All the Songs
Page 34
Production
On September 11, six years to the day after the recording of “Love Me Do,” the Beatles worked on the basic rhythm track of “Glass Onion.” After thirty-four takes, they chose take 33. John was on acoustic guitar, Paul on bass, George on lead guitar, and Ringo, who finally rejoined the group on September 4, after his escapade in Sardinia, was on drums. The next day, John recorded his lead vocal, which was doubled in spots (it was reinforced by means of ADT during the mix), and Ringo supplied a part on tambourines. On September 13, Ringo added a snare drum and Paul added some piano. Three days later, someone suggested adding a few notes from a recorder to emphasize the allusion to the fool on the hill. It was probably played by Paul who doubled it (1:27). On September 26, John decided to insert sound effects: a telephone ringing, a note on the organ, BBC soccer commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme, shouting “It’s a goal!,” and, finally, the sound of a window shattering (see Anthology 3). George Martin, who was back from vacation, suggested replacing these sound effects with strings. He wrote a score for four violins, two violas, and two cellos, and it was recorded as an overdub on October 10. The song was immediately mixed in mono and stereo. “Glass Onion” was one of George’s favorite songs on the White Album.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Lennon-McCartney / 3:08
1968
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass, percussion, hand claps
John: piano, backing vocal, percussion, hand claps
George: acoustic guitar, backing vocal, percussion, hand claps
Ringo: drums, percussions, hand claps
Rex Morris (?), Ronnie Scott (?), and unknown musicians: saxophones
RECORDED
Abbey Road: July 3–5 and 8, 1968 (Studio Two) / July 9 and 11, 1968 (Studio Three) / July 15, 1968 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 23
MIXING
Abbey Road: July 8, 1968 (Studio Two) / July 11, 1968 (Studio Three) / July 15, 1968 (Studio Two) / October 12, 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott
Assistant Engineers: Richard Lush, Phil McDonald, John Smith
Genesis
In Rishikesh Paul wrote “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” a song that was extremely remote from the meditation environment and the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh. You can see it as the prototype of some of his post-Beatles songs, with words that have no real meaning but with infectious musical power, full of optimism and energy. The words were inspired by Jimmy Anonmuogharan Scott Emuakpor, a Nigerian musician, whom Paul knew from London clubs. He would often say, “Ob la di ob la da, life goes on, bra,” an expression in Yoruba (one of the languages of Niger). Paul really loved this expression, and he let Jimmy Scott know he would surely use it in one of his future songs. Later on, Scott complained that he had not received a songwriting credit and Paul sent him a check to thank him. John grew to hate “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and complained that the group spent more time on it than on any other piece on the album. You can see how the contrived lyrics could very well irritate him. Nevertheless, John contributed to this song by writing one or two of its lines. No matter what John thought, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” was one of the most popular songs on the White Album.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
The group Marmalade did a version of “Ob-La-Di” in early 1969 that remained at the top of the British charts for three weeks.
Production
The Beatles spent a major part of the month of July producing the song. On July 3, they recorded the rhythm track with two acoustic guitars and drums. The next day, Paul recorded his lead vocal, accompanied by John and George on backing vocals. On July 5, three saxophone players and a percussionist stepped in. The percussionist was none other than conga player Jimmy Scott, from whom Paul “borrowed” the song’s title. A piccolo was added and very soon was replaced by a bass line played by Paul on acoustic guitar, with the sound deliberately overloading the console. The results were rather good (see Anthology 3), but Paul decided to do everything over again on July 8, to the great chagrin of everyone, including the technical crew. Exasperated, John stormed out of the studio with Yoko, but returned a few hours later, completely stoned, and rushed—according to Geoff Emerick—to the piano, screaming, “… this is how the fucking song should go.”1 Lennon smashed the keys with all his might while playing the intro—which was the version used on the record—at a clearly faster tempo. Paul, at first surprised and furious, soon understood that he was adding the feel that the song had been lacking. In this deteriorating atmosphere, the new rhythm track was recorded, with Paul on fuzz bass, Ringo on drums, George on acoustic guitar, and John on piano. After various overdubs, with backing vocals and additional percussion, the session ended. The next day, Paul, an obsessed perfectionist, had the entire song redone a second time. The atmosphere got tenser. After two tries, he realized they would not do any better. The Beatles therefore returned to the version of July 8 and rerecorded the lead vocal, the backing vocals (which were sped up), and added all sorts of little sentences, words, jokes, and screams, this time in a joking atmosphere. The session ended with the addition of vocal percussion and hand claps. On July 11, there was a new recording with the addition of three saxophones and a bass. The last session, on July 15, had negative consequences. Paul was dissatisfied with his own vocal and spent considerable time rerecording it. George Martin, who felt his role as producer slipping away, tactfully intervened to suggest to Paul a different phrasing. According to Emerick, Paul furiously yelled at him, “If you think you can do it better, why don’t you fucking come down here and sing it yourself?”2 Deeply hurt, Martin left the studio. After this incident, Geoff Emerick decided never again to record the Beatles. He could not stand to see the Beatles tear each other apart and left them the very next day. But he did join them again to record Abbey Road. The final mixes were carried out on October 12 with an addition of ADT on Paul’s vocal.
