Top 10 Favorite Beatles Songs

1. Blackbird (from the White Album)

Just Paul, his acoustic guitar, and a metronome. The song is about the struggle of civil rights in America, which was very prevalent during the 1960's. The message, mixed with Paul's amazing finger-style guitar and beautiful singing, helps to add a soothing tune to an already diverse White Album.

2. A Day in the Life (from Sgt. Peppers)

"I read the news today, oh boy..." Gives me chills every time I hear it. John's voice makes this track, as well as his sarcastic lyrics. And then Paul adds his little sing-songy element that acts as a fill between the multiple orchestral orgasms that occurs in between John's vocal parts. My favorite line: "Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall"... Hilarious, to me...

3. Golden Slumbers (from Abbey Road)

This song was originally a poem that was left on the piano in McCartney's house. As a child, he couldn't read music, so he put his own arrangement to the lyrics and BOOM! A masterpiece. This song, in my opinion, is the birth of Elton John. Pure beauty in Paul's voice... The way it transfers into Carry That Weight is unmatched by any other two songs in the medley.

4. When I'm Sixty-Four (from Sgt. Peppers)

This is just such a good song. The arrangement is unmatched. I've always said that Paul McCartney is a chameleon. He can sing in any style. It's almost hard to tell that it is Paul singing. It is kind of a funny little song: "Will you still need me? Will you still feed me?" My favorite line is: "Sincerely yours, wasting away..." Paul has passed his sixty-four year old mark and is still going strong.

5. Hey Jude (from 1)

This is another Paul arrangement, written for Julian Lennon during the split of John and Cynthia. Yoko was coming into John's life and Julian was a young boy. Paul wanted to comfort Julian, so he wrote one of the most beautiful rock songs of all time. The ending (Na-na-na-na...) is longer than the actual song; however, you can't help but to sing-a-long the entire time. Favorite line: "The movement you need is on your shoulder..."




6. I'm Only Sleeping (from Revolver)

A throw-away song, according to John. The backwards guitar gives the listener the feel of John's laziness. George should really be praised for his dedication to learning how to play the guitar part backwards. The bridge is amazing, especially when it cuts right back into the first verse. My favorite line: "Keeping an eye on the world going by my window..."



7. Fixing a Hole (from Sgt. Peppers)

I just love Paul's voice in this song. It is a very underrated song; however, I can't stay away from it. The guitar and drums complement his voice and the overall tone of the track perfectly. This album is definitely one of the best from the Beatles and this song fits in its' place on the CD. Favorite line: "I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in, and stops my mind from wandering..."



8. Good Day Sunshine (from Revolver)

This is such a feel-good track. If you're having a bad day, put on this song. If it's nice outside, listen to this song. The jangly piano, mixed with the harmonized vocals, and subtle drums makes the track a perfect fit for my favorite Beatles album: Revolver.




9. I Me Mine (from Let it Be)

George's best song, in my opinion. His high-pitched voice in the verses sends chills down my spine. The message is very relevant to the way he felt during those years with the Beatles. The chorus is very rock-n-roll, led by Paul's dominant voice. Watch the Let it Be movie and see how the developed the song: it's pretty cool. Favorite line: "All I can hear, I Me Mine, I Me Mine, I Me Mine..."



10. Baby You're A Rich Man (from Magical Mystery Tour)

John's voice... Wow! He can get so high and still sing every vowel and consonant. It, again, is a very satirical song... The lyrics are supposedly directed to their manager, Brian Epstein, who was making a killing on their records. My favorite line: "You keep all your money in a big brown bag, inside a zoo..."

Notable songs that didn't make my list: Get Back, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Mother Nature's Son, And I Love Her, I've Just Seen A Face, Across the Universe, The Fool on the Hill, All You Need is Love, and I Saw Her Standing There

Rob Dyrdek's Skate Plaza

Today, my brothers and I went to Kettering, Ohio for my little brother's birthday. If you have ever seen the show Rob & Big or Fantasy Factory, then you know exactly who Rob Dyrdek is. Well, he was born in Kettering, Ohio and recently built a "Skate Plaza" there. My little brother is a pretty damn good skateboarder and the park in Marion is booty. There is a park in Delaware, Ohio (called Mingo Park), but the Skate Plaza dominates ALL! Here are some pretty cool photos of the action we caught there.

My little brother posing at the entrance sign

Good action shot of a kickflip over the gap

Bailing out on the six set

Ollie over the small gap

Overall, we all had a really good time in Kettering. I recommend the park to anyone who skates or is a fan of watch other people skateboard. And, you never know who may show up... Rob's parents live pretty close nearby and they may just stop by to see how things are going. And who is to say that Rob isn't in town and bored... He always has a skate spot right down the street.

All for now... Stay tuned for more...

Music

It's my obsession... I can't last an entire day without playing my iPod. Sometimes I'll watch T.V. with my headphones in. At work, I will usually play music during Power Hour and Programming. I download at least 2-3 CDs from iTunes every paycheck. My iPod Nano is full; therefore, I have to upgrade... already. I've only owned my current iPod for a month at the most. My last one got jacked in a church (imagine that?)... Anyways, I'm looking at buying a 120GB Beatles iPod... It's a limited edition iPod that was only sold in a package at Bloomingdale's sometime last year. The package contained all 12 Beatles studio albums and the iPod for $725. A lot of cash, yeah, but I found the iPod on eBay for as cheap as $175. And 120 gigs... 30,000 songs sounds nice...

Speaking of The Beatles, I am already pumped for 09/09/09... BEATLES ROCK BAND! I wasn't much of a Guitar Hero/Rockband fan until I played the drums... Haha... I play acoustic guitar (not so well) so the guitar in those games seemed impossible to me... Now, I play on Expert and jam out with my ham out. I'm waiting to pre-order the game (it's gonna cost $250 for the game, the guitar (hopefully George's Rickenbacker), Paul's Hofner Bass, Ringo's Ludwig drum set (with official Beatles bass drum), and a microphone with stand. It's gonna be the poop, dude. Definitely can't wait...

As you can see, I'm a guy... who loves music and The Beatles... But, don't get me wrong... I also love Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and Queen (among countless others)... They probably round out my top 5 though... I don't listen to much "modern" music... Coldplay, The White Stripes, The Fray, and Jack Johnson... That's about it... Everything else is garbage to me...

I make rap music, but I don't listen to it... I had my days with hip-hop... I used to swear by it, but it has lost its' luster. I still listen to the classic 90's like Dre, Em, Wu-Tang, Nas, Outkast, Jay-Z, Pac, Big, etc. but rock and roll tends to dominate my playlists... I have yet to meet a rapper who actually plays an instrument (except for Li'l Wayne and his sell-out rock album). That's probably why I detest it at this point. I respect music for its' musicianship (does that make sense?). Anybody can rap... I started out as absolutely horrible, barely making sense and riding the beat... I'm fairly decent now, with little practice and any knowledge of music theory. Well, scratch that, because learning the guitar has given me a lot of knowledge on how music works, but I don't transcend that into my hip-hop so much...

Anyways, thanks for reading my little rant about my homosexual love for music... Stay tuned for more...

Cie Breeze