Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wednesday Beatles Karaoke

Okay, I lied about Movie Week resuming today -- the scheduled big DVD round-up proved too time consuming for my active, now, a go-go lifestyle, i.e. I flaked.

But in its stead, please enjoy the Fab Four and the astonishing backing track (sans vocals or that famous McCartney bass line) of their 1966 masterpiece "Rain."




Words fail me. Truly.

[h/t Steve Schwartz]

12 comments:

Sal Nunziato said...

If one more pain in the ass gives me the stink eye when I mention Ringo as one of the greatest rock drummers, I'm going to smack him in the kisser.

geor3ge said...

What Sal said. I am more convined than ever of Ringo's greatness.

That simple crescendo at around 0:53. Shivers.

¡barangus!™ said...

.
.
.
.
.
.

steve simels said...

Ringo always said it was his best work. Pretty amazing, but then the whole thing is kind of unprecedented.

Gummo said...

My favorite Beatles backing track is Help" because it's so simple -- acoustic guitars, bass drums and a very low volume electric guitar. Everything that made the song what it is -- that insanely hooky lead guitar line and those complex multipart vocals -- all came in later.

Unfortunately, starting with "Sgt. Pepper" or so, George Martin mostly started recording over their multiple attempts at backing tracks until they got a good one and then started piling on the overdubs, so backing tracks are much fewer and farther between from 1967 on (there are just a few out there, like the famous "Walrus" track featured on Anthology).

steve simels said...

The thing that really blows my mind about "Help" is that it was written and recorded, from stem to stern, in just three days.

They started it when the movie people fixed on "Help" as the title, at the very last minute...

Toonscribe said...

One of my favorite Beatles' songs. And, yes, Ringo is one of the greatest rock drummers. He has his own style and sound that can't be mistaken for anyone else.

pete said...

NOW I see what all the fuss is about!

verification word: bedis

Anonymous said...

amen to all praise to Ringo. How many styles of drumming does he have to have invented and mastered to get the credit he deserves just for being good?

Also, the guitar work on this? subtle, hypnotic, gorgeous. where folk rock became psychedelia. I have to imagine McGuinn wanting to smash 5D on Crosby's head and jump out a window when he heard this (glad he didn't, of course) (and I probably have my dates wrong).

AP

billy gore said...

To me, Revolver was the giant step forward for the Beatles. Following Rubber Soul, which I loved but was a more pop-py evolutionary step, to me, Revolver was a Revolutionary step. I divide their advancement from there rather than Sgt. Pepper's. But that's me. I just remember picking Revolver up when released and being blown away by it.
I love Ringo, but I thought the drumming on that sample was a bit sloppy. Not as technical as on others. Still, he's Ringo. But I always thought Mitch Mitchell a supreme drummer. And Ginger, of course. And Moon. Whatever.

Anonymous said...

Ringo's one of the fuckin' greats!


ROTP(lumber)

pete said...

In the first wave of British beat groups the only drummer who comes close to Ringo for swing, sound, drive, the whole package, was Charlie Watts. When your only competition is Charlie Watts (and it took him a year or two to catch up) you're doing pretty well!