REVOLUTION - Take 20

Well it's finally here folks: the complete, un-Yoko-ized take of REVOLUTION, courtesy of the new HMC set TAKE YOUR KNICKERS OFF! And it's a keeper, all 10+ minutes of it. Is it a masterpiece? Of course not. What it is, however, is a spectacular peek into a Beatles session. The basics had already been laid down (piano, guitar and drums) and somewhere along the line Paul added bass and the rest contibuted sound effects, percussion and for lack of a better term...noise.

For those who don't know, the framework of REVOLUTION #9 is actually from this take; it was lopped off after the initial 4+ minutes and then subjected to hours of work. Which is a good thing, I assure you, because had this take been released as is it would have been a huge mistake. If you ask me, the Beatles knew releasing #9 was a mistake but they did so to (1) fill out a double LP and (2) keep John happy. [For quite a while my thinking was that it should have been released as UNFINISHED MUSIC NO. 3 but I have since rethought that, seeing as the other three Beatles do participate. They should have called it CARNIVAL OF DARK though (cheeky!).]

Getting back to the main course though, it's great to hear REVOLUTION without the electric guitars that were later overdubbed. It's odd at first because the listener is so used to hearing them in the first place, but repeated listenings to the new track help diminish that familiarity (as do other sounds which were later edited our of the mix).

I could go on and on, but do what you can to track it down and listen yourself. It's a keeper!

Jeremy Boob

GETTING BACK TO "GET BACK" Updated 11/03

I love Glyn Johns' first mix of the aborted "Get Back" album. Love it, love it, love it! Sure, he only used one song from the rooftop concert (a powerhouse one-off runthrough of "One After 909"); sure, he inexplicably used inferior versions of "I've Got A Feeling," "Two Of Us," "Don't Let Me Down" and "Dig A Pony:" sure, he included "Teddy Boy" but didn't edit out the squelch of horrible feedback (not that he could I guess); sure, he included "Maggie Mae" (but so did Phil Spector); and sure, he included "Rocker" (a lame title for an impromptu jam).

Allow me to remind you that I love this album!

Reason #1: the sound. It sounds friggin' great. It really does sound as if you're in the studio with the Beatles. Glyn Johns had (or has) a unique way of miking the drums and they sound phenomenal on his mix of the album.

Reason #2 - The between-song chatter. It sounds natural, unlike the canned bites that Phil Spector culled for his mix.

Reason #3 - He put John and Paul's voices into separate channels for "One After 909" (I can't believe that in all other versions they're mixed together!).

Reason #4 - Johns' stuck to the original concept (well, once a concept was hit upon I guess after days of trying to come up with one both at Twickenham and Apple).

I have more reasons, but I'd be interested in hearing other people's.

And one random thought: according to Lewissohn all four Beatles attended at least two separate mixing sessions for the album at Olympic Studios (well, I'm assuming it was all four: Lewissohn states, "The Beatles were in attendance"). If they didn't like what he was doing, why didn't they pipe up and say something until waiting 'til he was done and rejecting it outright?

And I quote those old Tootsie Pop ads: "The world may never know."

Comments welcome!

Jeremy Boob

ALL TOGETHER NOW

So let's talk about what a waste of a DVD release the upcoming ALL TOGETHER NOW is! I mean, good grief! This is a zero-interest documentary for the serious Beatles fan and guaranteed to be a one-viewing only snooze inducer for all others. Does anyone really care about how the Cirque de Soleil LOVE show was put together? Sure, the music was interesting (and I'm sure the sound at the show - which I haven't seen and have no desire to - is nothing short of stunning) but in what world do we live in where Apple considers this to be a viable release?!

Mind you, I am most certainly not one of those hard-core enthusiasts who are apoplectic about the non-availability of a remastered Beatles catalogue (the current versions on CD are excellent, no matter what the bit rate is), but why shell out hard-earned money for something that is tangentially Beatles-related as opposed to the real thing? And it's not even a professionally recorded version of the show! It's about the making of the show!! Which is only playing in one place: Las Vegas!!! Criminy!!!!

