Close Abbey Road?

I was in Abbey Road Studio One earlier this week for a music industry gathering of performers and was struck yet again by the personality of the room. It’s such a big room and so many things have happened in it. Not least of all is the televising of All You Need Is Love. For whatever reason I just couldn’t get the images of it out of my head when I was supposed to be listening to some of the presentations and speeches from the event I was attending. Take a Beatle fan into Abbey Road Studio One and it’s pretty much impossible for that fan to be thinking about anything else other than the thought that you are inside one of the most guarded Beatle sites in the world. Not only the Beatles, I might add. It’s amazing how many of the best known film themes and classical works have been recorded there – in short, it’s just an incredible place and without doubt, one of the premier rooms for recording in the world.
So, imagine my shock, when from the podium came the words….and I'm paraphrasing here... “…we implore EMI to keep this studio open” and that it’s one of the few places left in this country that can “accommodate a full orchestra for recording”. I came to life somewhat. What is this chap saying? Are they going to sell this place, is it going to change hands or worse are they going to close it? Reading between the lines on what was being said at a political level here I have to guess that in this current financial climate, both studio and punters are suffering. Abbey Road is an expensive place to work in and of course the technological improvements made to recording facilities in the wider world mean that largely, similar results can be produced in a bedroom. That’s just a fact. Why would a band want to go into Abbey Road and spend many thousands of bucks when those bucks might be best served investing in a comprehensive recording set up which will give them access to their recordings everyday and all of the time? One reason a band would go there would be to get access to some of the fantastic recording facilities available, and a microphone collection which, quite frankly, would knock yer socks off. Another is more fundamental to the studio itself – it’s the one thing that you can ONLY get in that location – it’s the rooms themselves. As soon as the ambient mics placed in the room are pushed up on the desk, it’s like Abbey Road arrives. I for example simply cannot hear a Beatles track without hearing Studio Two- if it was recorded in there. There is a sound attached to the room and it is impossible to take out. That is the one thing that can’t really be replicated electronically in the form of a plugin and even if they could it still wouldn’t BE the room. The fact is that people don’t just go into studios because of who recorded there in the past, although that does give a clue as to the possible continuing life of Abbey Road Studios, should it close, change hands or function. In fact it’s almost unthinkable that one of the most famous recording studios in the world could! The interesting thing is that when you come out of the studio there are ALWAYS people outside, writing on the wall, nudging each other and taking photographs. I hope it never happens but it would have an afterlife as one of the premier tourist venues in the world and that really would be down to the Beatles. I can’t quite get my head about that idea though. Those rooms are living, breathing spaces of creativity where music is and has been crafted and moulded from nothing into recordings that we hear probably more regularly than we realise. This studio should never become a museum and should always do what it does best – record great music.

It's going to the dogs...

Whilst sitting watching the television last night I realised that we have now moved a generation up and away from the 2nd Generation Beatle Aware. We have now stepped over the line to a point where Beatle music is being used to advertise. It can only be a matter of time until it is being used to sell toilet roll. I hasten to add though that it wasn’t the original recordings, so that’s at least something. It was a fairly ethereal version of From Me To You which was being used to hook the viewers into the John Lewis stores over the Chrimble period. According to this link the track is sung by members of the John Lewis Music Society! It’s actually not a bad version and if it captures the public imagination it may well end up charting because of course it’s a brilliant song. Annoyingly and against my grain, it’s easy to see why the advertisers are desperate to use the boys’ tunes. If you look at the video it fits perfectly and indeed the tune takes on a different and more tender feel. However, all of that aside, in my view these songs should be protected from such interference. It is not like the writers need the money! The only reason they are being used is just raw commercialism. This new route of Beatle-lising the world with rock star games and now TV ads is going to undo all of the good work done thus far to keep it away from such nonsense. This is the slippery slope and it’s all downhill from here in my view. It is a matter of time now before we hear an actual Beatle recording up there. Nothing will be off limits soon. The Beatles are a commercial product in and of themselves so I have no argument with them doing whatever they need to do in order that they sell yet more product, spreading the word to a new generation and so on. However, the questions have to be asked; just what on EARTH are they doing? Why are they not concentrating on putting out the remastered music, the films etc; Who is making these choices and ok-ing these decisions? Something is afoot in Pepperland folks and we might need to employ Old Fred once more to save the music!
My personal opinion is that this is a bad and unrequired move on the part of the Beatles management and can only be motivated by wonga, which as I’ve said earlier I don’t really get. It’s not like they need to tell the public who they are really is it?
The top hats at Apple should be dealing with the core issues and stop concentrating on the Corp issues.

