On the fifth and sixth lines (around 1:13 of the stereo version) hand claps can be heard in the distance on Ringo’s track (the right channel). Was this track not edited properly or was it the enthusiasm of his colleagues who were supporting their drummer as he sang?
Technical Details
In order to avoid leakage from the other instruments during Ringo’s vocal recording, Norman Smith used a different recording technique than he had used on “Boys.” All the instruments were recorded on the first track of the Twin Track tape recorder, so he could leave the second track entirely free for Ringo’s voice (which was doubled).
Devil In Her Heart
Richard Drapkin / 2:24
1963
MUSICIANS
George: vocal, lead guitar
John: backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocals, bass
Ringo: drums, maracas
RECORDED
Abbey Road: July 18, 1963 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 6
MIXING
Abbey Road: August 21, 1963 (Studio Three) / October 29, 1963 (Studio Three)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, B. T. (full name unknown)
Genesis
“Devil in His Heart” was a composition by Richard Drapkin, who recorded it under the name of Ricky Dee. The Donays, a rhythm & blues group from Detroit, recorded it in 1962 for Correctone Records. The New York label Brent bought the rights for it a few weeks later and released it again in August under the title “[There’s a] Devil in Her Heart,” on side B of “Bad Boy.” The single was then marketed in Great Britain with Oriole, but did not make the charts. It was the only recording by the Donays. At NEMS, Brian Epstein’s record store, the Beatles discovered this record, as well as many others. The store was full of American imports, which were often as obscure in their own country as in Great Britain. “That’s where we found artists like Arthur Alexander and Ritchie Barrett.… ‘Devil in Her Heart’ and Barrett Strong’s ‘Money’ were records that we’d picked up and played in the shop and thought were interesting.”1 As a result, the Beatles made Drapkin very happy, because his song would probably have never had such coverage and such success without them.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
You can hear George’s false start on guitar at 2:04 exactly!
Production
Recorded on July 18 during the first session of the album, “Devil in Her Heart” was one of the three songs performed by George on this album. The Beatles carried out the recording of the basic track in barely three takes: it was faster than the original version and adapted to a female audience. Then three overdubs were done, to double George’s voice and add maracas. The mono mix was completed on August 21, and the stereo on October 29.
Technical Details
On one of the three overdubs, George Martin wanted George to redo the second sentence of the first couplet (But her eyes they tantalize). For this Martin asked him only to sing this sentence, while Norman Smith dubbed it into the song. On one of the two tracks of the Twin Track, he started recording at the point of entry of the sentence and stopped at the exit point. “This was a primitive version of ‘punching in’ to fix a small section of a recording.”2
Not A Second Time
Lennon-McCartney / 2:04
1963
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass
George: rhythm guitar
Ringo: drums
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: September 11, 1963 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 9
MIXING
Abbey Road: September 30, 1963 (Studio Two) / October 29, 1963 (Studio Three)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, B. T. (full name unknown)
Genesis
A song totally written by John, “Not a Second Time” was one of the best songs on the album, although it was unfairly underestimated. Nevertheless, this song had caught the attention of those in artistic intellectual circles, thanks to an article by the celebrated Times of London critic, William Mann, who wrote in an article on December 23, 1963: “Harmonic interest is typical of their [the Beatles’] quicker songs, too, and one gets the impression that they think simultaneously of harmony and melody, so firmly are the major tonic sevenths and ninths built into their tunes, … so natural is the Aeolian cadence at the end of ‘Not a Second Time’ (the chord progression which ends Mahler’s Song of the Earth).”1 In 1965, John called him an imbecile but admitted that this article made it possible for them to reach a new audience. “It works and we were flattered. I wrote ‘Not a Second Time’ and, really, it was just chords like any other chords. To me, I was writing a Smokey Robinson–type tune or something at that time.”2 Indeed! The leader of Motown at that time was then one of his major influences. After “All I’ve Got to Do” and “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” it was the third song on the album that implicitly honored him. Enough to believe in Miracles …
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Times of London music critic William Mann, whom John called an imbecile in 1965, caused a scandal in musical circles by claiming that the Fab Four were the greatest composers since Schubert!
Production
Recorded in nine takes, “Not a Second Time” began the second session of the day at 7:30 P.M. After a break, the Beatles worked on the song on Wednesday, September 11. This time, only John sings, while supplying the rhythm on his Gibson J-160 E. Contrary to what some people claim, George is very much present and provides the main guitar work. It is easy to check this in the stereo version: right from the intro, the sound of George’s Gretsch is obvious as well as John’s Gibson J-160E, which is audible in the background on the right (at 0:03). Paul is on bass (but not on vocal harmony) and Ringo is on drums. The fifth take was used as the basis for the different overdubs. Four other takes were required to complete the piece, with John doubling his own voice (going out of time in the coda after 1:58) and George Martin on piano, playing the solo. The ninth take was mixed in mono on September 30 and in stereo on October 29.
