The Mystery That Kicks Off The Beatles' Greatest Album | Taxman
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ต.ค. 2022
- In August 1966, The Beatles unleashed an album that would forever change the course of pop music: Revolver. Its opening song - Taxman - literally counted in a bold new era. One of George Harrison's three contributions to Revolver, Taxman also contains a mystery that has spurred a heated debate among Beatle fans: who is announcing the "1...2...3...4" count-in? Was it Paul McCartney? George Harrison? John Lennon? Or even Ringo Starr? We'll investigate. And as a fair warning: you can't unhear this.
Image Credits for Photographs:
Copyright Robert Freeman
Sources:
- Dave Rybaczewski www.beatlesebooks.com
- The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn
- The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969) by Jerry Hammack and Gillian G Gaar
- www.beatlesbible.com
- Recording the Beatles by Kevin Ryan & Brian Kehew
Special thanks to @DLD2Music for providing isolated tracks
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1...2...3...4: It's time for a new episode! Have you had a chance to check out the 2022 Revolver remix yet? Let me know what you think in the comments!
And about that lingering count-in mystery...🎧😎🎙
Woo
Hey don't know if you remember but we talked on a video before about the 2022 mix of revolver. Thanks for this video of taxman.
More background chatter in 2022 Taxman intro
Taxman inspired by Batman theme ?
Have I checked it out yet? Well it's not out, so no
They both sound like George to my ears.
Same here
Felt that.
I agree.
Totally
agreed
George in the loud count, Paul the cough, and George in the fast count. This was a ground-breaking album in so many ways.
This is correct in my opinion. George's song, George does the countdown. Also on the 2022 release you can hear Paul coughing in other places on the record. Paul coughing.
Agree all the way.
100%
Wheres John? As george said..
@@BigBri550 why george did lie?
One surprising reveal from the "Get Back" documentary is that George counted in nearly every song, even those the others wrote.
Indeed!
Didn't notice that, cheers!
A band so beloved even their count-ins are analyzed
In a hundred years time there will be analysis of the youtube comments
@@paulb6152 man imagine being alive 100 years from now and thats your job, reading TH-cam comments. Id hope there are better things to do in 100 years time, like teleporting or using telepathy to communicate with a dolphin or something.
Gwidbsujdlcl[spsjdi2222
Analyze this strange code people of the future.
The half-speed countdown is almost definitely George. It's not just the sound of his voice, it's his accent. None of the other Beatles have it, and you can hear it clearly in the half-speed count-in. Paul may be able to "ham" the low voice, but you can still differentiate the accent when he does it.
Paul could mimic George well - he does it in Monkberry Moon Delight where you hear a voice say “What is it?”
@@thomaspappalardo7589 He didn't mimic George in MMD, that's just ridiculous.
And the count in is George, absolutely no doubt.
EDIT:
I was wrong, the count in is PAUL!
But George does the fast one.
Agreed. George.
@@randallpope363 No, the slow one is PAUL!
Yep, I agree. I was reminded of how strong George's accent was (even if he was exaggerating it for effect) when I watched a clip from "A Hard Day's Night" not too long ago. (Btw, I was 13yo when Revolver was released, and as a Beatles fan from the start, I was blown away by the new sounds on that album.)
Clearly both George. It’s the unique way he says “two” that gives it away. Taxman has always been a top 10 Beatles track for me. Strongest album opener ever.
I was convinced too until I heard that side by side with Paul doing the voice…
Both are George 100%
George never lost his Scouse accent, and it's heard loud and clear on both countdowns.
@@hamuelcubbins4622 Even hearing them side-by-side, I can clearly hear it as George. The voices are similar sure, but on Taxman it's most definitely George's cadence.
There was me thinking no one on the planet would care for the song (at least compared to their other material). Different tastes, eh!
I was a rabid Beatles fan since 1963. I got to see them play live 4 times- twice in one day. I ran to the record stores to buy their albums the first day they came out. In 1966 to my 14 year old ears my mind was blown. The Beatles were everything and they were inventing sounds no one had ever heard before! You can imagine from here what it was like to hear these innovative songs for the first time.
What does your fantasy have to do with the discussion here….hint
NOTHING
Can’t even imagine what it was like to witness these guys take over the world and actively change music forever before your eyes. The ‘60s were a wild, transformative time.
@@BareBandSubscription I lived it, saw them over 100 times at the Cavern Club.
@@bigdaddyromance6692
Did you ever talk to them?
@@BareBandSubscription yes, they would have some ale at the pubs afterwards
George is doing both. That's my first impression. You can imagine any Beatle doing it. But its George's song and he was very proud of it.
@The Beatles Paul did all the count ins when they played live. He did the counting on I saw her standing there. It sure wasn’t George.
I can tell by his voice and accent.
Yes, I agree. It would make sense that the person who wrote the song would do the count-in to set the pace where they wanted it, even an overdubbed goof count on the track that he was about to record his main vocals.
@@jamesm.3967 You ask me, Paul was the one coughing in the background.
I agree. But never underestimate Paul's willingness to take over and micromanage every aspect of recording. There are a lot of examples of Paul counting in others' songs in Get Back and the recent deluxe versions of the latter albums.
This one I think is George for both...sad how often John wasn't too involved in some of George's songs. I think he connected with George and was a supporter. But was very hands off in recording George's material -- for good and for bad.
