1 PLAYLIST JANUARY 12th 2014 1 2 9AM The Beatles - For You Blue - Let It Be (Harrison) Lead vocal: George Recorded on January 25, 1969, and completed in six takes. John Lennon provides the lead guitar part playing a lap steel guitar and using a shotgun shell as a slide. Paul McCartney plays piano. Nearly a year later, on January 8, 1970, George Harrison re- recorded his lead vocal to the already completed backing track. During the instrumental break he ad-libbed “go Johnny go” and “Elmore James’ got nothin’ on this baby” to give the impression he was singing live with the band. Immediately prior to the start of the song, John can be heard saying "Queen says no to pot-smoking FBI members." It is one of the few inclusions of film dialogue heard on the soundtrack LP. Written by George Harrison for his wife, Pattie, “For You Blue” was a straight-forward blues song. George: “It's a simple 12-bar song following all the normal 12-bar principles, except that it's happy-go-lucky!” “For You Blue” was the flip-side of the American “The Long And Winding Road” single, released on May 11, 1970. A new mix of take six was made in 2003 for “Let It Be... Naked” and an alternative take from the January 25, 1969, session is included on the “Anthology 3” album. The Beatles - I’m So Tired - The Beatles (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John John Lennon’s “I’m So Tired” was started and finished in 14 takes on October 8, 1968. No overdubs were added. The session was a marathon 16-hour session which started at 4 p.m. on the 8th and finished at 8 a.m. on October 9 (John’s 28th birthday), and saw the completion of two Lennon compositions (“I’m So Tired” and “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill”) and work on George Harrison’s “Long Long Long.” Written in India while the Beatles were studying Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the all-day regime in Rishikesh, India, prevented John from sleeping at night, so he decided to write a song about it. At the end of the song John can be heard muttering a phrase that when played backwards offered “Paul is dead” conspiracy theorists another major clue: “Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him.” The Beatles - And I Love Her - A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul 2 3 Written mainly by Paul with the middle eight by John it was released as a single in the U.S. reaching #12. Recorded initially as a heavier, up-tempo number on February 25, 1964, The Beatles attempted two takes and moved on to something else. On February 26 they struggled with the simpler, now acoustic arrangement through 12 more takes and Ringo swapping his drums for congas, ultimately leaving it to be re-made the next day. Finally, on February 27, they had the arrangement to their liking and perfected the song in two completed takes (takes 20 and 21). On U.S. album: A Hard Day’s Night - United Artists LP Something New - Capitol LP 9.10 BREAK This next set…featuring…A little something for everyone…. The Beatles - I Should Have Known Better - A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Following their triumphant visit to America The Beatles were thrust back to work. On February 25, 1964 they dove into new songs slated for their film. On this day they recorded “You Can’t Do That” and began work on Paul’s “And I Love Her” and John’s “I Should Have Known Better.” In the film “I Should Have Known Better” was performed in 3 4 the train compartment scene, which in reality was the interior of a van with crew members rocking the van to fake the train in motion. Used as the flip side of the U.S. “A Hard Day’s Night” single. Paul’s “Things We Said Today” was the UK b-side. Recorded Feb. 25-26, 1964. On U.S. album: A Hard Day’s Night - United Artists LP Hey Jude - Apple LP (1970) The Beatles - All My Loving – With The Beatles (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul Essentially a Paul McCartney solo composition. The first song performed on the live broadcast of “The Ed Sullivan Show” on February 9, 1964, and watched by a then- record 72 million viewers. McCartney has said it was the first song he ever wrote where he had the words before the music. Recorded in 13 takes on July 30, 1963. “All My Loving” is the most commercial Lennon-McCartney song recorded by The Beatles in 1963 that was not released as a single in the UK or U.S. On U.S. album: Meet The Beatles! - Capitol LP The Beatles – Mean Mr. Mustard - Abbey Road 4 5 Recorded July 24th. Written in India as we heard on the White LP demos from Esher. When the band is playing it during the Let It Be sessions Pam was then a Shirley. Lennon 1.00 The Beatles - The Word - Rubber Soul (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded in three takes at a late night session starting on November 10, 1965 that ran until 4 a.m. the next morning. Overdubs include Paul on piano, George Martin on harmonium, and Ringo playing the maracas. The song is a full collaboration between Lennon and McCartney, and began as an attempt to write a song based around a single note. On U.S. album: Rubber Soul - Capitol LP The Beatles - Michelle - Rubber Soul 5 6 (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul The basic backing track of this classic song was completed in one take on November 3, 1965. Various overdubs and double-tracking were added to complete the song the same day. Lennon is credited with coming up with the “I love you” middle eight section. The tune had been written by Paul several years earlier but he didn’t have proper lyrics until 1965. On U.S. album: Rubber Soul - Capitol LP The Beatles - Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band/LOVE (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded February 17, 1967. The lyric of “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!” was derived almost entirely from a vintage poster purchased by John Lennon at an antique store in Sevenoaks, Kent, on January 31, 1967, while the Beatles were there filming the promotional clip for “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The poster advertised the February 14, 1843 performance of Pablo Fanque’s Circus Royal at Town-Meadows, Rochdale, Lancashire, and was hung proudly on the living room wall of Lennon’s Weybridge house. Paul: “We pretty much took it down word for word and then just made up some little bits and pieces to glue it together.” The backing track consisted of John on guide vocal, Paul on bass, Ringo on drums, George Harrison on tambourine, and George Martin on harmonium. Because the harmonium is powered by pumping feet, the producer was exhausted after the rehearsals and seven takes. Features Paul on lead guitar. John Lennon – Here We Go Again (Lennon/Spector) – Menlove Avenue ‘86 A leftover track from the Rock ‘n’ Roll sessions with Phil Spector. Spanning the years 1964 to 1974 in that set A little something for everyone right? 6 7 Quiz #1 HERE Name the Paul McCartney solo song that he uses an aerosol spray can as a percussive instrument….(example) 9.40 BREAK Paul McCartney – Oo You – McCartney ‘70 The first three tracks were recorded at home, while the lyrics were written during another hurried lunch. Aerosol spray was used as an instrument in the song. The Beatles - Back In The U.S.S.R. - The Beatles (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul Written while in India, Paul’s “Back In The U.S.S.R.” is based on Chuck Berry’s 1959 hit “Back In The U.S.A.,” but was written to mimic the classic sound of the Beach Boys. Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love was on the Transcendental Meditation sojourn in India with the Beatles in the spring of 1968 and as McCartney was working on his new song, Love suggested the lyrics about Ukraine and Moscow girls, similar to his lyrics in “California Girls.” Recording began on August 22, 1968, and it was during this session that Ringo Starr officially quit the band. His departure was blamed on a disagreement 7 8 with Paul over his drumming. Ringo flew to the Mediterranean to spend time on actor Peter Sellers’ yacht. It was there that he wrote “Octopus’s Garden.” On September 3, Ringo returned to the studio to find his drum kit smothered in flowers. Ringo: “I felt tired and discouraged … took a week’s holiday, and when I came back to work everything was all right again.” But Ringo added, “Paul is the greatest bass guitar player in the world. But he is also very determined; he goes on and on to see if he can get his own way. While that may be a virtue, it did mean that musical disagreements inevitably arose from time to time.” / The Beatles - Dear Prudence - The Beatles (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded at Trident Studios’ eight-track recording facilities on August 28, 29, and 30, 1968. Ringo Starr had quit the band temporarily and the three remaining Beatles moved forward with sessions for the new album. John Lennon’s “Dear Prudence” features Paul McCartney on drums. The guitar picking which opens and runs through the song is supplied by John on his Epiphone Casino.