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PLAYLIST MARCH 13th 2016

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Celebrating the production genius of George Martin

9AM

The Beatles - Besame Mucho /June 6th 1962 (1st  session  with  GM)  

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The Beatles - Love Me Do – Please Please Me

(McCartney-Lennon) Lead vocal: John and Paul

The Beatles’ first single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. Released October 5, 1962, it reached #17 on the British charts. Principally written by Paul McCartney in 1958 and 1959. Recorded with three different drummers: Pete Best

(June 6, 1962, EMI), Ringo Starr (September 4, 1962), and Andy White (September 11, 1962 with Ringo playing tambourine). The 45 rpm single lists the songwriters as

Lennon-McCartney. One of several Beatles songs Paul McCartney owns with Yoko Ono. Starting with the songs recorded for their debut album on February 11, 1963, Lennon and McCartney’s output was attached to their Northern Songs publishing company.

Because their first single was released before John and Paul had contracted with a music publisher, EMI assigned it to their own, a company called Ardmore and Beechwood,

which took the two songs “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You.” Decades later McCartney and Ono were able to purchase the songs for their respective companies, MPL

Communications and Lenono Music. Fun fact: John Lennon shoplifted the harmonica he played on the song from a shop in Holland.

On U.S. albums: Introducing… The Beatles (Version 1) - Vee-Jay LP

The Early Beatles - Capitol LP  

The  Beatles  –  How  Do  You  Do  it    -­‐  Recorded    Sept  4th    1962  (2nd  session  with  GM)  

 

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 The Beatles - Please Please Me – Please Please Me

(McCartney-Lennon) Lead vocal: John and Paul

The Beatles’ second single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. Written entirely by John Lennon in the bedroom of his Aunt Mimi’s home on Menlove Ave., Lennon has said it was his attempt at writing a Roy Orbison song. In fact, the

original version was a slower, bluesy version which producer George Martin recalls as being “rather dreary.” Because Martin was insisting on releasing their previously

recorded cover of “How Do You Do It?” as their next single, The Beatles rearranged “Please Please Me” as an up-tempo song with harmonies and harmonica and then stood their ground to get it selected as their second single. Martin agreed to issue this Beatles

original as the next single, shelving “How Do You Do It?” for another month, when it again came up for consideration for a single release. This was the first record owned by Elvis Costello, who was in the Beatles Fan Club when he was eleven. The 45 rpm single was released January 11, 1963 and topped two of the UK music industry’s three sales charts, compelling EMI to order a full album of songs from the band. It was the first

Beatles release to list the songwriters as “McCartney-Lennon.” Both sides featured the credit in that last name order. Released three different times in the U.S. on Vee-Jay. The

coupling of “Please Please Me” and “Ask Me Why” caused many to take notice of The Beatles, and particularly Lennon and McCartney's burgeoning songwriting partnership. It

led to Dick James approaching them to found Northern Songs, their music publishing company.

On U.S. albums: Introducing… The Beatles (Version 2) - Vee-Jay LP

The Early Beatles - Capitol LP

The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There – Please Please Me (McCartney-Lennon)

Lead vocal: Paul

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Recorded February 11, 1963. A Paul McCartney original, the song was written in one day in September 1962 in the front parlor of 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton (the McCartney

family from 1955 to 1964), with John Lennon helping with some of the lyrics. It was recorded under its working title, “Seventeen,” at the marathon recording session that

produced the majority of songs for the Beatles’ debut album. A fan favorite, the Beatles recorded “I Saw Her Standing There” eleven times for BBC Radio between March 1963

and May 1964. McCartney has said that his bass line was lifted almost note for note from the obscure Chuck Berry song “I’m Talking About You,” released by Berry in

February 1961. The Beatles performed “I’m Talking About You” at some of their club shows in 1962 and 1963. It is included on the “Live! At The Star Club” CD.

Specially selected by Capitol Records staff members to be the b-side of the American “I

Want to Hold Your Hand” single on Capitol in the U.S., replacing “This Boy” for the honor. The first song on the first Beatles LP.

On U.S. albums: Introducing… The Beatles (with “1, 2, 3” inexplicably missing from Paul’s count-in) -

Vee-Jay LP Meet the Beatles! - Capitol LP

The Beatles - Twist And Shout – Please Please Me

(Medley-Russell) Lead vocal: John

The last song recorded during the marathon session on February 11, 1963. Two takes were completed before Lennon’s voice gave out. The released version is the first take.

Originally recorded by The Isley Brothers in May 1962, The Beatles performed it regularly in their live act between 1962 and 1965. Its inclusion in the 1986 film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” sent the song up the Billboard singles chart 22 years after its initial

U.S. release. On U.S. albums:

Introducing… The Beatles - Vee-Jay LP The Early Beatles - Capitol LP

3 in a row from 1st Beatles album produced by GM

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In between 1st LP and the 2nd LP in UK…we got this GM production!

