Most Beatle-esque CH Song

Pineapple Head. I always thought it's like a mix from the melody of Norweegian Wood and the lyrics of lucy in the sky with diamonds.

And then "now we're getting somewhere" sometimes reminds me on some Beatles songs.

Ahhh Mona, just the one I was going to bring up - "In My Command."
Whenever I hear that song I always think of John Lennon singing "I Am The Walrus." There is such a similarity to their voices in those songs!

You're right - he does sound like Lennon on "In My Command". That's one of my favorite CH songs too.

Oh how could I forget "In my command"

I'm still not sure if this isn't a long lost original John Lennon song.

"Not The Girl You Think You Are" has always been the one that sounded most like the Beatles to me, but the opening line to "Four Seasons In One Day" always reminds me of McCartney.

Everything is Good for you and lately, I've been thinking Now We're Getting Somewhere---that just sounds so much like George Harrison circa 63/64 to me, it's uncanny.

Instinct has a very "Strawberry Fields" instrumental part near the end. I always think of the Beatles when I hear that. And I'll also agree with Not the Girl You Think You Are as something similar to what the Beatles might have come up with. Other than that however, there's not much in CH that really brings the Beatles to mind for me.

I thought the exact same thing, too, about Not The Girl. I saw the video online before I got it on cd and that was my very first thought! "Hmmm...very Beatle-y".

Often times I hear Lennon nuances in both CH and Neil solo. I've read on this board lots of people see McCartney influence, but I'm always just seeing Lennon.

There's something about Lester that sounds Beatlesque to me, too.

Oh yeah, the piano intro of Left Hand always makes me think of Why Don't We Do It In The Road? ~!

No question for me--"I Love You Dawn" sounds amazingly like a Beatles tune, both in songwriting and in the very McCartneyesque vocal. Sounds like Neil's making it that way on purpose, too. Anyone have thoughts on that?

Evvie

quote:

Originally posted by Martine:
[qb] Everything is Good for you and lately, I've been thinking Now We're Getting Somewhere---that just sounds so much like George Harrison circa 63/64 to me, it's uncanny. [/qb]

Oh right - I forgot about this. There's that little Paperback Writer guitar (or is it bass?) riff in Now We're Getting Somewhere. Ok, I stand corrected. I still don't really think of the Beatles that much when I listen to CH though - I think the CH songs have a unique sound. Definitely very melodic like the Beatles, but not to the extent that I'm always being reminded of them. And I really don't hear the similarities to John Lennon in the vocals that a lot of people have mentioned.

quote:

Originally posted by Rain00:
[qb] Oh yeah, the piano intro of Left Hand always makes me think of Why Don't We Do It In The Road? ~! [/qb]

Seems I'm a completly music bonehead.
The intro of "left hand" always reminds me of "You can leave you're head on" from Joe Cocker...

please don't laugh about me hahahahah

You can't be too much of a music bonehead or you wouldn't be on this board with us geniuses! I guess you'd be on an "N Stink" board or something.

quote:

Originally posted by Brickfield:
[qb] "Not The Girl You Think You Are" has always been the one that sounded most like the Beatles to me [/qb]

ditto.

quote:

Originally posted by Sandra:
[qb] [QUOTE]
The intro of "left hand" always reminds me of "You can leave you're head on" from Joe Cocker...

please don't laugh about me hahahahah [/qb]

Uh, Sandra, other than the Freudian slip, I am not laughing at you. I am laughing with you. Tell yourself that and all will be well with the world.


It's "You Can Leave Your Hat On"

OMG
I didn't expect that I'm even funny, when I meant to be serious...

I think I lost my head while I was typing my post....
I watched too much of this CH-headless-videos...Why did they lose their head all the time in their videos?

Sandra - I would LOVE to meet you sometime. You crack me up, usually when I need a good laugh.

