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Beatles Trivia XXXVI
Beatles Trivia XXXVI
Today's Trivia game has to do with the famous "British Invasion" (BI) of 1964 and beyond. You will find most of the questions relate right back to the Beatles. Have fun. Answers below. *Question #6 comes from our sound engineer Fred Boucher and it was a beauty - no one got it!!!
1) What was the Beatles' first #1 hit in America?
2) Name the British act that had the first non-Beatles #1 hit in America? What was the song?
3) What was the first Rolling Stone's song to chart and who wrote it?
4) What British group had more appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show than any other BI act?
5) What BI band featured long time Beatle insider from Germany Klaus Voorman as their bass player?
6) Paul McCartney and John Lennon each wrote a song with the same name about 14 years apart. The songs were completely different. Paul's became a hit in 1966, John's became a hit in 1980. Name the song title and describe the odd circumstances surrounding the whole story.
7) This Liverpudlian band had their biggest hit with a John Lennon throwaway song. What was the band and what was the song?
8) The Dave Clark 5 had a hit with a one word song title. The Beatles later had a song with the same name on their "Abbey Road" LP. What was the song?
9) This female artist is also from Liverpool, managed by Brian Epstein and has had many hits in the UK and charted in the US. What is her name?
10) Name the other famous Liverpudian band (managed by Epstein) who had a smash hit with "Ferry Across the Mersey?"
Answers:
1) "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
2) Peter and Gordon; Paul McCartney's "World Without Love"
3) "I Wanna Be Your Man" written by Lennon/McCartney of course.
4) The Dave Clark 5
5) Mannfred Mann
6) The song was "Woman." Paul gave his "Woman" to Peter and Gordon with express condition that it be credited to Bernard Webb. This was a pseudonym made up by Paul to see if the song would do well without the Lennon/McCartney moniker attached to it. Paul;'s "Woman" managed to get to #14 in the US Billboard charts in 1966. Lennon's "Woman" was part of the "Double Fantasy" LP and was subsequently released as a single and hit #1 in the UK, #2 in the US.
7) Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas. "Bad To Me."
8) "Because"
9) Cilla Black
10) Gerry and the Pacemakers
Today's Trivia game has to do with the famous "British Invasion" (BI) of 1964 and beyond. You will find most of the questions relate right back to the Beatles. Have fun. Answers below. *Question #6 comes from our sound engineer Fred Boucher and it was a beauty - no one got it!!!
1) What was the Beatles' first #1 hit in America?
2) Name the British act that had the first non-Beatles #1 hit in America? What was the song?
3) What was the first Rolling Stone's song to chart and who wrote it?
4) What British group had more appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show than any other BI act?
5) What BI band featured long time Beatle insider from Germany Klaus Voorman as their bass player?
6) Paul McCartney and John Lennon each wrote a song with the same name about 14 years apart. The songs were completely different. Paul's became a hit in 1966, John's became a hit in 1980. Name the song title and describe the odd circumstances surrounding the whole story.
7) This Liverpudlian band had their biggest hit with a John Lennon throwaway song. What was the band and what was the song?
8) The Dave Clark 5 had a hit with a one word song title. The Beatles later had a song with the same name on their "Abbey Road" LP. What was the song?
9) This female artist is also from Liverpool, managed by Brian Epstein and has had many hits in the UK and charted in the US. What is her name?
10) Name the other famous Liverpudian band (managed by Epstein) who had a smash hit with "Ferry Across the Mersey?"
Answers:
1) "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
2) Peter and Gordon; Paul McCartney's "World Without Love"
3) "I Wanna Be Your Man" written by Lennon/McCartney of course.
4) The Dave Clark 5
5) Mannfred Mann
6) The song was "Woman." Paul gave his "Woman" to Peter and Gordon with express condition that it be credited to Bernard Webb. This was a pseudonym made up by Paul to see if the song would do well without the Lennon/McCartney moniker attached to it. Paul;'s "Woman" managed to get to #14 in the US Billboard charts in 1966. Lennon's "Woman" was part of the "Double Fantasy" LP and was subsequently released as a single and hit #1 in the UK, #2 in the US.
7) Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas. "Bad To Me."
8) "Because"
9) Cilla Black
10) Gerry and the Pacemakers
The Beatles and the Departure of Norman Smith
The Beatles and the Departure of Norman Smith.
Norman Smith, 1st Enginner for all the Beatles records up to late 1965 with George Martin looking on. Note the early REDD desk.
We draw again today from "Recording the Beatles," by Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Curvebender Press, 2008
With George Martin leaving EMI, someone had to be kicked upstairs and with the delicate chemistry of the Beatles already changing as early as 1965, Norman Smith left his engineer's job and became Parlaphone's new main producer. Here now some of his recollections to the authors who were able to interview him before his recent and unfortunate death (b 2/22/23 - d3/3/2008).
Quick Recap of Norman Smith's Career:
He first joined the Abbey Road staff in 1959 as a general assistant and quickly worked his way up to balance engineer. He was literally there from the day the Beatles first walked into Abbey Road (June 6, 1962) until the Rubber Soul sessions. In addition to serving at the Fab's 1st Engineer for all of their Albums, he engineered all their early singles up to December, 1965. He was bumped up to full Producer status in Feb. 1966 in the wake of George Martin's departure and went on to nuture a new band on the London scene at the time, Pink Floyd. He would go on to produce their first two LPs as well as their fourth. Pink Floyd, it should be noted, recorded the bulk of their music in the famed Abbey Road Studios. *(On a related note, Alan Parsons, who came along in 1969 as the then new engineer recruit on staff would go on to engineer Pink Floyd's magnum opus, "The Dark Side of the Moon" all recorded at Abbey Road). In the early 1970's, Smith scored a #3 hit on the US Billboard charts with "Oh Babe, What Would You Say," under his alias, Hurricane Smith.
Smith's body of work with the Beatles from 1962 to 1965 served him well in later years. Said Smith,"Back then the sound engineers were judged - quite unfairly, in my view - by the number of hits they'd worked on. Consequently, once the Beatles broke through I was walking on water at Abbey Road and I could do no wrong, so I could more or less do exactly as I wanted."
Success bread success and as Smith put it, he, Martin and the band enjoyed a definitive family relationship. "The four boys, George and myself had formed a sort of family, and, as you can probably imagine, it was wonderful to be part of all that."
However, according to Smith, things began to sour within the band as early as mid 1965; "After the first LP in 1963, the following albums had been wonderful. But the Rubber Soul album was the most difficult one for me. It was much less enjoyable. I can't remember how long the gap was between HELP! and Rubber Soul, but there certianly had been one hell of a change in the relationship between the boys - mainly between John and Paul. It was very noticeable, and it made me quite sad in actual fact. Something had happened between those two albums, but I'm not sure what it was. That was the beginning of the end, really. That's when it started."
Norman also noticed Paul McCartney's completely natural ability to conduct the band and his unique facility at musical arrangements; "I don't want to take anything away from anyone, but production of the Beatles was very simple, because it was ready-made. Paul was a very great influence in terms of the production, especially in terms of George Harrison's guitar solos and Ringo's drumming . . . The truth of the matter is that, to the best of my memory, Paul had a great hand in practically all of the songs that we did and Ringo would generally ask him what he should do. After all, Paul was no mean drummer himself, and he did play drums on a couple of things . . . . it was almost like we had one producer up in the Control room and another producer down in the studio. There is no doubt at all that Paul was the main musical force, He was also that in terms of production as well. A lot of the time George Martin didn't really have to do the things he did because Paul McCartney was around and could have done them equally well . . . most of the ideas came from Paul."
