A Hard Day's Night VS Aftermath

and all of those original compositions are about hating women (except the McCartney fluff). both are among my favorite albums ever. which do you prefer?

thinking this is A Hard Day's Night but going to listen to both again to decide for sure.

this is tough -- 'aftermath' is my favorite stones album at least as often as 'AHDN' is my favorite beatles album. but are we talking the US or UK version of 'aftermath'?

thought about including the different UK/US versions but figured it would look silly. the US version of Aftermath flows better imo, the most obvious reason being Going Home as the closing track but there's more than that.

I go to Flowers for Mother's Little Helper and Out Of Time

Genuinely thougt this was a Beatles vs Nightmares on Wax poll before clicking. I think you can guess how I voted.

Aftermath

One of the dumbest things I ever did as a record collector--or didn't do--was not buy all the domestic reissues of the London UK Rolling Stones releases that came out in the mid/late-'80s. "Ah, I'll get them in a few years--no rush, it's not like the technology's changing or anything."

A Hard Day's Night.

I find the misogamy on tracks like "Stupid Girl" to be a little too much.

misogamy would be Sittin' on a Fence from Flowers. these two are all about misogyny. You Can't Do That and I'll Cry Instead are just as fucked up as Stupid Girl.

I find Lennon's angry young man schtick somehow easier to digest than the directness of "look at that stupid girl"

YCDT is more "I know I'm wrong, but I can't change" regretty.

how universal was the "angry young man schtick" (which I read here as a "Look Back In Anger" school of treating women) among the Swinging London public figures? Were Lennon and Jagger uniquely regressive in this sense? I always felt it defined their songwriting but it might have been a common trait. Don't know, Ray Davis was bitter all around, Townshend was a mystic, Van too, Macca had those silly love songs, Clapton was obviously an asshole but was that important in his lyrics?

the stones definitely seemed like they were reveling in being callous and mean on tracks like 'stupid girl,' whereas lennon just sounds like he's blowing off steam.

I would say it's more than blowing off steam, there is some real bitter shit in those lyrics. it become sort of a trademark of his after this album I think. his singing always felt really personal (All I've Got to Do, Money) but the lyrics didn't follow suit (There's A Place being an obvious exception) until A Hard Day's Night.

One of the dumbest things I ever did as a record collector--or didn't do--was not buy all the domestic reissues of the London UK Rolling Stones releases that came out in the mid/late-'80s. "Ah, I'll get them in a few years--no rush, it's not like the technology's changing or anything."

― clemenza, Tuesday, 5 March 2013 15:53 (Yesterday)

Don't sweat it, iirc they were crappy 80's digital remasters and I distinctly remember being at a listening party where an older US LP of Let It Bleed blew away the 80's one. But I could be mixing them up with a different reissue program, it's hard to keep track.

The Who Sell Out could have been a third option ("first to feature entirely original compositions", "among my favorite albums ever") but it's not sexist enough

Don't sweat it, iirc they were crappy 80's digital remasters and I distinctly remember being at a listening party where an older US LP of Let It Bleed blew away the 80's one. But I could be mixing them up with a different reissue program, it's hard to keep track.

― sleeve, Wednesday, March 6, 2013 12:48 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I have the Singles: The London Years triple CD set that came out in '89 around here somewhere... while I have no complaints over the material spread over the 3 discs, I find the overall sound quality to be quite crap. Listening to the quality of the remasters on Forty Licks compared to the muddy remasters on that singles set is like day and night.

Voted for A Hard Day's Night.

tried to make a decision, but no...... i can't. they are both equally welcome in my life

Good poll - both albums are pretty amazing examples of what made each band great, and how they were different.

Aftermath is great because it's so all over the place - they doll themselves up in a lot of different styles from really affected and campy like "Lady Jane" to goofy trashy countryish like 505 and High & Dry. Somehow it doesn't feel disjointed though.

Hard Day's Night is more formal and constructed than Aftermath - though "You Can't Do That" and "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Should Have Known Better" are all pretty swinging and still have early Beatles joyful abandon to them.

Going with "Aftermath" I think, even though "Goin' Home" probably invents the jam band.

Aftermath (UK)
Aftermath (US)
A Hard Day's Night

I find Lennon's angry young man schtick somehow easier to digest than the directness of "look at that stupid girl"

― Darin, Tuesday, March 5, 2013 11:20 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

You Can't Do That is every bit as ugly and dickish as Stupid Girl, to me. Under My Thumb is a stranger case; the misogyny in it is so pronounced and grotesque that I am able to take the whole thing as a sick joke, whereas YCDT and SG just feel mean.

Regarding "Going home" - the idea of the long jam was stolen from Love who were playing what became "Revelations" in 1965 - it was then called "John Lee Hooker" Iirc. Mick saw them do it in LA, the next night Keith came along with Mick and saw them do it, and then used the idea as the template for "Going home". At least that's what I've read in two places - the "Da capo" sleeve notes and the book written by the drummer, or was it the bass player?

Anyway, "A hard day's night". I played "Things we said today" recently and was amazed to hear a distant piano part during the middle section I'd never noticed before, and I've heard that album so many times since I was a kid. So a constant delight, always fresh.

I think Keith claimed it was kind of an impromptu jam they just kept going, and they were partly inspired by Dylan having done longer tracks by that point. But Love dudes could be right it came from them.

does anyone know what the first really long jam was to make it to wax?

in rock n roll/pop, i mean

desolation row was 11 mins, 1965

The Who's 10-minute "A Quick One" was '66, but isn't what anyone would call a "jam" like "Goin' Home" or "Revelation."

A Hard Day's Night is my favourite Beatles album and one of my favourite records ever, wall-to-wall hooks. Aftermath is great too but there are a few songs I don't care too much for ('Going Home' is one of them).

I like "Goin' Home" but it feels like a dry run at "Midnight Rambler."

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

does anyone know what the first really long jam was to make it to wax?

Maybe "Chuck's Beat" and "Bo's Beat" from Two Great Guitars? 10:39 and 14:23 respectively, from 1964.

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-3427302-1353551574-7610.jpeg

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

seems right, close but the winner is better.