Get Back to Let It Be...Dissected: Jan 3

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Monday, October 9, 2017

Act Two Scene Three: Roll 28-A

The circus has left town, but we still own the site

Roll 28-A begins with one final version of “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”. The relaxed tempo that the Beatles settle into is a very subtle groove. This performance very much resembles the pace and feel of the Abbey Road LP version, which they will record in July 1969.

January 3rd, 1969 is coming to a close.

Press to Play Rolls 28-A

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Act Two Scene Three: Roll 27-A

"Oye wuz framed, Gov’ner"

The time is 6:10 PM as the Camera-A unit captures the Beatles mid-performance. Paul has switched over to piano while George is now on six-string bass.

The Beatles begin rehearsal of the full version of 'Maxwell’s Silver Hammer' including the '“dead-music' section.

Press to Play Rolls 27-A

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Act Two Scene Three: Roll 26-A

Leave it to those damn Hammers to show up, uninvited!

The time is now 5:45 on a dark mid-winter evening. The Beatles begin their final day-two rehearsals, choosing the White album era song Maxwell's Silver Hammer.

Press to Play Rolls 26-A

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Sunday, October 8, 2017

Act Two Scene Two: Rolls 25-A + 57-B

"I'm leaving the band, and starting a one-man mime act"

This had been a very productive and long day for the Beatles. Let’s review:

It started with Paul’s “morning show” delivered from the piano, playing an interesting piano arrangement of a tragic 1936 classical piece titled “Adagio for Strings”. Next, he musically time-traveled, performing a 1925 show classic, an early 1950’s British children’s show featuring a puppet, and the debut of four new songs, two of which are now considered to be among his masterpieces.

Click open the book to read more.

Press to Play Rolls 25-A + 57-B

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Act Two Scene Two: Rolls 24-A + 56-B

John, who has been extremely quiet the past several Nagra rolls, suddenly springs back to a lively and fully participating form. Thus, the long and at times tedious rehearsals of George's masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, finally yield a golden performance of the song.

In this version, George's vision of the band he wishes to perform with is realized. Specifically, what he said back on track All Things Must Pass (015) occurs:

"The reason all those people are singing different lines is because they all want to be the singer". He goes on to describe the discipline that the members of The Band have developed to all do so, without crowding out one another"

After this take, the Fab Four unstress by returning to a bit of well-deserved impromptu comedy, improvization, and Beatle silliness. Moreover, despite the stunning volume of material covered in a single day, there is still another song to be rehearsed, one that will appear later in the year on their Abbey Road LP

Press to Play Rolls 24-A + 56-B

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Act Two Scene Two: Rolls 23-A + 55-B + 56-B

"I thought you meant Twickenham, Oregon."

George summons the spirit of Ray Charles and his backing singers, the Raelettes as examples of the backing vocals that he wants from John and Paul. He plays a few lines from Back in the USSR, before beginning to quote line of dialog which originate from a seductive and in-your-face lewd contemporary play. This play ends in a simulated sex act (hint: the play is named “The Beard”).

The track ends with another short performance of "All Things Must Pass". The game board is set: the very next performance will be a tear-jerker.

Press to Play Rolls 23-A + 55-B + 56-B

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Act Two Scene Two: Rolls 22-A + 55-B

Show me that I'm everywhere, and get me home for tea

The Beatles slowly enter into the psychedelic mysteries which lie at the heart of the song. George and John bond, discussing the relationship "All Things Must Pass" has with Timothy Leary's Psychedelic Prayers, itself based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This all of course directly relates to John's 1966 masterpiece "Tomorrow Never Knows".

George again indulges (twice) his bromance with The Band, before returning to rehearsals, this time focusing on Paul and Ringo.

Press to Play Rolls 22-A + 55-B

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Act Two Scene Two Rolls 21-A + 54-B

Sunset doesn't last all evening. A mind can blow those clouds away.

This roll contains a most heartfelt and ethereal sounding version of All Things Must Pass featuring George and John. One can easily imagine that George has already mastered how he wants to sing the song, and does so, on this take, with great passion and depth.

He is essentially reaching deep into John's soul, almost putting him into a hypnotic trance. John finally reaches the center of the song, and his organ becomes vapor-like, drifting thru and encircling the song within lovely atmospherics. It may remind one of the Mellotron flutes, which form the intro to Strawberry Fields Forever.

The Beatles are slowly beginning to understand and to feel "All Things Must Pass".

