Which Beatle had the best solo career?

thenakedanddead

For me, probably

George
John
Paul
Ringo ( I probably should brush up on my knowledge of him)

Kristopherus

Macca by a country mile

thenakedanddead

Kristopherus wrote: »

Macca by a country mile

His affiliation to thoughtless, pop tunes loses him a few points IMHO

Glassheart

I honestly think that the only one who did anything of a comparable standard to the Beatles was John on the Plastic Ono Band & Imagine records.

In the space of six months Macca went from the being the chief architect of side 2 on Abbey Road to his first solo record.One of the great artistic nosedives in popular music.

Kevin Bacon

George Harrison wins off the back of "All Things Must Pass". Brilliant, Brilliant album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GytPv_v29lc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5aSspIVrK0

John Lennon was pretty damn good but was patchy, paul, overrated a tad to be honest, mull of kintery i'm looking at you. And Ringo god bless him he's a tryer. Although i always liked "It Dont Come Easy".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5H-6fOc3HE

Glassheart

Kevin Bacon wrote: »

George Harrison wins off the back of "All Things Must Pass".

John Lennon was pretty damn good but was patchy,

Maybe but it went tits up for Harrison after that one record.

thenakedanddead

Glassheart wrote: »

Maybe but it went tits up for Harrison after that one record.

Oh, come on, Have you Heard "Cloud Nine"?

3DataModem

Lennon very patchy.

Macca put out some good LPs, yes definitely more poptastic but definitely plenty of quality there. He has his own style, not all to my taste, but definitely distinctive and personal. And most importantly he never tried to compete with his own Beatles past.

grumpytrousers

George and John had their moments. George followed his muse more, but really seemed to be more of a 'well kept secret'.

Lennon suffered from not having to compete with anybody. If McCartney only brought one thing to the Beatles, it was the way he made Lennon constantly raise his game. Lennon had a similar effect on Paul and that's why, really, neither of them had a solo career that's universally lauded.

However, for my own part, McCartney has had the better songs.

Maybe I'm Amazed is a copper-bottomed classic. Band on the Run is a belter of an album. Live and Let Die is one of the finest Bond themes ever. Even No More Lonely Nights takes the same chord progression as Here There and Everywhere and (with a little bit of help from Dave Gilmour) brings it to a new level. Flowers in the Dirt was a fine set too and his last 'Fireman' album shows he still has fire in his belly.

Icaras

for me Paul was consistantly good and occasionally as good as John or Georges best i.e. maybe im amazed

cml387

"Wings was the group The Beatles could have been"

Alan Partridge

CDfm

Of the Beatles, Ringo had the first Top 10 single as a Solo artist with "It Don't Come Easy" in 1971. And then there was "Thomas the Tank Engine" ........:)

CDfm

Icaras wrote: »

for me Paul was consistantly good and occasionally as good as John or Georges best i.e. maybe im amazed

Macca toured with a working band while the others did the studio artist thing.

His best moments are largely forgotten but "Live and Let Die" was covered by Guns and Roses and is the most memorable of the Bond theme songs. "Band on the Run" "Jet" but the underated "Waterfalls" and "Coming Up (Like a Flower)" certainly do the business.

Then you have his colloborations with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson did give him great success -which showed he could pull the finger out when colloborating with the right people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYstxLoOnYA

Bootsy.

I fleetingly thought McCartney but then thought, 'nah, that's just the most successful'.

Then thought, 'Lennon, obviously'.

Then someone mentioned The Travelling Wilburys and boom!...

I love that band :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqhdRs4jyA

But Harrison had Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynn, and Tom Petty on board, so it's hardly a fair fight!

So Lennon then

pappyodaniel

Great question OP, but I picked John as he's the guy I've listened to the most.

As for Paul...

"Who's Wings?"

-"They're only the band the Beatles could have been!" -Alan Partridge

CDfm

Glassheart wrote: »

Maybe but it went tits up for Harrison after that one record.

This was a triple record which was quite ambitous by any standards and a lot of the material for that period. It was very expensive and bltzed the charts.

He also had a lot of success with his Bangladesh thing which he concentrated on. So on a solo level he was the equal of Lennon easily.

Glassheart

CDfm wrote: »

This was a triple record which was quite ambitous by any standards and a lot of the material for that period. It was very expensive and bltzed the charts.

He also had a lot of success with his Bangladesh thing which he concentrated on. So on a solo level he was the equal of Lennon easily.

