DR PEPPER

SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

According to the Python troupe, when we die, we pass into a glorious technicolor paradise where eternity is spent celebrating "Christmas in Heaven". For the Beatles, metaphorical death occurred with the release of Revolver and the decision to stop touring.

Sgt. Pepper represents their rebirth.

Look at the cover. Wax models of the “old Beatles” stand amongst the assembled crowd of faces, almost as if they are ushers at a memorial service. They appear to be paying their respects, yet somehow are eerily attending their own funeral.

Alongside them, in the flesh, a brand new incarnation of the group takes center stage. Proudly holding brass instruments, dressed in loud, bright uniforms, they stand around a logo that identifies them as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. For the duration of this groundbreaking collection, they take on the guise of this colorful aggregation.

Surely, the meaning wasn’t lost on the quartet when they looked at the final proofs and saw the crowd, the flower arrangements and the word BEATLES carefully spelled out in what looks to be freshly turned, loose dirt. It’s not hard to imagine them staring at Peter Blake’s work through thick a cloud of smoke and smiling at the result.

Metamorphosis.

Strip away all of the pretentious dissections of the LP and the “meaning” behind its conception and you’ll find that it all comes down to one key element:

Lennon: "We have been Beatles as best we ever will be-those four jolly lads. But we're not those people anymore."

Only if the LP had been released at Easter could things have played out any better.

Did they really plan all of this? Not from the larger perspective that some fanatics imagined. The initial goal was to write a collection of songs that touched on their childhood in Liverpool. Each selection would be designed so that it would be impossible to reproduce live. Once completed, the album would be the object that went on a tour of the world as an ambassador for the group, letting the music communicate their ideas to a waiting audience. The "Pepper" character was not yet on the radar.



Before delving into the specifics of the whole “Pepper episode”, as George Martin referred to it, let's revisit the events that led to the creation of one of the most influential discs in rock music.

Transitory periods involving established contemporary artists can sometimes run several years. Generally, a live album or greatest hits package is designed so that contracts may be fulfilled and fans have something to throw their hard earned money at while they wait for the release of new material. Free at last to develop their “masterpiece”, the hiatus begins with an expectation that the next project will surpass all previous efforts. This is true for only a handful of bands these days, though.

In the sixties, there were precious little time that could be wasted without having something in front of the record buying public. If you waited too long, listeners moved on to the “next big thing.”

Consider, for a moment, the staggering output that the Beatles provided to EMI in just four years: Seven albums, each containing 14 songs, 13 singles and countless EPs, one of which ("Long Tall Sally") contained material not found on LP or 45. All except one ("Love Me Do" in the UK) went to number one and sold in the millions.

Imagine the corporate reaction as this seemingly perpetual money and hit making machine decided to down tools and actually take the time to create at their own pace.

The fighting unit that had accomplished so much in such a short time was temporarily disbanded. John’s commitment to a bit part in Richard Lester’s “How I Won the War” was the main cause for the break, although the others took the opportunity to indulge in extra curricular pursuits as well. (Ringo accompanied John to Spain to “hang out” during the movie shoot) Paul and George Martin cooked up music for the soundtrack to a British film called “The Family Way”, while Harrison went to India to study sitar with virtuoso Ravi Shankar.

For the first and only time, they missed having anything on store shelves for the lucrative Christmas buying frenzy. In the UK, EMI released "A Collection of Beatles Oldies (But Goldies!)", which amounted to a "best of" set. The only new song was "Bad Boy" another Larry Williams cover tune that had already been thrown on "Beatles VI" in the US. There was no "Beatles Greatest" equivalent in the States, as Brian Epstein put his foot down with Alan Livingston at Capitol, squashing that plan.




Returning to Abbey Road, the first sessions in November of 1966 were devoted to a Lennon song that would take up an unprecedented amount of studio time and several revisions before it was deemed as satisfactory by its author. (He later expressed a desire to redo it yet again)

John presented “Strawberry Fields Forever” to George Martin and the group by sitting and playing the song acoustically. Martin fell in love with it immediately and cursed himself for not taping that version. Setting to work, several takes were completed before they hit upon an acceptable arrangement. Earlier run throughs began with the verse (“Living is easy with eyes closed”) instead of the “let me take you down” intro that ended up on the final master. Originally envisioned as a “gentle dreaming song”, it is completely futile to even speculate on what the author meant when he was putting this together. Smoking a lot of Spanish dope and sitting on the beach with his guitar, memories of a favorite childhood haunt in Woolton provided the initial inspiration. (Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army Children's Home where he often played. They had even considered posing in Salvation Army uniforms for the LP cover.)

Once all of the ingredients were in place, Lennon listened to it a few times and asked Martin to score it for strings and brass. A drum heavy , orchestrated track was the result of this request. Indecision then dictated the next startling development, as Lennon liked elements of both finished products. He asked Martin to weld the two versions together, despite the fact that they were in completely different keys. When informed of the technical obstacles that made this nearly impossible, he simply replied, “You can fix it, George.”

Miraculously, by speeding up one half and slowing down the other, he was able to make it work. The engineers at Abbey Road prided themselves in the fact that they could edit tape within a quarter of a second with no detectable traces of manipulation present in the end product. Longtime fans know the exact point where Strawberry Fields changes. For those of you that don’t, the edit occurs at the 59 second mark. You'll catch it after the second "let me take you down" in the midst of the word "going". It sounds as if the speed of the recording increases, which it does as the orchestrated track takes over. (Don't blame me if you never hear this in the same way again)

Brilliant and unsettling, the remarkable technical and artistic leap forward continued.

To anyone who is interested, I would recommend checking out the many bootlegs of these sessions that are widely available. I have one that documents every take up to the final master, with an introductory comment by George Martin.



Similarly, "Penny Lane" taps all of the landmarks in a neighborhood well known to Liverpudlians for it's subject matter, albeit with a lysergic twist. Many surreal images go by, with a few inside jokes and sexual references. The hook in the chorus is one of the most uplifting in the entire recorded legacy of the group. McCartney's forte has always been his ability to channel his natural ebullience while marrying it to unforgettable melodies. "Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes" not only scans well but sums up a number of emotions in one line. McCartney apparently hummed the high flying solo to Martin who then wrote out a chart, performed by David Mason of the LSO on a B-flat piccalo trumpet. The recording process was not as drawn out as that of "Strawberry Fields" as McCartney was much more effective in communicating his ideas. Another incredible work of art was now in the can for the upcoming album. Things were starting out rather well.

In January of 1967, reality closed in and Brian Epstein inquired about new material to provide to EMI. The removal of "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" from inclusion on the Sgt. Pepper album was one of Geroge Martin's greatest regrets. When the 45 was released in February, it was the first Beatle single not to reach number one since "Love Me Do" ("Penny Lane" did hit the top of the charts in the US) Their baby pictures on the sleeve bore out the original concept of childhood memories inspiring the music.



Once again, moving too fast for their public, they made promotional videos to accompany the new sounds.



Fan reaction to the changes was mixed and in some cases quite negative.



Ignorance, as these songs represent two very talented men at their respective songwriting peaks.

Robbed of two key songs for the LP, the idea of revisiting childhood themes was scrapped. Forging ahead with the plan to create music with elaborate augmentation, Lennon presented Paul with a new fragment that he was working on and the two went back to the drawing board.

Paul: 'It was a song that John brought over to me at Cavendish Avenue. It was his original idea. He'd been reading the Daily Mail and brought the newspaper with him to my house. We went upstairs to the music room and started to work on it. He had the first verse, he had the war, and a little bit of the second verse.'

John: "I was reading the paper one day and noticed two stories. I was writing 'A Day In The Life' with the Daily Mail propped in front of me on the piano. One was about the Guinness heir (Tara Browne) who killed himself in a car. That was the main headline story. He died in London in a car crash. On the next page was a story about four thousand potholes in the streets of Blackburn, Lancashire, that needed to be filled."



One of their most ingenious collaborative efforts took some time to come together, though right from the earliest attempts, Lennon's vocal sounded incredible. Drenched in tape echo in an effort to achieve the same sound that Elvis had on "Heartbreak Hotel", the final product was light years ahead of the curve. Two twenty-four bar gaps were left in the finished version, with an eye toward filling each with an enormous rush of noise. The segue from this into Paul's "woke up, fell out of bed" middle section was inspired. Ringo turns in an incredible performance, providing great feel in every fill. It almost amounts to a duet with the vocal in the verses. When it came time to fill the spaces, dutifully counted off by road manager Mal Evans, they settled on hiring 45 pieces from the London Symphony Orchestra. The brief was written out for the players by George Martin, who explained that everyone would be simultaneously be playing from the lowest to the highest note of a charted scale, conducted by McCartney and himself. Two four track machines were slaved together in an attempt to capture this tremendous wave of sound and then overdub it to give the impression of two full orchestras creating a blast wave. Engineer Ron Richards had one hell of a hard time trying to get the machines to run in sync, but the result was one of the most daring experiments carried out in a British recording facility to date. The massive E chord that slams the song shut was played on three separate grand pianos by John, Paul, Ringo, Mal Evans and George Martin.



I'd love to turn you on. Accusing the group of fanning clouds of pot smoke in the direction of their fans, the BBC deemed this fantastic song as unsuitable for airplay.

Again, though it was one of the first things they did for the LP, this incredibly ambitious piece was slotted to close the disc. Really, what choice did they have? Months of tracking would come before any sequencing decisions were made. This is where all the theories about "A Day in the Life" fall apart. Many writers have fallen into the trap of attaching great significance to this song as a destroyer of the happy vibe that runs through Pepper and a modern musical rewrite of "The Waste Land". It was certainly none of the above.

Far and away it does take honors as the best track.

Ultimately, the Pepper motto really boils down to “Any way you like it.” This would work well for a short period, though it would eventually disintegrate into chaos as the drugs began to do them.

Though I sincerely do like the record, I don’t rank it at the top of their discography. First off, their approach to recording radically changed. Only rarely would everyone perform together, eye to eye, when the red light went on in the studio. This meant less spark and spontaneity and many more takes where individuals built instrumental parts in a piecemeal fashion. On the plus side, McCartney overdubbed many of his most inventive bass lines via this method. Conversely, ensemble playing skills eroded as no one had to be particularly switched on to achieve the desired result on the first passes.

