TUESDAY, 9 JULY 1968 (43 YEARS AGO)
Although The Beatles had recorded a remake of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" during the previous night's session, they began this day's work by starting a third version.
Paul McCartney led the group through two new takes of the song, numbered 20 and 21, in a five-hour session beginning at 4pm. Following an hour's break, however, he decided to return to previous night's take 13, which became the basis for the master version released on the "White Album". The lead and backing vocals were wiped and re-recorded, although these were replaced by more recordings made on 15 July 1968.
A reduction mix of take 13 was then made, numbered take 22, accounting for the earlier takes. Handclaps and more vocal noises were then added, along with piano for the final verse. The song was completed on 15 July.
This second session ended on 3.30am the next morning. Before it did, The Beatles began work on a remake of "Revolution", which was to feature on their next single as the b-side of "Hey Jude". McCartney and George Harrison had decreed that "Revolution 1" was not commercial-sounding enough, much to the annoyance of John Lennon.
Although this night's performances were recorded, this was more a rehearsal of "Revolution" than a proper session. It featured lead and rhythm guitars, bass guitar and drums, plus Lennon's lead vocals. The tape was later wiped, however, and replaced with proper takes on 10 July.
Recording session data:
Time : 9 July 1968 4pm - 10 July 1968 3.30am
Place : Studio 3, Abbey Road (EMI) Studios, London
Session Producer : George Martin
Session Engineer : Geoff Emerick
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Beatles' Day-by-Day History : The Beatles returned to England from Their Asia Tour
FRIDAY, 8 JULY 1966 (45 YEARS AGO)
Following their Asia Tour, The Beatles returned to England on this day.
They arrived on London Airport at 6am. A brief press conference was held.
The following is a transcript of The Beatles' interview with the ITV network about their mistreatment while touring in Manila, Philippines.
(Q): Question/Interviewer
(M): Paul McCartney
(L): John Lennon
(H): George Harrison
(Q): "At the airport, did they come up and start physically threatening you?"
(M): "We got to the airport and our road managers had a lot of trouble trying to get the equipment in because the escalators had been turned off, and things. So we got there, and we got put into the transit lounge. And we got pushed around from one corner of the lounge to another, you know."
(L): (impersonating, and demonstrating by shoving Paul repeatedly in the shoulder)
"'You're treated like an ordinary passenger!! Ordinary passenger!!' ...Ordinary passenger, what, he doesn't get kicked, does he?"
(Beatles laughed)
(M): (laughs) "And so they started knocking over our road managers and things, and everyone was falling all over the place."
(Q): "That started worrying you, when the road manager got knocked over."
(M): "Yeah, and I swear there were thirty of 'em."
(Q): (turning back to John) "What do you say there were?"
(L): "Well, I saw sort of five in sort of outfits, you know, that were doing actual kicking and booing and shouting."
(Q): "Did you get kicked any?"
(L): (giggling) "No, I was very delicate and moved every time they touched me."
(Beatles laughed)
(L): "But I was petrified... I could have been kicked and not known it, you know. We'll just never go to any nuthouses again."
(Q): "Would you go to Manila again, George?"
(H): "No, I didn't even want to go that time."
(L): "Me too."
(H): "Because we'd heard that it was a terrible place anyway, and when we got there... it was proved."
Following their Asia Tour, The Beatles returned to England on this day.
They arrived on London Airport at 6am. A brief press conference was held.
The following is a transcript of The Beatles' interview with the ITV network about their mistreatment while touring in Manila, Philippines.
(Q): Question/Interviewer
(M): Paul McCartney
(L): John Lennon
(H): George Harrison
(Q): "At the airport, did they come up and start physically threatening you?"
(M): "We got to the airport and our road managers had a lot of trouble trying to get the equipment in because the escalators had been turned off, and things. So we got there, and we got put into the transit lounge. And we got pushed around from one corner of the lounge to another, you know."
