All the Songs
Page 28
On Earth as It Is in Heaven!
In 1974, when paleontologist Yves Coppens and his team in Ethiopia discovered the skeleton of a woman, who was at that time one of the oldest human beings ever found, they called her Lucy as a tribute to the Beatles song that they were listening to while marking the skeleton of the young Australopithecus.
Getting Better
Lennon-McCartney / 2:47
1967
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass, lead guitar, piano (?), hand claps
John: rhythm guitar (?), backing vocal
George: rhythm guitar (?), tambura, backing vocal, hand claps
Ringo: drums, bongos, hand claps
George Martin: Hohmer Pianet electric piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 9–10, 21, and 23, 1967 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 15
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 23, 1967 (Studio Two) / April 17, 1967 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producers: George Martin, Peter Vince
Sound Engineers: Malcolm Addey, Ken Townsend, Geoff Emerick, Peter Vince
Assistant Engineers: Graham Kirkby, Richard Lush, Ken Scott
Genesis
Jimmy Nicol, who had replaced Ringo in June 1964, used to constantly repeat, “It’s getting better.” One day, Paul was walking around with Hunter Davies, the first official biographer of the group, and he remembered this expression and used it as the inspiration for his new song. He worked on it at Cavendish Avenue on his piano, which was painted by the psychedelic artists Binder, Edwards & Vaughan. When John came to help him write the lyrics, the music had already been composed. As Paul was singing, It’s getting better all the time, John threw in bluntly, It couldn’t get no worse. Always the same dialectic between their two personalities … Paul used this song to settle accounts with the teachers who taught him when he was young. John was more radical and confessed openly his violent nature: “I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically—any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn’t express myself and I hit …,”1 and he admitted at the same time that “That is why I am always on about peace, you see. It is the most violent people who go for love and peace.… Everything’s the opposite.… I am a violent man who has learned not to be violent and regrets his violence.”2
A Minor Mistake
On March 21, John, who believed he was taking an upper, made a mistake and accidentally swallowed some LSD. He started feeling very uncomfortable. George Martin noticed this without knowing why and naively brought him outdoors for some fresh air, while the others were laughing at John. When Martin came back alone, George and Paul realized that John was on the roof, alone and stoned out of his mind. They hurried to bring him back!
Production
On March 9, a new team took over the recording, since Emerick and Lush were on vacation. After seven takes, the basic rhythm track was recorded with Paul on the Epiphone Casino, Ringo on drums, and George Martin on the Hohner Pianet. After a drumming overdub, reduction of the whole song was done. The next day, the usual engineers had returned; George overdubbed a droning tambura (with added flanging), an instrument that became important on the album; Ringo was on drums, while Paul simultaneously recorded his bass. Emerick added to this a short reverb using the washroom as an echo chamber. Paul did not really appreciate this—but he agreed. On March 21, there was a new reduction. Paul delivered his lead vocal, accompanied by John and George on backing vocals, a process they doubled on another track. Finally, on March 23, with another production team, the Beatles concluded the song with various overdubs of bongos played by Ringo, guitar (Paul, John, George?), piano (Paul?), and hand claps. The mono mix was done the same day and the stereo on April 17. This beautiful song, which seems simple, required difficult studio work.
Fixing A Hole
Lennon-McCartney / 2:36
1967
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass (?), harpsichord (?)
John: bass (?), backing vocal, maracas (?)
George: lead guitar, backing vocal
Ringo: drums
George Martin: harpsichord (?)
RECORDED
Regent Sound Studio: February 9, 1967 (Studio A)
Abbey Road: February 21, 1967 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 3
MIXING
Abbey Road: February 21, 1967 (Studio Two) / April 7, 1967 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineers: Adrian Ibbetson (Regent Sound Studio), Geoff Emerick
Assistant Engineer: Richard Lush
Genesis
Paul was the author of this great song, which John liked. The lyrics gave rise to numerous interpretations, such as references to shooting heroin, allusions to the pleasures of handicraft, and the like. In fact, Paul simply wanted to celebrate the joys of marijuana and, more generally, denounce all those who would not let him take drugs. Paul said to Barry Miles, “Fixing was the general idea. Wanting to be free enough to let my mind wander, let myself be artistic, let myself not sneer at avant-garde things.”1
Paul wanted to run his own life and no longer be subject to external constraints. He was also troubled by the constant intrusiveness of Beatles fans. He mentioned an amusing anecdote along these lines. As he was getting ready to go record “Fixing a Hole,” a stranger claiming he was Jesus showed up at his front door. Paul invited him in for tea and offered to let him attend the recording session if he kept quiet. Jesus kept his word and had the privilege of hearing the Beatles record in the studio. One more miracle …
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Glyn Johns, who participated in the “Get Back” project as a sound engineer, later became the manager of the Regent Sound Studio.