Just get back to the band please folks!

PS

And in reference to Ringo’s latest outburst, (which I can understand to a degree) it would seem to make sense that if you don’t want attention then don’t turn up at an awards ceremony!!

Remaster, Rock Star, Remaster....

I’m with Allan Kozinn of the New York Times… the bottom line is that The Beatles should be concentrating on the release of their primary product – that is of course the music catalogue, not some daft Rock Star type game. Then closely followed by the Let It Be’s and Shea Stadiums they are still sitting on for whatever reason. It is actually incredible that there is basically no digitally remastered material available from the world’s premier group; is it not? I don’t care too much for the itunes or mp3 formats. What I want is full on, red blooded CD’s. The Beatles used to lead the world in innovation in many ways. Even the Anthology broke new ground…indeed up until then there was nothing like it from just about any other group. In other words, they continued the good work they’d always done. Ground breaking work on the video end of things whilst on the audio end they made the impossible happen with Free As a Bird and Real Love. As a fan I was proud to know that the boys weren’t just any band who wanted to cash in on their past achievements. They took the hard road, carved a new route, raised the bar and set a new standard for the world simply to gawp at. As it stands, twelve years later, it seems that they have hit some kind of impasse. I don’t get it. Just what might be the problem? In a general sense no one could blame them for not getting into bed with the digital download world at the beginning. It could have been a flash in the pan Beatamax (!) moment, so fair enough. However it has to be said that even the most cautious amongst us have to say that this format is here to stay and in fact IS where we are now. I feel that it is embarrassing for them at this stage. This band should still be leading the pack, breaking new ground and turning it to their advantage. It is not as though they have to create new material to convert. They have a complete catalogue ready to go, so again - what’s the problem? It’s obvious that there is a rights argument and financial reasona behind it all, it is the only argument that makes sense.

Also, whilst we’re on this digital thing, I read somewhere that the remixed catalogue will still retain the original mixes. In other words, those same unbelievably BAD stereo images which are murder to listen to on headphones. In fact, I gave up listening to the boys on headphones until the good folks at Purple Chick came up with their brilliant packages because it was such uncomfortable listening experience. Before that, I had to go to the extraordinary lengths of employing a mixing desk with a PAN control so I could route stuff through it to bring the bass more to centre. It was a terrible decision to release the CD’s with those appalling stereo mixes in 1987! If the idea was somehow to preserve the original work then all of the discs should have been in mono with the exception of the albums that were originally put out in stereo. There is just no value in putting out those stereo mixes again. They were a compromise when they were made in the Sixties, a travesty in the Eighties and by now it is plain stupid to put them out in that condition. The Beatles have an opportunity to put out pristine versions of the best work ever put to tape in a way that just blows the opposition away all over again to genuinely improve and polish this incredible work. As it stands, albeit through speculation, it seems that once again, an opportunity may be lost. When this catalogue goes out again under the “remastered” banner, it might just be the most important thing that has happened to the CD since it’s birth and given that they are in a position to do so, wouldn’t it be great if boys once again pushed the envelope just that little bit further?

PS

Best of luck with the VOTE America!