Soon, the recording industry would be awash in a “we can fix it later” attitude that would produce many soulless, homogenized albums by artists who would find the perfect balance between tedium and pretension.

Feeding ideas into a communal pool and working with the best ones was pretty much a tacit agreement amongst the group and their inner circle. With pot, pills, cocaine and LSD permeating all decisions made around this time, it was certain that few would be considered too far out to pursue. Paul and Mal Evans first hit upon the name Sgt. Pepper on the plane ride back to the UK following a quick trip to the States. Spotting the S and P stamps on the salt and pepper packets, Mal asked about the initials triggering the whole conversation. McCartney was exposed to a growing number of bands who were adopting outrageous names and seized upon these developments as an ideal way to allow the Beatles to adapt the name of a fictitious group and disconnect themselves from their perceived public image.

Resurrection.

For these very stoned young men in their mid-twenties, humor had a great bonding effect and now it was time to have a laugh on their audience. Pepper is riddled with many inside jokes, though the balance of power was shifting due to matters that didn't quite leave everyone laughing.

McCartney, being a very ambitious lieutenant, saw his partner literally knocking himself out while binging on LSD and created a sense of urgency to push forward with recording, so that their enterprise didn't coast off the rails. Lennon was willing to go along with any suggestion at this point, his usual argumentative disposition softened by constant tripping. George remained indifferent to the whole plan as his interest in being part of the gang was seriously waning. Ringo remained on call, ready to contribute, but his role had diminished. The band wasn’t playing together much at this point. After laying down a bed track, it could be weeks before the others finished piling on additional instruments, leaving him with little to do.

None of this was evident or spoken about publicly at the time. Once they got further into the work and each piece took shape, everyone knew that the finished product would be vastly different than anything they had previously tackled.



The show begins with expectant crowd noise and the sound of an orchestra getting in tune. This atmosphere is shattered by the opening blast of Ringo’s remarkably present kit (with a great, gated snare sound and toms that are quite 3-D for that period). Lead guitar barks as McCartney turns in what is arguably the most rock oriented vocal performance of the set. Decorative French horns glide into the mix with appreciative bursts of laughter and applause fading in and out. Nice three parts hammer home the chorus. Introductions made, the title character hands things over to Billy Shears to deafening screams (sampled from a Hollywood Bowl recording) and a clever transition.

Ringo’s vocal turn (“With a Little Help From My Friends”) is one of the catchiest Lennon-McCartney specials on the disc. Quite a bit of care went into the mix as the bass and drums are especially prominent, with a patented tom fill after the first chorus that is extremely resonant. Starr’s alter-ego (Shears) really digs deep to sing that last, long note. Under Lennon’s original title, “Bad Finger Boogie”, the tune was knocked around by himself and Paul during a casual song writing session, attended by author Hunter Davies, who wrote a detailed account of the pair at work for inclusion in his book. Had any singles been picked for release from Pepper, this would have been an obvious choice.

Great lengths were taken to experiment. Clunky high hats, reversed cymbal sounds, overdriven instruments creating signal distortion, strings, brass and a host of other auditory oddities make up the dense soundscape found here. Tape operator Jerry Boys would later say that they achieved sounds that are impossible to reproduce even with today’s technology. Working within the limitations of a four track environment actually led to further innovation, as creative solutions were required at every turn to meet the growing sonic demands of the three songwriters. It’s a wonder that the board didn’t catch fire at times as Geoff Emerick and Richard Lush coaxed increasingly bizarre sounds out of it.

More importantly, aside from intending to produce music of a very high quality, it was also programmed specifically to be easy on the central nervous systems of very stoned listeners. The harsh, biting sound of Revolver now gave way to dreamier textures. Compare the stabbing string arrangement of “Eleanor Rigby” to that of the lush “She’s Leaving Home” or the feel of “A Day in the Life” in juxtaposition to “Tomorrow Never Knows”. Stylistically, it was all over the map. Can you think of a more jarring transition than what occurs as “Within You, Without You” closes (with a snippet of laughter) and the clarinet intro of “When I’m Sixty Four” kicks in? The jokes continue with the bizarre ending to “Good Morning, Good Morning” that involves an array of animal noises, set up so that each one you hear has the capability of overtaking and devouring its predecessor.

Until you get to the lone chicken clucking at the end.

Even that moment brims with inspiration as it is cleverly turned into the guitar notes that precede the Sgt. Pepper reprise, during which you hear Lennon say “Bye!” over the count in.



Following a fair amount of effort spent trying to shape George’s “Only a Northern Song”, the apathetic track was rejected for inclusion and following a period of sullen disillusionment, he hired a group of London-based, East Indian musicians and set to work on the beautiful “Within You, Without You”. Much unfair criticism has been lobbed at this one over time, though I think it’s the most successful of his forays into that genre. Listen to the complex timings in the middle instrumental break and you’ll begin to fathom how much thought went into it. You can even hear Harrison softly counting everyone back in when it stops for the shift back to the verse.

McCartney was spending more time behind the board with the production team during these sessions. His desire to hear things back exactly as he had conceived them drove him to perfectionist tactics, which didn’t always sit well with the others. Arguably, without his whip hand, there would have been much less band activity after Pepper. Self-directed, he logged a great deal of work and turned in several excellent songs in addition to those co-written with Lennon. He was by far the group’s most adept all rounder, overdubbing a number of other instruments with a natural ease.

"Getting Better", Fixing a Hole" and "Lovely Rita" all bear his composing stamp, the last being a great example of the "comedy song" theme he had half-jokingly mentioned pursuing in an interview the previous year. Receiving a ticket from a traffic warden named Meta, he was quite annoyed, though in the lyric, he embraced the spirit of the age and figured that it was better to love her. The comb and paper effects and the echoed, improvised vocal noises in the outro just add to the surreal nature of the whole project. There's almost another song in this cool piano driven fragment.



Lennon’s contributions were all born out of mundane situations. “Smoking pot and watching telly” inspired a few brainwaves ("Good Morning, Good Morning" was the main thrust for an advert featuring his favorite breakfast snack, Kelloggs Corn Flakes) though it was his son Julian's painting that gave birth to "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". Lewis Carroll and a host of studio tricks helped with the rest. I find that this one sounds like it was rushed and the transition from the verse to the chorus doesn't really work that well. Still a great tune (the bass lines make it), though the jump to 4/4 time spoils a good set up.

"Mr. Kite" had lyrics that were copied almost verbatim from a Victorian era circus poster that he had picked up while filming the spots for "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane" in Kent. Tons of work went into creating the fairground atmosphere that Lennon asked to achieve from a sonic perspective. George Martin collected tapes of steam and pipe organs, chopped them up and had them pieced back together at random. The loops are extremely spacey when heard in headphones. Apparently, Martin collapsed on the studio floor in exhaustion after repeatedly hand pumping a harmonium through endless takes. Shifting to 5/4 time for Henry the Horse's waltz is an arranging masterstroke. John disavowed this one in the early 70s, though before his death he had one of his customary changes of heart, stating that it was, "pure, like a painting, a pure watercolor."

Subjectively, I would count “She’s Leaving Home”, “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite” and “Within You, Without You” as being the most inventive tunes on the LP, with “A Day in the Life” (of course) towering over the rest. The material is quite good, though the real brilliance was in sequencing a clutch of disparate tracks that bear no resemblance to one another. Seamless work on the part of the entire production team had DJs actually playing the record in its entirety when it first came out, flipping it over as if it were a two minute single.

The cast of characters selected to appear on this iconic cover were suggested by John, Paul, George and designer Peter Blake. McCartney offhandedly told EMI president Sir Joe Lockwood that he would contact everyone (living) to get their OK for inclusion and indemnify the company against any lawsuits. He didn't trouble himself to do either and no one sued.

Fate.

Let's put names to the faces.



Top Row: Sri Yukteswar Giri (guru) / Aleister Crowley (astrologist) / Mae West (actress) / Lenny Bruce (comedian) / Karlheinz Stockhausen (composer) / W.C. Fields (comedian) / Carl Gustav Jung (psychologist) / Edgar Allen Poe (writer) / Fred Astaire (actor) / Richard Merkin (artist) / The Varga Girl / Huntz Hall (actor) / Simon Rodia (creator of Watts Towers) / Bob Dylan (musician)

Row 2: Aubrey Beardsley (illustrator) / Sir Robert Peel / Aldous Huxley (writer) / Dylan Thomas (poet) / Terry Southern (writer) / Dion (singer) / Tony Curtis (actor) / Wallace Berman (artist) / Tommy Handley (comedian) / Marilyn Monroe (actress) / William Burroughs (writer) / Sri Mahavatara Babaji (guru) / Stan Laurel (comedian) / Richard Lindner (artist) / Oliver Hardy (comedian) / Karl Marx (philosopher, socialist) / H.G. Wells (writer) / Sri Paramahansa Yagananda (guru) / wax hairdresser's dummy

row 3: Stuart Sutcliff (former Beatle) / wax hairdresser's dummy / Max Miller (comedian) / "The Petty Girl" / Marlon Brando (actor) / Tom Mix (actor) / Oscar Wilde (writer) / Tyrone Power (actor) / Larry Bell (artist) / Dr. David Livingstone (missionary, explorer) / Johnny Weismuller (swimmer, actor) / Stephen Crane (writer) / Issy Bonn (comedian) / George Bernard Shaw (writer) / H.C. Westermann (sculptor) / Albert Stubbins (soccer player) / Sri Lahiri Mahasaya (guru) / Lewis Carroll (writer) / T.E. Lawrence A.K.A. "Lawrence of Arabia" (actor)

Front row: Sonny Liston (boxer) / "The Petty Girl" / wax dummy of George Harrison / wax dummy of John Lennon / Shirley Temple (actress) / wax dummy of Ringo Starr / wax dummy of Paul McCartney / Albert Einstein (physicist) / John Lennon / Ringo Starr / Paul McCartney / George Harrison / Bobby Breen (singer) / Marlene Dietrich (actress) / Diana Dors (actress) / Shirley Temple (actress)

Hitler, Jesus and Ghandi were slated to appear but did not for understandably diverse and controversial reasons. Bowery Boys actor Leo Gorcey wanted to get paid and was painted out.

