Track 1: I Want To Hold Your Hand
The opening salvo of the British Invasion begins with a thundering two chord attack repeated three times like shells hitting the beach. The wash of Ringo’s cymbals are the sloshing boots of the troops wading ashore. The chords are IV-V, (C to D) IV- V, IV- V, building up at last to release to the I, (G). I can't think of any rock song previous to this recording doing a two chord intro. In 1962, Green Onions begins with one three chord riff built from the one, repeated in a blues progression and transposed from the four to the five. In April of 1963, six months before IWTHYH is recorded, The Kingsmen track their version of Louie Louie which begins with electric piano one four five-minor, that last chord being minor is crucial to the wickedness of that song. But here come the British with this two chord proto-metal power chording that would be honed to more vicious effect by the Kinks a half year later with You Really Got Me.
The riff even captured Bob Dylan’s imagination, and in June of ‘64 he uses it in between each verse of ‘I Shall Be Free No. 10’, from Another Side Of Bob Dylan. He lets everyone in on the joke in the last verse: “..aw it’s nothin’, just somethin’ I learned over in England...” Dylan would not actually “meet the Beatles” until two months later in New York. There of course he learns he has misheard the lyric “ I can’t hide” as “I get high”. Realizing the Beatles have never been high, he gets them high.
Okay-back to the song. Landing on the one, John declares, “Oh yeah I’ll tell you somethin’...”, somethin’ lands on the five (D), then what the fuck just happened? Satan’s little monkey Paul McCartney rips a five note bass walk that takes us to the relative minor (Em) of the one (G), ...”I think you’ll understand...” now to the relative minor of the five- (Bm!!!). NO, ACTUALLY I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. This chord progression is from outer space, but it’s cool as fuck. It’s emotionally jarring to shift like this from major to minor. They do the same thing in She Loves You, just rearranged slightly...one- six minor, three minor, five. Pardon my limited musical theory knowledge, I’m basing my note numbers off a major scale- forgive me if I’m butchering this.
The bridge is a nice break in the tension, starts with a jazzy Dm7, kinda like an F but missing the ring and pinky finger. I’m sure young John and Paul rode several buses around Liddypool to find a bloke that knew that chord. You can hear the acoustic Gibson J-160 in this part as well. It’s all chill until that two chord riff comes back with “ I can’t hide”. Nice work. Lots of cool noises on this song that get better with age on old crackly vinyl. The handclaps. I had no idea what made that sound when I was a kid, but they are good claps- really full sounding. George’s little guitar “meow” every time right at the end of the previously mentioned satanic bass walk. It’s the seeds of metal, mang. Finally the song ends with a nice flourish, a kink or bend in the chord progression- ham-mer-ing-out-the-fin-a-le--kind of show-bizzy, music hall razmataz- but it’s still cool- and you can visualize the three up front bowing in unison afterward..every time.
Track 2: I Saw Her Standing There. Last week I went to an ENT, or otolaryngologist to look at my big tonsil. I had a sore throat and worried I had Covid. Turned out to be nothing to worry about, but I had some time waiting in the exam room where they have those illustrated charts of the gory insides of ears, noses, and throats. I was looking at the weird tissues behind our eardrums that lead to our brains. They're not sexy looking at all, like fallopian tubes, or the vas deferens, but what they all have in common is they're part of our reproduction. This song makes me think about all that tiny delicate tissue, and how the particular waves of air this song creates goes to my sex brain. The bassline Paul stole from Chuck Berry's Talkin' Bout You is sped up like the heartbeat of young me on the brink of the first time in the front seat of a first car. This is all out dance party 1963, the kind of dance party I would have gone to, not the ones I ducked in school in the mid 80s. This song sounds really killer LOUD. I heard it once over a PA between bands at the Sunset Tavern and it took me back to my virgin child ears when I first heard it. Back then everything was loud. Anyway, my point about this song is that it's the air it moves in a room that's important . That and the C chord that comes out of nowhere at the ooooohs before the title in chorus. They had a straight forward rock song and then Lucifer shows up again with a demonic C in a key of E song. Okay. Next up is This Boy. I need some time on that one.
