Andrew, there's really easy way how to determine the exact real speed of the Rain basic rhythm (and bass) track. All you have to do is to capture the mains power hum (which is 50hz) of the guitar amps on the track. The guitar amp hum is always constant (at 50 hz) and independent of the the tape running speed, so you can basicaly tune the recording by that hum, if you have the hum. Fortunately, there's enough pre-take silent space with just the hum. And it does really confirms that the backing track WAS played in Bb (to my surprise as well). On the other hand, the book claims that the bass was overdubbed with the tape running fast, but that's not true! The bass track isolation reveals that when you tune the main hum to 50hz it's in G, which is the slowed down version.
That hum is very unusual, where is it on the drums and guitars-in-A clip? It's nowhere to be found on isolated track videos either for this song or any other's that I know of. There's no way that level of hum going onto tape would be tolerated in any studio, let alone Abbey Road.
Despite the errors that the recent Beatles boxes present, I still look forward to them each year. They leave me with a better appreciation for the albums.
I hope they keep on coming, especially with a mono pressing included - I missed out on the mono boxset for being broke at the time and now I have to pay a boxset for each individual record😢.
Thanks Andrew for discussing Rain, as far as I’m concerned it’s one of the Beatles best and has been underrated by music scribes for years (56 years to be exact) the same goes with Hey Bulldog..
Absolutely right for both tracks.The most underrated of their tracks. Rain was the B side of paperback writer.When I listened to Rain (even at 10 years old then) I felt it was a better song. Loved John's voice.
I still remember discovering the song Rain when I was a kid in the 70s listening to my parents singles. Loved Paperback Writer then flipped over the record. My 8 year old brain was never the same again.
Yeah, I was 9 at the beginning of the Beatles' career so my brain was all theirs for my entire formative years and coming of age. I couldn't be happier about that.
I love everything about this song, the guitars, bass, drums, vocals, backwards vocals, the fun video of them, the lyrics are awesome, John pulling out a sublime, understated poetic masterpiece of psychedelia, one of my favourite Beatles tracks. I didn’t know there was so many versions of it, thanks for the good information on this.
I don't think you're quite right here Andrew. The backing track on the box set "actual speed" version has an amp hum of 50hz, which suggests it was indeed recorded at B♭. The bass, however, has an amp hum of around 62hz, so it seems Paul recorded and overdubbed his bass part at a slower speed. Hence why it might be him with John on guitars after all.
Hard to argue with the amp hum frequency. Also, while ringing open notes might suggest The Beatles weren't using capos, the guitars on Rain sound very compressed which would have brought out the jangle. They might even have tuned the guitars a semitone sharp to record the basic rhythm track?
Yep. Compared to bootlegs and other recordings I’ve listened to over the years, I too thought the “Actual Speed” Rain on the 2022 release was oddly and unexpectedly too fast. Some have described the 2022 track as being “comically fast”. But I assumed as it was the official release, it would have been correct and the boots were wrong … now after watching this, maybe not.
Even during the Anthology get together by the Threetles, listening to Tomorrow Never Knows Paul wasn't sure if he was playing Piano, and George couldn't even remember which take was used on the record. So with Big George Martin gone and Geoff Emerick already telling all, it's all about other people's opinions on who played what. Great show as always.
Martin also claimed the backward tape idea as his own much later on. But given they were trying everything that way, I'm sure detailed memories had long faded.
@@finch45lear Love was on DVD-Audio because Giles convinced George to do it. By the time the 2009 remasters came out, both formats were dead. I guess they could do Blu-ray audio, but the label probably doesn’t want that high an audio quality to go public.
What a great time for popular music in the mid-sixties. So many artists were appreciating and influenced by what others were doing resulting in a landscape of new and evolving styles and sounds. When I first heard the “actual speed” Rain on the new collection I immediately thought “Byrds” and also hear them on other tracks. So it’s Beatles inspiring Byrds, then inspiring back to the Beatles in a wonderful feedback loop. You see this everywhere in the music of that time period. Thanks Andrew!
Thanks, Andrew. You’ve nailed it. The Beatles recording crew had been experimenting with variable pitch on their recordings for years, specifically with She Loves You, which, to my ears, the mastered releases have always made the group sound like girls, rather than the intended excitement they tried to exude. It took the Beatles’ film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ to give us a closer look at this recording as the playback equipment used for the film was notoriously slow. ‘She Loves You’ in the film IS too slow, but it’s closer to the actual sound of the recording, if we’re being honest about these released recordings. I’ll say this until I die. ‘She Loves You’ and ‘I’ll Get You’ were sped up by EMI to convey more exuberance, and it’s just wrong, historically.
That's really interesting, going to have to go listen to them now and see what I think! Also going to have to check out the versions on the "A Hard Day's Night" movie one of these days.
Speaking of “She Loves You,” it will be nice to finally hear that song in true stereo if Peter Jackson’s software can do it’s thing. Maybe they can even find a way to make the splices less noticeable once they’ve isolated each instrument. The hi-hat seems to be the thing that really accentuates those splices. Some crafty editing could hide those changes a little better.
It’s believed that the musical sections in the film A Hard Days Night were filmed at 25 frames per second to sync with the UK TV screens in shot throughout. If you watch the film as a film or in the US, it plays at 24 frames per second so everything is too slow. UK TV stations still play films at 25fps so it usually sounds fine on Tv over here.
@@davidrobinson9290 I believe so. I’ve read extensively on the making of the film, and I forget the actual cycles the film was limited to. But I know the music’s slower than the released recordings. Remember seeing an interview with George Martin stating they did vary the speed of recordings for commercial appeal.
It’s only on the “TV studio/theatre” scenes where the songs are lower in pitch and that’s due to the monitors in the scene’s control room which play at a different speed to the movie cameras. If the speeds weren’t matched, rolling bands would appear on the monitors, which I suppose the director didn’t want.
A massive "thank you" Andrew for continuing your analysis of our favorite band's art Your video is the highlight of my youtube week. Looking forward to what's to come this month and beyond. Cheers.
Rain is one of my favorite tracks by the band as well. I once read in RS that they considered it the greatest double sided single of the era, that is until Penny Lane and Strawberry field’s was released.
Off topic. You videos and channel are fantastic. I’m glued to everyone and find them so informative and entertaining. Your enthusiasm and knowledge make you fun to watch. What amazes me the most is that you pull this off without ever playing a Beatles song. Thank you Sir and keep up the good work.
Rain was the first Beatles song I really loved when I was around 8 years old. My parents bought me Past Masters on CD and I loved it. I remember thinking how cool they looked in the music video lol. About 15 years later I rediscovered the Beatles and I’ve been deep diving into their content for the past years!
If there is a most underrated Beatles song, it's "Rain" . I first heard Rain as the B side when I was a kid in 1966, My older brother brought home "Paperback Writer" The song is amazing with John's ethereal vocals and I instantly loved it. This would have been mono, since stereo singles were not available at the time. The next version I heard was in stereo on the Hey Jude album issued in 1970. I had a slight preference for the stereo version, but i had a decent quality receiver at that point vs . an early sixties hi-fi mono set that was part of TV console - common in the US then.
@aceopinions Hi ace do you have a copy of "Hey Jude" with the title "The Beatles Again"? The stereo version is nice because you can hear John's vocals in the left channel and George and Paul's in the right. But the mono mix has the edge for me because it has that psychedelic feel.
Hi Nick, (aceopinions = Tom) trying to find out where google came up with that name and get it changed ...Anyway, Yes, I bought the "The Beatles Again" in 1970, the week it came out in the US. Thanks, I will check out the vocals you referred to. In the US, Beatles albums were sold only in stereo from about 1968 on. Mono versions may have been available, but living in the NYC metro area, I never saw them. Do you have a 1970's issued US issued stereo of this? I have mono copies of the Capital releases up to Magical Mystery Tour I, and was never able to find mono copies of The Beatles Again, the White album, Abbey Road, or Let it Be,..all released in the US from 1968 to 1970 on the Apple label as you know. It's possible that a shop in NY may have carried them. Keep in my that by the late 60''s stereo was marketed by the record companies as superior, with mono touted as inferior. I own the Mono box CD set, so I will check out the mono version of Hey Jude - I grew up listening to it in stereo.. I checked out some of your videos - great commentary on the white album. I will look at the rest as well.
@@yellowjackboots2624 .... Paperback Writer was number 1 , Rain is the B side and did not chart better than the 20:s when released in Spring, 1966. Glad Rain is now more recognized for the great song it is.
@@aceopinions I think that every ordinary person who bought the single in 1966 enjoyed Rain. No disrespect my friend, but to believe that people today have a greater appreciation or understanding of Rain, more so than people in the 60s when it was released, I can't believe it. They loved it then, we love it now, it's great.
The version on the first USA pressing of the "Hey Jude" album ("The Beatles Again") is the superior version for me, as I've been listening to it since I was a 6-year-old in 1970. Granted, I've not heard all the others you detailed, but it's SO ingrained in my mind & ears that my objectivity wanes to the point that I feel no other version could EVER topple it's superiority. I suppose that's called "bias". LOL GREAT video, mate. Keep 'em coming.....!!! 😃
I actually noticed the exact same thing the day I listened to the set back in late October. I made my own version on Audacity calling it "actual actual speed", in the key of A. You can tell it's the right speed from the count in, John's voice sounds natural. Also, you can easily play the song in A. Extra guitar trick: during the coda part, one guitar (or both) has got the lower 6th string detuned to A (E in standard tuning), to create a drone effect.
My vote is for the key of A. I felt a bit skeptical when listening to the fast version the first time. Note the bleed through vocals on the version linked in the description. I will use Audacity to slow the box set version down by 5%. Great video!
