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9AM

The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: Paul Written by Paul while in Rishikesh, India. In Barry Miles’ “Many Years From

Now” Paul recalls walking through the Indian jungle near the Maharishi’s compound with his guitar singing “Ob-La,Di, Ob-La, Da, life goes on, bra,” taking

the phrase from Jimmy Scott, a Nigerian conga player who had been a part of the London music scene since the 50s. In Scott’s native language, “Ob la di ob la da” is

an expression meaning “life goes on.” Paul created characters for his story - Desmond and Molly and their barrow in a Caribbean marketplace

The Beatles - All Together Now - Yellow Submarine

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul

In May 1967, with the “Sgt. Pepper” album in the can and awaiting release, the Beatles went to work on two projects at the same time. They began recording the title track for “Magical Mystery Tour” and also starting to record the new songs they had promised for the “Yellow Submarine” film. The first song specifically

recorded for the “Yellow Submarine” film was “Baby, You’re A Rich Man” (on May 11, 1967), but that song was pulled several months later to fill the B-side of the

“All You Need Is Love” single. George Harrison’s “Sgt. Pepper” reject “Only A Northern Song” was added to the stack of film songs. Paul’s sing-along “All Together Now” was started and finished on May 12, 1967. Nine takes were

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recorded. Instruments included two acoustic guitars (probably Paul and George), bass guitar (Paul), bass drum (Ringo), harmonica and banjo (John).

John Lennon – Tight A$ - Mind Games ‘73

This track was an interesting turn for John’s songwriting, as this was the first song that wasn’t about “something.”

9.11 Break

The Beatles - Think For Yourself - Rubber Soul (Harrison)

Lead vocal: George The fifth original composition by George Harrison to be recorded by The Beatles

was completed on November 8, 1965 in one take with overdubs under the working title “Won’t Be There With You.” The song features Paul playing his bass

through a fuzz box to give it a distorted sound. On U.S. album:

Rubber Soul - Capitol LP

The Beatles - I’ll Cry Instead - A Hard Day’s Night

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

A country-influenced Lennon-McCartney rocker recorded on June 1, 1964. John Lennon says that he wrote it for “A Hard Day’s Night,” but the film’s director,

Richard Lester, didn’t like it and replaced it at the last minute with “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The decision to cut “I’ll Cry Instead” from the film was so last minute that

the American soundtrack LP, which had been rush-released by United Artists Records, included “I’ll Cry Instead” in its song line-up. Released as a single in the

U.S. on July 20, 1964. On U.S. album:

A Hard Day’s Night - United Artists LP Something New - Capitol LP

Paul McCartney – Teddy Boy – McCartney ‘70

Having debuted during the “Let it Be” sessions, it was re-recorded at home with Linda on backing vocals.

The Beatles - Things We Said Today - A Hard Day’s Night

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul

Written in May 1964 on board a yacht called Happy Days during Paul McCartney's holiday in the Virgin Islands with his girlfriend Jane Asher, plus Ringo Starr and his future wife Maureen. Recorded in three takes on June 2,

1964. In his 1980 interview with Playboy magazine John Lennon remembered this being one of Paul’s better songs. McCartney double tracked his vocals. John

Lennon's piano part was meant to be omitted from the final mix, but lack of

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separation between instruments meant that its sound leaked into other microphones during recording. As a result it can be heard on the released version.

The b-side of the UK “A Hard Day’s Night” single. On U.S. album:

Something New - Capitol LP

The Beatles - And Your Bird Can Sing - Revolver

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

John Lennon called this fan favorite “another of my throwaways...fancy paper around an empty box.” On another occasion he simply referred to it as “another

horror.” The song, written primarily by John, is notable mainly for the twin guitar riffs -- played live without overdubs by George Harrison and Paul McCartney --

that drive the song, and Paul’s distinctive bass notes at the end of the song. Lennon played the rhythm guitar in the D major position with the capo on the

second fret to account for the song being in the key of E. John used the second fret capo several times ("Nowhere Man," "Julia," "Norwegian Wood," to name a few).

Initial recording of the song commenced on April 20, 1966, with two takes being completed. Take 2 was deemed the best and various overdubs were added. While

recording vocals John and Paul got a case of the giggles and laughed their way through much of the song. That hilarious version can be found on the “Anthology 2” compilation. On April 26, the band decided to scrap the previous version and

start over from scratch, recording 11 takes. The term “bird” was British slang at the time for girl. Although Lennon never elaborated on the inspiration behind the

lyrics, it is believed to refer to the rivalry between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Although the two groups were friends, Lennon saw the Stones as Beatles

copyists, and the 'bird' in the title may have been Mick Jagger’s on-again, off-again girlfriend/muse Marianne Faithfull. The working title of the song was “You

Don’t Get Me.” “And Your Bird Can Sing” was one of three songs issued in America six weeks prior to their official release in the UK. American and Canadian Beatles

fans heard “I’m Only Sleeping,” “And Your Bird Can Sing,” and “Doctor Robert” first on Capitol Records’ “Yesterday And Today” album, issued June 20, 1966.