(L): (impersonating, and demonstrating by shoving Paul repeatedly in the shoulder)
"'You're treated like an ordinary passenger!! Ordinary passenger!!' ...Ordinary passenger, what, he doesn't get kicked, does he?"
(Beatles laughed)
(M): (laughs) "And so they started knocking over our road managers and things, and everyone was falling all over the place."
(Q): "That started worrying you, when the road manager got knocked over."
(M): "Yeah, and I swear there were thirty of 'em."
(Q): (turning back to John) "What do you say there were?"
(L): "Well, I saw sort of five in sort of outfits, you know, that were doing actual kicking and booing and shouting."
(Q): "Did you get kicked any?"
(L): (giggling) "No, I was very delicate and moved every time they touched me."
(Beatles laughed)
(L): "But I was petrified... I could have been kicked and not known it, you know. We'll just never go to any nuthouses again."
(Q): "Would you go to Manila again, George?"
(H): "No, I didn't even want to go that time."
(L): "Me too."
(H): "Because we'd heard that it was a terrible place anyway, and when we got there... it was proved."
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Happy Birthday, Ringo!
SUNDAY, 7 JULY 1940 (71 YEARS AGO)
Ringo Starr was The Beatles' drummer and occasional singer. He was the oldest member and the last to join the band.
"Ringo's a damn good drummer. He was always a good drummer. He's not technically good, but I think Ringo's drumming was underrated the same way as Paul's bass playing is underrated...
I think Paul and Ringo stand up anywhere with any of the rock musicians. Not technically great. None of us were technical musicians. None of us could read music. None of us can write it. But as pure musicians, as inspired humans to make noise, they're as good as anybody!"
- John Lennon -
Ringo was born with the name Richard Starkey on 7 July 1940, at 9 Madryn Street in the Dingle area of Liverpool. His parents split up when he was three, and his mother, Elsie, remarried a man called Harry Graves. Graves got on well with Richard and encouraged the boy's passion for music.
A sickly child, Starkey spent long stretches in hospital. Among his afflictions were a coma caused by appendicitis, a cold which led to pleurisy, and various allergies and intolerances to certain foods. His illnesses made him fall behind academically, and he didn't return to school after a stay in hospital at the age of 13.
Known as Ritchie as a teenager, Starkey became infatuated with the skiffle craze which swept Liverpool and elsewhere in the 1950's. He co-founded the Eddie Miles band, which later became Eddie Clayton and the Clayton Squares, and in 1959 joined the Raving Texans, backing band for local singer, Rory Storm.
It was while playing in these Liverool bands that he gained the nickname Ringo Starr, the first name due to the rings he wore, and the last name because of his solos - which he performed reluctantly - could be billed as 'Starr Time'.
Ringo met The Beatles in Hamburg in October 1960. At the time, he was performing with Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, but stepped in on a number of occasions when Pete Best was unavailable. At the time, there was a sense of solidarity among the British groups in Hamburg, and The Beatles got to know Starr well.
When George Martin demanded that Best be replaced, The Beatles insisted that Ringo was the best drummer for them. The decision was controversial among the group's fans, who demanded "Pete forever! Ringo never!" at The Cavern club, and fights broke out.
However, Starr didn't play drums, on The Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do". Martin brought session drummer, Andy White, in for the session, relegating Starr to tambourine in "Love Me Do, and maracas in its b-side "P.S. I Love You". From then on, Starr played on virtually all The Beatles' recordings.
Ringo Starr quickly established himself as a rock-steady drummer, whose open hi-hat and four-to-the-floor bass drum helped energise The Beatles' sounds. He was a reliable performer who made only a handful of mistakes during the band's recording career.
A left-handed drummer who performed on a kit conventionally set up for a right-handed player, Ringo formed a distinctive sounds, not least his 'backwards' fills which were created by leading with the 'wrong' hand. As Ian McDonald wrote, "Starr would, during fills, come off the snare onto the tom-toms with his left hand leading so that he could only progress 'backwards' from small tom to floor tom or from small tom to snare."
