THIRTY TALES ABOUT THIRTY TRACKS
The only album to be known by a name derived from its sleeve design and not by the actual album title: ‘The Beatles’. Artist Richard Hamilton (who is often referred to as the ‘godfather’ of Pop Art) was paid $316 for his iconic design – which is quite a princely sum for something he didn’t have to do anything for!
Introduction
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n 1966, The Beatles stopped performing live. The reason is well-documented: the band was fed up with all the hysterics and screaming fans during their shows. After retreating to the studio in the years that followed, the result was an extraordinary explosion of creativity. The Beatles never performed any of the music live that is featured on their albums after 1966. Fifty years later, The Analogues are doing just that in a most authentic manner, paying great attention to detail. Following integral performances of Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Pepper, it is now time for a live rendition of The White Album. The White Album, The Beatles’ first double album was actually just named The Beatles.
It’s an understated title, as is the album covers’ design, which is easily the most minimalistic sleeve artwork ever, especially compared to the colour eruption on the cover of Sgt. Pepper. Perhaps artist and designer Richard Hamilton would have considered a different design if he’d heard the music first, as the album, in a musical sense, is anything but minimalistic. -3-
The 30 tracks prove that The Beatles of 1968 were still at the peak of their creativity and were able to draw inspiration from everything around them. A lot of this inspiration was found in Rishikesh, India, where The Beatles visited Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in February of 1968. They went with the intention of immersing themselves in transcendental meditation, but fortunately also brought a couple of acoustic guitars. That, and the presence of singer/songwriter Donovan and Mike Love of the Beach Boys, resulted in quite a few new compositions. Conceivably, this simplified writing process influenced the method of recording the songs some time later, with fewer extravagant studio experiments compared to both Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour. Unfortunately, the meditation in India did not carry over into a mellow atmosphere in the studio. Paul McCartney would later refer to it as ‘The Tension Album’. It’s no coincidence that the inter-gatefold photography features four individual portraits rather than an image of the group together, as many of the songs are glorified solo projects. Geoff Emerick, the group’s studio engineer since 1966, -4-
was so frustrated by the hostility that he walked out during the recording of The White Album. Producer George Martin had wanted to put together a normal length album (in other words, discarding half the material). While it might not be very palatable for anyone new to The Beatles, many diehard fans consider The White Album to be the most interesting of all. We think it’s a masterpiece that deserves to be played in a live performance in all its splendour – and that is exactly what we’ll be doing tonight.
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01. Back in the U.S.S.R.
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gainst the backdrop of the Cold War, which had reached a heightened level of friction in 1968, some people thought the lyrics of Back in the U.S.S.R somewhat provocative. The current relationship between the United States and the former U.S.S.R. still continues to evolve. Should we just interpret this as an anti-Trump battle cry? We don’t think Paul would mind. Speaking of the Cold War, the recording session of this song was no barrel of laughs either. The band had already been slogging in the studio for three months, Yoko Ono was driving everyone crazy (except for John that is) by showing up all the time and Paul was hounding Ringo for not being able to play a certain drum fill in the way Paul had envisaged it. Ringo stormed off, telling Paul to play it himself if he was so brilliant. Admittedly, Paul’s drumming was pretty good in the end.
Yoko Ono, conceptual artist and legendary divisive figure
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02. Dear Prudence
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t’s pretty much common knowledge that ‘Prudence’ was Mia Farrow’s sister. The sisters were also meditating in Rishikesh while The Beatles were there. Prudence, however, took her meditations so seriously, that she never left her hut, disappointing many of the male visitors in the Ashram. We are of course curious about Prudence; who was this woman who so deeply enchanted John, inspiring him to write this beautiful song? And by Well, here is the lady in question.
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the way… what did Yoko make of it all? According to the history books, Paul played the drums on Dear Prudence, as Ringo was absent after walking out during Back in the U.S.S.R. We sincerely doubt this though, as the drum sequence at the end is so good and so ‘signature Ringo’ (and besides that it has a different sound), that it seems as if the drummer, upon his return, showed them just how it’s done.
