The Beatles' Format
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Many bands usually have only one singer, one or two guitarists, one bassist and a drummer. But in the Beatles, the four of them got to sing. So I don't understand why some people think George and Ringo were being treated like sidemen to Lennon and McCartney.
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When they first got famous, everyone was amazed that all four of them sang. But George wrote very few songs compared to Lennon and McCartney, and Ringo even fewer. Still, all four were essential to the group's success.
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I mean one lead singer in a band is enough. But if everyone get to sing, it's truly amazing. And I do not believe that John and Paul restricted George with the number of songs he'd contribute. I think the four of them agreed on a certain format. And I believe they were smart enough to know that having balanced or equal contribution is not always a fantastic idea.
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In the early days (1959-1962) George sang a lot more songs.
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jessiemillano:
I mean one lead singer in a band is enough. But if everyone get to sing, it's truly amazing. And I do not believe that John and Paul restricted George with the number of songs he'd contribute. I think the four of them agreed on a certain format. And I believe they were smart enough to know that having balanced or equal contribution is not always a fantastic idea.
I also don't think John and Paul restricted George's input, at least not officially or deliberately. But they were much more prolific than George, and George was younger and less experienced as a song writer. So even tunes he sang like Do You Want To Know A Secret and I'm Happy Just To Dance With You were written by John and given to George to sing so he would have a tune or two on those early LPs. Clearly, George started to come into his own as a song writer by the White Album, but by then, any sense of democracy in the group was gone. If it ever actually existed.
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Nancy R:
In the early days (1959-1962) George sang a lot more songs.
Yes, and I may be wrong, but I think Brian may have pushed him into the background a bit when they started to get more famous, because John and Paul were writing all the songs, and Brian wanted the original songs to be highlighted in their performances. But looking back just to the Decca audition, it's clear that it was much more equally divided between John, Paul, and George in the earlier days.