Production
Accompanied by Jesus, Paul joined the group on February 9, not at Abbey Road, which was booked that evening, but at the Regent Sound Studio in downtown London, a small studio, although the Stones and the Kinks had already recorded there. George Martin who had become an independent producer, followed them there; but neither Geoff Emerick, nor Richard Lush, who were EMI employees, had permission to leave their jobs. Adrian Ibbetson, chief engineer at Regent Sound, was serving as the Beatles’ sound engineer. The Beatles laid down three takes of the song, but the first two were both very good so onto the tape box was written master for take 1 and final master for take 2. Contrary to their habit, the voices and instruments were recorded simultaneously. The normal recording procedure for the Beatles was to tape the rhythm track and overdub vocals later on. The distribution of roles between Paul, George Martin, and John is unclear. There was a harpsichord in the middle of the studio, rented for this session. It seemed as though it was Martin who played it. But Richard Lush and Neil Aspinall claimed it was Paul. If so, who was on bass, since the instruments were all played together? John? The playing and the sound of the bass are guesswork. Lush specified that John was playing a Fender. But nothing confirms this. Paul may have sung and played bass, with John on maracas and Martin on harpsichord. On the other hand, there was no doubt about George and Ringo: surely the former played a fantastic part on guitar with flanging, and Ringo a drum part that worked just as well. On February 21, they returned to Abbey Road for further over-dubs, and probably some vocals. The mono mix was made the very same day, and the stereo on April 7.
She’s Leaving Home
Lennon-McCartney / 3:34
1967
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal
John: vocal
Erich Gruenberg, Derek Jacobs, Trevor Williams, José Luis Garcia: violins
John Underwood, Stephen Shingles: violas
Dennis Vigay, Alan Dalziel: cellos
Gordon Pearce: double bass
Sheila Bromberg: harp
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 17 and 20, 1967 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 9
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 20, 1967 (Studio Two) / April 17, 1967 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Assistant Engineers: Richard Lush, Ken Scott
Genesis
In the Daily Mail of February 27, 1967, Paul found the inspiration for “She’s Leaving Home.” An article focused on a seventeen-year-old student, Melanie Coe, who had just run away from home, leaving behind her a mink coat, a diamond ring, and a car. “Her father was quoted as saying: ‘I cannot imagine why she should run away, she has everything here.’” These were the days of hippie communes, squatters, and peace rallies. The slogan was Peace and Love. Paul found the topic compelling and, with John’s help, he wrote this song. Paul said, “It was rather poignant. I like it as a song, and when I showed it to John, he added the Greek chorus, with long sustained notes.”1
In the lyrics, there was also mention of a man from the automobile industry—a man from the motor trade. People thought this referred to Terry Doran, a friend of the Beatles and the future CEO of Apple Music: he had managed Brydor Cars, a luxury car dealer, for Brian Epstein. Paul denied this theory: “It was just fiction, like the sea captain in ‘Yellow Submarine’; they weren’t real people.”2
“She’s Leaving Home” was a superb song. Brian Wilson remembered that in April 1967, when he was working on “Vegetables” with the Beach Boys, Paul “sat down at the piano and played ‘She’s Leaving Home’ for me and my wife. We both just cried, it was beautiful.”3
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
The mono version is slightly faster and higher by a semitone than the stereo version: during the stereo mix, the team forgot to “varispeed” the tape, as it did for the mono mix!
Production
Once the song was completed, Paul asked George Martin to quickly write arrangements for him and come to his place the very next day for a work session. Martin could not do that because he was booked to record Cilla Black that day. “Come. You can come,” insisted Paul. Martin would not give in. Paul hung up. The next day, Paul showed up at the studio with Mike Leander, whom he had hired in Martin’s place to write the arrangements: “Here we are. I’ve got a score. We can record it now.”4 George Martin conducted the arrangement, but was deeply hurt. Paul appeared surprised by his reaction and responded by stating, “I was hurt that he didn’t have time for me but he had time for Cilla.”5
The recording on March 17 went smoothly. None of the Beatles played on the song. Only four violins, two violas, two cellos, a bass, and a harp were recorded. After a brief correction was made to the score (a short repetition of the cello that was deleted after each chorus), Martin directed the musicians with a master’s touch. Paul sang lead. Six takes were recorded. Ultimately, the first one was kept. On March 20, Paul doubled his voice and John provided the countermelody (which he doubled twice). The mono mix was done on the same day, and the stereo mix on April 17.
Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite !
Lennon-McCartney / 2:35
1967
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, organ, bass harmonica
Paul: bass, lead guitar, backing vocal, piano (?)
George: tambourine, backing vocal, bass harmonica
Ringo: drums
George Martin: harmonium, organ, Mellotron (?), glockenspiel (?)
