The Beatles Remembered

With the new Beatles remasters now in the shops, we asked some RTÉ presenters about their favourite Beatles songs, albums and memories.

Ronan Collins
Favourite Beatles track - just one? I think there could be a favourite from each album! But a favourite album is just as difficult. There's the raw sounding band on 'The White Album', the hugely melodic 'Beatles for Sale' and the heavily "outside influenced" 'Rubber Soul'. But the real favourite for me, if you push hard enough, is 'Abbey Road'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Side two particularly steals the vote. Side one had 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' and 'Octopus' Garden' but thankfully they were overshadowed by the extraordinary 'Carry that Weight'. Indeed the whole of side two with all those great songs tied together is just pure bliss - The Beatles' musicianship and vocals were never better. And the photos that came with the original album were superb! Beatle memories are great but 'Abbey Road' memories are just the best! By the way, I was 17-years-old when it came out and I reckon when I hear any of 'Abbey Road' now I'm 17 again!

Ronan Collins presents 'The Ronan Collins Show' on RTÉ Radio 1 weekdays at 12pm.

Lilian Smith
Though born after the demise of the Beatles they've always played a big part in my life. The day after John Lennon was murdered I even had a row with a girl in my third class of my primary school because she was insisting that his death meant the Beatles were breaking up, and she would not listen to me when I tried to explain the truth of it. 'For No One' and 'Girl' and 'Don't Let Me Down' all mean a tremendous amount to me, but for me the stand out track is 'A Day in the Life'. The first time I heard it I was probably still five-years-old, and the 'Sgt Peppers' album cover used to baffle me. It confused me that I knew who the Beatles were but wasn't sure about this Pepper shower. When I finally worked up the courage to play it I remember getting chills and goose bumps all over, the song frightened me and excited me all at the same time. That's the power of great music and it still moves me today.

Lilian Smith presents 'Late Date' on RTÉ Radio 1 at 11:25pm weeknights.

Larry Gogan
I've always been a huge Beatles and I've always been more a singles fan than an album lover. I have all their singles on vinyl, on five-inch cd and on three-inch cd - which is quite rare - and I love every single one of them To pick a favourite is really difficult, but if I have to choose I think it would have to be 'She Loves You': even to this day, over 45 years since it was released, it jumps out at you from the radio. It's the perfect radio disc. It's under three minutes, it's happy, bright and simple to remember and if it doesn't get your feet tapping I don't know what would. It also brought the 'Yeah Yeah' into our lives and I'd say in another 45 years our grandchildren will still be singing along to this Lennon McCartney classic

Larry Gogan presents 'The Larry Gogan Show' at 3pm on Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays on RTÉ 2fm.

Michael Lyster
In late 1966 The Beatles began recording sessions for what would be their landmark 'Sgt Pepper's…' album. Amongst the first few songs put to tape were 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' and while neither was included on the album, they were subsequently released as a double A-side single - and became my favourite Beatles recordings. By the time of the 'Sgt Pepper's' sessions John and Paul were no longer really writing as a songwriting partnership, but they were still challenging each other to come up with themes and observations on everyday life. On 'Strawberry Fields' and 'Penny Lane' the idea was to take two recollections from their youth in Liverpool - and each came up with a piece of musical magic.

For Paul it was the street in Liverpool with the barber's shop "and the fireman rushing in from the pouring rain…" very strange!”. The jaunting melody was classic Paul, simple but ingenious, while the lyrics were the kind of astute observation an aspiring novelist would kill for. A beautiful picture painted in words and music. For John the scene was a boarded-up old estate house and gardens where he used to climb over the wall and mitch from school. His Alice in Wonderland haven is recalled here with kaleidoscope lyrics set to a swirling, dream-like tune. Producer George Martin saw John's vision and made it real. In just seven marvellous minutes they had taken two simple scenes in Liverpool and transformed them into things of rare wonder - now that's genius.

Michael Lyster presents 'The Sunday Game' on RTÉ Two.

Maxi
What must it have been like to be John Lennon? When Ken Dodd told him he was thinking of changing his name to a more earthy one, John with a grin suggested 'Sod'. What must it be like to be Paul Mc Cartney, who writes songs of love and loyalty? John called then corny, but yet that attitude brought out the best in both of them when they wrote together and John knew when a song was complete when Paul brought it to him in its original form. What must it have been like to be George , who wrote and played like the best in the world, but the output from his colleagues was so prolific their just wasn't enough room left for his songs? What must it like to be Ringo? Isn't he just the luckiest man in the world?

