What does it take to be a die hard Beatles fan?

Then there is this: 

"George wanted most of all to be remembered as a gardener, one who ‘wrote one or two good tunes.’” - Olivia Harrison

@grislybutter 

Not sure what you mean. Are you saying there's a garden dedicated to Harrison within the SRF grounds?

@bdp24

There’s somewhat of a parallel in the life of John McLaughlin who became a dedicated student of, I believe, the vina (someone correct me if I’m mistaken). It got to the point where decided he had to drop the vina because he felt, deep down, he was a guitar player and that he was in effect "betraying" himself by allowing the vina to seduce him away from guitar.

Your "Blues above all else" assertion about Clapton makes me curious about your definition of Blues. Any min pent based soloing? It seems to me he was able play very melodically at times. Since the focus of this thread is the Beatles, I’ll point to Clapton’s solo on "Something" as a primary example. From my perspective, There are others as well, sprinkled throughout his discography. But, as I acknowledged,  our respective conception of "Blues" may differ. 

I'm no EC fan-boy. In the panoply of British guitar players, I'd place many above him. Still, I believe he deserves credit where credit is due. 

@grislybutter 

Sorry to be so dense but my aging brain is not following you. I don't see how Harrison could've been involved in the creation/design of the Encinitas Center because that was built in 1937. Do you mean the smaller SRF Encinitas temple that was built much later? 

@bdp24 

Thanks for the background on your listening history with Clapton.

I recall reading one interview in which he described his musical taste as "schmaltzy".  Maybe that explains some of the post-Layla records?

 @grislybutter 

Ah, OK.  I really don't know anything about Harrison's relationship to SRF, other than seeing photos of him wearimg a Babaji button. I went down there several times for services in the mid 70's before they built the new temple. It's an inspiring place, for sure.

... to believe Sgt. Pepper’s was their best album?

I get that it was groundbreaking at the time -- I loved it when it first came out (I was eleven years old) -- but in terms of songwriting craft, a majority of the tunes are mere ditties dressed up in psychedelic regalia, hardly examples of their writing at its best. However, this doesn’t seem to matter to its legions of admirers. By this rubric, therefore, I’m far from a die-hard fan.

At this point, the White Album is the one I still list to the most, followed by Abbey Rd and Revolver.   

@edcyn 

So, you were thrown out of a cult -- maybe not such a bad thing, in the long run!  

Musical taste is a funny thing. For example, I've read numerous reviews on Amazon by folks who "love" Clapton. They disparage Cream, Blues Breakers and Derek & Dominos while loudly proclaiming "Lay Down Sally" and "Wonderful Tonight" to be EC's best work. Apparently they don't enjoy his guitar playing very much, given their rejection of those recordings that feature him at his best in this regard. What can we deduce, then -- that they like him mostly as a vocalist ? I do not comprehend but boy, are they passionate! 

@tylermunns 

OK. My mistake. I was sure I'd read an interview with Harrison many years ago in which he said EC played it but evidently I must have imagined it!  

I agree with your assessment of the White Album. 

@onhwy61

Yeah, I’m aware of that. But somewhere along the line, the thought that EC also soloed in "Something" gained traction in my brain and never left. I have no explanation as to why/how. 

@tylermunns

I was willing to accept that I was wrong without "proof" but thanks for the information ;o)

BTW-- this revelation does nothing to dampen my enjoyment of the guitar work!