Track 3: This Boy . There will be no deep dive here- only surface observations. I do not hate this song. Nor does it belong in my favorites. The vocals are fantastic, and if this was the first Beatles album you got your hands on as a 13 year old girl in 1964, you'd definitely let your romantic imagination run wild with the back cover propped up on your pillow picking out the cutest one in that cock-sure black and white line up of the boys in the Pierre Cardin suits and cuban heeled boots. Why is George stiff-arming Ringo? Halitosis? Anyway as far as mix tapes go, or the art of song sequencing, this is a perfect slot for this song. Someone at Capitol had this job, because MTB is a mix tape of sorts from the UK albums and singles previous. It goes back to the reason I will always prefer a listen to MTB as an album opposed to With The Beatles. I posted months or maybe a year back about how the cover of Meet is better than With on many levels. The all-caps urgency as opposed to the lower case understatement- The color tint of the photograph in a blue hue, and the fonts blue and brown as opposed to straight stark B&W. I guess this song means more to me as an interlude to study the fonts and pictures. The Franklin Gothic text that was so prevalent in the early sixties, Century (?) small print fonts , Some kind of sans serif bold Helvetica or Impact for the front cover...someone help me. Anyway, the song is great, but for me it reminds me of an intermission to study every last microscopic detail of the art design of this album. I read a bit about the song on the internet but I'm saving my Smokey Robinson take for later...I guess you could say this is an early peak into the dichotomy of John's rough and ready Teddy boy and sensitive side thing, but I'm not into going there either. It hints a bit at his complicated feelings toward women that proves problematic in this time. Always scoring honesty points, dude can't help it. I will say John knocked it out of the park- great song, not one I would put on a playlist, but it's damn good ...but oh my-i -i -i...
Track #4 It Won't Be Long... this song begins like a police siren...yeah YEAH yeah YEAH..so urgent and jarring. The Beatles are saying YEAH again and again to remind everyone that yeah, this is really happening. We're coming to fuck up everything you thought was normal. Sorry your president got his brains blown out in Dallas, but we're going to pick up some slack with the traumatized youth and challenge the idea of dying for a domino theory in Vietnam. Once the dramatic intro is over the verse goes pre-metal and/or punk with E to C. This is again satanic rock. You're coming home, you're coming home, as if there's some "home " these sexy beasts have established for you. There's also Lennon, thinking there's somewhere else everybody has fun..isn't that where you are? Oh no it's not. We'll be reminded over and over again that John is nowhere anything fun is...because he's already living in his head. None of the parties or sex will ever be fun to this thoughty guy..we're going to hear about it for a while..Lennon would be a boring rapper. The descending guitar riff is again pre metal, and my laboratory DNA test takes it back to the Everly Brothers "When Will I Be Loved"..okay nuff said.
Track#5. All I've Got To Do. Opens with the coolest jazz chord ever. Then John begins with "Whenever..." and from there he's all Smokey Robinson. Soon its apparent that Richard Starkey is the best drummer in the world. He'll prove it again in two years on In My Life. Listen close to how Ringo maneuvers the hi hat around the verses, and how he masters the same art of serving a song on IML. Paul too is half noting some bass notes that give this painting some dark tones beautifully. At this time the early Stones, and young Clapton, Animals etc, were blues obsessed, but the Beatles seemed to be more open to soul and girl groups of color influences paving the way to the new pop paradigm. Again throwing back in the face of America their greatest natural resource. Why have you colonists overlooked this treasure? Mmmm ing to the fade is also brilliant. This is the sexiest song on this LP. It might be a tough week to think about John, the 40th marking of his exit is Tuesday, and I may have to remark on my memory as a 9 year old then...ok, thanks
DEC. 8, 2020
This was the magazine I was reading on the Greyhound bus from Pocatello to Twin Falls, Idaho during Christmas 1980. My mom bought me a copy for the trip. I was going to my Dad's house in Hailey, he was picking me up. A few weeks before- actually 40 years ago tomorrow, my mom woke me up for school and told me John Lennon was dead. I was 9, in 4th grade, and had been a Beatle geek for only about 2 years. The Beatles had broken up a year before I was born- so I will never understand what the draw was, other than a past life regression- no clue. But it would have been Tues. morning of Dec. 9 when I went to school learning of the tragedy first thing. The event happened on the east coast two time zones away way past my bedtime the night before. I've often told the story that a girl sitting next to me asked me what was wrong, as I must have been glum. "My favorite Beatle died", and her response was, "what? Did somebody step on him? hee hee" It seems a lot cuter now and so innocent from a child's mouth, even clever- but that day it felt very cruel and lonely to little Gabe Millward (my name back then.) Anyway a few weeks later I'm riding the bus, reading this Newsweek cover to cover- there's a pic of a sad 17 year old Julian in there...that I remember.. When I got to my dad's house later that night I was introduced to Beatles '65, a record my stepmom owned, which my mom did not own. It was magical hearing a new set of songs from my heroes that cold snowy Idaho night in front of a pot belly stove. "This happened once before........"
