Mark Lewisohn (born 1958) is an English author and historian, regarded as the world's leading authority on The Beatles.
The Beatles and related subjects
Over the course of his career, Mark Lewisohn has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple, and has written many reference books about The Beatles. He has been referred to as the world's leading authority on the subject, renowned for his meticulous research and integrity. He is credited with discovering such facts as the precise date when John Lennon first met Paul McCartney.
In 1986, Lewisohn's book The Beatles Live! was published. This featured a complete history of all the Beatles' live performances, in a format which Lewisohn would follow for his subsequent books. After being invited by EMI to listen to all of The Beatles' original session tapes, Lewisohn wrote The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years, which was published in 1987. The book was in the form of a diary, detailing every recording session The Beatles had at Abbey Road Studios chronologically. It included details such as who played on each track and how many takes were recorded in each session. The book featured an introduction by Paul McCartney. Lewisohn's next book, The Beatles: 25 Years In The Life, was published in 1988, and included information on what each individual member of the band was doing on any particular day between 1962 and 1987. This book was republished as The Beatles Day by Day in 1990. The Complete Beatles Chronicle was published in 1992 and went one step further, detailing the band's entire career in the studio, on stage, and on radio, television, film and video.
Lewisohn's next book was The Beatles London, which he co-authored with Piet Schreuders and Adam Smith, published in 1994. This was essentially a guide book to all the Beatles-related locations in London, including Abbey Road and the London Palladium, featuring maps and photographs of the band at the locations mentioned. A revised version of the book was republished in early 2008.
As well as writing his own books, Lewisohn has written forewords to such books as Recording The Beatles by Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, Beatles Gear by Andy Babiuk and the German book Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand by Thorsten Knublauch and Axel Korinth. He has also contributed to In My Life: Lennon Remembered, a book to accompany the ten-part BBC radio series about John Lennon, and edited Paul McCartney's book Wingspan, after working for a long time as editor and writer for McCartney's (now ceased) fanzine Club Sandwich. This led to him being invited by the former Beatle to write the liner notes for several of his albums, namely Flaming Pie, Band on the Run: 25th Anniversary Edition and Wingspan: Hits and History. He also wrote the liner notes for the retrospective 6-CD box set Produced by George Martin - 50 Years in Recording, and The Beatles' albums 1 and The Capitol Albums, Volume 1. He was heavily involved in The Beatles Anthology project.
In 2005, Lewisohn announced that he had started work on a three-volume Beatles biography. The as-yet untitled trilogy is set to be completed in 2018, with the first volume due out in 2010. He was quoted as saying of the work:
"The Beatles story has been told very often but, in my view, rarely very well. I’m writing a wide-ranging history and my aim is true: to explore and comprehend what happened in and around the Beatles, and to write it even-handedly, without fear or favour, bias or agenda. A rock and roll group came out of Liverpool and shaped the last half of the 20th century the world over, and their music transcends changing times. The whole extraordinary story needs to be fully recorded and it needs to be done now, while first-hand witnesses are still with us."
Other work
Although The Beatles is Lewisohn's area of expertise, he has also written a variety of other books. One of his best-known works is an encyclopaedia of comedy on British television screens titled Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy, published in 1998 and updated in 2003, also available online as the BBC Guide to Comedy until 2007. He has also written Funny, Peculiar, a biography of Benny Hill, published in 2002.
In the past, Lewisohn has written for magazines including the Radio Times and Match of the Day magazine. He also helped to edit the book Hendrix: Setting The Record Straight, written by John McDermott and Eddie Kramer.
Personal
Lewisohn lives with his wife and two children in Hertfordshire.