Wild Honey Pie
Lennon-McCartney / 0:53
1968
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIAN
Paul: vocal, acoustic guitar, bass drum, percussions
RECORDED
Abbey Road: August 20, 1968 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 1
MIXING
Abbey Road: August 20, 1968 / 13 October 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Ken Scott
Assistant Engineer: John Smith
Production
“Wild Honey Pie” was a short song written in India. The Beatles had just recorded John’s song “Yer Blues,” on August 20, in the storage area of the control room in Studio Two. They were in an experimental mood and Paul said, “Can I just make something up? I started off with the guitar and did a multitracking experiment in the control room or maybe in the little room next door.”1 Paul built it himself by superimposing harmonies over harmonies, guitars over guitars and sculpting it with a lot of vibrato on the strings, “pulling the strings madly.”2 They added bass drum, buried in reverb, and percussion, probably hitting the back of an acoustic guitar. The mono mix was done right away and the stereo mix on October 13.
“Wild Honey Pie” is a curious song, of a piece with John’s sound experiments, such as “What’s the New Mary Jane,” recorded a few days before, but that song was not included on the White Album. Paul later said, “It was just a fragment of an instrumental which we were not sure about, but Patti Harrison liked it very much, so we decided to leave it on the album.”3 “Wild Honey Pie” was a reference to another one of Paul’s songs, “Honey Pie,” on which they worked in October.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
The Pixies’ version of “Wild Honey Pie” needs to be listened to for its amazing energy.
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
Lennon-McCar
tney / 3:13
1968
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass, backing vocal
George: rhythm guitar, backing vocal
Ringo: drums, tambourine, backing vocal
Chris Thomas: Mellotron, backing vocal
Yoko Ono: vocal, backing vocal
Maureen Starkey: backing vocal
RECORDED
Abbey Road: October 8, 1968 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 3
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 9, 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Ken Scott
Assistant Engineers: Mike Sheady, John Smith
Genesis
Rishikesh made it possible for the Beatles to regroup and write a considerable number of songs. The healthy food and the peaceful atmosphere had rather beneficial effects on John. Even though the meditation affected his sleep (see “I’m So Tired”), he once again found his creative muse. He drew many of his ideas from his life at the ashram. And it was precisely the behavior of one of the devotees at the ashram that influenced “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill.” “That was written about a guy in Maharishi’s meditation camp who took a short break to go shoot a few poor tigers, and then came back to commune with God.”1 John did a caricature of him halfway between Jungle Jim—the American comic strip by Alex Raymond—and Buffalo Bill. As he said himself, it was a social criticism seen through the eyes of a teenager, as well as a farce. Paul found in his lyrics a hymn defending nature, “Funnily enough, John wasn’t an overt animal activist, but I think by writing this song he showed that his sentiments were very much that way.”2 This is why it was one of Paul’s favorite songs on the White Album.
When composing the music for the chorus, John was probably inspired by “Stay as Sweet as You Are,” a song that Nat King Cole popularized in 1957. John’s song was exuberant and the production, which was rushed, worked perfectly.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
On the left channel in stereo, you can hear someone in the distance go oouuuhh! at 0:30.
Production
Performed in barely three takes on October 8, “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” was an opportunity for everyone in Studio Two to participate in a Beatles song by singing the chorus. The rhythm track was recorded with John and George on acoustic guitar, Paul on bass, and Ringo on drums. After John double-tracked his lead vocal, the Beatles added percussion and tambourines. Then, Chris Thomas took over the Mellotron to play what he wanted. He chose an intro using a flamenco guitar loop from the Mellotron, then a mandolin sound for the verses, and a trombone part for the choruses. “You could do what you wanted,” said Chris Thomas,” until someone would tell you, ‘I don’t like it, don’t do that.’ You could improvise as you were playing. Nothing was forbidden, and that is what was brilliant!”3 John wanted a live atmosphere, much in contrast to Sgt. Pepper. Yoko Ono sang one line solo at 1:47: Not when he looked so fierce, the first female lead vocal line on a Beatles recording. Everyone participated in the choruses, including Ringo’s wife Maureen. At the very end of the piece, John, with his Liverpool accent, exclaims, Ey, up! (meaning “What’s Up?” or “Look at that!”), which leads directly into George’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The mixes were done the very next day.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
George Harrison / 4:43
1968
MUSICIANS
George: vocal, acoustic guitar, organ
John: rhythm guitar, bass (?)
