(Classic Rock) 08 December 2015. Recorded for Amnesty International and to mark what would have been Lennon’s seventieth birthday, Ozzy’s melancholic version of How? “Isolation” (1970) John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was the album on which Lennon finally got to say everything he wanted without having to worry about operating under the Beatle banner. Chris Waywell, It’s often said that The Beatles (circa ‘The White Album’) invented heavy metal with ‘Helter Skelter’ and ‘Revolution’. Amy Smith, Here’s one Beatles track that absolutely nobody asks for at their wedding. It’s also got a laddish strain to it, that received wisdom tells us the Fab Four left behind in Hamburg: the lyric supposedly refers to those swinging ’60s society hipsters who dabbled with LSD at the weekend, but the original verse was ‘she’s a prick-teaser’. © Nick Levine, The Beatles try their hand at contemporary folk in this mournful ode to a secret or unrequited love – the inspiration is still the subject of endless speculation. Amy Smith, It started with lyrics scribbled in school notebooks and resulted in the band’s first US number one hit in 1964. “The world stopped for me,” he told the BBC at the time, recalling when he heard that Lennon had been shot. Paul said the song was his attempt to write a Little Richard number, but the result is something altogether weirder, a bracing herky-jerky love song at perfect odds with its barnstorming flipside ‘I Feel Fine’. Thank you for signing up to Classic Rock. It’s still an occasional gem in their live set, even to this day; check out the raucous jam version from the band’s irrepressible Live! While Paul’s fresh, pleading voice lends a boyish innocence to the track, it is John’s flirting, deeper register that points to the band’s future transition away from teen heartthrobs. I was subconsciously crying out for help,’ is what John Lennon said of this song in 1980. Such is the raw, rock ’n’ roll energy behind the song, in fact, that when Macca belts out ‘I’m Down, I’m really down’, you can’t help thinking that this kid’s gonna be a-ok in the end. You will receive a verification email shortly. And who are we to argue? Amy Smith, Producer George Martin’s classical experience comes to the fore with this beautiful-yet-tragic tale of loneliness. Tom Huddleston. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Moptops or maharishis? Originally written by Paul McCartney to console John Lennon's son Julian over his parents' impending divorce, 'Hey Jude' is a huge-hearted, super-emotional epic that climaxes with one of pop's most legendary hooks. The short-live Seattle supergroup that featured members of Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains were eventually pulled apart by drug abuse – two of the four members would suffer drug related deaths – but they burnt brightly if briefly, this Lennon song was recorded for the Working Class Hero covers album, but also appeared more recently on the Deluxe Edition reissue of their solitary album, Above and in their very rare live shows. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nick Levine, McCartney’s voice is rich and steeped in ’50s rock ’n’ roll affectation on this twinkling gem that kicks off with a spirited ‘1, 2, 3, FOUR!’ and doesn’t let up. If ‘When I’m 64’ is a little too oompah for your tastes, try this intimate early ballad. Tom Huddleston, The grand finale to the band’s entire career, ‘The End’ isn’t so much a song as a series of monster breaks capped with a slogan. Listen to the first take, on ‘Anthology’, for John and Paul’s fit of giggling when they get the lyrics mixed up. It’s the best of the Beatles in just over two minutes. Marketing-wise, a bad move – but in hindsight it just added to the individual allure of what continues to be a genuinely magical mystery of a song. I was listening to Don’t Let Me Down and he was just letting go on that track. Of course, this subject matter makes it oddly topical again in the Brexit era, and its iconic guitar riff obviously hasn’t aged a day in 50 years. Inspired storytelling. When a one-night stand doesn’t end well. While the original - recorded with Phil Spector - was a more downbeat affair, Beck mixes things up with a lightness of touch (earnest acoustic strumming), but underpinned with a the right degree of dense vocal harmonies that sets an earnest tone. Amy Smith, Has John’s voice ever sounded better? Unbelievably, they only played it live once – for an episode of ‘Top Gear’ (not that one, it was a radio show) in 1964. Ringo’s scream of ‘I’ve got blisters on my fingers!’ is the final flourish to an absolute belter. In 1966 it must have sounded like the end of the world, or the start of a new one. You can tell it was recorded quickly (in just two takes, in fact) from the way the song literally bounces across the score, buoyed by John on the electric piano and Paul’s impassioned, almost breathless, vocals. Sadly, the accompanying video is as pertinent today as it was over a decade ago. ‘The whole Beatles thing was just beyond comprehension. Fourteen words, some throaty screams and one monstrous, endlessly stymied riff, and you’ve got a nail-biting musical portrait of pent-up horniness. If ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ is one of the Beatles’ swansongs, it’s definitely a fitting one. I love it. “I can’t even describe how I felt. 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