The rest of the world had to wait until the first week of August for them to appear on the “Revolver” LP. "And Your Bird Can Sing" was used as the theme song of The

Beatles' cartoon series during its third season. On U.S. album:

Yesterday And Today - Capitol LP

Badfinger – Come & Get It – Magic Christian

The Beatles - Good Morning Good Morning - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

Based on a Kellogg’s Cornflakes television commercial John heard while sitting at the piano and feeling a bit “stuck” trying to write something for “Sgt. Pepper.” Paul plays a stinging guitar solo and flourishes with his right-handed Fender

Esquire. The basic rhythm track was recorded on February 8, 1967 in eight takes,

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four of them complete. Overdubs followed with John’s lead vocal and Paul’s bass added on February 16. A horn section consisting of members of the Brian Epstein-

managed band Sounds Inc. (previously Sounds Incorporated) was brought in on March 13. Sounds Incorporated had been one of the opening acts on the Beatles’

1964 and 1965 tours.

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocals: John, Paul, George, Ringo

The Beatles had promised EMI that they have the master tape of the “Sgt. Pepper”

album delivered no later than April 12, 1967. Paul McCartney had made arrangements to travel to America between April 3 and April 12, so this session on April 1 would be his last chance to add vocals or instruments to the project. Only George Harrison’s contribution to the album (“Within You, Without You”) remained to be recorded, and that was being performed without John, Paul or Ringo. George Martin credits Neil Aspinall with the idea of reprising the title

track on the second side of the record. For the reprise of the title song the Beatles convened in Abbey Road’s studio one, a cavernous space usually reserved for

orchestral recordings. George Martin felt this room enhanced the live feeling of the song, giving it an “electrifying, football stadium atmosphere.” According to

author Mark Lewisohn, all four Beatles chanted out the quick-paced vocals. Mono mix includes the audience sounds beginning more sharply, the drum intro is four beats longer, and there are some words spoken by John as well as some audience laughter, all of which are missing from the stereo mix. Paul ad-libs some lyrics at

the end, but it can barely be heard on the stereo version.

The Beatles - A Day In The Life - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocals: John and Paul

Work began on January 19, 1967, for what is quite possibly the finest Lennon-McCartney collaboration of their songwriting career. On this evening, following some rehearsal, Lennon rolled tentatively through four takes, drawing a road map for the other Beatles and George Martin to follow. Lennon on vocals and

Jumbo acoustic guitar, McCartney on piano, Harrison on maracas and Starr on congas. Sections were incomplete and to hold their space Mal Evans stood by a

microphone and counted from one to 24, marking the time. To cue the end of the middle eight overdub section an alarm clock was sounded. There was no Paul McCartney vocal yet, merely instruments at this point where his contribution

would be placed. On January 20, Paul added his section, which he would re-recorded on February 3. Lennon told Beatles biographer Hunter Davies that the first verse was inspired by a story in the January 17, 1967, edition of the Daily

Mail about the car accident that killed Guinness heir Tara Browne. John: “I didn’t copy the accident. Tara didn’t blow his mind out, but it was in my mind when I was writing that verse.” The second verse was inspired by Lennon’s work on

Richard Lester’s film “How I Won The War.” According to Paul, the third verse

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came from a Daily Mail article published on January 7, 1967, about 4,000 potholes in the streets of Blackburn, Lancashire.

9.43 BREAK

The Beatles - I Feel Fine- A Collection Of Oldies

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

The Beatles’ eighth single release for EMI’s Parlophone label. Recorded in nine takes on October 18, 1964. Written entirely by John Lennon. He

based the guitar riff on Bobby Parker’s obscure R&B record “Watch Your Step.” The recording marked the first occasion in which guitar feedback had been deliberately incorporated into a pop song. The sound was achieved by Paul

plucking a single bass string and John getting amplifier feedback from his guitar. Issued in the U.S. on November 23, 1964, and in U.K. four days later. Not included on the “Beatles For Sale” LP, which was released on December 4, 1964 in the UK.

