I Should Have Known Better

Robert Bunter: Here's a question - why did this track appear on the ridiculous Allen Klein brainstorm Hey Jude (aka The Beatles Again) LP? Was it left off the US pressings of "A Hard Day's Night?" Let me go check; I'm not sure because even in the '60s as a young American boy I only purchased the original UK Parlophone mono from hard-to-find import shops. Hold on a sec.

Richard Furnstein: Cool, while you are off searching your Beatles/Wings/All Starr Band shelf to find out what is what, I'll talk about the actual music. BANG CLANG goes Ringo on the cymbals, the Beatles are off to work on a groovy chain gang. George is all suspense on the sweet Rickenbacker and Paul sits back and rattles his hair and big old doe eyes.

John wants to tell us about his new and exciting love, a love that "can only happen to (him)." Good for you, John. However, I question your knowledge of this "love" thing. "If this is love you gotta give me more"? Dude, you don't even know? I guess you are going to ask the girl? You are definitely going to blow the moment, you weirdo.

Robert Bunter: I'm back ... it WAS on the red US pressings. Why did this wind up on that abominable odds and sods masterpiece? Oh, you want to hear about the music? Boilerplate Lennon mush with dumb chords, formulaic lyrics, a one-note melody and overbearing"mouth organ" (!) high in the mix. It's pretty good; one thing I'll say here is that it's amazing John was able to double-track his voice so accurately. It sounds like just one guy.

Richard Furnstein: The vocals on Wire's "I Should Have Know Better" are definitely one guy. And that guy is muscular agitated bass player Graham Lewis. I guess he was the George of Wire, he seemed to be the angriest guy in the band. Terrible drum sound on that song, by the way. Ringo should have tuned them up for those guys. It could have happened, they were both in England!