I can see definate Beatle influences in Neil's music. The thing that really strikes me is that Neil, like Paul M. has a happy talent for melody that is sadly lacking from most others. At the same time I can see Lennon's style in Kill Eye, Mansion in the Slums amoung others, but Neil Finn/Crowded House is Neil Finn/Crowded house. They have left their OWN indelable mark on the world. Just like John, Paul, George and Ringo.

I still contend that the Beatles were the most influential band ever.

quote:

Originally posted by Evvie:
[qb] No question for me--"I Love You Dawn" sounds amazingly like a Beatles tune, both in songwriting and in the very McCartneyesque vocal.

Evvie [/qb]

I second that, Evvie. The first time I heard it I stopped short for a moment and thought: wow...he sounds very much like Paul...

I'm going with most of y'all - NTGYTYA and I Love You Dawn.

Ok, what Neil song sounds the most like oasis sounding like the beatles

That'd be "Hole In The Ice" for my money...

For me, 4 Seasons in 1 day sounds like a Beatles Song. Or Paul McCartney at least.

For me it's "Kill Eye" - sounds extremely Lennon-like to me.

Taunt, tease and poke fun at me if you will, but I strongly believe that two songs Neil Finn performed live, Something and Norwegian Wood sound remarkably like something The Beatles would write! Ironic!

I agree with the comments about i love you dawn. And not the girl you think you are - a classic song I have finally got (understood) is brilliant & I sort of see the comparisons, but I never really thought of it. I'm more enclined to compare stuff TO Neil.

Also, never be the same, a song I have also FINALLY got (understood) is (IMO) somewhat Beatle-esque, especially (or only) in the backing vocals near the end where Neil (and possibly others) sing: "And everytime I hear you" and "And everytime I mess up" - that's classic Beatles harmony! Thoughts?

I also think "Four seasons..." sounds the most like the Beatles out of the groups songs.

"Not the girl you think" you are does sound like the Beatles too...the Beatles of "Free as a bird" fame.

This topic of searching for the Beatles' sound in Crowded House songs is a most fascinating one and one that I have given a lot of thought to. I have always thought that "Better Be Home Soon" was an attempt to match the Beatles' "Yesterday"; "Something So Strong" seems to match up with "I Want To Hold Your Hand"; "Let It Be" and "Fall At Your Feet" consist of very similar chords in similar order. There are others and one of the neat things that you could try is to mix your own cd switching off between Crowded House and Beatles' songs and the similarities will become apparent right away.

'Not the Girl'' is the one for me. Heard this a week or so after it was recorded in a lonely hotel room on a tour..and the word Beatles just flashed across my eyelids (could of been the Anthology sign outside the window at Hyde Park!!!)....
Love that song, deserved to do better then #37!
Gryph.

quote:

Originally posted by Brickfield:
[qb]the opening line to "Four Seasons In One Day" always reminds me of McCartney. [/qb]

Agreed. Reminds me of 'She's Leaving Home'.

There are so many options in answering this question. Neil has always had McCartney-esque overtones to his writing, in his Enz work, his CH material, and also his solo stuff. But there are Lennon-overtones as well, particularly on the final album.

But what of it? The Beatles are influences on almost everyone, even those who don't like them all that much . . . Better the Beatles than the Stones, though.

So let's see . . .

"Kill Eye" is the most obvious example, from the separated stereo mix, the drumming, the guitar work, to the vocal -- the whole package screams REVOLVER-era Beatles.

There are some nice McCartney solo-era comparisons on TRY WHISTLING THIS, especially in the song structure of pieces such as the title track and "Loose Tongue," where things don't necessarily follow a verse-chorus-verse-chorus pattern. McCartney loved to piece together little bits and pieces into a song. Certainly, the liner notes of AFTERGLOW indicate that Neil was fond of the same method. When you listen to a 70s McCartney song like "Band on the Run" or "Uncle Albert / Admiral Hasley," the story line of the songs isn't really coherent, and one musical bit doesn't seem to go with the next, but it all seems to work in the end. And obviously Tim and Neil were listenning -- their cover of "Too Many People" being proof of that. And picking "Two Of Us" as a covertune too shows impecable good taste on the part of Neil as well.