Examples of his characteristics fills can be found on "A Day in the Life", "Hey Jude", and "Rain" (which Starr considers to be his best drumming).
'Ringoisms' (a term coined by Starr and adopted by the band) were used by John Lennon for the titles of "A Hard Day's Night" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". He also contributed the line "Darning his socks in the night..." to "Eleanor Rigby".
He became the central character in the films "Help!" and "Yellow Submarine", which were a testament to his popularity as a band member. "A Hard Day's Night", too, showed his natural ability as an actor, though he subsequently downplayed his performance, claiming he was hungover on the shoot.
Starr walked out during the recording of the "White Album", after becoming tired of The Beatles in-fighting. Away for two weeks, Paul McCartney played drums on "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Dear Prudence".
He composed two original songs during his time with The Beatles: "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden".
Ringo Starr married Maureen Cox on 11 February 1965. They had three children: Zak, Jason and Lee, before divorcing in 1975. Cox died in 1994.
Starr met Barbara Bach on the set of the film "Caveman" in 1980. They married the following year on 27 April.
Zak Starkey is also a drummer. Ringo arranged for him to have lessons with The Who's Keith Moon, a close friend of the family. Zak went on to perform with The Who, Oasis, and the-All Starr Band.
Ringo Starr was The Beatles' drummer and occasional singer. He was the oldest member and the last to join the band.
"Ringo's a damn good drummer. He was always a good drummer. He's not technically good, but I think Ringo's drumming was underrated the same way as Paul's bass playing is underrated...
I think Paul and Ringo stand up anywhere with any of the rock musicians. Not technically great. None of us were technical musicians. None of us could read music. None of us can write it. But as pure musicians, as inspired humans to make noise, they're as good as anybody!"
- John Lennon -
Ringo was born with the name Richard Starkey on 7 July 1940, at 9 Madryn Street in the Dingle area of Liverpool. His parents split up when he was three, and his mother, Elsie, remarried a man called Harry Graves. Graves got on well with Richard and encouraged the boy's passion for music.
A sickly child, Starkey spent long stretches in hospital. Among his afflictions were a coma caused by appendicitis, a cold which led to pleurisy, and various allergies and intolerances to certain foods. His illnesses made him fall behind academically, and he didn't return to school after a stay in hospital at the age of 13.
Known as Ritchie as a teenager, Starkey became infatuated with the skiffle craze which swept Liverpool and elsewhere in the 1950's. He co-founded the Eddie Miles band, which later became Eddie Clayton and the Clayton Squares, and in 1959 joined the Raving Texans, backing band for local singer, Rory Storm.
It was while playing in these Liverool bands that he gained the nickname Ringo Starr, the first name due to the rings he wore, and the last name because of his solos - which he performed reluctantly - could be billed as 'Starr Time'.
Ringo met The Beatles in Hamburg in October 1960. At the time, he was performing with Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, but stepped in on a number of occasions when Pete Best was unavailable. At the time, there was a sense of solidarity among the British groups in Hamburg, and The Beatles got to know Starr well.
When George Martin demanded that Best be replaced, The Beatles insisted that Ringo was the best drummer for them. The decision was controversial among the group's fans, who demanded "Pete forever! Ringo never!" at The Cavern club, and fights broke out.
However, Starr didn't play drums, on The Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do". Martin brought session drummer, Andy White, in for the session, relegating Starr to tambourine in "Love Me Do, and maracas in its b-side "P.S. I Love You". From then on, Starr played on virtually all The Beatles' recordings.
Ringo Starr quickly established himself as a rock-steady drummer, whose open hi-hat and four-to-the-floor bass drum helped energise The Beatles' sounds. He was a reliable performer who made only a handful of mistakes during the band's recording career.
A left-handed drummer who performed on a kit conventionally set up for a right-handed player, Ringo formed a distinctive sounds, not least his 'backwards' fills which were created by leading with the 'wrong' hand. As Ian McDonald wrote, "Starr would, during fills, come off the snare onto the tom-toms with his left hand leading so that he could only progress 'backwards' from small tom to floor tom or from small tom to snare."