The most remarkable aspect of Revolver is that 12 of the 14 songs are less than three minutes long! I'm Only Sleeping is 3:02 and Love You To is 3:03. The shortest are For No One at 2:02 with And Your Bird Can Sing clocking in at 2:02. Every track is memorable,telling a complete story in a short time. Amazing!!
I don't think that's the most remarkable aspect at all.
IIRC, it was to do with songs over 3 minutes not being able to played on radio at the time
l've been saying exactly this about The Beatles these past few years. You can go back to Meet The Beatles or Hard Day's Night. The level of talent and arrangement is so high that it bends the fabric of time. They never feel short. Just so well put together that it's a full musical meal. It's inspired me as a songwriter to do more with less. Truly inspirational, and I am still learning from their example.
Typical for that time period.
It was normal in the 60's to keep song short. Not remarkable. However, many others aspects are remarkable.
Let me tell you, hearing the Beatles for the first time, along with everybody else in the world, is something you will never forget.
And, I never have! I was 8 when I sat, cross-legged, in front of the TV in 2/64, watching "The Ed Sullivan Show"!
@@bradsmack1 It really was a "big shoe".
@@matchrocket1702 And, I was fit to be tied!
I got Let It Be for xmas in 1970,when I was 6, from my estranged father. Even though he wasn’t a rock fan, he was a rat pack guy, others in my family were into country and he hated it so he sent me that. Even at that young age I loved it and it’s still one of my favorite Beatles records because of it being just the stripped down band for most of it.
I've LOOOOOONG forgotten it. My dad played the Beatles' music when I was probably still in the womb. I became a real lover of the Beatles when I was 16, but I already knew 50+% of their songs pretty well. And there was most likely an extra 10 to 20% that I'd completely forgotten but were possibly floating around in my soul somwhere. ...Unless you were talking about having that first realisation that the Beatles' music feels like something that you want to consume more and more of
Yes, I was around to hear all the Beatles albums as they came out, and especially starting with Revolver, each was a revelation. They were far ahead in terms of innovations and songwriting. They changed my musical life and were the main reason I became a musician.
Were you able to make a living from playing music?
It's amazing how the Beatles have been so influential and popular that we spend so much time trying to figure out the smallest things like which member is doing a countdown or which is coughing in the background of a song
I'm pleased that someone had the wherewithal to document in real time how much history was being made. There's so many photographs, and *expensive* videos that show them just working. Lot's of preserved audio tape too.
Ik,r? It doesn't really matter, and yet somehow it seems to anyway.
There’s a Beatles college course too.
@@OthO67 where? I'm curious
Definitely my favorite with Rubber Soul a close second.
'Revolver' was the first album I bought at the ripe old age of 16. It's timeless, and still my favourite Beatles LP. Just saying- it's a Masterpiece!!
I had the same age then
100%.
Mine too.
I also bought it at the ripe old age of 16. I ordered my copy from England and received it 3 days before the US release. It was also the month I saw the Beatles in Cincinnati at Crosley field.
I can't help it, I hear George in both of them.
I'd just like to say that these videos make me love Beatles music even more, which I wouldn't believe is possible.
Yes, most definately 100% George!
George is consistently the most underrated member of this band, even by his fellow band members -- this is just one of many of my favorite Beatles songs that George wrote
I want to tell you,my head is filled with things to say!
AMEN!!!!
He’s always been my fav beatle
It's great to hear about Beatles. But when certain types of George fans open their mouths, ignorant of everything, the history of the songs, the history of themselves, the logic and harmony at all... the magic is gone... Taxman had the lyrics redone by John, Paul's solos, and the Beatles as a whole worked hard for the final result. As always happened, what George was singing was a work by the Beatles. George was never' underestimated' by anyone, he had his place and recognition and this is ridicule. You only say that because you're a hard fan of George, so it doesn't count for me.
McCartneys lead guitar on taxman was done in one take. Paul was such a great player on bass and guitar and excellent on piano and drums. All instruments he plays were self taught incredibly.
He was not a great drummer, he was mediocre at best
@@Ya-rs9mk
That's quite evident on Paul's first solo album. But that one also has a garden shed sound ambiance. :--))
He did better than me, I can't drum at all. I can concentrate on one hand at the time only...
He briefly took piano lessons - but hated them.
@@SimonFoster23111971
Paul?
@@SimonFoster23111971 Correct, he had two lessons and was bored. That was the end!
I was fifteen when Revolver was released. The film A Hard Day's Night was in August, 1964. Revolver was issued in August of 1966. I remember clearly what an impact it made. Taxman followed by Eleanor Rigby? Holy cow!! It's also difficult to describe how incredible it was to hear Tomorrow Never Knows for the first time. Cur-azy!
For me, it was a few decades later but I discovered the Beatles and it blew my mind. With my wages, I used to go to the record store every Friday to pick up the next album, until I got them all. I mention the time because the impact was still huge. It was like discovering secrets and it was a golden period in my life. The songs sounded so familiar but I couldn't have known all of them. Revolver was unbelievable. It sounded so fresh - as though it had been recorded yesterday. What an experience.
Time for your colonoscopy!
I was 14 when it came out and I was playing in a band. The Beatles were my inspiration as my playing improved.
One thing that always struck me about their music was that I seldom liked their songs on first listen but then they grew on me into my favourites. It seems that if I like a song straight away it will wear off. Credence Clearwater Revival spring to mind.