Money (That’s What I Want)
Berry Gordy–Janie Bradford / 2:49
1963
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar, hand claps
Paul: backing vocals, bass, hand claps
George: backing vocals, lead guitar, hand claps
Ringo: drums, hand claps
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: July 18 and 30, 1963 (Studio Two) / September 30, 1963 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 14
MIXING
Abbey Road: August 21, 1963 (Studio Three) / October 29–30, 1963 (Studio Three)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln, B. T. (full name unknown)
Genesis
Singer Barrett Strong, a longtime friend of Berry Gordy (founder of Motown) and composer Janie Bradford, was an important contributor to the success of the Detroit record company in the first half of the sixties. Masterpieces, such as “I Heard It through the Grapevine,” “War,” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” all bore the trademark of his rich partnership with Norman Whitfield. What is not so well known, however, is that Motown owed him one of its very first hits. Coming out in 1959 with Anna Records, then with Tamla the following year, “Money” entered the rhythm & blues charts as early as March 1960. It turned out to be the last song performed by Strong.
Several people accused John of wanting “to be rich and famous”1 because he decided to re
make this song. But although John wanted recognition right from the start of his career, his position regarding money was never as categorical as that and it is more likely that his remake of “Money” was motivated by its considerable musical power rather than by its message. With this piece, John tried to repeat the success of “Twist and Shout.” The delivery was wild—John’s voice roared. “Money” was one of the group’s best covers.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Despite a strong piano performance by George Martin, he made several mistakes. Around 2:14 (stereo mix), he can be heard forgetting the chord changes.
Production
“Money” was a song that the Beatles were familiar with; they had played it in Hamburg, and it was part of the fifteen songs in the Decca audition on January 1, 1962. When they undertook to record it on July 18, they did it live in seven takes, George Martin supplying the piano part. John, in top form, added some ad libbed vocals in the coda, stating, I want to be free. On July 30, George Martin recorded additional piano overdubs, which reinforced the song’s riff. On August 21, after having edited takes 6 and 7, the song was mixed in mono. Strangely enough, Martin returned alone to his piano part on September 30. Three attempts were done by overdubbing on take 7. Then came October 29, the day scheduled for the stereo mix of the whole album, including “Money.” Dissatisfied, Martin came back to it the very next day and produced the final stereo mix using two Twin Track tape recorders simultaneously, whose playback he recorded on a third machine in order to preserve the quality of the sound. The need for a real multitrack system was becoming critical.
A Hard Day’s Night:
The First 100 Percent Lennon-McCartney Album
1964
A Hard Day’s Night
I Should Have Known Better
If I Fell
I’m Happy Just to Dance With You
And I Love Her
Tell Me Why
Can’t Buy Me Love
Any Time at All
I’ll Cry Instead
Things We Said Today
When I Get Home
You Can’t Do That
I’ll Be Back
ALBUM
RELEASED
Great Britain: July 10, 1964 / No. 1 for 21 weeks, starting on July 25, 1964
United States: June 26, 1964 / No. 1 for 14 weeks, starting July 20, 1964, under the title Something New
This third album by the group was the first to be entirely written by Lennon-McCartney. Although George had made an attempt at composition with “Don’t Bother Me” on the preceding album, he did not write any songs for this album. Nor did Ringo have a chance to sing here, either. John and Paul ruled exclusively on this album. John was even dominant over his partner, because he wrote or cowrote ten of the thirteen songs. He admitted in a 1964 interview that writing the music for the movie with Paul was a pleasure, even though the deadlines were too tight: “We managed to finish two songs while we were in Paris, and three others in the United States under the sunshine at Miami Beach.” Only the first seven songs were used in the film; the others were published on side 2 of the 33 rpm record. As for George Martin, he orchestrated instrumental adaptations of the songs.
John and Paul had made great strides in their writing. The harmonies became more complex (“If I Fell,” “Things We Said Today”), the lyrics more personal and darker (“I’ll Cry Instead,” “I’ll Be Back”). Paul confirmed his talent for writing melodies (“And I Love Her”), as did John (“If I Fell,” “I’ll Be Back”). Each of the two singles taken from the record exceeded a million sales (“A Hard Day’s Night,” “Can’t Buy Me Love”). Recorded in Paris during the group’s performance at the Olympia, “Can’t Buy Me Love” solidified the popularity of the Beatles in the United States. They continued to break sales records. They received two Grammy Awards—for Performance by a Vocal Group and for Best New Artists for 1964. The album came out on July 10 in Great Britain. As early as July 25, it reached first place for twenty-one weeks on the other side of the English Channel and for fourteen weeks in the United States. The Beatles ruled the world and opened the door for the British Invasion.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
In the audience at the final concert in the film, there was a young boy who was then thirteen. He was the future recording star Phil Collins.
