DoctorSoft

Anyone wanna be really cool and hook me up with Revolver?

ribbons

This is a really unique observation, Janszoon. Sometimes when I hear “Good Morning Good Morning” I think of “I Know There’s An Answer” on Pet Sounds. They are similar thematically, and the distorted brass on “Good Morning” (though faster-paced) reminds me somewhat of that amazing bass harmonica winding its way through “I Know There’s An Answer”.

ribbons

I’ve been skimming a book on McCartney’s bass skills (Paul McCartney – Bass Master by Tony Bacon & Gareth Morgan) and the Sgt. Pepper’s section indicates that many of his bass lines on the album were attempts at creating a tuba-like, "oompah" tone on the bass. McCartney’s grandfather had played an E-flat bass in a local brass band, and that may have served as inspiration. During the Pepper sessions at Abbey Road an employee was dispatched by McCartney to go “buy an E-flat brass bass” - and of course there is the cover photo with The Beatles dressed in bandstand clothes.

Janszoon

Definitely. I was thinking specifically of that song, but similar sonic textures crop up more subtly on the album elsewhere as well, like on "Let's Go Away for Awhile", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (I think). Plus there's the whole animal sounds factor.

Heh. That's interesting. I can definitely hear that in some of the songs.

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MoonlitSunshine

It's been interesting thus far reading your reviews - I've found that I agree with much of what you say, and when I disagree... well, I'll have to think about why!

My exposure to The Beatles was spotty when I was younger - I think my mother suffered from the same sort of over-exposure that you did (though possible a little more as she probably lived through somewhat more of their music than you did :P), so it wasn't until I was 13 or 14, and was really starting to get into music that I first heard albums like Abbey Road and Sgt Peppers. For me, those albums that I listened to first are the ones that have stayed with me as my favourites, though I will admit that I haven't listen to most of their albums anywhere near as much as Abbey Road, Sgt Peppers and the White Album, something that I really need to fix!

The thing I love the most about Abbey Road is the way that the latter part of the album forms one seamless sequence, ending in that very simple but wonderfully pitched drum solo in The End. While most of the constituent sounds could be deemed mediocre in the grand scheme of things, it's the way they all fit together that makes it brilliant. My favourite song? Probably She's so heavy I understand where you're coming from with the lack of direction comment, but I just love the layering of noises in it, particularly the end sequence. Least favourite is harder to place, as it's been a while since I listened to the album, but it's probably Sun King. The reason why I think is less to do with the song itself, and more with how much I've connected with every other song on the album.

Sgt Peppers is the other album of theirs you have reviewed thus far, and is one that I heard very, very often over a period of two years, because it was on the curriculum when my sister was doing state music exams :P Again, as with Abbey road it's rather hard to find fault with the songs on the album. I think one of the reasons why The Beatles are so consistently voted one of the greatest bands of all times is the simple fact that it's extremely hard to find a "bad" song by them. Some of them are simply less great than others, or at least, that's how I see it! I found it interesting that you referenced a similarity between elements of this album and Primus - it is not a connection I had made previously, and will be listening out for it the next time I play it.

As a matter of interest, what's your opinion of the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) track? When I was younger and less interested in anything that wasn't travelling at a decent pace I preferred the reprise to the original, but over time I came to enjoy the pacing of the original better.

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Janszoon

Thanks man! That's nice to hear.

I've actually also reviewed Revolver as well, but it probably got lost in all the discussion. For anyone reading this, I've created a little table of contents with a link to each review in the OP of this thread.

Anyway, this is the Primus song I was referring to, which is the intro track to The Brown Album (a title obviously inspired by the Beatles as well). It doesn't really sound like the song "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" but it has sort of a similar vibe to me:



I think I kind of view it as an extension of the original so I like it. I guess if I had to choose between the two, I'd pick the original though.

__________________
A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man

Time & Place

25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die

last.fm

blastingas10

Interesting, I didn't know there was such a book.

ribbons

It's a really good book which I think is well worth reading, blastingas [Paul McCartney - Bass Master by Gareth Morgan & Tony Bacon].

A bit from the introduction:

". . . There was a real sense of adventure and exuberance in many of McCartney's lines from Rubber Soul onwards, and this helped to clear away forever the stagnant atmosphere around many pop-group rhythm sections. . . . By the time McCartney was really blossoming on Revolver he had already displayed another of the qualities that marks out the great bassman: a musical instinct that led him to make the right choices. He was never afraid of hard work. Beatle folklore has him as usually the last one to leave the session, the one who did the most work on any of the songs, and the one who was the most interested in a high level of excellence in writing, performing, and recording. . . . He spent many, many hours playing and thinking about bass guitar. Go back and try to calculate the proportion of their working life that the group spent in the studio simply developing songs, working out parts, doing takes, overdubbing, re-working pieces, and generally honing their material before it was released -- and all among a punishing touring schedule that continued to late 1966. . . . Nobody ever worked harder on their music prior to the Beatles and precious few have ever worked so hard since."

blastingas10

So, Paul is a really good bassist? I'm not trying to say he isn't, but his bass-lines always seemed really simple, yet really tasteful, which is what really matters. I guess what I'm trying to say is: On technical terms, he was really good? I guess I should get this book and find out

ribbons

Paul may not be a technical virtuoso (although I think he's technically very good) but he is an extremely melodically inventive and musical bassist. Paul's melodic genius extended to crafting great counterpoint melodies on bass. Even John Lennon, who could be snarky when it came to evaluating Paul, said that he was one of the most innovative bass players ever.

You are now expected to read the book and agree with me.