@@warren52nz Right on! I was also in a group called The Ravens. ( I read a lot of Poe. ) We covered the Beatles, Stones, Animals, etc.
@@jamesdrynan Sounds like we have a lot in common. I'm still a working musician in this subtropical paradise, New Zealand.
Taxman is a monster of a song! That bass, the guitar solo - just superb. Another lovely little touch was the Indian inspired descending notes that Paul played in his guitar solo - purposely to please George, who was so interested in Indian music.
I always thought it was George doing the slow, more prominent count and that it was Paul doing the fast ('real') count in the background. After seeing this video, it may have been John doing the slow count, but I'm still convinced it's Paul doing the fast one. But who knows for sure? Paul and Ringo are the only ones left to answer that question and even they may misremember things from almost *60 years ago*
God! This group...
As confirmed many times, decades ago and most recently, it's Paul doing the slow count.
No mystery.
Listening to Rubber Soul stoned blew my mind. To realize these kids (early-mid 20s) had to sit together and make so many parts come together was mind blowing. Thinking of them sitting down in the studio, practicing these songs, killing them and then-most amazingly-moving on and seemingly forgetting about them time after time after time was so cosmically heavy.
Hearing them during Abbey Road sessions thinking they were the same band who had recorded all these songs and so much more is why they’ll never not be the greatest group in history.
I think the main count in is definitely George (his distinct vernacular of Liverpudlian dialect comes through in the "three" and "four"). As for the joke count in, I think the voice belongs to George while the cough comes from Paul. Since he wrote and sang the song, I'd think it would make sense that he'd do both.
Another great video from you! I'm always amazed how you're able to take such minute details in all these Beatles songs and stretch them into something informative and engaging. Plus that combination of Taxman and the Batman theme was killer.
that's a good point. makes sense he'd be at the loudly mixed mic for vocal overdubs when he recorded the low voice count-in. why would they set it up and put someone else there to do it.
@@ajconstantine3593 exactly lol. I dont know how people are like "its obviously John." makes me wonder if im insane lol
Sounds awfully Pauline to me when I hear just the count soloed! I used to think it was all George but there's a certain twang now that suggests Paul!
Yes - it's always sounded like George to me. And I'd always though the other one was Paul (especially the 'four') - but hearing it isolated it sounds like George as well
It's the George way of saying the word 'three'. That's how you can tell who it is.
Never ceases to amaze me of how brilliant the Beatles and the engineers were. This stuff is so legendary
When I got the album (probably in 1966), I was ABSOLUTELY blown away by it...perhaps most especially by "Taxman" and "Tomorrow Never Knows!!!" ; )
We all did….Hero
Taxman was never on my list of top George songs but listening to the new, old, mono mixes I.can’t get enough. It’s fantastic. And Paul’s bass is phenomenal. Count in voices, I hear each one of them at different times.
Since hearing Taxman for the first time in 1966, I have always believed that John did the first count in. After your comparison of Paul's voice in You Know My Name (Now Look Up The Number), I'm now convinced it is Paul. There's no doubt in my mind that George does the second count in.
Thanks for another great video.
I was just stunned to learn that Paul played that lead guitar riff! As to the "mystery," I don't know, and I don't care. I was nearly 20 when Revolver was released, and it blew me away then, and it still does. But "Rubber Soul" set the stage for Revolver, which set the stage for "Sergeant Peppers." The rapid evolution of the band in such a short period time is tribute to the genius that was The Beatles.
He didn’t play the riff, he played the solo.
@@JeffaHensley Correct. The riff is George all the way. The story goes George couldn't come up with a good solo, and when George left for lunch Paul had a go at it. I read somewhere that George thanked Paul and Paul mentioned he put a little Indian music flavor into the solo, as that was what George was into at the time.
Now lets talk about the mystery of the cough. Gotta be John. Or maybe Ringo? Or George Martin? Maybe one of the studio technicians. I wonder if _You Can't Unhear This_ could put some of the best high tech analysis to the audio and solve the cough controversy! 😉
I don't think 'Revolver' set the stage for Pepper. Maybe for The Beatles or even Let It Be, which was the last step before Abbey Road. Pepper was an ego circus for Paul. The rest of the band more or less sat in the wings until he waved them out onto the stage for a song of two. Every time I listen to it it feels like a weaker disc.
I am still blown away by Paul playing the lead...taking away George's 'solo guitar' part on HIS song. I wonder how George felt about that... Well, 3 years later George quits The Beatles! The competitive forces that drove these musicians is amazing to me. I always felt bad/sad for George....until 'All Things Must Past' came out. Genius! Good for you, George.
My favorite Beatle album. Hard driving bass lines, great solos great harmonies and awesome psychedelic ending. Very experimental.
Very cool video 😎. The bit at the end of Paul’s solo being reversed for TNK sounded spot-on 👍🏻. Nice catch! As for me, I’ve always heard the count-in as John with the low & slow one, Paul coughing, and George with the energetic last count.
What a remarkable arrangement they finally came up with. People don't generally think about the disciplined, hard, sober work that these four put in behind the scenes.
It's just hard to even fathom that Tomorrow Never Knows was the first track recorded for the Revolver sessions. Just so ahead of their time and a testament to the genius that was Lennon.
And George Martin and Geoff Emerick
John based his lyric on the Tibetan Book of the Dead which he'd been reading.
