DM's Beatles forums

Beatles forums => Songs => Topic started by: Bacchus on September 04, 2004, 03:32:13 AM

Title: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Bacchus on September 04, 2004, 03:32:13 AM
is "yes it is' it really is a great song,nice changes and melody and is seldom mentioned.anyone else fond of this little gem?
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Indica on September 04, 2004, 07:54:31 PM
Great Song.
I really find this to be a different sounding song for the Beatles, with a rather spooky feel..with great Harmonies from Mccartney/Harrison.
 I feel Yes it is, shares the same feeling and structure to This Boy.although the former offers a more dark-natured listen.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: on September 05, 2004, 11:45:31 PM
Beautiful use of the wah-wah from George too.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Kiss My Bad Self on September 06, 2004, 08:51:48 AM
yeah its one of my favourates. I think it was the B side to ticket to ride. I find it similar to Girl. There both sort of waltzy.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: on September 06, 2004, 03:46:15 PM
Is it underrated?

Yes, it is.





:)




(So is Isolation from John's first solo LP)
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Mendips on September 08, 2004, 06:56:24 PM
Lovely song.

John says " That's me trying a rewrite of THIS BOY, but it didn't work".


It works for us, Johnny!
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Frightwolf on September 10, 2004, 05:15:21 AM
Yea, I do remember reading somewhere that he wasn't too pleased with Yes It Is.  It ran off the same chord changes, or at least similar chord changes, to This Boy.

Personally, I think it's great, but This Boy is superior IMO.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Wonderwall on September 28, 2004, 06:04:24 PM
  I like the anthology 2 version.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Sadie4 on September 28, 2004, 07:11:12 PM
 I just LOVE "Yes it is"... Who said otherwise?
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: dr.robert on September 28, 2004, 09:22:40 PM
that is a good song. you rarely hear  it on the radio.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: SieLiebtDich on September 30, 2004, 11:41:09 PM
I also think the anthology version is good :-)
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: bilyum on October 07, 2004, 10:15:04 AM
[quote by=TheMasterOfGoingFaster link=Blah.pl?b=songs,m=1094268733,s=2 date=1094427931]Beautiful use of the wah-wah from George too.[/quote]

actuallly, it was volume pedal......not a wah-wah........

Great song, great chord changes, great harmonies and in case no one noticed, the last 4 guitar notes (using a volume pedal....probably an ernie ball volume pedal) were a blatant ripoff of a passage from Sleepwalk, by Santos and Johnny.

Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Runforyourlife on October 12, 2004, 02:02:53 PM
 I love this song! I never understood why he said it didn't work...its so beautiful, and his singing is amazing.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Sadie4 on October 12, 2004, 04:54:02 PM
 And the lyrics... wow!!! If you wear red tonight!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: apple sauce on October 20, 2004, 01:19:37 AM
 "When I Get Home" is a song that never even gets mentioned! Has to be one of the best sung songs ever for John!
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: jeanie on October 22, 2004, 08:16:58 PM
Yea, 'When I get home' is very underrated..I luv that song!!
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Soft_Guitar60 on October 22, 2004, 08:50:57 PM
When I Get Home is one of my favourite songs on the AHDN album.

About Yes It Is: I love that song! It does sound like This Boy but it's better. The Anthology version is good too.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: jeanie on October 25, 2004, 11:12:11 PM
I think This boy is bit underrated too...It's one of my favourites!
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Xose on May 07, 2011, 04:02:00 PM
Sorry for going back to this thread after son long...  ;sorry

...probably an ernie ball volume pedal...

Has this topic been researched?? Do we already know that it was an Ernie Ball volume pedal??

Thanks in advance and best wishes!! ;)

Xosé
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: tkitna on May 07, 2011, 10:21:34 PM
Not one of my favorites

Anyways, how long has Ernie Ball stuff been around? I know of it from the 80's, but i'm not a guitar person at all.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: KelMar on May 14, 2011, 05:56:14 AM
I am probably kind of naive when it comes to the finer points of musicality (is that a word?) but I am a sucker for a heartrending vocal and this has it. I don't think John gave himself enough credit when it came to his voice.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Johnny Moondog on May 15, 2011, 09:35:20 AM
I love this song. I've always found it quite haunting. I think Ian MacDonald in Revolution in the Head said something about the song having Edgar Allen Poe type imagery, what with the red dress and that. I've always made that association ever since. And I agree, John's vocal is heartrending.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Hello Goodbye on May 15, 2011, 08:55:36 PM
It's a word, Kelley.

George's use of the volume pedal gives this song a dream-like feel.  John's plaintive solos jar the listener awake.  I've always liked this song.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: peterbell1 on May 16, 2011, 10:19:10 AM
Never been a big fan of "Yes It Is" myself. The harmonies sound slightly out of tune to me - I think it might be George's vocal which is out.
John's lead vocal is nice though.

