FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Note that the piano part disappears suddenly at 1:46 only to return a few seconds later (1:51). Error or intentional effect?
Production
A mystery about the creation of “Rock and Roll Music” remains: based on Derek Taylor’s notes for the sleeve of the original LP in 1964, George Martin joins John and Paul on one piano. In his book, Mark Lewisohn1 wrote that only George Martin was at the piano. Geoff Emerick, who was present at the recording session on October 18, 1964, provided another account: he recalled that Paul played while George Harrison covered on bass. Whom to believe? We can eliminate Taylor, since the studio reports indicated only one take. Three players on only one piano—that’s a lot! Emerick also reported that John doubled his vocal, implying a second take. After listening carefully, we can state that his vocal was not doubled. And if George was on bass, who then played the second guitar? Because it seems that there is another guitar, Lewisohn’s version seems to be the most likely: all live with Martin at the piano. At his best, John delivered a superb vocal performance.
Technical Details
To reproduce the sound of his idols, John sings with a relatively short slapback echo, typical of the 1950s.
I’ll Follow The Sun
Lennon-McCartney / 1:47
1964
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocals, acoustic guitar (?)
John: acoustic guitar (?), backing vocals
George: lead guitar
Ringo: percussion
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 18, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 8
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 21, 1964 (room 65) / November 4, 1964 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Ron Pender, Mike Stone
Genesis
“I’ll Follow the Sun,” described as a “very good song” by John, was also one of George Martin’s favorites on Beatles for Sale. This song, written by Paul, has an undeniable charm. He remembers that he wrote the song in the front parlor in Forthlin Road after a bad flu at the age of sixteen. “There were certain songs I had from way back that I didn’t really finish up … ‘I’ll Follow the Sun’ was one of those.”1 But, at that time, the song was neither considered good enough nor adapted to their repertoire as rockers. Its inclusion in Beatles for Sale was a response to the urgent need for new songs. The optimism of the lyrics of this “inevitable Ballad of Paul” prompted John, speaking to David Sheff, to say, “This is something from Paul. Can’t you tell? I mean Tomorrow may rain so, I’ll follow the sun.”2
Production
There was a recording dating back to April–May 1960 on which the Quarrymen (John’s first group) performs “I’ll Follow the Sun.” The song would have to wait four years before being immortalized by the Beatles on October 18, 1964. This new version was significantly different from the original, which was more skiffle in style. George Martin asked John to harmonize Paul’s vocal on the bridges, whose lyrics had been rewritten for the occasion. Ringo sought an accompaniment on his drums, but Paul, wanting to evoke a less percussive atmosphere, and, above all, determined to innovate, suggested that Ringo just tap his knees with his hands. Geoff Emerick recalls, “Enthralled, I watched Norman carefully position a mike between Ringo’s knees; then, back in the control room, he cranked up the EQ to add some extra depth to the sound.”3 The first track was reserved for acoustic guitars. It is difficult to say whether John and/or Paul performed this role. A priori, there was only one guitar … nevertheless accompanied by Ringo’s rhythm. George’s rhythm guitar appeared on the second track, providing an excellent complement. Paul, accompanied by John on the bridges, recorded a beautiful vocal part on the third track. John, from the first take, performed an acoustic guitar solo. After George complained—“You know, I’d like to do the solo on this one. I am supposed to be the lead guitarist in this band, after all”4—John gave up. George performed the solo, but without inspiration and giving it a minimalist sound. Martin, somewhat annoyed by so many unsuccessful attempts, got impatient and refused to do another one: the solo left them all rather frustrated. The song was recorded in eight takes. The mono mix was done on October 21, the stereo on November 4.
Technical Details
Like those for “I Feel Fine” and “She’s a Woman,” the mono mix of “I’ll Follow the Sun” on October 21 was not made in Studios Two or Three, but in Room 65, which was usually considered an “experimentation room.”
Mr. Moonlight
Roy Lee Johnson / 2:33 (mono version); 2:37 (stereo version)
1964
MUSICIANS
John: vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass, backing vocals, organ
George: lead guitar, percussion
Ringo: bongos
RECORDED
Abbey Road: August 14, 1964 (Studio Two) / October 18, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 8
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 27, 1964 (Studio Two) / November 4, 1964 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ron Pender, Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott, Mike Stone
Genesis
Georgia-born guitarist and singer Roy Lee Johnson was best known as the composer of “Mr. Moonlight” when, by the early 1960s, he began playing in Piano Red’s band, better known under the name Dr. Feelgood & the Interns. The song is on the B side of the minor rhythm & blues single “Dr. Feelgood,” released in the United States in 1962. If the song produced its effect in the barrelhouses of the Deep South, it also crossed the Atlantic and became a must-have for British beat and rhythm & blues groups. Thus, the Hollies recorded it for their first album at the end of 1963, a few months before the Beatles.
