Song Of The Week - Dear Prudence

[stevie]

Yeah top 5 for me of all time Beatle songs. Possibly number 2.

I love playing the bass in this as it's not that hard but still a fantastic line. My only gripe is that in the last third of the song, the bass is mixed really low and isn't as prominent as the rest of the song. Seems like a studio error or maybe a late overdub that wasn't mixed right.  It's like there was two different bass lines recorded.  Annoys me no end as it kind of spoils the crescendo at the end.   All the other instruments get louder except for the murky bass.

While on the subject of bass, I've always thought that Duff's lines in a lot of Guns N Roses songs were mixed way too low as well lol

[Mr Mustard]

Always mildly baffled at the kudos this one gets.

A swift and guiltless "delete" for me in the "Turn The White Album into a single LP" game.

I appreciate it's a gentle salve straight off the back of Paul's prickly USSR rocker. But I find it simply TOO airy-fairy and wispy - John's emasculated lead vocal is like candy floss and more or less evaporates on delivery. The backing ("Look around round round...") sounds like the others are on a double dose of Mogadon.

One of only two original Beatles numbers eclipsed by a cover version (Siouxsie & The Banshees' rendition demolishes it IMO).

[nimrod]

Always mildly baffled at the kudos this one gets.

A swift and guiltless "delete" for me in the "Turn The White Album into a single LP" game.

I appreciate it's a gentle salve straight off the back of Paul's prickly USSR rocker. But I find it simply TOO airy-fairy and wispy - John's emasculated lead vocal is like candy floss and more or less evaporates on delivery. The backing ("Look around round round...") sounds like the others are on a double dose of Mogadon.

One of only two original Beatles numbers eclipsed by a cover version (Siouxsie & The Banshees' rendition demolishes it IMO).

For me it has some magic about it, an x factor I cant describe (like a few of Johns songs) I love it

[zipp]

The thing I like most about Dear Prudence is the mixture of John's dreamy poetics and George's Indian influence.

[Loco Mo]

Well, as I posted before, a long time ago I didn't care much for "Dear Prudence."  For some reason that changed and I like it now.

Actually, another song that made no sense to me was "Birthday."  I couldn't understand why the Beatles wrote something like that.  Was it Paul's composition?

Now, I kind of like it.

[Hello Goodbye]

They recorded the song at Trident Studios in London on 28, 29 and 30 August 1968.
Utilising state of the art eight-track recording equipment, the basic track included finger picking guitar performed by John Lennon as well as George Harrison on the lead guitar, plus Paul McCartney playing the drums in place of Ringo Starr, who had temporarily left the Beatles. The next day, McCartney performed and recorded the bass track and Lennon recorded additional layers to his vocals. Handclapping, tambourine and cowbell were then added by McCartney and Harrison. On the last day of the recording session, piano and flügelhorn tracks were recorded by McCartney.
The complete list of recording session personnel included:

John Lennon – double-tracked vocal, backing vocal, acoustic guitar
Paul McCartney – backing vocal, drums, bass, piano, flügelhorn, tambourine, cowbell, handclaps
George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar
Mal Evans – backing vocal, handclaps
Jackie Lomax – backing vocal, handclaps
John McCartney (Paul's cousin) – backing vocal, handclaps

Recorded: 28-30 August 1968
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Barry Sheffield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptAmOYIFIx8#

[blmeanie]

the comments on that youtube dear prudence video are very entertaining.  The debate rages on whether the drumming changes from paul (documentation suggests Paul was the drummer on this song while Ringo had quit) to Ringo mid song with overdubs. 

Very healthy debate by people very opinionated.  Fun

[nimrod]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptAmOYIFIx8#

It couldn't have been Paul as he had died earlier, maybe the recently deceased Alan White.

[Hello Goodbye]

Very healthy debate by people very opinionated.  Fun

It couldn't have been Paul as he had died earlier, maybe the recently deceased Alan White.

Maybe this will help to explain it...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv6XeedT-s4#

...Well, I guess that didn't answer the question.


Or maybe it did, at  0:18 - 0:43

[Moogmodule]

I remember hearing a podcast years ago on this that was pretty convincing that the latter drumming is an overdub. Whether that means Ringo overdubbed we'll never know. But it sounds a lot like Ringo's drumming and I've never heard Paul drum like that again.

[Hello Goodbye]

I remember hearing a podcast years ago on this that was pretty convincing that the latter drumming is an overdub. Whether that means Ringo overdubbed we'll never know. But it sounds a lot like Ringo's drumming and I've never heard Paul drum like that again.

I agree, Moog.  I listened to the entire McCartney album last night.  Paul was proficient at drumming but rudimentary in comparison to Ringo.

[Loco Mo]

Hasn't anyone ever asked Ringo about this?

[Hello Goodbye]

^

Or Paul?

[Moogmodule]

Hasn't anyone ever asked Ringo about this?

I seem to recall Ringo commenting on it somewhere. But all the Beatles memories are so hazy. I don't think the answer went beyond," I'd taken a break, they did Dear Prudence when I wasn't there".  If he did overdub he didnt seem to recall.

[Hello Goodbye]

Well, Paul didn't say anything about Ringo here...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AZc1XDmVEY#