1 2 PLAYLIST SEPT. 22nd 2013 9AM The Beatles - Come Together - Abbey Road (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John 3 The Beatles’ twenty-first single release for EMI, and fourth on the Apple Records label. When John and Yoko were in Montreal staging their second and last Bed-In For Peace they were visited by Timothy Leary, an outspoken proponent of LSD. During their visit, Leary and his wife participated in John and Yoko’s hotel room recording of “Give Peace A Chance,” singing on the chorus. Timothy is even name-checked in the lyrics. He asked John to write a song titled “Come Together – Join The Party” for his bid to become governor of California. Lennon obliged and responded with lyrics such as: “Come together right now/Don’t come tomorrow, don’t come alone/Come together right now over me.” Lennon recorded a demo for Leary, who started using it as his campaign song. After being imprisoned for possession of marijuana in late 1969, Leary dropped out of the gubernatorial race, which was won by Ronald Reagan. Lennon reworked and expanded the song for the Beatles. The Beatles - The Ballad Of John And Yoko - Non-LP track (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John The Beatles’ twentieth single release for EMI, and third on the Apple Records label. The first Beatles single issued in stereo in the UK, it is also the very first stereo single issued by EMI. The “Get Back” single had been released in stereo in America by Capitol. Recorded on April 14, 1969, by just John and Paul, the song was completed that day. George was on vacation and Ringo was still filming the Peter Sellers’ comedy “The Magic Christian.” Producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick, who had distanced themselves from the group because of the constant bickering amongst the group members, were back on board behind the recording console. The single was a complete surprise to Beatles fans. They had waited a long seven months for the group to follow- up “Hey Jude” with “Get Back” and now just over a month came another new Beatles record. The rhythm track was perfected in 11 takes (four complete) with Paul playing drums while John played acoustic guitar and sang the lead vocal. The duo was in good spirits during the day-long session. Prior to take four John said to drummer Paul “Go a bit faster, Ringo!” and Paul replied “OK, George!” Overdubs featured Paul on bass guitar, piano, backing vocal and maracas, and John on two lead guitar parts and percussive thumping on the back of an acoustic guitar. The song recounts the chaos surrounding John and Yoko’s getting married. Lennon had encountered visa problems because of his November 1968 drug conviction which made his movement from one country to another very difficult. As an example, he was not allowed to enter the United States at this time so the couple’s second “Bed-In” was staged in Montreal, about an hour north of the U.S. border in Canada. The Beatles - Dig A Pony - Let It Be (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded live on the rooftop of the Apple headquarters building, 3 Savile Row, on January 30, 1969. In re-producing the tapes for the “Let It Be” album, Phil Spector edited out the opening and closing line of the song (“All I want is …”) which can be heard on the “Anthology 3” album and in the film “Let It Be.” The idea to go on the rooftop and play live in front of a few people was conceived by Paul on January 26. 4 From a technical standpoint, this simple request to perform on the rooftop was a gigantic headache for the film crew and the Apple/EMI sound engineers. In addition to accommodating the space required for five film cameras, and various sound equipment which needed electricity to run, there was also the issue of the cold temperature – the temperature would be in the mid-40s and windy when the Beatles performed. In a few cases, sound engineers wrapped ladies’ stockings around microphones to camouflage the sound of the wind blowing against them. John and George wore heavy coats and Ringo wore his wife’s raincoat in a futile attempt to stay warm. Throughout the 42- minute rooftop set John can be seen rubbing his hands together in between songs to keep warm. At the conclusion of the released version of “Dig A Pony,” John says, “Thank you brothers, me hand’s gettin’ too cold to play the chords.” The song was so new that John had an assistant hold up a clipboard with the lyrics in case he forgot them. Engineer Alan Parsons: “No one ever questioned the Beatles. They want to do it on the roof? Fine, it will be done. That was one of the greatest and most exciting days of my life. To see the Beatles playing together and getting instant feedback from the people around them, it was just unbelievable. A magic, magic day.” 9.12 BREAK George Harrison – If Not For You - All Things Must Pass ‘70 5 This track was retrieved from the session George did with Bob Dylan earlier in the year. Dylan was to release the track himself the following year on his New Morning LP, but George’s take definitely has the edge over Dylan’s lackadaisical reading. The Beatles - You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away - Help! (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded in less than two hours on February 18, 1965. Written entirely by John Lennon, who freely admitted the obvious Bob Dylan influence. Lennon wrote this at Kenwood, his home on the St. George’s Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey (where the Beatles would be photographed for the cover of their “Rubber Soul” album). John’s original lyric was “I can’t go on feeling two foot tall,” but when singing it for Paul the first time he accidentally said, two foot “small.” Lennon then laughed and said, “Let’s leave it … all those pseudes will really love it.” The first of their songs since “Love Me Do” in 1962 to feature an outside musician. Johnnie Scott provides the flute solo at the end of the song, though he is not credited on the album jacket. On U.S. album: Help! - Capitol LP The Beatles - I’m A Loser - Beatles For Sale (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded in eight takes on August 14, 1964. Written mostly by John Lennon. The song style, more autobiographical and introspective than the “yeah, yeah, yeah” pop the group had previously recorded, was heavily influenced by the work of Bob Dylan. Paul McCartney called it “a folk song gone pop.” The Beatles debuted “I’m A Loser” on ABC’s “Shindig” program, an appearance taped in London and airing on October 7. The song was performed during the Beatles’ European Tour commencing June 20, 1965, but was not on the set list for the U.S. shows two months later. John’s harmonica solo was a last minute addition to the song, appearing first in Take 6. George Martin and the group considered “I’m A Loser” a potential single and had initially chosen it to be the LP’s opening song. On U.S. album: Beatles ‘65 - Capitol LP George Harrison – I Don’t Want To Do It (written by Bob Dylan) A soundtrack for the third installment in a puerile teensploitation movie series was certainly not the most likely venue for the first new George Harrison recording in almost three years. But journeyman rocker, Dave Edmunds has a way of convincing friends to do the most amazing things. The Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - Rubber Soul (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John 6 Originally recorded on October 12, 1965, The Beatles decided to scrap this version and re-record the song nine days later, on October 21. George Harrison provides the sitar, the first appearance of the instrument on a Beatles recording, though the sitar can be heard in the instrumental introduction on the American version of “Help!” Written mainly by John with some lyrical assistance from Paul. John: “I was trying to write about an affair without letting me wife know… so it was very gobbledegook. I was sort of writing from my experiences, girls’ flats.” Paul has said that the ending lyrics, “so I lit a fire,” refer to the house being burned down in an act of revenge by the spurned lover. Bob Dylan did a slight parody of the song on his 1966 album, Blonde on Blonde. Check out the song “4th Time Around.” On U.S. album: Rubber Soul - Capitol LP George Harrison – I’d Have You Anytime (co-written with Bob Dylan) – All Things Must Pass ‘70 This composition began at Bob Dylan’s home in Woodstock, New York during Thanksgiving 1968. George completed the song when he returned to England. The Beatles - I Am The Walrus – Magical Mystery Tour (EP) (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John The Beatles’ sixteenth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. On U.S. album: Magical Mystery Tour - Capitol LP 7 George Harrison – Mama You’ve Been On My Mind (demo) - Early Takes Vol.1 ‘12 Wow that set turned out to be very Dylan infused. 9.43 BREAK Ringo – I’m The Greatest - RINGO JL GH RS BP KV NO PAUL John Lennon – Whatever Gets You Thru The Night Credited to “John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Nuclear Band,” this track was recorded with Elton John (who at the time was the biggest star in the world).