The Beatles - She Loves You - A Collection Of Oldies `66

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John and Paul

The Beatles’ fourth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. With a July 1, 1963 recording date looming The Beatles knew their latest composition

would be their next a-side: a song then entitled “Get You In the End,” shortened to “I’ll Get You” by the time it was released. But things changed on June 26, 1963. In a hotel room a few hours prior to a show in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, John and Paul sat facing

each other on twin beds and proceeded to write from Paul’s suggestion. The song they created was “She Loves You.” The next day, with The Beatles having a rare day off from

touring, John met up with Paul in the dining room of the McCartney’s Forthlin Road home to finish up the song.

Beatles manager Brian Epstein had encouraged John and Paul to try to write songs that would appeal to the American market, specifically American teenagers. Soon American colloquial sayings and words started showing up in their songs. The most memorable

was the use of the Americanism “yeah” instead of the more proper “yes” in “She Loves You.” When John and Paul played their newly written song for Paul’s father he chided

them for the slang, saying, “There's enough of these Americanisms around. Couldn't you sing 'She loves you, yes, yes, yes’?” Released August 23, 1963, with “I’ll Get You” on the flip side, the 45 became The Beatles’ first million-selling single and broke all previous 45

r.p.m. single sales records in Britain, with 1.3 million copies sold. George Harrison is credited with the idea of adding a sixth note to the harmony on the final 'yeah.'

U.S. Non-album single (Swan)

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On U.S. album:

The Beatles’ Second Album - Capitol LP

UK: Non-album single (a-side)

The Beatles - Don’t Bother Me – With The Beatles (Harrison) Lead vocal: George

George Harrison’s first recorded original song. While some may see it as a misfortune that Harrison was surrounded by two of the most gifted songwriters in history, this

proximity gave him great insight into the mechanics of writing a song from scratch. His first attempt was more than a throwaway composition. He called “Don’t Bother Me” an “exercise” to see if he could write a song, and it was written while George was sick in a

bed at the Palace Court Hotel in Bournemouth where The Beatles were playing six nights at Gaumont Cinema in mid-August of 1963. It was during this engagement (on August 22) that photographer Robert Freeman took the iconic “artsy” cover photograph of the band in half lighting that would grace the cover of both the British “With The Beatles”

album and the American “Meet The Beatles!” album. On U.S. album:

Meet The Beatles! - Capitol LP

The Beatles - I Want to Hold Your Hand - A Collection Of Beatles

Oldies (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: John with Paul The Beatles’ fifth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label.

“I Want to Hold Your Hand” was the Beatles’ first single issued by Capitol Records. It is the song that launched Beatlemania in the United States. It was written equally by John

and Paul in the basement music room in Richard and Margaret Asher’s house at 57 Wimpole Street in the west end of London in September 1963. Paul had been dating the

couple’s daughter, actress Jane Asher, and was spending a lot of time at the Asher home whenever he was in London. Paul would eventually accept an invitation to move

in, taking up residence in their attic.

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Recorded in 17 takes on October 17, 1963. The song is the first Beatles song recorded on a four-track tape recorder, proof that the Beatles had become a high priority for EMI

and Parlophone. Prior to this, the Beatles’ music had been recorded on a two-track recorder.

From the With The Beatles sessions winding down 1963…QUIZ????

Add LONG QUIZ TONES

The Beatles started off January of 1964 in Paris France…where George Martin recorded what was to be there

4th UK single…name that song!

9.26  BREAK

winner here

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The Beatles - Can’t Buy Me Love - A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: Paul The Beatles’ sixth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label.

During their 19-day engagement at Paris’s Olympia Theatre The Beatles took time out to record German-language versions for two of their biggest hits. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” were chosen to get new vocals to increase sales in the

German market. This was at the insistence of EMI’s German branch, Odeon, which felt they couldn’t sell large quantities of records unless they were sung in German. With less than an hour left on their booked recording time, The Beatles recorded four takes of a new song by Paul, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Issued in the U.S. on March 16, 1964, it sold

940,225 copies in the U.S. the day it was released, earning a gold record award that day and shattering all previous sales records. Within two weeks sales had totaled 2 million copies. The single went on to sell over 3 million by the end of the year. The UK single

was released four days later, on March 20, 1964. Recorded Jan. 29, 1964 at Pathe’ Marconi Studio in Paris. It’s inclusion in “A Hard Day’s Night” was a decision by director