(1) Put your left hand in Your right hand out Do the oz, baby Send it all about Do the oz
(2) Lift your left leg up Your right leg down Do the oz, baby Shake it all about Do the oz
(3) Fold your left wing in Fold your right wing out Do the oz, baby Spread it all about Do the oz
As Released by John Lennon (1971)
Do the Oz Do the Oz Do the Oz, babe Do the Oz Do the Oz Do the Oz, babe Do the Oz Do the Oz, babe
Put your left wing in Put your right wing out Do the Oz, babe Shake it all about Do the Oz, do the Oz, babe Do the Oz, do the Oz, babe Do the Oz, do the Oz, babe Put your right leg up Your left wing down Do the Oz, babe Shake it all a-round Do the Oz Do the Oz Do it, do it, do it
Do the Oz Do the Oz Do the Oz Do it, do it, do it Do the Oz Put your left wing in Put your right wing out Do the Oz, baby Spread it all about Do the Oz Ooh uuh uuh uuh uuh uuh uuh uuuh Huu uhuu na na na na na na na na na Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, Do it, do it
Well, do the Oz Well, do the Oz Well, do the Oz now, baby Well, do the Oz now, baby Well, do the Oz now, baby Well, do the Oz now, baby Do it
"Hey Jude" and "Revolution" has become the Beatles' eighteenth single, their very first to be released on their own Apple label almost five years to the day after "She Loves You," which came out at the end of August 1963.
So here are some statistics to start you off. "Revolution" was John's idea--one of the songs he started work on while he was at the Maharishi's place in India--and if you can say this recording has a lead vocalist then it must be John.
"Hey Jude" is a more recent number, based on one of Paul's ideas, but worked on with much joint effort from both John and Paul before it reached the recording studios.
The first version of "Revolution" was put on tape more than three months ago. At that stage it lasted a little over ten minutes. If you read the July issue of The Beatles Monthly you will remember that there was the first exclusive report about "Revolution" in there. At one point it looked as if this might be the main side of the new single. But three further versions of "Revolution" were recorded before the Beatles were thoroughly happy about the finished production.
Work was started on Version Number Three on Tuesday, July 9. That night Ringo arrived at EMI earlier than the rest of the fellows. So he dropped in on a session in one of the other studios and did a bit of hand-clapping on a record Solomon King was making! As usual the first job was to lay down on tape the initial layers of the accompaniment. In other words to make the backing tracks. Nothing extraordinary was used in the way of instrumentation--just the normal line-up of three guitars and drums. Then, when there was a break Paul, Ringo, and I trotted off to a nearby pub for toasted cheese sandwiches.
Before the end of the month there were four completed variations of "Revolution" to choose from, and it's the fourth and final one which went onto the "B"-side of the single.
Meantime there was plenty of other studio activity. Album numbers were being worked on very busily. Ringo was adding a bit of piano-playing to his own item called "Don't Pass Me By." Paul was getting going on a Calypso-type song he'd written.
By the end of July a total of seven recordings had been completed for the next Beatles LP album. In addition the fellows had been getting pretty involved with some of the other Apple singles. George had been supervising the recording of Jackie Lomax's "Sour Milk Sea" and "Eagle Laughs At You." Paul had been producing the Mary Hopkin single, "Those Were The Days" and "Turn, Turn, Turn." And there had been the first sessions with yet another Apple discovery, James Taylor. All this work had been done at studios we had never used before, Trident in Wardour Street. The basement studio there is just great. Large enough to give plenty of scope, but small enough to be comfortable and informal. Although they had all been along there, the Beatles had yet to arrange one of their own group sessions at the Trident Studio.
Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947 in Shard End, Birmingham) is a two-time Ivor Novello Award recipient and Grammy Award-winning English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, guitarist and record producer who gained fame as the leader of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys. Lynne has produced recordings for artists such as The Beatles, Roy Orbison, Del Shannon & Tom Petty. He has co-written songs with Petty and also with George Harrison whose 1987 album Cloud Nine was co produced by Lynne and Harrison. His compositions include "Evil Woman", "Telephone Line", "Livin' Thing", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Sweet Talkin' Woman".
In 2008, The Washington Times named Lynne the fourth greatest record producer in music history.
