All Things Must Beat. Share Anything Beatles!!

[RedVee]

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"To lead a better life, I need my love to be near. Here, making each day of the year, ... etc. . . . . "

"Who knows how long I've loved you? You know, I love you still. ... etc. . . . . "

"There are places I remember... all my life, though some have changed. ... etc. . . . . "

I could go on and on, but I'll others a chance.
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Don’t forget Ringo

I'm sorry that I doubted you,
I was so unfair.
You were in a car crash,
And you lost your hair.

Words to live by those.

* I have read that ‘lose your hair’ ‘lost your hair’ was Liverpudlian slang for being sick/injured. I have no idea, but it sounds to me like that was made up after the fact.

 

[G-Dog]

I don't know what inspired me to recall this today, but despite their differences in later years, Paul always had good things to say about how John improved Paul's songwriting. Not sure if it was covered in the Anthology series or somewhere else, but a couple of neat examples:

• Paul had written the line, "She was just seventeen, and a real beauty queen." John reacted (paraphrased): "What is this 'beauty queen' rubbish? You don't need to spell everything out for the listener. How about 'She was just seventeen, and you know what I mean' instead?"
• While developing "Hey Jude" – inspired by John's divorce from Cynthia and its resulting impact on their son Julian – Paul had included some quasi-nonsensical placeholder lyrics that matched the meter of the tune but were intended to be replaced before the actual recording session. One of them was the line: "The movement you need is on your shoulder." John allegedly refused to replace that particular lyric because in his opinion, "It was the best line in the song."

No doubt, McCartney got several lessons in songwriting from the more "lyrical" Lennon, some seeming to be that the actual words didn't matter as much as the feeling! John was, by far, the dominant figure in the early Beatles, due to his cocky personality and Paul's more polite demeanor, that Paul was even scared to sing the title of what was certainly his own song, Love Me Do:

"George Martin, however, started to make arrangement suggestions for the song. He noticed that John was singing the song's title solo during the climax of each verse but then switched to harmonica before he could sing the word "do." Paul relates: "George Martin said, 'Wait a minute, there's a crossover there. Someone else has got to sing 'love me do' because you're going to have a song called 'Love Me Waahhh.' So, Paul, will you sing 'love me do'?" God, I got the screaming heebie jeebies. We were doing it live and I was suddenly given this massive moment on our first thing, where everything stopped, no backing, the spotlight went to me and I went (in trembling tones) 'love me doooooo.' I can still hear the shake in my voice when I listen to it."

It wasn't until later in their career, while John just wanted to sleep, be with Yoko, or do drugs, and Paul was still driven to write and record, that Paul became "the bossy one".

Or, have I got it wrong?
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[Mike JV]

Looking at the above picture of John and Paul, I mean who could have even begun to imagine what lay ahead for them? According to those in Liverpool the Beatles were a joke of a band when the left to start playing in Hamburg. I saw an interview with guitarist Tony Sheridan who was working the Hamburg clubs and who heard them when they arrived. He said.."they were pretty bad. Pretty bad." But then when you start playing for 8 hours a night, 6 to 7 nights a week you better get good! He also added "but they seemed to have a bit more determination than the other groups and they had a certain intelligence that the other groups didn't have."

I have a theory about their songwriting and I've never read anything about this to prove or to disprove. Seeing how they played a variety of songs (rock, ballads, show tunes, etc.) I think John and Paul didn't just learn those songs but that they sat down and really studied those songs. You know, why do these chord progression work so well? Why does this melody work so well against these chords? I think they did a lot more homework than we could imagine. Of course they did their wood shedding and by their own admission wrote some very lousy songs when they first started. But they certainly paid their dues and once they got it right the world was theirs!

 

[G-Dog]

... ... I have a theory about their songwriting and I've never read anything about this to prove or to disprove. Seeing how they played a variety of songs (rock, ballads, show tunes, etc.) I think John and Paul didn't just learn those songs but that they sat down and really studied those songs. You know, why do these chord progression work so well? Why does this melody work so well against these chords? I think they did a lot more homework than we could imagine. Of course they did their wood shedding and by their own admission wrote some very lousy songs when they first started. But they certainly paid their dues and once they got it right the world was theirs!

I agree with your theory. As budding songwriters, of course they would study the successful songs they liked and wanted to emulate. They often said this song, or that song, was an attempt to be like this artist, or that artist. Or they knew that the "call & response" was a powerful tool in a song, or that the falsetto parts got a big audience reaction, and so on. They admit to shamelessly stealing parts of songs from wherever they could.

My corollary theory is that they were also smart enough to take good musical advice. From Tony Sheridan, for one, about the big sound of dreadnought acoustic guitars. And later, when George Martin suggested they speed up the draggy "Please Please Me". I was shocked to read back in the '70s & '80s, that the records I loved were "take 65" or "take 93", or whatever! And these days, there's SO MANY alternate, preliminary versions of their tapes available that it's quite obvious that worked extremely hard to get the right tempo, the right feel, the right "words" (or noises) before releasing a finished product. And almost no 2 of their recordings sound alike! As if each one is the definitive take on that sound!?!