Richard Lester, who opted for Paul’s fast paced million seller over John’s slower new song “I’ll Cry Instead.” The decision to cut “I’ll Cry Instead” from the film was so last minute that the American soundtrack LP, which had been rush-released on United

Artists Records, included “I’ll Cry Instead” in its song line-up. On U.S. album:

A Hard Day’s Night - United Artists LP Hey Jude - Apple LP (1970)

The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night - A Hard Day’s Night

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John with Paul

The Beatles’ seventh single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. The title is a Ringoism, coined by the drummer sometime in 1963 and used by John in

his book “In His Own Write.” With the film nearly completed the last bit of business was to give the film a name. The project was being filmed with the working title

“Beatlemania.” On April 13, 1964 The Beatles met with key personnel from the studio and bounced title ideas. It was felt they’d find no better suggestion than Ringo’s off-

hand remark “it’s been a hard day’s night” and John volunteered to write the title song

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that evening. The next morning he brought the song in and taught it to Paul. Paul cleaned up the middle section and the two played it for producer Walter Shenson. Two days later The Beatles would formally record the song. It was a rarity for an outsider to be allowed in the studio or control booth while The Beatles rehearsed and recorded. An exception was made for the director of the “A Hard Day’s Night” film, Richard Lester.

Lester was in the control booth and offered many suggestions during the morning while this key song was worked out, much to the dismay of producer George Martin. It was

Lester’s suggestion that the song open dramatically (as it would open the film), and fade out at the end in a cinematic way. He got his wish. George’s striking a G suspended 4th

chord on his 12-string Rickenbacker make this record instantly recognizable in its opening two seconds. Released as a single in the UK on July 10, 1964, it went straight

to #1. On U.S. album:

A Hard Day’s Night - United Artists LP

 

The Beatles - I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party - Beatles For Sale

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John and Paul

Written primarily by John, who called it one of his favorites. Recorded in 19 takes (only five of which were complete run-throughs) on September 29, 1964. The B-side of the

“Eight Days A Week” single in the U.S., issued February 15, 1965. On U.S. album:

Beatles VI - Capitol LP  

The Beatles – I’ll Follow The Sun - Beatles For Sale 100% pure McCartney. Written pre- Beatles?

Recorded Oct. 18th, 1964. Musicians:  

Paul McCartney – lead vocal, acoustic guitar; John Lennon – harmony vocal, acoustic guitar; George Harrison – lead guitar; Ringo Starr – knees(?)

This  was  written  in  the  late-­‐fifties  when  Paul  was  sixteen  years  old  (not  bad  for  a  little  kid  –  I  didn’t  learn  to  ride  a  bike  ‘til  I  was  twenty!).  Pete  Best  remembered  that  he  used  to  busk  it  on  the  piano,  in-­‐between  sets  at  The  Kaiserkeller.  It  may  well  be  

the  earliest  song  that  they  ever  committed  to  tape.  Nobody’s  sure  what  Ringo’s  playing,  but  he  might  be  pounding  out  the  beat  on  his  

knees.  (Or  maybe  it’s  someone  else’s  knees!)  McCartney 1.00 Lead vocal Paul  

US - Capitol LP Beatles '65

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4 in a row from the 2 1964 LP’s from the Beatles AHDN & Beatles For Sale…now during those

Beatles For Sale sessions George Martin produced some history when we got to hear

FEEDBACK on a hit single!  

The Beatles - I Feel Fine- A Collection Of Oldies (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: John The Beatles’ eighth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label.

Recorded in nine takes on October 18, 1964. Written entirely by John Lennon. He based the guitar riff on Bobby Parker’s obscure R&B record “Watch Your Step.” The recording marked the first occasion in which guitar feedback had been deliberately incorporated

into a pop song. The sound was achieved by Paul plucking a single bass string and John getting amplifier feedback from his guitar. Issued in the U.S. on November 23, 1964,

and in U.K. four days later. Not included on the “Beatles For Sale” LP, which was released on December 4, 1964 in the UK.

On U.S. albums: Beatles ‘65 - Capitol LP

UK:

Non-album single (A-side)

On UK album: A Collection of Beatles Oldies - Parlophone LP (1966)

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 The Beatles - Ticket To Ride - Help!

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocals: John and Paul

The Beatles’ ninth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label.

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Issued nearly four months prior to the “Help!” album’s release on July 19, 1965 in the U.S. and four days later in the UK. Recorded on February 15, 1965 and featuring a

blistering lead guitar performance by Paul McCartney. John and Paul composed the song together based primarily on John’s idea. The song’s distinctive drum pattern was

conceived by Paul. The complex song arrangement was highly innovative for the time, and certainly unlike anything being played on top 40 radio. John Lennon in 1970: “

‘Ticket To Ride was slightly a new sound at the time. It was pretty heavy for then, if you go and look in the charts for what other music people were making. It's a heavy record and the drums are heavy too. That's why I like it.” McCartney said, “It was quite radical

at the time.” Capitol Records printed “From the United Artists release ‘Eight Arms To Hold You’ ” on both sides of the single.

