DM's Beatles forums
Beatles forums => Songs => Song Of The Week Series => Topic started by: nimrod on September 05, 2019, 04:08:32 AM
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I'm sure that we Beatle maniacs don't need me to write anything about this song that you don't already know, let's just have a discussion on it and what we think of it.
https://youtu.be/usNsCeOV4GM (https://youtu.be/usNsCeOV4GM)
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I love this one. A perennial top ten Beatles song for me.
A bit like Strawberry Fields, John’s verses are gorgeous by themselves and stand on their own, but it’s lifted even further by the unique arrangement and turned into a brilliant mini suite by Paul’s middle eight. And Ringo’s drumming is at its distinctive best. One of the great recordings of modern popular music as far as I’m concerned.
And John’s aaaahhhhs are great ;D
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it is and always has been in my top 3 or 5 at most. It is a song that my mind thinks, ok, its a longer song, buckle up lets go, then is over way too soon as I have been taken to a different place altogether now. Have heard Paul tell the story of the middle part, would love to have been a fly on the wall when it was first discussed. Did John say, he Paul, I need a bit to connect my parts...or was it George Martin that suggested it, or Paul outright that said, Hey John - love what you have, what if you put...
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I am too tired to post right now but I will revisit this on the weekend. I am in awe of this piece.
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It was Paul
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Creaking musician's chair during the final piano chord...
https://youtu.be/YSGHER4BWME (https://youtu.be/YSGHER4BWME)
4:49
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it is and always has been in my top 3 or 5 at most. It is a song that my mind thinks, ok, its a longer song, buckle up lets go, then is over way too soon as I have been taken to a different place altogether now. Have heard Paul tell the story of the middle part, would love to have been a fly on the wall when it was first discussed. Did John say, he Paul, I need a bit to connect my parts...or was it George Martin that suggested it, or Paul outright that said, Hey John - love what you have, what if you put...
Good points I've often thought that if a day in the life was just a normal song without the orchestral crescendos etcetera then the woke up fell out of bed middle 8 could be replaced by the middle 8 that Paul wrote for Free as a bird in other words ...Whatever happened to the life that we once knew etcetera, the melody of both are very similar.
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https://youtu.be/Uen8xEsLm3w (https://youtu.be/Uen8xEsLm3w)
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Regarding the ahhhhhh's ha2ha ha2ha
Editing in this vocal was quite tricky for Richard Lush, who had only just recently been recruited to work on Beatles sessions. Emerick continues: “Paul’s vocal…was being dropped into the same track that contained John’s lead vocal, and there was a very tight drop-out point between the two – between Paul’s singing ‘…and I went into a dream’ and John’s ‘ahhh’ that starts the next section. Richard was quite paranoid about it – with good reason – and I remember him asking me to get on the talkback mic to explain the situation to Paul and ask him not to deviate from the phrasing that he had used on the guide vocal.”
“I was really impressed when Richard did that – I thought it showed great maturity to be proactive that way. John’s vocal, after all, had such great emotion, and it also had tape echo on it. The thought of having to do it again and re-create the atmosphere was daunting…not to mention what John’s reaction would have been! Someone’s head would have been bitten off, and it most likely would have been mine. But Paul, ever professional, did heed the warning, and he made certain to end the last word distinctly in order to give Richard sufficient time to drop out before John’s vocal came back in. Listening carefully, you can actually hear Paul slightly rush the vocal; he even adds a little ‘ah’ to the end of the word ‘dream,’ giving it a very clipped ending.”
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The above quote from Geoff Emerick, who was an eye-witness to the events on this day, clarifies that it was indeed John who sang the dreamy "aaah" vocal passage on the song. This should be enough to satisfy readers who insist that Paul sang this passage, their insistance being due to a passing comment from engineer Sam Okell during an interview five decades later that appears to indicate McCartney as singing this passage. Geoff Emerick was there, so he should know. The above quote also indicates that John’s dreamy “aaah” vocal of the song must also have been recorded on this day, but prior to Paul’s lead vocal section. This can confidently been said since the last day they worked on the song was on January 20th, this resulting in the “take six” mono mix of January 30th, which did not contain John’s vocals in that section.
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The Beatles biggest masterpiece. Awesome song, but I once again am tired of it and dont want to hear it for awhile.
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The Beatles biggest masterpiece. Awesome song, but I once again am tired of it and dont want to gear it for awhile.
Booo, I get it but boooo
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Booo, I get it but boooo
ha2ha
I think it was the precursor for prog rock, orchestral, different movements, poetic lyrics etc.