Press to Play Rolls 21-A + 54-B

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

Act Two Scene Two Rolls 20-A + 53-B + 54-B

Return to Forever

The track begins with George's four-letter F-bomb expletive. It summarizes some of the frustrations that arise in this segment. After an initial performance, Paul (with John partially accompanying him on organ) sings a few lines of LuLu's current UK pop hit, followed by a parody version about "the church of the drive-in LA drugstore". George switches to acoustic guitar for the next version. The roll ends with George receiving "Shostic Shocks" from his microphone. This scene made the Let it Be film, albeit as a sanitized re-edit.

Press to Play Rolls 20-A + 53-B + 54-B

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Act Two Scene Two Rolls 19-A + 53-B

This roll features a discussion of "Smell-O-Vision" (it actually existed), performances of classic folk and blues songs, a 1950's funky classic, a pioneering Motown hit (the first hit for Barry Gordy's Tamla record label), fragments of two different "drinking songs" (one with an extremely x-rated verse), improvizations, a song which later appeared on "Abbey Road", and lastly a song which later appeared on John's "Imagine" LP.

After all of this, the band at last begins rehearsals on George's first candidate song: "All Things Must Pass".

Press to Play Rolls 19-A + 53-B

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Act Two Scene One: Rolls 18-A + 52-B

Paul's "Two of Us" receives a good set of rehearsals and continues to progress rapidly. It's tempo begins to literally gallop. During these takes, Paul realizes that he should be singing the higher harmony part, letting John to sing the lower (and more in his natural vocal range) melody line.

During one conversation between takes, John actually discovers what the musical essence of the song is, but does not yet realize what he has discovered.

Press to Play Rolls 18-A + 52-B

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Friday, October 6, 2017

Act Two Scene One: Rolls 17-A + 52-B + 18-A

Another popping set of Nagra rolls. The Beatles jump back onto One After 909, and dress it up in full rockabilly regalia. Following this, they begin a mid-morning show consisting of lost Beatles compositions, soul masterpieces, a Tin Pan Alley classic song written by an American national musical treasure, and even include a song from A Hard Day’s Night. Finally, they end with one of their BBC show stoppers, and begin day-two work on Paul's Two of Us.

Press to Play Rolls 17-A + 52-B + 18-A

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Act Two Scene One: Rolls 16-A + 51-B

This is an extremely potent roll. The Beatles begin a day two rehearsal of the song that received the most day one attention: Paul's "I've got a Feeling". The first performance of the song on day two not only retains every bit of progress made the prior day, but also continues to build upon its rock solid foundation.

They end the song and segue into a virtual Beatle Beehive of activity, with John, Paul, and George concurrently working on three different aspects of I’ve Got a Feeling. Ringo looks on in silence, absorbing three different musical conversations.

On the final I’ve Got a Feeling performance of the day, Paul steps up to the plate and for the first time belts out his first middle eight vocal “all these years I’ve been wandering around” in a manner reminiscent of Helter Skelter. This sends the song soaring into permanent orbit aimed directly at the Rooftop.

Lastly, John launches One After 909, which he wrote back in 1958. By the end of the first vocal line, the rest of the band has jumped on board this rapidly accelerating train for one hell of a musical ride.

Press to Play Rolls 16-A + 51-B

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Act Two Scene One: Rolls 15-A + 51-B

The morning warm up show ends, and the Beatles settle down and continue work on John's "Don't Let Me Down". As they begin, the song not only retains everything that they had learned the day before, it continues to advance at a quick pace.

Press to Play Rolls 15-A + 51-B

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Thursday, October 5, 2017

Act Two Scene One: Rolls 14-A + 50-B + 51-B

Paul: “Emma, Seccy, Meggie Seccy, Emma, Emma Seccy... Emma Seccy Megga, unintelligible in the ballrooms... Imagine. Emma, Seccy, busy, busy, busy... you can see him on telly then. Ob La Di..Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha... Ring, Ring"

The fantastic and strange morning warm up show continues with the band's tour de force performance. It includes an incredible warm up three movement improvisation, additional improvisations which are quite bizarre and hilarious, several “oldies but goldies”, and comedy covers of their own and other peoples songs.

This is one of the delightfully weird Beatles warm-ups of all-time.

Press to Play Rolls 14-A + 50-B + 51-B

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Act Two Scene One: Rolls 13-A + 50-B

John and Yoko arrive, and the rehearsals officially start. On this morning, the Beatles initiate a pattern that they repeat for most of the month. Mornings generally begin with the band entertaining themselves by performing an incredible warm up concert consisting of improvisations (some quite bizarre and hilarious), oldies but goldies, and comedy covers of their own and other peoples songs.

This has to be one of the all time delightfully weird band warm-ups.

Press to Play Rolls 13-A + 50-B

Click to read the Listener's Guide - Rolls 13-A + 50-B

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