1 PLAYLIST JUNE, 2nd 2013 Special In studio guests Brian Ray & John Densmore 1 2 9AM A little journey how the Beatles got to the Sgt. Pepper LP The Beatles - Love Me Do – Please Please Me 2 3 (McCartney-Lennon) Lead vocal: John and Paul The Beatles’ first single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. Released October 5, 1962, it reached #17 on the British charts. Principally written by Paul McCartney in 1958 and 1959. Recorded with three different drummers: Pete Best (June 6, 1962, EMI), Ringo Starr (September 4, 1962), and Andy White (September 11, 1962 with Ringo playing tambourine). The 45 rpm single lists the songwriters as Lennon-McCartney. One of several Beatles songs Paul McCartney owns with Yoko Ono. Starting with the songs recorded for their debut album on February 11, 1963, Lennon and McCartney’s output was attached to their Northern Songs publishing company. Because their first single was released before John and Paul had contracted with a music publisher, EMI assigned it to their own, a company called Ardmore and Beechwood, which took the two songs “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You.” Decades later McCartney and Ono were able to purchase the songs for their respective companies, MPL Communications and Lenono Music. Fun fact: John Lennon shoplifted the harmonica he played on the song from a shop in Holland. On U.S. albums: Introducing… The Beatles (Version 1) - Vee-Jay LP The Early Beatles - Capitol LP The Beatles - Do You Want To Know A Secret – Please Please Me (McCartney-Lennon) Lead vocal: George 3 4 Recorded February 11, 1963. Written primarily by John Lennon for George Harrison to sing. The song was given to another Brian Epstein-managed act, Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas, to cover. Their version topped the British charts in late spring 1963. Inspired by "I'm Wishing," a song from Walt Disney’s 1937 animated film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” that Lennon’s mother used to sing to him when he was a child. On U.S. albums: Introducing… The Beatles - Vee-Jay LP The Early Beatles - Capitol LP The Beatles - Tell Me Why - A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Completed in eight takes on February 27, 1964 in between “And I Love Her” and “If I Fell.” “Tell Me Why” was written primarily by John and was his attempt to mimic the New York girl group sound The Beatles were so fond of. On U.S. album: A Hard Day’s Night - United Artists LP Something New - Capitol LP Revolver - Capitol LP The Beatles - Nowhere Man - Rubber Soul (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Under pressure to deliver new material while the “Rubber Soul” album was being recorded, John Lennon spent five hours one morning at home trying to come up with a new song. John: “I'd actually stopped trying to think of something. Nothing would come. I was cheesed off and went for a lie down, having given up. Then I thought of myself as Nowhere Man - sitting in his nowhere land.” 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.” “Nowhere Man” was performed throughout The Beatles’ 1966 world tour. Issued as a single (b/w “What Goes On”) by Capitol Records in America. Recorded on October 22, 1965. On U.S. album: Yesterday and Today - Capitol LP 4 5 The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby - Revolver (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul The Beatles’ thirteenth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. Essentially a Paul McCartney solo composition, he had some help with the song’s storyline from John, George, Ringo and John’s childhood friend Pete Shotton at Kenwood, John’s estate in Weybridge. This marks the first time a finished Beatles recording had no Beatle playing an instrument. The backing track, a haunting George Martin score, featured a double string quartet (four violins, two violas and two cellos) and was finished in 14 takes on April 28, 1966 with John and Paul sitting in the control room. The title character had initially been called Daisy Hawkins, but later evolved into Eleanor Rigby. Paul says the name was based on “Help!” actress Eleanor Bron and the name of a local business, Rigby & Evans Ltd., Wine & Spirit Shippers. In a strange coincidently, a tombstone at St. Peter’s Parish in Woolton, Liverpool, (the church where Lennon and McCartney met as teenagers) bears the name Eleanor Rigby. That particular Eleanor Rigby died on Oct. 10, 1939, at age 44. “Father McKenzie” had at one time been “Father McCartney,” but Paul changed it so people wouldn’t think the song referred to his father. Paul returned to the song on June 6, 1966, to add a counterpoint vocal at the end of the song. The song was issued as a double-A side single, paired with “Yellow Submarine.” On U.S. album: Revolver - Capitol LP The Beatles progression from 1962 to 1966 leading up to the recording of their epic Sgt. Pepper’s LP out today in 1967 here in the USA and we will hear both sides in MONO when we return 9.12 BREAK 5 6 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band turns 46 (TODAY IN THE USA!) When the Beatles decided to take it to the next level, they were the most popular live act of all time now they would become the greatest studio band of all time. Some of the bits including are taken from The Beatles on the Kenny Everett radio Show promoting their new LP of 1967… Eng. Mark please press the BBC button Side 1: 6 7 The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul Recording began on February 1, 1967 for what would become the title track of the new Beatles album. The song was written entirely by Paul McCartney. It was McCartney’s idea to give the Beatles alter egos -- they would become Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band -- for this album. Nine takes were attempted, two of which were complete run-throughs. For the first time ever an instrument (Paul’s bass guitar) was directly injected into the recording console instead of through an amplifier. Vocals were added the following evening, and the track sat for a month while the band worked on other material. The group returned to the title track on March 3 with the addition of four French horns played by outside musicians. Paul also came up with the idea of simulating a concert performance by the alter-ego band. The sound of the band warming up was taken from the February 10 orchestra session for “A Day In The Life.” Other effects (the crowd settling down, applause, and laughter) were taken from the vast Abbey Road tape archives. The screaming at the end of the song was taken from the Capitol- recorded Beatles concert at the Hollywood Bowl. On the “Sgt. Pepper” album the end of the title track segues into Ringo’s “With A Little help From My Friends.” 7 8 The Beatles - With A Little Help From My Friends - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Lennon-McCartney) 8 9 Lead vocal: Ringo The first instance on a Beatles album where one song segues into another without the usual few seconds of silence between the tracks. This was to give the listener the feeling of a continuous concert performance. Written on the afternoon of March 29, 1967 by Paul with help from John at Paul’s house on Cavendish Avenue in St. John’s Wood specifically as a song for Ringo Starr to sing on the new album. It was recorded that evening. Although he liked the song, Ringo refused to sing the original lyrics to the opening verse. Ringo: “The original first verse to that was ‘What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you throw a tomato at me?’ And I said, ‘I’m not singing that.’” John and Paul quickly changed the line to “Would you stand up and walk out on me?” The rhythm track was recorded in ten takes the same day Paul and John write the song, with Paul on piano, George on Hammond organ, John on guitar and Ringo on drums. Vocals were added as Take 11. Originally titled “Bad Finger Boogie.” The screaming at the beginning of the song was taken from the Capitol-recorded Beatles concert at the Hollywood Bowl. On the “Sgt. Pepper” album the end of the title track segues into “With A Little help From My Friends.” The Beatles - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded March 1, 1967. John Lennon’s classic song of psychedelic imagery was inspired by a drawing brought home by son, Julian, who was four years old at the time. In February 1967, Julian returned home from his nursery school with a painting depicting one of his classmates, Lucy O’Donnell. Young Lucy was pictured with a background of stars in the sky. When asked by his father about his painting, Julian said it was “Lucy, in the sky, with diamonds.” John was so taken with the phrase he combined it with passages similar to two books by Lewis Carroll that he’d loved as a child, “Through The Looking Glass” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Paul added the line about “newspaper taxis” and Lennon’s beloved “Goon Show” got a shout out.