How the Hollywood Bowl concerts haven't been released is beyond me (I don't buy the "those who really want those shows have them already from alternate sources" argument). Or even a DVD release of all the promotional clips the Fabs did.

But a behind-the-scenes of LOVE?

I think not.

Comments welcome!

Jeremy Boob

THE ULTIMATE BEATLES GIFT

The ultimate gift for a serious Beatles fan would be an all-in-one contraption (by this I mean computer program) that would allow users (read "purchasers") to remix Beatles tracks any way they'd like using available multitracks. I've pondered various versions of this idea in the past but what really got my juices flowing was something I practically tripped over online on a Beatles forum (Doug Sulpy's excellent 910).

What I saw in one of the posts was that someone had leaked a number of multitracks for a few Nirvana (an overrated group if ever there were one) songs. Big deal, right? Well, this led to another post where someone referenced the availability of a few Black Sabbath multitracks (now there's a real band) that although possibly not the real thing had been stripped from a game called Rock Band. I'd heard of Guitar Hero (my nephew has it: it's fun, but no Beatles songs are on it) but Rock Band was new to me.

I followed a few more online threads to find out that Rock Band is essentially made up of songs and their respective multitracks, the majority of which are all legitimate individual tracks. The mother of all the threads led me to a website where someone had cracked the ROCK BAND codes and extracted the multitracks for posting. I was overwhelmend by the number of songs but one in particular attracted my attention: the Stones' "Gimme Shelter." I immediately downloaded it but then realized I had no way to play it! "Ka-rap!" thought I, until I did another search and found out that all I had to do was download Audacity (a free program) and simply drop the "Gimmen Shelter" file into it, which I did.

H-O-L-Y M-A-C-A-R-O-N-I

For the next 45 minutes I listened to 8 or 9 different instrumental/voice tracks that composed "Gimme Shelter" and was floored. Overjoyed. Enraptured. I don't know what else to say.

Which brings me back to the Ultimate Beatles Gift. If one were to have all available multitracks for Beatles songs (starting with "I Want To Hold Your Hand," since that was their first 4-trackk recording if I recall correctly) one could mix the music any preferred way (artistic intent be damned!). You like more bass? Then increase it in the mix! You want it sans vocals? Then mute 'em! It could be that easy.

Sure, the whole thing would probably only interest rabid fans (i.e. those reading this post) but it sure could be profitable for Apple. How so Jeremy? Well...I'd avise Apple to hire someone to create its own hack-proof Audacity-like software so that the only person who could use the program would be those who purchase it. [I know there's no such thing as hack-proof, but they don't need to know that!]

Can you imagine mixing your own version of your favorite songs?

I can. And some day we will!

As always...comments always welcome.

Jeremy Boob

LET IT BE - The EP?

So let's imagine that what was released as the LET IT BE album - after sitting on the shelf for over a year with occasional work here and there - was released as a double EP instead, a la the MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR songtrack (I love that term, by the way) some time in late April or early May of 1969, with sequencing as follows:

Disc One, Side 1:

- Get Back (as released on the single)
- Two Of Us (probably the same take as released on LET IT BE)

Disc One, Side 2:

- Don't Let Me Down (as released on the single)

Disc Two, Side 1:

- Let It Be (one of the 1/31 takes)
- For You Blue (lots of good versions of this one to choose from, believe it or not!)

Disc Two, Side 2:

- The Long And Winding Road (Anthology version)

"Hold on there!" you're probably saying. "You're missing quite a few songs." Am I?

Following the sequencing of the LP as released in May '70 (don't get me started on LET IT BE...NAKED) I've omitted "Dig A Pony," "Across The Universe," "I Me Mine," "Dig It," "Maggie Mae," "I've Got A Feeling" and "One After 909" and here's my logic:

"Dig A Pony" as released was a rooftop performance, which I'm saving for a later release. [Huh? Stay with me: I'll explain later.]