Warning: Peace and Love

I have mixed feelings with regard to the current Ringo thing. On the one hand I can see what a total nightmare it must be to be followed around with requests for autographs. Especially given that it’s probably been the same for the last forty odd years and as they say (whoever “they” are!) nothing lasts forever. However, I do have to add, that whilst it’s understandable that he may be sick to the back teeth of this tiresome chore, he should realise that for ALL of the time he’s been in the public eye he has lived in a rarefied atmosphere enjoying the fruit of not only his own labours, but the fruit of the fans’ labours too. Yes the Beatles have given their “nervous” systems to a world hungry for anything and everything “Beatles”, but it has been fans that have been the fuel for that car. Without the fans and their massive interest, their mind boggling, eye popping and unquenchable thirst for new products, tickets and pertinently, an autograph, then Ringo might still be drumming down the Cavern on a Sunday night at the charity Beat gigs they put on there these days. It seems to me, and I freely admit I have no idea of what it’s like to be hounded for autographs daily and so I can only guess at how annoying it might be, but surely there are many worse things a person can be saddled with in this life? These are unsteady and difficult days all ‘round. As the credit crunch bites us all squarely in the butt I’m thinking, wait a minute, if all you have to do is sign stuff even if it was ALL day, it doesn’t add up to the smallest percentile of hassle in comparison with what ordinary people have to deal with does it? I mean it’s not like you have stand out in the freezing cold every morning waiting on a bus to take you to work in a place that you’d be happy to never to see again is it? It’s not a difficult job really? Whatever the reason Ringo has decided it SURELY can’t be the one that states he simply cannot be bothered doing it eh? Something else must have happened. I read on the news article the suggestion that maybe there’s been some Ebay activity that’s annoyed him? Perhaps.
It STILL doesn’t help me understand the tone of his request. I was listening to a piece on the BBC’s Radio Four news where they went to ask (some already annoyed) Liverpudlians what they thought of his stroppy tirade (for that is what it is) and I have to say he was roundly savaged by all with the exception of those who work in the Beatle industry (but of course!) who are obviously guarding their connection and giving the man the benefit of the doubt.
Ultimately something has triggered this for Ringo and he obviously feels a strong motivation to make sure everyone understands that he doesn’t want to play the game any more.
Fine – no problem - Peace and Love.
I wonder what the sales of his next album and tour will look like? More to the point perhaps I wonder what the sales of his last album look like?
In summing up here, it may be slightly annoying signing items on a daily basis but there is a reason for those requests. People have a genuine regard for you. You are actually loved and celebrated around the world. However please don’t “warn” us with Peace and Love to politely f*** off with said Peace and Love ringing in our ears!

If you don’t want to do it, then just don’t do it.

No proclamation delivered by video is required. We’ll all get the picture somehow. Peace and Love, Peace and Love and Love Peace.

jimmy or bust?

In these days of pulling a gig at the drop of a hat, it occurred to me that one of the strangest and perhaps one of the dumbest things that happened during The Beatles history was when they put Jimmy Nicol in on drums when the Boys were to tour Scandinavia, Holland, the Far East and Australia in 1964

What were promoters and management thinking?

Why didn't they simply postpone the tour and do it when all four Beats were fighting fit and available?

It would be an automatic reschedule today if it was known that a key member of a group was taken ill. You would have thought that by that time, when The Beatles were the biggest thing in showbiz history, that THE thing to do would be obvious. George brings that very point to the table in the Anthology when he questions why they simply didn’t take the time out. I know what it’s like when what’s referred to as a “dep” comes in for someone who is suddenly ill, can’t make it or whatever, and it’s not pretty. The whole balance of the group changes. The on-stage sign systems which bands rely on are altered in a way which puts that communication at odds with normality. Subtle things like tempo and pace might be unfamiliar and can unsettle even the best bands. I’m sure Jimmy was a pretty competent drummer, but the pressure must’ve been enormous on him too - right? There are scant pieces of information available about the man who would be Ringo but it is generally understood that once his stint was done, he simply disappeared and never really wanted to talk about his time playing with The Beatles. There would have been a golden opportunity during Anthology for a short interview during the segment on that very subject, but no. I wonder - was he asked to make a contribution and just said no? Perhaps he wasn’t asked; which is even stranger! If it was so unimportant then the information would have been left out of the picture altogether, but again no. Why make the reference in such an important film and not use the actual source? In fact the more you think about this, the more bizarre it becomes. Of course, the simple explanation could be that Jimmy’s time in the band scared the pants off of him at the time and he had no wish whatever to make ANY kind of return to it.