Paul: bass, piano, organ, backing vocal
Ringo: drums, tambourine
Eric Clapton: lead guitar
RECORDED
Abbey Road: July 25, 1968 (Studio Two) / August 16, 1968 (Studio Two) / September 3, 5–6, 1968 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 25
MIXING
Abbey Road: October 7 and 14, 1968 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Ken Scott
Assistant Engineers: Richard Lush, Mike Sheady, John Smith
Genesis
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was one of George’s greatest achievements. This magnificent song made it possible for George to establish his status as a writer on par with John and Paul.
The lyrics of the song were inspired by the I Ching (Yi Jing), the Book of Changes. “I was thinking about the Chinese I Ching, the Book of Changes. In the West we think of coincidence as being something that just happens—it just happens that I am sitting here and the wind is blowing my hair, and so on. But the Eastern concept is that whatever happens is all meant to be, and that there’s no such thing as coincidence—every little item that’s going down has a purpose.”1 While visiting his parents in Warrington, he decided to open a book at random and use the first words he stumbled on as the basis of his lyrics.… He put the book down and wrote his song based on the two words he found: gently and weeps.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
A few weeks after the end of the recording, George gave an acetate of the White Album to Eric Clapton. But when George heard that Clapton played the acetate for his friends, George was furious and called him to forbid him from playing the record for anybody else.
Production
“I always had to do about ten of Paul and John’s songs before they’d give me the break,”2 George complained in 1968. The sessions for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” began on July 25, nearly two months after John’s “Revolution 1.” During the first day, the Beatles rehearsed several takes. George then recorded a solo vocal and a fantastic acoustic version, which was very simplified, playing his Gibson J-200 with the sole support of Paul on the organ (see Anthology 3). On August 16, he tried to involve his colleagues a bit more: they recorded some bass, some drums, some organ, and one guitar. The results of this session were transferred on September 3 to Abbey Road’s brand-new 3M M23 eight-track. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was therefore the group’s first song to benefit from this new tape recorder. Alone in the studio, George attempted to record a backwards guitar solo in order to get the sound of a “weeping” guitar. Since this did not work, he dropped the idea. On September 5, Ringo, who had abandoned them in August, made his return. Some flowers were laid out all over his drums as a welcome! After completing the September 3 recordings, George heard a playback and decided to start everything all over again. This time by the end of the session, the rhythm track was right (take 25): George was on vocal and acoustic guitar, John on electric guitar, Ringo on drums, and Paul both on piano and organ. But George despaired of getting his colleagues interested: “They weren’t taking it seriously and I don’t think they were even all playing on it, and so I went home that night thinking, ‘Well, that’s a shame,’ because I knew the song was pretty good.”3 The next day they added overdubs: George sang and doubled his voice, supported by Paul’s backing vocal and high-pitched falsetto voices at the end of the song; Ringo added tambourines; and Paul, on the Fender Jazz Bass, recorded a powerful fuzz bass line, which he often played in power chords, and that was probably doubled by John on the six-string Fender bass guitar during the bridges.
But the most remarkable recording of that day was the guitar solo by Eric Clapton. George said: “The next day I was driving into London with Eric Clapton, and I said, ‘What are you doing today? Why don’t you come to the studio and play on this song for me?’ He said, ‘Oh, no—I can’t do that. Nobody’s ever played on a Beatles’ record and the others wouldn’t like it.’ I said, ‘Look, it’s my song and I’d like you to play on it.’”4 George brought him into the studio and lent him his own guitar (most likely Lucy, the Les Paul Gibson that Eric had given him as a present). From that moment on, all the Beatles concentrated and did their best. Eric said: “We did just one take, and I thought it sounded fantastic. John and Paul were fairly noncommittal, but
I knew George was happy because he listened to it over and over in the control room.”5 George added one last part on organ and the session was finally complete. In the mix, a lot of flanging was added to Clapton’s guitar playing at Clapton’s request to make his guitar sound more like the Beatles.
Technical Details
The first eight-track tape recorder was built in 1954 and was invented by the great Les Paul. Other models appeared soon afterwards, and in 1968, many London studios had one—except for EMI. The 3M firm had indeed supplied them with two M23s around the end of 1967—one of the best eight-tracks on the market at that time—but the machine delivered on May 9 did not meet the technical requirements of Abbey Road. The Beatles impatiently pressured EMI for it to be operational as soon as possible. Only on September 3 did they finally record on an eight-track, after many other famous British groups had already recorded on eight-track!
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Lennon-McCartney / 2:42
1968
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, lead guitar, piano (?), organ (?), tambourine (?)
Paul: bass, piano (?), organ (?), backing vocal
George: lead guitar, backing vocal
Ringo: drums
Unknown musician: tuba
RECORDED
Abbey Road: September 23–25, 1968 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 70
MIXING
Abbey Road: September 25–26, 1968 (Studio Two) / October 15, 1968 (Studio Two)