I think George is totally underrated as a guitarist... George was no shredder, but the little flamenco run on The White Album ain't no amateur.
Actually, that little flamenco run wasn't played by
any of the Beatles -- it's a single note on the mellotron, one of their stock tapes.
And Your Bird Can Sing is an amazing part--was in 1966, is today. Maybe it took him a couple takes to record it, but I'd take it over all the noodley mush you hear people rave about.
Actually, those guitar parts were played simultaneously by John and George, and since it's his song, I'd be willing to wager that it was Lennon who came up with it. That said, I agree with your assessment -- it's a great part and it's superbly played by the two of them.
I think Geoff Emerick was a good engineer, but no producer. I know he's got grammies and worked with Nelly McKay, but he's bland if you ask me. He produced Elvis Costello's "Imperial Bedroom" which is an almost great album, but too "overlush" for my taste. I wonder how George Martin would have done it. With a lot more taste?.
Emerick's never done much production, which is, I am sure, by choice. But obviously Elvis Costello was extremely pleased with the job Emerick did on "Imperial Bedroom" -- he says as much in the sleeve notes and in the Foreword he wrote for Geoff's book -- and the proof is that Emerick was invited to produce a second EC album, "All This Useless Beauty." So I guess his work was done to Elvis's taste, if not yours.
If you look at Geoff's recording career, he's worked mostly with lightweight "pop" groups, not serious artists like John Lennon. I wonder if he ever really got Lennon, or George for that matter.
Ummm, I guess you don't consider Jeff Beck a "serious artist"? Or the Mahavishnu Orchestra? Or Elvis Costello? Or Nellie McKay?
And if Ringo don't like you, mate, maybe there's something with you.
I presume you mean something
wrong with you. Where did you hear that Ringo doesn't like Emerick? He hired him to record his first solo album, and then hired him again years later to mix "Vertical Man," and has worked with him (quite happily, from all accounts) on various McCartney solo projects and on the Threetles releases "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love."
I know I'm a new member here, and I don't mean to be butting in (I actually really love this board, and have a lot of respect for its members), but I believe in setting the record straight and I don't believe in false rumors or mischaracterizations. Everyone is of course entitled to their opinion of Emerick's book (personally, like many of you here, I loved it) or anything else but if you're going to be telling us you dislike something for whatever reason, at least get your facts straight.