I recorded in Abbey Road in the Sixties. What was it like? The engineers, musicians, cleaners, and porters shone with admiration when they talked of the Beatles' sessions. My favourite Beatle memory? Singing 'She's Leaving Home' in three- part harmony, walking across the zebra crossing in Abbey Road. The road was packed. Nobody reacted. The Beatles had touched their teenage hearts too. The Beatles: Paul calls them his "ever present past". Remastered here they are, an ever present present just for you.

Maxi presents 'Risin' Time' at 5:30am on RTÉ Radio 1 weekdays.

Ruth Scott
The Beatles mean family sing songs to me. Not of 'The Sound of Music's Von Trapp family. Two of my three brothers were in a heavy metal band years ago called Lead and when they weren't tormenting the neighbours with loud thrashing guitars and dressing up in excessively ripped clothes, they would amuse us with Beatles sons. Years later when I started to play the guitar, songs of the Beatles were first on my list. Well frankly, lots of them were easy to play and had no more than three chords!

Ruth Scott presents 'The Frequency with Ruth Scott' on RTÉ 2fm at 8pm Monday to Thursdays.

Will Leahy
Obviously I am the wrong generation for the Beatles, being as youthful as I am and all. I first 'got into' the Fab Four around the time of the Anthology in the mid-90s. That amazing documentary series is still worth the DVD investment for anyone who hasn't seen it. Over the years since, I have accumulated the back catalogue and other rare items including the DVD of the George Harrison tribute concert from a few years ago, which has an amazing version of 'Something' featuring McCartney and Eric Clapton. For me, their best song is 'Get Back' and the best memory of it that I have is a trip to the 'LOVE' show in Las Vegas last year. 'Get Back' is the first song in that show and it comes on like a tornado which leaves you breathless. Despite the fact it was recorded in the late 60s, it still sounds as fresh today.

Will Leahy presents 'The Will Leahy Show' on RTÉ 2fm at 5pm weekdays.

Jim Lockhart
In the summer of '67, the world was young. Everything was potential and anything was possible. At least that's how it seemed in London in the sunshine, on the Portobello Road, or in Waterloo tube station, and especially one golden Sunday in Petticoat Lane market. The smell of joss-sticks came from all around. I was soaking up the atmosphere with my mate Paul, and every second stall was blaring out 'All You Need Is Love'. And like a scene from a Fellini film, four grizzled old geezers in assorted tatty uniforms appeared out of nowhere, walking in single file and playing trumpet, clarinet, banjo and trombone. They were playing rough New Orleans trad jazz, they were unkempt and they strode along as if they'd been doing it for years and as if the hippies all around them didn't exist. Maybe for them we didn't. But for us it was as if Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had come brilliantly, magically to life. And to be young was very heaven.

Jim Lockhart produces 'Mooney' on RTÉ Radio 1 weekdays at 3pm. His band Horslips play Belfast's Odyssey Arena on 3 December and Dublin's O2 on 5 December.

Anne Doyle
I was a Rolling Stones kinda gal.

Anne Doyle presents 'Nine News' on RTÉ One.

Seán Rocks
So what is 12/8 time? My music theory teacher poses the question and before any of us can answer she starts to answer: - Interestingly it's a compound time Compound time. Interesting? Boy she needs to get out more! But she doesn't stop: - Compound time means dotted crotchets, and there's four of them per bar in 12/8 time...... 3 quavers for every beat you count it like this: 123 223 323 423. My mind is numb; I've stopped listening; I'm thinking about my weekly trip to Mc Cullogh Piggot's music shop on Suffolk street. It's the early 80s, I'm at teacher training college in the (now dead) Carysfort College and I've won a scholarship to learn recorder at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. ( I know - recorder - I was a rebel!).

Each Wednesday I travel on the train from Blackrock to Westland Row and go to my recorder class then my theory class. Most Wednesdays I go to Mc Cullogh Piggot's on Suffolk afterwards and look at instruments and music books I can't afford. This particular Wednesday I spot a book: "100 Guitar Favourites". And there somwhere in the middle is the Beatles song " Norwegian Wood": it's in 12/8 time. Compound time means dotted cotchets, and there's four of them of them in 12/8 time...... So, you have 3 quavers for every beat My theory teacher's words come back as I look at the page: - You count it like this: 123 223 323 423 "

"I sing the first line of Norwegian : I once had a girl or should I say she once had me. At the same time I do the 12/8 count in my head."

Compound time.......interesting, I think. Boy I need to get out more!

Seán Rocks presents 'Arena' on RTÉ Radio One.

Tell us about your favourite Beatles song, album or memory. You can also go behind the scenes on six of their classic albums here.