Mr. Clapton plays lead on "My Guitar Gently Weeps".
What does it take to be a die hard Beatles fan?
I am the first to admit that I am a Beatles fan. And might even say that I am die hard. A recent film and recent album has me questioning the latter.
Peter Jackson's film "Get Back" and the 2022 "de-mixed" release of "Revolver" were both somewhat over the top for even a long time Beatles fan.
I had difficulty getting through both the film and the album.
Yes, it was pretty cool to get an inside look at the prep for the famous rooftop concert. But it became tedious to listen to all the "bla bla" in the studio and the endless fiddling of non Beatles songs.
Not to mention all that time "practicing" in the studio to come up with 3 or 4 songs.
And it was cool to hear the de-mixed versions of Revolver material, but 63 tracks with much relatively meaningless stuff took me 2 days to get through.
I certainly can appreciate the attraction to the behind the scenes things.
But neither the film or the album gave me much insight into who these guys are were/are.
The film was especially disappointing.
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@stuartk ”Because Studio Two was the only studio in Abbey Road with the new TG console, the mics in Studio One were patched into the Studio Two console for this session. Geoff Emerick and co-engineer Phil McDonald had visual contact via a closed-circuit TV. Harrison also rerecorded his guitar solo in Studio Two at this session. According to details on the tape box, the solo was recorded after the orchestra session was completed, but Emerick maintains that the solo was cut simultaneously with the orchestra and on one or both of the same tracks. “George certainly rose to the occasion and pulled it off brilliantly,” Emerick says.” |
Yeah, I’m aware of that. But somewhere along the line, the thought that EC also soloed in "Something" gained traction in my brain and never left. I have no explanation as to why/how. I was willing to accept that I was wrong without "proof" but thanks for the information ;o) BTW-- this revelation does nothing to dampen my enjoyment of the guitar work!
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Ive always said, if stranded on an island and had one band's music to chose, it would be Beatles. I know more about them than I need to know and they are one of the few bands where I enjoy every song on every album, minus a few. So, I guess Im a hard core fan. The movie Get Back , got boring. Maybe a much shorter version wouldve held my attention better. However, The Beatles Anthology doc was great IMO. No doubt, they were great song writers, broke new ground and influenced countless others. As a kid, my best bud and I listened to his bros vast Beatle & solo Beatles music alot. I do enjoy many bands and genres, but Beatles music has always been an enjoyable part of my life. |
The Beatles were masters of composing, arranging and producing records and George Martin was an important part of that machine. If you listen to their finished-but-rejected versions of Norwegian Wood and Ob-la-di Ob-la-da you will know just what amazing ears and high standards they had. Most other bands of the time would have been thrilled to have produced either of those tracks. The Let it Be/Get Back films show the process it takes to get there, minus the very important George Martin contribution. The results do not compare to other Beatles offerings and much of it is no more exciting than being at some other family's Thanksgiving dinner. I enjoyed the Jackson doc as it was so much better than the old Let it Be film (that one is more like being at another couple's breakup). The difference between the Let it Be and Abbey Road LP's is huge and it is because George Martin said, okay, we'll do another one but only if we do it the way we used to. I sometimes wonder if the White Album wouldn't have been better if they had taken George M's advice and made it one really tight LP instead of two. I don't think it's fair to compare George Harrison's guitar playing to that of Eric Clapton or Robbie Robertson. George was a master of short solos that were perfectly suited for the Beatles songs. Robbie and Eric can do that but they are accomplished jammers as well and George was not. That said, I love Robbie's playing but I don't think he comes off as well when side-by-side with Eric. Not many people can stand toe-to-toe with EC and look/sound good, although Jeff Beck certainly could. And Hendrix blew them all away. I appreciate all those guys for what each one brings to the table. Each has his own style and nobody does it all. |
Rick Beato’s examination of a song off Rubber Soul may help those who aren’t die hard Beatles fans understand why others are.
https://www.youtube.com/live/4CBa-whiUrQ?feature=share
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