You mean the genius of Paul creating the beat and tapes? 😆 🤣 😂
@@docsavage8640 thank you for pointing that out. Paul was the mastermind behind it and many other John songs. 🙏🏽
@@ralphsmith3529 Not quite accurate. It was The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzer and Ralph Alpert from 1964. Which took parts of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. To act as a guide for preparing for, taking part in and advice for after a trip. Which they saw as very similar to the state Buddhists were readied for when dying. Letting go of the fake material world and embracing the spiritual reality.
So yeah, while based on it. It isn't an exact copy. Rather an adaptation for one ready to initiate themselves into the world of psychedelics. And on how to properly conduct the first experience, as safely and reasonably as they thought possible at that time.
Since all 3 were major proponents of the use of psychedelics in the aid of mental health. To better ones life by seeing the truth hidden behind all the fog.
As a pre-teen listening to it on vinyl in 1966 , I always assumed John did the lead-in ; but your comparison to Paul's other track has me willing to reconsider .
George had a distinctive accent and adenoid sounding throatiness - a quite unique and charming tone - both count-ins have this sound.
Man I have never noticed that 2nd countdown in the background in all the years I've heard this song. I laughed out loud when you played it because the Beatles never stop surprising. As to who, I've always thought George was doing the main countdown that I could hear and I still do. And the 2nd one also sounds like George. Obviously it's Mal coughing as he brings in some tea and toast.
Just when the world needed him most, he returned.
This video is gold! Awesome stuff man!
In my opinion, Revolver is the Beatles finest album. When you include the singles from that recording session, "We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper," and "Paperback Writer/Rain," and it's the best work of their careers as a band.
We Can Work it Out / Day Tripper were recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions.
Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane put on Sgt. Pepper disagree 😁
I played to death every Beatle record that ever came out (or damn bear every one), starting when i was in third grade. My brother bought the album, i played them 'til they were no longer playable lol. I don't rate the Beatles with all the other bands. They're in a league of their own.
@@kentlewis987 Same time period, late 1965 to 1966. Their best era.
@@paulbrinkman5631 Once I got turned on to the Beatles by my not-much-older-than-me uncles in the early 70's, I couldn't buy their albums fast enough and played them all until I wore needles out.
I was around back then and bought Revolver in 1966 when the vinyl was still a bit warm from the pressing. It was my first Beatles album purchase, and it was monophonic! It blew me away. I quickly began filling in the gaps in my Beatles LP collection by buying up their previous albums and each new release after Revolver as soon as I had the money to buy them. That includes the stereo version of Revolver. I've still got all of those Capitol/EMI/Parlophone/Apple Beatles LPs plus some 45 RPM singles. and I have since supplemented that old vinyl library with CDs. What continues to amaze me is that with each new hearing, particularly when you get past their first two or three albums, there's always something new to discover. Some detail that was there all along but which I had not noticed before suddenly pops into focus. Thanks for this video! Thanks especially to dear George, Ringo, Paul, and John. Thanks to George Martin and Geoff Emerick, and the other people who collaborated with The Beatles in the studio, and thanks to the many Beatles fans who have endured the breakup of the band and the deaths of John Lennon, George Harrison, George Martin, and Geoff Emerick. They will live on forever in these brilliant recordings and in our hearts.
They were absolutely amazing, and back in 1966 when I was 16 and in a band, we were constantly impressed by these four greats.
What instrument did you play? Or did you sing?
The greatest album by the greatest band opening with a killer track.
It still gives me chills.
Fascinating,thank you for your work sir.😘🏹❤️🥁🌻
George always had a very distinct Liverpudlian accent that would come forth even while singing.
You can hear it plainly on the overdubbed..."three, four".
It's the extra sharp 'r' in "three" and "foh". Between the four of them, he was the only one with this accent.
George also had a rather deep speaking voice. Paul has a deep voice when he's trying to imitate somebody, ('Listen To What The Man Said', etc) but the distinct Scouse-ness of George is just too unmistakable. Not even Paul could fake it successfully, in my opinion.
I feel this definitely nails George as the overdubbed count-in guy 100%.
The background count-in is a bit harder to discern, but I feel this sounds like George also.
The background is definitely George. If you try to picture them all saying it when it plays, it only fits with George. Plus, it simply sounds like his usual speaking voice timbre.
100% agree -- it's George in both.
I don't disagree with the assessment, but John's speaking voice and vocal range seemed lower than George's. Paul has hit some very low notes too but of course he usually sings higher.
@@louisrobertbrown Imo it could be George or John trying for a different voice. Most likely George since it's his song.
Yes.
Award for the record use of the word anomaly in a TH-cam video, well done.
youre just everywhere now, huh?
@@jasonart624 he is isn't he? saw him on a Jeff Lynne video too, I think he likes this music, since I watched him when I was younger its pretty cool
Using the word anomaly so many times in a single video is surely an anomaly.
That's 100% George on the original, fast count-in. Chris Carter from "Breakfast With The Beatles" mentioned a while back that Paul did the slow, deep-voiced count-in.
When I first put Revolver on the turn table and placed the needle and heard the count-in(s) I was blown away and still am today whenever I listen to it. No better song could have led off that album. Fortunately, the Capitol version of the LP kept that opening. A few John songs were left off having been included on Yesterday and Today. Once I got hold of the "real" version, the UK version I finally got the full effect of just how incredible this album was and is. Sgt. Pepper got all the credit but Revolver is the REAL gem! Taxman laid the groundwork. The Beatles entered the psychedelic world, pushed the envelope, and created a timeless homage to the 1960s...a decade they owned!