How very interesting. Yet, not surprisingly, Paul's dominance in the band lead to the predictable friction that came to a head four years later during the dreaded "Get Back" sessions; "With Rubber Soul, the clash between John and Paul was becoming obvious. Also, George (Harrison) was having to put up with an awful lot from Paul. We now had the luxury of four track recording, so George could put his solo on afterward. But as far as Paul was concerned, George could do no right - Paul was absolutely finicky. so what would happen was that on certain songs . . . . George would have done two or three takes, and to me they were really quite OK. But Paul would be saying, 'No,no,no!' And he would start quoting American records, telling him (Harrison) to play exactly as he had heard on such- and- such a song. So, we'd go back from the top, and George would really get into it. Then would come Paul's comment, 'OK, the first sixteen bars weren't bad, but that middle . . . . ' Then Paul would take over and do it himself - he always had a left handed guitar with him."
The tensions within the band became more than Smith could take. He decided he didn't want to work with the Beatles anymore. George Martin left EMI and Smith was promoted. "I'd been offered the job of producer when George (Martin) had formed AIR studios. And I did start Rubber Soul, but, as I said, I wasn't enjoying it. And in any case, I wanted to get on with my new job in Manchester Square as Producer. I said to the Beatles, 'I don't want to finish the album (Rubber Soul) because I want to get on with my new job.' And that upset them, of course, and they went to Aspreys in New Bond Street and bought me the most beautiful gold clock which they inscribed. That was a bit of a softener and I said, 'OK, well, I'll finish the album with you, but then I'm finished, because, obviously I want to continue with my new job.'"
Finish it he did and Rubber Soul was the LP that really began turning heads and particularly blew the mind of rival Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Rubber Soul became the LP that all critics began calling the first of the supremely great LPs. Norman Smith contiunued to have a great career as did the Beatles. Enter Geoff Emerick after Smith left. But here we have yet another opinion as to when the Beatles started falling apart, 1965. And again, your humble correspondant posits that we were fortunate to get what we got from the greatest band in history!
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Norman Smith, 1st Enginner for all the Beatles records up to late 1965 with George Martin looking on. Note the early REDD desk.
We draw again today from "Recording the Beatles," by Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Curvebender Press, 2008
With George Martin leaving EMI, someone had to be kicked upstairs and with the delicate chemistry of the Beatles already changing as early as 1965, Norman Smith left his engineer's job and became Parlaphone's new main producer. Here now some of his recollections to the authors who were able to interview him before his recent and unfortunate death (b 2/22/23 - d3/3/2008).
Quick Recap of Norman Smith's Career:
He first joined the Abbey Road staff in 1959 as a general assistant and quickly worked his way up to balance engineer. He was literally there from the day the Beatles first walked into Abbey Road (June 6, 1962) until the Rubber Soul sessions. In addition to serving at the Fab's 1st Engineer for all of their Albums, he engineered all their early singles up to December, 1965. He was bumped up to full Producer status in Feb. 1966 in the wake of George Martin's departure and went on to nuture a new band on the London scene at the time, Pink Floyd. He would go on to produce their first two LPs as well as their fourth. Pink Floyd, it should be noted, recorded the bulk of their music in the famed Abbey Road Studios. *(On a related note, Alan Parsons, who came along in 1969 as the then new engineer recruit on staff would go on to engineer Pink Floyd's magnum opus, "The Dark Side of the Moon" all recorded at Abbey Road). In the early 1970's, Smith scored a #3 hit on the US Billboard charts with "Oh Babe, What Would You Say," under his alias, Hurricane Smith.
Smith's body of work with the Beatles from 1962 to 1965 served him well in later years. Said Smith,"Back then the sound engineers were judged - quite unfairly, in my view - by the number of hits they'd worked on. Consequently, once the Beatles broke through I was walking on water at Abbey Road and I could do no wrong, so I could more or less do exactly as I wanted."
Success bread success and as Smith put it, he, Martin and the band enjoyed a definitive family relationship. "The four boys, George and myself had formed a sort of family, and, as you can probably imagine, it was wonderful to be part of all that."
However, according to Smith, things began to sour within the band as early as mid 1965; "After the first LP in 1963, the following albums had been wonderful. But the Rubber Soul album was the most difficult one for me. It was much less enjoyable. I can't remember how long the gap was between HELP! and Rubber Soul, but there certianly had been one hell of a change in the relationship between the boys - mainly between John and Paul. It was very noticeable, and it made me quite sad in actual fact. Something had happened between those two albums, but I'm not sure what it was. That was the beginning of the end, really. That's when it started."
Norman also noticed Paul McCartney's completely natural ability to conduct the band and his unique facility at musical arrangements; "I don't want to take anything away from anyone, but production of the Beatles was very simple, because it was ready-made. Paul was a very great influence in terms of the production, especially in terms of George Harrison's guitar solos and Ringo's drumming . . . The truth of the matter is that, to the best of my memory, Paul had a great hand in practically all of the songs that we did and Ringo would generally ask him what he should do. After all, Paul was no mean drummer himself, and he did play drums on a couple of things . . . . it was almost like we had one producer up in the Control room and another producer down in the studio. There is no doubt at all that Paul was the main musical force, He was also that in terms of production as well. A lot of the time George Martin didn't really have to do the things he did because Paul McCartney was around and could have done them equally well . . . most of the ideas came from Paul."
How very interesting. Yet, not surprisingly, Paul's dominance in the band lead to the predictable friction that came to a head four years later during the dreaded "Get Back" sessions; "With Rubber Soul, the clash between John and Paul was becoming obvious. Also, George (Harrison) was having to put up with an awful lot from Paul. We now had the luxury of four track recording, so George could put his solo on afterward. But as far as Paul was concerned, George could do no right - Paul was absolutely finicky. so what would happen was that on certain songs . . . . George would have done two or three takes, and to me they were really quite OK. But Paul would be saying, 'No,no,no!' And he would start quoting American records, telling him (Harrison) to play exactly as he had heard on such- and- such a song. So, we'd go back from the top, and George would really get into it. Then would come Paul's comment, 'OK, the first sixteen bars weren't bad, but that middle . . . . ' Then Paul would take over and do it himself - he always had a left handed guitar with him."
The tensions within the band became more than Smith could take. He decided he didn't want to work with the Beatles anymore. George Martin left EMI and Smith was promoted. "I'd been offered the job of producer when George (Martin) had formed AIR studios. And I did start Rubber Soul, but, as I said, I wasn't enjoying it. And in any case, I wanted to get on with my new job in Manchester Square as Producer. I said to the Beatles, 'I don't want to finish the album (Rubber Soul) because I want to get on with my new job.' And that upset them, of course, and they went to Aspreys in New Bond Street and bought me the most beautiful gold clock which they inscribed. That was a bit of a softener and I said, 'OK, well, I'll finish the album with you, but then I'm finished, because, obviously I want to continue with my new job.'"
Finish it he did and Rubber Soul was the LP that really began turning heads and particularly blew the mind of rival Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Rubber Soul became the LP that all critics began calling the first of the supremely great LPs. Norman Smith contiunued to have a great career as did the Beatles. Enter Geoff Emerick after Smith left. But here we have yet another opinion as to when the Beatles started falling apart, 1965. And again, your humble correspondant posits that we were fortunate to get what we got from the greatest band in history!
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
The Beatles and their Fender Bassman Amp
The Beatles and their Fender "Bassman" Amplifier
We draw again today from "Recording the Beatles," by Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Curvebender Press, 2008.
Although the Beatles will forever be linked to their famous VOX amplifiers, particularly the AC-30, the band used a wide variety of amps over the years including this classic.