After “Please Mister Postman” and before “Mr. Mustard,” they started working on the charming “Mr. Moonlight” on August 14, 1964. They were already playing it onstage in Hamburg. However, it is surprising that this title does not match the style of this album. Fortunately, John gave new life to the song with a superb vocal performance.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
The Beatles admired Roy Lee Johnson and Piano Red. During the “Get Back” sessions in 1969, the Beatles performed a portion of Piano Red’s other single, “Right String for the Wrong Yo-Yo,” in a medley that included the Beatles’ “Run for Your Life” and Koerner, Ray, and Glover’s “Black Dog,” a song whose melody found its way into Lennon’s “Crippled Inside” (which appeared on his solo album, Imagine, in 1971).
Production
The first cover for their fourth album, “Mr. Moonlight” was recorded in four takes on August 14. This version included a solo with a fast vibrato performed by George in a Hawaiian style. But the Beatles were not satisfied with it and decided to redo it. Only two months later they reworked it on October 18. After four new takes, the song was recorded with substantial changes. Although John loved George’s frantic solo sound, Martin judged it decidedly too weird. Geoff Emerick says: “After some discussion, we decided to record a cheesy organ solo.”1 This solo, performed by Paul on a Hammond RT-3 connected to a PR-40 cabin, gave it the feel of lounge music. If we refer to the annotations made by Derek Taylor (reproduced in the booklet for the CD), Ringo is on the bongos and George played African percussions. In the end, the version was close to the original. Only John’s sterling vocal redeemed the whole song. Done on October 27, the mono mix was from takes 4 and 8; the stereo mix was completed on November 4.
Kansas City / Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey
Medley by Jerry Leiber–Mike Stoller and Richard W. Penniman / 2:36
1964
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocals, bass guitar, hand claps
John: rhythm guitar, backing vocals, hand clap
s
George: rhythm guitar, backing vocals, hand claps
Ringo: drums, backing vocals, hand claps
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 18, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 2
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 26, 1964 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Tony Clark
Genesis
The Beatles added this medley to their repertoire in Hamburg. The authors of the first song of the medley, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, wrote an impressive number of rock ’n’ roll and rhythm & blues hits in the 1950s. Elvis Presley owes them “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock”; the Coasters “Searchin’” and “Yakety Yak”; the Drifters “There Goes My Baby”; Ben E. King’s, “Stand By Me.” And to this list we must add “Kansas City,” a song inspired by the musical universe of blues shouter Big Joe Turner, born in … Kansas City. This song was the first written by the duo to have been recorded by Little Willie Littlefield in 1952. However, Wilbert Harrison’s version in 1959 placed the song at the top of the charts the same year. The second song is titled “Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey,” a composition of Richard Penniman, aka Little Richard, which he had recorded on the B side of the single “Good Golly Miss Molly” in February 1958. Paul confessed to Geoff Emerick, during the recording session on October 18, that “Kansas City” was one of his favorite songs, just as Little Richard was one of his idols. Little Richard returned the compliment in 1963: “I’ve never heard that sound from English musicians before. Honestly, if I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes I’d have thought they were a colored group from back home.”
Production
Paul in 1988: “While I could get the vocal of ‘Kansas City,’ John encouraged me, saying, ‘Come on! You can sing it better than that, man! Really hit it!’”1 In the studio each supported the other. “Kansas City” is a complex piece; Paul recorded two final takes on October 18, but the first was the best. According to Lewisohn, the piece joined the list of the “one takes.” Nevertheless, there were some overdubs, since we can hear some hand claps starting at 1:58. On the session worksheet, we noticed that track 4 had been reserved for piano and chorus. It is most likely that the piano (George Martin), chorus (with Ringo), and hand claps (all) were recorded later by overdubs. It is certain that the Beatles played it live, each on his usual instrument. It is a dazzling performance. Mono and stereo were completed on October 26.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
One month before the recording of “Kansas City,” on September 17, 1964, the Beatles performed this medley at the Municipal Stadium in … Kansas City! Is this where the idea to include this song on the album came from?
Eight Days A Week
Lennon-McCartney / 2:42
1964
SONGWRITERS
John and Paul
MUSICIANS
John: vocals, rhythm guitar, hand claps
Paul: bass, backing vocals, hand claps
George: lead guitar, hand claps
Ringo: drums, hand claps, timpani (?)