Critics fell over themselves in praise of the record. Years later, most of the very same writers savagely panned it, one calling it a "day-glo tombstone for the hippy era". This wildly misses the point. On one hand, Pepper is as redolent of 1967 and the so-called "Summer of Love" as tie dye, painted faces and flowery, spaced out young people, happily spinning and dancing in their own world. However, if you simply listen to the disc it is not inexorably tied to the trappings of this colorful period. There is no mention of Vietnam, political figures of the time or any other sociological phenomenon that was then current. Imagination fuels every cut, not rhetoric.

Long dissertations have been devoted to the fact that Pepper wasn't truly a concept album. From a lyrical standpoint, there was no attempt made to devise a plot line where Sgt. Pepper loses three of his senses and becomes a pinball playing, messianic figure. Curiously, the name is used only to introduce the proceedings and briefly say goodbye toward the end, which was a suggestion made by road manager Neil Aspinall.

Instead, the concept focused squarely on the band themselves and their assumption of an entirely different look and sound.

Hindsight reveals quite a few “firsts” as the lyrics were printed out on the back cover, bands of silence between songs were eliminated and the presentation was certainly the most elaborate, colorful and expensive that the rock world had ever witnessed. Looking at my own copy, it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe that if they could have had inserted a trigger that produced insane laughter when you opened the gatefold, it would have been attempted. EMI auditors had to move in and put the proverbial foot down as time wore on, with ideas growing more outrageous at every turn. Roughly six months and one hundred thousand English pounds (in 1967 terms) went into making Pepper a reality.

Longtime fans know all of the stories, to be sure, though what has gone down as gospel isn’t even agreed upon by the band members themselves. The passage of time, coupled with the frequent substance intake which virtually permeated that era is primarily responsible. Complicating matters further was the new fanaticism that developed among devotees. Many seekers pored over the densely packed cover (through a cloud of smoke) searching for deeper meanings that they were certain just had to be placed there by their heroes.

Letting their imaginations steal a car amd drive it at high speed off of a cliff, the drug addled and deluded dreamed up a host of outrageous ideas about Sgt. Pepper. Rumors that the moustache featured on the cardboard cut-out insert was impregnated with LSD flew along with many other ridiculous theories. Some even tried to play the centre label in a desperate attempt to find hidden messages. (The gibberish that was deliberately placed as a joke in the run-out groove probably added more fuel to that fire.)

The only real message relayed was that the group had moved far beyond the realm of four wax figures put on display for little girls to scream at.

We're not those people anymore

This is where the Beatles saga crossed over into mythical territory.



Who wrote the charts and arranged the string octet on "She's Leaving Home"? What does that stoned little snippet of chat in the run-out groove say when you play it backward? Who's tripping in the gatefold photo?

MAGIC CIRCLES

Revolver captured the Beatles with their feet straddled between two camps. One was trapped on a platform in the middle of a stadium filled with screamers, unable to reach them. The other was planted firmly in the studio, free to experiment without restriction. Fittingly, the title was an ode to the black circle itself, though their own "revolving" door of the past few years (circling the globe with touring, recording, filming etc.) was about to come to a close.

1966 would be a year of summation for the quartet on a number of fronts.

It began quietly as the four most famous faces in the world took the first three months off. Shattered by the endless work schedule that had dragged them around the world several times over, they must have been glad for the reprieve. John Lennon would begin a journey into inner space, whiling away his time under the influence of psychedelics. Cracking open another door that would only lead to more questions, the experiences radically altered his writing. Eager to smash the phony image that he felt was inhibiting the band, he told Brian Epstein that he and the others would not be feeding bullshit lines to reporters in upcoming press conferences.

Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.

Lennon's thoughts appeared as part of an extensive interview that he gave to Maureen Cleave of the London Evening Standard. The feature was called "How Does a Beatle Live?" and the quote garnered little notice in England. He had been reading Hugh Schonfield's book, "The Passover Plot", which re-examined the life of Christ and his teachings. What's important here is that the second half of his discourse focused on how Jesus's original message and purpose may have become transformed during the century after his death. John merely provided his own extreme precis on this scholarly tome. Think of the unbelievable command that his group had over millions of kids. Couple that with the revelatory effects of acid and it's really not a big shock that he would equate the Beatles with any type of mass belief system, Christianity being but one example.

What's more, he was right.

These remarks would cause an uproar in the US when they were reprinted in one of those glossy teen rags (Datebook) several months later. Insert conversational marker here, as we'll revisit this shortly.

Reconvening in the spring, the return to business involved a photo shoot intended to provide the public with current pictures of the foursome. Robert Whitaker set everything up and photographed the band in a variety of bizarre poses and settings. The most infamous shot involved the lads dressed in butcher smocks, with raw meat and decapitated baby dolls placed on them strategically.



Capitol Records had requested an image that they could plaster on their next fake Beatles album, comprised of tunes left off the American versions of Help! and Rubber Soul. Against the wishes of Brian Epstein, this arty but gruesome picture was chosen. Yesterday and Today would be the last patchwork release in the States. When the original LP was shipped to DJs and retail outlets, there was a collective gasp. Just to put another myth to rest, the "butcher cover" was not intended as a message to the US division of EMI to stop chopping up their recordings and repackaging them. It was entirely the brainchild of photographer Robert Whitaker and was not even considered for use on an LP jacket until well after the pictures were taken. This saga could fill a short book of its own. Pop over here for further info.

Long story short, public outcry forced the Beatles to furnish EMI America with a more acceptable picture. So in place of dead babies and meat they gave them this.



Everyone looks extremely stoned, unconcerned about this obligatory group shot. For those who had missed the sea change that had begun with Rubber Soul, this was a direct message declaring that "the cute Beatles" were dead.

Death would prove to be a theme that hovered over Revolver and their tumultuous summer tour.

PHILLIPINES

An absolute nightmare. Delayed by the military following their arrival in Manila, they are certain that they'll be busted for the drugs they are carrying. They aren't, but the promoters screwed them over on the gate for their concerts. First lady Imelda Marcos had invited them to a luncheon, though It was politely declined by their manager. Apparently, this was ignored and the perceived slight caused a small scale international incident. All amenities were immediately withdrawn and the group literally had to flee the country, with the locals/army trying to beat them to death at the airport. They narrowly escaped with their lives.

JAPAN

Tokyo: Militant groups stage demonstrations and utter death threats in response to the venue of choice for five planned Japanese concerts. The Budokhan was a stadium in the city's heart dedicated to the martial arts of kyudo, kendo, judo, karate and all disciplines associated with honor and the Shinto spirit. Sited between Yasukuni Shrine and the Imperial Palace, it was reportedly built on the site where soldiers pledged their lives to the Emperor before joining their wartime units. Not an ideal spot for a rock show, according to protesters. 35,000 police officers made sure that right wing nationalists would not turn the event into a blood bath. They still tried to.

NORTH AMERICA

Returning to the "We're more popular than Jesus" conversational marker, at the Chicago presser (and elsewhere on this final leg of the tour), Lennon was asked repeatedly to apologize for what he had said. In the deep south, their records were burned by the truckload. The Memphis chapter of the Ku Klux Klan ominously promised "surprises" for them when they arrived to play there. St. Louis was marred by rain and they were very nearly electrocuted playing under a canopy. Cleveland and Cincinnati saw massive riots, with the latter concert being canceled. Where they had once showered the group with jelly beans, "fans" now threw bottles, shoes, garbage, scissors, darts and various other projectiles at them.

Escaping the skeletal clutches of the Reaper on one too many occasions, Candlestick Park would be the site of the last proper Beatle concert of the sixties.

"That's it, I'm not a Beatle anymore."

REVOLVER

Jumping back to the April of '66, the group commenced sessions for what would become their seventh, brilliant release. The lyrics of many of the Revolver songs make mention of or deal directly with death. Prescience at work? Perhaps, as mortality seems to be an odd subject to occupy men so young.

Diving headlong into a radically different style, they took up a Lennon tune to work on first. Those that didn't quite "get" Rubber Soul, would have probably had a seizure if they were treated to the first take of "Tomorrow Never Knows". Futuristic and nightmarish, it was light years ahead of anything they had done to date.

"The Psychedelic Experience", which was devised by Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert as a guide to steer people through the complexities of an LSD trip, and the drug itself were the two main inspirations for this unorthodox composition. Taking a page from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the lyrics deal with large concepts, though the author does not bother to break them down to a more granular form nor is there any attempt to detail any type of personal revelations. It is the music that conveys the startling heaviness of the journey taken by the soul when our earthly bodies die. That energy converging with the undying light of love is directed back to another host to start the trip all over again. ("play the game, existence to the end of the beginning")

Reincarnation. It's not just for breakfast anymore.

Scores of people who were already initiated, heard a familiar message and vibe upon first listen. Those that did not were perplexed. Achieving the otherworldly sounds was no easy task either. The drone of a tampura leads into the insistent drum track, played by Ringo with a sharp snare crack offset by broken hits on slack tuned toms. Backward guitar and five separate tape loops (courtesy of McCartney's home experiments) were spooled and fed directly into the board as the basic recording played, with many pairs of hands guiding each strip of tape. No one knew what it would sound like. Add to this another trick, which involved breaking into the circuitry of a Leslie speaker that rotated inside the old Hammond organs to provide that swirling sound. Lennon's voice was put through the Leslie, resulting in that disembodied feel in the last verse. He had originally wanted to have a thousand monks chanting this part. The end product was amazing for its time and had to be placed at the end of the album as it would have destroyed everything that followed.

Much of the innovation in sound came from their new engineer. Geoff Emerick was just twenty when he was promoted from the disc cutting department of EMI and brought on board to replace Norman Smith as George Martin's right hand man. His initial move was to actually close-mike the drums (moving the microphone within inches of the bass drum was against EMI policy) to give them a greater presence in the mix. Paul had just acquired a long-scale Rickenbacker 4001S bass. Good news for him as the pickups in the older model Hoffners were horrible, resulting in a muddy sound. His style changed dramatically as he explored the higher reaches of the fretboard. Emerick aided in this transformative process by rolling off the treble (those Ricks are noisy bastards), adding compression and putting a mic in front of his bass cabinet. Ringo and Paul were pretty tight as a rhythm section. Now you could actually appreciate that fact.