According to the authors, 1965 was the year of many changes. One huge shift was Paul McCartney getting his first left handed Rickenbacker 4001 bass guitar. The switch to this instrument had a dynamic effect on the sound of the band. Notworthy also was the appearance of the blond colored Fender Bassman amplifier.
Originally, the band used it for what it was intended for - bass guitar parts. But in short order, the Fabs starting using it as a 6 string guitar amp with great success. By 1966, the Fender Bassman would become George Harrison's guitar amp of choice and would remain so for many years well into his solo career.
According to the authors, the Bassman was so ubiquitous that it has attained the moniker of "most recorded amp" in the Beatles' recording history. Yes, even more so than the Vox amps.
Your humble correspondant has searched in vain for information on what amp Eric Clapton used at Abbey Road when he recorded the solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." But it would be a safe bet to guess that Eric used George's Fender Bassman amp to play his Les Paul through on that fateful September day in 1968.
Go and watch the "Let it Be" movie again and see Paul's Fender Bassman at his side throughout the entire movie, especially on the rooftop scene. The Fender was everywhere it seems from 1965 onward. Notice how the band's sound changed as well with the change to the Fender.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
We draw again today from "Recording the Beatles," by Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Curvebender Press, 2008.
Although the Beatles will forever be linked to their famous VOX amplifiers, particularly the AC-30, the band used a wide variety of amps over the years including this classic.
According to the authors, 1965 was the year of many changes. One huge shift was Paul McCartney getting his first left handed Rickenbacker 4001 bass guitar. The switch to this instrument had a dynamic effect on the sound of the band. Notworthy also was the appearance of the blond colored Fender Bassman amplifier.
Originally, the band used it for what it was intended for - bass guitar parts. But in short order, the Fabs starting using it as a 6 string guitar amp with great success. By 1966, the Fender Bassman would become George Harrison's guitar amp of choice and would remain so for many years well into his solo career.
According to the authors, the Bassman was so ubiquitous that it has attained the moniker of "most recorded amp" in the Beatles' recording history. Yes, even more so than the Vox amps.
Your humble correspondant has searched in vain for information on what amp Eric Clapton used at Abbey Road when he recorded the solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." But it would be a safe bet to guess that Eric used George's Fender Bassman amp to play his Les Paul through on that fateful September day in 1968.
Go and watch the "Let it Be" movie again and see Paul's Fender Bassman at his side throughout the entire movie, especially on the rooftop scene. The Fender was everywhere it seems from 1965 onward. Notice how the band's sound changed as well with the change to the Fender.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
The Beatle's Early Royalty Rates
The Beatles' Early Royalty Rates
George Martin with the Fabs, circa mid-1964.
We draw today from "The Beatles; The Biography," by Bob Spitz, Little, Brown and Company, 2005.
The Beatles indeed reaped the rewards of their work throughout their career as a band. But no one made out better than EMI, the parent company to their label, Parlaphone.
Right around the time "Please PLease Me" hit #1 in England, George Martin admitted later that he began to feel guilt over how he had tied the Beatles down to the contract that they had signed. Brian Epstein (band manager), as well as the band, had been so utterly desperate when he first met them; Brian at Martin's office upstairs at Abbey Road Studios and later the band inside the Abbey Road studios that it was clear they would have signed just about any kind of contract just to get into a proper studio and record albums.
At the end of the Beatles' first full year, in the event EMI opted to pick up the option on the Beatles' contract, the band was guaranteed a 25% raise that would kick in at the start of each successive option year. Sounds good doesn't it? But, while sounding generous on paper, a quarter of a penny per disc was worse than miserly. Especially so considering the Beatles were fattening up EMI's coffers like no act ever before. George Martin knew it and thought it was "patently unfair."
Thus, as the Beatles' option date approached, he talked to L. G. Wood, one of EMI's vice presidents about doubling the Beatles' royalty rate immediately, rather than waiting. Wood agreed, provided the Beatles agreed to another five year option. Martin balked at the deal. Martin explained, "No, you don't understand. I don't want to ask for anything in return." He just wanted to give it to the band as a reward for their phenominal success.
What George didn't realize was that he had just unlocked a pandora's box. While dependent upon their artists for income and their support staff at the studios to help the artists, EMI operated much like a feudal monarchy that gazed down upon it's "subjects" like a wealthy and benevolent patron while not tolerating a iota of impertinence. EMI operated with impunity and whim. Whatever they gave out was non negotiable and the artists (as well as staff) better be damn happy to get what they got. Thus, the very idea that they should raise a royalty rate without getting something in return was unthinkable. Literally unthinkable. EMI was not programmed to think and react on the fly.
In effect, George Martin had committed treason as far as EMI was concerned. "From that moment on, I was considered a traitor within EMI," Martin recalled. However, the day after "From Me to You" was released in America, Parlaphone exercised its option extending the Beatles' contract for another year and increased their royalty rate from one penny to two pennies.
As for George Martin, he eventually left EMI altogether by early 1966 to form AIR studios. This was an independent recording studio and very ahead of it's time, at the time. George quit because of the lousy pay he was getting at EMI. His meager raises were the result of his existing contract, not the supreme production of the Beatles' fabulous singles and albums that were literally selling in the tens of millions. EMI just didn't care what Martin did and how well he did it; a contract was a contract and so, the greatest producer in a gereration and perhaps in the history of EMI was left to walk. Martin bet his entire future on the gamble that the Beatles would still want him producing their albums even if he wasn't with EMI. The gamble paid off and EMI was forced to hire Martin back at whatever rate he wanted to produce all the Beatles records because they wouldn't work with anyone else. Only the Beatles had that kind of clout with EMI. Lesser artists would be told to deal with whatever producer was available and that would be that.
Still, most people would agree that without Brian Epstein running all around desperately trying to land a recording contract for the band and finally finding a sympathetic ear in George Martin; and George Martin, who presciently "heard" something in the Fab's somewhat primitive Decca Audition tape and gave them their first crucial record deal, the story of the Beatles might very well have turned out much differently.
By the new millenium, record companies were in disarray and going broke due to Internet Piracy and a plethora of independent recording studios to say nothing of digital technology. Fans around the world thought nothing of taking music off the internet due to the arrogance of record companies like EMI and many others and the price of LPs over the years. Music publishing eventually gained control of internet downloading but not before most labels went bankrupt.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
George Martin with the Fabs, circa mid-1964. We draw today from "The Beatles; The Biography," by Bob Spitz, Little, Brown and Company, 2005.
The Beatles indeed reaped the rewards of their work throughout their career as a band. But no one made out better than EMI, the parent company to their label, Parlaphone.
Right around the time "Please PLease Me" hit #1 in England, George Martin admitted later that he began to feel guilt over how he had tied the Beatles down to the contract that they had signed. Brian Epstein (band manager), as well as the band, had been so utterly desperate when he first met them; Brian at Martin's office upstairs at Abbey Road Studios and later the band inside the Abbey Road studios that it was clear they would have signed just about any kind of contract just to get into a proper studio and record albums.
At the end of the Beatles' first full year, in the event EMI opted to pick up the option on the Beatles' contract, the band was guaranteed a 25% raise that would kick in at the start of each successive option year. Sounds good doesn't it? But, while sounding generous on paper, a quarter of a penny per disc was worse than miserly. Especially so considering the Beatles were fattening up EMI's coffers like no act ever before. George Martin knew it and thought it was "patently unfair."