Examples of his characteristics fills can be found on "A Day in the Life", "Hey Jude", and "Rain" (which Starr considers to be his best drumming).
'Ringoisms' (a term coined by Starr and adopted by the band) were used by John Lennon for the titles of "A Hard Day's Night" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". He also contributed the line "Darning his socks in the night..." to "Eleanor Rigby".
He became the central character in the films "Help!" and "Yellow Submarine", which were a testament to his popularity as a band member. "A Hard Day's Night", too, showed his natural ability as an actor, though he subsequently downplayed his performance, claiming he was hungover on the shoot.
Starr walked out during the recording of the "White Album", after becoming tired of The Beatles in-fighting. Away for two weeks, Paul McCartney played drums on "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Dear Prudence".
He composed two original songs during his time with The Beatles: "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden".
Ringo Starr married Maureen Cox on 11 February 1965. They had three children: Zak, Jason and Lee, before divorcing in 1975. Cox died in 1994.
Starr met Barbara Bach on the set of the film "Caveman" in 1980. They married the following year on 27 April.
Zak Starkey is also a drummer. Ringo arranged for him to have lessons with The Who's Keith Moon, a close friend of the family. Zak went on to perform with The Who, Oasis, and the-All Starr Band.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Beatles' Day-by-Day History : Recording: She Loves You, I'll Get You
MONDAY, 1 JULY 1963 (48 YEARS AGO)
Okay, starts from today, I'm gonna tell you about the Beatles' day-by-day history. So there'll be daily post from me about their history.
On this day the Beatles recorded both sides of their fourth UK single, which would be released on 23 August 1963.
The group began recording at 5pm at Abbey Road's studio two, and finished at 10pm, although the session had been booked for 2.30-5.30pm. The two songs worked on were "She Loves You" and "I'll Get You".
Although documentation for the session no longer exists, it's known that The Beatles filled three reels of recording tape. The precised number of takes for each song is unknown.
"I was sitting in my usual place on a high stool in studio two when John and Paul first ran through the song on their acoustic guitars, George joining in on the choruses. I thought it was great but was intrigued by the final chord, an odd sort of major sixth, with George doing the sixth and John and Paul in the third and fifths, like a Glenn Miller arrangement. They were saying, 'It's a great chord! Nobody's ever heard it before!' Of course I knew that wasn't quite true!"
George Martin - Producer
Also on this day The Beatles posed for photographs in and around studio, for an EMI photographer.
Recording session data:
Time : 1 July 1963, 5-10pm
Place : Studio 2, Abbey Road (EMI) Studios, London
Session Producer : George Martin
Session Engineer : Norman Smith
Okay, starts from today, I'm gonna tell you about the Beatles' day-by-day history. So there'll be daily post from me about their history.
On this day the Beatles recorded both sides of their fourth UK single, which would be released on 23 August 1963.
The group began recording at 5pm at Abbey Road's studio two, and finished at 10pm, although the session had been booked for 2.30-5.30pm. The two songs worked on were "She Loves You" and "I'll Get You".
Although documentation for the session no longer exists, it's known that The Beatles filled three reels of recording tape. The precised number of takes for each song is unknown.
"I was sitting in my usual place on a high stool in studio two when John and Paul first ran through the song on their acoustic guitars, George joining in on the choruses. I thought it was great but was intrigued by the final chord, an odd sort of major sixth, with George doing the sixth and John and Paul in the third and fifths, like a Glenn Miller arrangement. They were saying, 'It's a great chord! Nobody's ever heard it before!' Of course I knew that wasn't quite true!"
George Martin - Producer
Also on this day The Beatles posed for photographs in and around studio, for an EMI photographer.
Recording session data:
Time : 1 July 1963, 5-10pm
Place : Studio 2, Abbey Road (EMI) Studios, London
Session Producer : George Martin
Session Engineer : Norman Smith
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