03. Glass Onion
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or years music critics made it into a sport to analyze the higher meaning of The Beatles lyrics. In the eye of the composers, all of that being pretentious gossip, John decided to add to the game and feed people meaningless nonsense. Glass Onion is a perfect example of this. To add fuel to the critics’ analytical fire, the lyrics refer to five other Beatles songs, which in turn refer to two additional Beatles songs. All those layers, they’re just like an onion! And, for the experts: what are the two songs at the end of the chain? -9-
This version of Glass Onion is not the first; two earlier versions appeared on Anthology 3. When comparing, the most notable change is the addition of the string arrangement at the end of the song, which we love as it allows our string section a moment to shine.
04. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
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his is a typical McCartney song. Tongue in cheek, but at the same time created with an infuriating level of perfectionism. It is also a song that caused some considerable mood swings in Lennon. While he liked it in Rishikesh, finding hilarity in the constant repetition of the chorus, the tides changed in the studio, with John referring to it as “more of Paul’s granny music shit”. It didn’t help that Paul spent three days trying to get the Jamaican Ska style just the way he wanted it. According to an anecdote by The Beatles’ friend and engineer Geoff Emerick, John eventually left the studio out of pure annoyance, only to return a few hours later, - 10 -
declaring: “I AM FUCKING STONED!! I am more stoned than you have ever been. In fact, I am more stoned than you will ever be! And this is how the fucking song should go.” He walked up to the piano, and played the intro we now all know and love. Despite his invaluable contribution, he continued to dislike the song, deeming it too commercial, and refusing to agree to it being released as a single. This to the delight of The Marmalade, whose cover of Ob-La-Di, Ob-LaDa rose to number
one in England in January 1969.
A number one hit, thanks to Lennon’s capricious nature.
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05. Wild Honey Pie
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link and you’ll miss it. A little private project of Paul’s, who was feeling experimental at 2 am and didn’t feel like going home yet after recording Mother Nature’s Son. It is actually quite complicated, that charming, rattling rhythm and those bizarre vocals. Some swear that Wild Honey Pie
was included due to the contractual obligation to provide thirty songs for the album. We choose to believe that it made it on there because Patti, George’s wife, thought it was pretty groovy.
The definition of ‘a handsome couple’
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06. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
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t could be said that The Analogues are conservationists of a type of music faced with extinction: music that is played on a stage, with the aid of analogue instruments by real human beings. A few months before we would have the honor to play Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome with The Analogues, an adolescent took us there to see a
We feel Ricky Gervais was spot on in summing up the misconception about hunting: ‘One must feel pretty tough to shoot an innocent animal that had no chance at all for absolutely no reason.’
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world famous artist who shall remain unnamed. ‘What’s this?! Where’s the band, where are the musicians?’ we asked quizzically. Nobody heard us though, because we were drowned out by banging beats that were apparently being produced by a laptop, which a young chap was staring into intently. The aforementioned adolescent didn’t seem to mind that there was no band up on stage and neither did any of the fifteen thousand attendees. While we might well be showing our age by recounting this tale, we happen to care almost as much for this endangered kind of music as we do about the elephant, lion, or tiger. Animals facing extinction is, of course, far more tragic though and and proved to be a major irritation for John Lennon in Rishikesh, when an American visitor would pop up to kill a few tigers in between meditating sessions. This again proves how relevant The Beatles remain some fifty years later, as this continues to be a big issue. Incidentally, his protest was cast in the mould of a cheerful sing-along number, which is typically McCartney’s domain, but Lennon clearly had his moments too! - 14 -
07. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
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ay what you want about the I Ching, but this classic song would not exist without it. Harrison was absorbed by a key philosophical element from the I Ching, namely that “everything happens for a reason�, contrary to the Western belief that everything is random. To test this theory, George decided to go to his parents, pick a random book from The historical significance of this manuscript is the bookcase, comparable to that of the Dead Sea Scrolls. - 15 -
open it on an arbitrary page, and write a song based on the first words he read, which happened to be “gently weeps”. The rest is history and the theory is proven; everything happens for a reason. It is common knowledge by now (at least amongst previous attendees of The Analogues shows) that Eric Clapton played the iconic guitar solo. While Clapton was initially reluctant, “No, nobody’s ever played on a Beatles record”, George was able to coax him into the studio. It was a strategically smart move by Harrison; Lennon and McCartney were so busy trying to outdo each other with their own little masterpieces, that they underestimated this song by the overly modest Harrison. Clapton’s presence in the studio changed that however, ensuring that While My Guitar Gently Weeps received the time and attention it deserved. Jac Bico from The Analogues is facing and tackling this challenge, not at all to our surprise.
