I don't have many nice things to say about music videos for the most part, but in fairness, there are some good ones. And a big point in their favour is the fact that it was the Beatles who really started the idea with their "pop promotional films" for "Day Tripper", "Help!", "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" amongst others. At that point, they were quite simply too big to tour (particularly since the knowledge regarding how to do it properly on such a scale was still about ten years away), so basically they invented the music video instead. And these ones are still a lot of fun to watch, my favourite being this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPjDMZiuhbQ&feature=related.

I'll mention a few more of these in posts to come, but first I must admit that my favourite music video of all time is not by the Beatles. In fact, it's not even by a group that I've listened to very much (my loss, certainly, because when I do hear their music, I very much enjoy it): It's the Flying Pickets with the only number one a cappella pop hit ever (unless I'm mistaken), their cover of Yaz's "Only You": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgDKtLPp46s.

Choosing the 6 to 10 slots of my top Beatles songs is going to be a lot harder than 1 through 5, because now I have to think about all the songs that I'm excluding. Bit of a drag, that. But I did start this thing, so here we go:

6. "Run For Your Life" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUrOmy9RiGg). It's impossible to say enough about John Lennon's honesty, demonstrated here by the fact that he wasn't afraid to show his dark side. This one comes from my top Beatles album, by the way, Rubber Soul - the North American release. Sorry, but it's the one I grew up with. And my LP version was the one with the full stereo pan mix, which meant that you could listen to nearly all of the tracks a cappella - a real treat. 7. "Michelle" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OhV1Mq2HFU). McCartney's masterpiece from the same album. For one thing, it's harmonically brilliant: the melody starts on an F major chord, but the rest of the song, starting on the following chord (a Bb minor), is in F minor, with a brief detour into Db major. And it's all entirely convincing. Also, the form shortens as the song progresses, which creates a telescoping effect. The singing is good, too, you'll notice. 8. "A Day in the Life" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ2AoCUFsjY). The most adventurous song ever recorded by a rock group? There'd be an argument for it. And it's a beautiful song, wonderfully played and sung. 9. "Here Comes the Sun" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7h1IphPfeU). It's interesting to note the trajectory of the importance of Harrison's songs to Beatles albums. On earlier records, there would be one or two, treated almost as asides by most listeners (although they shouldn't be). But on later albums, they're centerpieces; imagine the White Album without "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" or "Savoy Truffle", or Abbey Road without "Something", or this one. 10. "Eleanor Rigby" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jZ5-Jyie6g). Allen Ginsberg called it the first time that he was convinced of the presence of high intelligence in popular music. I think I'll leave it at that.

I've seen a few lists of favourite Beatle songs on the internet lately, probably because of the iTunes thing, and I thought it might be fun to list a few of my own. Starting at the top: 1. "Hey Jude" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42A0qNayFRE). Why? Because it demonstrates so clearly the two greatest qualities of their musicianship: "heart and timing", in the words of Ringo. And then there's the singing. McCartney's lead is strong and balanced throughout, but the entry of the backups (at 0:45) is, for me, one of the most beautiful moments in their entire recorded output. 2. "Hey Bulldog" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WBelmO65J4). Because I love to hear the Beatles rock. Have you ever noticed that John Lennon is a really good singer? Man! 3. "If I Fell" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ets2eNJzhY). A really adventurous song, harmonically speaking, and beautifully arranged and sung in a way that would have made proud the Everly Brothers. 4. "It Won't Be Long" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5drpgVPusVg). Because I find it the song that best captures the Beatlemania spirit. 5. "Something" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ5JM0inqGU). Had to get one of George's in there. Check out Ringo's drumming during the bridges. Also, I don't like to disagree with Frank Sinatra, and it was one of his favourites.

OK, that was fun. Five more tomorrow.

To this day very few groups have ever done a version of a Beatles song and come out on top. In my opinion, it's been done precisely once, by the Rolling Stones with their version of Lennon and McCartney's "I Wanna Be Your Man" from 1963. I very much like the Beatles' version as well, but the Stones made it sound like the perfect fusion of their blues and r&b roots (of the twenty-four songs on their first two albums, four were originals) and their own distinctive sound. It's clear that it was an important moment in their development as songwriters, in that it gave them the confidence of knowing that their education could make songs written anywhere (even right in front of them) sound like the real deal. The following video features Lennon telling the song's story, excerpts from both versions, and Keith's Beatlesque headshake tribute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8QEX3_aVig

The Beatles' debut album, Please Please Me (1963), is another one that's high on the all-time list. It was recorded quickly (apparently ten of the fourteen tracks were done in one ten-hour session), but that's irrelevant in music. The amount of time and practice that are done before a recording is what makes the difference. As one of my teachers once said, "You can hear how much someone has practiced with every note they play". This album is a case in point.

Another aspect of the record that always amazes me is the assured manner in which the band handles differing tempos and feels. Listen to "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" back-to-back with "Twist and Shout", or "Baby, It's You" right after "Boys". Seven of the album's tracks are originals, and they provide a glimpse of what was to come over the next seven years. I would even argue that "There's a Place" should be considered among the very greatest of their compositions, and also one of the most beautiful singing performances in rock history. Hear for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4lGuxEWn3c&feature=related

Just as each person is made from two parents (and therefore two genetic sources), musical compositions often are too. Yesterday, in discussing John Deacon's "You're My Best Friend", I mentioned that a song can be strongly influenced by the situation it comes from - in this case, a very experienced bassist working in a world-class rock band, receiving encouragement and feedback on his writing. Today, we'll be considering another singular song, written by another experienced bassist, in another world-class rock band: "Can't Buy Me Love" from A Hard Day's Night (1964). Paul McCartney had a lot of harmonic knowledge from the pre-rock repertoire (you can hear evidence in early songs such as "I'll Follow the Sun" and his cover version of "Till There Was You".) He also had a tremendous gift for rock and roll, both as an instrumentalist (The Beatles would not have been The Beatles without his bass-playing), vocalist (listen to "I'm Down") and writer ("I Saw Her Standing There" is a great early example). And all of it comes together on "Can't Buy Me Love", a song which mixes pop chord changes - in the opening where the title is sung twice, and the blues, by way of rock and roll - in the section that begins with "I'll buy you a diamond ring, my friend...".

The theoretical aspect of the blues is understood differently by virtually every musician who is involved with them, and one of these days, I'll share a few of my own thoughts on the subject, but one thing is for sure: certain notes and chords become available to a key that are not in other styles. In this case the key is C, and two of the "blue notes" made available are Eb and Bb, and the chords used in this section (C, F and G - it's a standard twelve-bar blues, in fact) become dominant seven chords. This gives the song two separate terrains to explore. It's comprised of two different sets of genes, I guess you could say, sort of like The Beatles, as a group, and as individuals.