The Beatles thread

The Pagemeister · January 25, 2012

Jahfin · January 30, 2012

From the All Things Music Plus page on Facebook:

ON THIS DATE (43 YEARS AGO)

January 30, 1969 - The Beatles, with Billy Preston, gave their final live performance atop the Apple building at 3 Savile Row, London, in what became the climax of their Let It Be film.

“We went on the roof in order to resolve the live concert idea, because it was much simpler than going anywhere else; also nobody had ever done that, so it would be interesting to see what happened when we started playing up there. It was a nice little social study. We set up a camera in the Apple reception area, behind a window so nobody could see it, and we filmed people coming in. The police and everybody came in saying, 'You can't do that! You've got to stop.'” ~ George Harrison, Anthology

January 30, 1969 in London was a cold day, and a bitter wind was blowing on the rooftop by midday. To cope with the weather, John Lennon borrowed Yoko Ono's fur coat, and Ringo Starr wore his wife Maureen Starkey's red mac.

There was a plan to play live somewhere. We were wondering where we could go - 'Oh, the Palladium or the Sahara.' But we would have had to take all the stuff, so we decided, 'Let's get up on the roof.' We had Mal and Neil set the equipment up on the roof, and we did those tracks. I remember it was cold and windy and damp, but all the people looking out from offices were really enjoying it.” ~ Ringo Starr, Anthology

The 42-minute show was recorded onto two eight-track machines in the basement of Apple, by George Martin, engineer Glyn Johns and tape operator Alan Parsons. The tracks were filled with the following: Paul McCartney, vocals; John Lennon's and George Harrison's vocals; Billy Preston's organ; McCartney's bass guitar; a sync track for the film crew; Starr's drums; Lennon's guitar; Harrison's guitar.

The songs performed on the roof:

"Get Back" (five versions)

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)"

"Don't Let Me Down" (two versions)

"I've Got A Feeling"

"One After 909"

"Danny Boy"

"Dig A Pony" (two versions)

"God Save The Queen"

"A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody"

Brief, incomplete and off-the-cuff versions of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "God Save The Queen" and "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody" were fooled around with in between takes - as was "Danny Boy", which was included in the film and on the album. None of these were serious group efforts, and one - the group and Preston performing "God Save The Queen" - was incomplete as it coincided with Alan Parsons changing tapes.

The Beatles' rooftop show began at around midday. The timing coincided with the lunch hour of many nearby workplaces, which led to crowds quickly forming. Although few people could see them, crowds gathered in the streets below to hear The Beatles play.

Traffic in Savile Row and neighbouring streets came to a halt, until police from the nearby West End Central police station, further up Savile Row, entered Apple and ordered the group to stop playing.

“It was good fun, actually. We had to set the mikes up and get a show together. I remember seeing Vicki Wickham of Ready, Steady, Go! (there's a name to conjure with) on the opposite roof, for some reason, with the street between us. She and a couple of friends sat there, and then the secretaries from the lawyers' offices next door came out on their roof.

We decided to go through all the stuff we'd been rehearsing and record it. If we got a good take on it then that would be the recording; if not, we'd use one of the earlier takes that we'd done downstairs in the basement. It was really good fun because it was outdoors, which was unusual for us. We hadn't played outdoors for a long time.

It was a very strange location because there was no audience except for Vicki Wickham and a few others. So we were playing virtually to nothing - to the sky, which was quite nice. They filmed downstairs in the street - and there were a lot of city gents looking up: 'What's that noise?'” ~ Paul McCartney, Anthology

The Beatles began with a rehearsal of "Get Back" while the film cameras were being set up. At the end it was applauded by the spectators on the roof. In response, McCartney mumbled something about cricketer Ted Dexter, and Lennon announced: "We've had a request from Martin Luther."

Another version of "Get Back" followed. An edit of these two versions was included in the Let It Be film. Afterwards Lennon said: "We've had a request for Daisy, Morris and Tommy."

