Beatles 1966 Tour

If you're a guitarist you will know that you think the chords so it's natural and easy for him to think the chords on the bass which is how you play bass. He is playing what comes natural. If they changed the key to F then he would have to think much harder and it wouldn't be be as natural...thus 'relearning' the part.

 

I thought George needed to use a solidbody or semi-solid guitar with humbuckers (basically, the Gibsons). That John and Geo. were both playing the Casinos was a sort of folly; the guitar doesn't have the sustain that George's Gibsons had. And, they never seemed like they were in tune, with themselves or each other.

Maybe someone (Nik?) who saw/heard them play on the Dec. UK tour can weigh in as to whether the 'sound' was noticeably different because of the George's guitar Gibson 345 on that tour. They actually rehearsed for that tour.

John played his second Ric 325 on that Dec. UK Tour - so maybe his switching to the Casino in '66 impacting his playing. The Ric had a very short 20-3/4" scale fretboard, compared to the Casino at 24-3/4 or the Strat at 25-5 scale. That's a major adjustment that could have thrown off John's timing and live mojo in general.

George and Paul often get the backing vocals to 'Help!' and 'I Feel Fine' wrong or inverted, as well. Like has been said, the screaming crowds used to cover up a lot of sloppy aspects of their act. It was a viscous cycle.

They definitely could have used more rehearsals and focus. They probably didn't care at that point.

 

I am a guitarist and nowhere near the guitarist or bassist that McCartney is. I have only ever played Yesterday on guitar in G. If you handed me a bass I could play a bass line for Yesterday in G or F on my first attempt without missing a note. Transposing effectively on guitar would be harder as you would lose the sound of open chords the song was written around, which is why they tuned down the guitar to record it in Paul's more comfortable vocal range.

I am sure that not having a tuned down guitar to use on stage was far more of a factor than any challenge Paul might have faced coming up with a bass part in F. He could do that in his sleep.

 

It's a shame because from '63-'65 they were pretty damn tight onstage.

 

Indeed. Here are 2 pages of photos of them rehearsing at Donmar Studios for the '65 UK tour --> Beatles Donmar Pictures and Photos | Getty Images

 

Yeah, I read it last fall, I think. It's really good and I enjoyed it immensely. There's lots of interesting details about the tour, and even more interesting details about what the boys were doing day to day. The author seems to have very thoroughly researched everything, especially interviews, and pieces together some great insights from them. It's well worth reading IMHO.

 

Thanks - do not think I've seen these pics before!

 

You're welcome!

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall there...

 

This is probably the most likely explanation. Paul taught it to John the way he'd played it on the record. He could hit the notes in G, barely, and it's not like anyone in the audience was going to be listening anyway.

 

The SF show, despite its sonic limitations, is actually a pretty solid performance.

 

I always wondered why Shea didn't sell out the 2nd time. Probably a lot of reasons; The show was on a Monday instead of a Saturday like it was in 65, most people couldn't hear a thing in 65 so maybe nobody wanted to waste $$ on the bleacher seats to hear and see nothing 2 years in a row; maybe the novelty wore of a little; also maybe the Jesus thing pissed off some parents who had to spring for the tix. That being said, who else could draw 45,000 on a Monday night back then?

 

1. "Rock and Roll Music" (John Lennon)
2. "She's a Woman" (Paul McCartney)
3. "If I Needed Someone" (George Harrison)
4. "Day Tripper" (Lennon and McCartney)
5. "Baby's in Black" (Lennon and McCartney)
6. "I Feel Fine" (Lennon)
7. "Yesterday" (McCartney)[nb 1]
8. "I Wanna Be Your Man" (Ringo Starr)
9. "Nowhere Man" (Lennon with McCartney and Harrison)
10. "Paperback Writer" (McCartney)
11. "Long Tall Sally" (McCartney)

You release a album like REVOLVER, great and inovate, and because that in time the livee shows was in poor condictions, you needed to play simple, i understand the depress of the band in time.

 

Yeah I’ve heard it. It’s not bad though the audio quality is so abysmal, it’s hard to really discern the quality of the actual performance.

 

In some of the photos, there is a photo of an LP on top of the electric keyboard. For those who must know, it is BB King's Live At The Regal LP:

 

The microphones stands sure had a life of their own during the April '64 NME performance..one of their best, rockinest performances captured on film though.

 

This is pretty much the only concert footage we have.
Here is also some audio, but its sounds REALLY BAD. The Beatles - Live At Shea Stadium, August 23 1966
The only positive thing about this audio is it gives you a first look about how girls thought about the beatles.

 

Indeed, the "I'd like to carry on..." remark sounds like something Paul would have said in January 1969, not August 1966.

 

Then there's the bit before Long Tally Sally where Paul invites the crowd to "join in and ah, clap, sing, talk, in fact, go home, no, do anything, anyway..."

For an audience recording in '65, the quality of far from abysmal. You can hear all the words, hear the guitars, even hear the ambience of the stadium. I have sat through audience recordings that make this one sound amazing...the Shea '66 recording for example (although I guess that wasn't done as an audience recording of the music so much as a journalist's field tape.

 

Today, that fall in attendance would be trumpeted as 'definitive proof' of commercial decline.

In truth, 'Beatlemania' was over by 1966. The band was merely very, very popular.

 

Love that footage. I've always considered Help! the last album "Beatlemania" album, so it's always boggled my mind that in 1966, having Rubber Soul and Revolver under their belt in less than a year, they had to trudge out there again in matching suits and put up with the screams and mania again. No wonder they'd reached the end of their tether. Add in the Philippines and "Bigger than Jesus" stuff and it was a perfect storm.

 

Probably recorded by these guys:

 

I thought the carry on comment was because someone had run on the field and the show was stopped and he wanted to carry on with the show. I think he mentions he's going to "watch this for a while" or something too.

 

He says "erm, instead, let's watch this" *after* the carry on comments, IIRC.

 

Because they were bigger than Jesus?

 

They were recording Abbey Road...so they were back in studio mode. A live concert in say February 1969 might have been very interesting.