Early career
In 1963, Jeff Lynne, Robert Reader and David Walsh formed a group using little more than Spanish guitars and cheap electrical instruments to produce music. They were originally named "The Rockin' Hellcats" before changing to "The Handicaps" and finally to "The Andicaps". They practiced at Shard End Community Centre and performed weekly. However, in 1964, Robert Reader and David Walsh left the band and Lynne brought in replacements. At the end of 1964, Lynne decided to leave the band to replace Mick Adkins of the local band "The Chads".
In 1966, Lynne joined the line-up of The Nightriders as guitarist. The band would soon change their name to the The Idle Race, a name allegedly given to them sarcastically by his grandmother Evelyn Lynne who probably disapproved of pop music as not being a proper job. Despite recording two critically acclaimed albums with the band and producing the second, success eluded him. In 1970, Lynne accepted a lifeline from friend Roy Wood to join the line up of the more successful band The Move.
The Electric Light Orchestra (1970 - 1986)
Lynne contributed songs to The Move's last two albums while formulating, with Roy Wood and Bev Bevan, a band built around a fusion of rock and European classical music, a project which would eventually become the highly successful Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Problems led to Wood's departure in 1972, after the band's eponymous first album, leaving Jeff Lynne as the band's dominant creative force. Thereafter followed a succession of band personnel changes and increasingly popular albums: 1973's ELO II and On The Third Day, 1974's Eldorado and 1975's Face the Music.
By A New World Record, Lynne had almost completely abandoned the roots of the group for a dense and unique pop-rock sound mixed with studio strings and layered vocals and tight, catchy pop singles. Jeff Lynne's now almost complete creative dominance as producer, songwriter, arranger, lead singer and guitarist could make ELO appear to be an almost solo effort. However, the ELO sound and the focus of Lynne's writing was also indelibly shaped by Louis Clark's co-arranging (notably the large string sections), Bev Bevan's driving, primitivist drumming, and Richard Tandy's integration of then-novel keyboard technology.
Some believe the pinnacle of ELO's chart success and worldwide popularity was the expansive 1977 double album Out of the Blue, which was largely conceived in a Swiss chalet during a two-week writing marathon. The band's 1978 world tour featured an elaborate "space ship" set and laser light show. In order to recreate the complex instrumental textures of their albums, the band used pre-recorded supplemental backing tracks in live performances. Although that practise has now become commonplace, it caused considerable derision in the press of the time. Jeff Lynne has often stated that he prefers the creative environment of the studio to the rigours and tedium of touring.
In 1979, Lynne followed up the success of Out of the Blue with Discovery, an album primarily associated with its two disco-flavored singles ("Shine a Little Love" and "Last Train to London") and with a title that was a word play on "disco" and "very". However, the remaining seven non-disco tracks on the album reflected Lynne's range as a pop-rock songwriter, including a heavy, mid-tempo rock anthem ("Don't Bring Me Down") that, despite its use of a drum loop, could be considered the antithesis of disco. In an April 2008 interview, Lynne fondly recalled his forays into dance music: “I love the force of disco. I love the freedom it gave me to make a different rhythms across it. I enjoyed that really steady driving beat. Just steady as a rock. I’ve always liked that simplicity in the bass drum.”
In 1979, Lynne rejected an offer for ELO to headline the Knebworth Concert in the UK, allowing Led Zeppelin to headline instead.
In the absence of any touring to support Discovery, Lynne had time to contribute five tracks to the soundtrack for the 1980 movie musical Xanadu (film). The score yielded a pair of top-40 singles, with "Xanadu" reaching number one in the UK. Nevertheless, Lynne was not integrated into the development of the film and his material subsequently had only superficial attachment to the plot. Despite its later resurgence as a cult favourite, Xanadu performed weakly at the box-office. Lynne subsequently disavowed his limited contribution to the project, although he later re-recorded the title song (with his lead vocal) for the 2000 box-set Flashback. In 2007, the film was loosely adapted into a successful Broadway musical, incorporating almost all of the songs from the original film, and also using two other ELO hits: Strange Magic and Evil Woman.