Please describe the UK disc as I only ever had the Capital one (I bought it in 1977 when I was in 7th grade)--
Side A, Side B, etc.
@@karaamundson3964 Missing on the US version are "I'm Only Sleeping", "Doctor Robert", "And Your Bird Can Sing"...all Lennon songs. These were included on the US LP "Yesterday and Today". I believe these were also slightly different takes of the same songs that appeared on the UK (official) version of Revolver. In other words, the US version is far inferior to the UK version. Capitol Records did this a lot up until Sgt Pepper. They took advantage of Beatlemania in the US by putting out as many albums as they could so as to make it look like listeners were getting more than they actually were. The Capitol releases in the US were not nearly as good as the UK versions BUT in the days of mono records, mono radio, and making shitloads of money who cared. We were all kids craving Beatles albums...so we bought them never knowing there were "official" EMI releases with the most complete song listings. BTW "Yesterday and Today" is kind of a cool album in itself but then, back then I never knew the difference until I was old enough and had the money to spend on UK imports to get the real version. When you hear Rubber Soul and Revolver the proper UK way you can NEVER go back to listening to the Capitol versions. (Also the same with "Help", Capitol really butchered that one, too)
Stop overanalyzing OMG!!!
Hear, hear. I agree. They still had all the love band energy.
@@stevefuegner1876 They were skimming over the highlights of a huge subject which is fascinating to millions of people, especially those who care about good music.
I was 14 when Revolver was released in Canada. Like all the Beatles albums before it, my friend Dave bought it and all the usual guys in our neighborhood got together at his house to listen to it over and over again, and discuss each song in detail for hours. The music was so experimental and unusual for its day. I still love the album and think it easily stands up today as great music. That was one of the things that made my teens so special. Each new Beatles album was an event, with people getting together to hear it in full for the first time, and endless discussions about the songs. I'm glad I was alive to experience that.
Right on ..OUR generation by far had the best music ..starting with these 4
@@garyscramstad1771 I’m not so sure. Everyone thinks their generation is the best but there’s good and bad music from every decade. Everyone has their own biases as to what is best. I was born almost 15 years after Taxman but I like music in every decade from the 60s forward.
Wonderful!
@@kdogg7882 The Beatles are the best by far
@@kdogg7882 Well, the Beatles have stood the test of time, remaining popular for over 50 years, no other groups from any decade are likely to match their enduring popularity. Groups from the mid to late 1960's like The Beatles, Cream, Traffic, The Moody Blues, Santana, etc. absorbed influences from the zeitgeist and created a new form of rock that was entirely different than what came before them. So on that level, the music from the 60's is more innovative and original than rock from the following decades. That decade's music is in a class of its own, which makes it unique. Yes, biases are subjective and every generation favors the music which represented their youth but objectively, the music born of the counterculture represents a creative high water mark that hasn't been approached by the music of any other decade.
absolutely phenomenal video. keep up the good work
It's terrible, because he "forgot" to quote all the experts including the new liner notes who confirm that it's Paul doing the slow count.
Love all the little details!
Listen to the intro to “Listen To What the Man Said” from P. McCartney and Wings. Same voice as the beginning of Taxman, so that is Paul counting. The original fast count from the final take is George. The original attempt for an alternate ending was to loop part of the song. That is available on an unreleased acetate (wish I could post but afraid TH-cam will ban). Since they couldn’t properly do a loop, they decided to edit in the guitar solo part (which was a better idea.
Just listen to it. That is NOT the voice on the 1/2 speed count in. It's George all the way. One, Two, Thrayy.
In 1966 listening to REVOLVER blew my mind. Every nuance in each song pulled me in. Then Tomorrow Never Knows lifted that much higher. Still have all my original albums/ Mike Carr
I hope in my life to have a conversation with someone like you who was there at the time. It would be fascinating comparing notes of what we each find/found interesting.
Summer 1966 just finished High school, driving around with top down and bam, Taxman comes on the radio with a sound never heard before and I knew music was changing ...great times.
dude you really got me with this one. Super cool
I’ll say that I’m almost completely confident that the second count in was from George. But the first, I thought that was George as well, but now that I’ve heard the You Never Give Me Your Money outtake, Paul easily could’ve done it.
Nonsense, it's both George.
EDIT:
I was wrong, the low one is indeed PAUL!
That was a fast turn of opinion. 😁
I thought the same thing
Great video!!! One thing that makes the Beatles so special and what I would call the band that has the best vocals in rock ‘n’ roll, is the way their voices blended together. Sometimes they really sound distinct, but sometimes it’s really hard to tell who is singing!
And this is why “Revolver” will always be my favorite Beatles album.
Another great episode! I think it's Paul on the overdubbed count in and George on the one recorded on the rhythm track. Thanks
And that is correct!
'Cause I'm the Pac-man ... Thanks for this in-depth research and presentation. You rock!
I’m hearing George on the original and Paul on the deep voice track. Such a great song! ❤
I’m always amazed and in awe of the Beatles. Your video is wonderfully shows this fan insight to just one songs story….amazing and awesome group
Great video! Revolver is one of the Beatles’s masterworks. A lot of nice details.
I think the counting is done by Paul and George. Just my opinion.