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08. Happiness is a Warm Gun
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ack in the day and a very different time, the BBC refused to play Happiness Is A Warm Gun due to the suspected hidden messages of sexual metaphors and/or analogies of shooting up drugs. Lennon claims all of this being nonsense. He had read those exact words in the magazine The American Rifleman,
which he found so remarkable that they became the inspiration for this song. It took The Beatles 95
Inspiration is everywhere
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takes to get this song right in the studio, which isn’t surprising considering the complexity of the changes in both tempo and time signatures throughout the song. The track actually consists of 4 ‘separate’ sections. Each of these sections is quite odd rhythmically, but the third in particular, Mother Superior, has managed to baffle many music theoreticians. One interesting explanation for the rhythmic absurdity is the similarity to the song America from West Side Story, where the rhythm of the sentence ‘I like to be in America’ is an exact match with Mother Superior. The musical’s soundtrack was in the UK album top 20 from 1962 to 1965, so Lennon definitely heard it at some stage. Additionally, Ringo plays a little polyrhythmic trick in the fourth section, by playing in 4/4 timing while the rest of the band is playing in 3/4. After nine bars of 4/4, and twelve bars in 3/4 (are you still with us?), everything falls into place seamlessly. You got this, Fred?
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09. Martha My Dear
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nother case of “anything you can do, I can do better”. While Lennon was dabbling in odd time signatures, McCartney also fancied having a go, although kind enough not to bother his bandmates. He played everything in this song: the drums, piano, guitar, vocals, and naturally the bass. In addition, there was of course the 14-piece orchestra performing George Martin’s wonderful arrangement. Many people assumed this song was about Paul’s sweetheart at the time, Jane Asher. Paul’s explanation was a touch more prosaic, namely that the lyrics were about his Old English Sheepdog, Martha. He revised his statement later, claiming that it was actually about ‘the muse’ in general, that mysterious voice that whispers melodies and Jane, Martha and Paul lyrics in his ear. - 19 -
10. I’m So Tired
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t is always fascinating to have an insight into artists’ feelings about their own work. If Rembrandt would have divulged that he actually hated The Night Watch, we’d no doubt view it in an entirely different manner. John Lennon was notoriously critical of his own songs, but he counted I’m So Tired among his all-time favourites, due to the sound and his vocal delivery. We can’t help but agree with John. It’s gorgeous the way the melody, harmonies, tempo, sound, etc. all connect perfectly. It’s not the first time he’s managed that; just give I’m Only Sleeping, on Revolver another listen. I’m So Tired was written during their stay in India, where John suffered from insomnia, which he ascribed to excessively long meditation sessions – that and missing Yoko Ono. What he didn’t reveal however, was the alcohol and drug-free regime in Rishikesh, which, if you’re not used to it, can make you very alert – and then tired as a result of the ensuing sleeplessness.
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11. Blackbird
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hile The Beatles definitely became a bona fide studio band after they stopped performing in 1966, it didn’t necessarily translate into endless tinkering on every single song. This masterpiece was in the can after just 6 hours. The fact that Paul did this entirely by himself (save the chirping of a blackbird provided by the Abbey Road sound archives) helped things along of course. Many guitarists have been pulling their hair out trying to discover the secret of how to play Blackbird. We’re not all on the same page within The Analogues concerning the technique Paul applied. Due to the location, the guitar part was created in a place without electricity, the estate of the Maharishi in Rishikesh, he grabbed his acoustic guitar whenever he wanted to write. Paul stated that his lyrics were inspired by the protests of the American civil rights movement against segregation, which is not blatantly obvious whilst listening.
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Mrs. Tinted Shades is seemingly unimpressed as, only a stone throw away, Paul creates a masterpiece.
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This doesn’t feel like a grandiose world changing protest song, but more of a beautiful ditty, which is open to various interpretations.
