Shirley's Wild Accordion - produced by John Lennon!

This is a nice bonus from the upcoming re-issue of the MMT film. The rumored yelps from Paul and drumming from Ringo are not present in this mix (unless that's Ringo doing the tapping in the background.)

http://soundcloud.com/andrevgardner/swa_2012

 

Excellent!!

 

Song with some unreleased footage.

http://thespace.org/items/e0001554

 

Great footage.

Will this tune be among the bonus material for the upcoming Magical Mystery Tour DVD release? And is it credited as a Lennon/McCartney composition? Or is it credited to Shirley ("Shirley Evans")? Arnie

 

I honestly don't know, I've heard the footage here isn't even on the DVD?

 

I've seen this title around for a long time, but it never appeared in the film, so how did people know about it?

 

There's some good info on the tune here.

http://www.beatlesbible.com/1967/10...editing-blue-jay-way-shirleys-wild-accordion/

excerpt: Shirley's Wild Accordion was a Lennon-McCartney composition, although it wasn't officially a Beatles recording. It featured Shirley Evans on accordion, accompanied by her musical partner and then husband Reg Wale on percussion. Paul McCartney played maracas and yelled "Go on, Shirl!", while Ringo Starr played drums.

 

Trivia for folks in the UK... Reg Wale wrote and performed the theme tune to the 1970s TV cookery show Farmhouse Kitchen. There.

 

Nice.

 

I know it has always been rumored to have been "written" by John and Paul. BUT I was wondering if the new DVD lists that instrumental tune in the credits as a "Lennon-McCartney" composition. It seems simple enough for John and Paul to have written quickly, but maybe it was really just an improvised tune by Shirley Evans. So maybe she is credited. But if the song/footage is not on the DVD as any bonus material, we might not truly know. Arnie

 

In looking at Lewisohn's book right now, he states that "[it was] not even released on record because the song was used solely as incidental music in the Magical Mystery Tour film."

But is that true? Was this piece of music actually included in the final print of MMT? It doesn't sound like the accordion music being played in the drunken sing-a-long on the coach scene in the film.

I'm thinking this is like the Nat Jackley scene---cut from the film but somehow still credited at the end, maybe because they didn't want to have to bother with re-doing the credits.

 

I used to see this title, along with "Jesse's Dream", on bootleg listings back in the eighties when I first learned about the existence of such things. The two titles ceased to appear on boots after proper out takes and unreleased material started to surface at the end of the eighties. I never made it a point to find these tracks.

 

I first heard of the title in Roy Carr/Tony Tyler's The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, published in the 70's.

 

IMO, "Jessie's Dream" is an incredible, spooky piece of music that should have appeared on Anthology II instead of 2, not-very-different takes of "The Fool On The Hill". I think all of the incidental music from MMT is fascinating and little-known or appreciated.

 

Jessie's Dream I think is the music that accompanies John in his "spaghetti scene" had it on a boot, or at least a friend did and I put it on cassette.

 

Yeah, a full sound track maybe YSS style with remixes and incidental music would be cool

 

I have always loved the instrumental versions of "She Loves You" and "All My Loving".
Not forgetting the few bars of instrumental "Magical Mystery Tour" right after "Blue Jay Way'.

Who performed them? Is it the George Martin Orchestra?

 

It doesn't sound improvised. It sounds quirky (as in 1967-Lennon-Mac quirky), yet with a structure. Of course who knows if Mrs. Evans couldn't actually improvise a structure?

The text linked to above has it that John & Paul dictated or played their ideas to a third party who wrote (notated) them down for Shirley to play.

It's good anyway! And thanks to the OP for sharing this!

 

Yes, the credits for 'Shirley's Wild Accordion' are listed as Lennon/McCartney, published by Sony/ATV Music.

 

Just to make sure: Is this credited as a Lennon/McCartney on the new DVD? And is the instrumental among the bonus DVD material? Thanks, Arnie

 

Yes, credited on the new DVD/Blu-Ray release. And yes, it's included as bonus, since it's the musical background provided for the new "fish and chips" outtake as seen above.

 

Do you have the actual Blu-Ray in hand yet?

Let's change that to we hope it is included and it would be logical for it be included.....because the press release which details all the bonus material included in this new reissue doesn't specifically mention this fish n chip outtake nor Shirley's Wild Accordion.

I hope it is included, obviously, but you never know with Apple.

 

Thanks for verifying. That's good news. Another "Lennon/McCartney" tune finally sees the light of day officially. Arnie

 

Oh... So we now need a second verification for Shirley's Wild Accordion just to make sure. It's getting confusing. Arnie

 

Which one is precisely included on the DVD ?
The mono accordion piece which is heard during the fish n' chips sequence, or the longer, studio-quality stereo version which was posted yesterday?