I was 16 years old in 1966 and was playing drums in a terrible garage band. They were called a “combo” back then. We were sure we were going to be just like the Beatles. Everything the Beatles did was groundbreaking. We waited in anticipation for their next release! They changed our world!
Yup, they sure as hell did...your and millions of ours as well. Sure glad to be older now to have been young then, especially as a young musician. I now write and record on a daily basis and still reference one of their songs occasionally for an idea or two with arrangements. Everything they did was so damn cutting edge and wayy ahead of it's time. They were the dog and the music world and world in general was their tail but they were the ones doing the wagging.
I'm starting to wonder if The Beatles were ever well. John's cough at the very end of Twist and Shout, Somebody sneezes during the Mono version of Norwegian Wood, the cough at the beginning of Taxman and the ad libbed coughing sound during You know my name ( look up the number)..I'm sure there's more ? Great program at usual.
When somebody first played the album for me at age 10 in 1966 I only liked 3 songs. 19 years later it was the 2nd CD I bought. Still one of my favorites. Thanks for this.
I remember it when it was released. I was only a kid, but I was old enough to sense and detect the changes occurring in their music. I remember Rain being during this time as well - loved it too. I had seen them on Ed Sullivan and knew all their music quite well, as my older sibs played each new release endlessly.
The Beatles are endlessly fascinating in the layering of sounds that made up their recordings. And that after all these years some mysteries still remain.
Worth a mention is that the Monkees had some fun with Taxman by putting in a silly count-in on Mike Nesmith's lead track of their album, the great "Headquarters."
Go ahead and listen to the fun song "You Told Me" by the Prefab Four, and enjoy yourself.
I always thought The Monkees' song "Salesman" was also a little nod to Taxman, too.
“Times have made me shy of all the things you're saying”
RIP Mike Nesmith. "You Told Me" is one of my all-time favorites.
Totally agree with this statement! And if you want to hear the Monkees come together musically as a recording band, check out the Headquarters Sessions. And actually if you listen to the master backing track of “You Told Me”, you can really hear how Chip Douglas got the inspiration for the bass from “Taxman”. I don’t think it was Peter Tork playing bass on this track; I believe he played the banjo on it though.
Great video! A lifelong fan of this song/album, and, heh, I never knew this. This was great.
If you listen to the beginning of George's song "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)" you hear George counting in in a kind of low voice. In my opinion that sounds a LOT like the count in of Taxman. So I'm pretty convinced George did it.
"Revolver" is my favourite album, and I agree that it's the Beatles' greatest.
I love hearing the tracks in isolation. I'm reminded here of how beautifully Paul and John's voices blend together. Good show, as always.
2:06 the callbacks are three part harmony - John, Paul, and George. Not just John and Paul.
I remember hearing Taxman way back in 1967. I always believed that Paul was in the background and thought it was John doing that bassy 1,2,3 4. All these years later, with what is played here the bass voice has to be Paul. George was a straight up entertainer. Paul and John were the goof balls. Even george commented about that in Jacksons Let it Be. They're always goofing around.
My favorite take away from this video is the reverse guitar sound on tomorrow never knows, possibly being the solo from taxman.
And PS
it was the walrus counting.
The year 1966 had two of my favorite albums of all time, Revolver and Pet Sounds.
An absolutely amazing album which sounds as fresh today (at least to my ears) as it was in 1966. Revolver is my favorite Beatles album. My guess is that both countdowns were done by George.
Very interesting. Don't think it necessarily matters much who did the count-ins, but it's fascinating to look back at some of the best popular music ever and how it was made. I'm 70 now and feel lucky to have been around when The Beatles were active (and in 1966 when England won the World Cup). What an era!
I never realized the end of the song was the middle section just spliced on. Now that I hear it I do realize the guitar solo is completely identical and it makes sense, but I never noticed it before. That really is something I'll never be able to unhear. And that's a damn clean edit for 1966, that's up there with the infamous Strawberry Fields edit
*Hi Raymond ! Your work is gorgeous man, kudos. Being a big fan of your channel litterally from its creation in 2013 (through other channels of mine), today for the first time I'll try and help , by taking part in the discussions (which I never do I don't know why)... So here is my take on the whole "Taxman count-in" enigma :*
*As usual with the Beatles, the recording of any song would start by the recording of the "Basic Track", which was usually the group performing the song in its usual regular configuration of Ringo on drums, Paul on bass, John and George on guitars, with the one who'd written the song usually singing for cues only, because he knows he can re-record his vocal properly later on.*
*That first "Basic Track", by mean sometimes of a "reduction mixdown", would usually ends up onto one single track of the 4-track master tape, the big tape recorder of the studio, which would leave 3 spare tracks on it to complete the arrangement of the song later on.*
*That hidden background count-in we can hear underneath the falsely suave joky "count-in" of the "loud George voice", is in fact George counting in that first "Basic Track" performance.*
*And then they went on recording all the overdubs, one of which being of course George re-recording a final proper vocal onto one of the remaining spare tracks of the 4-track master tape. And it is during those subsequent recordings that George Harrison, standing alone in front of his mic, headphones on his head, in the middle of the big Studio 2 room at Abbey Road, while waiting for the basic track performance running on Track 1 of the 4-track tape to begin, jokingly added the funny count-in like they would often do to evacuate the stress of a Big Important Take coming in ! This is why if you listen closely, as soon as his original voice from the "Basic Track" starts the quick shouted count-in, the "loud close sounding and joking" George count-in immediately and abruptly stops. George has to be serious all of a sudden : the real recording begins ! It sounds typical.*
*Nothing was ever "added" anywhere or was "put in front" at later stages anywhere. What you hear is just the natural 4-track master tape running with all the 4 tracks opened at the same time before the proper song begins. And therefore you can hear the original quick shouted count-in of the "Basic Track George" along with the joky close suave count-in from the fidgetting "Overdub George" waiting to sing. And during the final mixing of the song, they found that this sounded funny and that it was a good start for the album, so they just kept those few seconds of "before-the-performance" gibberish that they would normally always cut out. So there you go.*
*I'd like to thank everyone on everyone's behalf and I hope I've passed the audition.*
Great to hear from you, thanks for the comment and insights!