On U.S. album: Help! - Capitol LP

The Beatles – Yesterday - Help! (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: Paul Written solely by Paul McCartney. After he woke up one morning with the tune in his

head he went to his piano to sketch it out. Sure the tune was something he had heard before he took the song to several people and asked if they’d heard it before. When

everyone he asked said it was new to them he claimed the tune as his own. McCartney perfected the melody and added a middle eight section during breaks in the production of the Beatles’ second film. He wrote the lyrics while on vacation in Portugal in late May 1965. The band was reluctant to release the song because a lovely acoustic ballad with a string quartet did not fit their rock and roll image. It was buried on the “Help!” LP and the band had no intention of releasing it as a single in the UK. But in America, Capitol

Records issued it as a single a few days after McCartney, in the solo spotlight, sang the song on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Recorded in two takes on June 14, 1965 at the same session as “I’ve Just Seen A Face” and “I’m Down.” One of only five Beatles songs Paul

chose to perform live on his Wings Over America tour in 1976. The working version lyrics included the line: “Scrambled Eggs / Oh how I love your legs.” “Yesterday” is one

of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music. On U.S. album:

Yesterday And Today - Capitol LP

The Beatles - In My Life - Rubber Soul

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(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocals: John with Paul

Recorded October 18, 1965 and written primarily by John, who called it his “first real major piece of work.” Of all the Lennon-McCartney collaborations only two songs have really been disputed by John and Paul themselves -- “Eleanor Rigby” and “In My Life.” Both agree that the lyrics are 100% Lennon, but John says Paul helped on the musical bridge, while Paul recalls writing the entire melody on John’s Mellotron. The gorgeous

piano solo is provided by George Martin. To give his solo a harpsichord sound the producer played the piano at half speed and an octave lower so that when played at

regular speed it would be in the correct key for the song. On U.S. album:

Rubber Soul - Capitol LP

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GM  on  the  song… another minute w/ GM  

 The Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - Rubber

Soul (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: John Originally recorded on October 12, 1965, The Beatles decided to scrap this version and re-record the song nine days later, on October 21. George Harrison provides the sitar, the first appearance of the instrument on a Beatles recording, though the sitar can be

heard in the instrumental introduction on the American version of “Help!” Written mainly by John with some lyrical assistance from Paul. John: “I was trying to write about an

affair without letting me wife know… so it was very gobbledegook. I was sort of writing from my experiences, girls’ flats.” Paul has said that the ending lyrics, “so I lit a fire,” refer to the house being burned down in an act of revenge by the spurned lover. Bob Dylan did a slight parody of the song on his 1966 album, Blonde on Blonde. Check out

the song “4th Time Around.” On U.S. album:

Rubber Soul - Capitol LP

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The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows - Revolver (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: John The first song recorded for what would become the “Revolver” album. John’s

composition was unlike anything The Beatles or anyone else had ever recorded. Lennon’s vocal is buried under a wall of sound -- an assemblage of repeating tape loops and sound effects – placed on top of a dense one chord song with basic melody driven

by Ringo's thunderous drum pattern. The lyrics were largely taken from “The Psychedelic Experience,” a 1964 book written by Harvard psychologists Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, which contained an adaptation of the ancient “Tibetan Book of the

Dead.” Each Beatle worked at home on creating strange sounds to add to the mix. Then they were added at different speeds sometime backwards. Paul got “arranging” credit. He had discovered that by removing the erase head on his Grundig reel-to-reel tape

machine, he could saturate a recording with sound.

The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby - Revolver

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul

The Beatles’ thirteenth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. Essentially a Paul McCartney solo composition, he had some help with the song’s storyline from John, George, Ringo and John’s childhood friend Pete Shotton at

Kenwood, John’s estate in Weybridge. This marks the first time a finished Beatles recording had no Beatle playing an instrument. The backing track, a haunting George Martin score, featured a double string quartet (four violins, two violas and two cellos) and was finished in 14 takes on April 28, 1966 with John and

Paul sitting in the control room. The title character had initially been called Daisy Hawkins, but later evolved into Eleanor Rigby. Paul says the name was based on

“Help!” actress Eleanor Bron and the name of a local business, Rigby & Evans Ltd., Wine & Spirit Shippers.

The Beatles - Paperback Writer - A Collection Of Beatles Oldies

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul

The Beatles’ twelfth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label.