"Taxman" marks the first (and last) time that a Harrison tune would lead off a Beatles LP. Dynamic and sharp, the song is highlighted by an Indian-styled lead break by McCartney and a rant against the Labour government's recently introduced 95 percent tax grab on top earners. Harold Wilson and Edward Heath were both named for balance, being the prime minister and opposition leader of that period. Lennon contributed to the scathing lyric. Paul turns in some fine bass playing, especially in the bridge. The count-in was a far cry from the one that kicked off their first album, being robotic and edited in after the fact, though you do hear (faintly) McCartney shouting in the manner of that long ago intro to "I Saw Her Standing There". Another subtle goodbye to the past.

"And my advice for those who die
Declare the pennies on your eyes"

Death and taxes.

Speaking of joining "the choir invisible", "Eleanor Rigby" told a desolate tale of the mundane existence and passing of a spinster who was but one of many that were simply labeled as "lonely people" in the chorus. Another solitary character takes the form of a minister (Father Mackenzie) who preaches to an indifferent (or absent) congregation and comes to bury this poor soul in the end. Not one Beatle needed to play a note as a string octet was scored and conducted by George Martin. Paul, John and George merely lend their voices to music set in the saddest of keys, woeful E minor.

Varying sources cite an array of different lyrics and title character names that were employed (Miss Daisy Hawkins, Eleanor Bygraves) before the final draft coalesced. Lennon claimed to have written half the lyrics, which was later disputed by McCartney. Donovan recalls McCartney singing "Ola na Tungee, blowing his mind in the night with a pipe full of clay" while searching for lines that would scan. Released as a single, it could scarcely be farther removed from "She Loves You" and demonstrated the mind blowing progress they had made within three short years.

Taking a nap is often referred to as being "dead to the world". The heavy lidded, slow creep of pot hangs over "I'm Only Sleeping" as would an opaque cloud of smoke. Varispeeded down to an e flat minor, Lennon's ode to staying in bed is one of the best songs of this collection. Painstaking hours of work were put into producing the backward guitar parts that add so much to the feel and pace. Depending on which mix you're listening to (mono, stereo or US stereo remix) those key parts land in different places. One of the joys of collecting their records is the sheer number of alternative versions of songs due to competing formats (mono vs. stereo).

George Harrison had the privilege of getting an unprecedented three songs on Revolver. "I Want to Tell You" rides a bouncy, two fingered piano with a really inventive guitar figure. Having become infatuated with Indian music, he ditched conventional western pop and assembled a small group of east Indian musicians to perform "Love You To". Just how much listeners must have been jolted by this remarkable piece is hard to imagine. He was barely conversant with the form when he brought this to the sessions, which is all the more impressive.

"Love me while you can, before I'm a dead old man..."

Note that at what is arguably an important crossroads moment in their career, the writing styles of Lennon and McCartney are separated by an incredible divide. Paul's material was heavily influenced by the classical music that he was now listening to more frequently, while Lennon's became somewhat tangental. Overall, while the selections are multi faceted, there is a very cutting and abrasive tone that buzzes from the guitars ("Taxman", "She Said She Said", "And Your Bird Can Sing", "Dr. Robert") horns ("Got to Get You Into My Life") sitars/tablas ("Love You To") strings ("Eleanor Rigby") and just about everything piled on "Tomorrow Never Knows". Curious that it is three McCartney tunes ("Here There and Everywhere", "For No One" and "Good Day Sunshine") that provide gentle breaks in a sea of sharp assaults on the senses.

Surprisingly, though he was turning out conventionally structured work, he was the one leading the charge with sound collage experiments. Paul certainly supported Lennon's fantastical ideas with equally "out there" home taping marathons.

The brilliance in sequencing keeps you from being lulled into any type of apathy while listening. Every cut is a jarring, rollercoaster-like drop straight down at high speed, then a rest, and another outrageous left turn. Two of McCartney's finest love songs are programmed well apart from one another. "Here There and Everywhere" is quite a brilliant mouthful of chords, with only the jagged rhythm guitar spoiling a good thing. Those backing harmonies are a highlight. "For No One" could be the best description of love gone cold in pop history. His economy with words, the chilly baroque atmosphere and Alan Civil's decorative French horn solo cap a very sad theme.

His original title for this was telling: "Why Did It Die?"

Graham Nash would later put this style to good use in constructing "Our House".

Paul's other contributions were more upbeat. Soulfully put together, "Got to Get You Into My Life" featured blaring horns (some of the guys from Georgie Fame's crew blowing their lungs out) that leap out of the speakers, solely due to Emerick putting mics down the bells of the brass section. It tends to overwhelm the other instruments, but succeeds in providing an electric thrill as the set races to the finish line. McCartney claims it was written in tribute to pot. Excellent it is, too.

"Yellow Submarine" was one of his most bizarre (but catchy) offerings. Ringo sings, while everyone else goes mad, yelling, bashing a large bass drum and creating one hell of a convincing party atmosphere. Paired with "Eleanor Rigby", it was a novelty smash in late summer, with many ingenious arts and crafts type sound effects.

Kids really took to it.

Everything else that John touches here features prominently distorted guitars. Not quite the "from outer space" tones of Hendrix, though still very effective. Ever wonder how many kids smashed their guitars trying to copy the twisting, multi-dubbed riff that drives "And Your Bird Can Sing"? I would suspect that Paul and George played a large part in shaping this one. The lyric is a cryptic take on the leg pulling that Dylan so often engaged in at the time. Strangely, Lennon later wrote this one off. Though there is no deep meaning at work, this doesn't diminish its worth as a clever rock tune. He has another private giggle in delivering "Dr. Robert". Drug dispensing physicians have always been around to scribble their signatures for the addicted. The guy he sings about here used to mix narcotics in with vitamin shots to keep his patients coming back for more. Harrison does a little blending of his own by playing sitar-like licks within the boundaries of a country-rock pattern. McCartney supports with a shit-kicking harmony.

Paul is nowhere to be found on "She Said She Said". He exited the studio after a heated argument, so George handles both bass and provided the eastern flavored guitar that makes the song. Harrison was also given a fair amount of room to contribute to the arrangement and does an admirable job in steering the ship. Ringo is quite busy on this track and remains solid throughout, though he keeps his fills tasteful, never overplaying.

Peter Fonda's recollection of the time he had accidentally shot himself as a kid was the main inspiration for the lyric. Trouble was that he picked a point where everyone was peaking on acid to share his anecdote. George was hitting a bad point on his trip and Fonda tried to intercede by telling him that he "had died but he came back and everything was alright." He "knew what it was like to be dead." Both John and George were sufficiently freaked out enough to have him tossed from the private, poolside event. Fonda was much more experienced than they with LSD and was probably trying to talk George out of the momentary trough that he had landed in.

Death is a real mood killer, though.

Out of strange circumstances a little greatness sometimes grows. Klaus Voormann's clever LP cover design would become another iconic portrait of a band that had now gone far beyond any lines previously drawn for rock artists. The Stones even made a cartoon appearance, tangled in their hair.

Revolver is the crown jewel in the Beatles' very impressive discography. It's not by chance that it has landed at or near the top of almost every list of the greatest rock albums ever made. Only the White Album comes close as a listening experience. Time was a factor in this, as sessions spread out over two months. Many ideas were completely reworked from first takes and much more care was exhibited with finding arrangements that worked to serve the song. Such luxuries would only benefit the final product.

Building the tracks methodically began to eclipse ensemble playing.

Widely lauded for its sonic impact, the disc remains as fresh now as it did when first unleashed on unsuspecting audiences.

It also spelled the end of the Beatles that the world had come to know. The music would be removed from the stage, the suits retired to the closet and the group would vanish for months before emerging as a completely different entity.

Death would be followed by spectacular rebirth.



Which Rolling Stones member appeared on "Yellow Submarine"? What other names were considered for the album?

PLASTIC SOUL

RUBBER SOUL

When the Beatles unveiled their Christmas present to listeners in December of '65, it was clear that the group had taken a giant stride beyond the material of the Beatles For Sale/Help! period. This transition toward more sophisticated songcraft resulted in extended nocturnal sessions, with an eye toward utilizing more exotic instruments and actually getting behind the board with the engineers to see how they could further manipulate sounds. Tearing down the wall between recording artists and tape operators was one of the largest contributing factors to their maturation. In addition, regular cannabis intake was inspiring larger concepts and three of them (Paul being the hold out) had taken LSD during the course of that incredible year. Now this is not to say that they were putting acid in their cereal every morning (not yet anyway) but it did have a profound effect on John and George. Consequently, the use of psychedelics would play a much larger part in their evolution. It would also contribute to their deterioration as ensemble players and would ultimately let some rather suspect ideas slip past quality control.

For the time being, things were getting interesting.

How about that album cover? Four unsmiling faces, elongated slightly with the title stretched out in a trippy, liquid fashion. No mention is made of the band name on the front of the jacket in what would be another groundbreaking piece of sleeve artwork. As with most of their innovations, many fans of that time were turned off or simply not receptive to the changes. Fanzines received letters from disgruntled kids who thought that their heroes "looked like corpses" or "old" and found Rubber Soul "boring".

Those who were on their wavelength quickly realized what was behind it, thus bringing in a slightly more erudite group of followers. Mindless screamers would continue their histrionics as they toured, some dropped the Beatles in favor of the latest teen bubblegum. Many more would come to view them as spokesmen for a movement that was sweeping away narrow minded convention in favor of unbridled experimentation. Youth would now come to dictate social trends from here on in.

Rubber Soul rightly holds a coveted position on many people's list of desert island discs, though, like every previous release, it was surgically altered for US consumers. Four tunes from the intended running order were yanked and two ("I've Just Seen a Face", "It's Only Love") from the UK issue of Help! were added. Substituting these acoustic based songs to market the album as "folk rock" was another misstep by the Capitol promotions team. Superimposing a trendy label on the biggest band on the planet was unnecessary , while chopping up their work of art was akin to scribbling a moustache on the Mona Lisa. They certainly needed no help when it came to selling records.