But, luckily for us, Paul doesn't mind playing lots of the oldies, starting with his MTV Unplugged show and even on up to his concerts today, with whatever instrumentation and setup he has available, warts and all. Showing us "the way"! While I do love a good Beatles tribute band trying to nail the exact tones and feels of the recordings, I also feel like any of us are free to play and sing their songs in our own voices, with our own instruments, our own feels, be they similar, or not. Heard a friend's band do a sped up version of Wings' "Bluebird", with a kinda syncopated middle part(!), a few years ago that really grew on me by the end of it. It's "the soundtrack of our lives"! Why shouldn't we make it truly ours?

My 2 cents.
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[beans-on-toast]

Beatles bass lines.

 

[TomB]

Beatles bass lines.

Nice! It reminds me just how much I learned from Paul in those early days, perched in front of our Zenith stereo with my Kent P-bass and Kay 20 watt "bass" amp. By the time of the White album I had graduated to a '64 Fender Jazz Bass . I also bought Fender's first attempt at a solid-state Bassman, the SP 3100 ...a dog if there ever was one.

 

[garp]

By the time of the White album I had graduated to a '64 Fender Jazz Bass .

Then you and Paul got your Jazzes at around the same time. I believe the one he used on the White Album was a '66 lefty.

 

[StereoPlayer]

Found this link in my archives.
Lots of information.

http://www.macca-central.com/macca-archives/bassplayer.htm

 

[StereoPlayer]

This link also.
Always worth another read. An article on the refurnished Pauls’ 4001.

arnquist

 

[beans-on-toast]

My theory about the Beatles is that they knew a lot of songs inside out. They studied songs and what made them work. They could break them down retaining the good bits and integrating them into a new song. Love Me Do and Please Please Me started out as a song in the style of Roy Orbison. They sped it up and it evolved into the finished product. Paul McCartney was influenced by Buddy Holly. George Harrison knew the Carl Perkins material. John Lennon was the Roy Orbison expert. From bootlegs, you can hear how No Reply evolved as the band played it and the magic happened. At one point Lennon comments, now we know how that section goes. They all knew it when they heard it.

Paul once said that it was Buddy Holly that turned the Beatles onto combining vocal and instrument harmonies to make something bigger. Even years later John would sit by himself playing and singing obscure songs, he knew them all in detail. The Beatles could jam to any old song at the drop of a hat. They would play them in a musical way, making any song their own. Those old songs were in their musical DNA, they were part of them.

 

[G-Dog]

Looking at the above picture of John and Paul, I mean who could have even begun to imagine what lay ahead for them? According to those in Liverpool the Beatles were a joke of a band when the left to start playing in Hamburg. I saw an interview with guitarist Tony Sheridan who was working the Hamburg clubs and who heard them when they arrived. He said.."they were pretty bad. Pretty bad." But then when you start playing for 8 hours a night, 6 to 7 nights a week you better get good! He also added "but they seemed to have a bit more determination than the other groups and they had a certain intelligence that the other groups didn't have."

I have a theory about their songwriting and I've never read anything about this to prove or to disprove. Seeing how they played a variety of songs (rock, ballads, show tunes, etc.) I think John and Paul didn't just learn those songs but that they sat down and really studied those songs. You know, why do these chord progression work so well? Why does this melody work so well against these chords? I think they did a lot more homework than we could imagine. Of course they did their wood shedding and by their own admission wrote some very lousy songs when they first started. But they certainly paid their dues and once they got it right the world was theirs!

My theory about the Beatles is that they knew a lot of songs inside out. They studied songs and what made them work. They could break them down retaining the good bits and integrating them into a new song. Love Me Do and Please Please Me started out as a song in the style of Roy Orbison. They sped it up and it evolved into the finished product. Paul McCartney was influenced by Buddy Holly. George Harrison knew the Carl Perkins material. John Lennon was the Roy Orbison expert. From bootlegs, you can hear how No Reply evolved as the band played it and the magic happened. At one point Lennon comments, now we know how that section goes. They all knew it when they heard it.

Paul once said that it was Buddy Holly that turned the Beatles onto combining vocal and instrument harmonies to make something bigger. Even years later John would sit by himself playing and singing obscure songs, he knew them all in detail. The Beatles could jam to any old song at the drop of a hat. They would play them in a musical way, making any song their own. Those old songs were in their musical DNA, they were part of them.

I believe they were much more song-focused than gear-focused. Yeah, they had to have gear to make songs, but that was just tools to use for the real goal.

Plus, gear wasn't as plentiful or easy to obtain back then and there. But songs? Hey, you can make 'em up outta thin air, if you know how. (Not to diminish the need to "know how", of course.)
.