Thus, as the Beatles' option date approached, he talked to L. G. Wood, one of EMI's vice presidents about doubling the Beatles' royalty rate immediately, rather than waiting. Wood agreed, provided the Beatles agreed to another five year option. Martin balked at the deal. Martin explained, "No, you don't understand. I don't want to ask for anything in return." He just wanted to give it to the band as a reward for their phenominal success.
What George didn't realize was that he had just unlocked a pandora's box. While dependent upon their artists for income and their support staff at the studios to help the artists, EMI operated much like a feudal monarchy that gazed down upon it's "subjects" like a wealthy and benevolent patron while not tolerating a iota of impertinence. EMI operated with impunity and whim. Whatever they gave out was non negotiable and the artists (as well as staff) better be damn happy to get what they got. Thus, the very idea that they should raise a royalty rate without getting something in return was unthinkable. Literally unthinkable. EMI was not programmed to think and react on the fly.
In effect, George Martin had committed treason as far as EMI was concerned. "From that moment on, I was considered a traitor within EMI," Martin recalled. However, the day after "From Me to You" was released in America, Parlaphone exercised its option extending the Beatles' contract for another year and increased their royalty rate from one penny to two pennies.
As for George Martin, he eventually left EMI altogether by early 1966 to form AIR studios. This was an independent recording studio and very ahead of it's time, at the time. George quit because of the lousy pay he was getting at EMI. His meager raises were the result of his existing contract, not the supreme production of the Beatles' fabulous singles and albums that were literally selling in the tens of millions. EMI just didn't care what Martin did and how well he did it; a contract was a contract and so, the greatest producer in a gereration and perhaps in the history of EMI was left to walk. Martin bet his entire future on the gamble that the Beatles would still want him producing their albums even if he wasn't with EMI. The gamble paid off and EMI was forced to hire Martin back at whatever rate he wanted to produce all the Beatles records because they wouldn't work with anyone else. Only the Beatles had that kind of clout with EMI. Lesser artists would be told to deal with whatever producer was available and that would be that.
Still, most people would agree that without Brian Epstein running all around desperately trying to land a recording contract for the band and finally finding a sympathetic ear in George Martin; and George Martin, who presciently "heard" something in the Fab's somewhat primitive Decca Audition tape and gave them their first crucial record deal, the story of the Beatles might very well have turned out much differently.
By the new millenium, record companies were in disarray and going broke due to Internet Piracy and a plethora of independent recording studios to say nothing of digital technology. Fans around the world thought nothing of taking music off the internet due to the arrogance of record companies like EMI and many others and the price of LPs over the years. Music publishing eventually gained control of internet downloading but not before most labels went bankrupt.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
The Beatles' "HELP!" - A Closer Look
The Beatles' "HELP!" - A Closer Look
We are drawing again today from "Recording The Beatles," Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Curvebender Press, 2008.
The Beatles were once again off to make a movie in 1965 and like they did in 1964, the band, specifically John and Paul, needed to come up with an appropriate theme song. Coming to the rescue was John Lennon. As he did with "A Hard Day's Night," John presented "HELP!" to the band and the producers who loved it.
TRIVIA: HELP! is vintage, classic mid-1960's super pop as only the Beatles could write, sing and play it. It was also the first released Beatles song that received the four-track-to four-track reduction mix. There would be many more.
Technical note: Four-Track to Four-Track Recduction Mix: In yet another innovative recording first by the Fabs and their recording staff at Abbey Road studios, when more tracks were needed above and beyond the four track equipment then available, the first four tracks of recording tape were recording onto a second four track machine. This retained the musical information but with a reduction in the total number of occupied tracks. As the Beatles' music became more complex, the four track machines that seemed so luxurious and expansive in 1964 became woefully inadequate by 1965. Thus, the "reduction mix" invention had to be created. Only two Beatles songs released in 1965 actually required reduction mixes, "HELP!" and "Michelle" and both mixed the four tracks of one tape onto three tracks on a second tape leaving one free track to record additional material. In the case of "HELP!", the reduction mix wouldn't have even been necessary if George Harrison hadn't struggled as he did on this song. Let's see what happened . . . .
The April 13, 1965 session for HELP! began with the band recording instruments only backing tracks as follows:
Track 1: Drums and Bass
Track 2: Rhythm and lead guitars
Track 3: open
Track 4: open
By the fourth take however, it was clear George Harrison wasn't getting his descending arpeggio down correctly. That jangly arpeggio is one of the standout musical effects on this great Lennon tune and another great example of how the Beatles came together on each other's songs and added crucial musical/vocal arrangement ideas that enhanced the raw material brought into the studio.
More discussions followed with Paul McCartney becoming increasingly frustrated with George Harrison. On available source tape, Paul can be heard telling Ringo to quietly tap out the quarter note beat during the "Won't you Please Please, help me" vocal refrain to better guide Harrison on his lead riff, that as yet, hadn't been perfected. Even George Martin chimed in with the idea of a half-speed recording a la "A Hard Day's Night" lead solo to get this lead riff down pat once and for all.
The band proceeded to record the song without the descending argeggio. By take 9, the group was satisfied with the backing tracks. At that point, it was time to lay down the vocals on the remaining two tracks. John recorded two lead vocal performances while George and Paul contributed their awesome "lead in" backing vocals (*Yet another recording first: the backing vocalists leading the lead singer into each new line.) All this was done on tracks 3 and 4.
With no room for overdubbing, George Martin and first engineer Norman Smith bounced down the recorded four tracks onto another four track machine and thus reduced the four tracks to three and in the process, made available one additional track. This would be used for George Harrison's lead argeggio riff. What happend basically was that all the vocals from tracks 3 and 4 were reduced to one track in this process. George finally got his guitar riff down and it was recorded onto the new available spare track for final mixing with the rest of the finished tracks. The authors suggest that either John or Paul played the riff along with George.
Another smash #1 transatlantic hit for the Beatles. Years later, Lennon would single out HELP! along with Strawberry Fields Forever, as the only "true" lyrics he wrote at the time. Here was John Lennon crying out for "help" from the pop idoltry he had formerly vowed he would never succumb to. 1965 was what Lennon later referred to as his "Fat Elvis" period: eating like a pig, drinking like a pig and become fat as a pig as a result of his pop stardom. Notice that as of late 1965, Lennon became extremely thin and lean and remained that way for the rest of his life. With the end of the Beatles, Lennon became free to become an anti-pop star and in the process, became one of the legendary figures in history. In the process, the Beatles themselves took on an aura of magical immortality.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
We are drawing again today from "Recording The Beatles," Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Curvebender Press, 2008.
The Beatles were once again off to make a movie in 1965 and like they did in 1964, the band, specifically John and Paul, needed to come up with an appropriate theme song. Coming to the rescue was John Lennon. As he did with "A Hard Day's Night," John presented "HELP!" to the band and the producers who loved it.
TRIVIA: HELP! is vintage, classic mid-1960's super pop as only the Beatles could write, sing and play it. It was also the first released Beatles song that received the four-track-to four-track reduction mix. There would be many more.
Technical note: Four-Track to Four-Track Recduction Mix: In yet another innovative recording first by the Fabs and their recording staff at Abbey Road studios, when more tracks were needed above and beyond the four track equipment then available, the first four tracks of recording tape were recording onto a second four track machine. This retained the musical information but with a reduction in the total number of occupied tracks. As the Beatles' music became more complex, the four track machines that seemed so luxurious and expansive in 1964 became woefully inadequate by 1965. Thus, the "reduction mix" invention had to be created. Only two Beatles songs released in 1965 actually required reduction mixes, "HELP!" and "Michelle" and both mixed the four tracks of one tape onto three tracks on a second tape leaving one free track to record additional material. In the case of "HELP!", the reduction mix wouldn't have even been necessary if George Harrison hadn't struggled as he did on this song. Let's see what happened . . . .