"Across The Universe" never has belonged and never will belong on any LET IT BE release. The only reason it was included on the album was due to Lennon's brief run-through of it in the film.

"I Me Mine" wasn't recorded until nearly a year after the original sessions wrapped, and only three of the Beatles are on it! Another from the "it's in the film we'd better put it on the album" school of thinking and completely out of line with the concept of the four Beatles performing all the songs as a single unit.

"Dig It" is garbage. Amateurish at best, the only thing that can be said in its defense is that at least it's shorter on the LP than it is in the movie.

"Maggie Mae" is a throwaway. So I'm throwing it away.

"I've Got A Feeling" and "One After 909" are from the rooftop concert (see above).

So what does that leave us with? I'm thinking a pretty solid - albeit Paul heavy/John light - double EP with some good songs that hold true to the "back to basics" concept the Beatles eventually held on to as the sessions progressed. The Beatles worked hard to get to where these songs were releasable (any one who's heard the session tapes knows that) and the double EP would have been the perfect stop-gap between the White Album's looseness and ABBEY ROAD's polish.

Now for those rooftop songs...I'd include all of them on a more complete soundtrack to the film LET IT BE (which I would have edited in a completely different way and called GET BACK). The film and soundtrack would have been released towards the end of '69 to (1) cap off a winning year for the Beatles, (2) end the 60's on a high note and (3) show that the Beatles were still essential to the music scene (which they really weren't, but that's for another post).

ABBEY ROAD would have been pushed to an early spring release and would be the final jewel in their career. ["The Ballad Of John And Yoko" would have been a Plastic Ono Band single, with Paul playing under a pseudonym].

As always, comments are welcome.

Jeremy Boob

"GEORGE HARRISON AND OTHER BORES"

That was the headline leading into the review of George’s eponymous 1979 album, which I took as a personal offense at the ripe old age of 14. [For the life of me I can’t remember who the other bores referred to, but I’m thinking McGuinn, Clark and Hillman or some other 60s-era reincarnation.]


The review was in Stereo Review, a magazine that my older brother – as good an audiophile as I ever knew – subscribed to. [It was cheap, even for back then: $4.99 for the whole year if I remember correctly!] I never read the articles about the equipment, but I sure did enjoy the album reviews, which usually started off with judgments about the artist’s performance (poor/good/very good/excellent) and the overall recording (same ratings categories). There were also feature reviews (which didn’t get the ratings, for some reason or other), of which the GEORGE HARRISON album was one.


Now, GEORGE HARRISION was the first album of the quiet Beatle’s that I’d ever purchased; my older brother had ALL THINGS MUST PASS lp and CONCERT FOR BANGLA DESH on cassette, a cousin had LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, a neighbor of mine had DARK HORSE and my parents had bought EXTRA TEXTURE and 33 1/3 for me. You can’t imagine the car I took with it every time I took it out of the jacket, and then the sleeve (with lyrics and a cool “in action” shot of George walking at some auto race) every time I played it. And played it. And played it.


I loved that album. To see it lumped in with “other bores” was appalling to me. It was the ultimate dismissal of something I enjoyed immensely. [Don’t worry: I’m not going to go overboard and call it a classic. I knew it wasn’t a classic then and it certainly isn’t now; it was special to me, that’s all.]


Let’s go track by track. Side One starts with…


“Love Comes To Everyone” – a great album opener. Clapton plays on it. Barely. Has a nice bit of energy as well. [Throwing out a big boo to whomever opted to include an edited version on the BEST OF DARK HORSE collection. What was the point in that?!]


“Not Guilty” – a holdover from the White Album sessions and one George had a lot of difficulty with originally (awkward timing, terrible phrasing and a horrendous lead vocal). Here, however, it’s slowed down and superbly executed. John and Paul were right not to include it on the White Album; George was right to revisit the song and improve it some 8+ years later.