12. Piggies
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e, The Analogues, do take our mission of reproducing each Beatles song to perfection seriously. In doing so, we enjoy playing around with our arsenal of meticulously collected vintage instruments, although they are just the tip of the iceberg. An Analogues show is a complex operation that requires military precision, which may appear as a kind of comical situation when taking into consideration that a significant part of the Beatles oeuvre was determined coincidentally and arbitrarily. What about the harpsichord on Piggies then? Again, pure coincidence, because the harpsichord just happened to be in the studio for a recording session of classical music scheduled later that day. They were just fooling around, but it was a perfect addition to the baroque arrangement, as well as a delightful contrast to the sarcastic, antiestablishment lyrics by George Harrison (a sequel - 23 -
of sorts to Harrison’s Taxman from two years earlier). But still…. What would have happened to this song had the harpsichord not been in the studio? In the meantime, we’ll keep dragging around the equipment.
13. Rocky Raccoon
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ompared to other White Album songs, this one was a breeze; possibly because this song lacks any pretension; it’s just Paul having a blast, and his enthusiasm seems to be contagious. It seems unlikely that there is a double entendre here; it’s just a story about a cowboy seeking revenge because someone stole his girl (spoiler alert, he fails). George Martin was usually the designated person for this kind of honky tonk piano solo, with some technical gimmicks, which makes it sound like an old Wild West saloon. Typically, this is the sound of a tack piano, an altered version of an ordinary piano, in which tacks or nails are placed on the felt-padded hammers of the instrument at the point where the - 24 -
hammers hit the strings, lending the instrument its characteristic tinny, more percussive sound.
George Martin listens to the piano part he’s just recorded. Paul is a happy chap.
14. Don’t Pass Me By
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ho was the most brilliant Beatle? Few people would say Ringo Starr. But let’s rephrase the question: which Beatle would you most like to hang out with? The answer would often be either George or Ringo. George was - 25 -
known for his friendly and patient nature, and was always ready to chat with fans. He was also funny, and a huge Monty Python fan (who funded the Life of Brian film). But a day spent with George might just end up in lengthy meditation. We’ll go with Ringo then, even though his campfire repertoire may be limited to Octopus’s Garden and Don’t Pass Me By. He had been trying to peddle the latter to his bandmates for about five years, until there was finally enough room for it on this double album.
15. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?
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hile Lennon and Harrison were busy mixing a song, Paul and Ringo casually recorded Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? Lennon was a little peeved that this ‘Song About Fucking’ was created without any input from him. Paul’s response was, that he wasn’t included in Revolution 9. This back and forth of accusations wasn’t revealed to the public until years later, but was indicative of the resentful atmosphere in the studio. We understand why Lennon was disappointed not to - 26 -
be included in this song; he liked it, both in terms of its melody and subject matter. Paul came up with the lyrics when he observed two copulating monkeys while meditating in Rishikesh. The male monkey, who was done in ten seconds, wandered off leaving a slightly displeased female. Humans go about it quite differently, and, because we live in a civilised world, that doesn’t just apply to sex in the streets, but to a whole host of other things that we all do in an overly complicated manner.
Monkeys just get straight down to business.
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16. I Will
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eorge Harrison was absent for the recording of I Will, though he didn’t complain (see Why Don’t We Do It In The Road). He was spared Paul’s infuriating perfectionism; out of 67 takes, #65 turned out to be the winner. He apparently wanted to do justice to the melody of the song, one of his all-time favourites, which he had been carrying around for some time, albeit without the right lyrics. An attempt to work on it with Donovan and turn it into a song about the moon (well, that’s what you get if you meditate all day) was not considered to be good enough and was shelved. Ultimately, its final incarnation was a straightforward love song; basically, a textbook example of what a love song should sound like. After the 67 takes, they finally called it a day in the studio. A couple of overdubs were added the next day, including McCartney’s vocalised bass part.
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17. Julia
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ulia was the last song recorded for The White Album, and the only Beatles song
that John Lennon plays and sings entirely by himself, without the other band members taking part. Julia, just like Dear Prudence, was based on the finger-picking style he learned from Donovan in Rishikesh.
Donovan explains it one last time. Pay attention, lads.
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John found pleasure in writing the odd lyric that was full of nonsense, just so he could snigger at the deadly serious analyses it would generate. This song also caused amateur psychologists to outdo themselves trying to explain the hidden meaning of the lyrics. But there was more to this one as it happens, which thankfully Lennon himself later clarified. Julia was John’s mother, who, as he said, left him twice. The first time was when John was two years old and his parents were divorcing, after which Julia left most of the child-rearing to her sister, Mimi. The second time his mother “left”, John was eighteen and at this point had really bonded with her, she passed away in a fatal car accident. It wasn’t until he met Yoko Ono that he found someone who could fill the void left by Julia. We are not making this up, by the way… these are John’s own words. And that’s what the song’s about.
