DM's Beatles forums

Beatles forums => Albums => Topic started by: Euan Buchan on February 09, 2010, 03:50:04 PM

Title: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Euan Buchan on February 09, 2010, 03:50:04 PM
Just thought it be interesting to hear what you think would be the best place to put Her Majesty because putting it after The End doesn't seem to fit in The End would be perfect as the final track heres what I think I'd put it

1. Come Together
2. Something
3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
4. Oh Darling
5. Octopus's Garden
6. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
7. Here Comes The Sun
8. Because
9. You Never Give Me Your Money
10 Her Majesty
11. Sun King
12. Mean Mr Mustard
13. Polythene Pam
14. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
15. Golden Slumbers
16. Carry That Weight
17.The End
 
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Bobber on February 09, 2010, 04:05:01 PM
From wiki:

The song was originally placed between "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam"; McCartney decided that the sequence did not work and the song was edited out of the medley by Abbey Road Studios tape operator John Kurlander. He was instructed by McCartney to destroy the tape, but EMI policy stated that no Beatles recording was ever to be deleted. The fourteen seconds of silence between "The End" and "Her Majesty" are the result of Kurlander’s lead out tape added to separate the song from the rest of the recording.

The loud chord that occurs at the beginning of the song is the ending, as recorded, of "Mean Mr. Mustard".[2] "Her Majesty" ends abruptly because its own final note was left at the beginning of "Polythene Pam". Paul applauded Kurlander's "surprise effect" and the track became the unintended closer to the LP. The crudely-edited beginning and end of "Her Majesty" shows that it was not meant to be included in the final mix of the album; as McCartney says in The Beatles Anthology, "Typical Beatles - an accident." Consequently, both of the original sides of vinyl closed with a song that ended very abruptly (the other being I Want You (She's So Heavy)).
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Delirious Lab on February 09, 2010, 05:39:01 PM
And have some other band have claim to the first bonus track in history?

No.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Almighty Doer of Stuff on February 09, 2010, 09:37:38 PM
It's not the first bonus track, or at least I don't think so. It's the first HIDDEN bonus track. Some say that title belongs to Sgt. Pepper, but I think the run-out groove loop is a part of A Day In The Life, and is integral to the meaning of the song, so I don't call that a hidden track at all.

Anyway, I like Her Majesty right where it is. I don't think it would fit anywhere else on the album, because the rest of the album is so heavily produced with very dense sounds, and if it was put anywhere else it would be dramatically out of place. Even if they eliminated the gap between The End and Her Majesty, it just wouldn't work at all.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Bobber on February 09, 2010, 09:43:16 PM
Can somebody find a recording (edited or not), where it's in the position where it was first planned, so in between Mustard and Pam?
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: cubanheel on February 10, 2010, 09:42:49 PM
I'm glad they moved it, my initial reaction is that nothing should separate Mr M and his sister! Although I get the joke that Pam takes Mr M out to look at the Queen, so maybe on that level it would work? I always used to listen to albums before going to sleep and Her Majesty always woke me up with a start. I think it's got that Beatley humour that we know and love.  Leave it where it is, I say!
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: peterbell1 on February 10, 2010, 10:42:39 PM
Bobber - there's a version of the huge melody (including Her Maj in its original position) on Disc 3 of the Purple Chick "Abbey Road Deluxe" set. It's track 10.
To me the join between Mustard and Her Maj sounds fine but the transition from HM to Pam doesn't work - I think there should have been a slight pause after HM and then Pam should start. But on the whole I like the loud/quiet/loud combination when HM is added - I think it could have worked if they'd changed the editing a bit.

Going off at a tangent here, presumably, before Her Majesty was removed from the huge melody and tacked onto the end of the Abbey Road master tape, The End was the final song on the album - yes?
So, had Let It Be been abandoned at this point and did they privately think that this would be their last LP?
If that's the case, that would have meant that The End would be ... er ... the end? Not just of the album but of The Beatles recording career?
I suppose adding Her Majesty at the end spoiled the "closure" of the whole Beatles saga, but Paul obviously recognised this and went with it anyway.
"The End" would have made a "a suitable ending" to both Abbey Road and their recording output, but The Beatles were never ones to conform to what was expected and they added that little twist to confuse and confound us all.