One problem with your theory is how precise the timing is on the first count. It is in 1/2 time compared to the buried real count in. The buried one was what obviously kicked the song off. There is also that little Guitar lick that is in near perfect time that ends on the 2 of the louder count in as well. To get the 1/2 speed count in to be that close it would seem to me that it would need to be rehearsed a few times and/or a few takes done to get it right. It could have been overdubbed on the seconds of lead in tape that were there during and after the take number was announced and recorded.
@@ricknorris1466 *This is pure coincidence Rick. Nothing was planned, it was random spur of the moment kind of thing. The "synchronization" you sense with the time signature is just coincidence man.*
Hmm… After further investigation I’ve found the following reasonably reliable quotes. One is from George himself from The Beatles Monthly in the December’66 issue #41 where he states that “John did the counting bit on Taxman”. There is also Mark Lewisohn from his Recording Sessions book where he claims that on May 16 “Taxman received its final ingredient (the “One, two, three, four” intro) and then mixed into mono”. Hard to argue with those sources.
Oh wie kann ich dad alles translat(en) ?
I'm coming from Germany, Ellen ✌ ❤
Great job, i was around when the album came out and it was brilliant and always will be.
I remember vividly buying this and playing it on my parents' HiFi for the very first time. It still reminds me of that '66 summer.
(England had just won the World Cup and I'd been at all nine matches at Wembley!).
I always thought the 'real' count-in was Paul but hearing it isolated for the first time, it really sounds like George to me now
Me too. Put me on team BothGeorge.
It's because the "four" sounds a LOT like Paul.
But the "one two" is undeniably George.
And the slow, low one is PAUL!
@@gutgolf74 so Paul does "one, two" and George does "four". Could it be Lennon who does "three"? Brilliant band, even the counting in is uncanny
The real count in is clearly George
Nice job on this and very interesting!
No, a terrible job, because he "forgot" all the experts and the new liner notes who clearly confirm it's Paul doing the slow count.
Well done!! I know Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is considered by many to be the Beatles greatest work, but I argue for Revolver as their very best. Without the dramatic changes in Revolver, I feel the other either would not have been done like it is, or as good as it is. Thus one has Revolver's brilliance in itself, and it's contribution to the next album. I love how you bring out the reverse guitar on Tomorrow Never Knows with the possible tie to Taxman. I knew they played the guitar in reverse, but until you pointed it out I didn't connect it to the forward play in Taxman. If it is exactly that, that they would have the genius to think of this and purposely designing to bookend the album is this way is just flat out incredible. The somewhat hidden count in the beginning of taxman I thought was John, but I honestly couldn't say for sure after what you brought out again. Again new brilliance by these guys who have taken a giant leap forward, and in just touching 2 songs off the LP leaves much for us to consider. What incredible talent lied within these 4 musicians.
Revolver does have the best songs, but the best "album" is Abbey Road.
In the overdubbed count-in the "three" really sounds like George, so that's who I'm going for.
This channel is fantastic, love each and every upload. Can't wait for the new edition of my favorite album ever, Revolver!
The guitar playing in this one song may have led me to drop the accordian and start learning to play the instrument. I was around 13 at the time. Since it led to a life-long hobby (I even made a bit of money playing in bands and such), I think it worth noting. I still love hearing this song. Great video!
I will never experience anything again like the wave of Beatle thrills that swept the West and even the rest over just a few years. It really felt good.
My mother bought this album for me for Christmas when I was 10 years old in 1966. She bought it for her self as much as for me. I can never forget opening the wrapping and seeing that cover. A masterpiece to say the least. I believe the top tax rate in Britain at the time was 90 percent.
That back cover photo was awesome. So very, very cool. The sunglasses!!
Beautiful. My mom got me this album in 1998 when I was 10 and it’s been my favorite Beatles album ever since ❤❤❤
@@-solidsnake- yes it really is timeless. The Beatles were a huge part of my childhood. I would save my lunch money and buy their 45s as soon as they were released.
@@JB19504 It was 95%, hence the "It's one for you, nineteen for me".
@@richardconway8077 What comment are you referring to? I cannot find it on this thread. I certainly know that 1 for you 19 for me is a 95% tax bracket, but I cannot find a comment that would be different than that.
The Tomorrow Never Knows solo is definitely not taken from the Taxman session, as each take of the solo got wiped when Paul would record a new one. It would also have tambourine in it since the solo was recorded onto the existing tambourine track.
I also presumed it was not possible, but when I placed them on top of each other...that fifth segment is uncannily close! Either way, it's fascinating.
