Yer Blues
Lennon-McCartney / 3:58
1968
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm and lead guitar
Paul: bass, backing vocal
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Abbey Road: August 13–14, 1968 (Studio Two) / August 20, 1968 (Studio Three)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 17
MIXING
Abbey Road: August 14, 1968 (Studio Two) / October 14, 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Ken Scott
Assistant Engineer: John Smith
Genesis
Following the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was not an easy task for John. Weaned off drugs, troubled by Yoko who was regularly sending him secret letters, and exhausted by his meditation attempts, John was depressed. “‘Yer Blues’ was written in India, too. The same thing: up there trying to reach God and feeling suicidal.”1 Yet, he admitted it was a nice, secure scene. In fact, he could not explain his discomfort: “The funny thing about the [Maharishi’s] camp was that although it was very beautiful and I was meditating about eight hours a day, I was writing the most miserable songs on earth. In ‘Yer Blues,’ when I wrote, I’m so lonely I want to die, I’m not kidding. That’s how I felt.”2
The song reflected his mood at the time: he felt down and even hated his rock ‘n’ roll music. He alluded to his insecurity with a reference to the enigmatic character Mr. Jones from Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man,” extracted from one of his masterpieces, Highway 61 Revisited in 1965.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
An excellent version of “Yer Blues” was recorded on September 11, 1968, by Dirty Mac, a one-time English super group formed for the Rolling Stones’ TV special titled The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. The album for the event was released on CD and VHS in 1996; the DVD followed in 2004. John was on vocals and rhythm guitar, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Keith Richards on bass, and Mitch Mitchell on drums.
Production
On August 13, the Beatles, always on a quest for new sounds decided to record “Yer Blues,” not in Studio Two but in the small room adjacent to the control room that was used to store tapes. Paul said, “It was quite a small room, about ten feet by four feet, a poky cupboard really that normally had tapes and microphones leads and jack plugs in it. And we said, ‘Can we record in there?’ And George Martin said, ‘What, the whole band?’ We said, ‘Yes! Let’s try it!”3
The four of them ended up in the small room with the amps turned toward the wall to avoid instruments and vocals spilling over into other tracks. John was standing in front of a microphone in the middle. “We liked being in close contact with each other, we felt it added to the power of our music, and it did,” said Paul. Ringo also remembered, “It was the four of us. That is what I’m saying: it was really because the four of us were in a box, a room about eight by eight, with no separation. It was this group that was together; it was like grunge rock of the Sixties—really, grunge blues.”4
The rhythm track was completed after fourteen takes. John played his Epiphone Casino, George on his Les Paul “Lucy,” Paul on his Fender Jazz Bass, and Ringo on his Ludwig. John and George each performed a solo. One can also hear previous solos starting at 2:54 in the background that spilled over into the first take. Satisfied, they still chose to replace the entire part after the solo with the sixth take. The edit occurred at 3:17 into the song and ran through to the fade-out. The edit was made directly on the master tape. The next day John recorded a new lead vocal backed by Paul, and Ringo double-tracked his snare part and the break in the solo part. The mono mix was made the same day, and the stereo mix on August 20. “Yer Blues” was completed with Ringo recording a very short count-in for the introduction, a “two, three …,” edited right away into mixes.
Technical Details
Ken Scott used an RCA 44-BX mic to record John’s vocals, a microphone generally used for percussion.
Mother Nature’s Son
Lennon-McCartney / 2:47
1968
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, acoustic guitar, bass drum, percussion
Unknown musicians: 2 trumpets, 2 trombones
RECORDED
Abbey Road: August 9 and 20, 1968 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 26
MIXING
Abbey Road: August 20, 1968 (Studio Two) / October 12, 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Ken Scott
Assistant Engineer: John Smith
Genesis
“Mother Nature’s Son” was inspired by a lecture on nature by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh. Paul finished writing the song at his father’s house in Liverpool. He was also influenced by Nat King Cole’s 1948 recording of the song “Nature Boy,’ which was a major hit.
John, who also attended the lecture, was inspired to write “I’m Just a Child of Nature.” He released the song in 1971 with revised lyrics, under the title “Jealous Guy,” for his second solo album Imagine. Paul cultivated a sincere love for nature. This was strengthened even more after he met Linda Eastman: “I’d always loved nature, and when Linda and I got together we discovered we had this deep love of nature in common.”1 The couple devoted their lives to the defense of the planet and Linda converted Paul to vegetarianism in 1975.
