Who was or is the most talented Beatle, John or Paul?

[Jim Kelly]

One thing I don't like on the John Lennon post-Beatles albums is the production quality. He often worked with Phil Spector and the recordings have that muddy quality. The Beatles recordings were distinguished by George Martin's production, where the recordings were very crisp and clear--you could hear all the Beatles. Apparently, John Lennon didn't like his own voice, so he was always trying to bury it under these layers of overdubs and echo effects. Paul produced his own albums and he had learned a lot from Martin, so the sound on his recordings is much better, to my ear. I like to listen to the music and hear what every musician is doing.

[Joker]

But he was by far the most talented musician.

Maybe the better guitar player, but Paul was probably the most versatile, accomplished musician.

[Kirby101]

Maybe the better guitar player, but Paul was probably the most versatile, accomplished musician.

True, Paul played a lot of instruments. But George was better on the Guitar and Uke.

[Joker]

I need to re watch the Anthology series.

[Jim Kelly]

To be perfectly honest, I'm as much a McCartney fan as I am a Beatles fan. I was a fan of Wings in the 1970s, when I was a teen. In addition to not going to see the Beatles at Empire Stadium in 1964 (which was beyond my control, as a tiny child, because my father wouldn't allow it), my biggest regret is not going down to Seattle to see Wings (Over America) when I was in high school--I could have paid to go on a school organized bus trip, but backed out.

But I've seen him in concert four times since then. I've bought every McCartney album--and even some singles and EPs. I've got all his classical recordings as well as the stuff he's done as The Fireman. I did see Ringo's All Starr Band one time, many years ago. But I've only bought a few of John, George and Ringo's solo albums. I enjoy the later McCartney albums as much as his more popular ones from the 1970s. Every year, I try to do a massive McCartney retrospective, just before Paul's birthday--listening to the records and videos that he did with the Beatles, with Wings and after Wings.

[stargazer01]

^I wish I had gone to one Paul concert when he was still in his prime.


I LOVE this tribute. You can tell Paul was pretty ecstatic to hear his music this way. I didn't like No Doubt, but the rest were good, especially Steven Tyler, who has always been a huge Beatles fan.

[Scott Taylor]

For me, Paul. Mainly because of Yesterday, Let It Be and Long and Winding Road. I'm a sucker for ballads.

Day in the Life, Norwegian Wood and Strawberry Fields Forever are my favorite John songs from the Beatles days. He was just so damn good at being trippy, no one like him since.

The entire Wings inventory and Paul's solo work also is better than John's post-Beatles stuff, but I don't think it should really be counted for this as John at the time was way less into being commercial after the Beatles broke up. So, just considering the Beatles work.

Over the long haul, had John lived, I think he would have definitely kept up and probably exceeded Paul.

[Jim Kelly]

John wasn't even into being a rock and roll star for a good half of the 1970s, being as he had retired from the business and concentrated on taking care of his son. Good thing he did.