Mal Evans: harmonica, organ
Neil Aspinall: bass harmonica
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 17, 1967 (Studio Two) / February 20, 1967 (Studio Three) / March 28–29 and 31, 1967 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 9
MIXING
Abbey Road: February 17, 1967 (Studio Two) / March 31, 1967 (Studio Two) / April 7, 1967 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Assistant Engineer: Richard Lush
Genesis
On January 31, 1967, the Beatles were in Sevenoaks, Kent, filming a promotional video for “Strawberry Fields Forever.” During the lunch break, John wandered into an antique shop and pulled out a framed Victorian circus poster from 1843, announcing Pablo Fanque’s Circus Royal, coming to Town Meadows in Rochdale. He bought it. He hung the poster in his music room at his home in Weybridge and began to use it as the inspiration for a new song. All the main characters in the song are from that poster: Mr. Kite, the Hendersons, Pablo Fanque, Henry the Horse. Except the horse was not called Henry. Some might see an allusion to hard drugs, horse was another name for heroin. John explained, “I had never seen heroin in that period. No, it’s all just from that poster.”1 With Paul’s help, the song wrote itself very easily: “The song is pure, like a painting, a pure watercolor.”2 However, in 1967, he was not very proud of it when he declared, “There was no real work.” Nevertheless, the poster gave him the inspiration for the Sgt. Pepper slogan, A splendid time is guaranteed for all.
Production
The production of this song was one of the most complicated in the history of the group. The rhythm track was recorded on February 17: John sang a scratch vocal, Paul played bass, George was on tambourine, Ringo on drums, and George Martin on harmonium. A first reduction was carried out and John recorded the definitive version of the vocal, which was slightly accelerated and doubled by means of ADT. On February 20, John announced to Martin that he wanted a sound atmosphere that smelled like the sawdust on a circus track. A bit confused, Martin tried in vain to rent a pipe organ. He then decided to take extracts of pipe organ music in the sound library of Abbey Road, cut tapes of various lengths, throw them in the air, and assemble everything in the random order where they fell! Geoff Emerick claimed he had suggested this idea to Martin, reminding him they had already used this method for the brass band on “Yellow Submarine.” Once the edit was carried out, the Beatles redid the song on March 28. While on the intro, Martin played a little melody (Mellotron?), while John and George added bass harmony. Then came the instrumental part (at 1:00). Facing the technical difficulty of his organ part, Martin preferred to record it at half-speed. John accompanied him on a second organ; George, Mal Evans, and Neil Aspinall each blew into a bass harmonica; Ringo beat a tambourine, and Paul played a part on lead guitar (at 1:16). The results of the whole recording at normal speed were mind-blowing! A brief part on piano concluded this instrumental section (at 1:26). On March 29, the editing of the so-called pipe organs from February 20 was added. Finally, on March 31, there was one last overdub of glockenspiel and organ before the mono mix was carried out on the same day. The stereo version was done on April 7.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Because of an imprecise vocal overdub, the beginning of the fifth line of the third couplet (having at 1:43) was cut!
Within You Without You
George Harrison / 5:04
1967
MUSICIANS
George: vocal, acoustic guitar, sitar, tambura
Neil Aspinall: tambura
Asian Music Circle Musicians: swarmandal, dilruba, tabla, tambura
Erich Gruenberg, Alan Loveday, Julien Gaillard, Paul Scherman, Ralph Elman, David Wolfsthal, Jack Rothstein, Jack Greene: violins
Reginald Kilbey, Allen Ford, Peter Beavan: cellos
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 15 and 22, 1967 (Studio Two) / April 3, 1967 (Studio One)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 2
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 15 and 22, 1967 (Studio Two) / April 3–4, 1967 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Assistant Engineer: Richard Lush
Genesis
The production of Sgt. Pepper must not have been easy for George. Paul assumed more and more dominance over the group and he became more auth
oritarian. He took away many guitar solos from George, too often reducing his participation to shaking maracas. George Martin had rejected Harrison’s first song for the album, “Only a Northern Song,” which Martin considered too weak (it appeared on the master of Yellow Submarine in 1969). During an evening at his friend Klaus Voormann’s place, George found the required inspiration for his next song. “At the time, we lived in Rainspark, and George often came over to visit. He was fascinated by my harmonium. While he played the keyboard, I was under him, working the pedals. This was how ‘Within You Without You’ was created,” Voormann related in his memoirs.1 George started with the ideas discussed during that evening to write the first lines—We were talking—and adapted a long piece by Ravi Shankar for the music: “I wrote a mini version of it, using sounds similar to those I’d discovered in his piece. I recorded in three segments and spliced them together later.”2 George got the approval of his colleagues. John even stated, “One of my favorites of his.… He’s clear on that song. His mind and his music are clear. There is his innate talent; he brought that sound together.”3 Ringo loved it, too. As for Paul, he confided in Michael Simmons of Mojo magazine in 2011: “‘Within You Without You’ is … completely landmark, I would say, in Western recording.”4