Another great video! I'd like to comment on the "Rain" speed controversy. When it first came out a month ago, I saw some forums online discussing how the track was always in the key of A, and not Bb. This apparently is common knowledge among fans in the know, and how Paul's bass was always absent until a later time, likely added during the key drop in which the vocals were recorded, then sped up again for mastering. How in the world could Apple mess this up, if the fans apparently already know? Does this mean what we hear is basically just a backing track sans vocals then just sped up by Giles at the incorrect speed? I mean, when I first heard it myself, man it blew me away as completely unreal, and was just floored by it... because it was advertised by Apple that this was the original backing track performance, so of course I believed it, and so will the millions who will hear it on disc or Spotify, making this a very public deception. I went straight to your link in the description to hear the track in the key of A, and yep I agree with you all the way, this sounds legit. How can these folks make such an "error"? I personally feel cheated
But then, how would you explain those voices you can hear before and after the session take, presented in the key of Bb, they just don't sound natural anymore when slowing the track down to A? Maybe Giles and C° relied on the sound of those voices, when choosing the right speed? That’s a big mystery to me.
@@Zholobov1 okay so I've been listening to both tracks a lot just now, but I still feel the "official" version is simply inhuman, especially considering how we have plenty examples of their real playing, and the tempo and quality of performance in the "A" key just sounds more like what their usual modus operandi via up tempo playing was like. It just sounds beyond their capabilities and comes across as a very unnatural performance, imo. Of course the folks at Apple should have also known that Paul's bass definitely wouldn't be THAT superhuman, despite Paul being so damn good he just ain't THAT good (and I don't know if anybody could be, period), and of course the common acceptance that the bass actually was recorded at a different speed and wouldn't appear on Take 5 in "A" or especially "Bb". Perhaps this is why the liner notes, as Andrew points out, refers to Paul playing guitar on the track. If his bass was dubbed later, then this note makes sense, he could very well have played guitar too in the initial backing track performance.
@@Zholobov1 and when it comes to the voices, the samples aren't long enough to tell for certain. Again between the two keys is roughly 5% speed, with the "official" being on the far side of "natural".
@@greeneyedmonster1174 Yes it's Paul playing lead in an open A tuning (the arpeggios in the coda reveal the tuning) and John playing rhythm. The bass could have been overdubbed in A but I don't think so. They got a perfectly sounding Paperback Writer bass sound in G at the same session, so it's not implausible that the Rain bass would have been recorded in the same key. Whatever, the Bb scenario is bullshit.
At first I was skeptical too about the original speed of "Rain" on the new Revolver box set, but the snare seems to be the exact same pitch as on "Paperback Writer", recorded only 2 days before, and I'm sure this one hasn't been speeded up/down. "Tomorrow never knows" sound very much the same too. I think Paul's bass was added afterwards at the new(slower) speed. This is quite confusing because it seems like they used the varispeed effect more than we would think during this period. It's remarkable how fast Ringo is playing here, but you can hear his time precision is not always the same as usual (but still works perfectly with this song).
That could be the case, but the count-in that Paul does at the beginning sounds a bit too cartoonish, when the pitch is taken down to a semitone lower his voice sounds more natural. Also there's some gibberish at the end of the take that also sounds a bit too high pitched. My theory is that they were experimenting a lot with varispeed, and so the guys asked the engineers to let the tape run a bit slower during the rhythm take, so that when it's played at a "normal" tape speed it sounds accelerated. But that's just my theory
I had a Capitol 45 of PW and Rain with very hot mixes. What I liked was that the 45 was cut slightly off center which added a slight but noticeable wobble in Rain which to my ears sounded great.
Here's the highest compliment I can give you and your channel -- half the audiophile shit you talk about goes completely over my head.. Yet your passion for the Beatles, encyclopedic knowledge of Beatle history, and your note perfect BBC cadence make your episodes highly addictive
This was fascinating and made me go back and compare - really fun. On another note, you've managed to capture your voice amazingly well. The audio quality of this video really stands out - especially for being spoken word.
Still partial to my first “Rain” experience, from the U.S. “Hey Jude” lp, which I had in a 1976 Capitol pressing. Now I enjoy it on a nice 1970 Apple - Jacksonville pressing of “The Beatles Again.”
4:36 As a guitarist and bassist myself, playing in A is much easier than playing in Bb. The key of A is used in a myriad of rock songs, while Bb is very unusual.
This was the first record I ever bought… 1966 after mowing a yard for a neighbor.. like you Andrew the past 50 years of collecting the fab 4 have been awesome.. but difficult at times you’re channel is phenomenal!!great analysis and insight! Thanks!! This is still one of my favorites of all time!! Oh yeah.. capitol us
So, a few errors in your analysis, Andrew. First of all, the basic backing track was indeed played at that fast speed. The lineup was Ringo on drums and Paul and John on guitars, just like the Paperback Writer basic track. This was recorded to track 1 with the tape running faster than normal. The next step was for Paul to overdub his bass part to track 2, this time with the tape running at normal speed. This was the bass part used on the final mix; there was never any additional bass overdub later. Next John overdubbed two complete lead vocal tracks onto the still empty tracks 3 and 4 with the tape machine now running at the slower 42 cycles. At this point, with all 4 tracks being full, they did a reduction mix of take 5 into take 7 with the backing track and bass left separate on tracks 1 and 2 and with sections from both lead vocal tracks mixed together onto track 3. The vacant track 4 then had the tambourine and extra vocals added, like you said. The final addition would be the backwards vocals which were copied to a different tape and punched into the end of track 3. Hopefully this all makes sense. haha
I don't understand how those blunders appear on the offical box set. It's pretty clear to me that the bass sounds sped-up. There's always some strange conclusions on these books, like when they said on the Abbey Road book that Paul played drums in Old Brown Shoe, which I find it absurd. I mean, how did they arrived on those conclusions? Honest mistake or just laziness on their part? The backing with drums and guitar, although they sound odd at first glance, I do think it's the correct speed of recording.
The reason 45s were cut hot - not only mastered hot but the grooves were cut deeper into the vinyl which adds volume, hence the word "groovy" - was for airplay. Labels would send 45s to radio stations back then and you wanted your track to be louder than other competing tracks. Airplay sold records more than anything back then. Most people listened to AM radio in cars or little transistor radios with one crappy ear piece, or on cheap home systems. Dynamics and details didn't matter on these systems, you couldn't hear them anyway. But what you could hear was volume. "A loud 45 sells, a quiet one gets lost" was the mantra.
You’ve honestly earned a subscriber mate! I’ve never come across a channel that has such an extensive knowledge of The Beatles vinyls. Cheers from Texas.
Hi Andrew, still love the work that's put into your videos finding out info and piecing it together and it's all presented so lovely. I still need that Cherman Rarities to hear this legendary Andrew approved fun mix but got every other one you've mentioned here and you are bang on the money AGAIN. I was not impressed with the 7" EP on the super deluxe vinyl box of Revolver at all, for a brand new vinyl it sounded rough but that's obviously the mix and sound quality. Also I definitely heard that Rain "Actual Speed" and my immediate thought was "no way can they be playing that fast and that precise" and I mean that in a not possible sort of way, not an impressed way. And it was Paul's bass that was the giveaway as it just doesn't seem plausible that he could make that many different shapes and apply the pressure, make the strum and move on to the next shape that quick. But stellar work again here Andrew. Top notch.
Hello again Andrew, In a nutshell this what I came up with ~ RAIN ~ "B" SIDE TO PAPERBACK WRITER ~ Clocks in at 3:08 RAIN TAKE 5 RHYTHM ~ THE BEATLES THE REVOLVER SESSIONS ~ Clocks in at 2:50 RAIN TAKE 5 ~ DERIAN IMP TH-cam UPLOAD ~ Clocks I'm at 2:38 RAIN TAKE 5 ~ REVOLVER 2022 RE~ RELEASE ~ Clocks in at 2:25, but there's 2:39 of music because there's more of the master tape that is played!
When I first heard the backing track of Rain on the box set my first thought was "this sounds too fast". Especially because the video on the "you can't unhear this" channel about this song had already shown what the backing track should sound when played at its original speed. In terms of my own copies of this track I have an Australian copy of Hey Jude and I've also got the original mono 45 which is in quite good condition and it sounds very nice on that.
Fascinating, Andrew! I always admire the amount of detail you put into each of your videos and this one was no exception. The first time I heard Rain in stereo was on the Hey Jude ! album and it blew me away. I'm not familiar with the German issue but it sounds as if it has a lot of presence!
I’m in agreement with you on this song. I believe they recorded the backing track at about 42 cycles in the key of A, but playing it faster then they had previously been doing. So when it’s played back at normal speed of 50 cycles it sounds in the key of Bb. Over dubs and backing at 42 cycles also. The finale mix was slowed down again and transferred to another machine. This is what we hear on the record. Not in A and not in G, somewhere in between.
Another informative video Andrew discussing one of my favourite Beatles songs & it's not often i disagree with you but for me the best way to listen to the full dynamics of Rain is in Stereo & for me the new Stereo mix in the Revolver 2022 box set is quite simply the best ever the song has sounded & I'm not the only fan to say this! Obviously it's all about opinions & this is mine..... The new Stereo mix beats everything before it by a distance.
Hey Andrew! Another great video. Hearing “Rain” at the so called original speed was quite surprising. My first thought was how on earth Paul could play those intricate bass lines at such a quick tempo? Please keep us informed. As usual, I am already looking forward next week’s episode.
Thanks again, Andrew. I agree with your assessment of that track being too fast. It's pretty obvious George is on guitar as well. One of my favorite Beatles tracks.