On U.S. albums: Beatles ‘65 - Capitol LP

On UK album: A Collection of Beatles Oldies - Parlophone LP (1966)

The Beatles - Hey Bulldog - Yellow Submarine

(Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: John

In early February 1968, the Beatles were on a tight schedule. They had two weeks to audition and record possible songs for their next single, which would be

released while they were away on an extended trip to India where the group would meditate with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In addition to picking the single

sides they would need to spend a day with a film crew making a short promotional film for the song. The Paul McCartney-penned “Lady Madonna” was chosen as the

A-side and would be the subject of the promo film. On the last weekend of recording, the Beatles were informed they were one song short of the four new

songs needed for “Yellow Submarine,” and a new song had to be recorded before they left for India. The song shortage was due to “Baby, You’re A Rich Man,”

which had been earmarked for the film soundtrack, being used as the B-side of the “All You Need Is Love” single.

George Harrison – Art Of Dying - All Things Must Pass ‘70

Originally written after the Beatles last concert in 1966 – George had constantly been searching for a life and meaning outside of the Beatles. The

original lyrics of the track include a reference to Brian Epstein being able to keep George with “you” (meaning the Beatles), instead of the eventual

“Sister Mary.”

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The Beatles - Octopus’s Garden - Abbey Road (Starkey)

Lead vocal: Ringo “Octopus’s Garden” is Ringo Starr’s second solo composition in the Beatles

catalog, credited to his real name, Richard Starkey. He got the idea for the song after he abruptly “quit” the group for one week during the making of the “White

Album, in August 1968. He traveled to Sardinia on the Mediterranean and spent time on actor Peter Seller’s yacht. On board, Ringo was told that octopus go

around the ocean bed and pick up stones and shiny objects and build gardens in front of their caves. The still unfinished song was played for George on January

26, 1969. This segment was shown in the “Let It Be” film. A proper rerecording of the song took place on April 26. The group went through 32 takes with Ringo on

drums and guide vocal, George on his Stratocaster through a Leslie speaker, John on Epiphone casino electric guitar and Paul on Rickenbacker bass guitar.

Overdubs were recorded on July 17 and 18 with Ringo’s lead vocal with ADT (artificial double tracking), Paul adding piano and more drums, and backing

vocals from Paul, George and Ringo. During the instrumental break Ringo can be heard blowing through a straw into a glass of water for bubbling sounds.

The Beatles - Glass Onion - The Beatles (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: John In 1980 John described “Glass Onion” as one of his “throwaways,” but the word

play in the song is fascinating. Aside from many references to other Beatles songs, listeners were probably left guessing what Lennon meant by phrases such

as “bent backed tulips,” “cast iron shore,” and “dovetail joint.” Specifically the phrase “looking through the bent backed tulips to see how the other half lives”

referred to a floral arrangement on display at the posh London restaurant Parkes. The Cast Iron Shore is a name for Liverpool’s beach, and a dovetail joint is not a drug reference, but a type of construction wood joint. The title “Glass Onion” is

British slang for monocle (or eye piece), and was one of the names suggested by John for the Iveys, an Apple band that changed its name to Badfinger.

-NEWS w/ “Jackie” HERE-

10.12 BREAK

The Beatles - Get Back - (Lennon-McCartney) - LOVE

Lead vocal: Paul The Beatles’ nineteenth single release for EMI, and second on the Apple

Records label. The “Get Back” sessions, as the January 1969 recording sessions were now

known, produced about 475 hours of film and 141 hours of audio tape that had to be sifted through. But proper multi-track recordings weren’t made until the band

was recording in the basement of the Beatles’ Apple headquarters between

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January 21-31, 1969. Producer/Engineer Glyn Johns attempted to construct an album entitled “Get Back” from the tapes but his versions were rejected. The tapes were left dormant in the vault for a year, with the exception of a single

(“Get Back”/“Don’t Let Me Down”). “Get Back” had been rehearsed and reworked throughout the January sessions, including over 30 takes of the song on January 27, 1969. Among those over 30 takes was the master take of the song, but it did

not include the familiar coda at the end. That would be recorded the following day and edited on to the January 27 master. Like John Lennon’s “Don’t Let Me

Down,” “Get Back” features Billy Preston on keyboards. The song is also notable as one of John’s best guitar solos. Rush-released as a single with the hope of being in stores in the UK on April 11, 1969, the single showed up a week later. Although

the single did not list a producer credit, it did, for the first time on a Beatles single, list an artist in addition to the Beatles: “THE BEATLES with Billy Preston” graced both sides of the single. “A great honor,” said Preston. The single debuted at number one on the Record Retailer singles chart, holding another Apple single

out of the top spot (Mary Hopkin’s “Goodbye,” written and produced by Paul McCartney). In America, the single was issued by Capitol on May 5, 1969, and it

topped the Billboard sales chart for five weeks. It is the first Beatles single released in stereo, but the stereo mixes were for the American market, not the

UK. The UK would have to wait until the next single release (“The Ballad Of John And Yoko”) to get its first stereo Beatles 45. Prior to this all previous Beatles

singles had been issued in mono.