The harmonies were spot on in "This Boy" and I like that song much more than "Yes It Is". I think there's a lot more energy and emotion in the recording of "This Boy", while "Yes It Is" sounds lethargic and almost as if they were going through the motions and couldn't be bothered to tidy up the rough edges in the studio.


As for the Ernie Ball question ...

I had a look at the Ernie Ball website and it doesn't mention when the company started making volume pedals. In the early years Ernie Ball ran a guitar shop and then began selling his own "Slinky" brand of electric guitar strings in the mid-60s and that's where he made his name. No mention of pedals in the History section of the site. I don't think they were produced by Ernie Ball until much later, as I can't find any reference to any 1960s Ernie Ball pedals.

There's two other possibilities, though...
Fender had produced a volume pedal (sometimes called a tone pedal) since the mid-50s.
Also, the Beatles had started using a Vox Continental organ by 1965 and there was a volume pedal that came with the organ, so they may have adapted the Vox organ volume pedal for guitar use.

Does anyone have access to the books "Beatles Gear" or "Recording The Beatles"? It will probably say in one of those books which manufacturer made the pedal.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Bobber on May 16, 2011, 10:22:59 AM
Does anyone have access to the books "Beatles Gear" or "Recording The Beatles"? It will probably say in one of those books which manufacturer made the pedal.

I'll have a look tonight.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: nimrod on May 16, 2011, 11:09:14 AM
Not one of my favorites

Anyways, how long has Ernie Ball stuff been around? I know of it from the 80's, but i'm not a guitar person at all.

His shops started in the 60's I believe in Hollywood
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: peterbell1 on May 16, 2011, 11:28:31 AM
Never been a big fan of "Yes It Is" myself. The harmonies sound slightly out of tune to me - I think it might be George's vocal which is out.

Been giving this a few more listens and I'm now wondering if it is Paul's vocal which goes out.
For example, on the line "Please don't wear red tonight" I think Paul goes from singing the high note, above John's main vocal, to singing a low note at the bottom of three harmonies when it gets to the word "tonight".
If it is Paul then I suppose he can be forgiven (  ;D ). It's a big leap vocally from the high note to the low one and it must be very hard to pitch that perfectly, even for as good a singer as him.

Does anyone have a transcription of who sings what?
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Bobber on May 17, 2011, 01:43:34 PM
I'll have a look tonight.

Recording The Beatles mentions the use of 'George's new volume pedal' for the recording session on 16. February 1965 for Another Girl, I Need You and Yes It Is. There is no mention of a brand. I notice John is on drums (off beat on the 2nd and 4rd beat), just the snare that is.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Gary910 on May 18, 2011, 12:22:50 AM
I have to laugh at the term "underrated". Who "rated" it in the first place? What are their qualifications to do so? Are they the end all and be all of what is good?
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: peterbell1 on May 18, 2011, 08:43:16 AM
I have to laugh at the term "underrated". Who "rated" it in the first place? What are their qualifications to do so? Are they the end all and be all of what is good?

Yeah, I think a better term would be "underappreciated" - a song which never seems to get the attention it perhaps deserves.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: tkitna on May 19, 2011, 12:49:48 AM
I notice John is on drums (off beat on the 2nd and 4rd beat), just the snare that is.

John played drums on 'Yes It Is'? Thats the first I think i've ever heard that.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Hello Goodbye on May 20, 2011, 04:32:33 AM
Does anyone have access to the books "Beatles Gear" or "Recording The Beatles"? It will probably say in one of those books which manufacturer made the pedal.

And I checked Beatles Gear last night.  There were three references to the volume pedal but no manufacturer was specified.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Bobber on May 20, 2011, 07:16:56 AM
John played drums on 'Yes It Is'? Thats the first I think i've ever heard that.

Well, he just beats the snare on the second and fourth. I didn't know that either. It seems he even hit the rim at one point.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: tkitna on May 20, 2011, 10:32:36 AM
It seems he even hit the rim at one point.

Why Cor, why? You know that i'll have to go back and listen to the damn thing again now to see when it happens.

Seriously though, still did not know that John laid down a drum part on tape. Neat to know. Thanks.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Bobber on May 20, 2011, 10:38:14 AM
Relax. It's mentioned in the book if I'm correct. I'll look it up for you. ha2ha
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Bobber on May 20, 2011, 10:52:28 AM
And I checked Beatles Gear last night.  There were three references to the volume pedal but no manufacturer was specified.

Found this:
The most basic FX pedal the Beatles have  used, was a volume pedal. It was famously used in their b-side “Yes It Is” Apparently, according to legend, George Harrison wasn’t quite able to play his guitar part and use the volume pedal at the same time, so John Lennon was controlling it instead, with his hand!
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: Bobber on May 20, 2011, 12:44:50 PM
Relax. It's mentioned in the book if I'm correct. I'll look it up for you. ha2ha

At 1:10.
Title: Re: a very underated lennon song
Post by: tkitna on May 21, 2011, 01:04:41 PM
Thanks. Now its up to me to totally forget about all of this by the time I hear the song again.  ha2ha