In 1981, Lynne took the band in a somewhat different direction with the science-fiction themed album Time, reaching number one for two weeks in the UK, producing the second Top 3 single in less that two years, jettisoning the strings in favour of heavily synthesised textures. Following a marginally successful tour, Lynne kept this general approach with 1983's Secret Messages and a final contractually-obligated ELO album Balance of Power in 1986. Although ELO could still get a hit single into the Top 40, Lynne is assumed to have tired of the artistic constraints and promotional demands imposed by the ELO concept. Lynne discusses the contractually-obligated nature of the final albums on the short interview included with the 'Zoom' DVD. With only three remaining official members (Lynne, Bevan and Tandy) and the trending of pop music toward a new generation of video-friendly acts, ELO had run its course and Lynne began devoting his full energy to producing.
During his time in the Electric Light Orchestra, Lynne did manage to release a few recordings under his own name. In 1976, Lynne covered The Beatles songs "With a Little Help from My Friends" and "Nowhere Man" for All This and World War II. In 1977, Lynne released his first ever solo single, the disco-flavoured "Doin' That Crazy Thing"/"Goin' Down To Rio". Despite ELO's high profile at that time, it received little airplay and failed to chart. In 1984 Lynne and ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy contributed two original songs "Video!" and "Let It Run" to the film Electric Dreams (he also provided a third song, "Sooner or Later", which was released as the b-side of "Video!"). Lynne also wrote the song "The Story of Me" which was recorded by the Everly Brothers on their comeback album EB84.
The 1980s
Even before the official end of ELO, Lynne began his move toward focusing almost exclusively on studio production work. Lynne produced and wrote the 1983 top-40 hit "Slipping Away" for Dave Edmunds and played on sessions (with Richard Tandy) for Edmund's album, Information. Lynne also produced six tracks on Edmund's follow-up album in 1984, Riff Raff.
In contrast to the dense, boomy, baroque sound of ELO, Lynne's post-ELO studio work has tended toward more minimal, acoustic instrumentation and a sparse, "organic" quality that generally favours light room ambience and colouration over artificial reverb, especially on vocals. Lynne's recordings also often feature the jangling compressed acoustic guitar sound pioneered by Roger McGuinn and a heavily gated snare drum sound.
Lynne's influence by the Beatles was clearly evident in his ELO work and the connection to the Beatles was strengthened when Lynne produced George Harrison's Cloud Nine, a successful comeback album for the ex-Beatle, released in 1987, featuring the popular singles "Got My Mind Set on You," "When We Was Fab" (where Lynne played the violin in the video), and "This Is Love," two of the three songs co-written by Lynne.
Jeff Lynne's association with Harrison led to the 1988 formation of the Traveling Wilburys, a studio "supergroup" that included George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison (as well as Lynne himself), and resulted in two albums (Vol. 1 and Vol. 3), both co-produced by Lynne. In 1988 Lynne also worked on Roy Orbison's album Mystery Girl co-writing and producing Orbison's last major hit, "You Got It", plus two other tracks on that album. For Rock On, the final Del Shannon album, Jeff Lynne co-wrote "Walk Away" and finished off several tracks after Shannon's death.
In 1989, Lynne co-produced Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, which included the hit singles "Free Fallin'," "I Won't Back Down," and "Runnin' Down a Dream," all co-written by Lynne. This album and Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 both received nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Album of the Year in 1989. Lynne's song "One Way Love" was released as a single by Agnetha Faltskog and appeared on her second post-ABBA album, Eyes of a Woman. Lynne co-wrote and produced the track "Let It Shine" for Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson's first solo album in 1988. Lynne also contributed three tracks to an album by Duane Eddy and "Falling In Love" on Land of Dreams for Randy Newman.
The 1990s
In 1990, Lynne collaborated on the Wilburys' follow up Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 and shortly after that released his first solo album Armchair Theatre, with old friends George Harrison and Richard Tandy featuring the singles "Every Little Thing" and "Lift Me Up". The album received some positive critical attention but little commercial success. Lynne also provided the song "Wild Times" to the motion picture soundtrack Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991.