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 6 and 18, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 15
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 12 and 27, 1964 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Mike Stone, Geoff Emerick
Genesis
A song written in Kenwood at John’s house, “Eight Days a Week” is a joint creation, based on one of Paul’s ideas. On the way to John’s house, Paul asked his chauffeur: “How’ve you been?” “Oh, working hard,” he said. “Working eight days a week!”1 Paul rushed to John’s house and said he had a brilliant idea for a new song: “Eight Days a Week”! And John continued, “Oooh!. I need your love babe …”2 Paul: “And we wrote it. We were always quite fast to write. We would write on the spot. It would come very quickly.”3 John, on the other hand, is much less enthusiastic about the outcome: “We struggled to record it and struggled to make it into a song. It was his initial effort, but I think we both worked on it. I’m not sure. But it was lousy anyway.”4
The song found its way to the charts, especially in the United States, where it reached number 1 for two weeks on March 13, 1965. Despite John’s opinion, “Eight Days a Week” was well appreciated by the public.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Brian Wilson sang “Eight Days a Week” in concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in September 2009. Only problem, his voice was inaudible!
Production
October 6 was the day dedicated to the recording session for “Eight Days a Week.” For the first time, the Beatles were in the studio with an unfinished song. They experimented with different formulas to complete it. On the CD Anthology 1, we find different takes revealing the development of the song. Indeed, the intro and the end were truly problems. Ideas followed one after another: intro a cappella, with acoustic guitar … the Beatles hesitated. Ditto for the end. The body of the piece was well structured, even if the final chorus varied significantly from the initial takes. It was only at the end of the thirteenth take that they were satisfied with the final rhythm track. However, the intro and the end were not yet set. After different overdubs of hand claps, guitars, and vocals, the title was put on hold. The recording notes to the CD booklet of the restructured version, released in 2009, mention a timpani. If there was a timpani, the instrument must be buried in the mix: we can hear Ringo’s low tom-tom, but no timpani as in “Every Little Thing.”
October 18, second session. This was a day of nine hours of recording, in the course of which the Beatles recorded five covers, three in only one take (“Kansas City” / “Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey,” “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” and “Rock and Roll Music”); a new title as their next single (“I Feel Fine”); and an original piece to complete the album (“I’ll Follow the Sun”). All this while strolling through entirely different styles. Geoff Emerick, who first heard “Eight Days a Week” at the session, reacted by exclaiming, “This is a hit!” But, it still lacked the intro and end. John, Paul, and George gathered around the microphone and sang some vocals in unison. Considered ineffective, the test was aborted. The group worked on the ending with John and George on the guitar and Paul on bass. Then Norman Smith provided an introduction with a fade-in. The idea was quite innovative for the time and was immediately accepted: “Eight Days a Week” was complemented with takes 14 and 15. The final mono mix and stereo were from the session on October 27, with a mix of takes 13 and 15.
Words Of Love
Buddy Holly / 2:12
1964
MUSICIANS
John: vocals, rhythm guitar, hand claps
Paul: vocals, bass guitar, hand claps
George: vocals, lead guitar, hand claps
Ringo: drums, hand claps, percussion
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 18, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 3
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 26, 1964 (Studio Two) / November 4, 1964 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln, Mike Stone
Genesis
Buddy Holly is one of the rock and roll pioneers who had a significant influence on music of the sixties. On April 8, 1957, a few months after “That’ll Be the Day,” he recorded “Words of Love,” a song he composed entirely on his own. Buddy Holly achieved a real feat by recording all the vocal parts himself, thanks to multitrack recording. But curiously it was the Diamonds’ version of July 1957 that captured the attention of the general public. The Beatles, who interpreted “Words of Love” at the time of the Quarrymen and in Hamburg, had a
long association with this song, due in large part to the admiration they had for Holly since their debut. In fact, Buddy Holly’s backup band, the Crickets, were the inspiration for the Beatles’ name. The Beatles sang Buddy Holly’s songs until the end of their careers, including “Mailman Bring Me No More Blues,” which originally appeared on the B side of Buddy Holly’s “Words of Love,” during the rehearsals for the Get Back project (see Anthology 3).
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
When Paul McCartney covered “Words of Love,” by his idol Buddy Holly, he could not have imagined that a few years later it would be a part of his own catalogue. Today “Words of Love” belongs to Paul McCartney’s publishing house, MPL Communications Ltd.
Production
“Words of Love” was the final song recorded on October 18. Only three takes were needed to finish it off. Geoff Emerick recalls that they were “worn out” when they started the song. Gathered around the same microphone, John, Paul, and George gave, according to the George, a superb vocal performance, full of sweetness and warmth. It is difficult to distinguish three different harmonies. It is more likely that George doubled John in unison to strengthen his vocal. Ringo, for his part, pushed the pedal of his drum to the floor so that we hear it squealing terribly throughout the piece (on the left channel in stereo). According to Derek Taylor’s notes, Ringo used a cardboard box as well. In fact, Ringo had to exchange his snare drum for a cardboard box to obtain a less aggressive sound, more in character with the song. Some hand claps were added. George accompanied the piece with his Rickenbacker twelve-string, which he doubled, giving both a rich and tinny sound, similar to the “chorus” effect well-known to guitarists. The mono mix was done on October 26, the stereo on November 4.
All the Songs Page 13