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It was Paul
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It was Paul
Why doesn't someone ask Paul ? ha2ha
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Why doesn't someone ask Paul ? ha2ha
Someone did...
https://youtu.be/D5-rA1OpqMs (https://youtu.be/D5-rA1OpqMs)
...but he wasn't much help. ;D
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;D
Giles says it's John
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Giles says it's John
[url]http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=17610.0;attach=2314;image[/url] ([url]http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=17610.0;attach=2314;image[/url])
What did he know?!
https://youtu.be/PRvkU0MmNLg (https://youtu.be/PRvkU0MmNLg)
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Listening carefully, you can actually hear Paul slightly rush the vocal; he even adds a little ‘ah’ to the end of the word ‘dream,’ giving it a very clipped ending.”
That "little ‘ah’" is actually Paul drawing a breath before he does the ahhs...
https://youtu.be/b9Qivxj4ok4 (https://youtu.be/b9Qivxj4ok4)
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And I've heard the argument that the ahhs sound nasal so it must be John. But remember, Paul is "The Man of a Thousand Voices..."
https://youtu.be/DGEX_7IqaC4 (https://youtu.be/DGEX_7IqaC4)
...but nobody ever hears him or the sound he appears to make
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I think it's Mal.
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Someone did...
...but he wasn't much help. ;D
That's because he was already dead by then.
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That's because he was already dead by then.
Miss him...miss him...miss him
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It is said that the final chord was produced by all four Beatles and George Martin banging on three pianos simultaneously. As the sound diminished, the engineer boosted to faders. The resulting note lasts 42 seconds; the studio air conditioners can be heard toward the end as the faders were pushed to the limit to record it. A creaking musician's chair is also heard during the final piano chord.
But this is what really happened...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDLlCkB39-I# (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDLlCkB39-I#)
;D
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ha2ha ha2ha
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You've got to hand it to that Paul McCartney. He really knows his job.
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so reckless, could have hit Paul!
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He was already dead...it can't get no worse.
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so reckless, could have hit Paul!
I suppose being hit by a piano is a pretty key event..
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I suppose being hit by a piano is a pretty key event..
;D
Yes It Is
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This video was just released yesterday...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmn1ts6TKcU# (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmn1ts6TKcU#)
It was Paul
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This video was just released yesterday...
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmn1ts6TKcU#[/url] ([url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmn1ts6TKcU#[/url])
It was Paul
Isnt that just an extract from the Hulu thing McCartney 321 ?
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Isnt that just an extract from the Hulu thing McCartney 321 ?
Yes it is. Maybe Paul will finally admit it in his next video.
But until then, let's listen to their isolated vocals...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Wf8-rVbJI&t=717s# (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Wf8-rVbJI&t=717s#)
11:46
Paul draws a breath after saying "Found my way upstairs and had a smoke and somebody spoke and I went into a dream" and starts singing the ahhhs
And so it was Paul.
Quod erat demonstrandum
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I'm still undecided.......a fence sitter.
I spent 40 years thinking it was John. It's not easy to change horses at this stage of proceedings. :-\
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And ever since 1967, I've been sure it was Paul.
Docere non potes veterem canem novas sycophantias
You can't teach an old dog new tricks. ;D
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Paul recorded his ahhhs in the Abbey Road Studio Two echo chamber...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48744805573_57ef076c50_b.jpg)
For about $50 USD, you can buy the Waves Abbey Road Chambers Reverb Plugin...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ3wCiV8tvA&t=46s# (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ3wCiV8tvA&t=46s#)
...and sing your very own ahhhs and hear how you sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHoJkklM490# (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHoJkklM490#)
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Didnt Geoff and Giles say it was John ?
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I've always been in the "it's John" camp but after watching Get Back and how flexible they were with their voices, I believe they both had elements in it. Got to remember, in Pepper time, they were overdubbing everything, not playing "live" so much so easy to layer both in, even up against other vocal parts that would have left them out of breath heading into such a large ahhhh part if recorded live
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Always thought it was John. Dont care if its even proven that Paul did them, it'll always be John to me.
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Didnt Geoff and Giles say it was John ?
Giles wasn't there. He wasn't even born yet.
Geoff went out for a smoke when Paul sang the ahhhs. When he came back, he asked "Who sang that?" Paul raised his hand and answered "I did!"
(https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/resources/images/8248786.jpg?display=1&htype=0&type=responsive-gallery)
And there you have it. ;D
And besides that, Paul's ahhhs in Lovely Rita sound the same...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysDwR5SIR1Q# (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysDwR5SIR1Q#)
(https://editorial01.shutterstock.com/wm-preview-1500/5841512a/1cc61057/meta-davis-the-traffic-warden-who-inspired-the-beatles-song-lovely-rita-meter-maid-retires-today-after-20-years-of-doing-the-job-for-full-caption-see-version-box-699-1140716325-a-jpg-shutterstock-editorial-5841512a.jpg)
Meta Davis
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To me they sound different on Rita.
Its was John. Geoff E was pro Paul so he would've said IF Paul had done them.
Giles is young ears and has access to the master tapes played back on 'top of the line' equipment. I trust what he hears, and his opinion.