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[alexis]

Hi Beatles People  

I was wondering if any of you expert texpert Beatles authorities (which I used to consider myself until I started reading this forum!) might be able to help out with a question or two about who played some keyboard parts on Abbey Road...

1) There's a barrelhouse style piano in "You Never Give Me Your Money", played twice: Once just before "Any jobber got the sack ...", and once just before the first instance of "But oh, that magic feeling ...". It sounds too hard for Paul to play, but somehow it doesn't sound like George Martin's style. Any documentation as to whether they had a session pianist in for the song who might have done that part?

2) The manic organ parts that run almost completely throughout "I Want You/She's so Heavy" ... same question! I was wondering if the parts might be a Mellotron, but I'm thinking they are probably not, as the they sound too "varied" for tape loops.

Thanks!!

[An Apple Beatle]

I know that they used varispeed techniques to create barrelhouse effects on the piano (Ob La Di for sure)....That leaves me thinking it could have been Paul or GM.

The manic organ parts maybe just good experimentation with leslie cabinet speakers which can rotate at varying speeds or with the drawbars on a hammond you can create all kinds of 'bleeding' oscillating effects.

I must admit I have not managed to read any literature specifically to your questions but know through reading somewhere in the past that these techiques were used. Probably the book 'Revolution In the Head.'

Hope thats of some use.

[raxo]

Hi Beatles People  

I was wondering if any of you expert texpert Beatles authorities (which I used to consider myself until I started reading this forum!) might be able to help out with a question or two about who played some keyboard parts on Abbey Road...

1) There's a barrelhouse style piano in "You Never Give Me Your Money", played twice: Once just before "Any jobber got the sack ...", and once just before the first instance of "But oh, that magic feeling ...". It sounds too hard for Paul to play, but somehow it doesn't sound like George Martin's style. Any documentation as to whether they had a session pianist in for the song who might have done that part?
[...]

Hi, alexis, I don't  see why Paul couldn't have played (overdubbed later, probably July 31, 1969) that part:
http://website.lineone.net/~johnpaulgeorgeringo/book7.htm
http://www.users.bigpond.com/justin.shears/OnlyANorthernSong/OnlyANorthernSong/Studio/StudioEMI/AbbeyRd/Younever.html

... as this live take -that "rock jam"- shows: http://rapidshare.com/files/14755568/You_Never_Give_Me_Your_Money.wma.html

... it reminds me of Lady madonna style and, after all, Paul was the best pianist of the group, tho George Martin style was very classical and eclethic too (In My Llife keyboard part was recrded at a slow speed to be speeded up later)



I've looked here to find the following (what do you think?):
http://perso.wanadoo.es/sissu/maingear.htm

Title:  You Never Give Me Your Money
Credits: John Lennon - Paul McCartney
Recorded: 6th May, Olympic Sound Studios; 1st July, Abbey Road 2; 15th July, Abbey Road 3;30th, 31st July, Abbey Road 2; 5th August 1969, Abbey Road 3
 
Producer: George Martin  
Engineer: Glyn Johns/ Phil McDonald/ Geoff Emerick
Locations: Abbey Road - track 9
Line- up
JOHN Epiphone E230TD Casino, Jangle Piano BACKING VOCAL
PAUL Rickenbacker 4001s, Piano, Epiphone E230TD Casino, Wind-Chimes VOCAL, BACKING VOCAL  
GEORGE Gibson SG Standard  BACKING VOCAL
RINGO Ludwig Hollywood kit, Tambourine


I haven't found any info about any session musician. :-/

[...]
2) The manic organ parts that run almost completely throughout "I Want You/She's so Heavy" ... same question! I was wondering if the parts might be a Mellotron, but I'm thinking they are probably not, as the they sound too "varied" for tape loops.

Thanks!!