I don't see how that makes him equal to Lennon at all.
He blew his entire creative wad on that first record and he never really wrote a great song after that.

Lennon was only active for five years after the Beatles split too.

CDfm

Glassheart wrote: »

I don't see how that makes him equal to Lennon at all.
He blew his entire creative wad on that first record and he never really wrote a great song after that.

Lennon was only active for five years after the Beatles split too.

He also did the Concert for Bangladesh another triple album and movie and the first of the Live Aid style benefit gigs and predating Live Aid by 15 years.

So post Beatle break up Harrison was probably the biggest Beatle in terms of output. Lennon also recorded the Rock n Roll LP and Harrison produced the Rutles and Life of Brian .

stovelid

Went for John but he just shaded Paul.

MickShamrock

McCartney.

Malice

Paul McCartney for me. I love The Frog Chorus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0auCDOERZyE

CDfm

+1 on the Frog Chorus

pwd

Was about to post We all stand together myself . Obviously Paul, because of that song.

Tropic Island Hum is pretty good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFfW5sTaEfg

George Harrison's music is very good too. John Lennon's was a bit pretentious imo. Couldn't even think of any Ringo Starr music .

Goodshape

John.

Plastic Ono Band and Imagine are really great albums, and there's at least another CD's worth of great songs from the rest. I just like his style. Whether it's a love song or a rant it's real.

I just plain don't like McCartney's 'silly pop tunes'. A handfull sound great alright (Maybe I'm Amazed, Live and Let Die) but not sure I could stick an album's worth. No substance.

Should probably give Harrison's stuff a proper listen to again. I like it, just a little too wishy-washy at times maybe.

Ringo... ah, Ringo. Look at him go. Good drumming on Plastic Ono Band!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzhyKn1ThpU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNjTPZW7GCU

rednik

McCartney, having seen him live several times and not having seen the others. Wings were a great band live and had great material.

thegreengoblin

The question is a little bit unfair as if Lennon was still alive I'm sure his legacy would be viewed in a different light. But that's another argument I suppose. Anyway, for me it's a toss-up between McCartney and Harrison. I love the way Harrison opened himself up to Indian music but McCartney has his experimental side to. Because of my age (37) McCartney was much more prominent over the years for me but...okay, George it is.

CDfm

thegreengoblin wrote: »

The question is a little bit unfair as if Lennon was still alive I'm sure his legacy would be viewed in a different light. But that's another argument I suppose. Anyway, for me it's a toss-up between McCartney and Harrison. I love the way Harrison opened himself up to Indian music but McCartney has his experimental side to. Because of my age (37) McCartney was much more prominent over the years for me but...okay, George it is.

Of course it is well known that George had the strongest Irish Roots and Ringo the least -so I am not saying that is a barometer on their talents but I am sticking it in here cos I can

http://www.thebeatlesandireland.com/test_10.html

BornToRun88

George's debut solo album, All Things Must Pass, is one of my favourite albums. His other albums were a bit poor, particularly the follow up to All Things Must Pass which was Living In The Material World, Don't Let Me Wait Too Long being one of a very few songs on the album of high quality.

Paul's solo career was hit and miss. Most of his albums were half good but also half bad. Disappointing debut album full of instrumentals and half finished songs that were nowhere near his Beatles standard. His solo career was much like the lighter songs he did in The Beatles like Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da or Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Band On The Run and Tug of War were decent albums tho.

John's solo career was inconsistent. Yoko ruined some of his albums with that dreadful voice of hers. Didn't like some of the bluesy or political songs he did.

And Ringo.....I think that says it all;)

BornToRun88

thenakedanddead wrote: »

His affiliation to thoughtless, pop tunes loses him a few points IMHO

indeed you're right, most conservative man ever in the history of pop music

CDfm

BornToRun88 wrote: »

And Ringo.....I think that says it all;)

So you are running with Ringo then

Originally Posted by thenakedanddead
His affiliation to thoughtless, pop tunes loses him a few points IMHO

Ya just asked for this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-yMgn5rdc8

BornToRun88 wrote: »

indeed you're right, most conservative man ever in the history of pop music

Lets not dis Cliff

LordSutch

Kristopherus wrote: »

Macca by a country mile

Here here, very prolific indeed, mind you there has been an awful of drivel from Macca too!

I think George has a good back catalogue, alas John was only beginning to 'get back' excuse the pun into recording starting over with the album 'Double Fantasy' when his life was cruely taken in 1980, and as for Ringo, well he's done alright I suppose . . .