18. Birthday
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rom a copyright perspective, it is very smart to write a song that applies to a specific occasion, which is why many artists dabble in writing Christmas songs. Those members of - 30 -
Queen who are still alive have the last laugh whenever someone wins a championship, and John Sebastian (of The Lovin’ Spoonful) wrote the official welcome home song (Welcome Back), but as usual The Beatles were the first. And as birthdays happen frequently, we are happy to have this song to help us celebrate.
19. Yer Blues
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er Blues is Lennon’s wink to the British
Blues boom of the sixties – such as John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, or Fleetwood Mac. John’s desire to emulate that specific sound led again - to some unorthodox recording experiments. Lennon decided that setting up the entire band with instruments and amps in a wardrobe would create something interesting - and he was proved right. Nice sound. Blues as a genre is typically about adversity and despair. John takes that sentiment to the extreme here, saying that he wants to die. He later revealed that he did in fact feel pretty awful when writing this song during his visit to the Maharishi - 31 -
in Rishikesh: “Trying to find God and feeling suicidal.” This was also because he missed Yoko Ono so much, which is why, despite the despair, we hear the ultimate declaration of love: ‘if I ain’t dead already, ooh girl you know the reason why.’
Isn’t that sweet?
20. Mother Nature’s Son
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ome Beatles songs make us think they were made to be sung by our very own Diederik Nomden. This has happened with both Lennon and McCartney songs, like this one, which features no other Beatle members. Other than the trumpets and trombones, Paul played everything himself, including the drums, which were set up in the hall to generate this specific effect, at least that’s what we have been able to discover about it. The bass drum does sound a little distant, but there is another discernible percussive sound, like a woodblock, but not as piercing. We’re going to keep our solution to this a secret (mostly because we’re still working on it).
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21. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
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t took a lot of effort to track down just the right kind of tubular bell that was used on
Penny Lane (Magical Mystery Tour), which Jan hits about
ten times with a little wooden hammer. Kind of laborious, but it’s the identical sound, so ultimately, it’s pretty satisfying. Much more defining than the tubular bell in Penny Lane is the frantic jingling in Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey. But… what is it?
Well, after an appeal on social media (come on now, not everything was better in the old days) we were sent dozens of pics, videos, and recordings of ships’ bells. All we needed to do then was - 33 -
to find a ship’s bell in the right key (done), and someone in the band who was capable of striking it rhythmically with great accuracy (done). The latter is quite important by the way, because otherwise it can be quite a disruptive element.
22. Sexy Sadie
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ccording to Beatles biographer Mark Lewisohn, Lennon played an earlier version of Sexy Sadie to the rest of the band, with delicate lyrics such as: ‘Maharishi, you little twat/ Who the fuck do you think you are?/ Who the fuck do you think you are?/ Oh, you cunt.’
It was the last song Lennon would write during his stay in Rishikesh, and apparently he had become increasingly disillusioned with the guru (something about the Spiritual Ones’ slightly less exalted moves on women). George Harrison suggested changing ‘Maharishi’ to ‘Sexy Sadie’, which probably saved The Beatles from getting sued for slander. There was plenty of time to ponder an alternative title, as The Beatles spent 35 hours and 52 takes on this song. The end result was well worth it though. - 34 -
23. Helter Skelter
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helter skelter is a cheerful English fairground attraction, a kind of spiralshaped slide, but we Dutchies didn’t know that at first. It seems neither did Charles Manson, the insane cult leader and murderer who thought Helter Skelter was about his vision of an apocalyptic race war. Manson was clearly one deluded dude, who thought that the entire White Album was
inspired by his crazy theories.
Manson pulling silly faces on the cover of Life magazine.
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It’s quite annoying when someone takes your songs and uses them to justify all kinds of horrendous acts. U2’s Bono thought so too, introducing their rendition of Helter Skelter with the words ‘This is a song Charles Manson stole from The Beatles, well, we’re stealin’ it back.’ Great cover, it has to be said. A rather feeble attempt by McCartney to match The Who for heaviness. To which we disagree. It still sounds heavy half a century later, although the version Paul takes out on the road nowadays is just that bit more brutal.
