Tag: The Beatles

My Favorite Song

Anthony11 Comments

It’s always an arduous task to try and come up with a favorite song when you love literally thousands of them as I do. 

I remember the first time I was introduced to this song by my favorite person in the world my godmother and aunt who passed away a little over 20 years ago.  I believe we’re listening to KLOS 95.5, on a Sunday afternoon, heading home from Whittier, California. 

This song comes on the radio and she identified it to me and said “just listen to this and tell me what you think”. I couldn’t have been more than 13 at the time not sure why I’ve never heard it before, but it just did something to me. I remember when it ended, I couldn’t even respond. My mind was still processing what I just heard, realizing it transformed me forever, at that moment.

It transformed me and showed me the beauty and simplicity in the world. That most of us often miss caught up in the everyday struggles and challenges. We all have to deal with. 

With her help and some sheet music and a ton of patience, I was able to learn and master the harpsichord part of the song and can play it to this day on the piano.

The song is Because by The Beatles.  It’s on my favorite album Abbey Road by the band which in itself has many fantastic songs, but this one to me is the centerpiece. And I know, most people love side two with McCartney’s rock, opera piece, and I do too. But this song has something beautiful and just so unusual about it. 

I read somewhere I think on some liner notes to some sheet music that it’s sounds a little like Beethoven’s fifth Symphony in reverse. The electric harpsichord and electric guitar provide the music itself. Along with a Moog Synthesizer taking over the main melody near the end, truly, spellbinding. It even ends on sort of a not quite resolution chord which is unusual. I kinda liked songs like that. They don’t quite end. They sort of go on forever. They feel like “hey isn’t there something missing here, one or two more notes?” 😂

Being a bit of a book/research nut, I did some research on the song I found that the band members had tracked themselves on vocals nearly 16 times over to accomplish the beautiful and haunting harmonies you hear. And obviously without the aid of an auto tuner or computer, like current artist use to make their vocals on pitch.

I’m going to share with you the original version as well as a brilliant cover, but I know that by another one of my favorite artists, the late great Elliott Smith. 

Please check them out and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did and still do. 

-aaa

Breathe / Eleanor Rigby The Beatles Vs Pink Floyd Mashup

Anthony5 Comments

For all your folks out there, that don’t know what a mashup is, it’s two songs that are in the same key or most of the lyrics and the vocals are in the same key.  They can translate one onto to the other with surprising fitting results.

You’d be surprised how many songs actually can be smashed together. In fact, if I do recall, in Southern California, KLOS FM on Friday night dedicated three hours to these songs.

Anyhow, I’m going to share my favorite mashup that I’ve ever heard. This blew my mind because these are two songs I’ve always known, and I never realized how close they fit on each other. 

Breathe the second track on the dark side of the moon (if you’re counting the initial track) by Pink Floyd of Dark Side Of The Moon and Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles of the Revolver LP. Check this out I think it’ll blow your mind. It certainly blew mine the first time I heard it.

As always, thank you for reading and listening 🎼🎶🎵😊

-aaa

Musical Innovation 

Anthony3 Comments

I Feel Fine by was recorded by The Beatles in the Abby Road studios of EMI in London in 1964 as an A-side single. A great single by my favorite band, and not without the fab four’s innovations.

Always pushing the envelope in the studio, they incorporated “feedback” into the beginning of the song. Creating an unexpected raw surge at the song’s start.

This is how it happened. Paul McCartney strummed an A string on his bass, and John Lennon’s rhythm guitar which was leaning against the amplifier picked up the feedback in a brilliant “Nnnnnnwahhhhh….” sound. 

This is one of the earliest intentional uses of feedback on a rock and roll record. Bands like The Who and The Kinks experimented with feedback in their music as well. 

Who would’ve thought a happy accident would lead to what many bands would use thereafter even today.  As I can’t fathom grunge, hard rock, or heavy metal without feedback. As those raw sounds round out and punctuate solid guitar riffs. 

-aaa