The April 13, 1965 session for HELP! began with the band recording instruments only backing tracks as follows:
Track 1: Drums and Bass
Track 2: Rhythm and lead guitars
Track 3: open
Track 4: open
By the fourth take however, it was clear George Harrison wasn't getting his descending arpeggio down correctly. That jangly arpeggio is one of the standout musical effects on this great Lennon tune and another great example of how the Beatles came together on each other's songs and added crucial musical/vocal arrangement ideas that enhanced the raw material brought into the studio.
More discussions followed with Paul McCartney becoming increasingly frustrated with George Harrison. On available source tape, Paul can be heard telling Ringo to quietly tap out the quarter note beat during the "Won't you Please Please, help me" vocal refrain to better guide Harrison on his lead riff, that as yet, hadn't been perfected. Even George Martin chimed in with the idea of a half-speed recording a la "A Hard Day's Night" lead solo to get this lead riff down pat once and for all.
The band proceeded to record the song without the descending argeggio. By take 9, the group was satisfied with the backing tracks. At that point, it was time to lay down the vocals on the remaining two tracks. John recorded two lead vocal performances while George and Paul contributed their awesome "lead in" backing vocals (*Yet another recording first: the backing vocalists leading the lead singer into each new line.) All this was done on tracks 3 and 4.
With no room for overdubbing, George Martin and first engineer Norman Smith bounced down the recorded four tracks onto another four track machine and thus reduced the four tracks to three and in the process, made available one additional track. This would be used for George Harrison's lead argeggio riff. What happend basically was that all the vocals from tracks 3 and 4 were reduced to one track in this process. George finally got his guitar riff down and it was recorded onto the new available spare track for final mixing with the rest of the finished tracks. The authors suggest that either John or Paul played the riff along with George.
Another smash #1 transatlantic hit for the Beatles. Years later, Lennon would single out HELP! along with Strawberry Fields Forever, as the only "true" lyrics he wrote at the time. Here was John Lennon crying out for "help" from the pop idoltry he had formerly vowed he would never succumb to. 1965 was what Lennon later referred to as his "Fat Elvis" period: eating like a pig, drinking like a pig and become fat as a pig as a result of his pop stardom. Notice that as of late 1965, Lennon became extremely thin and lean and remained that way for the rest of his life. With the end of the Beatles, Lennon became free to become an anti-pop star and in the process, became one of the legendary figures in history. In the process, the Beatles themselves took on an aura of magical immortality.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Recording the Beatles -The Baldwin Electric Solid Body Harpsichord
The Baldwin Electric Solid Body Harpsichord.
We draw again today from "Recording the Beatles," Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Curvebender Press, 2008.
In the Beatles' vast arsenal of musical equipment, there was no shortage of keyboards. Today's discussion involves just one of the plethora of unique instruments the Beatles brought to Abbey Road in their never ending search for new and different sounds. It wasn't enough to write great songs with equally magical lyrics; the Beatles wanted to paint a unique soundscape collage that was equally as dynamic as the song. The Baldwin electric Harpsichord helped them to that end.
This singularly unique instrument arrived at Abbey Road studios in 1969, in time for the then upcoming "Abbey Road" LP. What made it an "electric harpsichord" was the fact that inside the body of the instrument were two guitar-like pickups that sensed the vibrations of the strings, like all instrumental pickups do and allowed them to be amplified.
The Baldwin was constructed of a strong aluminum chassis with a red formica soundboard. It featured a clear plexi-glas top that provided a view to the inner workings of the instrument. Mandatorily accompanying the instrument was a unique solid state amp called the Baldwin C1 "Professional." It was of a modern design and featured many controls including the "Super Sound" preset tone. This amp was signficant in that it was the ONLY in-house guitar amp available at Abbey Road Studios. According to Alan Parsons, it was often used by lesser equipped bands but not by the Fabs except for what it was intended, amplification of the electric harpichord.
According to the authors, this Baldwin Electric Harpsichord was used on a total of ONE Beatle Track: "Because." But, as we know, it was prominently featured. It remained at Abbey Road throughout the 1970's until Paul McCartney bought it for his own home studio and used it again one final time, on: "Free As A Bird." Your humble correspondant notes the irony here; it was only ever used on two Lennon songs. One song, on the Fab's final LP, the other, one of two final releases ever by the band in the 1990's.
At least we know the Baldwin Electric Harpsichord is in good hands. Paul bought other equipments from Abbey Road over time. We'll talk more about that in future Blogs. Say what you want, but Paul has quite a sentimental streak in him if you ask this correspondant. Good thing he does.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
We draw again today from "Recording the Beatles," Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Curvebender Press, 2008.
In the Beatles' vast arsenal of musical equipment, there was no shortage of keyboards. Today's discussion involves just one of the plethora of unique instruments the Beatles brought to Abbey Road in their never ending search for new and different sounds. It wasn't enough to write great songs with equally magical lyrics; the Beatles wanted to paint a unique soundscape collage that was equally as dynamic as the song. The Baldwin electric Harpsichord helped them to that end.
This singularly unique instrument arrived at Abbey Road studios in 1969, in time for the then upcoming "Abbey Road" LP. What made it an "electric harpsichord" was the fact that inside the body of the instrument were two guitar-like pickups that sensed the vibrations of the strings, like all instrumental pickups do and allowed them to be amplified.
The Baldwin was constructed of a strong aluminum chassis with a red formica soundboard. It featured a clear plexi-glas top that provided a view to the inner workings of the instrument. Mandatorily accompanying the instrument was a unique solid state amp called the Baldwin C1 "Professional." It was of a modern design and featured many controls including the "Super Sound" preset tone. This amp was signficant in that it was the ONLY in-house guitar amp available at Abbey Road Studios. According to Alan Parsons, it was often used by lesser equipped bands but not by the Fabs except for what it was intended, amplification of the electric harpichord.
According to the authors, this Baldwin Electric Harpsichord was used on a total of ONE Beatle Track: "Because." But, as we know, it was prominently featured. It remained at Abbey Road throughout the 1970's until Paul McCartney bought it for his own home studio and used it again one final time, on: "Free As A Bird." Your humble correspondant notes the irony here; it was only ever used on two Lennon songs. One song, on the Fab's final LP, the other, one of two final releases ever by the band in the 1990's.
At least we know the Baldwin Electric Harpsichord is in good hands. Paul bought other equipments from Abbey Road over time. We'll talk more about that in future Blogs. Say what you want, but Paul has quite a sentimental streak in him if you ask this correspondant. Good thing he does.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
John Lennon: Man of the Decade (1960's)
Desmond Lewis is a distinguished anthropologist and sociologist whose writings have influenced many generations worldwide. In 1969 he interviewed John Lennon and Yoko Ono shortly before naming Lennon his choice for "Man of the Decade."
Desmond Lewis with friend, late 1960's.
Today we draw from "Memories of John Lennon," Edited by Yoko Ono, Harpercollins Publishers, 2005.
We start today with a verbatim quote from Lennon when asked by Lewis in 1969 (with the Vietnam war still raging in Southeast Asia) about whether or not he was optimistic about the future. This quote was made famous by this very interview:
"I can't wait. I'm so glad to be around and it's going to be great and there'll be more and more of us and whatever you're thinking there, Mrs. Grundy of Birmingham-on-Toast, you don't stand a chance. You're not going to be there when we're runnin it, and you're going to like it when you get less frightened of it, and it's going to be wonderful, and I believe it, and of course we all get depressed and down about it, and when I'm down, and Yoko's down, Desmond will be up, or somebody else will be up. There's always somebody carrying the flag and beating the drum, so they - whoever they are - don't stand a chance, because they can't beat love, because all of those bits from religeon about love being all- powerful are true, and that's the bit they can't handle."