24. Long, Long, Long
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ook, the first 2 minutes and 21 seconds are relatively doable to reproduce for a couple of willing musical archaeologists like The Analogues. And we are happy to do it since this is one of Harrison’s most beautiful contributions to The White Album, though often underappreciated. But, after the 2:21 mark, the gentlemen have managed to produce an almost indefinable final chord, lasting half a minute. Harrison was inspired by Sad Eyed Lady From The Lowlands by Bob Dylan. Difference is, Dylan didn’t - 37 -
have someone like Ringo around though, who, by the sound of it, was having quite a lark that day. Or, should we say night, since The Beatles worked principally at night. It reminds us of Ringo’s legendary contribution to A Day In the Life.
25. Revolution 1
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he Beatles weren’t wild about incorporating political views or convictions into their lyrics, but in 1968, while meditating on a mountain peak, John felt it was time to speak up about what was going on. There were student demonstrations in Paris, the Vietnam war and the assassination of Martin Luther King. John was doubtful that using violence was the way to go (‘Count me out/in’, he sang, although the lyrics stated on the sleeve just read ‘Count me out’). In addition, the mountain peak gave him the insight that, despite - 38 -
all mankind’s petty practices down below, there is a higher power that would eventually make sure everything would be okay (‘Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright’). Revolution 1 was the first track that was recorded for The White Album. Conditions were already slightly off from the start: when the brass section parts were being recorded and mixed, John Lennon was the only Beatle present, which was highly unusual back then. That led to an editing error (an extra beat in the last chorus) ending up on the album: John was a fan of both coincidences and odd time signatures.
26. Honey Pie
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eorge Martin’s first ever number 1 hit as a producer, long before his involvement with The Beatles, was You Are Driving Me Crazy by the Temperance Seven. Give it a listen sometime. We know about Paul McCartney’s fondness for vaudevillian pastiches, but George - 39 -
Martin loved them too. You can absolutely hear the joy he took in writing the typical old-time horn arrangement. John Lennon was the only one that used to get miffed about these musical sojourns, which makes it all the This is also on Spotify, by the way. more remarkable that he decided to provide the track with his fabulous Django Reinhardt-like solo.
27. Savoy Truffle
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hen you’re world famous and have received no end of praise, you can sometimes experience the weird sensation that you can do whatever you want, as people will love it regardless. George Harrison took this quite literally by taking the contents of a box of Mackintosh’s Good News chocolates, and listing them as some of the lyrics for Savoy - 40 -
Truffle. While maybe a little simplistic, it’s also really quite sweet, because the song was meant as a warning for Eric Clapton, who was addicted to these chocolates, that eating heaps of chocolate leads to certain tooth decay. George Martin’s assistant Chris Thomas doesn’t just play the organ and electric piano, but is also responsible for the beautiful horn arrangement played by seven heavyweights from the British jazz scene, who were stupefied (and perhaps not too amused either) when they discovered how their parts had been mangled in the mix, sounding wonderfully distorted and nasty, exactly the way George had figured it.
That’s just how tempting chocolate can be.
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28. Cry Baby Cry
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ry Baby Cry is one of the songs that stems from John Lennon’s foolproof songwriting technique, which consisted of sitting on the couch all day and staring into the distance, with the television on, like some kind of lamp that also emits sound. He finalized this song while in India with the Maharishi. Cry Baby Cry is interesting in a historical sense, as
our friend Geoff Emerick, the Beatles engineer who was present at many of these recordings (and also our guest of honour at the Ziggo Dome show on 1 June 2017), quit half way through. The atmosphere was so tense due to the increased rivalry between Lennon and McCartney, along with the fact that, despite repeated requests, EMI had done nothing to make the studio a little cosier; a room with three coloured fluorescent lights isn’t the most inspiring environment after all. They couldn’t really go outside for a change of scenery either, as they would be jumped by hordes of screaming fans dying to catch a glimpse of their heroes. All in all, it was a working environment that Geoff felt uncomfortable in, especially after having witnessed - 42 -
Geoff Emerick inspecting the equipment in the engine room
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a disagreement between George Martin and Paul, so he walked out. Despite everyone’s pleas for him to stay, Geoff was adamant.
