Wes Crone wrote:


Deryk Barker wrote:
>
>>Well, if you are assuming that McCartney wrote every last word and note of
>>the stuff he did with the Beatles, you'll be in error yourself.
>
>Of course Paul did not write EVERY note himself.  Beethoven didn't, and
>Bach didn't.  Mozart didn't and Mahler didn't.  Many of the classic "GREAT"
>composers borrowed a line or a little fragment here and/or there.  You just
>allow them this for the simple reason that you like their music more.

The original point was that Paul co-wrote much of his best music, which
is not the same as the borrowing that you're referring to, and that this
collaboration had a lot to do with his success.  So comparing him to Bach,
Beethoven, etc about this is apples and oranges.

>Paul McCartney had a heavy interest in classical music from even the
>early/mid days of the Beatles.  He was very much into music of the Baroque
>(Bach in particular).  It was with this affection for early music that
>he used a clavichord on "Cry for No One" and Baroque sounding trumpet on
>"Penny Lane" Other Beatles songs are accompanied by harp ("She's Leaving
>Home") and some with harpsichord ("Fixing a Hole").

The unsung hero in a lot of such arrangements was their classically trained
producer George Martin.  I wonder if any of the above examples originated
with him; I remember reading a list of such things that were his doing.
OTOH I've also read that it was Paul's idea to use the string quartet on
"Eleanor Rigby".

I have my doubts as to the degree to which any popular music, the
Beatles or otherwise, will ultimately be adapted into what we think of as
mainstream "classical" repertoire.  For one thing, so much of the appeal
of pop music appeal is related to the recorded performance.  The difficulty
in reproducing their heavily produced recording arrangements was a prime
reason cited by the Beatles when they ceased touring.

>(receiving EXACTLY the kind of replies I knew I would get from
>a group of CM fans 900 strong)

I was a lifelong Beatles fan before getting into classical music. I bought
Standing Stone shortly after it came out, listened a bit, but haven't been
motivated by what I heard to return to it since.

I just don't see the vast anti-Paul bias on this list which Wes seems to.
I suspect that such a thing might be out there, but most of those people
aren't interested enough to reply to this thread.  ;-)

Tim Dickinson
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