The Movie
Brian Epstein wanted his musicians to perform in a movie. Richard Lester was selected as the director and Alun Owen as the scriptwriter. Filming began on Monday, March 2, and ended on Friday, April 24. During these eight weeks, the Beatles went through their initiation on camera. The theme was to follow the group in its everyday life. Scenes of Beatlemania, laid-back humor, freshness: the magic worked and the film was a success. United Artists, which produced it, made huge profits from it, especially since production costs were relatively low at that time (£200,000 [$303,000 U.S.]) The Beatles themselves only received a salary. The premiere took place on July 6 at the London Pavilion. The Academy Awards gave the movie two prizes: one to Alun Owen for Best Original Script and the second one to George Martin for Best Sound-track. The Beatles received nothing.
Someone Called Toots Thielemans
On February 8, after the rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show, the Beatles met with Francis Hall, the salesman for Rickenbacker guitars. The appointment was set by Brian Epstein at 4:00 P.M at the New York Savoy Hilton. Hall was accompanied by Toots Thielemans, the famous Belgian harmonica player, who demonstrated the guitars!
The Instruments
In 1964, it was the year for Rickenbackers. Although Paul kept his old 1963 Hofner, he was offered a Rickenbacker 4001 bass for the first time. For some unknown reason, he only started using it during the summer of 1965. George, bedridden in his hotel room with the flu the night before The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, remembered seeing John walk in with a Rickenbacker 360/12, an extraordinary electric twelve-string guitar that he wanted George to try. It was love at first sight; he started using it right away. Better still, this guitar became the distinctive trademark of the group for the next two years. Described as the “Beatles’ secret weapon,” it influenced many American musicians, such as Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. A big fan of Andrés Segovia, George also wanted to play classical guitar, so he bought a José Ramirez model. As for John, he was not left out, since he traded in his Rickenbacker 325 of the early years for an identical model, dated 1964. Both of them kept their electric/acoustic guitars, Gibsons J-160 E. The amplifiers were Vox AC-50 and AC-100. Meanwhile, Ringo stayed loyal to his Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl drum kit.
A Hard Day’s Night
Lennon-McCartney / 2:29
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: vocal, bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums, cowbell, bongos (?)
George Martin: piano
Norman Smith: bongos (?)
RECORDED
Abbey Road: April 16, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 9
MIXING
Abbey Road: April 20 and 23 (Studio Two) / June 9, 1964 (Studio Three) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln, David Lloyd, Ken Scott
RELEASED AS A SINGLE
“A Hard Day’s Night” / “Things We Said Today”
Great Britain: July 10, 1964 / No. 1 on July 23, 1964
United States: July 13, 1964 / No. 1 on August 1, 1964
Genesis
Around March 19, Ringo stumbled onto the title of the movie and its theme song, “A Hard Day’s Night.” He said in an interview: “We’d worked all day and we happened to work all night. I came up still thinking, it was day, I suppose, and I said, ‘It’s been a hard day …’ and I looked around and saw it was dark so I said, ‘… night!’�
� When Richard Lester heard this expression, he knew he had the title of his movie. On April 15 the filming was drawing to an end, but they still did not have a theme song. Lester asked the Beatles for one. Recalls John: “The next morning I brought in the song. ’Cause there was a little competition between Paul and me as to who got the A side, who got the hit singles.”1 It was recorded the next day, and on April 17 the announcement was released to the press: the movie would be called A Hard Day’s Night.
Production
On April 16 the Beatles entered the studio to record this song, which, according to John, had been written the night before. On the first track, they concentrated on the rhythm section (acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and drums) and despite four false starts, only nine takes were required to finalize it. Ringo impressed Geoff Emerick with his power. John and Paul simultaneously recorded their vocals on the second track. John explained later, in 1980, that Paul was singing the high notes (When I’m home, everything seems to be all right), since John could not manage to do so. On the four initial takes of the piece, George used the echo of his twelve-string Rickenbacker for the first time, in order to reinforce the intensity of the intro chord, but this effect was not kept (it was not used until “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” on the following album). Lester strongly insisted that the intro of the piece be more “cinematic.” Finally, this famous chord—a D major 7th sus 4—came from the mixture of John and George’s guitars, Paul’s bass, and George Martin’s piano. In the guitar solo, George, who was not inspired or who was irritated by Lester’s constant barging in, was struggling. Martin suggested that he come back to it later. The third track was then set aside for various overdubs: John doubled his Gibson J-160 E as well as the vocal parts he shared with Paul; a cowbell and bongos were added at the same time. With the first three tracks completed, George could now concentrate on his guitar work. Martin decided to do the same thing as he did on “Misery.” He slowed down the tape recorder by half to facilitate George’s solo, which he doubled himself on piano, both of them playing together in unison and one octave lower. At the normal speed, both instruments sounded more clear, dynamic, and incisive. Lester wanted a dreamlike effect at the end of the song to connect with the first sequence of the film. George then picked up his twelve-string once again and on the slightly slower track, recorded a series of arpeggios that corresponded to the director’s wishes. The song was finally completed; it was recorded in three hours! Afterwards, there were several mixes, some produced for the movie and others for the record. The final mono mix came from the session on April 23, and the stereo was made on June 22.
All the Songs Page 9
