"Slow Down", the sloppiest Beatle recording

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by jwb1231970, Sep 12, 2017.

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  1. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    This could be the worst Beatle recording as well. John's vocal is great of course, the drums are great...but listen to the song and the piano sounds like it can't keep time well throughout the song, the instruments don't seem to be playing together, and George's solo sounds like his first pass through it.
    This must have been one take, throw a couple of overdubs on, and call it a day.

    Worst George solo on a Beatle studio album.

    SLOW DOWN
     
    uzn007 likes this.
  2. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    No such Beatles song as Slowdown maybe you're thinking of ELO.
     
  3. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    fixed, doesn't change the sloppyness
     
    Derek Slazenger likes this.
  4. Bern

    Bern JC4Me

    Location:
    Allegan, Michigan
    Maybe Lightfoot and Sundown?....:)
     
    johnny q likes this.
  5. cublowell

    cublowell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I do wish they would have made sure the manually double-tracked vocals actually matched up for the whole two minute song, I mean I know they were in a hurry but come on! Matchbox is the same way. But these were just EP throwaways at the time I guess.
     
  6. Daily Nightly

    Daily Nightly Well-Known Member

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    Something New, though, is one of the few *stereo* Capitol gatherings to sound (nearly) as good as what it shares with the U.K. AHDN.
     
    paulmccartneyistheman likes this.
  7. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    The scream leading into the terrible guitar solo sounds overdriven, now that I think about this I'm starting to feel Slow Down is a playfully sloppy recording.
     
  8. Veech

    Veech Space In Sounds

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    From Slow Down

    "The song was taped swiftly in six takes in the afternoon of 1 June 1964. The rhythm track of take three was the best, and onto this was overdubbed a double-tracked Lennon vocals.

    Three days later George Martin added a piano part. None of the performers appear to have taken it too seriously, with vocal fluffs (most noticeably during the line "But now you've got a boyfriend down the street"), a somewhat workmanlike guitar solo and generally sloppy playing.

    But that's the essence of rock 'n' roll, and Lennon's vocal has enough brio to make the result worth searching out by Beatles fans."

    My opinion, file under Beatles: filler.
     
  9. buzzzx

    buzzzx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cal.
    Very early Beatles, great Lennon vocal, sloppy and loud, it's all good.
     
  10. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Six takes? Wow. Wonder how sloppy the other ones were!
     
  11. Bern

    Bern JC4Me

    Location:
    Allegan, Michigan
    Lots of Beatle flubs in the early years. That's what makes it endearing. I only wish Ringo's drums would have been brought up a bit more.

    Bern
     
  12. Vinyl Socks

    Vinyl Socks The Buzz Driver

    Location:
    DuBois, PA
    Sloppy? It pretty much rocks, IMO.
    Try "You Know My Name(Look Up The Number)". That's a bit sloppy.
     
    EricSwan, theMess, Man at C&A and 7 others like this.
  13. The Elephant Man

    The Elephant Man Forum Resident

    I can't believe this thread wasn't started by Johnny Moondog 909!
     
  14. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I agree the drumming is great but a bit buried
     
  15. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    I don't think anyone is sayin it don't rock.
     
  16. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    I love the "pbpbpbpbpbpbpbpbpbpbpbpbpbpb if you want our love to last" bit.
     
  17. JoeRockhead

    JoeRockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    it's an awesome track
     
    theMess, andy749, vmajewsk and 7 others like this.
  18. Drifter

    Drifter AAD survivor

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC, CA
    Love me some good ol' Slop 'n' Roll.
     
  19. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    That half step chord slide that happens each measure, George probably thought it would be somewhat buried in the mix---the mix is one of the oddities of this song - sounds like the guitar and piano rhythm is pushed way to the front and drums and bass are buried
     
  20. DrJ

    DrJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Davis, CA, USA
    "Sloppy" - one way of looking at it. Or you could say "Raw, authentic, and fun." Studio perfection=way overrated (IMHO).
     
  21. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    Yep. Hey at least Day Tripper probably came from it. :D
     
  22. Bern

    Bern JC4Me

    Location:
    Allegan, Michigan
    I think you've also correctly spelled it!

    Here's the original...also has it ..but not nearly as good. (IMO)
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2017
  23. vamborules

    vamborules Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    It sounds like rock n roll and it's utterly fantastic. One of their best.
     
    petem1966, theMess, andy749 and 16 others like this.
  24. Drifter

    Drifter AAD survivor

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC, CA
    I've always loved the imperfections on "Slow Down", like when John sings "but now you've got a boyfriend down the street" on one vocal track and "but now you don't care a dime for me" on the other. We even used to sing it that way in my band. :laugh:
     
    anth67, vmajewsk, theMess and 5 others like this.
  25. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Our band did as well. Copied the guitar solo as well. Funny.

    Only old people remember SLOW DOWN as a Capitol picture sleeve 45 with MATCHBOX on the other side. Tremendous compression on the mono mix. Later, on SOMETHNG NEW when we heard that weak, stoopid stereo mix, we couldn't believe how much it hurt the song.
     
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