29. Revolution 9
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e can only blame ourselves here, after continuously declaring how we play Beatles albums integrally, from start to finish. When we announced that The White Album was the next one scheduled, many eyes glistened at the agony we were setting ourselves up for. “So how will you do Revolution 9 exactly?” is the most asked question in Analogues history - and one we had no immediate answer to. Revolution 9 is probably the most skipped “song”
ever recorded by The Beatles. At the same time, many cultural philosophers have worked overtime trying to ascribe meaning to the experiment. Various avant-garde movements and artists, both within music and the visual arts, probably influenced Lennon in making Revolution 9. But it also could have been a thinly veiled attempt at impressing Yoko Ono, who had already spent - 44 -
several years working as a conceptual artist. Her simple but trailblazing mission statement: ‘We are all artists, and the world around us is art if we can just find new and different ways to view it.’ So, please enjoy Revolution 9!
30. Good Night
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ou wouldn’t think it, but this is a Lennon song. You may think this far too gentle and sweet for John and that it’s all some kind of joke. But no, it was a genuine song he wrote for his five year-old boy Julian. He was still nervous about this sentimental piece apparently, so he allowed Ringo to work on it, who is the only other audible Beatle on this track. Ringo admitted he was scared stiff at the time, but with the backing of an enormous orchestra assembled by George Martin (strings, horns, vibraphone, harp and choir) Ringo’s vocals turned out pretty well. Good Night is an odd song within The Beatles opus (one of many) and could only fit in one spot, at the very end, as the finale of this album. The Analogues hope that you have had a lovely, - 45 -
enjoyable evening. We’ll close the night with Ringo’s famous last words: ‘Good night, good night everybody, everybody everywhere, good night.’
Good Night, a lullaby for little Julian Lennon.
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The Analogues
Director
Bart van Poppel - bass, keys, vocals Felix Maginn - guitars, vocals Fred Gehring - drums, vocals Diederik Nomden - keys, guitars, vocals Jac Bico - guitars, vocals
Ruut Weissman
Special guest Jan van der Meij - guitars, vocals
Orchestra Marieke de Bruijn - violin Jacob Plooij - violin Camilla van der Kooij - viola Jos Teeken - cello Allard Robert - French horn, trumpet Jean Pierre Grannetia - trumpet Michel Lamers - saxophone, clarinet Christof May - saxophone, clarinet LĂŠon Klaasse - percussion Doriene Marselje - harp
Set & light design Jantje Geldof
Visuals Marcel de VrĂŠ Sonja & Robert Muda van Hamel (Spacebar) Emanuel Wiemans Zoltan Korai Pieter Vermeerbergen (Far Lake Mountain) Jaap Drupsteen
Technical production Hennie Schwithal Bram Visser (assistent)
Stage manager Eelco Ladan
Front of house engineer Remko Luijten
Monitor engineer Ger Arts - 48 -
System technician
Publicity
Guus Hoekstra
Monique Ophorst (Multimo Media) Hajo de Boer
Light operator Pepijn van der Sanden
Production Louis-Fritz Maurer
Light technician Jasper Claessens
Agency
Instrument & amp technicians
George Visser Productions B.V. + 31 (0)70 3465657 www.gvproductions.nl
Sidney Katz Martijn Klippel Niels de Maa Jaya Reijs
Set building De man met de hamer
Styling Carine Beelen
Thanks to Peak Audio (Amsterdam) Ampco Flashlight Rental B.V. Faber Audio Visuals Tenfeet Group B.V. Erik-Jan Berendsen Pieter Smit LevTec B.V. Peas Catering
Drivers Eric Apeldoorn Iwan Verploegen Richard Hoppe - 49 -
Credits Text: Hajo de Boer Copy editor: Annemiek van Grondel Translation: Renée Gehring Translation proofreaders: Sam Ford & Annika Bruhns Graphic design: Robert Muda van Hamel (Spacebar) Photo editing: Hajo de Boer & Robert Muda van Hamel Photography: Pag. 6 - Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo Pag. 12 - Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo Pag. 13 - Dinodia Photos / Alamy Stock Photo Pag. 19 - Express Pag. 27 - Luciano Mortula / Alamy Stock Photo Pag. 36 - Incamerastock / Alamy Stock Photo Pag. 41 - Allan Cash Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo Pag. 47 - Keystone Pictures USA / Alamy Stock Photo Print: Drukkerij Nautilus
First print - August 2018 © 2018 Over Easy B.V. - 50 -
MO R E I NF O R MATION & TOUR DATES
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