Jimmy’s own view?..."The boys were very kind but I felt like an intruder. They accepted me but you can't just go into a group like that -- they have their own atmosphere, their own sense of humour. It's a little clique and outsiders just can't break in."

I wonder how Ringo took that information? Er…sorry to hear you’re not well Ring and you just collapsed and that but er…we’re putting this complete stranger on in your place whilst we cover those gigs that were booked, so er…. Get well soon and we’ll see you when you’re better! Unwittingly it must have sent poor Ringo the message that he was expendable and that they didn’t “love him anymore”. For example, I wonder if they would have replaced say John if he’d had a similar problem? I strongly doubt it – but hey Ringo’s just the drummer right? . . . . .
They should just have postponed.

It's all too much

The Beatles changed the world. We all know that. However, not all that change is necessarily for the better. The old phrase about every silver lining has a cloud comes into its own here. Let me explain. Ok, you’re a musician aiming for the big time in the early Sixties. Your job is to be part of a band, play live gigs, play well and hope that you’re discovered one day. Your job is NOT to write the songs you might record. Your job is NOT to have the first clue about how those songs might be recorded, or how they are musically arranged. Your job is not management. Well, I think a picture is emerging of what you the band member might expect on your magic carpet tide to fame and fortune. There are clear lines cut with regard to how the game works. Then we have the almighty big band of the modern pop era with the boys. Overnight everything has changed in terms of the role an ambitious young musician might have to master. If he wants to be taken seriously, he is going to have to learn to write songs, because it is a learned craft on top of an aptitude in my opinion – no one has a gift from the almighty on that one! Now if you fast forward to this point in time, a young musician will be expected (nay taken for granted) that he is a brilliant writer. If he is not, then he is somehow looked down on. I don’t know what ever happened to the concept of covering a song? Sure it still happens to a degree, but it is scoffed at not only by the industry, but listeners and critics alike. The “oh it’s just a cover” attitude reveals itself very quickly. I believe it still has its place. The Beatles themselves were fine exponents of the cover version, where they exploited the material to make it sound like THEIR version. That same young musician will be expected also to have production skills in their arsenal. Have you noticed that everyone is a “producer” these days? Most new and inexperienced artists have no conception of what production actually is. Experience is the key to it. You can take a song into the studio with an experienced producer and before you know it has become something totally different. Producer of the moment Rick Rubin’s recordings with Johnny Cash are a testament to that which is neat example of covering songs and injecting originality into them. Those songs gained a whole new resonance with that type of treatment. The Beatles are the measurable point where the line between artist and producer, player and engineer really begins to blur. The question has to be asked, does every new credible artist HAVE to be a great writer, a brilliant producer and engineer? I think not. I tend to think that artists who are of that calibre end up in some kind of self imposed alienation. I wonder what The Beatles catalogue might have sounded like without George Martin’s input? He was a very important part of the team and without him, things would be very different across the industry today I think. The problem is that he taught The Beatles well with regard to the art of the studio and before you know it the boys were tentatively taking some sessions with other artists on their own. The cat was out of the bag!
Whilst the Beatles freed the world of the Tin Pan Alley mentality and revolutionised the industry, they also saddled the following generations with the responsibility of becoming uber talented in many fields. It is now not good enough for today’s young artists to just be a good guitarist say; no he has to be a great lyric writer with the ability to write that killer top line melody. He has to fundamentally understand how that record will be constructed in the studio. He has to be able to arrange the song and then direct how for example those harmony groups are nailed down. He has to understand the technology. Further outside the box, he has to be able to understand that he is a product and not just that guitarist who can play a bit. In short he has to be savvy at all levels or his chances diminish. The Beatles showed the world a way; an early clue to the new direction as it were. Not everyone is a Beatle and nor should they be expected to be.