Besides, what is the first FINN BROTHERS album but a tribute to the lo-fi, ramshackle spirit of McCartney's RAM album anyway? All they're missing is a big ol' sheep on the front cover.

"In My Command" and "Not the Girl You Think You Are" drift towards Lennon-land, but those are really diversions. Neil's heart seems to be with Sir Paul, and that's alright with me.

I've never really been convinced of the comparison with McCartney. Everytime I've heard echoes of The Beatles in Neil's music its been similarities to John. I agree with others on "Kill Eye", "In My Command" and "NTGYTYA", especially the latter. And then there's "Last Day Of June" and "SWHHW" where vocally I think he's uncannily like John. "SWHHW" even employs a similar delay effect that John liked to use.

Also "Try Whistling This" and "Addicted" both remind me slightly of solo Lennon, parts of the piano-playing echoing "Jealous Guy" and "God".

More than the songs themselves though I think its the qualities in Neil's voice that bring out the comparisons. He has that slightly rough, intimate quality to his voice that John had and both can convey genuine emotion in a more subtle way than most singers when required.

I always thought Crowded House sounded a hell of a lot like the Kinks.

I thought I would bump this topic up....alot of good points here especially from Rabbi18:

This topic of searching for the Beatles' sound in Crowded House songs is a most fascinating one and one that I have given a lot of thought to. I have always thought that "Better Be Home Soon" was an attempt to match the Beatles' "Yesterday"; "Something So Strong" seems to match up with "I Want To Hold Your Hand"; "Let It Be" and "Fall At Your Feet" consist of very similar chords in similar order. There are others and one of the neat things that you could try is to mix your own cd switching off between Crowded House and Beatles' songs and the similarities will become apparent right away.

Something about the guitars in Pineapple Head has always reminded me of Norwegian Wood.

quote:

There are so many options in answering this question. Neil has always had McCartney-esque overtones to his writing, in his Enz work, his CH material, and also his solo stuff. But there are Lennon-overtones as well, particularly on the final album.

Thats pretty good .. not too far off being nail on the head stuff.

Would it be also fair to say that there was pretty much Beatles overtones running through a fair percentage of everything the Enz did from the word go?

The huge admiration certainly does appear here on Neil's face at the end of the Concert for Linda .. it's almost a "GOD!! i'm standing on the same stage as McCartney .. and there he is standing right in feckin front of me!!!..kinda looks.... He's just beaming. :-)




Concert For Linda - Finale

The most overtly Beatle-y CH song has to be Pineapple Head, which segued with near perfection into Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds during the 2007 tour. And In My Command is pure Lennon. But the most Beatlesque recordings Neil has done were solo recordings: Anytime, which seems in its studio version to be trying to sound like something from the White Album (to its detriment, actually--the live 7 Worlds version is so much better), and SWHHW, which takes its guitars, drums, and vocals straight off Revolver.

A big part of what makes "Not the Girl..." sound Beatlesque has nothing to do with the song - it's the double-tracked vocal. The Beatles were very fond of that technique, especially John, so I think many of us equate that vocal sound with the Fab Four. That's not to say that the song doesn't have Beatles elements - virtually all pop music does - but that's why this particular track sounds more overt than others.

quote:

'Not the Girl'' is the one for me.

I find myself agreeing .. I always loved this version of the song from Hessie's Shed

quote:

it's the double-tracked vocal. The Beatles were very fond of that technique, especially John

Yes thats true .. also he (John) hated the sound of his voice .. he thought his voice had too much nasal resonance .. he loved to add echo when recording .. this is very evident on the most brilliant album - The Beatles - Sgt Pepper Multi-tracks seperated .. especially the lead vocal on A Day in the life.

That guitar carries the song .. what a stunning sound it has.I have had a look at the Martin and Maton catalouge and nothing seems to match. And it not having a pickgaurd has totally thrown me.Can't quite make out the name on the tuning machine post .. damn it looks like a Martin!

I'm pretty sure Neil gets custom Matons.