John and Yoko, 1969.
In 1969, Lewis was asked by a TV producer who was working on a show about the most influential figure of the 1960's, to take part in it. The show was to be called "Man of the Decade." The idea was to have three people on the panel and each would have 20 minutes to make their case. Alistair Cooke was one and he had chosen John Kennedy. Mary McCarthy was the other panelist and she had chosen Ho Chi Minh. When Lewis was asked, he replied, "The Beatles." He was told that this was not allowed, it had to be just one man. Lewis didn't like the idea of separating out one band member because it was terribly unfair to the other Fabs but with no way out of the dilema, Desmond Lewis chose Lennon because he was the natural rebel in the band.
Part of Desmond Lewis' defense calculus was that Kennedy and Minh had both been involved in a war that had killed tens of thousands of young men to say nothing of all the civilians in Vietnam who were perishing. In the alternative, John Lennon was a creative rebel who had given nothing but pleasure through his band's music to the entire world. Adding to that, Lewis pointed out that Lennon was so much more than just another pop star. Lennon had introduced a whole new social attitude that had truly influenced his entire generation.
As just one example, thanks to Lennon, regional dialects were no longer looked down upon as a hindrance, especially in the class conscious UK where cut-crisp Oxford English had heretofore been the media friendly dialect of choice and favor with the Royals and anybody else in the UK. John changed all that. He made no attempt to tone down his Liverpudian scouse accent, indeed he exaggerated it from time to time and screw anybody who didn't like it. The youth of Great Britain and all other quasi socialist countries just loved him for that.
The television show came to pass. Desmond Lewis got his chance to defend his choice. Here now, the second half of his opening monologue:
" . . . The rebellion of youth in the 1960's is all too often measured in terms of brick-throwing extremists - the pathetic paradox of violent antiviolence - but this is too easy. It is a convenient but gross distortion of what has really been happening in the minds of the younger generation, and it has precious little to do with the great wave of exhileration that started to spread as the Beatle phenomenon began to work it's magic.
The message was simple enough: If you had talent and energy you could beat the system - you could have a ball- and to hell with traditional values and traditional symbols. Ths 60's was the decade in which social foreground became more important that social background."
John and Yoko in Montreal in May, 1969 after their wedding recording "Give Peace a Chance." Can you guess who has their back to us in the photo? Who is the man in profile up front?
Desmond Lewis gives us an interesting summary of John Lennon's complex personality at the end of the article. I'll sum it up here:
There is always the omnipresent contradiction of how a rebellious young lion from Liverpool who stoked the fires of musical imagination where it had never gone before ended up an international campaigner for peace. To grasp the change one has to consider Lennon's inner conflict. Here was an angry young man with a sharp, sarcastic, healthy disrespect for authority who simultaneously also had a sensitive, hugely generous side. He was a confused, rejected child abondoned by his father and mother but shown infinite love and patience by his Aunti Mimi. As an adult, that terrible contrast left him seeking a peace and love he knew existed but that he hadn't found yet. His inhernent distrust of people and cynical attitude had shielded him, for better or worse, his whole life. Thus, incapable of finding inner peace, he looked elsewhere. "Give Peace A Chance" may well have been more than an international anthem; it may also have been a private cry to the endless demons inside himself.
There was no right or wrong answer to "The Man of the Decade" and no winner as such. But it was interesting to see Lennon's name along side Kennedy, Ho Chi Minh and many other names that callers to the show suggested such as Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson.
Needless to say, the peace activism that Lennon spawned in the late 1960's started a huge trend of Pop Stars to get involved and make choices beyond their art just as Lennon did. Bono of U2 is a good current example for it is Lennon that Bono idolizes to this day. As for the two mystery guests in the picture above, the man with his back to us playing guitar is Tommy Smothers. The man in profile is the late, great Dr. Timothy "Drop Acid" Leary. God Bless.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Desmond Lewis with friend, late 1960's. Today we draw from "Memories of John Lennon," Edited by Yoko Ono, Harpercollins Publishers, 2005.
We start today with a verbatim quote from Lennon when asked by Lewis in 1969 (with the Vietnam war still raging in Southeast Asia) about whether or not he was optimistic about the future. This quote was made famous by this very interview:
"I can't wait. I'm so glad to be around and it's going to be great and there'll be more and more of us and whatever you're thinking there, Mrs. Grundy of Birmingham-on-Toast, you don't stand a chance. You're not going to be there when we're runnin it, and you're going to like it when you get less frightened of it, and it's going to be wonderful, and I believe it, and of course we all get depressed and down about it, and when I'm down, and Yoko's down, Desmond will be up, or somebody else will be up. There's always somebody carrying the flag and beating the drum, so they - whoever they are - don't stand a chance, because they can't beat love, because all of those bits from religeon about love being all- powerful are true, and that's the bit they can't handle."
John and Yoko, 1969. In 1969, Lewis was asked by a TV producer who was working on a show about the most influential figure of the 1960's, to take part in it. The show was to be called "Man of the Decade." The idea was to have three people on the panel and each would have 20 minutes to make their case. Alistair Cooke was one and he had chosen John Kennedy. Mary McCarthy was the other panelist and she had chosen Ho Chi Minh. When Lewis was asked, he replied, "The Beatles." He was told that this was not allowed, it had to be just one man. Lewis didn't like the idea of separating out one band member because it was terribly unfair to the other Fabs but with no way out of the dilema, Desmond Lewis chose Lennon because he was the natural rebel in the band.
Part of Desmond Lewis' defense calculus was that Kennedy and Minh had both been involved in a war that had killed tens of thousands of young men to say nothing of all the civilians in Vietnam who were perishing. In the alternative, John Lennon was a creative rebel who had given nothing but pleasure through his band's music to the entire world. Adding to that, Lewis pointed out that Lennon was so much more than just another pop star. Lennon had introduced a whole new social attitude that had truly influenced his entire generation.
As just one example, thanks to Lennon, regional dialects were no longer looked down upon as a hindrance, especially in the class conscious UK where cut-crisp Oxford English had heretofore been the media friendly dialect of choice and favor with the Royals and anybody else in the UK. John changed all that. He made no attempt to tone down his Liverpudian scouse accent, indeed he exaggerated it from time to time and screw anybody who didn't like it. The youth of Great Britain and all other quasi socialist countries just loved him for that.
The television show came to pass. Desmond Lewis got his chance to defend his choice. Here now, the second half of his opening monologue:
" . . . The rebellion of youth in the 1960's is all too often measured in terms of brick-throwing extremists - the pathetic paradox of violent antiviolence - but this is too easy. It is a convenient but gross distortion of what has really been happening in the minds of the younger generation, and it has precious little to do with the great wave of exhileration that started to spread as the Beatle phenomenon began to work it's magic.
The message was simple enough: If you had talent and energy you could beat the system - you could have a ball- and to hell with traditional values and traditional symbols. Ths 60's was the decade in which social foreground became more important that social background."
