Deconstructing "Helter Skelter" - hear the separate tracks (Lennon on bass)

[chuck3]

loved John but better that he stuck to guitar. That said, everything combines for Beatles brilliance. It takes a little time, but go to this link and work through the parts.

http://www.dangerousminds.net/commen...elter_skelter/

[Joe Nerve]

awesome.

[chuck3]

listening to John playing bass, you could say he anticipated the punk style of bass playing which was only a few years and a couple of neighborhoods away.

Hard not to love Ringo's isolated drum track - he had a way with cymbals, and with fills.

[Alucard817]

how do people isolate these tracks?

[wshines1892]

Why does the bass track sound like poop?

[chuck3]

Originally Posted by Alucard817

how do people isolate these tracks?

I don't know.

[chuck3]

Originally Posted by wshines1892

Why does the bass track sound like poop?

Lennon was a guitar player. That said, how he played on "Helter Skelter" was kind of punk, and that became a style in NYC within a couple of years.

[MrDOS]

Originally Posted by Alucard817

how do people isolate these tracks?

My best guess is new "games" like Rock Band. There's some cool ones out there -- I wish that ALL records were available this way

[Zeez]

im pretty sure the fact that he is playing a fender VI accounts for at least a bit of the clunky sound

[GaryLC]

I always loved the fact that the individual Beatles moved around on instruments, as either the mood fit, or who may not have been there that day! Some of their most brilliant lead work is Paul!

[mccartneyman]

Originally Posted by wshines1892

Why does the bass track sound like poop?

#1: It's isolated. It was not meant to "sound good" played alone, but to fit within the mix.
#2: Heavily muted flatwound strings.
#3: It's a guitarist playing bass -- which is not at all like a bassist playing guitar, which McCartney's tracks prove.

[GaryLC]

Originally Posted by mccartneyman

#3: It's a guitarist playing bass -- which is not at all like a bassist playing guitar, which McCartney's tracks prove.

But remember, Paul started out as a guitarist, and only switched to bass when Stu died.

[plangentmusic]

Ha! Love it! John having a bit of fun. (Realize he almost never played any single note lines on guitar). Crude as hell. But the song was meant to sound...you know -- helter skelter!