“Here Comes The Moon” – a sequel of sorts, and a somber one at that, although the chorus is a tad jubilant (huh?). I always liked the descending riff, though, and it was easy for me to figure out on the guitar!


“Soft-Hearted Hana” – a great song! And it’s funny too. So what if it’s a retread of “Deep Blue?” I didn’t have that b-side and it certainly wasn’t played on the radio. The slow fade always threw me though (the speed alterations in the recording led me to believe my lp was defective).


“Blow Away” – a really sweet song. Way too repetitive though. Has a glorious slide guitar break though.


Side Two –


“Faster” – Now this is a great friggin’ song! The revving of the cars, the guitar assault, the verses, the chorus (“Faster than a bullet from a gu-un, he is fa-ster than ever-y-wuh-huh-hun…” and even the ending. Ka-pow. A real GH killer.


“Dark Sweet Lady” – beautiful love song with some gorgeous acoustic guitar picking by George. Not like anything else on the album musically, that’s for sure.


“Your Love Is Forever” – a bit of a downer, but actually a lovely song with an extended guitar opening that’s well thought out and played.


“Soft Touch” – a nice, peppy number with another great descending guitar riff (this time courtesy of an acoustic 12-string).


“If You Believe” – great album closer courtesy of George and co-author Gary Wright (of “Dream Weaver” fame). Great riff too, and one of the few songs where George belts out the verses.


So how does GEORGE HARRISON stand up in the GH canon? Well, it’s not as strong as 33 1/3, but it’s certainly better than SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND and GONE TROPPO, its two immediate successors. Of the four mid-solo period George albums (his Dark Horse releases) it’s definitely a strong #2.


And it’s certainly not a bore.


Comments welcome.


Jeremy Boob

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR - The Movie

It's awful. Let's get that out in the open immediately. On second thought...it's beyond awful. I've watched it sober and I've watched it - ahem - in an "altered" state or two, and it's still bad. Bad, BAd, BAD.

Bad as in: poorly written, poorly conceived, terribly directed (if you could call it that), terribly acted (if you can even call it acting) and seemingly long (and it's under an hour!). This runaway train of a movie is something I rarely acknowledge to budding Beatles fans because I'm afraid to douse their budding flames.

As a kid, this film was a mystery to me. A mystery because I'd heard of it but was never able to see it. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, HELP and YELLOW SUBMARINE had the occasional tv airing, but not MMT (ironic, considering it was made for television). [LET IT BE I was able to see courtesy of The Movie Channel on cable, believe it or not, and I did so 25+ times. There wasn't much to air back then on cable I guess!] The one time I was close to seeing it was at a local theater which had slated screenings during the summer at 2:00 p.m. (why? No clue). The problem was that it was only on Wednesdays, and my parents just weren't available for drop-off at the local cinema.

When I finally did see MMT it was on laserdisc, a laserdisc which had amazing stereo sound but so-so picture transfer. The framing always seemed to be a bit off as well. [Was MMT shot in the standard Brit aspect ratio of 1:66 x 1? I don't know, but that sure would account for what I believe are cropping issues.] The music sure did sound great coming through my stereo I have to say, and I still play that laserdisc just to hear the songs sound so good. How they sounded coming through a tinny tv set in late 1967 I can only imagine! To be fair though, I've never heard anyone really complain about the limited technology involved in watching the Beatles on tv back then. "Sure the Ed Sullivan appearance was amazing! Too bad about the sound though." I THINK NOT!

But back to MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. In the DVD for THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY Paul defends it by saying (1) he'd heard that Steven Spielberg cited it as an influence and (2) it's the only extant performance of "I Am The Walrus." Has anyone ever been able to corroborate (1)? I'd love to see where that was referenced. And as for (2)...I wouldn't call it a "performance;" it's really a lip-sync'd clip with some heavy editing (it's not tied to the film in any way, that's for sure!).

So don't let anyone ever tell you that MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR works on any level as a movie. Because it doesn't!

All comments welcome.

Best,

Jeremy Boob