Production
On August 9, after recording take 102 (!) of George’s song “Not Guilty,” the Beatles left the studio, and Paul stayed behind to record “Mother Nature’s Son.” George’s song “Not Guilty” was not included on the White Album, but a revised version was released on George Harrison’s 1979 self-titled solo album. Paul recorded his vocals and acoustic guitar simultaneously, on the Martin D-28 acoustic guitar. Take 24 was the best.
On August 20, recording sessions resumed. Paul decided to follow John’s advice given during the recording sessions of “Blackbird” and recorded over-dubs of brass instruments. Two trumpet and two trombone players were in the studio to perform the delicate arrangement written by George Martin. After reduction, Paul, who played all the instruments, wanted an open effect on his bass drum to give a bongo sound on the third part of the song. According to Alan Brown, the technical engineer, Paul asked to be recorded in the corridor adjacent to Studio Two, where Ken Scott recalled there was a staircase. The bass drum was recorded with reverb, which is audible from 1:54. John Smith also remembered Paul listening to the playback in the control room, hitting a book he had brought (The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow), and he was satisfied with the sound effect. He asked Ken Scott to record it: the resulting percussion was Paul hitting his book! Finally, a second acoustic guitar was added at the end of the song. “Mother Nature’s Son” was more of a solo work than a Beatles recording. Ken Scott related an anecdote revealing the tension between them at that time: “Paul was downstairs going through the arrangement with George [Martin] and the brass players. Everything was great, everyone was in great spirits. It felt really good. Suddenly, half way through, John and Ringo walked in and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. An instant change. It was like that for ten minutes and then as soon as they left it felt great again.”2 The final mixes were dated October 12.
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
Lennon-McCartney / 2:24
1968
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar, hand claps
Paul: bass, fireman’s bell, backing vocal, hand claps
George: lead guitar, backing vocal, hand claps
Ringo: drums, maracas, hand claps
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 26–27, 1968 (Studio Two) / July 1 and 23, 1968 (Studio Two)
NUM
BER OF TAKES: 12
MIXING
Abbey Road: July 23, 1968 (Studio Two) / October 12, 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott
Assistant Engineers: Richard Lush, John Smith
Genesis
“Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” is the longest title in the Beatles’ discography. John loved the sentence, which was about his relationship with his new girlfriend, Yoko Ono. The couple had to face the misunderstanding of their entourage and their fans’ misunderstanding that quickly turned into hostility and even rejection. Yoko was subject to insults and threats. John said in 1980: “Everybody seemed to be paranoid except for us two, who were in the glow of love.… Everybody was sort of tense around us: You know, ‘What is she doing here at the session? Why is she with him?’ All this sort of madness is going on around us because we just happened to want to be together all the time.”1 For Paul, the song was a direct reference to John’s heroin habit: a monkey on your back was a jazz-musician slang term for heroin addiction in the 1940s. It was a difficult period for John. Drugs, marriage breakdown, and tension within the group made him paranoid and aggressive. Pete Shotton remembered an episode when John thought he was the reincarnation of Jesus. Yoko was his savior, but not the savior of the group.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Fats Domino released a cover of “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” in 1969. John liked it.
Production
On June 26, the Beatles rehearsed a new song by John that was to become “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.” At this time, the Beatles recorded all their rehearsals and kept all the recordings in case they ended up with something they could use. The first day’s recording session was a long rehearsal, and the following day they began the proper recording. The rhythm track was completed in eight takes with a tape recorder running slowly; John and George were on guitars with the volume turned up very high. George played lead guitar magnificently, much more aggressively than his usual style. Ringo was on drums and Paul hit a huge fireman’s bell with such vigor that Geoff Emerick did not assign a microphone to Paul because it was so loud. Paul had to take a break after each take because it was physically very difficult. The group seemed to have regained its vitality. The song lasted more than three minutes but was cut down to two minutes and twenty-nine seconds at normal speed. On July 1, John added a new lead vocal, and Paul recorded an excellent bass part that he double-tracked at the end beginning at 2:04. They reworked the song again on July 23. John recorded a new lead vocal, full of energy and enthusiasm, with Paul and George on backing vocals. They added hand claps to complete the recording. Final mixes were done on October 12. The Beatles spent a significant amount of time on this recording, but the results were well worth it.
Sexy Sadie
Lennon-McCartney / 3:14
1968
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar, organ (?)
