All the Songs
Page 15
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
When we listen carefully, we can hear at the beginning, just before Ringo’s entrance, his snare drum vibrate beneath the waves of the two guitars and the bass (from the left channel in stereo).
Production
“I Feel Fine” was recorded in nine takes, on October 18. From the first, the Larsen effect was present. It was obtained with John’s Gibson J-160 E vibrating up to the point of audio feedback with the support of a bass tone by Paul. Ringo delivered a superb drum part (based on both “Watch Your Step” by Bobby Parker and “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles), supported by Paul’s huge bass, relentless and powerful. Neither of the first two takes included a solo. In the ninth take, which is the best rhythmic track, John provided an excellent vocal, accompanied by Paul and George in the harmonies and choruses. On the guitars, George played a solo that he doubled, and John backed the piece with rigor and precision on his Rickenbacker 325. On October 21, four mono mixes were made in Room 65, the third used for the British version, the fourth used for the American. The final stereo mix dates from November 4.
When Geoff Emerick heard the Larsen for the first time on October 18, he wondered if the noise was due to a disconnected cable or a faulty device. Norman Smith reassured him, saying this was a new sound that the Beatles had discovered during the previous working session. John took credit for his discovery: “I defy anybody to find a record—unless it’s some old blues record in 1922—that uses feedback that way. I mean, everybody played with feedback onstage, and the Jimi Hendrix stuff was going on long before. In fact, the punk stuff now is only what people were doing in the clubs. So I claim it for the Beatles. Before Hendrix, before the Who, before anybody—the first feedback on any record.”4
She’s A Woman
Lennon-McCartney / 3:02
1964
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocals, bass, piano
John: rhythm guitar
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums, percussion
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 8, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 7
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 12, 1964 (Studio Two) / October 21, 1964 (Room 65)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Mike Stone, Ron Pender
Genesis
According to Paul, “She’s a Woman” was written the same day it was recorded. He had a recollection of walking from St. John’s Wood to Abbey Road with the song in his mind: “I might have written it at home and finished it up on the way to the studio, finally polished it in the studio, maybe just taken John aside for a second and checked with him, “What d’you think?” “Like it.” “Good. Let’s do it!”1 Paul wanted to make a bluesy title in the vein of “Can’t Buy Me Love,” a rock song inspired by Little Richard, but with a raw sound. “Blues melodies are difficult to write, so I was quite happy to find this,”2 he said. The piece sounds like blues rock with a touch of ska.
For the lyrics, “She’s a Woman” has one of the Beatles’ worst rhymes: My love don’t give me presents / I know that she’s no peasant. Fortunately, John introduced a phrase a little more hip, “We put in the words turns me on. We were so excited to say turn me on—you know, about marijuana and all that, using it as an expression.”3 Although John participated, “She’s a Woman” was essentially Paul’s work.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
In 1965, the famous Tex-Mex band, the Sir Douglas Quintet, had a hit with “She’s About a Mover.” Legend has it that their manager, Huey P. Meaux, was trying to discover the secret to the Beatles’ success. So one night, while drinking, he found a similarity between the Beatles’ music and Cajun music. He started a group featuring Doug Sahm and asked him to write a song on the model of “She’s a Woman.” And it worked!
Production
October 8 was dedicated to “She’s a Woman”: the afternoon was reserved for the rhythmic track, the evening for overdubs. The song was not considered for an album, but destined for a single, which probably explained the time assigned. Yet, “I Feel Fine” by John was designated as the A side. It took seven takes to record the rhythmic track, which exceeded 6:00. The group went wild in a coda over 2:30 long. The sixth take served as the basis for the overdubs. Apparently, George did not participate in the session. Only John’s guitar was present. Paul: “John did a very good thing: instead of playing through it and putting like a watercolor wash over it all with his guitar, he just stabbed on the off-beats. Ringo would play the snare and John did it with the guitar, which was good—it left a lot of space for the rest of the stuff.”4 Paul then added piano (at about 2:12 we can hear a small mistake) and provided an excellent lead vocal. John doubled his rhythm and Ringo added a shaker. George then added a superb guitar solo (doubled). Some said that it was Paul who did the interpretation, but the influence of Chet Atkins is too obvious and corresponds perfectly to George’s style of guitar playing. The mono and stereo mixes were done on October 12; another mono mix for the United States was done on October 21 in Room 65.