The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night - A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: John with Paul The Beatles’ seventh single release for EMI’s Parlophone label.

The title is a Ringoism, coined by the drummer sometime in 1963 and used by John in his book “In His Own Write.” With the film nearly completed the last bit of

business was to give the film a name. The project was being filmed with the working title “Beatlemania.” On April 13, 1964 The Beatles met with key

personnel from the studio and bounced title ideas. It was felt they’d find no better suggestion than Ringo’s off-hand remark “it’s been a hard day’s night” and John

volunteered to write the title song that evening. The next morning he brought the song in and taught it to Paul. Paul cleaned up the middle section and the two

played it for producer Walter Shenson. Two days later The Beatles would formally record the song. It was a rarity for an outsider to be allowed in the studio or

control booth while The Beatles rehearsed and recorded. An exception was made for the director of the “A Hard Day’s Night” film, Richard Lester. Lester was in the

control booth and offered many suggestions during the morning while this key song was worked out, much to the dismay of producer George Martin. It was

Lester’s suggestion that the song open dramatically (as it would open the film), and fade out at the end in a cinematic way. He got his wish. George’s striking a G suspended 4th chord on his 12-string Rickenbacker make this record instantly

recognizable in its opening two seconds. Released as a single in the UK on July 10, 1964, it went straight to #1.

On U.S. album: A Hard Day’s Night - United Artists LP

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The Beatles - I’m Looking Through You - Rubber Soul (Lennon-McCartney)

Lead vocal: Paul Written by Paul after an argument with then-girlfriend, actress Jane Asher.

Initially recorded on October 24, 1965, the song was re-recorded from scratch on November 6, but McCartney was still not satisfied. Four days later, on November

10, the group took another stab at it. Paul’s lead vocal was superimposed the next day. The version issued by Capitol Records has two false starts.

On U.S. album: Rubber Soul - Capitol LP

Quiz #1

Today April 28 in 1975…Ringo Starr appeared on NBC’s The Smothers Brothers Show and sang a song in front of

a live studio audience with Tommy & Dick…name that song…

Speaking of Tommy Smothers…here he is w/ John

Lennon…who will now say something…

John Lennon – Give Peace A Chance (Lennon/McCartney) – Single `69

This is arguably John’s most quoted statement in either song or spoken form. The track was recorded on 4-track in the Lennon’s hotel room by

“Les Studios Andre Perry” with a variety of friends and admirers including Tommy Smothers and Timothy Leary, among others. It reached Number 2

in the charts.

* WINNER HERE_______________

(No No Song…play clip from Smothers Brothers Show (YOU TUBE )

Julian Lennon w/ Steven Tyler – Someday – Single

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10.42 BREAK …and again you’re gonna occasionally hear some Badfinger throughout

today’s show…as Pete Ham was born this week in 1947 And also died this week in 1975…and was the one Apple band that all 4 of the Beatles had

some connection with. Could be a quiz….

The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles

(Harrison) Lead vocal: George

In his book, “I Me Mine,” George explains that while visiting his parents he decided to create a song from the first thing he saw upon opening a book. George

randomly opened a book and saw the phrase “gently weeps.” He put the book down and started writing lyrics.

The first proper recording of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” took place on July

25, 1968. Nearly two months into recording the Beatles’ new album, this was George’s first chance to record some of his new material. George: “I always had to

do about ten of Paul and John’s songs before they’d give me the break.” On this first day George recorded several rehearsals and one proper take. At this stage, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was an acoustic song, with George’s solo vocal

and some organ overdubbed near the end that ran 3:13 and had a final verse not found in the final version. This exquisite “take 1,” which was a demo for the other

Beatles, is one of the highlights of the “Anthology 3” album. George would continue working on the song at home, and eventually re-imagined the song as a

rocker. On August 16, the full band revisited the song, making 14 takes of a rhythm track.

Badfinger – Day After Day – Straight Up `71

Paul McCartney – Driving Rain – Driving Rain ‘01

Written in Los Angeles, in February 2001 – after LA experienced heavier than normal rain. Paul took a drive in his Corvette up the PCH to Malibu, came back and wrote a song about the day. The line “Something’s open…”

was inspired by an alarm system that always read on the LCD screen, “something’s open” which annoyed Paul to know end.

Welcome Rusty Anderson…as we continue

Paul McCartney guitar player month here on BWTB…

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Rusty Anderson Afternoon – Effortless - Single

11.12 BREAK

Paul & Rusty – Hitch Hike – Live @The Apollo

John Lennon – Working Class Hero – Rehearsal 1972

Wings – Blackbird – Cow Palace `75

11.42 BREAK

Close with a Pete Ham song…

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