OK, take me out back and shoot me now!!
No, I refuse!!! Deal with it.
Sorry to miss all this great discussion. I came in early and then got really busy at work. I hope you don't mind if I try to play a little catch-up.
Isn't there a rumor (not sure if it's true) that George taught John to play guitar? (confused)
As Tkitna said, John learned banjo chords from his mom, and Paul pretty much set him straight, because Paul had some lessons. But George was the chord fiend, and continued to show John new chords ongoingly. You can hear some of this on the LIB bootlegs. George also kept that up throughout his life. You can hear Tom Petty make some crack about diminished chords during a Wilbury's interview. George loved guitar just for the sound of it.
Yet we know that Paul was also a bit resentful at being lumbered with the bass. Had he had his way and become a guitarist I'd make a small wager that George's position as a lead guitarist would soon have been made redundant.
Kevin, your comments often make a good springboard for discussion! How do we know Paul was resentful? He didn't particularly want bass, but he didn't take lead guitar away from George-- why? Paul had way more power in the band, and got more as time went on. I can't imagine him knuckling under and letting little no-account Georgie have the sexy lead guitar spot unless a) George was better or b) Paul didn't want to have to try to pull off the solos during their shows. He really liked to ham it up for the crowds, and it's just plain difficult to play lead and to sing
and to ham all at the same time. He talked about how weird it was to play bass and sing at the same time-- can any bass players comment on this? I know how hard it is to sing and play lead.
Paul's initial attempt at lead solo he flubbed so badly that John never let him try again, but I refuse to accept this is why Paul stuck with bass. As time went on, he was obviously way more comfortable playing to crowds, so stage fright wouldn't hit him so badly. Why would he stick with bass, all through the Beatles' building period, when no one would particularly care which Beatle was playing what instrument because the fans were all there primarily to see Pete anyway?
Obviously Paul was good at bass; he was good at many instruments. I don't see him accepting a spot he didn't want unless there was some reason, particularly when the Beatles were still in the growing phase.
Have not both george Martin and Geoff Emerick (as good a set of sources you could wish for) talked of the struggles George had with his instrumemt? And that his results are more due to diligence and graft rather than virtuoso talent?
John often said that none of the Beatles were virtuosos. The Beatles were an energetic combination that did not rely on flash musicianship, but overall musicality and (I want to say)
mood. Yup, George sometimes took hours to work out exactly how he wanted his solo to be. Wow, hours for a song that would last 40 years, as opposed to 10 minutes. My thought always is, what's the rush? All the person ever sees is the finished product. Who cares how George created it? He could play it consistently and accurately forever once he figured out what he wanted. If you're in a band that relies upon improvisation, George is
not your guy. But the Beatles weren't a jazz band.
Still, I always felt that Paul cheated. He would work on his songs at home, in advance, and work out all the parts. I honestly don't know how long it took Paul to come up with his parts (all the parts including solos, because he completely visualized the song). I haven't listened to tons of bootlegs. But the reports usually are that "Paul came in knowing exactly what he wanted". So he could have been thinking about it for days, or at least overnight, before he attempted anything in the studio. George would have to learn the song as Paul revealed it, and then work up his bit live in the studio. So of course his beginning efforts wouldn't sound polished, although his final contribution would be solid. Not always, particularly on the early stuff, but often quite innovative.
As for Geoff Emerick, don't even get me started.
He admits that he never had "good chemistry" with George, and paints a dour picture of him that is not borne out by the bootlegs that I have personally listened to (again, this is a pretty small subset, but still). Anyway, my favorite bit of Geoff is his quote regarding the "I'll Follow the Sun" solo. "Even as a 17-year-old sitting in the machine room who couldn't play a lick of guitar myself, I felt George Harrison could have come up with something better than that." His remark always reminded me of the pompous Lady Catherine from Jane Austen's
Pride and Prejudice, talking about herself and her daughter:
There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient. And so would Anne, if her health had allowed her to apply.
Geoff does go on to say George played the next song "confidently and well. Even his solo, performed live, was flawless." Even Geoff's compliments have a grudging quality. I've said this before, but I particularly like how the first compliment Geoff ever gave George was for his solo for "The End". Way to get that compliment in before it's too late, Geoff! (And he wonders why George never warmed to him...)
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Topic: Where do Beatles rank among All-Time Guitarists? (Read 8785 times)