

I think "Matchbox" should be obscure, tho
Ringo did that good live.

my vote goes to You Know My Name Look Up the Number

Originally Posted by Georgie Girl

I think "Matchbox" should be obscure, tho
Ringo did that good live.

Yeah, I agree with that. The double tracking on Ringo's voice sounds really bad.