In 1991, Lynne returned to the studio with Petty, co-writing and producing the album Into the Great Wide Open for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which featured the singles "Learning to Fly" and "Into the Great Wide Open". The following year he produced Roy Orbison's posthumous album King of Hearts, featuring the single "I Drove All Night".
In February 1994, Lynne fulfilled a lifelong dream by working with the three surviving Beatles on the Anthology album series. At George Harrison's request, Lynne was brought in to assist in reevaluating John Lennon's original studio material. The songs "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" were created by digitally processing Lennon's demos for the songs and overdubbing the three surviving band members to form a virtual Beatles reunion that the band had mutually eschewed during Lennon's lifetime. Lynne has also produced records for Ringo Starr and worked on Paul McCartney's album Flaming Pie.
Lynne's work in the 1990s also includes production of a 1993 album for singer/songwriter Julianna Raye entitled Something Peculiar and production or songwriting contributions to albums by Roger McGuinn (Back from Rio), Joe Cocker (Night Calls), Aerosmith (Lizard Love), Tom Jones (Lift me Up), Bonnie Tyler (Time Mends a Broken Heart), the film Still Crazy, Hank Marvin (Wonderful Land and Nivram), Et Moi (Drole De Vie), and the Tandy Morgan Band (Action).
In 1996, Lynne was officially recognised by his peers when he was awarded the Ivor Novello Award for "Outstanding Contributions to British Music" for a second time.
The 2000s
Following legal action to get the ELO name back from Bevan's touring group ELO Part II, Lynne released a new album in 2001 under the ELO moniker entitled Zoom. Although the album featured guest appearances by Ringo Starr, George Harrison and original ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy, it was essentially a second Jeff Lynne solo album, with Lynne multi-tracking a majority of the instruments and vocals. The album received positive reviews but had no hit singles. Despite bearing little sonic relationship to the halcyon ELO days of the late 1970s, it was marketed as a "return to the classic ELO sound" in an attempt to connect with a loyal body of fans and jump-start a planned concert tour (with Lynne and Tandy as the only returning original ELO members). While a live performance was taped and shown on PBS (with subsequent DVD release), the tour itself was cancelled.
Speculation remains rife as to the reason (or reasons), for the cancellation of this tour. Certainly, initial ticket sales were disappointing, with publicity for the concerts minimal. Although often cited by fans as a reason for the tour cancellation, the events and aftermath of September 11th occurred subsequent to the official cancellation of the tour. Greg Bissonette (ELO drummer), when asked, described it as "... the greatest tour I never went on!"
Earlier in 2001, Lynne began working with George Harrison on what would turn out to be Harrison's final album, Brainwashed. After Harrison's death from cancer on 29 November 2001, Lynne returned to the studio in 2002 to help finish the uncompleted album. Lynne was also heavily involved in the memorial Concert for George, held at London's Royal Albert Hall in November 2002, and subsequently produced the Surround Sound audio mix for the Concert For George DVD released in November 2003. The DVD received a Grammy.
Lynne reunited in 2006 with Tom Petty to produce his third solo release, Highway Companion.
At their Scottish farmhouse, Paul and Linda shoot some 'wild' footage (i.e. miscellaneous film with no acting or miming) which includes them riding horses, paddling in the sea and playing in the sand. Then, following a five-month gap, this 16mm colour film is edited by Ray Benson, who previously worked with Paul on Magical Mystery Tour, to accompany the tracks '3 Legs' and 'Heart Of The Country'. Finished versions of which are completed just prior to a rare television screening, taking place on BBCl's Top Of The Pops (between 7:35 and 8:14pm on June 24) during the short-lived album slot on the programme. A 20-second colour excerpt of '3 Legs' will appear, two decades later, during the American VH-1 One To One programme, transmitted on May 3, 1993.
I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in And stops my mind from wandering Where it will go.
I'm filling the cracks that ran through the door And kept my mind from wandering Where it will go.