(And anyway, they did finally get their "suitable ending" with the "hope we passed the audition" quote at the end of Let It Be!)
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Bobber on February 11, 2010, 08:21:39 AM
Bobber - there's a version of the huge melody (including Her Maj in its original position) on Disc 3 of the Purple Chick "Abbey Road Deluxe" set. It's track 10.

Thanks. I have that recording and will check it out.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Matildamother on February 11, 2010, 06:11:55 PM
And have some other band have claim to the first bonus track in history?

No.

 Interesting on "Cry Baby Cry" they added a totally unrelated fragment or outtake of another song  "Can you take me back?" which is not listed on the White Album. The Beatles were into using unused parts of another song and add it another song for example "Revolution #9" was built from the ending of "Revolution #1".

I would keep "Her Majesty" the way it is. I like the surprise effect.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Almighty Doer of Stuff on February 11, 2010, 06:44:15 PM
Actually, The White Album had numerous little unfinished bits and pieces between songs. I suppose they could be considered hidden bonus tracks, but usually they're just attached to the songs they're next to.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: AngeloMysterioso on February 11, 2010, 09:43:49 PM
I would keep "Her Majesty" the way it is. I like the surprise effect.


Same here. I would leave it the way it is, a few seconds after the End. I have read somewhere that it was an interesting way to deflate that big balloon of sorts.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: nufc on February 13, 2010, 08:47:22 AM
I kind of wish it just was never added to end with the end would be amazing... I also wish abbey road was released after let it be (since it was recorded and made after it) just to you know have the beatles end on a good note since let it be was only an okay effort.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Bobber on February 16, 2010, 11:42:11 AM
Thanks. I have that recording and will check it out.

I must admit that they made a good decision by getting HM out of the medley. It's completely out of style between MMM and PP. Not sure if I'm happy with it being included on Abbey Road at all.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Wonderland on February 16, 2010, 11:55:02 AM
I wouldn't. I'd allow the tape to be destroyed. It's a complete waste of time and space in my opinion.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Almighty Doer of Stuff on February 16, 2010, 05:28:19 PM
I wouldn't go that far. If they really shouldn't have put it on Abbey Road, they could have eventually put it on Anthology instead. I think it's fun to sing, and I don't think it was a waste of effort, regardless of whether it belongs where it is or at all on the album it's on.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: I_Will on February 16, 2010, 05:34:41 PM
I kind of wish it just was never added to end with the end would be amazing... I also wish abbey road was released after let it be (since it was recorded and made after it) just to you know have the beatles end on a good note since let it be was only an okay effort.


Me too! Haha I keep my albums arranged chronologically, and I ALWAYS put Abbey Road after Let It Be, I don't know why, but it really bothers me when people talk about Let It Be like it was the last album they actually recorded instead of just released.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Wonderland on February 16, 2010, 05:47:07 PM
I wouldn't go that far. If they really shouldn't have put it on Abbey Road, they could have eventually put it on Anthology instead. I think it's fun to sing, and I don't think it was a waste of effort, regardless of whether it belongs where it is or at all on the album it's on.

It's an underdeveloped piece of music. There's not enough to it, it needs something more to be going on. If they did that, it would be worthwhile, but left as it is tagging onto the end of Abbey Road, it's not.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Almighty Doer of Stuff on February 16, 2010, 07:24:02 PM
I think it's just perfect with the simple acoustic guitar and one-verse structure. I think it's a cute song that would lose its cuteness if it were developed into a full-length, fully-arranged song.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: dbone828 on June 19, 2010, 06:04:24 AM
Perhaps it would have made more sense to tack "Her Majesty" at the end of Side 1 of Abbey Road. After all, "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" comes to an abrupt halt, leaving listeners wondering what happened to the end of the song. With 14 seconds of silence, and then jumping into the similarly-sliced beginning of "Her Majesty" before finishing off Side A could make for an interesting listening experience.  The only downside is that when translated to CD form, "Her Majesty" is followed by "Here Comes the Sun" which doesn't quite have the same effect when the dark "I Want You" is brought out of the slump, skyrocketing into the air with Harrison's ballad, by contrast, quite possibly the happiest Beatles song ever recorded.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: tkitna on June 19, 2010, 12:16:56 PM
I'd put it in the trash. It shouldnt be there nor does it belong on Abbey Road. Album should have finished with The End.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Where would you put it on Abbey Road?
Post by: Jane on June 19, 2010, 09:02:59 PM
As for me I like it at the end, it`s so unexpected and brings a smile to your face... Cool!  :)