Cheers, Andrew! Love your channel. I first heard "Rain" on a radio program in the U.S. called "Ringo's Yellow Submarine". Ringo would play various Beatles tracks each week. When I first heard "Rain" I was blown away. I remember seeing the various singles and picture sleeves of "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" when I was a kid. The first copy I bought was the Super Oldies 45 on Capitol records. It's a pale blue "Star Line" Label. That's when I first realized "Paperback Writer" in mono had a longer fade. "Rain" will always be my favorite Beatles song. It's my favorite song by any group or artist. I heard it in stereo first on "The Beatles Again" (AKA "Hey Jude") album on Apple records. I do like the stereo versions because I grew up with those. I have the first UK pressing and the 1976 version from the Singles Collection. Took me awhile to get a great copy on the original Capitol orange/yellow swirl label with the original picture sleeve. Keep up the good work! Have a great night!
It sounds more realistic in the key of A so I agree with you Andrew - Apparently George Martin's archive notes on this session were in error - I don't think Giles Martin would decide to speed up the original track without those notes verifying the chosen speed - Good work Andrew - Love our Experimental 1966 Beatles!🎄💿👍🎸🥁🎹🎼🇬🇧
I think in the US we maybe heard the faster version, and on other subsequent releases. When I first heard it on The Beatles Again Lp I thought my turntable was running slow. So when I played new version I was like…there it is! Seriously they must’ve released many versions of it if I noticed a difference and feeling good about it !😄 great job! Now to check out every version I have!!
I do have a 1976 single pressing and can confirm it is pretty good. My fave stereo version is on a Yellow Dog label bootleg CD. John's vocal is on the right and the harmony vocals are very clear on the left. It sounds nice and crisp overall, despite a slight drop-out at one point. The notes claim the take is from 14th April 1966.
Brilliant difinitive work, as usual. I definitely thought "No way they played it that fast!" when I first heard it and I'm sure too that they played it at a slightly slower speed before the Abbey Road engineering wizardry ! For the record I must have bought Rain at least 7 times since 1979, on single, vinyl and CD. For my money it sits very well with the track selection on Past Masters. Vol 2.
Thanks for yet another wonderful one, Andrew. I fully agree with you the 'correct speed' track on the new Revolver package just can't be it. From the first moment I heard it it was all wrong - they COULDN'T have played it that fast, the pitch is just too high. Very strange that they let it pass as 'The One' and used it. I also do agree that the version in A sounds much more like the real deal, and even that one is pushing the limits a bit, but rather that one than the one in Bb. They sound like they're on helium on the latter.
I absolutely love the song rain it is one of the best tracks ever recorded it’s one of those underrated songs that should be recognized along with it all too much another one of my favorite songs. I love the 2000 1945 pressing, I have never heard of the original, and I’m going to have to check out the DMM German pressing the verities of love to hear that. One of my favorite parts of the song is at the end where John Lennon‘s first verse song backwards and that was great. It is such an amazing thing to hear this song many years later I do have the past masters remastered from 2009 and it’s another one of my favorites it’s really good.
I definitely agree. The Rain outtake is sped up. Have you noticed that the Yellow Submarine outtake without the sound effects is sped up too? Those two sped up tracks are my only complaint of this new box set. I can't handle listen to either one of them. I wonder why they sped both of them up like that?
Just another great video Andrew. I must say THANK YOU because when I heard the outtake claimed to be at the regular speed I just felt that something was wrong... Now after your video I have discovered that I was right! Looking forward to seeing the next video. All the best, Alberto, Italy
The Paperback Writer and Rain single was such a monster. It’s worth hunting down an unworn original, even if it takes a few attempts. The 1976 repress is good, but I always found those singles to have noisier vinyl. Plus, the cool factor of spinning the original single is undeniable. 😎
Nice bit of analysis Andrew. Having listened to different singles and compilations I just accepted different pressings sounded different due to the equipment and media used to produce the record. Thanks for looking a bit deeper.
10:18 Thank you for steering me to a quality recording of my favorite 2 Beatles songs on a 45 that only cost me $15. I’ve only been watching your videos for a month or so but I’m so glad that I can buy Beatles LPs now with confidence of the optimum quality of the recording. I’m just now REbuilding my Beatles LP library having recently purchased a nice turntable, etc. Thank you so much!! p.s. I first heard the Beatles when I was 9 in 1963. I definitely wasn’t a fan of I Want to Hold Your Hand or She Loves You (even at that age I REALLY dug James Brown) but when I heard I Saw Her Standing There and Twist and Shout it was the start of my 60 years of being a huge Beatles fan (up to and including Abbey Road).
Crumbs Andrew. So many different pressings and releases. I was left totally confused at the end there. Went and listened to the "real" speed version and agree, it does sound quite sped up. Incidentally, I have a copy of the 1976 reissue of Paperback Writer/Rain. It was the only one I bought of the set (I was only 16 and did not have a lot of spare cash) being pretty much my favourite Beatles single and would just add here, that is locked away in a box and very rarely played. Treated it like a precious thing, even then.
For a single semitone - the guitars would have been tuned to that pitch - no capo required. Johnny Marr - for the majority of the Smiths had his guitar tuned a whole step higher - (which is why a lot of online tabs/books say capo on 2nd fret.)
Paperback Writer/Rain is an awesome combo single. I love the Hey Jude UK Apple import for that. Those songs rock for sure, very edgy sound. Andrew, you are always giving us amazing videos so thank you.
Since the Beatles promo film shows the band playing in an open G chord configuration, this would require a 3rd fret capo to record in B flat I agree Andrew, upon listening to the "original' sped up version , it just sounded wrong. As for the Paul on rhythm guitar, this makes sense to me. Paul had played his Epiphone Casino the day before on Paperback Writer. Then there's the photo of John and Paul playing there Casinos and George (wearing a cap) playing bass. I suspect this may've been one of those 2 sessions. Which leads me to conclude that George's contributions (besides harmony vocals) were wiped when Paul recorded the bass for both songs. I haven't purchased the box set yet because my wife ordered it for my Christmas present. Can't wait!! Cheers, RNB
Paul actually played lots of guitar during the Revolver sessions. The solo on Taxman (also reversed for Tomorrow Never Knows) was actually played by him AFAIK. All three of them (Paul, John and George) bought Epiphone Casino guitars at the same time for (I think) the Rubber Soul sessions...
It's not true that Taxman shares its solo (but backwards) with Tomorrow Never Knows (an idea floated by Ian McDonald, I believe) I've played both solos backwards and they do not relate to each other.
First Beatles 45 I bought was the Paperback Writer/Rain 45. Still have it. I haven't played Rain more times on the same day since 1966. I blame Andrew for doing this to me! 😆 The best stereo version is the Harry Moss 1979 Hey Jude version. Andrew, I assume this is the version you're referring to? After playing Rain so many times, it's still one of my favorites. Also, the original speed version on the recent Revolver release, seems to fast to me, which was purposely done. According to Geoff Emerick, "With 'Rain' the Beatles played the rhythm track really fast that when the tape was played back at normal speed everything would be so much slower, changing the texture. If we recorded it at normal speed and then had to slow the tape down whenever we wanted to hear a playback, it would have been much more work." (The Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn) I appreciate the time you took to help us find the best version.
Regarding the stereo mix on the UK export album - the same UK plates were used in some other countries in 1970, the South East Asia edition certainly has them and I've always been impressed by the bass on that album. Great insightful video Andrew.
One of my all time fave of theirs too Andy. Another great video from you. Re: Paul's Bassline. It could be that when the pitch was slowed down that Paul was able to play these riffs much easily with a Capo on the Bass neck. In Ian McDonald's Revolution In The Head (Third revised edition) pp.196-198 [RAIN], in particular the footnotes if p.197 there's mention that the are photos during the Revolver session of Paul with a Capo on his Bass. Also p.196 footnotes state Paul moved to guitar and George to the short-scale Burns Nu-Sonic Bass. The latter here is evident in photos you've shared yourself in this video Andy. If the Bass was tuned down end then the Capo was placed in the third fret, the G and C notes/chords of RAIN, on the Bass, would become much better. As a Bass Player I've placed a Capo myself in the Bass to achieve higher treble range, even as far as fret 4, on standard ringing. Few things to consider there, maybe Paul didn't actually play the Bass on RAIN at all. Back in the mid 90's I used to play RAIN on Bass myself, in an Indie band with friends and it was a joy to play this song, and a few others around this period, All Too Much and If I Needed Someone being two faves of mine to play. Keep up the great work Andy. Pleasure watching these videos as always.
Hi Andrew, another great video. You have certainly cleared up the mystery surrounding the sound of the 'normal' speed backing track. The link to the slightly slower version sounds right. No silly speeded up base guitar and as you say the attack on the drums sounds right. It doesn't take anything away from the instrumental achievement by presenting it at this speed, and it does beg the question, how and why did EMI get it so wrong on this reissue. This is another piece of Beatles lore, which makes the subject of the Beatles so fascinating, they will still be talking about this gaff in 50 years time 🤣. Cheers Matt
Great video. I think the true speed of Rai n on the box set does sound strange. I wonder if Apple needs to look into this further. As far as Rain, such a great song and Ringo's drumming was transcendent.