The third song was "Don't Let Me Down", as featured in the Let It Be film. At the end The Beatles went straight into "I've Got A Feeling", which was used in both the film and the album.

George Harrison sang a few lines on "I've Got A Feeling", his only vocals throughout the performance. At the end of the song Lennon can be heard saying: "Oh my soul, so hard."

"One After 909" was also used in the Let It Be film and album. At the end of it John Lennon broke out into a brief impromptu rendition of Conway Twitty's 1959 hit "Danny Boy".

The sixth song The Beatles played was "Dig A Pony". A short rehearsal was played first, with Lennon asking for the lyrics. They then performed the song properly, with a production runner on the film, Kevin Harrington, kneeling in front of Lennon holding a clipboard with the words on. George Harrison, too, briefly knelt next to Harrington.

"Dig A Pony" began with a false start. In the film, Ringo Starr can be seen putting his cigarette down and crying out 'Hold it!' This, and the full version that followed, were both included in the album and film, although on the LP the 'All I want is..." refrain which opened and closed the song were later cut by Phil Spector.

As Alan Parsons changed the recording tapes in Apple's basement studio, The Beatles and Billy Preston performed an off-the-cuff version of "God Save The Queen". This was never used; nor was second versions of "I've Got A Feeling" and "Don't Let Me Down".

The final full song was "Get Back", although The Beatles nearly stopped performing when the police arrived on the roof. The officers demanded that Mal Evans turn off the group's Fender Twin amplifiers. He complied, but George Harrison immediately turned his back on.

Evans realised his mistake and turned John Lennon's back on too. The amplifiers took several seconds to start again, but The Beatles managed to continue long enough to see the song through to the end.

In the end it started to filter up from Mal that the police were complaining. We said, 'We're not stopping.' He said, The police are going to arrest you.' 'Good end to the film. Let them do it. Great! That's an end: "Beatles Busted on Rooftop Gig".'

“We kept going to the bitter end and, as I say, it was quite enjoyable. I had my little Hofner bass - very light, very enjoyable to play. In the end the policeman, Number 503 of the Greater Westminster Council, made his way round the back: 'You have to stop!' We said, 'Make him pull us off. This is a demo, man!'

"I think they pulled the plug, and that was the end of the film.” ~ Paul McCartney, Anthology

As a climax it could scarcely be bettered, with McCartney brilliantly ad-libbing, "You've been playing on the roofs again, and that's no good, and you know your Mummy doesn't like that... she gets angry... she's gonna have you arrested! Get back!"

The police presence ensured that The Beatles would play no more on the roof. The concert over, McCartney thanked Ringo Starr's wife Maureen for her enthusiastic cheering with a simple "Thanks Mo".

Then, of course, there was John Lennon's immortal closing quote: "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition." Both these comments were used at the end of "Get Back" on the Let It Be album, although the version of the song was not from the rooftop performance.

Around half of the performance was used in the Let It Be film. Furthermore, edits of "I've Got A Feeling", "One After 909" and "Dig A Pony" all featured on the Let It Be album.

The final "Get Back" take was included in the Let It Be film, and appeared on Anthology 3 in 1996.

An edit of the two "Don't Let Me Down" takes was included on 2003's Let It Be... Naked, due to John Lennon getting the vocals wrong at different points in both. That album also contained an edit of the rooftop performance of "I've Got A Feeling" and another version, recorded on another date.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Jahfin

LedZeppfan77 · January 30, 2012

Seeing Billy Preston mentioned, man did he play with alot of big bands.

Jahfin · January 30, 2012

Another tidbit from the All Things Music page, this one about George Harrison's "lost solo" from "Here Comes the Sun":

The guitar solo from George Harrison's 1969 hit single "Here Comes The Sun" has been discovered after 43 years.

The solo, which failed to make the final cut of Harrison's major contribution to The Beatles' 11th studio album Abbey Road, was found by Harrison's son Dhani, Beatles' producer George Martin and his son Giles during a visit to the studio which gave its name to the album.