Long Tall Sally / I Call Your Name / Slow Down / Matchbox
1964
EP
RELEASED
Great Britain: June 19, 1964 / No. 1 at the Record Retailer on July 11, 1964
Long Tall Sally
Enotris Johnson–Robert Blackwell–Richard W. Penniman / 2:02
1964
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocals, bass
John: rhythm guitar and solo
George: rhythm guitar and solo
Ringo: drums
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 1
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 10, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 4 and 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineer: Richard Langham
Genesis
“Long Tall Sally,” originally released by Little Richard on February 10, 1956, is one of the most famous songs in rock ’n’ roll. Little Richard and his mentor, Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, undertook the challenge of writing a song in a tempo so fast that Pat Boone—who had just released a version of Richard’s “Tutti Frutti”—would not be able to handle it! It explained the song’s colossal success, since the single reached number 1 on Billboard’s Rhythm & Blues chart even before the song was covered by many other singers and groups. “We used to stand backstage at Hamburg’s Star-Club and watch Little Richard play.… It was Brian Epstein who brought him … I still love him, he’s one of the greatest,”1 John confessed in 1973. “Long Tall Sally” is one of the oldest songs in the Beatles’ repertoire. They played it from 1957 until their last concert in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966, where it was also the last piece performed onstage! “Long Tall Sally” was also one of the titles that Paul allegedly played at the piano during his meeting with John on July 6, 1957, at the festival of Woolton Village. John was so fond of Little Richard’s version that it featured prominently in his personal jukebox.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
When Little Richard played in Hamburg, none other than Billy Preston was at the keyboard. He had the honor of participating in two Beatles’ albums. Preston was the only artist to be credited as part of the group: the 1969 single “Get Back” (“Don’t Let Me Down” on the B side) was credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston.”
Production
On March 1, 1964, after having finished “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” for the sound track of A Hard Day’s Night, the group tackled “Long Tall Sally.” They recorded it in one take, without overdubs, each playing his usual instrument, with George Martin at the piano. This dazzling recording certainly matches Lit
tle Richard’s recording. Paul delivered an exceptional vocal, equal to the one performed by the master—by the way, Little Richard said that he had revealed the secrets of how to sing it to Paul. The song featured two guitar solos. John played the first, and George the second. Ringo pushed forward on the drum, powerful and frantic, with some triplet breaks at the end of the song, which was technically quite difficult. Even George Martin provided a feverish part at the piano. The final mono mix is dated June 4. The stereo was made on June 22, three days after the release of the EP.
Two EPs with Unique Titles…
In the Beatles’ career, only two extended plays (EPs) came out with new titles unavailable on other British albums: “Long Tall Sally” in 1964 and “Magical Mystery Tour” in December 1967. In this book, we consider only the U.K. singles. A notable exception is “Long Tall Sally,” which was the fifth EP by the Beatles. It brought together four titles, not included on any other record, justifying our decision.
I Call Your Name
Lennon-McCartney / 2:07
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums, cowbell
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 7
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio Two) / March 4, 1964 (Studio Three) / March 10, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, A. B. Lincoln
Genesis
“I Call Your Name” is one of John’s first songs. “That was my song. When there was no Beatles and no group. I just had it around.… The first part had been written before Hamburg even.”1 John set out to compose a blues number: he added the bridge, probably in 1963. Paul remembered helping him and, years later, hearing these lyrics, he was surprised by the meaning of the words: “Wait a minute. What did he mean? ‘I call your name but you’re not there?’ Is it his mother? His father?”2 John often disguised his personal feelings in his songs, and it is only in hindsight that Paul grasped a hidden meaning in his partner’s words.
In 1963, John gave the song “I Call Your Name” to another Brian Epstein–managed act, Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas. The Dakotas had already covered “Do You Want to Know a Secret,” backed by John’s “Bad to Me,” and that single had topped the UK charts on August 24 of the same year. While filming A Hard Day’s Night. John thought again about this song and planned to include it in the film. Richard Lester preferred “A Hard Day’s Night.”
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Between 0:47 and 0:51 (on the right channel in stereo), George has a memory lapse and forgets his guitar part!
Production
The Beatles’ version of “I Call Your Name” is far more compelling than Billy J. Kramer’s. Recorded on March 1, just after “Long Tall Sally,” the song was completed in seven takes. John was the only one singing. Paul and Ringo provided a solid rhythm section, including a shuffle rhythm in the bridge—according to John it was an attempt at a ska beat. George played his Rickenbacker 360/12 twelve-string for the first time. John later doubled his vocal line and Ringo added a cowbell. “I Call Your Name” was always intended for the A Hard Day’s Night film sound track. A mono mix was made on March 3 for United Artists. The next day, George Martin attempted a first stereo mix, which was never used, and another on March 10. Meanwhile, John proposed the song “A Hard Day’s Night,” which took the place of “I Call Your Name.” The song was eventually remixed as a single on June 4 using take 7, to which the better solo from take 5 was added. There were a total of four different mixes for the same song, each appearing on different records: two in the United States and two in Britain!