Superb as always Andrew!and for me your spot on when I first heard the “original speed” version it did sound as if it had been sped up so if the original backing track had been in A and being sped up taking it up a semi tone to B flat it would make sense and if this was the case why was the original key of A version not included on the session disc? Thanks again for sharing Andrew Loving the Scrapbook series too😊 👍
Here’s a thought… At that time, EMI relied on Fairchild limiters (models 660 for mono, and 670 for stereo) to balance the amplitude/gain to prevent hotter signals from peaking on the disc cutter. Because Paul’s bass featured so much more prominently on “Paperback” and “Rain” than it had on past songs (and with far more prominent lower bass frequencies that resulted from Geoff Emerick using a speaker as a microphone to record Paul’s bass on these two tracks) the disc cutting engineer may have had to implement a greater amount of limiting during the disc cutting process, to keep those hotter bass frequencies in check, to prevent the stylus on consumer’s cheap record players from skipping when the record was played… And, if more limiting was dialed in, it could have also further compressed the upper mid range frequencies as well, with the result being that these frequencies sounded “smoother” on the original pressing, and not as up-front and “harsh” sounding as you mentioned hearing in subsequent pressings that were released years later. To be clear, I’m not saying that I know any of this to be fact…I don’t…just that it’s a possibility. 😉 FWIW, both the Fairchild 660 and 670 limiters are now considered by engineers to be the “holy grail” of compressor/limiters, and with its internal 12 tubes and 14 transformers designed to control the gain reduction, the 670 is gloriously smooth and warm in its sound. But, as the years pass, they are growing increasingly more difficult to find, particularly one that’s still in perfect working order, with those that are still in good shape and still working (or those that have been rebuilt to original factory spec using original working components from several different non-working models) they can fetch prices that average anywhere between $35k - $60k. As far as I know, Abbey Road still has at least one original Fairchild 660 and 670 that are both still (or kept) in great condition, and they are still being used for mastering, as well as for recording and mixing sessions. 😊🙏
That’s what it sounded like to me, too. I don’t know if you noticed, but the outtake of “USSR” on the white anniversary box always sounded slowed down, even though the notes indicate it’s at normal speed and was sped up for the album. It sounds more like the album version was normal speed and the outtake is slowed down. Maybe I’m wrong.
I have started to look forward to every video because your channel is a great for fans of the Beatles wanting perhaps to start collecting or finding the best versions of each single/album. But I am a little surprised the state of single releases by companies you'd think would get the perfect. Music isn't about hearing noise, but rather layers of emotion and flavours? David
Some of the “openness” of the guitar is that John’s guitar is set to what is called an “open” tuning. This is were the guitar is tuned to play a specific chord when all the strings are tuned together. If his guitar was tuned to G, as I have been told, he would need a “capo” for A or Bflat either way. Hope this helps
Fascinating as always Andrew. One point on which I disagree with you: “For a start, if the song was recorded in Bb, the guitars would have needed a capo on the first fret.” That’s not true. A capo would allow a guitar player to play shapes in the key of A and result in Bb, but even an intermediate-level guitar player like myself can play in Bb without a capo. And the Beatles were way above intermediate. Furthermore, just tuning a step down, a not uncommon practice, would allow a guitarist to play C shapes. Or a half-step up, also a common practice, to play in A-shapes. But if The Beatles wanted to play in Bb without capos or retuning, it was well within their wheelhouse. Not saying you’re wrong about the alleged mistake on the reissue; I have some concentrated listening ahead of me. But no, you don’t need a capo for Bb.
As always a great video! Although I'm one to believe that it was in fact played in Bb. Like 'She Said She Said', I think they used capos on the first fret, playing the shapes of A. The backing track is just two guitars and drums. I've always thought John and George, but it's quite possible Paul did play instead. This was recorded with the tape running at standard speed (50 cycles/second).To track Lennon's vocals, studio notes stated that the tape was slowed to 42 cycles/second; this is a difference of 3 semitones in pitch. Presumably it was here that Paul tracked bass in the key of G (which is why the bass sound strangely fast on the box set).
I AGREE! Now, I haven't watched the whole video yet, it's paused while I type this but I was going to wait for isolated drums to be ripped from this Bb version and A/B the fundamental pitches of Ringo's crash on this tune with for example his crash on She Said She Said or a similar recordings from the same album (Ringo started using a 20" crash or crash ride on his right hand side around this time) just to confirm to me that, yes this track was included wrongly at that faster speed.
I've got an Australian copy of Hey Jude, which AFAIK is from the same master as the UK export version. Unfortunately, I think it got a lot of play from its original owner, my father-in-law, and might suffer from some groove wear, but it still has lots of warmth and depth to it. One of these days I'll have to get it cleaned with one of those ultrasonic cleaners to see if can bring some more life out of it.
I discovered Rain on the B side of only two Beatles singles my mother owned as a child - funnily enough I picked up that 1976 pressing with a bunch of other Beatles singles back in the late 80s for around a pound a pop. I will definetely listen a bit closer to them but must admit they always sounded great to me. I did have Hey Jude on cassette for many years - I might still have but im not sure how that would sound in comparison to the vinyl (except it probably has tape hiss)
Well presented Andrew!! This made my day, as "Rain" is one of my very fave Beatles songs!! I agree with you - the original recording was in "A". The drums & bass just don't sound right in "Bb". All the stereo mixes don't have the power of the mono. This was true of nearly all the guitar driven songs of this period. The guitars need to be separated & spread across the stereo field (instead of the lead vocals). Then we get the full power of the mono. This was one thing that disappointed me about Giles team's stereo remixes. Myself, i have done what i consider a better stereo mix of "Rain" than what has been presented officially. By the way, "Rain" on the Australian pressing of the "Hey Jude" sounds excellent (YEEX 150 - 1).
Wow! I just had a listen to those links, I didn’t realise it was originally that fast. I heard that John was inspired by Dylan to come up with this one, I think he outdid him in one song.
Me and my brother were mega Beatles fans in the 70s. We scoured jumble sales and in all the years, the only decent single we found was Paperback Writer and Rain. I remember being so impressed with Rain. I wonder if my brother has still got the single 🤔.
Andrew, I’m a bassist myself and there are plenty of times I’ve played along to the record of Rain. The finished released version is in the key of G. But I’ve also heard because it was slowed down the original key was Ab. Thus being slowed down a semitone. But I think it was actually A and slowed down a full tone to G. Because there is a part in the bass where Paul plays a really high G (12th fret on 1st string) to a low G (3rd fret on 4th string). But if it was A if would be easier to play high A (14th fret on 1st string) to low A (open 3rd string). Just my opinion. Like your videos, by the way.
My theory is that they were experimenting a lot with varispeed, and so the guys asked the engineers to let the tape run a bit slower during the rhythm take, so that when it's played at a "normal" tape speed it sounds sped up. So when the master tapes were taken out to be transfered digitally, the Rain tape was played at the "wrong" speed when making the transfer. But that's just my theory
Parlogram, I saw some talking about re-mixed songs. He went onto say the best version of Chuck Berry's song " Rock and Roll Music" is the original and you need to hear it played on a "Juke-Box" to get the songs full effect. Cheers, Chris Perry.
From Beatles Chronology vol 2 DVD where they remixed the full song using the 4 tracks: L: Tambourine an chorus C: John voice, Drums and Guitars R: Bass
I also felt like something sounded off in the fast version that I fully couldn’t put down to just not being used to that speed. It’s interesting to note that in the promo videos John is playing it in G. Since it’s not live it seems to me he would just play it the way he probably wrote it or played it in the studio. And of course it was never done live so there’s no footage there. The lead notes seem to be picked out with the G fingering as well. It could have been originally played with the A fingering and then slowed down or played in G with a capo on the second or third fret for A or B flat. But as you said, it’s doesn’t sound like it was capoed. So 🤷.
Thanks for going through this process. I had the exact same feeling about the speed of it on the backing track. The bass and drums both just seemed unnaturally fast and sounded weird. I did think it was interesting listening to it slowed down afterward though. There are a few weird moments such as the fill at the 40 second mark (where there is a bar of 2/4 added) which are really odd but make a bit more sense at the rushed pace it was recorded at. Your version in A sounds a lot better to me. Nice work.
I think the count ins give away if we are hearing things at the right speed or not - on the box the count in for rain sounds like it’s at normal speed- same if you listen to I’m only sleeping that was varispeeded I know from what I read the speed of the tape machine actually involved raising and lowering the amount of electricity running the machine so it was an inexact science as well Your videos are awesome by the way As a guitarist I weigh the 2 things I just typed vs the keys - A seems much more likely than B flat, but not sure- I could See the Beatles using some weird key just to try it out As far as Paul bass that’s amazing at any speed- same with ringos drumming Keep up the great videos!
Andrew , no doubts, you´re right, for me too the tune is en A, i´ve got many bootlegs of the sessions of revolver where the tune is in A and slowly down tempo
Andrew, there's really easy way how to determine the exact real speed of the Rain basic rhythm (and bass) track. All you have to do is to capture the mains power hum (which is 50hz) of the guitar amps on the track. The guitar amp hum is always constant (at 50 hz) and independent of the the tape running speed, so you can basicaly tune the recording by that hum, if you have the hum. Fortunately, there's enough pre-take silent space with just the hum. And it does really confirms that the backing track WAS played in Bb (to my surprise as well). On the other hand, the book claims that the bass was overdubbed with the tape running fast, but that's not true! The bass track isolation reveals that when you tune the main hum to 50hz it's in G, which is the slowed down version.
Hi Onder,
Is it possible for you kindly show us the spectrogram of the hum?
That hum is very unusual, where is it on the drums and guitars-in-A clip? It's nowhere to be found on isolated track videos either for this song or any other's that I know of. There's no way that level of hum going onto tape would be tolerated in any studio, let alone Abbey Road.
Still weird how you hear the bass on the fast version. But it's great to know the truth of the matter
That is very clever
yes, the bass track hum points out that it was overdubbed on the slowed-down version
Despite the errors that the recent Beatles boxes present, I still look forward to them each year. They leave me with a better appreciation for the albums.
I hope they keep on coming, especially with a mono pressing included - I missed out on the mono boxset for being broke at the time and now I have to pay a boxset for each individual record😢.
Thanks Andrew for discussing Rain, as far as I’m concerned it’s one of the Beatles best and has been underrated by music scribes for years (56 years to be exact) the same goes with Hey Bulldog..