The following instrumentation was used acchording to the same site:

Title:  I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Credits: John Lennon - Paul McCartney
Recorded: 22nd February, Trident Studios. 18th, 20th April, 8th, 11th August 1969, Abbey Road 2&3
Producer: Glyn Johns/ Chris Thomas/ George Martin
Engineer: Barry Sheffield/ Jeff Jarratt/ Tony Clark/Geoff Emerick/ Phil McDonald
Locations: Abbey Road - track 6
Line- up
JOHN Epiphone E230TD Casino, Hammond Organ, Moog Synthesizer VOCAL, HARMONY VOCALS  
PAUL Hofner 500/1  HARMONY VOCALS  
GEORGE Gibson Les Paul Standard HARMONY VOCALS  
RINGO Ludwig Hollywood kit, Congas  
OTHERS Billy Preston: Hammond Organ
 


It seems that John used George Harrison's Moog Synthesizer to provide the swishing sound of the white noise generator that we can hear in the last minutes of the track (overdubbed on August 8, 1969 -[size=9]yep, the very same day of the album cover photo session!!![/size]-):  
http://website.lineone.net/~johnpaulgeorgeringo/book7.htm
http://www.users.bigpond.com/justin.shears/OnlyANorthernSong/OnlyANorthernSong/Studio/StudioEMI/AbbeyRd/Iwant.html)



"The song was rehearsed several times during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions, the basic track was recorded at Trident Studios on 22nd February 1969 shortly after filming for the film project ended. The song was reworked in August and changed from "I Want You" to "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" with the heavy guitar overdubs and was included in the Abbey Road album.

Three takes from February 22 were edited into a master (2d generation), which was overdubbed, mixed down on April 18 (3d generation), and overdubbed on April 18 and 20 and August 11. Different overdubs were made to the 2d generation tape August 8. The mix is the 3d generation for 4:37 (up to "she's so") and then the 2d generation tape, which has a white noise added August 8."

from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Want_You_(She's_So_Heavy)



Hope some of this helps you.  

[alexis]

Hi Thanks Raxo and Apple Beatle!

I'll guess it might be Billy Preston on organ for "I want you ..."

Hey Raxo, I don't seem to be able to access Rapidshare files ... can you please point me in the right direction (e.g., do I need to open an account or anything like that?).

Thanks!

[raxo]

Hi Thanks Raxo and Apple Beatle!
[...]
Hey Raxo, I don't seem to be able to access Rapidshare files ... can you please point me in the right direction (e.g., do I need to open an account or anything like that?).

Thanks!

A pleasure, alexis!

You needn't to open an account or anything but click on "FREE" under "45 days without download", and, in the new window, enter the 4-letter-and/or-number code and click on "Download from ...", after that, choose where you want to download the file and it's done!!!  

Any doubt or problem, please, let me know!  

P.S. In case you've got any problem with *.wma files here's the track in *.mp3 format:
http://rapidshare.com/files/14764711/You_Never_Give_Me_Your_Money.mp3.html

[alexis]

A pleasure, alexis!

You needn't to open an account or anything but click on "FREE" under "45 days without download", and, in the new window, enter the   4-letter-and/or-number code   [/color]and click on "Download from ..." , after that, choose where you want to download the file and that's all!!!  

Any doubt or problem, please, let me know!  

Thanks, Raxo, I'm feeling a bit dense about this, but ....

1) How does one know what code to enter? ...  I'm going to guess that it involves setting up an account and a login password, but after looking around the site, I'm not able to find where to do that (embarrased icon here), even in FAQs ...
2) this may become obvious after the code is entered, but how does one know where to download from?


Thanks much for your help!

P.S. .. This lack of documentation on this site reminds me of a line from John's "Working Class Hero": "The minute you're born, they make you feel small, by giving you no account info at all" ...

[raxo]

Thanks, Raxo, I'm feeling a bit dense about this, but ....

1) How does one know what code to enter? ...  I'm going to guess that it involves setting up an account and a login password, but after looking around the site, I'm not able to find where to do that (embarrased icon here), even in FAQs ...
2) this may become obvious after the code is entered, but how does one know where to download from?


Thanks much for your help!

P.S. .. This lack of documentation on this site reminds me of a line from John's "Working Class Hero": "The minute you're born, they make you feel small, by giving you no account info at all" ...

