Five questions about the Beatles white album

Here's a bit from Wiki.


Dear Prudence is me. Written in India. A song about Mia Farrow's sister, who seemed to go slightly barmy, meditating too long, and couldn't come out of the little hut that we were livin' in. They selected me and George to try and bring her out because she would trust us. If she'd been in the West, they would have put her away. We got her out of the house. She'd been locked in for three weeks and wouldn't come out, trying to reach God quicker than anybody else. That was the competition in Maharishi's camp: who was going to get cosmic first. What I didn't know was I was already cosmic.

— John Lennon, All We Are Saying[3]
According to Farrow: "I would always rush straight back to my room after lectures and meals so I could meditate. John, George and Paul would all want to sit around jamming and having a good time and I'd be flying into my room. They were all serious about what they were doing, but they just weren't as fanatical as me."[6]

Lennon did play the song for Farrow while they were in India together. According to Farrow, "I was flattered. It was a beautiful thing to have done."[5] The lyrics of the song are simple and innocent and praise the beauty of nature in the lines: "The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful, and so are you.

 

I've just checked Rockband isolations and the leakage is on the vocal track. One of John's lead vocals was recorded live apparently.

Ondra

 

Thanks.

 

Also have checked the drum track. It sounds to me that Paul did not play 8th notes in the verse, sounds like he used
hi-hat played with foot on 4th beat only, so the pattern is like: kick kick snare hat.
Then he plays the 16th notes with a stick.
This could make the volume difference.
But very well could be a hi-hat overdub as you say, cause it doesn't necessarily eliminate that possibility.

Ondra

 

I remember he wanted the slow version being released as a single (Revolution 1).

 

Yes, USSR comped drum track. Dear Prudence....sounds like Paul took a few passes at the end, even though it's entirely Paul's drum track...sorry if I made that unclear.



Dan

 

I forget exactly what Ken Scott said, but I believe, speaking of Prudence & USSR being recorded while Ringo was away. I believe he said one of the songs was all Paul & the other was mostly but not entirely Paul, with George & John overdubbing parts of the drums in addition to Paul.

I think that's in agreement with what Brainwashed is saying a few posts back. Except Brainwashed is specifically saying Dear Prudence is the one John & George helped on.

That's directly from eyewitness Ken Scott, lead engineer on those two tracks. As well as being a hit record producer with Bowie & Supertramp a few years later.

The quotes from Ken should be archived here on the forum somewhere. Maybe 6-8 years ago ? Longer ?

 

???

 

Didn't Chris Thomas produce "Savoy Truffle", possibly while George Martin was away? I ask this because I recall the session when the horns were laid down. George Harrison then had them mixed with excessive distortion. Someone from EMI stuck their head into the control room and reprimanded the 2 for deviating from proper procedure and for abusing the equipment. George Harrison turned around and snapped something like "this is the way I want it!" I can't imagine this encounter taking place if George Martin had been present.

 

One can only imagine what Yoko is thinking. I would imagine that she didn't approve of Francie Swartz either. Just kidding.

 

Oh yeah you're right. My bad.

 

Thanks, was going to ask this. Though the sonic variety is a hallmark of the album, comparing the fantastic, clean sound of the rythym section in "Monkey" to some of the other tracks sure makes me wish Emerick had engineered more of the WA.

 

Are we sure about this? We know "Yer Blues" was (mostly) recorded live - drums, 2 guitars, bass, vocals - so a transfer to 8 track after the basic track for the snare and guitar solo overdub wouldn't matter here. On the stereo mix we have:

Drums - left
Bass, vocal - center
Guitars - right

The snippet of a remix on the Anthology DVD tells us the guitars were recorded on separate tracks, as they're separated L/R. That's 5 tracks for the live recording, unless the vocal and bass share a track. That's possible but the vocal dropout at the end, and it's leakage into the drum track, tells me maybe not.

 

That would be pretty interesting because I recall an interview with Ringo where he was asked about the drumming on the 2 tracks he doesn't appear on. He replied that he thought the drumming on "USSR" was quite good, but the drumming on "Prudence"... not so much. (Going by memory here.)

 

idk I'd have to hear it

 

I'm with you about 90% on your track selection for a great "single" album. I'm only in disagreement on 1-2 songs. None on side 1. You have 9 on side 2 ?

I don't use Everybody Got S to hide... Fun party song, rock. But not in top 14-16 imo. I didn't use Mother Nature either. Only because I was out of room, I wanted to.

 

Let's keep politics out of this discussion.

 

I'm not sure if it was mentioned yet but Jack Fallon played Violin on Don't Pass Me By

 

Think around 2007/2008.

 

I honestly don't remember anyone ever suggesting that The White Album should have been pruned to a single LP until MOJO did a cover story and introduced the parlor game. I guess George Martin had thrown it on the table some years earlier.

Was this a common sentiment in England through the years? I don't remember it being so in the US. I wonder if the relatively high cost of albums in Europe played-into the "self indulgent" perception of the album.

 

I think GM thought there was a lot of dross on WA, hence when the Beatles commenced work on their final album ( Get Back/Let It Be most part already recorded ) Abbey Road, he made sure there was steller material on it.Although he must have been at loggerheads re; AR-side 2 as there was not enough new songs to fill it. So McCartney suggested that composite medley of some old songs sequenced together. George Martin was very proud of Abbey Road ..think even more than Pepper ( WA, no ).

 

answer to question #2 : How many White album tracks of the 33- actually feature all 4 Beatles

I'm only listing the songs that appear on the White Album which all 4 members played on :

Glass onion

Ob-La-Di Ob-La-DA

The continuing story of Bungalow Bill

While my guitar gently weeps

Happiness is a warm gun

I’m so tired

Piggies

Birthday

Yer Blues

Everybody’s got something to hide except for me and my monkey

Sexie Sady

Helter Skelter

Revolution 1

Honey Pie

Cry Baby Cry

 

Adding in Hey Jude and Revolution to your list so we all have a list of everything all four Beatles appeared on during the sessions. John did not play on Not Guilty and Ringo and Paul did not play on What's The New Mary Jane, so any other songs can't be included

I used to wonder how the White album was viewed more as a "band album" when half the songs have all four Beatles playing on it. Nevertheless, I still love this album.

 

Is John even on While My Guitar Gently Weeps? Can’t remember what he is playing on it.

 

I

I think Martin first expressed that view in a 1971 interview. Not sure where offhand though. He has restated it at various times over the years though (including in Anthology). The book "The Beatles: An Illustrated Record by Roy Carr & Tony Tyler (first published in 1975) says of The White Album: '...informed critics opine that there is enough material here to make one really good single album. Certainly many of the tracks are dispensible, but the best are easily as good as anything they'd done, and it is to these that any review must address itself".

So, no, the view isn't a new one.