Correct. First the notes and inflections aren’t identical. Second, there would be tamborine in it if it was simply flown in from another take. Another thing to know about studio work at that time was that there was no easy digital copy-paste because audio computing didn’t exist. So doing something like pulling a take off a different master tape is such that it’s much easier to simply perform a fresh new take on the tape you already have loaded. I haven’t checked the studio logs (which were published in an excellent book years ago), but if Taxman wasn’t on the same master tape as Tomorrow Never Knows, flying a piece of Taxman in on Tomorrow would require switching master tapes (rewinding the tape fully to its reel, removing it, loading new reel), playing back the Taxman solo while recording it onto a different tape machine and then switching back to the original master tape (once again respooling the master to store in a box) and then adding the playback solo, in reverse, hoping you pressed play at the right moment to get the phrase to sit in rhythm with the other track (also no essily moving any audio once it hits tape). Which is of course all possible, but if you’re tracking and Paul is standing right there anyway, it’s easier and less time-consuming just to have him nip down to the live room and play for 20 seconds, than to have the tape op have to re-spool the current tape and fool around with the 2nd master tape and a 2nd fly-in reel. It’s more likely that somebody said, “that solo you played on Taxman was heavy, play something like that here in the break.” In any case, yes it is a cool bookend!
@I am the liquor Yeah, I've heard that. But it's 100% not taken from the 4-track of Taxman, for the reasons I mentioned above. I suppose it is possible that they were recorded the same day, but there's no documentation to back that up. So it would just be an assumption based on the flimsy evidence of them sounding similar.
Great job. Thanks. 😊
Thank you! Good video!
Great little history. One of my favorite Beatle songs of all time. I was in high school when it was released. Ringo's drumming tneds to get ignored in this song; he and Paul just provide such an incredible rhythem hook, with that slight pause after the fourth beat. Subtle, but it makes the song I think, impossible not to tap your foot. Thanks for the mini-history.
I always thought the beginning of this album illustrated the 4th dimension perfectly. How all these disparate parts drift together in one space and time to make this organized sound and then break apart and sink back into the ethereal ooze. Think of it this way... in all the times and all the ages that'll ever exist in the universe, we happened to be right here at just the right time to witness this explosion of great art and culture...
When you think about it that way, blessed seems to fall spectacularly short of just how incredibly exceptional things actually are. If you're reading this, congratulations, you are incredibly exceptionally exceptional.
You to brother
And you’d think... what are the odds? They were obviously pretty good. 😝 Seriously though,I’ve had much the same thought. Your statement gets it. Completely.🙏
It is/was a miracle that all four of them lived within a few miles of each other and met, and formed the band. This type of music event can only be possible every several hundred years or so, maybe longer.
@@JB19504 hard to imagine it ever happening again.
Oh man, the possible reversed Taxman solo in Tomorrow Never Knows blew my mind. Love that it could be considered a bookend. I absolutely love Beatles trivia and love that I'm still learning some almost 30 years after I started listening to them. Great video!
It's NOT the same solo.
Excellent video!!!
It's been a while Bud. Good to have new material from you 🙏
Second count-in is definitely George as there's no mistaking that voice and his guitar anchors the beat. I'm feeling 90% certain the first one is George as well but your McCartney connection has me rethinking things. Very interesting video!
McCartney loved messing around with his vocals, he was very good at imitating other people’s voices. There’s several songs where he imitates John’s voice in the harmony like in I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party. I am 100% certain it is him, not just because it sounds like him but it’s also something I can imagine him doing and wanting to have on the record. Like how tomorrow never knows has his piano bit at the end, he was the sort of guy to add his own ideas into other peoples songs
@@seanwade8188 All very good points Sean, especially when comparing to Paul's mock lounge singing in "You Know My Name" and helping with that hard edge solo. But it still sounds like George goofing around to me, somebody needs to call Paul to settle this!
@@Fred.pSonic LOL he wouldn’t remember, he’s been asked who does the “ahhhhs” in A Day in the Life and he said he’s not sure but they were all there for it. In Anthology he’s asked if the bass in “Golden Slumbers” was an overdub since he’s playing piano. He just shrugged because he had no clue, lol.
@@Fred.pSonic I’m gonna stand by saying its Paul, for two reasons 1) Paul was the type of guy to do that as a joke imo based on all media I’ve seen of him. He even starts the song “Listen to what the man said” from Venus and Mars with a similar idea of doing a low silly voice and 2) I personally think it sounds way more like Paul than if George did a low voice. But you never know, if it could be proven wrong somehow and I’m willing to accept that!
Agreed ... George, then Paul on opening countdowns. Great vid, well done. LOVE this album ... even more now!
Fabulous album. I was 15 when it came out, fantastic time never to be repeated.
I love taxman so much. One of my favourite beatles songs ever. It's so simple yet so clever and amazing.
The Jam's "Start" is better and its B Side; "Liza Radley" even more so.
Was it Oasis who kept trying to be The Beatles? So Oasis should be called The Foetals.
@@simonmultiverse6349 I'd say The Smell Fa(e)ces is a better fit for them.
@@MisAnnThorpe That's really funny. Salutations are due.
@@MisAnnThorpe Start is a fabulous song and one of my favourite songs by The Jam.
The greatest band in history -- musically, culturally, sociologically. A meteor that streaked across the universe.
Correcto
Great video! Thank you for talking about our nerdy little Beatles things we all love!