"The Long and Winding Road" (McCartney – May 11, 1970)
Let It Be – Side 2, Track 5
YouTube (McCartney, 90s live, mixed videos with Lennon)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone and About.com –
Background –
Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) January 10 –
1963 – Concert at the Grafton Ballroom, Liverpool.
1964 – US LP release: "Introducing The Beatles".
– "Beatles Christmas Show", at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London.
1965 – Sid Bernstein calls Brian, proposing him a Beatles concert at the Shea Stadium.
1966 – Brian is appointed a director of Lennon Books Limited. US single release: 'Woman', with Peter and Gordon.
1967 – Studio 3. 7.00pm-1.40am. Recording: "Penny Lane" (overdub onto take 9). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Phil McDonald.
– Recording of various effects (scat singing, bell) for "Penny Lane'
1968 – "Hello, Goodbye" number 1, 6th and last week (UK New Musical Express chart).
– EMI Recording Studio, Bombay, India. 10.00am-7.00pm approx. George session.
– New Delhi. The General Secretary of the Movement for the Spiritual Regeneration announces the Beatles will visit India to attend a transcendental meditation course.
1969 – George leaves the Beatles.
1970 – "Live Peace In Toronto", number 136, 1st week in the ranking (Billboard).
1971 – Start of the trial after Paul's action.
Photos from Google.
Let It Be – Side 2, Track 5
YouTube (McCartney, 90s live, mixed videos with Lennon)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone and About.com –
McCartney originally wrote the song at his farm in Scotland, and was inspired by the growing tension among the Beatles. McCartney said later: "I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing and came up with that song, imagining it was going to be done by someone like Ray Charles. I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration."
McCartney recorded a demo version of the song, with Beatles' engineer Alan Brown assisting, in September 1968, during the recording sessions for The Beatles.
The song takes the form of a piano-based ballad, with conventional chord changes. The song's home key is in E-flat major but also uses relative minor; the key of C minor. Lyrically, it is a sad and melancholic song, with an evocation of an as-yet unrequited, though apparently inevitable, love.
The "Road" of the song was claimed to have been inspired by the B842, a thirty-one mile (50 km) winding road in Scotland, running along the east coast of Kintyre into Campbeltown, and part of the eighty-two mile (133 km) drive from Lochgilphead. In an interview in 1994, McCartney described the lyric more obliquely: "It's rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it's a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It's a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist."
The opening theme is repeated throughout, the song lacks a traditional chorus, and the melody and lyrics are ambiguous about the opening stanza's position in the song; it is unclear whether the song has just begun, is in the verse, or is in the bridge.
The song takes the form of a piano-based ballad, with conventional chord changes. The song's home key is in E-flat major but also uses relative minor; the key of C minor. Lyrically, it is a sad and melancholic song, with an evocation of an as-yet unrequited, though apparently inevitable, love.
The "Road" of the song was claimed to have been inspired by the B842, a thirty-one mile (50 km) winding road in Scotland, running along the east coast of Kintyre into Campbeltown, and part of the eighty-two mile (133 km) drive from Lochgilphead. In an interview in 1994, McCartney described the lyric more obliquely: "It's rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it's a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It's a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist."
The opening theme is repeated throughout, the song lacks a traditional chorus, and the melody and lyrics are ambiguous about the opening stanza's position in the song; it is unclear whether the song has just begun, is in the verse, or is in the bridge.
In May 1969, Glyn Johns, who had been asked to mix the Get Back album by the Beatles, selected the 26 January recording as the best version of the song. The Beatles had recorded a master version as part of the “Apple Studio Performance” on 31 January, which had different lyrics and structure, but was not released. Bootlegs of the recording sessions of that day, and the film, show the band recording numerous takes of the song in a concerted effort to create a master. For both the 1969 and 1970 versions of the Get Back album, Glyn Johns used the 26 January mix as released on the Anthology 3 album in 1996. When the project was handed over to Phil Spector he also chose the 26 January recording. In the spring of 1970, Lennon and the Beatles' manager, Allen Klein, turned over the recordings to Phil Spector with the hope of salvaging an album, which was then titled "Let It Be".
Spector made various changes to the songs, but his most dramatic embellishments would occur on 1 April 1970, when he turned his attention to “Road”. At Abbey Road Studios, he recorded the orchestral and choir accompaniment for the song. The only member of The Beatles present was Starr, who was busy recording drum overdubs for "Across the Universe" and "I Me Mine" before being called back in later by Spector once he'd gotten his arrangement down. Already known for his eccentric behavior in the studio, Spector was in a peculiar mood that day, as balance engineer Pete Brown recalled: "He wanted tape echo on everything, he had to take a different pill every half hour and had his bodyguard with him constantly. He was on the point of throwing a wobbly, saying 'I want to hear this, I want to hear that. I must have this, I must have that.'" Brown and the orchestra eventually became so annoyed by Spector's behavior that the orchestra refused to play any further, and at one point, Brown left for home, forcing Spector to telephone him and persuade him into coming back after Starr had told Spector to calm down.
