verses alone, while coming out sonically like a Pink Floyd b-side from the Obscured by Clouds sessions ..." By contrast, Mark Kemp of Paste dismisses the song as a "meandering bore". Pitchforks Mark Richardson says that, like "It's All Too Much", it offers little of interest aside from the "swirling" psychedelic effects, although the song "at least has a good joke going for it". Writing for Ultimate Classic Rock in 2013, Dave Swanson ranked the track third on his list of the "Top 10 Beatles Psychedelic Songs" (following "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "I Am the Walrus"). He deemed it a "mind-melter" that would have made Sgt. Pepper "even greater" had it been included instead of a song such as "When I'm Sixty Four". In 2006, "Only a Northern Song" was ranked 75th in Mojos list "The 101 Greatest Beatles Songs", where songwriter Glenn Tilbrook described it as "a wonderfully unexpected tune" with a "lovely ... sardonic lyric" that "could be the inspiration for a thousand Rutles songs". He added: "musically, it's a very literate song. And up against Lennon and McCartney it takes quite a lot of balls to do that." Other versions An alternative edit of the song was included on the Beatles' Anthology 2 out-takes compilation in 1996. Slightly sped up, and mixed in stereo, this version comprises the basic track without most of the April 1967 overdubs, and with a vocal take that contains some changes to the lyrics. According to music historian Richie Unterberger, aside from the lyrics, the Anthology 2 version demonstrates that "Only a Northern Song" was "much more like a standard rock song" before "the fanciful overdubs of trumpet and other strained far-outisms". Coinciding with the popularity of "It's All Too Much" among acid-rock bands of the early 1990s, Sun Dial released a cover of "Only a Northern Song" as the B-side of their 1991 single "Fireball". In 2009, Greg Davis and jazz singer-songwriter Chris Weisman named their psychedelic folk partnership, Northern Songs, after the Beatles track. The pair's 2010 album Northern Songs similarly honoured the song and included a cover version of "It's All Too Much". When Mojo released the CD Yellow Submarine Resurfaces in July 2012, "Only a Northern Song" was covered by Gravenhurst. Yonder Mountain String Band included the song in their live performances during 2013 and 2015. Personnel According to Ian MacDonald: George Harrison – vocals, Hammond organ, additional