PLAYLIST March 3rd 2013 HOUR I The Beatles - Let It Be – Single / Let It Be /Past Masters Recorded January 31st at Apple Studios The twenty-second official UK release. Released: March 6, 1970 in UK Weeks on chart: 9: March 14 to May 15, 1970 Highest chart position: 2 Released: March 11, 1970 in USA Highest chart position: 1 RIAA Gold Single award: March 17, 1970 The record label incorrectly listed the b-side title as You Know My Name (Look Up 'My' Number). As in the U.K. release, Let it Be is in stereo while You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) is in mono The Beatles - Across The Universe - Let It Be (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Prior to leaving for an extended trip to India to study Transcendental Meditation in early 1968, the Beatles recorded several new songs to fill the sides of their upcoming single, which would be released while they were away. John had originally wanted his new composition, “Across The Universe,” for the A-side of the single but was still not happy with the mix of the song. When the Beatles sat down to decide which two of their new recordings should be used, John preferred “Across the Universe” remain on the shelf for the time being, giving Paul’s more commercial “Lady Madonna” the A-side. “Across The Universe” was written entirely by John and was recorded February 4, 1968, in eight takes. Overdubs were recorded on February 8. Comedian and author Spike Milligan had been at Abbey Road when the group was working on the song and some months later inquired about it. He was surprised to learn that “Across the Universe” was sitting unreleased in EMI’s vault, so Milligan asked Lennon to donate the song to a charity album he was organizing for the World Wildlife Fund. Milligan was a British comedy legend who, along with Peter Sellers, starred in “The Goon Show,” one of John’s all-time favorite programs. Lennon not only gladly contributed the song to be used on the charity album, but arranged to have the songwriting royalties from the recording given to the World Wildlife Fund. This charity album version, known by fans as the “Wildlife” version, was released in December 1969. Although it is popularly believed that the two versions of “Across The Universe” are different recordings, they are not. Both the “Wildlife” version and the Phil Spector re-produced version are derived from the same February 8, 1968, master tape. For the charity album, the sound of birds was added and the tape was sped up to give it a higher pitch. On April 1, 1970, Spector stripped some elements from the original February 8, 1968, master tape, slowed it down and added an orchestra and choir. The instrumental line-up is John on acoustic guitar, Paul on piano, George on tamboura and wah-wah guitar (second and third refrains only) and Ringo on drums. The Beatles - Long Long Long - The Beatles (Harrison) Lead vocal: George George, Paul and Ringo ran through 67 takes of George’s “Long Long Long,” then titled “It’s Been A Long Long Long Time,” on October 7, 1968. John Lennon was not at any of the sessions for the song. Harrison provided the lead vocal, accompanying himself on his Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar, Paul played Hammond organ, and Ringo played drums. George has said the “you” he is referring to in the song is God, and admits that the chords were taken from Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands,” which is on Dylan’s 1966 album “Blonde On Blonde.” Chris Thomas: “There’s a sound near the end of the song which is a bottle of Blue Nun wine rattling away on the top of a Leslie speaker cabinet. It just happened. Paul hit a certain note and the bottle started vibrating. We thought it was so good that we set the mikes up and did it again. The Beatles always took advantage of accidents.” The rattling sound is best heard in the right channel of the stereo version. Ringo – Night & Day – Sentimental Journey `70 JPG&R 2.12 BREAK 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.” This strayed purposely from The Beatles’ usual release pattern. Generally they would not issue songs from an LP as single sides. But John and Paul had tired of other artists recording their album tracks and having chart hits with them, so this time out The Beatles opted to have the hit single version of two of their album tracks. The “Yellow Submarine”/”Eleanor Rigby” single, issued simultaneously with the “Revolver” album, marked the first time the band issued LP songs on a single in Britain. In the U.S., the single sold a remarkable 1.2 million copies in the first month of release, and became the group’s 21st gold record. On U.S. album: Revolver - Capitol LP The Beatles - It's All Too Much (Harrison) - Yellow Submarine Recorded 25th May 1967 at De Lane Lea Music Recording Studio’s London. Recorded a week before Sgt. Pepper was released. Truly a psychedelic song if they’re ever was one. Borrowing a bit from The Mersey’s hit “Sorrow” in the end. The Beatles - All Together Now - Yellow Submarine (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul In May 1967, with the “Sgt. Pepper” album in the can and awaiting release, the Beatles went to work on two projects at the same time. They began recording the title track for “Magical Mystery Tour” and also starting to record the new songs they had promised for the “Yellow Submarine” film. The first song specifically recorded for the “Yellow Submarine” film was “Baby, You’re A Rich Man” (on May 11, 1967), but that song was pulled several months later to fill the B-side of the “All You Need Is Love” single. George Harrison’s “Sgt. Pepper” reject “Only A Northern Song” was added to the stack of film songs. Paul’s sing-along “All Together Now” was started and finished on May 12, 1967. Nine takes were recorded. Instruments included two acoustic guitars (probably Paul and George), bass guitar (Paul), bass drum (Ringo), harmonica and banjo (John). ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 The Beatles - Any Time At All - A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded June 2, 1964, the last day of recording for the “A Hard Day’s Night” album. John Lennon: “An effort at writing ‘It Won't Be Long’ - same ilk. C to A minor, C to A minor with me shouting.” The song was in an unfinished state when Lennon brought it to the band to record on June 2. The group worked out the arrangement throughout the day and night. Up against the wall on a deadline to submit the album, the piano section in the middle eight was left without lyrics. They had run out of time. On April 8, 1988, Lennon's handwritten lyrics for “Any Time At All” were sold for £6,000 at an auction held at Sotheby's in London. On U.S. album: Something New - Capitol LP The Beatles - When I Get Home - A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John Recorded in 11 takes on June 2, 1964. It was the next to last song completed for the “A Hard Day’s Night” album. In his 1980 interview with Playboy magazine John Lennon said: “That’s me trying to get that Wilson Pickett type sound, a four-in-the bar cowbell song.” On U.S. album: Something New - Capitol LP 2.32 BREAK The Beatles - I Feel Fine- A Collection Of Oldies (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John The Beatles’ eighth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label.