Absolutely right for both tracks.The most underrated of their tracks. Rain was the B side of paperback writer.When I listened to Rain (even at 10 years old then) I felt it was a better song. Loved John's voice.
I still remember discovering the song Rain when I was a kid in the 70s listening to my parents singles. Loved Paperback Writer then flipped over the record. My 8 year old brain was never the same again.
Yeah, I was 9 at the beginning of the Beatles' career so my brain was all theirs for my entire formative years and coming of age. I couldn't be happier about that.
I love everything about this song, the guitars, bass, drums, vocals, backwards vocals, the fun video of them, the lyrics are awesome, John pulling out a sublime, understated poetic masterpiece of psychedelia, one of my favourite Beatles tracks.
I didn’t know there was so many versions of it, thanks for the good information on this.
one of my absolute favorite beatles tracks
I don't think you're quite right here Andrew. The backing track on the box set "actual speed" version has an amp hum of 50hz, which suggests it was indeed recorded at B♭. The bass, however, has an amp hum of around 62hz, so it seems Paul recorded and overdubbed his bass part at a slower speed. Hence why it might be him with John on guitars after all.
Hard to argue with the amp hum frequency. Also, while ringing open notes might suggest The Beatles weren't using capos, the guitars on Rain sound very compressed which would have brought out the jangle. They might even have tuned the guitars a semitone sharp to record the basic rhythm track?
Yep. Compared to bootlegs and other recordings I’ve listened to over the years, I too thought the “Actual Speed” Rain on the 2022 release was oddly and unexpectedly too fast. Some have described the 2022 track as being “comically fast”. But I assumed as it was the official release, it would have been correct and the boots were wrong … now after watching this, maybe not.
Even during the Anthology get together by the Threetles, listening to Tomorrow Never Knows Paul wasn't sure if he was playing Piano, and George couldn't even remember which take was used on the record. So with Big George Martin gone and Geoff Emerick already telling all, it's all about other people's opinions on who played what. Great show as always.
Martin also claimed the backward tape idea as his own much later on. But given they were trying everything that way, I'm sure detailed memories had long faded.
@@finch45lear Love was on DVD-Audio because Giles convinced George to do it. By the time the 2009 remasters came out, both formats were dead. I guess they could do Blu-ray audio, but the label probably doesn’t want that high an audio quality to go public.
Didn't they also listen to Takes 1 & 2 of Golden Slumbers?
@@seid3366 yes, George Harrison "Which album was this from?"
@@johnaston3983 Funnily enough, that session also had the Threetles recording
What a great time for popular music in the mid-sixties. So many artists were appreciating and influenced by what others were doing resulting in a landscape of new and evolving styles and sounds. When I first heard the “actual speed” Rain on the new collection I immediately thought “Byrds” and also hear them on other tracks. So it’s Beatles inspiring Byrds, then inspiring back to the Beatles in a wonderful feedback loop. You see this everywhere in the music of that time period. Thanks Andrew!
Thanks, Andrew. You’ve nailed it. The Beatles recording crew had been experimenting with variable pitch on their recordings for years, specifically with She Loves You, which, to my ears, the mastered releases have always made the group sound like girls, rather than the intended excitement they tried to exude. It took the Beatles’ film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ to give us a closer look at this recording as the playback equipment used for the film was notoriously slow. ‘She Loves You’ in the film IS too slow, but it’s closer to the actual sound of the recording, if we’re being honest about these released recordings. I’ll say this until I die. ‘She Loves You’ and ‘I’ll Get You’ were sped up by EMI to convey more exuberance, and it’s just wrong, historically.
That's really interesting, going to have to go listen to them now and see what I think!
Also going to have to check out the versions on the "A Hard Day's Night" movie one of these days.
Speaking of “She Loves You,” it will be nice to finally hear that song in true stereo if Peter Jackson’s software can do it’s thing. Maybe they can even find a way to make the splices less noticeable once they’ve isolated each instrument. The hi-hat seems to be the thing that really accentuates those splices. Some crafty editing could hide those changes a little better.
It’s believed that the musical sections in the film A Hard Days Night were filmed at 25 frames per second to sync with the UK TV screens in shot throughout. If you watch the film as a film or in the US, it plays at 24 frames per second so everything is too slow. UK TV stations still play films at 25fps so it usually sounds fine on Tv over here.
@@davidrobinson9290 I believe so. I’ve read extensively on the making of the film, and I forget the actual cycles the film was limited to. But I know the music’s slower than the released recordings. Remember seeing an interview with George Martin stating they did vary the speed of recordings for commercial appeal.
It’s only on the “TV studio/theatre” scenes where the songs are lower in pitch and that’s due to the monitors in the scene’s control room which play at a different speed to the movie cameras. If the speeds weren’t matched, rolling bands would appear on the monitors, which I suppose the director didn’t want.
A massive "thank you" Andrew for continuing your analysis of our favorite band's art Your video is the highlight of my youtube week. Looking forward to what's to come this month and beyond. Cheers.
Rain is one of my favorite tracks by the band as well. I once read in RS that they considered it the greatest double sided single of the era, that is until Penny Lane and Strawberry field’s was released.
Off topic. You videos and channel are fantastic. I’m glued to everyone and find them so informative and entertaining. Your enthusiasm and knowledge make you fun to watch. What amazes me the most is that you pull this off without ever playing a Beatles song. Thank you Sir and keep up the good work.
Thank you so much, Larry.
Rain was the first Beatles song I really loved when I was around 8 years old. My parents bought me Past Masters on CD and I loved it. I remember thinking how cool they looked in the music video lol.
About 15 years later I rediscovered the Beatles and I’ve been deep diving into their content for the past years!
If there is a most underrated Beatles song, it's "Rain" . I first heard Rain as the B side when I was a kid in 1966, My older brother brought home "Paperback Writer" The song is amazing with John's ethereal vocals and I instantly loved it. This would have been mono, since stereo singles were not available at the time. The next version I heard was in stereo on the Hey Jude album issued in 1970. I had a slight preference for the stereo version, but i had a decent quality receiver at that point vs . an early sixties hi-fi mono set that was part of TV console - common in the US then.
@aceopinions Hi ace do you have a copy of "Hey Jude" with the title "The Beatles Again"? The stereo version is nice because you can hear John's vocals in the left channel and George and Paul's in the right. But the mono mix has the edge for me because it has that psychedelic feel.
Hi Nick, (aceopinions = Tom) trying to find out where google came up with that name and get it changed ...Anyway, Yes, I bought the "The Beatles Again" in 1970, the week it came out in the US. Thanks, I will check out the vocals you referred to.
In the US, Beatles albums were sold only in stereo from about 1968 on. Mono versions may have been available, but living in the NYC metro area, I never saw them. Do you have a 1970's issued US issued stereo of this? I have mono copies of the Capital releases up to Magical Mystery Tour I, and was never able to find mono copies of The Beatles Again, the White album, Abbey Road, or Let it Be,..all released in the US from 1968 to 1970 on the Apple label as you know. It's possible that a shop in NY may have carried them. Keep in my that by the late 60''s stereo was marketed by the record companies as superior, with mono touted as inferior.
I own the Mono box CD set, so I will check out the mono version of Hey Jude - I grew up listening to it in stereo..
I checked out some of your videos - great commentary on the white album. I will look at the rest as well.
Underrated? It went to number one in every country it was released.
@@yellowjackboots2624 .... Paperback Writer was number 1 , Rain is the B side and did not chart better than the 20:s when released in Spring, 1966.
Glad Rain is now more recognized for the great song it is.
@@aceopinions I think that every ordinary person who bought the single in 1966 enjoyed Rain. No disrespect my friend, but to believe that people today have a greater appreciation or understanding of Rain, more so than people in the 60s when it was released, I can't believe it. They loved it then, we love it now, it's great.
Hi Andrew, been a lurker of this channel for about a year now and I have to say I love the the deep dives of Beatles songs and albums
The version on the first USA pressing of the "Hey Jude" album ("The Beatles Again") is the superior version for me, as I've been listening to it since I was a 6-year-old in 1970. Granted, I've not heard all the others you detailed, but it's SO ingrained in my mind & ears that my objectivity wanes to the point that I feel no other version could EVER topple it's superiority. I suppose that's called "bias". LOL
GREAT video, mate. Keep 'em coming.....!!! 😃
I actually noticed the exact same thing the day I listened to the set back in late October. I made my own version on Audacity calling it "actual actual speed", in the key of A. You can tell it's the right speed from the count in, John's voice sounds natural. Also, you can easily play the song in A. Extra guitar trick: during the coda part, one guitar (or both) has got the lower 6th string detuned to A (E in standard tuning), to create a drone effect.
My vote is for the key of A. I felt a bit skeptical when listening to the fast version the first time. Note the bleed through vocals on the version linked in the description. I will use Audacity to slow the box set version down by 5%. Great video!
Another great video! I'd like to comment on the "Rain" speed controversy. When it first came out a month ago, I saw some forums online discussing how the track was always in the key of A, and not Bb. This apparently is common knowledge among fans in the know, and how Paul's bass was always absent until a later time, likely added during the key drop in which the vocals were recorded, then sped up again for mastering. How in the world could Apple mess this up, if the fans apparently already know? Does this mean what we hear is basically just a backing track sans vocals then just sped up by Giles at the incorrect speed? I mean, when I first heard it myself, man it blew me away as completely unreal, and was just floored by it... because it was advertised by Apple that this was the original backing track performance, so of course I believed it, and so will the millions who will hear it on disc or Spotify, making this a very public deception. I went straight to your link in the description to hear the track in the key of A, and yep I agree with you all the way, this sounds legit. How can these folks make such an "error"? I personally feel cheated
But then, how would you explain those voices you can hear before and after the session take, presented in the key of Bb, they just don't sound natural anymore when slowing the track down to A? Maybe Giles and C° relied on the sound of those voices, when choosing the right speed? That’s a big mystery to me.