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Recorded on April 13 and 14, 1966. The track is notable for Paul McCartney’s furious bass line. The bass is so prominent in the mix that sound engineers at EMI worried it

could cause the stylus of a record player tone arm (the needle thing on record players) to jump when fans played the 45 RPM single at home. Thankfully, no such calamity

occurred. For this heavy bass sound Paul’s chose to replace his usual Hofner bass with a Rickenbacker 4001S bass. Aside from the dominant bass part, McCartney also provides the lead guitar, with George Harrison working the tambourine. The second and third

verse backing vocal is the French nursery rhyme “Frere Jacques.” Released in America on May 23 and in the UK on June 10. “Paperback Writer” made the second largest ever jump to No. 1 on Billboard's chart. It debuted at number 28 on June 11, 1966, moved to

15 and then to number 1 on June 25. The only single to make a bigger jump was another Beatles song, “Can't Buy Me Love.”

On U.S. album: Hey Jude - Capitol LP (1970)

The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever - Non-LP track (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: John The Beatles’ fourteenth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label.

Recording began on November 24, 1966. Written in Spain by John several months earlier while he was filming the Richard Lester-directed film “How I Won The War.” The beautiful “Take 1” of this Lennon classic can be heard on the “Anthology 2” album. It is entirely different than the finished version. Strawberry Fields was actually a Salvation Army home in the neighborhood where Lennon grew up. John used to go to parties

there and it always brought back happy memories to him. One of the only two “honest” songs that John says he wrote for the Beatles. The other? “Help!”

In September 1966, Brian Epstein informed EMI and Capitol that there would be no new album and maybe not even a single ready in time for the 1966 Christmas season. EMI quickly assembled a 16-track greatest hits album (“A Collection Of Beatles Oldies”). In the U.S., Capitol did not release a hits compilation and instead waited impatiently for a

new single.  

NEWS    

10.26  BREAK

GM sets up…another minute w/ GM

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The Beatles - A Day In The Life - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club

Band (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocals: John and Paul Work began on January 19, 1967, for what is quite possibly the finest Lennon-

McCartney collaboration of their songwriting career. On this evening, following some rehearsal, Lennon rolled tentatively through four takes, drawing a road map for the

other Beatles and George Martin to follow. Lennon on vocals and Jumbo acoustic guitar, McCartney on piano, Harrison on maracas and Starr on congas. Sections were

incomplete and to hold their space Mal Evans stood by a microphone and counted from one to 24, marking the time. To cue the end of the middle eight overdub section an

alarm clock was sounded. There was no Paul McCartney vocal yet, merely instruments at this point where his contribution would be placed. On January 20, Paul added his section, which he would re-recorded on February 3. Lennon told Beatles biographer Hunter Davies that the first verse was inspired by a story in the January 17, 1967,

edition of the Daily Mail about the car accident that killed Guinness heir Tara Browne. John: “I didn’t copy the accident. Tara didn’t blow his mind out, but it was in my mind when I was writing that verse.” The second verse was inspired by Lennon’s work on Richard Lester’s film “How I Won The War.” According to Paul, the third verse came from a Daily Mail article published on January 7, 1967, about 4,000 potholes in the

streets of Blackburn, Lancashire.

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The Beatles - All You Need Is Love - Non-LP track

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

The Beatles’ fifteenth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. Written by John Lennon especially for the first-ever worldwide television transmission. The epic event, a 6-hour program entitled “Our World,” featured segments linking 24 countries in five continents via satellite, with a potential of 400 million viewers. The

Beatles were honored to be invited to represent Great Britain in the program. For the event, they would premiere a brand new song written just for the occasion. John

Lennon’s “All You Need Is Love” became the anthem of 1967, the summer of love. To decrease the chances of an on-air foul-up, George Martin had the Beatles play to their

own pre-recorded rhythm track. Only the vocals, bass guitar, lead guitar solo in the middle eight, drums and orchestra would be live. Recording began on June 14, 1967 at

Olympic Studios. In all, 33 takes of the basic rhythm track and a few vocals were completed this evening. Overdubbing the lead and backing vocals took place on June

19. The orchestra was recorded for the first time on June 23. On June 24, the day before the event, it was decided that “All You Need Is Love” would be issued as the new

Beatles single as soon as possible after the program aired the evening of June 25. Guests in the studio during the performance included the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the Who’s Keith Moon, Eric Clapton, Marianne Faithfull, Donovan

wore colorful mod clothing. The 13 orchestra members wore formal evening attire. After the guests left the studio, additional overdubs were made to what was now take 58. Ringo added the now-familiar snare drum roll to the song’s introduction and John re-

recorded part of his vocal. The song was mixed for mono the following day and sent out to EMI for pressing. Surprisingly, the “All You Need is Love”/“Baby, You’re A Rich Man”

single is the first instance of George Martin being given credit on the record label as producer on a Parlophone Beatles single. Brian Epstein: “This is an inspiring song

because they wrote it for a worldwide program and they really want to give the world a message. It could hardly have been a better message. It’s a wonderful, beautiful, spine-chilling record. When you say ‘All You Need Is Love’ you are saying everything.” Issued

July 7, 1967 in the UK and July 17, 1967 in the U.S. On U.S. album:

Magical Mystery Tour - Capitol LP

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People  ask  me…Chris  what  is  yer  favorite  George  Martin  production?  