And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right Where I belong I'm right where I belong. See the people standing there who disagree and never win And wonder why they don't get in my door.
I'm painting a room in a colourful way And when my mind is wandering There I will go.
Ooo-ooo-aah - hey-hey-hey - hey.
And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right Where I belong I'm right where I belong. Silly people run around they worry me And never ask me why they don't get past my door.
I'm taking the time for a number of things That weren't important yesterday And I still go.
Ooo-ooo-ooo-oh.
I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in Stops my mind from wandering Where it will go, where it will go.
I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in Stops my mind from wandering Where it will go.
The word "wild" applies to the words "you" and "me"
While taking a walk through an African park one day I saw a sign say, "The animals have the right of way"
Wild life, whatever happened to Wild life, the animals in the zoo?
You're breathing so hot A lot of political nonsense in the air
You're making it hard for the people who live in there You're moving so fast, but baby, you know not where Wild life (wild life), what's gonna happen to Wild life (wild life), the animals in the zoo? Oh, oh
You'd better stop, there's animals everywhere And man is the top, an animal too And man, you just got to care
Wild life (wild life), what's gonna happen to Wild life (wild life), the animals in the zoo? Oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh
You're breathing a lot of political nonsense in the air You're making it hard for the people who live in there
Wild life (wild life), what's gonna happen to (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) Wild life (wild life), the animals in the zoo? (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) (wild life, whatever happened to, whatever happened to) (wild life, whatever happened to, whatever happened to) Wild life (wild life), what's gonna happen to (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) The animals in the zoo (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) Wild life (wild life), whatever happened to (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) Wild life (wild life), whatever happened to (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) Ooh (wild life) (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) (wild life) (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) (wild life) (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) Ow ow (wild life) (whatever happened to, whatever happened to) (wild life) (whatever happened to, whatever happened to)
Nobody ever loved me like she does Oh she does Nobody ever loved me like she does Yes she does, oh she does
And if somebody loved me like she does Ooh she do, yes she do Yes she do, yes she do Yes she do, yes she do Yes she do, yes she do
Nobody ever loved me like she does She does, yes she does
Nobody ever loved me like she do Yes she does, yes she does
And if somebody loved you like she do me Oh she do me, yes she do Yes she do me, yes she do me Yes she do
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah Oh yeah, she she do me Yes she do me Yes she do me like she do you
Nobody ever loved me like she does Yes she does, yes she does Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
As Released by the Beatles (1969)
Don't let me down Don't let me down Don't let me down Don't let me down.
Nobody ever loved me like she does Ooo she does, yes she does And if somebody loved me like she do me Ooo she do me, yes she does.
Don't let me down Don't let me down Don't let me down Don't let me down.
I'm in love for the first time Don't you know it's gonna last It's a love that lasts forever It's a love that has no past (believe me).
Don't let me down Don't let me down (ooo) Don't let me down Don't let me down.
And from the first time that she really done me Ooo she done me, she done me good I guess nobody ever really done me Ooo she done me, she done me good.
Don't let me down (hey) Don't let me down Eee ((don't let me down)) Don't let me down.
Eee - (yeah) aah Don't let me down Don't let me down, let me down Can you dig it? Don't ((hey)) let me down.
Come on, come on - come on, come on Come on, it's such a joy Come on, it's such a joy Come on, let's take it easy Come on, let's take it easy Take it easy, take it easy Everybody's got something to hide 'cept for me and my monkey - wuh.
The deeper you go, the higher you fly The higher you fly, the deeper you go So come on (come on) come on Come on, it's such a joy Come on, it's such a joy Come on, let's make it easy Come on, let's make it easy - wuh. Take it easy, take it easy - wuh Everybody's got something to hide 'cept for me and my monkey (yeah - wuh).
Your inside is out when your outside is in Your outside is in when your inside is out So come on (wuh), come on (wuh) Come on, it's such a joy Come on, it's such a joy Come on, let's make it easy Come on, let's make it easy Make it easy (wuh), make it easy (wuh) Everybody's got something to hide 'cept for me and my monkey - hey.