In a video (link below), the three men are sat at the mixing desk playing the original master tapes of "Here Comes The Sun" when they stumble upon the solo, which Dhani Harrison admits he had no idea existed.

"Here Comes The Sun" has been covered by numerous artists since its release in 1969, with soul singer Nina Simone, singer Pete Tosh, folk star Richie Havens and Swedish doom metallers Ghost among those to create new versions of the single.

George Harrison was the subject of a new documentary from Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese last year.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Jahfin

The Pagemeister · January 30, 2012

Jahfin · February 10, 2012

From the All Things Music Plus blog:

ON THIS DATE (48 YEARS AGO)

February 9, 1964 – The Beatles made their live U.S. television debut in their first appearance on CBS-TV's The Ed Sullivan Show. An estimated 73.7 million Americans watched as John, Paul, George and Ringo performed "All My Loving," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You," "I Saw Her Standing There," and "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

To read more, click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JILsCPSyI0

Edited February 10, 2012 by Jahfin

dazedcat · February 11, 2012

Not too bad for a "boy band" I'd say.

ledzepfvr · February 11, 2012

February 9, 2012 Paul McCartney finally gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jahfin · March 4, 2012

The Beatles take on Shakespeare.

http://youtu.be/y24geONER0k

Jahfin · April 24, 2012

The Beatles live in Japan.

1. Rock 'n' roll Music

2. She's A Woman

3. If I Needed Someone

4. Day Tripper

5. Baby's In Black

6. I Feel Fine

7. Yesterday

8. I Wanna Be Your Man

9. Nowhere Man

10. Paperback Writer

11. I'm Down

Led_Rock_Hard · April 25, 2012

The Beatles are great, they're in my top 10 favorite bands, have alot of good songs, Harrison was my favorite member.

The Pagemeister · April 26, 2012

http://www.lostbeatlesconcert.com/

http://youtu.be/3KK4G7AJbyg

Edited April 26, 2012 by The Pagemeister

The Pagemeister · April 28, 2012

http://youtu.be/vefJAtG-ZKI

joe (Liverpool) · May 17, 2012

I love The Beatles and I love Led Zeppelin, I was lucky because one was just starting when the other one was just about on it's last legs. Overall I cannot compare them both as they were geniuses in their own way. I have over 65 albums on vinyl (this includes their solo albums) I have about 10 on CD this includes 4 American CDs from the early years. I also have a vinyl bootleg Beatles live in Australia 1964, Unfortunately it is not very long and the screams can be heard on the same level as the music. I think that they just got tired of each other and Yoko didn't help.

Rock Historian · May 27, 2012

Discovered a new record store in the city called Domino Sound. Really trendy little shop, with a well organized, clean selection of "oldies but goodies". There I managed to find a few "must haves" to add to the collection. (Most of which I owned at one time). Black Sabbath "Master of Reality", James Browns greatest hits, The Original Star Wars music from "A New Hope" and lastly The Beatles "Abby Road". This is my favorite Beatles album from start to finish. Every song is good/ great! Anyone wanting to discover or re-discover the Beatles cannot go wrong with this one. I bought all 4 records for under $30. Not a bad deal.

JiMiHeNdRiX1967 · May 28, 2012

I think the white album is my favorite but not from start to finish, just because I think there are some less than solid songs on there, but with yet blues, blackbird, while my guitar gently weeps, helter skelter, dear prudence, and why dont we do it in the road it has to be my favorite, closely followed by Rubber Soul

joe (Liverpool) · May 30, 2012

If I had to choose I would opt for Revolver

Jahfin · June 1, 2012

joe (Liverpool) · June 1, 2012

^^^^^^ Excellent !!!!!!!!!

Led_Rock_Hard · June 1, 2012

Haha, that's great^^.

captain_apathy · June 3, 2012

I love the Beatles they are in my big three of favorite bands, the others being of course Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, if I had to pick a favorite album I can narrow it down to two 'Revolver' and the white album.