@@Zholobov1 okay so I've been listening to both tracks a lot just now, but I still feel the "official" version is simply inhuman, especially considering how we have plenty examples of their real playing, and the tempo and quality of performance in the "A" key just sounds more like what their usual modus operandi via up tempo playing was like. It just sounds beyond their capabilities and comes across as a very unnatural performance, imo.
Of course the folks at Apple should have also known that Paul's bass definitely wouldn't be THAT superhuman, despite Paul being so damn good he just ain't THAT good (and I don't know if anybody could be, period), and of course the common acceptance that the bass actually was recorded at a different speed and wouldn't appear on Take 5 in "A" or especially "Bb". Perhaps this is why the liner notes, as Andrew points out, refers to Paul playing guitar on the track. If his bass was dubbed later, then this note makes sense, he could very well have played guitar too in the initial backing track performance.
@@Zholobov1 and when it comes to the voices, the samples aren't long enough to tell for certain. Again between the two keys is roughly 5% speed, with the "official" being on the far side of "natural".
@@greeneyedmonster1174 Yes it's Paul playing lead in an open A tuning (the arpeggios in the coda reveal the tuning) and John playing rhythm. The bass could have been overdubbed in A but I don't think so. They got a perfectly sounding Paperback Writer bass sound in G at the same session, so it's not implausible that the Rain bass would have been recorded in the same key. Whatever, the Bb scenario is bullshit.
@@marcusphelan57 no
At first I was skeptical too about the original speed of "Rain" on the new Revolver box set, but the snare seems to be the exact same pitch as on "Paperback Writer", recorded only 2 days before, and I'm sure this one hasn't been speeded up/down. "Tomorrow never knows" sound very much the same too. I think Paul's bass was added afterwards at the new(slower) speed. This is quite confusing because it seems like they used the varispeed effect more than we would think during this period.
It's remarkable how fast Ringo is playing here, but you can hear his time precision is not always the same as usual (but still works perfectly with this song).
That could be the case, but the count-in that Paul does at the beginning sounds a bit too cartoonish, when the pitch is taken down to a semitone lower his voice sounds more natural. Also there's some gibberish at the end of the take that also sounds a bit too high pitched. My theory is that they were experimenting a lot with varispeed, and so the guys asked the engineers to let the tape run a bit slower during the rhythm take, so that when it's played at a "normal" tape speed it sounds accelerated.
But that's just my theory
I had a Capitol 45 of PW and Rain with very hot mixes. What I liked was that the 45 was cut slightly off center which added a slight but noticeable wobble in Rain which to my ears sounded great.
Here's the highest compliment I can give you and your channel -- half the audiophile shit you talk about goes completely over my head.. Yet your passion for the Beatles, encyclopedic knowledge of Beatle history, and your note perfect BBC cadence make your episodes highly addictive
I love this song, one of the best Beatles songs, and one of my favourites. Thanks for another video 🙂
This was fascinating and made me go back and compare - really fun. On another note, you've managed to capture your voice amazingly well. The audio quality of this video really stands out - especially for being spoken word.
Thank you, Lee.
Still partial to my first “Rain” experience, from the U.S. “Hey Jude” lp, which I had in a 1976 Capitol pressing. Now I enjoy it on a nice 1970 Apple - Jacksonville pressing of “The Beatles Again.”
4:36 As a guitarist and bassist myself, playing in A is much easier than playing in Bb. The key of A is used in a myriad of rock songs, while Bb is very unusual.
True, but the Beatles did record in Bb including Chains (definitely no vary speed then) and one of the original versions of Strawberry Fields
This was the first record I ever bought… 1966 after mowing a yard for a neighbor.. like you Andrew the past 50 years of collecting the fab 4 have been awesome.. but difficult at times you’re channel is phenomenal!!great analysis and insight! Thanks!! This is still one of my favorites of all time!! Oh yeah.. capitol us
Going to receive the Revolver box for Christmas but I still peek at your vids anyway just for a little holiday thrill! Thanks and Merry Christmas! :)
Merry Christmas to you too! Hope you enjoy your set :)
Always enjoy your videos and amazing insight on anything Beatles. Thanks Andrew!!
So, a few errors in your analysis, Andrew. First of all, the basic backing track was indeed played at that fast speed. The lineup was Ringo on drums and Paul and John on guitars, just like the Paperback Writer basic track. This was recorded to track 1 with the tape running faster than normal. The next step was for Paul to overdub his bass part to track 2, this time with the tape running at normal speed. This was the bass part used on the final mix; there was never any additional bass overdub later. Next John overdubbed two complete lead vocal tracks onto the still empty tracks 3 and 4 with the tape machine now running at the slower 42 cycles. At this point, with all 4 tracks being full, they did a reduction mix of take 5 into take 7 with the backing track and bass left separate on tracks 1 and 2 and with sections from both lead vocal tracks mixed together onto track 3. The vacant track 4 then had the tambourine and extra vocals added, like you said. The final addition would be the backwards vocals which were copied to a different tape and punched into the end of track 3. Hopefully this all makes sense. haha
I don't understand how those blunders appear on the offical box set. It's pretty clear to me that the bass sounds sped-up. There's always some strange conclusions on these books, like when they said on the Abbey Road book that Paul played drums in Old Brown Shoe, which I find it absurd. I mean, how did they arrived on those conclusions? Honest mistake or just laziness on their part?
The backing with drums and guitar, although they sound odd at first glance, I do think it's the correct speed of recording.
The reason 45s were cut hot - not only mastered hot but the grooves were cut deeper into the vinyl which adds volume, hence the word "groovy" - was for airplay. Labels would send 45s to radio stations back then and you wanted your track to be louder than other competing tracks. Airplay sold records more than anything back then. Most people listened to AM radio in cars or little transistor radios with one crappy ear piece, or on cheap home systems. Dynamics and details didn't matter on these systems, you couldn't hear them anyway. But what you could hear was volume. "A loud 45 sells, a quiet one gets lost" was the mantra.
You’ve honestly earned a subscriber mate! I’ve never come across a channel that has such an extensive knowledge of The Beatles vinyls. Cheers from Texas.
Thank you, Harris and welcome aboard!
Hi Andrew, still love the work that's put into your videos finding out info and piecing it together and it's all presented so lovely. I still need that Cherman Rarities to hear this legendary Andrew approved fun mix but got every other one you've mentioned here and you are bang on the money AGAIN. I was not impressed with the 7" EP on the super deluxe vinyl box of Revolver at all, for a brand new vinyl it sounded rough but that's obviously the mix and sound quality. Also I definitely heard that Rain "Actual Speed" and my immediate thought was "no way can they be playing that fast and that precise" and I mean that in a not possible sort of way, not an impressed way. And it was Paul's bass that was the giveaway as it just doesn't seem plausible that he could make that many different shapes and apply the pressure, make the strum and move on to the next shape that quick. But stellar work again here Andrew. Top notch.
Hello again Andrew,
In a nutshell this what I came up with ~
RAIN ~ "B" SIDE TO PAPERBACK WRITER ~
Clocks in at 3:08
RAIN TAKE 5 RHYTHM ~ THE BEATLES THE REVOLVER SESSIONS ~
Clocks in at 2:50
RAIN TAKE 5 ~ DERIAN IMP TH-cam UPLOAD ~
Clocks I'm at 2:38
RAIN TAKE 5 ~ REVOLVER 2022 RE~ RELEASE ~
Clocks in at 2:25, but there's 2:39 of music because there's more of the master tape that is played!
When I first heard the backing track of Rain on the box set my first thought was "this sounds too fast".
Especially because the video on the "you can't unhear this" channel about this song had already shown what the backing track should sound when played at its original speed.
In terms of my own copies of this track I have an Australian copy of Hey Jude and I've also got the original mono 45 which is in quite good condition and it sounds very nice on that.
Fascinating, Andrew! I always admire the amount of detail you put into each of your videos and this one was no exception. The first time I heard Rain in stereo was on the Hey Jude ! album and it blew me away. I'm not familiar with the German issue but it sounds as if it has a lot of presence!
I’m in agreement with you on this song. I believe they recorded the backing track at about 42 cycles in the key of A, but playing it faster then they had previously been doing. So when it’s played back at normal speed of 50 cycles it sounds in the key of Bb. Over dubs and backing at 42 cycles also. The finale mix was slowed down again and transferred to another machine. This is what we hear on the record. Not in A and not in G, somewhere in between.
Great video RAIN is one of my favorites, I took your advice and got a 70s UK reissue single and yes it sounds great, thanks
😎🎶🇬🇧
Another informative video Andrew discussing one of my favourite Beatles songs & it's not often i disagree with you but for me the best way to listen to the full dynamics of Rain is in Stereo & for me the new Stereo mix in the Revolver 2022 box set is quite simply the best ever the song has sounded & I'm not the only fan to say this! Obviously it's all about opinions & this is mine..... The new Stereo mix beats everything before it by a distance.
Hey Andrew! Another great video. Hearing “Rain” at the so called original speed was quite surprising. My first thought was how on earth Paul could play those intricate bass lines at such a quick tempo? Please keep us informed. As usual, I am already looking forward next week’s episode.
I'm so happy the channel is gaining traction!
Thanks again, Andrew. I agree with your assessment of that track being too fast. It's pretty obvious George is on guitar as well. One of my favorite Beatles tracks.