Finally, Spector succeeded in remixing "Road", using 18 violins, four violas, four cellos, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitars, and a choir of 14 women. The orchestra was scored and conducted by Richard Hewson, who would later work with McCartney on his album, Thrillington. This lush orchestral treatment was in direct contrast to the Beatles' stated intentions for a 'real' recording when they began work on "Get Back."
Recording –
Spector made various changes to the songs, but his most dramatic embellishments would occur on 1 April 1970, when he turned his attention to “Road”. At Abbey Road Studios, he recorded the orchestral and choir accompaniment for the song. The only member of The Beatles present was Starr, who was busy recording drum overdubs for "Across the Universe" and "I Me Mine" before being called back in later by Spector once he'd gotten his arrangement down. Already known for his eccentric behavior in the studio, Spector was in a peculiar mood that day, as balance engineer Pete Brown recalled: "He wanted tape echo on everything, he had to take a different pill every half hour and had his bodyguard with him constantly. He was on the point of throwing a wobbly, saying 'I want to hear this, I want to hear that. I must have this, I must have that.'" Brown and the orchestra eventually became so annoyed by Spector's behavior that the orchestra refused to play any further, and at one point, Brown left for home, forcing Spector to telephone him and persuade him into coming back after Starr had told Spector to calm down.
Finally, Spector succeeded in remixing "Road", using 18 violins, four violas, four cellos, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitars, and a choir of 14 women. The orchestra was scored and conducted by Richard Hewson, who would later work with McCartney on his album, Thrillington. This lush orchestral treatment was in direct contrast to the Beatles' stated intentions for a 'real' recording when they began work on "Get Back."
Recording –
Takes: 18
Personnel
John Lennon – Bass guitar (1964 Fender Bass VI)
Paul McCartney – Lead vocals, piano (Bluthner Flugel Grand)
George Harrison – Rhythm guitar (1968 Fender Rosewood Telecaster)
Ringo Starr – Drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple)
Unknown overdubs – 18 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, harp, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 guitarists, choir (14 female voices)
Paul McCartney – Lead vocals, piano (Bluthner Flugel Grand)
George Harrison – Rhythm guitar (1968 Fender Rosewood Telecaster)
Ringo Starr – Drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple)
Unknown overdubs – 18 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, harp, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 guitarists, choir (14 female voices)
Trivia –
The road of the title was inspired by the B842, a national road which winds over thirty-one miles (or 50 km) over the West Coast of Scotland, through Kintyre to Paul's farm in Campbeltown.
Spector brought in Ringo to add drum fills to the track on April 1st, 1970, the very last session where any work on a Beatles track was done featuring a member of the band. Therefore, this counts as the Beatles' last session.
Paul's original take featured a second bridge that was half-spoken, half-sung; Spector removed this and substituted the famous ascending line of strings, a move so elegant it has since become a sonic trademark of the song. (It's rumored that George's guitar was erased in the final mix, but the track is there, merely buried under all the sonic excess.) John uncharacteristically plays bass on this track, a performance so bad that Spector tried to use it as an excuse for his lush orchestration.
Paul was so outraged by Spector's unauthorized production that he cited the move as one of his six reasons for dissolving the Beatles' legal partnership, making this one of the songs that legally broke up the band!
Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) January 10 –
1963 – Concert at the Grafton Ballroom, Liverpool.
1964 – US LP release: "Introducing The Beatles".
– "Beatles Christmas Show", at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London.
1965 – Sid Bernstein calls Brian, proposing him a Beatles concert at the Shea Stadium.
1966 – Brian is appointed a director of Lennon Books Limited. US single release: 'Woman', with Peter and Gordon.
1967 – Studio 3. 7.00pm-1.40am. Recording: "Penny Lane" (overdub onto take 9). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Phil McDonald.
– Recording of various effects (scat singing, bell) for "Penny Lane'
1968 – "Hello, Goodbye" number 1, 6th and last week (UK New Musical Express chart).
– EMI Recording Studio, Bombay, India. 10.00am-7.00pm approx. George session.
– New Delhi. The General Secretary of the Movement for the Spiritual Regeneration announces the Beatles will visit India to attend a transcendental meditation course.
1969 – George leaves the Beatles.
1970 – "Live Peace In Toronto", number 136, 1st week in the ranking (Billboard).
1971 – Start of the trial after Paul's action.
Photos from Google.
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