PMC 7067/8

During recent months there seems to have been a bit of a renewed interest in the The Beatles album, given that it is now forty years since its release. On my first listen to the album many moons ago, I found it quite a difficult one. It has to be said though, that I was only nine years old when I did so! Even at that point though, I knew there were some classic songs on there, coupled with some not so classic ones (well, in my nine year old opinion. My grown up opinion has somewhat changed!). As I said, with all the recent interest in it, it begs the question; is the White Album the purest and most honest Beatles album of all? Further, could it possibly be a better album than Pepper?
The White album sounds like a relief to me in some ways. It’s like they were slightly sick of being at the cutting edge the whole time and just wanted to rock out, soak up the zeitgeist and just do what came naturally, rather than make it unique for the sake of it. Although being The Beatles, they still managed to be unique in any case as for them it was a totally natural thing to do with the ridiculous levels of creativity buzzing around that group at any one time. It sounds like a reaction to the previous year of momentous and trailblazing production. That kind of work in the studio must have taken a toll mentally – and so the Indian trip couldn’t have come at a better time one imagines. Space required and much needed no doubt. It gave them the chance to “get it all out” and recharge the Beatle batteries. This is slightly more than apparent from one listen to the excellent Purple Chick deluxe 12 disc set of relevant materials.

What I love about the White album is that there is a sense of the home made about it, and there is great atmosphere in some of the recordings. Martha My Dear certainly doesn’t cut any new ground but it has that log fire burning in the background kind of quality to it and it isn’t a million miles away from one of the directions Mr McCartney would be composing along come the Seventies. I’m thinking You Gave Me The Answer or My Baby’s Request, for example. As I said, The Beatles are also soaking up influences around them with much heavier guitars and less microphone separation apparent in a lot of the songs – think of Yer Blues or Helter Skelter. These are fantastic examples of a band quite obviously enjoying themselves just being a band. The album is simply dotted with classics and in my opinion they are just as revolutionary as Pepper because it’s like the opposite side of the mirror. The band was using Abbey Road to the full with all three of the studios in use at the same time on some occasions. From the sleeve to the content it reeks of class and honesty. However, I am sure there are songs on the album which are not that popular amongst fans. The usual suspects might include Rocky Racoon, Don’t Pass Me By or dare I say it Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (which certainly isn’t one my own favourites – but it has its place nevertheless)
Of course a big talking point has always been Revolution No 9. I think if you look at it as a “song” included on a Beatles album, then it tends to defy that description. However, if you look at it as an experiment or a soundscape like some kind of audio painting, then its relevance is obvious in that it’s another example of the band pushing the barriers. It is also a monument to drug induced over indulgence of course. It is however not unlike some of the Liverpool Soundcape album! Paul was the walrus on that one and has said many times that he was the avant garde one in the band originally. So, in some respects Revolution No9 is an example of Paul kicking the ball and John running with it.

The tension in the band is evident on this record too. For example, Paul is playing more drums than required really and we all know why that was. The seeds of their demise are in evidence on this record but even in the face of that, they still managed to push out tracks which left the opposition standing. A cursory look down the track list makes their genius obvious. In many ways there isn’t a bad track on the album and I disagree with George Martin’s opinion that it would have made a great single album – it’s just a great album – period! If the goal was to make another Pepper or Revolver type album then yes, he’s probably right. They would return to that type of album-making with Abbey Road. Somehow though, that doesn’t seem to be the point of the White Album. I love the honesty of the record and the fact that it’s not wearing any make up, that there is the odd blemish on there and that the production is simpler, although it has to be said that you get the idea that the band were just shattered by the end of the production process.
Although it was stated on Let It Be that it was a “new phase” Beatles album, I believe that it was this album that was the new phase sound. Straight up, go ahead, punch you right on the nose rock n roll. I think pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the White album is an amazing piece of work. It’s cynical, quirky, full of humour, stripped back to basics, honest, musically brilliant. It’s audacious and out on a limb. It’s envelope stretching top of the heap brilliance. For me the White album is genius. Four sides, four guys and one band. It strips away the pomp and pretension of the previous (and wondrous) year to reveal a band very much at odds with itself but still shaking nevertheless and blowing everything else away.