Some apologists for these actions claim that American version of Rubber Soul was improved by the changes and is more in line with the type of album the Beatles had intended to make.

Wrong

Much of the inspiration for the songs came from the soul and R & B acts that were in their purview during this time. Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Booker T and the MGs all had a far greater influence on the band than any of the "folk rock" confections that littered the charts in the summer of '65. The skin tight, dual bass/guitar riffs that fuel "Drive My Car" and "The Word" bear out how much the Stax sound held them in its sway. Paul even remarked that they were a bit embarrassed, thinking that listeners would be able to easily spot what/who they were emulating. As usual, they infused the material with their own stylistic touches so it really wasn't that obvious. Hence, the punning album title had two inside jokes to thank for its existence. The first being "Plastic Soul", which is the label that some African-American performers were using to describe the stage mannerisms of Mick Jagger. (You can hear McCartney muttering this following an early take of "I'm Down"), while the second was a direct reference to the way the Beatles were reshaping the soul records that they devoured in their leisure time.



It would take another year before the mad scientists at the Capitol Tower in LA stopped fucking around with the master tapes that were routinely flown in from London.

With a couple of exceptions, the writing and execution of their sixth LP was economically wrapped in just under one month. Unbelievable when you consider the quality packed into the grooves of this gem. All the more impressive considering that it was bookended by a US and UK tour, which they hustled out to do after completing tracking. "Drive My Car" provides the ear-grabbing intro, loaded with tortuous shifts, rock solid rhythm section and the all important hook. All that's missing is a horn section, though it really isn't necessary as John and Paul weave a tale that disguises the sexual innuendo (slightly) and does not waste a second of space. Those overlayed piano chords are the proverbial cherry on top of an excellent sundae. Particular emphasis is given to the bass, which was much more prominent in the mix.

Lennon's attempt to write about an affair and disguise the details is his own summation of what inspired "Norweigan Wood". McCartney takes credit for the bridge and the suggestion of burning the house down to end the song. People got quite caught up in trying to decipher the meaning of the lyrics, which eventually ended up in an anthology of British poetry. Later, the storyline revealed that Lennon had met his female match, only to be screwed and dropped as callously as any of the groupies he'd treated himself to over the course of touring. Another key ingredient came from Harrison. He couldn't even hold the instrument properly at this stage, though he doubled the guitar line on his newly acquired sitar, unwittingly setting off another trend that would inspire some very laudable and terrible records all at once.



Depending on which account you've read, George was turned on to the wonders of East Indian classical music by David Crosby or Jimmy Page. The curry restaurant sitars that filled in spaces on the Help! soundtrack were (likely) GH's first real taste of this effervescent, complex form of music. What is certain is that the engineers recoiled in horror as this exotic, 21 stringed beast sent VU meters deep into the red zone. When it was all worked out, something oddly beautiful happened and western music shook hands with the mystical east.



"You Won't See Me" had fairly complex modulations and another very sharp bass figure going for it. McCartney was venting lyrically about his girlfriend at that time (Jane Asher) and her refusal to conform to his ideal of subservience. The oooooh-la-la-la's get tiresome with repetition and you can hear the voices cracking in spots. More time would have omitted these flaws. Melody saves the day.

"Nowhere Man" holds the distinction of being the Beatles first recorded composition to lack a "love" theme, reportedly falling into place without concentrated effort by its author.

Lennon: "I remember I was just going through this paranoia trying to write something and nothing would come out so I just lay down and tried to not write and then this came out, the whole thing came out in one gulp.I thought of myself sitting there, doing nothing and getting nowhere."

The harmonies are handled beautifully, with that crisp guitar sound achieved by putting George's new Fender Strat straight through the board, with all bass rolled off.

Paul: "We were always forcing [the Abbey Road staff] into things they didn't want to do. Nowhere Man was one. I remember we wanted very treble-y guitars, which they are, they're among the most treble-y guitars I've ever heard on record. The engineer said, 'All right, I'll put full treble on it,' and we said, 'That's not enough', and he said, 'But that's all I've got, I've only got one pot and that's it!' And we replied, 'Well, put that through another lot of faders and put full treble up on that. And if that's not enough we'll go through another lot of faders'...Anyway you'd then find, 'Oh, it worked!' And they were secretly glad because they had been the engineer who'd put three times the allowed value of treble on a song. I think they were quietly proud of all those things."

The chorded solo is played in complete service to the song, right down to the harmonic that finishes it as a quiet punctuation mark.

Harrison brought two songs to the Rubber Soul table. "Think for Yourself" evolved from a political argument. Decent structure, fine three part harmony, but this is McCartney's show. Just listen to those fuzz bass patterns. He out-Motowns the James Jamerson prototype in a strutting performance that is the musical equivalent of a rolled up sock wedged into the crotch of spandex pants. Only John Entwhistle was going the extra mile in this fashion at that time. Paul was consistently brilliant in constructing his lines for most every track. More importantly, the bottom end can actually be heard clearly. Similarly, he and Ringo both shine on John's first crack at sending positive vibes into the minds/hearts of their listeners. "The Word" is fairly one dimensional lyrically, but the bass/drum combination is tight, with Ringo pulling off great backward rolls. Paul explores the higher areas of the fretboard successfully, with the guitar line doubling his part while a sustained, whiny note on harmonium hovers over everything in the fade out.

"Michelle" I can do without, though it is another McCartney standard, polished up from a joke song that he would sing in Hamburg to get the attention of the ladies. He would busk the tune, singing in broken French. Under pressure for more material, it was dusted off and given a proper arrangement with Lennon providing the "I love you" middle section. "What Goes On" was the product of Lennon's late 50's songbook, so it was rehaped and updated in country-rock form for Ringo to sing. He added the line about "waiting for the tides of time" and was duly issued a writing credit. The other selection that made the cut due to deadlines was "Wait", which was recorded during the "Help!" sessions. It's a good song, with more patented rolls from Mr. Starkey, though it is redolent of the boy/girl fare that they were currently moving away from. The volume tone pedal that was employed on "Yes It Is" and "I Need You" also shows up, further dating the track to earlier that year.

"If I Needed Someone" was transparently based on the riff found in the Byrds' "The Bells of Rhymney" and played on the off-beat as well. Pure George, as the author coolly assures the listener to leave their number and he might call. He even sent the demo version of this to McGuinn prior to official release. His best song up to that point. McCartney's "I'm Looking Through You" is another highlight of the second side. The stereo copies feature a false start on acoustic guitar. Take one was radically different from the finished product, being far more aggressive in tone. His melodic sense eventually took over, which resulted in the bridge section (missing from the early version) and the rethink on removing the stinging lead guitar bit that wanders quite a bit, adding nothing of value. Having other opinions on hand helped to edit away ideas that seemed decent on first go but needed work. Hence the great benefit of having time to revisit some of the songs after basic takes were completed. One standout that was revised lyrically in much the same manner was "In My Life". Just a cursory look at what Lennon originally had in mind is quite interesting but the verses are clumsy. Try and match them to the tune.

"Penny Lane is the one I'm missing/Up Church Road to the Clock Tower/In the circle of the Abbey/I have seen some happy hours/Past the Tramsheds with no trams/On the five bus into town/Past the Dutch and St Columbus/To the Dockers Umbrella that they pulled down."

Doesn't quite work smoothly, though you now know that John was the first to try and write a song about Penny Lane. Finished with Paul contributing a hefty portion of the music, this is a stellar example of why these two men possess shoulders upon which most every songwriter of worth that came after is currently standing on. Only Ray Davies poignant jottings rival (and sometimes eclipse) their accomplishments.

During the course of recording "What Goes On", a blues based jam entitled "12 Bar Instrumental" was laid down. This was allegedly positioned as a title track and given a couple of tries. Works well as a homage to Booker T's "Green Onions" but the rhythm that Lennon provides downshifts to country midway through. They weren't a threat to any blues bands of the period, though their striking original style made this a moot point. That genre was already mined more successfully by the Stones, Yardbirds and John Mayall's revolving crew of crack virtuosos.

Saving the best for last, I nominate "Girl" to be one of the absolute best things that John Lennon ever committed to tape. It is flawless in both conception and execution, with every word expertly placed. He would later talk about this as being his idea of the dream girl, who he had yet to meet. His descriptor seems to paint a rather challenging picture of this woman, who seems to alternately cause pleasure and pain. Lightening the heaviness of his subject matter are three well placed jokes. The first is a heavy drawing in of breath following the beautifully harmonized chorus line, which simulates dragging a huge hit of pot into the lungs. The second is the "tit tit tit" backing vocal in the bridge, no doubt the result of an idea you'd have after finishing a good joint. The last is the incorporation of bazouki styled guitars that come out of nowhere in the end, which come off like the music that Mikis Theodorakis created for Zorba the Greek. It is not hard to imagine everyone rolling on the floor, laughing themselves sick, trying to get through this one.

Impeccably rendered, it is beautiful from start to finish and really should have be sequenced to close this majestic set.

Instead, they picked "Run For Your Life", which Lennon later claimed that he "hated".

Oh well.

Rubber Soul heralded the end of "the cute mop-tops" and effectively washed away all traces of the group that walked nervously into EMI studios just three short years before. A brilliant double A sided single was issued along with this LP in the form of "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out. Both tore up the charts. Longtime engineer Norman Smith left the team, citing the material as being "not really his bag". He would go on to produce the first two Pink Floyd albums. The Beatles would lose fans over their change in direction, though they were simply moving too fast for these listeners. The modern rock era was about to step through the looking glass.

What was former EMI engineer Norman Smith called by the Beatles? What was his own 1973 hit and under what name did he release it?

HELP ME FIND A PLOT FOR THIS MOVIE!

HELP!

1965 was the year that rock music really matured, with stunningly innovative artists coming to prominence. Dylan recorded and released his two best albums, The Stones brought out "Satisfaction", The Who did "My Generation" and listeners got their first taste of The Byrds. This only represents a small portion of the exciting new sounds that were reshaping radio playlists in rock's golden age. The early part of this fabled year saw The Beatles make a fairly contrived second film through a haze of pot smoke (and contractual obligation) while creating music to accompany their latest adventures in celluloid.