A  few…but  here’s  my  favorite….    

The Beatles - I Am The Walrus – Magical Mystery Tour (EP)

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

The Beatles’ sixteenth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. On U.S. album:

Magical Mystery Tour - Capitol LP

 The  Beatles  seemed  to  have  washed  the  psychedelia  out  of  their  system  by  early  1968…returning  to  basic  rock’n’roll  on  this  their  last  Parlophone    sinle  before  

switched  to  Apple

The Beatles - Lady Madonna - Non-LP Track

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul

The Beatles’ seventeenth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. The last original issue Beatles 45 to appear on the Capitol swirl label in the U.S. or on the Parlophone label in the UK. Starting in the summer of 1968, Beatles recordings

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would be issued on their own record label, Apple Records. The Beatles did not leave EMI or Capitol, they simply had their own custom label, to which they could sign artists. The manufacturing and distribution would remain the same as before. In fact, in America,

their releases continued to use Capitol album and single catalog numbering.

The Beatles’ oft-postponed visit to India to study Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was fast approaching. They were scheduled to be in India from

mid-February until late April. Written entirely by Paul, “Lady Madonna” was the first song to be recorded in the week-long rush to get a single finished before they left for

India. It was completed in two straight-forward sessions on February 3, 1968 with some overdubs on February 6. The basic rhythm track consisted of only Paul on piano, and

Ringo on drums (using brushes instead of sticks), recorded in three takes on the afternoon of February 3. John and George overdubbed fuzzed guitars played through

the same amplifier during that evening’s session. The song was completed on February 6 with the addition of a second McCartney lead vocal, a second piano piece, “See how

they run” backing vocals from Paul, John and George, and in the middle eight, the three Beatles cupping their hands around their mouths to imitate the sound of brass instruments. But Paul decided the song needed real brass instruments, so four

saxophone players were brought in that evening to play on the song.

A rollicking piano number, the rhythm of the song’s piano part was inspired by the piano playing of Johnny Parker on the jazz tune “Bad Penny Blues,” a top 20 hit in 1956 for

Humphrey Lyttleton and his Band, a jazz trumpeter signed to Parlophone records. Paul has said he got the idea for “Lady Madonna” from a photo in a magazine depicting a woman and baby with the caption “Mountain madonna.” It is believed he was looking through an issue of “National Geographic” which showed a Malasian woman with the

caption “Mountain madonna with one child at her breast.”

On U.S. album: Hey Jude - Capitol LP

The Beatles - Blackbird - The Beatles

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul

Another Paul McCartney solo performance for the “White Album.” Paul wrote “Blackbird” at his Scottish farm house and the song was started and finished in 32 takes, 11 being

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complete run-throughs of the song, on June 10, 1968. Paul has said the music was inspired by Bach’s “Bourree in E Minor,” which he learned to play at a young age. The

tapping sound on the recording is not a metronome. The percussion-like sound keeping the beat is actually Paul tapping his foot on the studio floor, which was separately miked

onto one of the tracks. Paul has since revealed that the song was a message of solidarity to black people living in the U.S.

“Blackbird” is one of only five Beatles songs Paul chose to perform live during his “Wings

Over America” concert tour in 1976.

QUIZ /I’m gonna playa white LP spot…who is the voice on this commercial

A/(Frank Zappa)

10.56  BREAK

OK…we are chronologically spinning George Martin’s production career with the Beatles we are in the year 1968…

The Beatles - Happiness Is A Warm Gun - The Beatles

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

John Lennon’s “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” was actually three different, and unfinished, song segments he had strung together to form one finished song. Recording started on September 23, 1968, and the takes numbered into the dozens, an unusual practice for the Beatles. But the three song sections were not alike and had different tempos so it made for difficult transitions. On the first day, 45 takes were attempted. The next day,

25 more attempts to perfect the rhythm track were made. The three distinct parts of the finished song are “I Need A Fix,” “Mother Superior Jumped The Gun,” and “Happiness Is A Warm Gun.” The instrumental line-up was the same both days, with John on Epiphone