(Hey - yeah, wuh, yeah - wuh!) Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come, ...
In this series, In The Life Of...The Beatles presents the top 10 unreleased recordings of the Beatles.
I realize the legendary 27-minute version of "Helter Skelter" tops the lists of most people in terms of Beatles recordings they would like to hear, but just to mix things up I've decided to place it in the #2 spot. This recording has been written about extensively here and it is still no closer to being released. The last best chance was its consideration for inclusion on The Beatles Anthology 3 at the urging of Mark Lewisohn, who was asked by George Martin, "Why is this important?" For a hint of what it might sound like, here's an excerpt of take 2 from the same session, with a great vocal performance from Paul.
David Mason (born London, 1926) is an English orchestral, solo and session trumpet player. Despite his long career he is probably best known to many for playing the piccolo trumpet solo on The Beatles' song "Penny Lane." He is now retired.
Career
Mason was educated at Christ's Hospital and the Royal College of Music where he studied with Ernest Hall. His early playing career benefited from the timing of the Second World War: as a sixteen-year-old he was ineligible for call-up where many older players had already been recruited, and was thus able to pick up a lot of work in London before and during his time as a student at the Royal College of Music, which was itself interrupted by his own call-up into the band of the Scots Guards. Before call-up he was the youngest member of the then National Symphony Orchestra.
After leaving the Royal College of Music, Mason became a member of the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, moving on later to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra where he eventually became principal trumpet. After seven years in that role he moved to the Philharmonia, where he remained for most of the rest of his orchestral career. He was a professor of trumpet at the Royal College of Music for thirty years and thus taught many of the trumpet players who now make up the core of the profession in the UK. The Royal College of Music has awarded a David Mason Prize for Orchestral Trumpet Playing.
Mason was the flugelhorn soloist for the world premiere of Ralph Vaughan Williams's Symphony No. 9 on April 2nd 1958. The novelty of the flugelhorn (often seen as a jazz or brass band instrument) being used in such a significant mainstream classical work attracted much press comment at the time, perhaps to the detriment of the symphony's overall coverage and consideration.
Penny Lane
On 17 January 1967 at Abbey Road Studios Mason recorded the piccolo trumpet solo which is a prominent part of The Beatles' song Penny Lane. The solo, inspired by Mason's performance of Bach's 2nd Brandenburg Concerto with the English Chamber Orchestra, is in a mock-Baroque style for which the piccolo trumpet (a small instrument built about one octave higher than the standard instrument) is particularly suited, having a clean and clear sound which penetrates well through thicker midrange textures. Although such piccolo trumpet solos became almost commonplace in some types of pop, this was seen as innovative at the time and was among the first such uses: George Martin later wrote, "The result was unique, something which had never been done in rock music before."
That would be something That really would be something That would be something To meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain Ooh ooh ooh Meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain
That would be something That really would be something That would be something To meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain
Meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain Meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain
That would be something That really would be something That would be something To meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain Meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain Ooh
Meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain Meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain, woo
Now meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain I'll meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain
Meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain, woo Meet you in the fallin' rain, momma Meet you in the fallin' rain
Taped: Tuesday 16 March 1971 Aired: Tuesday 16 March 1971
In Los Angeles, The Beatles' Let It Be album receives a Grammy Award for the 'Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture or Television Special in 1970'. Paul and Linda, who only arrived in LA this morning, collect the award from the Hollywood legend John Wayne. As Paul leaves the building, a reporter asks him if he is in America to record an album. Paul replies by saying: "I have a knife and a fork and I'm here to cut a record" before escaping in a Cadillac amid screams from waiting Beatles fans. The couple depart into the night and remain unseen for months, even failing to show for a concert by Santana, for which they had booked (and received) two front row tickets. Prior to his departure, Paul had given his name to protesters demonstrating against the proposed building of a 200-room hotel in Cavendish Avenue, London. Westminster Council eventually scraps the idea.