Paul: bass, piano, organ (?), backing vocal
George: lead guitar, backing vocal
Ringo: drums, tambourine
RECORDED
Abbey Road: July 19 and 24, 1968 (Studio Two) / August 13 and 21, 1968 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 117
MIXING
Abbey Road: August 21, 1968 (Studio Two) / October 14, 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Ken Scott
Assistant Engineers: Richard Lush, John Smith
Genesis
In April 1968, John and George were still in Rishikesh; Ringo and Paul were already back in London. The actress Mia Farrow, who studied the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi with them, said to John that the Maharishi had made a pass at her. Pattie Boyd, George’s wife, mentioned in her memoirs1 that Alexis Mardas—called “Magic Alex”—probably started the rumor to slander the Maharishi. Alex wanted to keep John away because he was afraid that his influence over the Beatles was about to be usurped by the Maharishi. After the Mia Farrow episode, Madras made another false accusation. For John, this incident was too much. He felt betrayed, and decided to leave Rishikesh right away with the whole group. The Maharishi, distraught about this total misunderstanding, asked John why they were leaving. John replied “If you’re so cosmically conscious as you claim, then you should know why we’re leaving.”2 This disappointment inspired John’s song: “I wrote it when we had our bags packed and we were leaving. It was the last piece I wrote before I left India.”3 The song was originally called “Maharishi,” but George persuaded John to change the title to “Sexy Sadie.” John used the situation to express his feelings. Since the original words were a bit insulting, John changed the lyrics for the record. John left India with a bitter taste in his mouth. Pattie Boyd wondered if the rumor gave John a pretext to leave India and return to Yoko’s side sooner.
Production
The first recording session began on July 19. The Beatles spent most of the day rehearsing, rather than recording a proper rhythm track. They recorded twenty-one takes with guitars, organ, and drums. Dissatisfied with the result, a remake was recorded on July 24. Even though take 47 was labeled the best, John was not pleased by what he heard. On August 13, they began a third version. Curiously, this re-remake of “Sexy Sadie” began with a round number—take 100! This day, the rhythm track was considered the best, with John on rhythm guitar, George on lead guitar, Ringo on drums, and Paul at the piano on which there was a strong echo (at 1:18 we can hear it fluctuate erratically). John added a lead vocal. After a series of reduction mixes, the rhythm track was ready for overdubs to start on August 21 with a new vocal by John with Paul and George on backing vocals, Paul on bass, either John or Paul on organ, and Ringo on tambourine. Flanging was added to the chorus, which gave it some originality. The Beatles always searched for perfection, as evidenced once again with “Sexy Sadie.” The mono mix was done at the end of the recording session, and the stereo mix on October 14. “Sexy Sadie” was a great Beatles masterpiece, probably underestimated, but strikingly original.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
The opening lines were inspired by Smokey Robinson’s song “I’ve Been Good to You” (1961), which begins, Look what you’ve done / You made a fool out of someone. John’s opening lines were Sexy Sadie, what have you done? / You made a fool of everyone.
Helter Skelter
Lennon-McCartney / 4:29
1968
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass, lead guitar, piano
John: bass, saxophone, backing vocal
George: lead guitar, backing vocal
Ringo: drums
Mal Evans: trumpet
RECORDED
Abbey Road: July 18, 1968 (Studio Two) / September 9–10, 1968 (Studio Three)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 21
MIXING
Abbey Road: September 17, 1968 (Studio Two) / October 9 and 12, 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producers: George Martin, Chris Thomas
Sound Engineer: Ken Scott
Assistant Engineers: Richard Lush, John Smith, Mike Sheady
Genesis
Pete Townshend had been quoted in Melody Maker as describing the Who’s new single “I Can See for Miles,” as the loudest, rawest, dirtiest, and most uncompromising song they had ever done. Paul said, “Just that one little paragraph was enough to inspire me; to make me make a move. So I sat down and wrote ‘Helter Skelter’ to be the most raucous vocal, the loudest drums, et cetera et cetera.”1 He said in 1968, “I had this song called ‘Helter Skelter,’ which is just a ridiculous song. So we did it like that, ’cuz I like noise.”2 The results met his expectations, and “Helter Skelter” could be considered one of the very first hard rock songs in history.
(When Paul actually heard the Who’s single, he was disappointed to find out it was not as dirty as he expected!)
The lyrics did not have any real meaning, even if Paul told Barry Miles he wanted to symbolize the feeling of falling, “the fall of the Roman Empire” (helter skelter meaning a spiral slide). Unfortunately, these words were interpreted in a dramatic way by Charles Manson and his “family” in 1969, who read into them a call to murder.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Just before Ringo started screaming, I’ve got blisters on my fingers, John could be heard in the distance asking, How’s that? (4:24), to find out if his colleagues enjoyed his sax solo!
Production
All the Songs Page 37