alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Jan 2, 2008 2:10:23 GMT
I read online today that BP played on a few Abbey Road tracks ... Something, She Came in through ..., and maybe one or two others?
Can anyone vouch for this from a reputable source?
If it's true, it would go a long way towards helping me understand who played that Barrelhouse piano in "You Never Give Me Your Money" (the part around "... out of college, money spent"). That always sounded way too hard for Paul or John to play, and it didn't sound like something George Martin would play ... but it definitely sounds Billy Preston-like!
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Post by The End on Jan 2, 2008 11:45:09 GMT
As far as I'm aware, Billy Preston only played keyboard on the following tracks:
I've Got A Feeling Don't Let Me Down Get Back Dig It Let It Be The One After 909 I Want You (She's So Heavy) Something
In Mark Lewisohn's "Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" McCartney is credited as playing piano on You Never Give Me Your Money and electric piano AND piano on She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, the same is also noted in Ian MacDonald's "Revolution In The Head".
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Post by Bobber on Jan 2, 2008 12:08:41 GMT
...That always sounded way too hard for Paul or John to play, and it didn't sound like something George Martin would play ... but it definitely sounds Billy Preston-like! Paul could (and can) play the piano pretty well.
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Jan 3, 2008 2:47:48 GMT
...That always sounded way too hard for Paul or John to play, and it didn't sound like something George Martin would play ... but it definitely sounds Billy Preston-like! Paul could (and can) play the piano pretty well. I never heard him play anything else NEARLY that hard (re: barrel house piano in YNGMYM)
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Post by briank on Feb 12, 2008 13:49:15 GMT
Maybe if someone told you that piano is sped up to twice its normal speed - would that make more sense!? Many Beatles records use this trick... Misery, In My Life, Mr. Kite etc....
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Post by Michelle Revolution on Feb 20, 2008 2:07:22 GMT
Misery? Really, they employed this technique as early as their first album? I've always thought that the guitar solo on Roll Over Beethoven sounded sped up.
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Feb 20, 2008 2:52:58 GMT
Misery? Really, they employed this technique as early as their first album? I've always thought that the guitar solo on Roll Over Beethoven sounded sped up. And I always think the guitar/piano solo on AHDN sounds sped up. Is Brian K around to tell us?
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Post by The End on Feb 20, 2008 11:51:44 GMT
Yes, Brian is here quite a lot. I have always thought that intro to Roll Over Beethoven sounds speeded up too! It has long been rumoured that the AHDN solo was speeded up or even played by someone else - a rumour that wasn't helped by the fact that on one of their BBC performances the solo recorded at EMI was very noticeably cut in (listen to the version on Beatles at the BBC) - however George always managed to play the solo live.
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Post by Bobber on Feb 20, 2008 13:37:25 GMT
Listening to the different takes of A Hard Days Night on Purple Chick (takes 1-9), George could not provide the solo properly.
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Post by The End on Feb 20, 2008 14:23:01 GMT
He just about pulls it off at the Hollywood Bowl: [music]http://www.fileupyours.com/files/150873/ahdn-hb.mp3[/music]
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Feb 20, 2008 21:14:46 GMT
Great post, The End!
I'd say he pulled it off so well that I now think he WAS able to play it as heard on the album.
Never realized he was playing two notes for each pick. That seems (to this keyboard player) like that would be INCREDIBLY hard! I think I missed the lower note on the album because it's doubled by a piano or something ... have to relisten and see if I hear the guitar note as well.
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Post by Michelle Revolution on Feb 22, 2008 0:09:22 GMT
Never realized he was playing two notes for each pick. That seems (to this keyboard player) like that would be INCREDIBLY hard! I think I missed the lower note on the album because it's doubled by a piano or something ... have to relisten and see if I hear the guitar note as well. I have never played a 12 string guitar but I imagine it would be very difficult to play, especially at the speed demonstrated on the Hollywood Bowl clip. Any guitarists among us, what are your thoughts?
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Post by briank on Mar 18, 2008 11:28:21 GMT
Sorry to have missed this - YES the Hard Days' Night solo was recorded at half speed and sped up. As I said before - this was a VERY common George Martin trick. Mr. Kite, Misery, In My Life, Hard Day's Night, YNGMYM etc etc...
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Mar 18, 2008 14:50:49 GMT
Sorry to have missed this - YES the Hard Days' Night solo was recorded at half speed and sped up. As I said before - this was a VERY common George Martin trick. Mr. Kite, Misery, In My Life, Hard Day's Night, YNGMYM etc etc... THat's it!!! Are you sure about this BrianK? Because if they recorded it at half speed (the barrelhouse piano) then certainly they wouldn't need a Billy Preston to play it! THanks for the clue, BrianK!
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Post by briank on Mar 21, 2008 9:12:02 GMT
Yes, quite sure. When you hear it normally, it's easy to hear the difference. But Billy WAS around for some things. Who else could play that organ stuff on "I Want You/She's So Heavy"
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Post by Bobber on Mar 21, 2008 9:21:38 GMT
Some sources say John Lennon. Just a thought: they could have used the organ recordings from the Let It Be sessions? Or is that a silly remark?
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Mar 21, 2008 23:57:05 GMT
Yes, quite sure. When you hear it normally, it's easy to hear the difference. But Billy WAS around for some things. Who else could play that organ stuff on "I Want You/She's So Heavy" Hi BrianK - Are you saying that you got to hear it at recorded speed? What did it sound like then? I guess I can go and half-speed it myself at home, come to think of it! BTW, I tend to agree with you that it was BP not John that did the organ stuff on I Want You/She's So Heavy ... UNLESS it was a Mellotron/tape loop kind of thing!
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Post by briank on Mar 24, 2008 6:27:35 GMT
NOT a Mellotron!
If you notice the dates, I Want You was done JUST after the sessions for Let It Be anyway. In the early 1969 period, Chris Thomas was still around, Billy etc, and they were using outside studios (like Trident) still.
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Post by the carnabys on Mar 27, 2008 13:12:01 GMT
Everything I own points towards Paul playing YNGMYM keys part!
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alaskan
What Goes On In Your Heart
Posts: 64
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Post by alaskan on Mar 28, 2008 6:36:47 GMT
Just wanted to add my bit on BP playing on "I want You". There is a great piece on YouTube (a recording, not a video) of BP playing on an early version of the song. Sort of interesting, as BP and Lennon do a call and reply on the lyrics. But I feel it is clearly BP on that organ arpeggio in part of the song. I also found a McCartney demo of YNGMYM on YouTube, which sounds like he had most of the arrangement worked out by himself. It includes the basic boogie piano, but not the higher register piano fills. Considering his deft live piano work on the extended "Dig It" jam, I imagine that he might well have been able to come up with those boogie piano fills at regular speed (via numerous takes, him being the perfectionist). Could have been G.Martin, who also was adept at that boogie style as well, but I suspect Paul as well.
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