Baby I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time And maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you Baby I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time You hold me on the line Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you
Baby I'm a man and maybe I'm a lonely man Who's in the middle of something That he doesn't really understand Baby I'm a man and maybe you're the only woman Who could ever help me Baby won't you help me to understand, ooh
Baby I'm a man and maybe I'm a lonely man Who's in the middle of something That he doesn't really understand Baby I'm a man and maybe you're the only woman Who could ever help me Baby won't you help me to understand, ooh
Baby I'm amazed at the way you're with me all the time And maybe I'm afraid of the way I leave you Baby I'm amazed at the way you help me sing my song You right me when I'm wrong Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you
(1) Dear Prudence won't you come out to play? Dear Prudence greet the brand new day! the sun is up the sky is blue it's beautiful and so are you Dear Prudence won't you come out to play?
(2) Dear Prudence open up your eyes Dear Prudence see the sunny skies The wind is low the birds will sing that you are part of everything Dear Prudence open up your eyes Look around let me see you smile like a little child
As Recorded by the Beatles (Demo May 1968)
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play? Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day. The sun is up, the sky is blue It's beautiful and so are you. Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?
Dear Prudence, open up your eyes Dear Prudence, see the sunny skies. The wind is low, the birds will sing That you are part of everything. Dear Prudence, won't you open your eyes?
Dear Prudence, let me see you smile Dear Prudence, like a sleeping child. The clouds will be a daisy chain So let me see you smile again. Dear Prudence, won't you let me see you smile?
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play? Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day. The sun is up, the sky is blue It's beautiful and so are you. Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?
In a meditation course in Rishikesh, India No one was to know that sooner or later she was to go completely berserk Under the care of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi All the people around were very worried about the girl Because she was going insane So we sang to her
As Released by the Beatles (1968)
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play? Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day. The sun is up, the sky is blue It's beautiful and so are you. Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?
Dear Prudence, open up your eyes Dear Prudence, see the sunny skies. The wind is low, the birds will sing That you are part of everything. Dear Prudence, won't you open up your eyes?
Dear Prudence, let me see you smile Dear Prudence, like a little child. The clouds will be a daisy chain So let me see you smile again. Dear Prudence, won't you let me see you smile?
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play? Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day. The sun is up, the sky is blue It's beautiful and so are you. Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?
When I'm walking beside her People tell me I'm lucky Yes I know I'm a lucky guy. I remember the first time I was lonely without her Can't stop thinking about her now.
Every little thing she does She does for me, yeah And you know the thing she does She does for me, ooo.
When I'm with her I'm happy Just to know that she loves me Yes I know that she loves me now. There is one thing I'm sure of I will love her forever For I know love will never die.
Every little thing she does She does for me, yeah And you know the thing she does She does for me, ooo.
Every little thing Every little thing Every little thing.
John Lennon & Yoko Ono's LP Some Time in New York City was released on this day in the United States. To celebrate, John & Yoko hung out with Andy Warhol, Jerry Rubin, Miles Davis, Jesse Ed Davis, and others at Allen Klein's home in New York City. Later that day, John recorded an interview with the freelance American radio journalist Scott Johns at his Greenwich Village apartment, during which he discussed his relationship with the musician David Peel. In 1980, the tape was subsequently released on the limited edition disc The David Peel Interviews.
Every night I just want to go out, get out of my head Every day I don't want to get up, get out of my bed Every night I want to play out And every day I want to do ooh ooh ooh ooh But tonight I just want to stay in And be with you And be with you
Ooh Ooh ooh Ooh Ooh ooh
Every day I lean on a lamp post, I'm wasting my time Every night I lay on a pillow, I'm resting my mind Every morning brings a new day And every night that day is through ooh ooh ooh ooh But tonight I just want to stay in And be with you And be with you
Ooh Ooh ooh Believe me mama Ooh Ooh ooh Ooh Ooh ooh
Mark Lewisohn (born 1958) is an English author and historian, regarded as the world's leading authority on The Beatles.
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