Slow Down
Larry Williams / 2:54
1964
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 1, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 4, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 6
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
Genesis
Singer, pianist, and songwriter Larry Williams contributed to the fame of Art Rupe’s Specialty Records by offering him a selection of rock ’n’ roll classics: “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” “Bad Boy,” “She Said Yeah,” and “Slow Down,” a twenty-four-bar blues with a Deep South feeling, which he recorded in 1958. Like Carl Perkins, the Beatles adapted three of Williams’s titles: “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” “Bad Boy,” and “Slow Down.”
“Slow Down,” which the Beatles had sung since 1960, was a highlight of their repertoire. John and his bandmates played with a groove, infusing the song with energy and allowing it to soar. John’s excellent interpretation revealed his admiration for Larry Williams. At a low point in his career, Williams sought to benefit from this publicity by trying to make a comeback with Johnny “Guitar” Watson. However, drugs and violence stalled any chance for success.
Production
“Slow Down” was recorded on June 1. The rhythm track took three takes, and three others were added for John’s vocal, and probably also George’s solo. The rhythm section is solid—Paul and Ringo provided the pulse to the piece, while John and George played their guitars and John performed a superb vocal. All together, the result was quite close to the original version. Unfortunately, the Beatles and George Martin gave little time to the production of this title, probably considering it unimportant. George’s solo is somewhat embarrassing (his poor performance can be heard clearly between 2:14 and 2:17) as is the poor doubling of John’s vocal (1:15, on the line But now you got a boyfriend down the street. Some words were replaced by others, such as changing boyfriend to girlfriend).
On June 4, while the Beatles flew to Copenhagen without Ringo (he had been replaced by the session drummer Jimmy Nicol so that he could undergo a tonsillectomy), George Martin decided to add a piano part. Probably pressed for time, he gave a very pedestrian performance, lacking precision, as can be noted around 1:20 and 2:28. In addition, the piano momentarily is silent between 1:14 and 1:17 for no apparent reason, as if to hide a mistake. The mono mix was made during the same session, the stereo on June 22.
Matchbox
Carl Perkins / 1:57
1964
MUSICIANS
Ringo: vocal, drums
John: lead guitar (?), rhythm guitar (?)
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar (?), rhythm guitar (?)
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 5
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
Genesis
The origins of “Matchbox” are lost in the history of the blues. As early as 1923, Ma Rainey evokes “Matchbox” in the recording of “Lost Wandering Blues,” four years before Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded the first version, “Match Box Blues.” In December 1956, Carl Perkins recorded “Matchbox” at Sun Records, accompanied by Jerry Lee Lewis at the piano. The release of his single in February 1957 influenced an impressive number of singers and musicians, notably the Beatles: the title became one of the first great rockabilly son
gs. Perkins maintained that he had never heard Jefferson’s “Match Box Blues.”
The song entered the Beatles’ repertoire early on during the heyday of concerts in Hamburg and Liverpool. Pete Best was the first to sing the song between 1960 and 1962. After Best was kicked out of the group, John appropriated the vocal. When the Beatles decided to record “Matchbox,” Ringo took over, all too happy to lead the song. On the day of recording, Carl Perkins, who was touring England with Chuck Berry, made a courtesy visit to the Abbey Road Studios at the request of the group. In an interview in 1964, Ringo confessed his discomfort at performing in front of the master: “Oh! Carl came to the session. I felt terribly embarrassed. I did it just two days before I went into the hospital for a tonsillectomy, so please forgive my throat!” With “Honey Don’t” and “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” this was the third Perkins song covered by the Beatles—so much did they admire him! Their friendship endured long after the breakup of the group in 1970. Today, Paul administers the rights to these three titles through his company MPL Communications Ltd.
Production
On June 1, the Beatles decided to start the session with “Matchbox” under the watchful eye of Carl Perkins. After five takes, the song was recorded. Ringo simultaneously sang and played drums, despite his stage fright. His voice was not perfect, but he gave a good performance and kept the tempo firmly on track, backed by Paul on bass. The guitar solo was, in all likelihood, played by John and not by George—in fact, on the CD Live at the BBC we can hear Ringo start the solo with a friendly “All right John!” The solo was doubled, as was Ringo’s vocal (which he struggled with). George Martin added piano. Beatles historians believe that Perkins and the Beatles played together before recording the song, but no official recordings confirm it. As with other titles on the EP, the mono mix was made on June 4 and the stereo came from the session on June 22.