It doesn't make sense that Paul would be playing bass in between takes because it's John playing the bass.Just because you hear Paul mouthing the words to some of the song and then hear a bass playing at the same time you think the words and bass are coming from the same person.You are trying to put a square peg into a round hole.Give John a little bit more credit than he has been given.Paul mouths some words and John plays the bass as he hears Paul,it's not a hard thing to do when you know the words and have been playing the bass on both versions.Aggressive playing would not mess up Paul but probably would mess up John somewhat.The person on that bass even messes up on the re-entry after the silent interlude.Do you really believe Paul would be making these mistakes? John yes,Paul no way. Let's not bring up Why Don't We Do It In The Road because that's another issue.Mal was there during the recording of HS and was already playing his trumpet during that recording.He then goes home that morning and writes in his diary that John is playing the bass on Helter Skelter and mentions it's a remake and that it's being recorded on eight track.So the audio evidence very,very strongly is saying John is playing the bass on HS and Mal Evans confirms that evidence!!!
I don't know if that version of "Blackbird" with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra overdubbed is the same version as the version on The White Album or if it's a version from "One Hand Clapping". Or something like that. I wonder if Richard Hewson is still working as an arranger nowadays?
Helter Skelter (take 17) at 0:11 mark the bass playing and Paul's da da da da starts exactly at the same time. There is no doubt the bass playing is the same person as the one singing the da da da da. There is no way how could John start playing the bass at the very same spot as the bass playing WITHOUT a count in. Plus Paul is trying to explain to JOHN what he wants him to do on the guitar, he wants an extra bar on the guitar to mimick the intro which John fails to to do in the following outtake. Why would Paul explain to himself what he wants the guitar to play? Makes no sense at all It all makes perfect sense that it's John on the guitar and Paul on the bass. Ondra
On a side-note, have Mal's diaries ever shown up? I seem to remember they went missing after the LA police shot him but I could be mis-remembering...
It's really frustrating that this bit of misinformation simply will not die, and it's because people insist on relying on second-hand accounts that they've read for information rather than what they can actually clearly hear first-hand.
Interesting. I'd prefer if they'd used an outtake like the Anthology version, just so it's really different from the classic, but OK, I'll listen to it for sure ha!
Paul is telling John to do something on guitar which John then obviously doesn't do. Where's the logic in that?
Either forgot to do the extra bar or didn't get what Paul was trying to say or had his own way. Ondra
In which case your argument becomes extremely tenuous. It seems an unconvincing way of proving what you're saying.
Yes! Essentially losing the rhythm guitar (the one that keeps the opening riff going), is a HUGE let down for me and I really have trouble understanding how that got through. The power of that song is totally weakened by this.
Almost definitely. If you can listen to to the mostly soloed out tracks from rockband, the notes Nicky is vamping on the left hand have a very specific pianet sound to me. But there is also a vibrato on it and it is definitely not the Wulitzer vibrato sound.
Seems the Hohner Pianet N was also used on I Am the Walrus! I always thought it was a Wurlitzer! If so, this has me rethinking keyboards going back into their catalog wondering if a Wurlitzer was ever used? Keep in mind, when the two Fender-Rhodes arrived at Apple in 1969 Paul basically said nope that’s not the sound that I was hearing (speculation being that Paul meant a Wurlitzer). So that electric piano sound has been the Hohner Pianet N all along? Even songs like Getting Better?
Beatles Gear says the Hohner Pianet C was used from Help! through Let It Be, the fabs proclaiming to Roy Young (Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers) who had introduced them to the Hohner Pianet, “We’re gonna get two of those!” Another interesting tidbit, EMI’s Lowrey DSO Heritage Deluxe (Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds) was later transported to Apple’s Basement Studio where Billy Preston played it for the Get Back sessions.
How's that? In that part the descending guitar is the key element for the start of the vocal. Paul needed to tell how he wants the guitar. If he was on the guitar himself he wouldn't need to explain anything at all, he would just do the bar on a guitar and the bass plays just E over the entire descending guitar riff anyway. Ondra
