The Ahhs in A Day in the Life-Poll*

Paul

 

Even if it was him who would say it was Lennon, I wouldn't believe it .

 

If Paul were to reply he would tell you what he told someone else not long ago, that all three, Paul, John and George are at the mic during that bit (from 'Woke up...' onward).

 

Me neither, and I'm willing to guess that the people who say it's John would not believe Paul if he said it was himself that did that part.

Let's see, I don't believe Emerick, I would not believe Paul IF he were to say it was John. What would it take for me to believe it's John? Probably a video of the session. Based on the isolated track, my ears tell me it's Paul with John doing the higher falsetto part and George doing something else.

(Slightly off topic: for the second time this year, the NPR program On Point featured an author of the book I was currently reading. I got Emerick's book for Christmas and I've been reading it (slowly) for about a month and he was on to talk about George Martin & The Beatles. I'm right in the middle of the Sgt. Pepper chapter and they did spend time talking about things I've been reading this week like Strawberry Fields Forever and even A Day in the Life. No mention of who does the ahhs, though.)

 

Roger Daltrey, proof to be found in this thread;
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/what-year-did-daltrey-start-using-pre-recorded-scream-for-wont-get-fooled-again.510761/

 

The original artist is usually the worst person to ask, especially after several decades of time has passed!

 

The opening 'aah' in Lovely Rita is Paul and that sounds like the voice in A Day In The Life to me.

 

The 'ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh' in I Want You (especially at the very end of the scream) sounds like the voice in A Day In a The Life, too.

 

You're kidding, right?

 

Where is there an 'ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh' in "I Want You"?

 

Wow... really surprised 292 people so far can't hear that it's Paul.

 

Last couple of Beatle related polls have really demonstrated that more people here vote with their hearts than with their heads

 

I hear both john and Paul

 

It's Paul singing in a nasal timbre with heavy reverb. People are confused because they are listening for John's regular voice versus Paul's regular voice. Well yeah, it superficially sounds like John's regular voice but it's not. It's Paul DOING a voice. There are so many examples of Paul singing in different timbres where John only sounded like John . Paul does an amazing John imitation on the "if we ever get our of hear" bit on "Band on the Run.

 

It's John in A Day in the Life but it's Paul here:

 

John and Paul's voices could be incredibly close sometimes, they really could be Don & Phil like siblings with Paul's voice being the slightly higher. I had always assumed it was John but i can really hear a touch of Paul toward the end, i think my assumption that it was John was based mainly on the fact the Ah comes in right after Paul's which of course in fact means nothing but gives a maybe false impression it's John. Bottom line, I am no longer sure and am shocked this discussion has put such doubt in my mine. Before this i would have been certain that i could have told John and Paul apart on anything, i am a bit of a mimic so tend to have good ear for such things.

 

Jeff Lynne

 

It's definitely John predominantly although Paul and George could be in the mix. But listening to this song for three decades it's always sounded like John to me - no doubt

 

I've uploaded the AHHH to my webspace because the original is gone:

ahhs.WAV

It's clearly Paul doing one of his voices.

 

John, or of course it could be Bernard Purdie.

 

John always sounded like John. This is not John. It sounds nothing like his voice.

I think the 54% here that say John are duped by the heavy reverb and Paul's nasal vocal.

 

This question hasn't been settled in nearly fifty years. Seems like the vote still hasn't decided it. There must be some voice recognition software out there that could end this once and for all?

 

You got it! Ahhh!

 

It's John.

My point in reopening this thread wasn't to restart this debate, it was to post the video of Paul doing I Want You.

 

That isn't Paul McCartney, nor is it the Beatles.