- From Faith Current: “The Sacred Ordinary: St. Peter’s Church Hall” - May 1, 2023
- A brief (?) hiatus - April 22, 2023
- Something Happened - March 6, 2023
Yukking it up in Studio Two.
Thanks to a timely Tweet from The Fest for Beatles Fans — LA Fest is coming and I will be there! — I stumbled on this wonderful video, which lays out Abbey Road’s climactic track in all its glorious pieces. Too juicy not to pass along.
I have to say, as a non-musician, this is both very encouraging (I can hear how they made the finished song) and also demonstrates a way of thinking that I’ve never done myself, which makes music even more mysterious than before.
And here’s the track in toto — because I know you want it! (Rare Czech pressing in mono.)
There are some other knockout Deconstructing the Beatles videos on YouTube (I’m listening to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” as I type this — bass is great, guitars are GREAT). Post any favorites in the comments, and I’ll move ’em up here to the main post.
[January 2016: Apple has taken down all this content. Anybody who has a new YouTube link to any of the Deconstructing videos, feel free to let us know. This is, in my opinion, obviously scholarly use.]
Related posts:
Which Beatles album is actually their last?
Analyzing the Abbey Road medley
Nik Cohn reviews Abbey Road, 1969
Cries and Whispers, Crashes and Flutters: 10 Favorite Beatles Musical Micro-Moments
The Beatles First American Concert
It happened in Toronto
Beatles Reggae covers
Prudence and the Penis: A Mystery
John in "Nether-Nether Land"?
Admiral “Recovers” The Beatles; or, A Genre Waiting to Be Named
The lost solo
Will the Real Mr. Sellers Please Stand Up?
Will you be presenting a panel at the Fest?
God, I wish, @parlance. Just going as a private citizen. I’m hoping to do a ton of interviews and posts; I’m going to see if I can get press credentials, FWIW.
Will you be there? Say yes! Beatle-people are my favorite people.
I will be! Bought my ticket before prices went up.
Prices went UP? Jesus, I’m screwing this up.
Yes, they had an “early bird” special until Friday. Prices went up roughly $20 per day.
Oh no. I’d better get on the stick. Thanks, @Parlance. Maybe you can sneak me in via a laundry truck or something.
Is that Paul’s voice sped up for the high harmonies of the repeated “Love You” section?
nol, I don’t know — will check Lewisohn’s “Recording Sessions” tonight.
Anyone else know?
nol, I can’t find any information about who is singing “Love You” on the long medley. Lewisohn’s “Recording Sessions” doesn’t say anything about it, and neither do the other sources I checked.
To me it sounds like it might be more than one person singing. And you’re right, it does sound sped up.
If anyone knows or can find out, please weigh in!
@Nancy Carr. I’ve wondered for years the very same question, I’m not convinced it’s just Paul with any of the other guys harmonizing those “love you’s”, moreover, I’m leaning towards two women participating in the process. Today I decided to give it a go at an attempt to separate the four voices I hear there, it’s a complicate process that leaves some artifacts but very feasible with a degree of success, at this moment I managed to isolate one of the high pitched voices, later I’ll go for the other one. The voice I isolated doesn’t give me a definite answer, it sounds sorta half and half female and sped up male voice, when I isolate the other high pitched voice I’ll see what happens.
If you are interested in listening to the results just let me know and I’ll post it at any audio hosting site.
Cristian, that’s very interesting. The Beatles were able to vary their voices enough that I think it’s hard to tell sometimes who is who, so I will defer to others on who is singing there!
@Nancy. After listening to the isolated “female” voices, I’ll have to agree. It’s most likely just Paul doing his multivoice thing overdubbing himself, you know, his sweet, almost feminine, voice as in “Here, There AE” transmuting to his Pleistocene beast roar as in “I’ve got a feeling” and everything in between. The only ones who could give us that bit of info are the mics used to record the harmonizing, but, even assuming they’re still around, I’m not sure they will be disclosing their secrets anytime soon I’m afraid, so be it.