Help! (the film) is excruciating.

Help! (the album) is pretty decent.

Rising to the challenge, Lennon and McCartney were well equipped to match or better the work of their contemporaries. Help! benefits from having just two cover tunes (both good ones) and some outstanding new material. Experimentation drives some pieces in startling new directions ("Ticket to Ride", "Yesterday") and even the weaker ones ("It's Only Love", "You Like Me Too Much") have enough charm to get by.

Each group member was now taking on much more of a distinct "personality" on their respective instrument. Early Beatle recordings were mixed down to two tracks, with voices way out in front of the three guitars and drums. This resulted in a situation where individual parts tended to be submerged in the end product. Technology gradually improved, allowing for greater fidelity and a meatier sonic presence for each player. The engineers at EMI prided themselves in their ability to get the best out of the equipment at their disposal, which was still well behind the eight track desks used in top US studios at that time.

McCartney had steadily been earning a reputation as one of the most dextrous bass players in rock, though he was a guitarist first and plays lead on several tracks here. A natural musical "all rounder", he was adept at most anything that he picked up. Lennon would later name him as one of the best bassists ever to grace four strings. Ringo kept a modest public persona, but had a unique style that was widely imitated. The trick was that the Beatles had two lefties in their midst (McCartney being the obvious one) and while Starr set his kit up for a right handed player, it was backwards for him. He could not naturally do rolls from left to right (snare to toms to cymbals), so he would often give the high hat a quick smack with his left hand and then do a triplet roll on the toms. He was not a technician like Buddy Rich but he had a very distinctive approach, especially with his tunings. Harrison was in usual brilliant form and returned to the composing game with two songs. Indispensable to the group sound, his thoughtful, decorative lines were pivotal in some of their greatest achievements. He was no slouch at arranging either, helping Lennon shape some of his most memorable contributions. John was a fine rhythm player, sometimes taking leads and stretched out on keyboards occasionally (as did Paul). He brought some of the most unorthodox musical passages to a workable conclusion and was a much better player than he was given credit for.

Together, they were a force.

Still with me?

Capitol records reached the height of greed with the US issue of Help! Only seven new songs appeared alongside selections composed by Ken Thorne (these amount to nothing more than James Bond-esque instrumental music from the actual movie soundtrack). They then raised the list price of the disc by a dollar, calling it a souvenir from the movie. Essentially, fans got screwed as the executives held back songs to create more fake LPs for the American market.

Never once have I heard anyone say, "Shit, we should listen to 'In the Tyrol" again, Jim."



Crass commercial interest notwithstanding, the UK version has fourteen songs, with the shimmering title track as an opener.



One very noticeable pattern that was emerging with Lennon's work was a shift toward self reference. Now this doesn't mean that he bragged about himself for two or three minutes straight (that would make him a hip hop artist) but rather that he began to reveal a bit more of himself within the framework of composition.

Disclaimer: Far to many writers/critics have over analyzed Mr. L's output and in doing so have come up with some of the most colorful bullshit that has ever been committed to print. Personally, I tend to go with what the man himself had to say about his songs.

With "Help!", he intended to write a slower paced, brooding piece along the lines of Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely" with the lyric being a thinly veiled expression of just how much he had sacrificed to become "Beatle John" in a traveling flea circus. It was, in his words, his "Fat Elvis" period where he ate and drank like a pig, while struggling to come to terms with success. McCartney often spoke of the deep insecurities that plagued his partner, despite his talent. Lennon much later said that he resented how the record was cut at a faster tempo in an effort to chart another single and promote the movie. He estimated that "Help!" was one of his most honest Beatle songs and even attempted to recut it on piano in the early 70s. Paul helped arrange those "lead in" backing vocals and that descending, jangling arpeggio riff reportedly caused George major headaches while tracking. All worth it in the end as it's just a remarkable song.

Paul plays lead guitar (harmonized lead at that) on "The Night Before" while Lennon comps away on electric piano. Ringo's snare is cranked up fairly tightly, giving it a fairly sharp sound in the mix. Not quite tin can but it did cut through in a pronounced way on nearly every drum track. He had ordered a deeper, custom made snare from Ludwig and kept it very taut to achieve this.

"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" was the first all acoustic Beatle recording, coincidentally cooked up at the same time Dylan was incorporating electric backing while doing Bringing it All Back Home. Influences were flying in both directions across the Atlantic. Lennon's creations remained consistent, scoring high marks for the vocal transitions of "You're Gonna Lose That Girl", with a cutting, trebly Harrison solo on his newly acquired Fender Strat. "Ticket To Ride' is the highlight of the pack. It is a drone, with a neatly chopped drum pattern and fine triplets courtesy of Starr. To me, The Kinks "See My Friends" would take a page from this book (the drone part) and the memorable riff is broken up only by the excellent bridge. McCartney plays the lead breaks and provides sterling high harmony throughout. The lyric would be the cause of speculation as to the meaning and got Lennon tagged as a misogynistic cynic. It is a very heavy record for its time, keeping them in step with the crop of serious virtuosos that began to leave their mark on the mid sixties scene.



Side two of Help! begins with a very shrewd cover of the 1963 Buck Owens hit, "Act Naturally". It was an inspired last minute replacement for the the dreadful "If You've Got Trouble", which collected dust in the EMI tape archive until 1995.

Working quickly, McCartney adds stellar Nashville harmony to Starr's vocal showcase, while George executes some very authentic, chicken-fried licks. These guys skipped effortlessly amongst genres, though I think they may be one of the most underrated practitioners of early country rock. This is definitely where their affinities had always lain (especially Starr) and where they often gravitated when jamming together.

There are few better examples than this.



Paul McCartney continued to develop his craft in the most surprising fashion. He was de facto band whip and generally had a much better grasp of what he wanted to hear in the finished product than the others did. His guiding hand would fashion the drum part for "Ticket to Ride", steer the band through the rough spots in pulling "Help!" (the song) together and produce thoughtful, rock solid bass lines for all that he touched. Just watch any video of the band playing live and you'll see him all over the count ins, often signaling Ringo by shaking the neck of his bass to indicate transitions and endings.

His definitive moment on Help! comes with "Yesterday". Anyone who is even remotely familiar with Beatle history knows this song and will either write it off completely or see it as a modern standard. So why do people gravitate toward this selection, despite having heard it so many times? Simply because it is a very unorthodox piece of writing, as the main melodic phrase is seven measures long. This plays havoc with most listeners expectations as most pop/rock music is divided into either the four or eight measure phrase unit. When he got his first taste of marijuana, McCartney was filled with the revelatory thoughts that generally occur to novice smokers. He insisted that Mal Evans take dictation as he at once had found the key answer to the meaning of life. When he looked at what was transcribed the next day, he saw one sentence that read:

"There are seven levels"

Bizarre indeed, though it is seven measures that make "Yesterday" so compelling. The strings (scored for a quartet by George Martin) add another dimension to the recording. At Paul's insistence, no vibrato was to be employed as the session players executed their parts. This was a masterstroke, keeping things from getting overly soppy. Again, this is the most covered song (next to Happy Fuckin' Birthday) in the history of pop and one that sealed McCartney's reputation as a composer of some depth and versatility. That it was buried on side two as merely an album track just seems incredible. It did get forty-fived in the US and went to number one.

Needless to say, it appealed to a wide age demographic.



He also hit paydirt with a fresh, almost bluegrass concoction called "I've Just Seen a Face" that he saw fit to drag into the mid 70s Wings set list. It is a great tune that does wonders to pick up the pace as the LP heads toward the finish line. "Another Girl" is the sleeper in the bunch as it has a catchy melody and goes to a surprising C major in the bridge. It also features Paul on lead guitar. Harrison gets two numbers in, "I Need You" being the best, although he had yet to come up to the standard set by Lennon/McCartney. He would soon begin to turn out very thoughtful work though he received little encouragement for his initial forays into writing.

John kept up his fascination with Larry Williams by shouting "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" to close out the disc.



I dislike posting anything from the '65 Shea Stadium show, as this may be one of their poorest live performances. They just could not hear anything. What you generally get is an audio reconstruction of their parts taken from overdubbing sessions done in January 1966. This is certainly not representative of what they actually played that night, as it would have been a real mess. I threw it in because Ringo completely turns the beat around to start and the others whip around as if to say "What the hell is going on??!!??" No fault of his as he can't hear them. They manage the trainwreck, though what you see and hear are two completely different deals.

In short, it's fake.

Enjoyable on many levels, Help! could be viewed as the project where they made peace with the past and began an incredible cycle where they would push back all previous boundaries. Never again would they wax other people's songs to fill out their LPs. Not even the most optimistic follower would be prepared for the landmark album that they would deliver next.

Three songs on Help! had the working titles of: Auntie Gin's Theme, That's A Nice Hat and Scrambled Eggs. What did each become?

TIRED YET FOR SALE

BEATLES FOR SALE

Just one look at the cover of their fourth offering and it's obvious to anyone that these guys all have the "100 mile stare" going. Even the title seems uninspired. Pressure in the form of making a deadline (the lucrative Christmas sales season) saw the powers that be squeezing an album out of the overworked quartet. You can audibly detect fatigue in some of the final product. Points come off for retreating into recording covers to fill out the disc, with only two out of those six having any real potency.

To their credit, they still managed to break some new ground with their own material. Per George Martin:

"They were rather war-weary during Beatles for Sale. One must remember that they'd been battered like mad throughout '64, and much of '63. Success is a wonderful thing, but it is very, very tiring."

Fair enough.

Before getting into the particulars, it's worth mentioning that many of the songs found here represent my very first encounter with Beatle music. My parents copy of "Beatles '65" fell into my hands when I was five. I had no concept of who they were, though very fond memories were created by spinning this record endlessly on the little beige, monophonic suitcase record player that my sister and I shared/fought over. I loved every note and feel very lucky to have had this come into my life at such an early age. I was hooked.



Only later on would I come to realize that this LP was merely the product of the very shrewd marketing group at Capitol Records. The other tunes that didn't make "Beatles '65" were pilfered to create another US release called "Beatles VI". Imagination was in short supply, though you can't fault their business sense.