 

[Mike JV]

Plus, gear wasn't as plentiful or easy to obtain back then and there. But songs? Hey, you can make 'em up outta thin air, if you know how. (Not to diminish the need to "know how", of course.)
.[/QUOTE]

You know, while the availability of gear is plentiful these days (and there's some darned good stuff) I kinda miss the vibe of the old days before and after I got into bands. For the longest time all we had were the bare essentials because that's all there really was. Effects boxes, whats that? Maybe it's because I was young and it was a whole new thing back then, but for me those were the most magical of times. Hearing all the local bands of the day and some of the "bigger" local bands who had records out, it was basically guitar, cord and amp setups and everybody made the absolute most out of those basics because that's all you could do.

In the late 60's at the big local hot spot I heard the Amboy Dukes (with Ted Nugent) and Bob Seger play there for $1.25 a show!!. Hell, these guys were using Fender Dual Showman amps for PA's at the time but it didn't matter to us kids. Those weren't just shows or concerts to us back then. Those were events!! Seemed like anything was possible back then.

 

[Thumper]

anybody else see Bob Seeger at The Troubadour in Las Vegas early 70's? I did, $2

 

[G-Dog]

You know, while the availability of gear is plentiful these days (and there's some darned good stuff) I kinda miss the vibe of the old days before and after I got into bands. For the longest time all we had were the bare essentials because that's all there really was. Effects boxes, whats that? Maybe it's because I was young and it was a whole new thing back then, but for me those were the most magical of times. Hearing all the local bands of the day and some of the "bigger" local bands who had records out, it was basically guitar, cord and amp setups and everybody made the absolute most out of those basics because that's all you could do. ... ...

That's a big 10-4, Mike. I can remember my high school garage band (literally) when our lead guitarist went on vacation and left me his Fuzz Face! I was rythm guitar then, but we learned "Incense and Peppermint" with me on lead and vocal. Wow! What a rush! When he returned we sat the lead guitarist down and said, "Listen to this!" Afterwards he said, "So, you're kicking me outta the band?"! We told him, no, I'll teach you the lead and go back to rythm and vocal. What fun days!
.

 

[StereoPlayer]

That's a big 10-4, Mike. I can remember my high school garage band (literally) when our lead guitarist went on vacation and left me his Fuzz Face! I was rythm guitar then, but we learned "Incense and Peppermint" with me on lead and vocal. Wow! What a rush! When he returned we sat the lead guitarist down and said, "Listen to this!" Afterwards he said, "So, you're kicking me outta the band?"! We told him, no, I'll teach you the lead and go back to rythm and vocal. What fun days!
.

I have very fond memories of my old Fuzz Face, wish I still had it.

 

[G-Dog]

I have very fond memories of my old Fuzz Face, wish I still had it.

I still have the Fuzz-Wah that lead guitarist sold me after HS graduation and the band went their separate ways, colleges, work, and military! Last time I tried the Fuzz-Wah all the pots are way too noisy, especially on the wah!
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[beans-on-toast]

I was in a Beatles band in the 60's, we also covered Paul Revere and the Raiders. I remember when a new album came out, there was a race to learn and play the songs. I remember a friend's band performed all of Abbey Road, they really nailed it. I hadn't even gotten a copy of the record at the time. I beat them to it when the McCartney album came out. At the time, I only had one instrument and amp. That's how it was back then, when you got a new one you sold the old one, or passed it down to someone that needed it. It never occurred to me to keep two. My only pedal was a VOX fuzz. I later got another one that plugged directly into the instrument.

I had a lot of gear over the years and for the life of me I can't remember what happened to most of it.

 

[spiritbass]

 

[Rumble Thunder]

When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again

 

[dougjwray]

My theory about the Beatles is that they knew a lot of songs inside out. They studied songs and what made them work. They could break them down retaining the good bits and integrating them into a new song. Love Me Do and Please Please Me started out as a song in the style of Roy Orbison. They sped it up and it evolved into the finished product. Paul McCartney was influenced by Buddy Holly. George Harrison knew the Carl Perkins material. John Lennon was the Roy Orbison expert. From bootlegs, you can hear how No Reply evolved as the band played it and the magic happened. At one point Lennon comments, now we know how that section goes. They all knew it when they heard it.

Paul once said that it was Buddy Holly that turned the Beatles onto combining vocal and instrument harmonies to make something bigger. Even years later John would sit by himself playing and singing obscure songs, he knew them all in detail. The Beatles could jam to any old song at the drop of a hat. They would play them in a musical way, making any song their own. Those old songs were in their musical DNA, they were part of them.

This has been said before, but when they were in Hamburg, they had to play ALL KINDS of songs to keep the crowd happy-- songs from musicals, vaudeville, etc. As brilliant as they were, just imagine how they analyzed and absorbed these different styles.
Rolling Stones fans (for example) might scoff at Paul singing something like "Till There Was You", but this was a key to their incredible skill and versatility as writers.