Casino electric guitar, George on Fender Telecaster, Paul on Rickenbacker bass and

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Ringo on drums. Ultimately, it was decided that “take 53” up to 1:34 was the best of the first two parts of the song and “take 65” was the best version of the third part, so those

two best takes were edited together to create the “best” overall take of the complete song and overdubbing began. Specifically, John’s lead vocal (triple-tracked in some

places), the “happiness, bang bang, shoot shoot” backing vocals from John, Paul and George, organ, piano, snare drum beat, additional bass, and tambourine. The working

title was “Happiness Is A Warm Gun In Your Hand,” and that wording was taken directly from text on the cover of an American gun magazine George Martin had shown to John. That phrase was a take-off of the then-hugely popular “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles Schulz, who used the line “Happiness is a warm puppy.” John considered “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” one of his best songs. Paul and George reportedly said the track was their

favorite on the new album.

The Beatles – The Long and Winding Road - Let It Be Naked

After the Beatles had been completely inactive in the studio for 6 months following Abbey Road, the master tapes from the Let It Be sessions were

given to American producer Phil Spector by the Beatles (3) manager Allen Klein for rework. Spector slowed down songs, added choirs, and added orchestrations, particularly to Paul's "The Long and Winding Road". When

Paul heard it he became furious and, soon after his request to remove the rework from his song was denied, left the band

McCartney 1.00

The Beatles – Get Back – Single "Get Back" was the original title to the film and album, which became Let It Be. The whole idea of the album was for the band to 'get back' to their recording roots by playing live and without studio trickery, hence the title.

Journalists repeatedly asked Paul if the song had racist meanings, but demo tapes show that the song was originally a satire of people who

wanted to keep illegal immigrants out of Britain. Soon Paul had added a few characters and the satire was lost, but the single was enormously

successful, selling 2 million copies. McCartney 1.00

BREAK  

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 Get  Back  &  The  Long  &  Winding  Road  NOT    

re-­‐produced  by  Phil  Spector….and  Happiness  Is  A  Warn  Gun…Both  Paul  &  George’s  fave  White  album  song…we  are  chronology  playing  songs  which  brings  us    in  between  the  Let  It  Be  recordings  and  Abbey  Road  album…where  we  got  this  single  which  we  just  might  play  both  sides  

of….  The Beatles - The Ballad Of John And Yoko - Non-LP track

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

The Beatles’ twentieth single release for EMI, and third on the Apple Records label.

The first Beatles single issued in stereo in the UK, it is also the very first stereo single issued by EMI. The “Get Back” single had been released in stereo in America by Capitol. Recorded on April 14, 1969, by just John and Paul, the song was completed that day.

George was on vacation and Ringo was still filming the Peter Sellers’ comedy “The Magic Christian.” Producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick, who had distanced themselves from the group because of the constant bickering amongst the group

members, were back on board behind the recording console. The single was a complete surprise to Beatles fans. They had waited a long seven months for the group to follow-up “Hey Jude” with “Get Back” and now just over a month came another new Beatles record. The rhythm track was perfected in 11 takes (four complete) with Paul playing

drums while John played acoustic guitar and sang the lead vocal. The duo was in good spirits during the day-long session. Prior to take four John said to drummer Paul “Go a

bit faster, Ringo!” and Paul replied “OK, George!” Overdubs featured Paul on bass guitar, piano, backing vocal and maracas, and John on two lead guitar parts and

percussive thumping on the back of an acoustic guitar. The song recounts the chaos surrounding John and Yoko’s getting married. Lennon had encountered visa problems because of his November 1968 drug conviction which made his movement from one

country to another very difficult. As an example, he was not allowed to enter the United States at this time so the couple’s second “Bed-In” was staged in Montreal, about an

hour north of the U.S. border in Canada. In a memo to Apple promo man Tony Bramwell, Lennon gave the following instructions:

“No pre-publicity on Ballad of John & Yoko especially the Christ! bit - So don’t play it round too much or you’ll frighten people - Get it pressed first.” The song was originally

titled “The Ballad Of John And Yoko (They’re Gonna Crucify Me”). John dropped the subtitle, though some Capitol pressings in the U.S. carried the full title. The song was banned by some American radio stations, especially in the deep south (known as the

“Bible Belt”), refused to play the single, which had an affect on sales. Another possible hindrance was the picture cover that the single came housed in. Each side showed a

picture of the group, but there were FIVE people, not the expected four. New member? Fans would have cheered if Billy Preston had been added to the mix, even if only

temporarily. But the fifth person in the two pictures was not Billy Preston, it was Yoko Ono, dressed nearly identical to John in a coat and tie, the two attached like Siamese twins. With no explanation as to why this stranger was in two band photographs, fans

were left to assume the worst - Yoko had joined the band!