Cheers, Andrew! Love your channel. I first heard "Rain" on a radio program in the U.S. called "Ringo's Yellow Submarine". Ringo would play various Beatles tracks each week. When I first heard "Rain" I was blown away. I remember seeing the various singles and picture sleeves of "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" when I was a kid. The first copy I bought was the Super Oldies 45 on Capitol records. It's a pale blue "Star Line" Label. That's when I first realized "Paperback Writer" in mono had a longer fade. "Rain" will always be my favorite Beatles song. It's my favorite song by any group or artist. I heard it in stereo first on "The Beatles Again" (AKA "Hey Jude") album on Apple records. I do like the stereo versions because I grew up with those. I have the first UK pressing and the 1976 version from the Singles Collection. Took me awhile to get a great copy on the original Capitol orange/yellow swirl label with the original picture sleeve. Keep up the good work! Have a great night!
Thank you, Nick. You too!
Best Beatles’ issues recording information on TH-cam! Bravo!
It sounds more realistic in the key of A so I agree with you Andrew - Apparently George Martin's archive notes on this session were in error - I don't think Giles Martin would decide to speed up the original track without those notes verifying the chosen speed - Good work Andrew - Love our Experimental 1966 Beatles!🎄💿👍🎸🥁🎹🎼🇬🇧
I think in the US we maybe heard the faster version, and on other subsequent releases. When I first heard it on The Beatles Again Lp I thought my turntable was running slow. So when I played new version I was like…there it is!
Seriously they must’ve released many versions of it if I noticed a difference and feeling good about it !😄 great job! Now to check out every version I have!!
I do have a 1976 single pressing and can confirm it is pretty good. My fave stereo version is on a Yellow Dog label bootleg CD. John's vocal is on the right and the harmony vocals are very clear on the left. It sounds nice and crisp overall, despite a slight drop-out at one point. The notes claim the take is from 14th April 1966.
Yikes! I'd forgotten Yellow Dog....and Dr Ebbetts....where the %$$#%# did I put those....
@@andrewholliday251 Hopefully in a locked vault with 24 hour security! 😄
Brilliant difinitive work, as usual. I definitely thought "No way they played it that fast!" when I first heard it and I'm sure too that they played it at a slightly slower speed before the Abbey Road engineering wizardry ! For the record I must have bought Rain at least 7 times since 1979, on single, vinyl and CD. For my money it sits very well with the track selection on Past Masters. Vol 2.
Thanks for yet another wonderful one, Andrew. I fully agree with you the 'correct speed' track on the new Revolver package just can't be it. From the first moment I heard it it was all wrong - they COULDN'T have played it that fast, the pitch is just too high. Very strange that they let it pass as 'The One' and used it. I also do agree that the version in A sounds much more like the real deal, and even that one is pushing the limits a bit, but rather that one than the one in Bb. They sound like they're on helium on the latter.
I absolutely love the song rain it is one of the best tracks ever recorded it’s one of those underrated songs that should be recognized along with it all too much another one of my favorite songs. I love the 2000 1945 pressing, I have never heard of the original, and I’m going to have to check out the DMM German pressing the verities of love to hear that. One of my favorite parts of the song is at the end where John Lennon‘s first verse song backwards and that was great.
It is such an amazing thing to hear this song many years later
I do have the past masters remastered from 2009 and it’s another one of my favorites it’s really good.
I definitely agree. The Rain outtake is sped up. Have you noticed that the Yellow Submarine outtake without the sound effects is sped up too? Those two sped up tracks are my only complaint of this new box set. I can't handle listen to either one of them. I wonder why they sped both of them up like that?
Just another great video Andrew. I must say THANK YOU because when I heard the outtake claimed to be at the regular speed I just felt that something was wrong... Now after your video I have discovered that I was right!
Looking forward to seeing the next video. All the best, Alberto, Italy
The Paperback Writer and Rain single was such a monster. It’s worth hunting down an unworn original, even if it takes a few attempts. The 1976 repress is good, but I always found those singles to have noisier vinyl. Plus, the cool factor of spinning the original single is undeniable. 😎
Even better if it's the early first press with a solid centre (no prongs).
Nice bit of analysis Andrew. Having listened to different singles and compilations I just accepted different pressings sounded different due to the equipment and media used to produce the record. Thanks for looking a bit deeper.
I love those shots in The Beatles Recording Sessions book of Paul with a capo on his bass. They would try anything. Totally Pauly! 😀
10:18 Thank you for steering me to a quality recording of my favorite 2 Beatles songs on a 45 that only cost me $15. I’ve only been watching your videos for a month or so but I’m so glad that I can buy Beatles LPs now with confidence of the optimum quality of the recording.
I’m just now REbuilding my Beatles LP library having recently purchased a nice turntable, etc.
Thank you so much!!
p.s. I first heard the Beatles when I was 9 in 1963. I definitely wasn’t a fan of I Want to Hold Your Hand or She Loves You (even at that age I REALLY dug James Brown) but when I heard I Saw Her Standing There and Twist and Shout it was the start of my 60 years of being a huge Beatles fan (up to and including Abbey Road).
You're welcome and thanks for watching!
An exhaustive and well-founded analysis, as always!
I had also thought that take 5 of Rain on the box set sounded sped up (as well as played fast). Thanks for the posts! DP
Crumbs Andrew. So many different pressings and releases. I was left totally confused at the end there. Went and listened to the "real" speed version and agree, it does sound quite sped up. Incidentally, I have a copy of the 1976 reissue of Paperback Writer/Rain. It was the only one I bought of the set (I was only 16 and did not have a lot of spare cash) being pretty much my favourite Beatles single and would just add here, that is locked away in a box and very rarely played. Treated it like a precious thing, even then.
For a single semitone - the guitars would have been tuned to that pitch - no capo required.
Johnny Marr - for the majority of the Smiths had his guitar tuned a whole step higher - (which is why a lot of online tabs/books say capo on 2nd fret.)
Paperback Writer/Rain is an awesome combo single. I love the Hey Jude UK Apple import for that. Those songs rock for sure, very edgy sound. Andrew, you are always giving us amazing videos so thank you.
God the quality of these videos is just sublime. Keep it up man!
Thanks, Sam will do!
Since the Beatles promo film shows the band playing in an open G chord configuration, this would require a 3rd fret capo to record in B flat I agree Andrew, upon listening to the "original' sped up version , it just sounded wrong. As for the Paul on rhythm guitar, this makes sense to me. Paul had played his Epiphone Casino the day before on Paperback Writer. Then there's the photo of John and Paul playing there Casinos and George (wearing a cap) playing bass. I suspect this may've been one of those 2 sessions. Which leads me to conclude that George's contributions (besides harmony vocals) were wiped when Paul recorded the bass for both songs. I haven't purchased the box set yet because my wife ordered it for my Christmas present. Can't wait!! Cheers, RNB
Paul actually played lots of guitar during the Revolver sessions. The solo on Taxman (also reversed for Tomorrow Never Knows) was actually played by him AFAIK. All three of them (Paul, John and George) bought Epiphone Casino guitars at the same time for (I think) the Rubber Soul sessions...
It's not true that Taxman shares its solo (but backwards) with Tomorrow Never Knows (an idea floated by Ian McDonald, I believe)
I've played both solos backwards and they do not relate to each other.
First Beatles 45 I bought was the Paperback Writer/Rain 45. Still have it. I haven't played Rain more times on the same day since 1966. I blame Andrew for doing this to me! 😆
The best stereo version is the Harry Moss 1979 Hey Jude version. Andrew, I assume this is the version you're referring to?
After playing Rain so many times, it's still one of my favorites.
Also, the original speed version on the recent Revolver release, seems to fast to me, which was purposely done. According to Geoff Emerick, "With 'Rain' the Beatles played the rhythm track really fast that when the tape was played back at normal speed everything would be so much slower, changing the texture. If we recorded it at normal speed and then had to slow the tape down whenever we wanted to hear a playback, it would have been much more work." (The Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn)
I appreciate the time you took to help us find the best version.
It always seem to me that the "Actual Speed" was too fast, so I agree with you.
Thank you!
Regarding the stereo mix on the UK export album - the same UK plates were used in some other countries in 1970, the South East Asia edition certainly has them and I've always been impressed by the bass on that album. Great insightful video Andrew.
One of my all time fave of theirs too Andy. Another great video from you. Re: Paul's Bassline. It could be that when the pitch was slowed down that Paul was able to play these riffs much easily with a Capo on the Bass neck. In Ian McDonald's Revolution In The Head (Third revised edition) pp.196-198 [RAIN], in particular the footnotes if p.197 there's mention that the are photos during the Revolver session of Paul with a Capo on his Bass. Also p.196 footnotes state Paul moved to guitar and George to the short-scale Burns Nu-Sonic Bass. The latter here is evident in photos you've shared yourself in this video Andy.
If the Bass was tuned down end then the Capo was placed in the third fret, the G and C notes/chords of RAIN, on the Bass, would become much better. As a Bass Player I've placed a Capo myself in the Bass to achieve higher treble range, even as far as fret 4, on standard ringing.
Few things to consider there, maybe Paul didn't actually play the Bass on RAIN at all.
Back in the mid 90's I used to play RAIN on Bass myself, in an Indie band with friends and it was a joy to play this song, and a few others around this period, All Too Much and If I Needed Someone being two faves of mine to play.
Keep up the great work Andy. Pleasure watching these videos as always.
Hi Andrew, another great video. You have certainly cleared up the mystery surrounding the sound of the 'normal' speed backing track. The link to the slightly slower version sounds right. No silly speeded up base guitar and as you say the attack on the drums sounds right. It doesn't take anything away from the instrumental achievement by presenting it at this speed, and it does beg the question, how and why did EMI get it so wrong on this reissue. This is another piece of Beatles lore, which makes the subject of the Beatles so fascinating, they will still be talking about this gaff in 50 years time 🤣. Cheers Matt
Great video. I think the true speed of Rai n on the box set does sound strange. I wonder if Apple needs to look into this further. As far as Rain, such a great song and Ringo's drumming was transcendent.
