Quincy Jones Interview


gareneau
OK Shadorne, metoo, but would it have been a topic that even would have come up in this conversation a year or so ago?  I don't mean to dismiss your point but are we going to go so OFF TOPIC by  including the character of John Lennon in regard to his treatment of women? The man has been dead for 37 years. There are PLENTY of guilty men in their treatment of women at some point in their lives, things they wish they could change privately if never admit to. Often in such matters it's a matter of like father, like son, boars breed bores. 

AGREE with respondents that say Paul was the musical force of that group. It's so obvious when one listens to each of their subsequent solo efforts if it wasn't obvious before which it sure was to me. Speaking of their solo efforts, is there one better than the superb first  of George Harrison, "All Things Must Pass"  the quiet, unsung Beatle, maybe my favorite solo album of any of the Beatles. "Imagine" if you can a more  mundane song than that one, never got it maybe someone can clue me in?

The Beatles were a unique group in the history of Western popular music. It isn't particularly about their special musicianship, or their pop appeal/charm or just their music, but their collective accomplishments along with the fifth wheel George Martin who can't be denied  his contribution to the whole of what they became, a cultural, popular musical phenom of the mid 20th Century. Whether the music will endure in the future, I would ask the same of Gershwin  Kern  Berlin, Ellington Rogers or the many other great songwriters, We'll never know. How many know about Paganini or List in their hayday? If not for the film Amadeus how about Mozart?

So far as Quincy Jones is concerned, yes, he made some unfortunate comments, maybe even based in jealousy as has been suggested by his lack of musical chops, so what, he was good at what he did and so far as his opinions they are nothing more or less than those expressed by mine or anyone else's, Take what you like and discard what you don't, nothing's perfect!  
tubegroover
AGREE with respondents that say Paul was the musical force of that group. It's so obvious when one listens to each of their subsequent solo efforts if it wasn't obvious before which it sure was to me. Speaking of their solo efforts, is there one better than the superb first of George Harrison, "All Things Must Pass" the quiet, unsung Beatle, maybe my favorite solo album of any of the Beatles. "Imagine" if you can a more mundane song than that one, never got it maybe someone can clue me in?

Uh, somebody's not paying much attention to the headlines these days.
Let's imagine some alternate reality where the Beatles never existed, but J,P,G & R still had rock and roll careers.

RINGO - bounced from band to band, becomes well-known host of pop music TV show.  Always a tech head, was early investor in Apple and is still one of the 20 largest individual shareholders.

GEORGE - long term collaborator with Donovan and then Cat Stevens.  Releases several solo albums to little commercial success.  Leaves music for a period, but returned as Stevie Winwood's touring guitarist for 20 years.

JOHN - upon his release from prison relocates to NYC and co-founds the Velvet Underground.  Convicted of leading major drug distribution ring, but claims he was framed by the FBI and flees overseas before sentencing.  Last heard of location is in the jungles of Peru with Maoist revolutionaries.

PAUL - writes 15 to 20 number one hits for other artists.  Brings Hendrix to England, produces the albums and is the original bass player in the Experience.  Later forms a band with a piano player/singer named Elton and that band sells 100 million albums.

My point is that individually they all would have had impact, but there was something magical about when they worked together.  They can't really be separated.

I didn’t love any of their post-Beatles solo albums (though McCartney’s s/t debut and it’s follow-up, Ram, have their charms), and I’ve always felt it was because their collective chemistry is what made The Beatles as good as they were. It was the songwriting and harmony singing (modeled on The Everly Brothers, whom they idolized). On his own, Paul is too sweet for my taste, John too sour. Plus he had Yoko dragging him down ;-).

George was always my "favorite Beatle", but he wasn’t much of a singer. He put out a pretty good final album, though. It included a recording of an obscure 1950’s Rockabilly song ("Got My Mind Set On You") that I liked a lot, produced by the great Jeff Lynne of ELO. The music George and Jeff made together in The Traveling Wilbury’s is by far my favorite that any of them made post-Beatles.

QJ’s comments strike me as the kind of things that a person suffering from dementia makes. Impulsive, angry, without constructive purpose. What’s the goal here? After such a brilliant career, he wants to be remembered for a handful of self-indulgently, controversially cranky comments? Really?