LOL! That John's line is good here!   ... sorry, it's my falt! :B

In the new window (I guess you're already there) you'll find something like this:
Download ticket reserved. In 0.6 (or whatever) minutes your download will be ready.
Avoid the need for download tickets by using a PREMIUM account. Instant access!

This means you've got to wait a minute or so and, after that, you'll find something like this:
No premium user. Please enter
(HERE YOU'LL SEE THE MENTIONED CODE -AND IT'S NOT A LOGIN PASSWORD AT ALL!!! )
here:  
... and on the right you'll find the button to Download from (wherever)


Try once a-gain, please, and tell me!

[alexis]

OK, Raxo, you da man, I'm in, thanks!

Wow, what a great take in that up/dowload! You must have a library bigger than Congress's (or Parliament's if you are from closer to Liverpool!).

After listening to the clip, I'm not sure that Paul could have played those piano parts on "You Never Give Me Your Money". To my ear (as a once-upon-a-time band playing piano player),  Paul's piano bits during the jam were far and away much less complicated than on the actual song on Abbey Road.

But, I think you may have solved the mystery ... you mentioned in your post above that Billy Preston was on hand for at least some parts of Abbey Road. That piano part sounds a LOT like what he could/would have played, IMHO - very gospel-sounding. In the absence of anything to the contrary, I'm going to run with that!

What do you think?

THanks SO MUCH for your help!

[raxo]

OK, Raxo, you da man, I'm in, thanks!

Wow, what a great take in that up/dowload! You must have a library bigger than Congress's (or Parliament's if you are from closer to Liverpool!).[...]

LOL! I've got some things, yep, but there are some here that might have got even a bigger one!!!

[...]
After listening to the clip, I'm not sure that Paul could have played those piano parts on "You Never Give Me Your Money". To my ear (as a once-upon-a-time band playing piano player),  Paul's piano bits during the jam were far and away much less complicated than on the actual song on Abbey Road.

But, I think you may have solved the mystery ... you mentioned in your post above that Billy Preston was on hand for at least some parts of Abbey Road. That piano part sounds a LOT like what he could/would have played, IMHO - very gospel-sounding. In the absence of anything to the contrary, I'm going to run with that!

What do you think?

THanks SO MUCH for your help!

It's really a pleasure!!!  

Well, as far as I'm awared, Billy lent a hand 'till some February sessions, including the rythm track of I Want You (She's So Heavy) but by that spring he was no longer with them, so I assume that he's not in You Never Give Your Money ... if you're a piano player (I'm not more than a mere amateur keyboard player) your opinion about Paul's piano skills surely is a more valid one ... anyway, I think he could pretty well have dubbed that part (that was only a live take, y'know, so he was singing while he was playing the rythm) ... but I can't guarantee it  :-/

[alexis]

Hi Raxo - Another of those things that we'll probably never get to know. Even if we could ask Sir Paul himself, there's probably at least a 50-50 chance he wouldn't remember if it wasn't that important to him at the time.

OK, thanks for everything once again!

[raxo]

Hi Raxo - Another of those things that we'll probably never get to know. Even if we could ask Sir Paul himself, there's probably at least a 50-50 chance he wouldn't remember if it wasn't that important to him at the time.

OK, thanks for everything once again!

Please, stop thanking me, OK?!  

The matter would be if Paul could remember if they used any session musician apart from the orchestral parts :-/ ... I think they didn't since Billy collaborated in the Get Back project ...

[raxo]

[ShesCominDownFastYesSheIs]

There's a barrelhouse style piano in "You Never Give Me Your Money", played twice: Once just before "Any jobber got the sack ...", and once just before the first instance of "But oh, that magic feeling ...". It sounds too hard for Paul to play, but somehow it doesn't sound like George Martin's style.

I'm pretty sure Paul plays all the piano parts on You Never Give Me Your Money. I don't understand how you can say it sounds too hard for him to play. he's a great pianist. check out his keyboard work on Back in the USSR for proof.

[zipp]

I've had a look at Ian McDonald and he doesn't contradict anything that's been said.