Superb as always Andrew!and for me your spot on when I first heard the “original speed” version it did sound as if it had been sped up so if the original backing track had been in A and being sped up taking it up a semi tone to B flat it would make sense and if this was the case why was the original key of A version not included on the session disc? Thanks again for sharing Andrew Loving the Scrapbook series too😊 👍
Here’s a thought…
At that time, EMI relied on Fairchild limiters (models 660 for mono, and 670 for stereo) to balance the amplitude/gain to prevent hotter signals from peaking on the disc cutter.
Because Paul’s bass featured so much more prominently on “Paperback” and “Rain” than it had on past songs (and with far more prominent lower bass frequencies that resulted from Geoff Emerick using a speaker as a microphone to record Paul’s bass on these two tracks) the disc cutting engineer may have had to implement a greater amount of limiting during the disc cutting process, to keep those hotter bass frequencies in check, to prevent the stylus on consumer’s cheap record players from skipping when the record was played…
And, if more limiting was dialed in, it could have also further compressed the upper mid range frequencies as well, with the result being that these frequencies sounded “smoother” on the original pressing, and not as up-front and “harsh” sounding as you mentioned hearing in subsequent pressings that were released years later.
To be clear, I’m not saying that I know any of this to be fact…I don’t…just that it’s a possibility. 😉
FWIW, both the Fairchild 660 and 670 limiters are now considered by engineers to be the “holy grail” of compressor/limiters, and with its internal 12 tubes and 14 transformers designed to control the gain reduction, the 670 is gloriously smooth and warm in its sound.
But, as the years pass, they are growing increasingly more difficult to find, particularly one that’s still in perfect working order, with those that are still in good shape and still working (or those that have been rebuilt to original factory spec using original working components from several different non-working models) they can fetch prices that average anywhere between $35k - $60k.
As far as I know, Abbey Road still has at least one original Fairchild 660 and 670 that are both still (or kept) in great condition, and they are still being used for mastering, as well as for recording and mixing sessions.
😊🙏
That’s what it sounded like to me, too.
I don’t know if you noticed, but the outtake of “USSR” on the white anniversary box always sounded slowed down, even though the notes indicate it’s at normal speed and was sped up for the album. It sounds more like the album version was normal speed and the outtake is slowed down. Maybe I’m wrong.
I have started to look forward to every video because your channel is a great for fans of the Beatles wanting perhaps to start collecting or finding the best versions of each single/album.
But I am a little surprised the state of single releases by companies you'd think would get the perfect. Music isn't about hearing noise, but rather layers of emotion and flavours?
David
Some of the “openness” of the guitar is that John’s guitar is set to what is called an “open” tuning. This is were the guitar is tuned to play a specific chord when all the strings are tuned together. If his guitar was tuned to G, as I have been told, he would need a “capo” for A or Bflat either way. Hope this helps
Andrew, fantastic information as always. I enjoy your content very much.
Thank you, Chris!
Fascinating as always Andrew.
One point on which I disagree with you: “For a start, if the song was recorded in Bb, the guitars would have needed a capo on the first fret.”
That’s not true. A capo would allow a guitar player to play shapes in the key of A and result in Bb, but even an intermediate-level guitar player like myself can play in Bb without a capo. And the Beatles were way above intermediate.
Furthermore, just tuning a step down, a not uncommon practice, would allow a guitarist to play C shapes. Or a half-step up, also a common practice, to play in A-shapes. But if The Beatles wanted to play in Bb without capos or retuning, it was well within their wheelhouse.
Not saying you’re wrong about the alleged mistake on the reissue; I have some concentrated listening ahead of me. But no, you don’t need a capo for Bb.
As always a great video! Although I'm one to believe that it was in fact played in Bb. Like 'She Said She Said', I think they used capos on the first fret, playing the shapes of A. The backing track is just two guitars and drums. I've always thought John and George, but it's quite possible Paul did play instead. This was recorded with the tape running at standard speed (50 cycles/second).To track Lennon's vocals, studio notes stated that the tape was slowed to 42 cycles/second; this is a difference of 3 semitones in pitch. Presumably it was here that Paul tracked bass in the key of G (which is why the bass sound strangely fast on the box set).
I AGREE! Now, I haven't watched the whole video yet, it's paused while I type this but I was going to wait for isolated drums to be ripped from this Bb version and A/B the fundamental pitches of Ringo's crash on this tune with for example his crash on She Said She Said or a similar recordings from the same album (Ringo started using a 20" crash or crash ride on his right hand side around this time) just to confirm to me that, yes this track was included wrongly at that faster speed.
You nailed it, Andrew! It’s clearly too fast at B-flat.
I've got an Australian copy of Hey Jude, which AFAIK is from the same master as the UK export version. Unfortunately, I think it got a lot of play from its original owner, my father-in-law, and might suffer from some groove wear, but it still has lots of warmth and depth to it. One of these days I'll have to get it cleaned with one of those ultrasonic cleaners to see if can bring some more life out of it.
I discovered Rain on the B side of only two Beatles singles my mother owned as a child - funnily enough I picked up that 1976 pressing with a bunch of other Beatles singles back in the late 80s for around a pound a pop. I will definetely listen a bit closer to them but must admit they always sounded great to me. I did have Hey Jude on cassette for many years - I might still have but im not sure how that would sound in comparison to the vinyl (except it probably has tape hiss)
Well presented Andrew!! This made my day, as "Rain" is one of my very fave Beatles songs!! I agree with you - the original recording was in "A". The drums & bass just don't sound right in "Bb".
All the stereo mixes don't have the power of the mono. This was true of nearly all the guitar driven songs of this period. The guitars need to be separated & spread across the stereo field (instead of the lead vocals). Then we get the full power of the mono. This was one thing that disappointed me about Giles team's stereo remixes. Myself, i have done what i consider a better stereo mix of "Rain" than what has been presented officially. By the way, "Rain" on the Australian pressing of the "Hey Jude" sounds excellent (YEEX 150 - 1).
Wow! I just had a listen to those links, I didn’t realise it was originally that fast.
I heard that John was inspired by Dylan to come up with this one, I think he outdid him in one song.
The Mono on the 2014 masters sound great to my ears better than the new box set release. I would love to hear that German rarities album!
Just subbed, and this is great! One of my fave Beatles’ songs.
Thank you and welcome aboard!
Me and my brother were mega Beatles fans in the 70s. We scoured jumble sales and in all the years, the only decent single we found was Paperback Writer and Rain. I remember being so impressed with Rain. I wonder if my brother has still got the single 🤔.
Andrew, I’m a bassist myself and there are plenty of times I’ve played along to the record of Rain. The finished released version is in the key of G. But I’ve also heard because it was slowed down the original key was Ab. Thus being slowed down a semitone. But I think it was actually A and slowed down a full tone to G. Because there is a part in the bass where Paul plays a really high G (12th fret on 1st string) to a low G (3rd fret on 4th string). But if it was A if would be easier to play high A (14th fret on 1st string) to low A (open 3rd string). Just my opinion. Like your videos, by the way.
My theory is that they were experimenting a lot with varispeed, and so the guys asked the engineers to let the tape run a bit slower during the rhythm take, so that when it's played at a "normal" tape speed it sounds sped up. So when the master tapes were taken out to be transfered digitally, the Rain tape was played at the "wrong" speed when making the transfer.
But that's just my theory
Parlogram, I saw some talking about re-mixed songs. He went onto say the best version of Chuck Berry's song " Rock and Roll Music" is the original and you need to hear it played on a "Juke-Box" to get the songs full effect. Cheers, Chris Perry.
From Beatles Chronology vol 2 DVD
where they remixed the full song using the 4 tracks:
L: Tambourine an chorus
C: John voice, Drums and Guitars
R: Bass
I also felt like something sounded off in the fast version that I fully couldn’t put down to just not being used to that speed. It’s interesting to note that in the promo videos John is playing it in G. Since it’s not live it seems to me he would just play it the way he probably wrote it or played it in the studio. And of course it was never done live so there’s no footage there. The lead notes seem to be picked out with the G fingering as well. It could have been originally played with the A fingering and then slowed down or played in G with a capo on the second or third fret for A or B flat. But as you said, it’s doesn’t sound like it was capoed. So 🤷.
Excellent as always. Many thanks. Now I have to compare the 1966 Canadian mono single B-side to the 1970 Canadian stereo Hey Jude LP track.
Thank you, Piers. Have fun comparing!
Thanks for going through this process. I had the exact same feeling about the speed of it on the backing track. The bass and drums both just seemed unnaturally fast and sounded weird. I did think it was interesting listening to it slowed down afterward though. There are a few weird moments such as the fill at the 40 second mark (where there is a bar of 2/4 added) which are really odd but make a bit more sense at the rushed pace it was recorded at. Your version in A sounds a lot better to me. Nice work.
Thank you, Martin!
I think the count ins give away if we are hearing things at the right speed or not - on the box the count in for rain sounds like it’s at normal speed- same if you listen to I’m only sleeping that was varispeeded
I know from what I read the speed of the tape machine actually involved raising and lowering the amount of electricity running the machine so it was an inexact science as well
Your videos are awesome by the way
As a guitarist I weigh the 2 things I just typed vs the keys - A seems much more likely than B flat, but not sure- I could
See the Beatles using some weird key just to try it out
As far as Paul bass that’s amazing at any speed- same with ringos drumming
Keep up the great videos!
It was recorded in A and tuned down to G for the record...You can play the song in G, when you tune the high e-string down to D...
Andrew , no doubts, you´re right, for me too the tune is en A, i´ve got many bootlegs of the sessions of revolver where the tune is in A and slowly down tempo