Back in their home country, Beatles For Sale hit the shops in November 1964, preceded by the hit single, "I Feel Fine" (with "She's A Woman" on the flip side). Before anyone had thought to give it a name, these guys were playing an unmistakable brand of country-rock. Their Merseyside version of hillbilly inflected twang colored many of the tracks here, though their versatility kept them from complete immersion in this style. Makes perfect sense to me, as country and western music was quite prevalent in Liverpool prior to the earth shattering changes wrought by American rock and roll acts of the mid to late fifties. This was much closer to their tastes than the blues, which they never seemed to gravitate toward on record, save for later parodies of the form. ("Yer Blues, "For You Blue")

Based on the riff in Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step", "I Feel Fine" kicked off with guitar feedback, excellent harmonies and sounded about three summers ahead of everything else on the radio at that time. Ringo's drum pattern is pretty sharp. Lively, inventive ride cymbal work, interspersed with rim shots is broken up with an offbeat on the toms. "She's A Woman" is a fantastic McCartney rock tune and he throws the lead vocal from the back of his throat, slightly off mic. These amazing leaps forward should have kicked two of the weaker covers off the LP. Revisionist viewpoint, granted, though it would have made the disc stronger. One very different aspect that comes into play with these selections is the morose nature of the subject matter. Women don't call back ("No Reply"), stand you up on dates ("I Don't Want to Spoil the Party") pine away for dead lovers ("Baby' In Black") or generally piss you off ("What You're Doing").

Kind of makes you feel bad about yourself, doesn't it? ("I'm a Loser")

"Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey" was part of their set from early days, ranking as one of the best covers that they ever committed to tape. Along with "Rock and Roll Music", they nailed it in one take. Things were still coming easy in the studio and sessions were productive, sometimes seeing several songs completed in one marathon working day. With all due respect to Chuck Berry, Lennon's version is at least equal to the original, which is amazing considering that he sang it at the end of an 8-9 hour recording blitz. George Martin's piano is positively inspired.

Someone should have set fire to the master tape of "Mr. Moonlight". "Leave My Kitten Alone" would have been a vastly superior substitute.

Now the music that they wrote for inclusion here is fantastic and I would put the bridge of "No Reply" in the dictionary next to excitement. Dynamic vocals were always their specialty and the driving kick supplied by the handclaps boost the track. Still get goosebumps when that part comes up. Heavy tape echo gives the both the harmonies and piano a spacey feel, too. Apparently, the guitar intro to "Baby's In Black" moved George Martin to ask if they actually wanted to do it that way. He was wise enough to step back from imposing his will with certain ideas that were presented. This is an excellent line from George's Gretsch that frames a somewhat bizarre (but great), waltz time country number. It held a place in their live set through to Candlestick Park.

The lovely aroma of left handed cigarettes had by now made its way into their routine, courtesy of Bob Dylan. Lennon began to turn his hand toward a similar type of writing style, though he kept his impressions from becoming obscene. Only a slight trace of the Dylanesque vocal mannerism is found in the clean harmonies of "I'm A Loser", complete with more tasteful, rockabilly guitar lines from Harrison. Lyrically, it was interesting to hear a huge pop star take a self depreciating turn. "Eight Days a Week" is another hit single that just happens to be thrown casually on side two. The innovative fade up to start really builds momentum and must have given first time listeners a surprise after carefully dropping the needle. Ringing guitars swell steadily in volume until the cymbal crash kicks off the verse in what would become another incredibly infectious number one song in the US. "I Don't Want To Spoil the Party" is pure country with an immaculate guitar solo. It was originally written for Ringo to sing and is a direct successor to "I'll Cry Instead". Another winner is the Lennon sung (but McCartney written) "Every Little Thing", which harks back to the structures built around 12 string found on Hard Day's Night and boasts one of the classiest, economic solos in the Beatles catalog.

Beatles For Sale contains some of their most ambitious and clumsy work. Carl Perkins' bank account was probably better off for the two tunes that landed in wax here ("Honey Don't", "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby") but their attempts are flat-footed, which was rare for the group. "I'll Follow the Sun" comes up a bit short and it's not hard to tell that it dates back to McCartney's early attempts at song writing. Certainly not trying to be harsh, as I feel quite a strong connection to some of these songs, but this is the only set in their discography that I would radically alter in content.

Again, this is subjective and the fact that they managed to complete sixteen tunes for issue while maintaining an extremely hectic work schedule is pretty impressive. Keep in mind, this is four full length albums in two years, not counting singles.
1965 would usher in radical changes on many fronts.

"No Reply" was lyrically based on a 1957 hit for a US group. Name both song and artist.

MAKING MOVIES

A HARD DAYS NIGHT

Wouldn't be a great stretch to say that the brightest star of A Hard Days Night (album) is Harrison's Rickenbacker 360/12. Playing a central role in the exciting new sounds that colored the Beatles output in 1964 (and beyond), the 12-string jangle not only inspired Roger McGuinn to electrify the acoustic folk he had been steeped in but also helped to form hundreds of bands in its wake.

When Walter Shenson was questioned about why he wanted to produce a movie with four non actors, his quick reply was, "for the soundtrack album percentages." Now that's candor. Sure enough, United Artists dutifully released the disc in the US with the seven tunes from the film plus "I'll Cry Instead" and four orchestrated instrumentals conducted and arranged by George Martin. They made a small fortune.



The proper version, released in the UK in July of 1964, contains thirteen tunes, all composed by Lennon/McCartney. None of their contemporaries, with the exception of Bob Dylan, had done such a thing. Better yet, their sonic progression continued at an astonishing rate.

Could there be any better evidence of this than that startling opening chord? Authoritative, though no one seems to agree on its exact label. G7add9sus4, G7sus4, G11sus4, Dm7sus4 and Fadd9 have all been suggested by those with time on their hands. The effect is remarkable, continuing their tradition of powerful album intros. Aside from auditory impact, the song also conjures up the image of the four running away from an hysterical crowd of girls in a sequence that has been parodied many times in the intervening years. Written by Lennon, he and McCartney trade off on lead vocals (McCartney takes the bridge) and utilize those iron clad harmonies in the chorus. George Martin doubles the solo on piano, while Ringo drives the song aided by forceful, on beat cowbell and other percussive madness. It is the musical equivalent of a lightning strike with a flawlessly picked 12 string outro to fade. On these strengths, the Beatles were the first group to simultaneously nail down the number one album and single slots on both sides of the Atlantic.



Romanticism would be the overall theme of the selections found on A Hard Days Night. They pull it off without getting trapped in overt sentimentality, perhaps because they lean on their talents as a dynamic rock band who happen to be indulging in a few mid tempo ballads. Speaking of which, they don't come any better than "If I Fell", which employs a mouthful of chords and has a tricky high harmony part that McCartney reportedly had some issues with before nailing it. George provides the decorative icing on the cake on what I would nominate as one of Lennon's most impressive early works.



Feeling the competitive urge to match (or surpass) his partner, McCartney effortlessly turns in "Can't Buy Me Love" with the massive hook placed directly in front that sent it sailing to the top of the charts. Slightly sloppy guitar solo from Mr. H, though it gave the album a great boost of energy. They were still cutting records pretty fast, which also added urgency to the track. Possessing one of rock's most versatile voices, he also came up with the stunning "And I Love Her" that contains a haunting melody, delicate playing from everyone and rich minor chords with a key modulation from that perfect nylon stringed guitar solo. His crowning achievement here is "Things We said Today", which strikes a perfect balance between arrangement and thoughtful lyrics. The absolute masterstroke is the sudden shift to major chords in the bridge, immediately lifting the song out of an introspective funk and putting it in a very mature class owing entirely to its fine structure. It was quickly added to their live set.

Strong on all counts, the only weak link of the pack is "When I Get Home". It really seems like a knock off and is not particularly interesting when juxtaposed with the gems that surround it.



Lennon definitely dominated the writing at this point. Stylistically, the country feel of "I'll Cry Instead" pointed toward the direction of Beatles For Sale, though it is the closer that is really worthy of praise. "I'll Be Back" has no discernible chorus, a subtle acoustic hook and spot on two part harmonies from John and Paul. Incredibly, it bears no resemblance to anything else on A Hard Days Night and gives the listener a glimpse of the artistic depths that were waiting to be explored within the restless mind of one John Lennon.

Deserving of every superlative voiced by those with the ability to appreciate their gifts, Lennon and McCartney were now regarded as being in a class of their own. Virtually without peer, the most covered and prolific song writing partnership of the sixties would embark on a journey that would astound even their most hardened critics.

The film was pretty good, too.





What was the working title given to the film before "A Hard Days Night" was chosen?

THE FOLLOW UP

WITH THE BEATLES

What could feel better than having your first album hit # 1?

Having your second record replace it at the top of the charts and stay there for 21 weeks. Yes, it's number one, it's top of the pops, for 52 consecutive weeks.

With The Beatles is one of the crowning achievements of early sixties pop. Released just a scant eight months (to the day) after Please Please Me, it represents a massive step forward for the group in composition, arrangement and overall quality. EMI was pretty happy to see these guys stroll through the door by now. "From Me To You" and "She Loves You" were huge hit singles and the first LP was still selling by the truckload. Certainly, this outing benefitted from having more studio time allotted, though it was still completed very quickly by today's standards.

Those half shaded, non smiling faces on the jacket represented another step toward artistic merit in presentation. Robert Freeman took the iconic photo that the group members loved and management hated. It was thought that pop stars should radiate mindless good cheer, with no traces of seriousness to spoil the party. Equally bland and stupid were the "liner notes" found on releases of that era. (Very little substance and many exclamation marks cluttered the cardboard) Revolution in design format would be greatly influenced by such happy accidents as this cover shot.

Enthusiasm, coupled with ensemble handclaps, drives the shouted chorus of "It Won't be Long". Coming out swinging, those famous harmonized "yeahs" in response to the lead get even more intense with quick octave jumps. Tying the whole thing together is a typically Harrisonoid guitar figure that he would later recycle (and reshape) for his own "What Is Life". These subtle additions always raised the game and Lennon was wise to welcome the input. Notice how a dizzying array of styles are tightly packed into two exciting minutes, ending with nice minor sevenths.