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On U.S. album:

Hey Jude - Capitol LP (1970)

The Beatles - Old Brown Shoe - Non-LP B-Side (Harrison)

Lead vocal: George On February 25, 1969, his 26th birthday, George Harrison went to Abbey Road Studios

and recorded elaborate eight-track demos of three of his latest compositions: “Old Brown Shoe,” “Something,” and “All Things Must Pass.” All three of the demos recorded this day can be found on the “Anthology 3” album. “Old Brown Shoe” had made a brief appearance near the end of the “Get Back” sessions with a few run-through/rehearsals

on January 28, 1969. The full band revisited the song for a proper recording on April 16, 1969. The rhythm track was finished in four takes, with George on lead guitar, Paul on jangle piano, John on rhythm guitar (which would be erased in favor of a Hammond

organ part played by George on April 18), and Ringo on drums. Overdubs included bass guitar, lead guitar, and backing vocals by John and Paul. In his book, “I Me Mine,”

George said, “I started the chord sequences on piano, which I don’t really play, and then began writing ideas for the words from various opposites… Again, it’s the duality of things - yes no, up down, left right, right wrong, etc.” Released as the flip side of “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” in the UK on May 30, 1969, while the “Get Back” single was topping the charts. The single was issued by Capitol Records in the U.S. on June 4,

1969. On U.S. album:

Hey Jude - Capitol LP (1970)

11.26  BREAK

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The Beatles - Because - Abbey Road

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John, Paul and George

The group recorded 23 takes on August 1, 1969, with George Martin on a Baldwin spinet electric harpsichord matching note with John on his Epiphone Casino

electric guitar and Paul on his Rickenbacker bass guitar. For the backing track Ringo kept the beat gently tapping out a beat on the hi-hat. This was for the musician’s

headphones and was not recorded on the tape. Take 16 was deemed the best backing track and John, Paul, and George added their lush harmonies to it. On August 4, the

three recorded their vocals two more times, adding to the already thick layers of harmony. Lennon was inspired the write the song when he hear Yoko playing

Beethoven’s piano sonata in C Sharp minor, opus 27 number two (aka “The Moonlight Sonata”). He asked her to play the chords backwards and wrote “Because” around that

reversed chord sequence. The gorgeous three-part harmonies of “Because” are showcased on an a cappella mix of the song on the “Anthology 3” album.

The Beatles - You Never Give Me Your Money - Abbey Road

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul

The famous “Abbey Road” medley begins with Paul’s “You Never Give Me Your Money,” a song which itself consists of three segments. In Barry Miles’ “Many Years From Now,”

McCartney states that the first part of the song was him “directly lambasting Allen Klein’s attitude to us: no money, just funny paper, all promises and it never works out. It’s basically a song about no faith in the person.” The reference to “funny paper” was the numerous bank statements and other official looking documents that claimed they had stocks and bonds or money in various bank accounts, but to the band members it always seemed imaginary; they were rich on paper. The second part is a nostalgic bit about being out of college with money spent, leading to the third section, about an

optimistic escape (“Soon we’ll be away from here. Step on the gas and wipe that tear away”) inspired by Paul and Linda hitting the road to get away from it all. Recording

began on May 6, 1969, at Trident Studios, with Paul on piano and offering a guide vocal marching the group through 36 takes. John playing a distorted guitar part on his

Epiphone Casino, George playing his Telecaster and Ringo on drums. At Abbey Road

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Studios, Paul recorded his lead vocal on July 1 and added bass guitar on July 11. On July 15, Paul, John and George recorded backing vocals. It was during this session that the nursery rhyme ending (“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, all good children go

to heaven”) was recorded. The finishing touch, added August 5, was the crossfade (tubular bells, birds, chirping crickets and bubbles) which takes the song into “Sun

King”.

The Beatles – Golden Slumbers - Abbey Road

Recorded w/ “Carry That Weight” as one song on July 2nd 1969 Based on a 400 year old poem by Thomas Decker whose original words

were: Golden Slumbers kiss your eyes; Smiles awake you when you rise. Sleep pretty wantons do not cry,

And I will sing a lullaby…..Paul wrote the rest of the lyrics. McCartney .7 / Decker .3

The Beatles – Carry That Weight - Abbey Road

Recorded July 2nd 1969 Featuring all 4 fabs on “Carry That Weight” but Ringo bowed out on the “I

never give you my pillow” line.

The Beatles – The End –Abbey Road Recorded July 23rd 1969

John, Paul and George take turns on the lead fills at the end….of The End. McCartney 1.00

Thank You (LISTEN FOIR BELL)

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George - While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Love