Tag Archives: think

#1361: The Beatles – Think for Yourself

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Seeing as we’ve had a few last representatives on the blog lately, I had the thought the same would apply for ‘Think for Yourself’ on The Beatles’ Rubber Soul. It’s not the case. There are two songs left I’ve yet to cover. Have had a lot of love for the album for years now, but it didn’t start out that way. Back in 2009, when I was going through a massive Beatles discovery phase, it was announced that Rubber Soul was to be one of three full Beatles albums used as DLC on The Beatles: Rock Band, alongside Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. The last two I understood. But being the Revolver fan I was, I didn’t understand why it was shafted for this “Rubber Soul“, which I hadn’t yet heard but thought couldn’t possibly be better. I write all this to say my first experience with the album was, I’m very sure, through watching the Rock Band “dreamscapes” for each song on YouTube. Had to admit, Rubber Soul, solid choice for the game. I’m still Revolver all the way, generally.

Rubber Soul is usually seen as the album where the Beatles turned from boys to men and stepped up their game in terms of songwriting. The Lennon-McCartney train kept on rolling. George Harrison had his imposed two-song per album quota, which started proper on Help!, but the point stands when considering he contributed ‘If I Needed Someone’ and today’s subject, ‘Think for Yourself’, the fifth song on Rubber Soul. In his autobiography, Harrison couldn’t recall much regarding the inspiration behind the tune, but said his intention was to “target narrow-minded thinking”. And it may also have something to do with the British government. Overall, it is about not wanting anything to do with another person, leaving them at that fork in the road where they go one way and you the other because you can’t support the things they stand for. And for a song inspired by those kinds of sour situations, it still manages to be catchy as anything.

For me, it’s all about that fuzz bass guitar, played by Paul McCartney, that plays the role of lead guitar in the track. It was an unprecedented move recording a bass guitar through a fuzzbox, as well as including that fuzz-affected bass alongside the standard one. It’s a process one wouldn’t think twice about now, but in November 1965, this was a crazy, crazy idea. The results are very nice. That downward scale played by the basses during the verses, you’ll know what I mean if you listen to the track, swiftly followed by the emphatic harmonies of the three vocalists during the verses make up the best seconds of the entire tune. It’s a little steamroller of a number. The verse flows into the chorus which flows into the verse, and so on, until it ends. No bridge, no instrumental break. And sometimes that’s all it takes. There’s a 15-minute audio clip of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison recording overdubs. Lennon and McCartney, working on a Harrisong, don’t take it all that seriously. Go ahead and have a listen.

#581: They Might Be Giants – I Should Be Allowed to Think

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Happy new year everybody! 21 days in…. I’m sorry, but I’m now officially a working man. I just haven’t had the time to get back into this. Well, there have been weekends obviously…. but I just haven’t had the inspiration and energy to write. 10am-6pm is a long day, I tell you! I’ll try and get back to the once a week thing on here. Emphasis on ‘try’. Though it will more than likely be a sporadic post here and there.

And so the first track of 2018 is one by They Might Be Giants, who coincidentally just released their 20th(!) album entitled I Like Fun on Friday. Haven’t heard the whole thing yet apart from its title track and ‘I Left My Body‘. I probably should. I leave you a link to its iTunes page where you can buy it for a reasonable price.

‘I Should Be Allowed to Think’ is on the band’s fifth album John Henry, released way back in 1994. Their longest album by a mile, almost an hour in length, it was the first where they performed as a full band with bass guitar and percussion backing John Linnell and John Flansburgh. Thinking on it, I personally see it as their way of showing that they were still able to provide their usual versatility and unique style of songwriting even without their drum machines and backing tapes of the past.

Like many other of the group’s songs, it’s told from a viewpoint which you can look at in two ways… You can listen to the narrator and take their points at face value… or they’re lying and something else is up. Knowing They Might Be Giants, it’s usually the latter. This narrator in particular feels injustice from seeing these rubbish bands advertised anywhere, and sees this as reason to say whatever they want and have their ideas heard by anybody – no matter how stupid they may be. They feel as if there’s this big conspiracy against them, when really they’re probably just thinking about it a bit too much.

This is a great song, another mainly penned by John Linnell though Flansburgh sings in the bridge. I do find myself humming along to its bass line when hearing it, particularly the second half of the chorus. Fair play to Tony Maimone, who plays the bass a fair few of the songs on John Henry. It’s a standard rock song I would say, although it’s not really because it’s They Might Be Giants. There’s always something a bit different when it comes to them. In a good way.

‘I Should Be Allowed’ was recorded on the band’s home equipment and could be listened to on the phone through their Dial-a-Song service before the song was officially released. Thanks to the Internet, that demo version can be heard all the time. It is below.

My iPod #473: Happyness – Great Minds Think Alike, All Brains Taste the Same

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No post yesterday. Got back home from university. Was very tired as a result. Nice to be back though. Let’s carry on.

Happyness are an indie rock trio from South London who I first heard about through NME. Basically what you see upon clicking on that link is a very nice description of the band and the page where I listened to “Great Minds” for the first time. For some reason, I remember immediately dismissing it. Reading what bands NME considered Happyness to sound like made me think the band was trying too hard. Thought the title was a bit much too. What the fuck. That was shallow of me. Very poor.

Instead, I actually listened to the track and found out that it is actually a very enjoyable listen. It is a perfect blend of deadpan but relatable lyrics with sweet, sweet melodies and chill vibes that make for some easy listening. All executed under two minutes too. Somewhere I read the track ties with the album’s apparent concept of a person born on the same day as Jesus Christ….. You can look that up of you want, I’m just okay with listening to the music if that’s alright.

Happyness are still under the radar a bit; if you like what you hear here, check out their album released last year.*

*This link is dead. 😐