"All I've Got to Do" owes a debt to the R & B/soul sides that were a main staple of their listening diet. Lennon was on a roll, this being no exception. Clumsy transitions to bridges that didn't quite fit (think "Ask me Why") were replaced by the smooth and effortless changes heard here. Paul turns in an instant standard with "All My Loving" and instead of being released as a blockbuster single, it merely takes a slot with the rest of the pack. Any other group would have been featuring a song like this on 45. Just another track for these guys. The performance here really shows their strengths as a live act. Harrison's solo is note perfect as are the harmonies.



There was now a third song writing member in the fold as Harrison contributed "Don't Bother Me". Beginner's luck notwithstanding, this was a solid effort with tricky changes, a startling solo and more than worthy of inclusion here. Crediting Paul with claves was a little much, though. They were mixed way too high. (At this point, the camera is pulled upward with the "crane shot" catching McCartney on his knees, screaming toward the heavens in the pouring rain. The claves roll slowly and silently away from him, into the gutter.)

Use percussion instruments responsibly!

Covers were present in the same ratio as the previous set with "You've Really Got a Hold On Me" and "Money" being the strongest. Ringo's drum fills in the former were exceptional as is Lennon's vocal, while they completely tear the original version of "Money" to pieces and make it their own. The live take from Sweedish radio in October 1963 is HEAVY. Seriously brilliant for its time. Paul's re-arrangement of "Til There Was You" is fine with Charlie Byrd's influence hanging over those impeccably played guitars. No wonder parents approved.



Weak spots are few: "Hold Me Tight" (uncharacteristically flat vocals) and "Devil in Her Heart" (boring cover). Now, this could have been fixed with some retakes and perhaps "This Boy" could have simply replaced one of these. The Brits had an issue with including singles on long players, so "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (backed with "This Boy") were made available in single format only. Hard to imagine that now, though the reasoning was that you were paying for music you already shelled out hard earned quid for.

Everything here just exudes energy, while musicianship and craft were razor sharp. They were still capable of magical, one take performances, though more time was allowed for post session fixes and multiple attempts. Four tracks were now available to fill, making it easier to develop instrumental personality. Better when you can hear what's going on with each part in the mix.

One of the four best albums that they ever made.



Their next step was to bring the party to US audiences. Prior to their historic Atlantic crossing in the winter of 1964, one Beatle had already visited the States. Who was it?

THE DEBUT

PLEASE PLEASE ME

Did you ever try to take a picture of a large crowd of people with an outdated, cheap camera? Without access to an adjustable, wide angle lens, and no tripod to steady the shot, you would expect to lose quite a bit of detail in the final product. On the plus side, you have captured an important moment in time with the only equipment available. The result is oddly beautiful, despite technical shortcomings.

Please Please Me is the aural version of that snapshot.

Before they entered the domain of mass consciousness, The Beatles had spent countless hours honing their skills, playing in dives for next to nothing. Plenty of their contemporaries in Liverpool were doing the same, though they weren't writing their own material. When fate finally smiled on the quartet, a record deal was struck and two self penned singles ("Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me") emerged with "Please Please Me" hitting number one on the British charts.

EMI saw dollar signs and decided to squeeze an album out of the upstart group before the fickle record buying audience turned their attention to some other distraction. George Martin assembled the quartet with the intention to record ten more songs, live off the floor.

In one day!

These days, finding the right mic for the kick drum might take ten hours of a session. The Beatles walked away with their first LP in the can in the same time frame. One factor was budget (non-existent) and the other was recording process. Generally, everyone was in the same room, with some separation (baffling for the drums) and you had to have your act together. If you screwed up a take, you simply had to start again. Post session editing and overdubbing was possible, though not welcome when dealing with a 2 track recording console/mixing desk.

Anyone who subscribes to "the Beatles couldn't play" philosophy should really do some homework. Very few mistakes were made by the four during this very punishing session. McCartney was especially pro, playing bass notes in quavers and singing lead or harmony vocals simultaneously. Lennon and Harrison were suffering through colds. Can you imagine being sick and having to step up to do vocals all day? Out of these arduous circumstances, history was made.

Kicking in the door with an energetic count-in, "I Saw Her Standing There" grabs the listener immediately with an intensity that strikes from all angles. Heavy, driving beat, excellent guitar work (Harrison's solo in particular) and those iron clad, Everly Brothers influenced harmonies top an excellent performance. McCartney employs the exact bass line from Chuck Berry's "I'm Talkin' Bout You" in delivering this classic. It ranks with "Shakin' All Over" as a towering example of early British rock. Superb choice to open the album. "Misery" is a minor piece of work, though the enthusiasm in the vocal harmonies manages to make it seem more interesting than it actually is.

Strong on spontaneity, the songs are ragged in places though this only adds to the charm. Always masterful in their picks when covering material, they dutifully run through "Chains" and "Boys", which were originally performed by female singers ("Girl Groups", The Cookies and The Shirelles respectively). Quirky in their tastes, concentrated effort was made not to do things that were well known. Obscure B-sides by US acts often found a home amongst their set lists. The strongest interpretations, by far, are "Baby it's You" and the monstrous "Twist and Shout".

The idiosyncratic "Please Please Me" with its call and response harmony vocals, massive hook and impeccable playing had already scored as a single. "There's A Place" looks forward to the more introspective side that Lennon would eventually incorporate in his compositions. You can really hear the vocals chords beginning to wear on this one, yet the delivery is entirely committed. It's an excellent song.



Some misfires are present. Covering "A Taste of Honey" prefigures the schmaltzy side of McCartney and "Do You Want to Know a Secret" suffers from a weak lead vocal. This is all forgivable considering the deadlines imposed, though.

Just when it seemed that everyone's batteries were running low, they rallied to blast out an absolutely devastating version of the Isley Brothers "Twist and Shout". Ringo's bricklayer hands pound the drums mercilessly, while the violence of Lennon's vocal is supported by stellar harmonies from Paul and George, who holler encouragement and push the climactic three part buildups way over the top. It's a one take revelation that surpasses just about everything here and slams the record shut with an authoritative force.



Critics take note: When you listen to this, keep in mind that much of what you hear is live, without recourse to fakery. Ensemble playing gives everything an extra boost, though it's a shame that this wasn't captured on a four or eight track machine. Given the primitive technology, it still sounds damn good, with particular hats off to George Martin and his engineers/tape ops. The stereo mixes are pretty sharp, though it was widely distributed in a mono format. (The Ultra Rare Trax bootleg series gave collectors a huge shock when they hit the streets in the 80s. Pristine alternate takes of these songs in stereo sounded far better than the official releases)

Explosive for its era, nothing like this had come out of any studio in Britain up to this point. Please Please Me hit stores on March 22, 1963 and met with resounding commercial success in the UK. The first chapter in the history of this storied band took flight.

Music was about to change, with the Beatles in the vanguard of a movement that would see Pop morph into Rock.



Trivia: Name the two UK artists who covered songs from this album back in '63? (Name the tunes, too.)

09-09-09

Two months from today, EMI will be re-releasing the entire catalogue of a venerable 1960s group. Girls screamed for them, parents loved their harmonies and young men ironed their shirts twice in an attempt to copy their idols' manner of dress.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you The Kingston Trio! (cue insane amount of applause)



Why aren't you cheering? "Tic Tic Tic" is one of the greatest songs known to humankind.

The Beatles were pretty good, too.

The voices of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr are as familiar to me as those of family members. At age five, Beatles '65 was one of the first records I had and I listened to it endlessly until it was scratched beyond playability.

Ramping up to the momentous date of 09/09/09, it seems only right to feature all of their records from Please Please Me through to Let It Be. With two months of time allotted to complete this task, I'm looking forward to some great listening/blogging sessions.

For anyone that actually looks in on my ramblings, please feel free to name your top five favorite Beatle albums, their absolute worst song and what the original title was for the Abbey Road LP.

FREE

FIRE AND WATER

Free had two albums under their belt by 1970, both of which were solid yet not commercial bonanzas for the group. Prodigiously talented, the individual members carved distinct, well defined parts for each of the seven tracks that comprised "Fire and Water". Paul Rogers and bassist Andy Fraser shared the bulk of the writing duties (Paul Kossoff contributed to two songs, Simon Kirke snagged a credit for "Mr. Big") While not as heavy as the previous releases, the third disc contained a secret weapon which would come to be their biggest hit, push them to fame and cause a quick implosion.

You have seen the Isle of Wight version a million times. Here's an early TV performance from 1969.



For those of you that have been living in a remote area without electricity for your entire life and have decided to shave your beard, come down the mountain and trade in your hunting knife for an ipod, that was "All Right Now" by the rock band, Free.

I'm here all week.

All at once, Free had a huge following, a monster hit and it completely wrecked them. Some cried "sell-out", while the majority expected them to do this type of song repeatedly. They didn't (nor should they have). In fact, they kind of went in the direction of The Band on their next LP (Highway).

Now it's really a shame that these guys were not given more serious attention for their efforts at that time. Rogers brought soaring, gritty soul to every note he sang, while Kossoff showed an improvisational brilliance on lead guitar with great taste and tone. More than a few notable musicians have cited Fraser as a very big influence on bass and Kirke is a legendary timekeeper. You have to love his solo on the outro of the title track, though it is faded out sharply on the record.

So influential, such a distinct sound. "Mr. Big" is a fine example of their collective strengths, with no one overplaying and each instrumentalist laying down very clean, effective lines. Listen to that bass! Though it's a model of simplicity, emphasizing the groove, he still makes it interesting with quick runs high on the fretboard.



Moodier fare like "Oh I Wept" and the piano driven "Heavy Load" add another dimension to the proceedings and help vary the pace. Kossoff brings that signature vibrato to his solos, decorating the arrangements with great fluidity and never wearing out his welcome.

Truly untouchable on stage, the quartet deserved to be one of the biggest acts of the seventies. Poised for bigger things, Kossoff suddenly became disenchanted with the musical direction taken and increasingly debilitated by drug intake, Rogers and Fraser simply fell out. Only one more studio project was completed with the original four members before the partnership disintegrated. Fraser left, Rogers and Kirke would go on to form Bad Company and Kossoff, sadly, died from his excesses in 1976.

Fire and Water still stands up as a powerful set, worthwhile on every level.