John and Yoko in Montreal in May, 1969 after their wedding recording "Give Peace a Chance." Can you guess who has their back to us in the photo? Who is the man in profile up front? Desmond Lewis gives us an interesting summary of John Lennon's complex personality at the end of the article. I'll sum it up here:
There is always the omnipresent contradiction of how a rebellious young lion from Liverpool who stoked the fires of musical imagination where it had never gone before ended up an international campaigner for peace. To grasp the change one has to consider Lennon's inner conflict. Here was an angry young man with a sharp, sarcastic, healthy disrespect for authority who simultaneously also had a sensitive, hugely generous side. He was a confused, rejected child abondoned by his father and mother but shown infinite love and patience by his Aunti Mimi. As an adult, that terrible contrast left him seeking a peace and love he knew existed but that he hadn't found yet. His inhernent distrust of people and cynical attitude had shielded him, for better or worse, his whole life. Thus, incapable of finding inner peace, he looked elsewhere. "Give Peace A Chance" may well have been more than an international anthem; it may also have been a private cry to the endless demons inside himself.
There was no right or wrong answer to "The Man of the Decade" and no winner as such. But it was interesting to see Lennon's name along side Kennedy, Ho Chi Minh and many other names that callers to the show suggested such as Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson.
Needless to say, the peace activism that Lennon spawned in the late 1960's started a huge trend of Pop Stars to get involved and make choices beyond their art just as Lennon did. Bono of U2 is a good current example for it is Lennon that Bono idolizes to this day. As for the two mystery guests in the picture above, the man with his back to us playing guitar is Tommy Smothers. The man in profile is the late, great Dr. Timothy "Drop Acid" Leary. God Bless.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Beatles Trivia XXXV
Beatles Trivia XXXV
The questions from today's game has to do with this picture. Have fun. Answers below.
1) Which Beatle is seen in this picture?
2) Who is the blond woman next to him?
3) What is the occasion?
4) If you know the occasion, then you must know the date. What is it?
5) Where are they, exactly?
6) There is a man behind the Fab we spoke of with glasses on. Who is that? *Hint: long time gopher for the Fabs.
7) There is a man in the picture with a black beard/mustache. Who is that? *Hint: "Ballad of John & Yoko."
8) What happened 8 days after this event?
9) What was up with the blond woman's father and brother?
10) What ever happened to the blond woman?
Answers:
1) Paul McCartney
2) Linda Eastman McCartney
3) Paul and Linda's wedding.
4) March 12, 1969
5) St. John's Wood, Marleybone Registry, London
6) Mal Evans
7) Peter Brown *Mentioned and thus immortalized in the "Ballad of John & Yoko."
8) John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gilbralter.
9) Her father Lee and her brother John, were entertainment lawyers who advised Paul, as it turned out, much better than Allen Klein advised the others on music copywrite laws. It was the contentious arguing between John Eastman and Allen Klein that led directly to the breakup of the Fabs.
10) Linda remained Paul's loyal wife until her death from breast cancer in 1998.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
The questions from today's game has to do with this picture. Have fun. Answers below.
1) Which Beatle is seen in this picture?
2) Who is the blond woman next to him?
3) What is the occasion?
4) If you know the occasion, then you must know the date. What is it?
5) Where are they, exactly?
6) There is a man behind the Fab we spoke of with glasses on. Who is that? *Hint: long time gopher for the Fabs.
7) There is a man in the picture with a black beard/mustache. Who is that? *Hint: "Ballad of John & Yoko."
8) What happened 8 days after this event?
9) What was up with the blond woman's father and brother?
10) What ever happened to the blond woman?
Answers:
1) Paul McCartney
2) Linda Eastman McCartney
3) Paul and Linda's wedding.
4) March 12, 1969
5) St. John's Wood, Marleybone Registry, London
6) Mal Evans
7) Peter Brown *Mentioned and thus immortalized in the "Ballad of John & Yoko."
8) John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gilbralter.
9) Her father Lee and her brother John, were entertainment lawyers who advised Paul, as it turned out, much better than Allen Klein advised the others on music copywrite laws. It was the contentious arguing between John Eastman and Allen Klein that led directly to the breakup of the Fabs.
10) Linda remained Paul's loyal wife until her death from breast cancer in 1998.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
John Lennon at Tittenhurst Park 1969
Tittenhurst Park Estate
Today we draw again from "The Love You Make," by Beatle insider Peter Brown, Signet Books, 1983.
The summer of 1969 was indeed a weird one, even for the Beatles who had had their share of weirdness over the years. John Lennon was making it clearer and clearer that he was fed up with the band and wanted out. This despite the surprisingly good vibes from their triumphant concert on the Apple Rooftop on January 30, 1969.
There had been Woodstock, the first man walking on the moon, two bed-ins by John and Yoko, the death of Brian Jones-the founding member of the Rolling Stones to say nothing of the escalation of the Vietnam war and Charles Manson and his band of lunatics. Add to that, the slow disolution of the greatest band in history.
John decided to take Yoko, his son Julian and Yoko's daughter Kyoko away to Scotland for a vacation early in the summer of 1969. Being one of the most shortsighted people in existance it was odd that Lennon insisted on driving. Not surprisingly, he ran his car into a ditch and everyone was injured. Yoko was airlifted to a hosptial. The Austin Maxi that John had been driving was crushed into a cube and shipped back to his home in Weybridge and used as a garden ornament. John finally decided that he needed a real home for his new bride and on May 4, 1969 bought the now famous "Tittenhurst Estate" in Ascot for 145,000 British Pounds. It included the gorgeous Georgian home seen above and 72 acres of land. The Lennons moved in on August 11 and began tearing out walls and generally opening up the place. Yoko decorated the entire home in white and the business areas in black carpeting. The grounds featured over 50 varieties of rare trees and a lake. An extensive 8 track recording studio was installed as well as a modern kitchen. Basically, the entire home was overhauled.
The problem was, as far as Peter Brown could see, that after moving in, they became recluses again. "The Ballad of John & Yoko" had already been a #1 hit in the UK in June/early July and was slowly slipping down the charts while at the same time, "Give Peace A Chance" was rising fast in the charts as of August, 1969, peaking at #2 for most of August. So there was no good reason to become recluses, especially with the "Abbey Road" LP drawing to a close. Brown had seen this behavior once before, when John and Yoko became recluses in Ringo's Montegue Square apartment -when they were on heroin.
Yoko confessed to Brown that they were once again hooked on H due to the pain suffered in the car accident. The couple had sequestered themselves into their master bedroom at Tittenhurst park and would not come out. Messages were relayed by their cook. It was Paul McCartney who finally convinced John to come out and help finish what was clear to all: The Beatles' last hurrah- Abbey Road.
That great album was completed as we know on August 20. According to your humble correspondant, as I have said before; John quit the band that very evening. He didn't announce it to the band officially until September 20 but in heart, mind and soul he was finished with them on August 20, However, there was a final photo shoot to be done so John oddly invited the band out to his new Tittenhurst Estate for those pictures. Many of them were used later for the US only LP release called "Hey Jude."
Photo still from the last ever group photo session of the Beatles, taken on August 22, 1969 at Tittenhurst. This picture was used on the cover of the US release only "Hey Jude" album. The "Hey Jude" LP was one of those corporate oddities specifically designed to milk the US public out of even more money. It contained all previously released tracts, most of which had never been on a Beatles album before such as "Hey Jude" and "Revolution." It was conceived and marketed by Allen Klein to cash in on the Beatles' new contract he had just negotiated giving the band substantially higher royalties. The LP managed to go as high as #2 in the US Billboard charts where it remained at #2 for 4 weeks from late March, 1970 through most of April.
It was also decided by John and Yoko to quit the heroin again Cold Turkey before they got too hooked. So they started their own withdrawel program. In a creative burst on the morning of August 24, Lennon composed the song "Cold Turkey" and asked Ringo and German friend Klaus Voorman to help him record it. They agreed to and it was finished that very evening. It was the harrowing cry of a junkie screaming out for help during withdrawal. John offered it to Paul as the next Beatles single and Paul, not surprisingly, was appalled and wouldn't agree. John simply released it as a Plastic Ono Band single.
John was lambasted for this song by fans and critics alike. It eventually peaked at #12 in the UK charts on November 29. With heroin conquered and the Beatles history, John would focus on his happenings and causes for the next few years. He would go on to write his most famous song at Tittenhurst, "Imagine." This song and the album he built around it became his signature solo artistic achievement.
This is the famous picture of John on his white "Imagine" piano in his white recording studio at Tittenhurst, 1971.
John would eventually sell his Tittenhurst Estate to Ringo Starr and move to the US where he began a long struggle to fight imigration and remain in the United States. Tittenhurst will be remembered as the "Imagine" locale and the place John and Yoko lived and worked when he left the Beatles for good.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Today we draw again from "The Love You Make," by Beatle insider Peter Brown, Signet Books, 1983.
The summer of 1969 was indeed a weird one, even for the Beatles who had had their share of weirdness over the years. John Lennon was making it clearer and clearer that he was fed up with the band and wanted out. This despite the surprisingly good vibes from their triumphant concert on the Apple Rooftop on January 30, 1969.
There had been Woodstock, the first man walking on the moon, two bed-ins by John and Yoko, the death of Brian Jones-the founding member of the Rolling Stones to say nothing of the escalation of the Vietnam war and Charles Manson and his band of lunatics. Add to that, the slow disolution of the greatest band in history.
John decided to take Yoko, his son Julian and Yoko's daughter Kyoko away to Scotland for a vacation early in the summer of 1969. Being one of the most shortsighted people in existance it was odd that Lennon insisted on driving. Not surprisingly, he ran his car into a ditch and everyone was injured. Yoko was airlifted to a hosptial. The Austin Maxi that John had been driving was crushed into a cube and shipped back to his home in Weybridge and used as a garden ornament. John finally decided that he needed a real home for his new bride and on May 4, 1969 bought the now famous "Tittenhurst Estate" in Ascot for 145,000 British Pounds. It included the gorgeous Georgian home seen above and 72 acres of land. The Lennons moved in on August 11 and began tearing out walls and generally opening up the place. Yoko decorated the entire home in white and the business areas in black carpeting. The grounds featured over 50 varieties of rare trees and a lake. An extensive 8 track recording studio was installed as well as a modern kitchen. Basically, the entire home was overhauled.
The problem was, as far as Peter Brown could see, that after moving in, they became recluses again. "The Ballad of John & Yoko" had already been a #1 hit in the UK in June/early July and was slowly slipping down the charts while at the same time, "Give Peace A Chance" was rising fast in the charts as of August, 1969, peaking at #2 for most of August. So there was no good reason to become recluses, especially with the "Abbey Road" LP drawing to a close. Brown had seen this behavior once before, when John and Yoko became recluses in Ringo's Montegue Square apartment -when they were on heroin.
Yoko confessed to Brown that they were once again hooked on H due to the pain suffered in the car accident. The couple had sequestered themselves into their master bedroom at Tittenhurst park and would not come out. Messages were relayed by their cook. It was Paul McCartney who finally convinced John to come out and help finish what was clear to all: The Beatles' last hurrah- Abbey Road.
That great album was completed as we know on August 20. According to your humble correspondant, as I have said before; John quit the band that very evening. He didn't announce it to the band officially until September 20 but in heart, mind and soul he was finished with them on August 20, However, there was a final photo shoot to be done so John oddly invited the band out to his new Tittenhurst Estate for those pictures. Many of them were used later for the US only LP release called "Hey Jude."
Photo still from the last ever group photo session of the Beatles, taken on August 22, 1969 at Tittenhurst. This picture was used on the cover of the US release only "Hey Jude" album. The "Hey Jude" LP was one of those corporate oddities specifically designed to milk the US public out of even more money. It contained all previously released tracts, most of which had never been on a Beatles album before such as "Hey Jude" and "Revolution." It was conceived and marketed by Allen Klein to cash in on the Beatles' new contract he had just negotiated giving the band substantially higher royalties. The LP managed to go as high as #2 in the US Billboard charts where it remained at #2 for 4 weeks from late March, 1970 through most of April.
It was also decided by John and Yoko to quit the heroin again Cold Turkey before they got too hooked. So they started their own withdrawel program. In a creative burst on the morning of August 24, Lennon composed the song "Cold Turkey" and asked Ringo and German friend Klaus Voorman to help him record it. They agreed to and it was finished that very evening. It was the harrowing cry of a junkie screaming out for help during withdrawal. John offered it to Paul as the next Beatles single and Paul, not surprisingly, was appalled and wouldn't agree. John simply released it as a Plastic Ono Band single.
John was lambasted for this song by fans and critics alike. It eventually peaked at #12 in the UK charts on November 29. With heroin conquered and the Beatles history, John would focus on his happenings and causes for the next few years. He would go on to write his most famous song at Tittenhurst, "Imagine." This song and the album he built around it became his signature solo artistic achievement.
This is the famous picture of John on his white "Imagine" piano in his white recording studio at Tittenhurst, 1971. John would eventually sell his Tittenhurst Estate to Ringo Starr and move to the US where he began a long struggle to fight imigration and remain in the United States. Tittenhurst will be remembered as the "Imagine" locale and the place John and Yoko lived and worked when he left the Beatles for good.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
John & Yoko Lennon and the Homeless
The Lennons and the Homeless
Of all the causes that John and Yoko sponsored, the HOMELESS is one that seems to have slipped under the radar of most journalists.
In December, 1987 Yoko Ono Lennon, now the widow of legendary Beatle John Lennon donated $5000 to "The Benefit Network" for the creation of "Tent City", also known as and more commonly referred to as "Rainbow City." It was one of the causes that John was into but sadly, he had died seven years earlier.
The money was used to shelter and feed over 100 homeless people in surplus Army Tents for a month during the Christmas break in 1987-1988 on Venice Beach, California. The much needed money was part of the larger "People In Need" project then popular in California.
Not surprisingly, the L.A. City Council called a hasty meeting and opted to change a long standing but also long forgotten ordinace that had allowed the homeless to camp on Venice Beach. Thus, the amended ordinance forced the entire group to leave by January 17, 1988.
What a shame. The homeless is a continuing and growing problem here in the United States, still currently the richest country in the world. It was a prescient venture for Yoko and much admired by all who fight this blight.
"Imagine all the people, sharing all the world."
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Of all the causes that John and Yoko sponsored, the HOMELESS is one that seems to have slipped under the radar of most journalists.
In December, 1987 Yoko Ono Lennon, now the widow of legendary Beatle John Lennon donated $5000 to "The Benefit Network" for the creation of "Tent City", also known as and more commonly referred to as "Rainbow City." It was one of the causes that John was into but sadly, he had died seven years earlier.
The money was used to shelter and feed over 100 homeless people in surplus Army Tents for a month during the Christmas break in 1987-1988 on Venice Beach, California. The much needed money was part of the larger "People In Need" project then popular in California.
Not surprisingly, the L.A. City Council called a hasty meeting and opted to change a long standing but also long forgotten ordinace that had allowed the homeless to camp on Venice Beach. Thus, the amended ordinance forced the entire group to leave by January 17, 1988.
What a shame. The homeless is a continuing and growing problem here in the United States, still currently the richest country in the world. It was a prescient venture for Yoko and much admired by all who fight this blight.
"Imagine all the people, sharing all the world."
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com