Track #6 ALL MY LOVING
This song is the perfect example of Northern Songs Ltd’s ambitions and direction as a pop song factory. In interviews from 1963 it is evident that the fleeting ephemera of pop stardom is not lost on any of the Fab Four. They all seem steeled to the fact they could soon be yesterday’s papers. Both John and Paul have a firm grip that their bankable future relies on more on their songwriting partnership than their good looks. On its face this is a perfectly innocuous catchy number guaranteed to make any teenage girl scream into her pillow fantasizing about all that loving. Thanks to the nerd world of YouTube we get a good look at what’s happening behind Paul harmonizing with himself (a first in the Beatle song list if I’m not mistaken). I watched three videos where nerds played the isolated bass, rhythm, and lead guitar parts with the similar vintage instrument: Hofner viola bass, Rickenbacker 325, and Gretsch Country Gentleman- of course! Paul’s bass work is quite stunning- it makes me realize how sucky of a bass player I am, and have always been in different projects. James Jamerson comes to mind, and I’m not enough of a Motown scholar to know which if any songs he recorded shaped Macca’s style. It’s clear he was studying bassists of color, and vocalists too. It’s also clear he was self conscious about appropriation as heard in outtakes from Anthology later, muttering, “Plastic soul man, plastic soul..” John mastered the art of steady right hand rhythm probably as a lad in his room in Mendips- maybe before he even held a guitar if you know what I mean. I doubt I could pull off the galloping triplets throughout the verses without cramping or losing my pick. It’s a remarkable feat. Next up we have George who is straight up ska, mon, through the verses, then jumps from Jamaica to Nashville with the Chet Atkins solo. I think about this song much differently now after seeing the moving parts underneath. I would go into Ringo, but I am out of gas. I don’t know if I could sing his praise here with any justice. I leave that for the comment section below- for ye of better drumming knowledge..
Track #7, side two DON'T BOTHER ME..our first Harrisong! Well kinda, there is the only Lennon /Harrison song instrumental Cry For A Shadow recorded in Hamburg in 1961. This is fitting, because DBM reminds me a LOT of another instrumental: Pipeline by the Chantays, recorded in 1962. Both are very surfy... drenched in wet reverb and tremelo effects. Also very dark sounding with punk as fuck minor chords. George's first real Beatles song entry has all the DNA of most of his contributions besides the pop gold of Something and Here Comes The Sun, arguably tracks that belong more to All Things Must Pass. Anyhoo all of the kicked around, disrespected youngest brother's sentiments revolve around bitterness: like Think For Yourself, Taxman, Love You To, Only A Northern Song, Piggies, I Me Mine...dude hated being a Beatle first. And who can blame him? That's why his handful of songs are so cool..fucking off the peace love bullshit from the get. DBM kicks off his song style in an awesome way..side two..guess who doesn't give a shit already about screaming girls? A stark middle finger to the idea of commercial pop. I fucking love this song. The fact they all let him do it and include it this early says volumes about their war buddy bond at this point. What a great counterpoint to the ebullient hand holding and sweet loving John and Paul have been on about thus far. I'm guessing John must have marvelled at his little brother's lyrics, fuck yeah, I don't want to be bothered either! I'm going to write a shitload of tunes about checking out and fucking everybody off, just as soon as I can get away with it.
Tracks #8 & 9: LITTLE CHILD (trigger warning: SHADE THROWN)
I have never liked this song. It is, mercifully, the shortest song on this record. There is too much going on here. It’s loud and obnoxious in the bad way- like Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35. Rainy Day has the distinction of being The Worst Song On My Favorite Record Of All Time. I could take up the rest of this post with Dylan sidebar, I’d rather eat the barrel of a shotgun than hear anyone sing along with that chorus. It makes one want to re-watch the ‘68 Democratic Convention riots and root for the cops. Ok, back to Little Child. The title itself is problematic and creepy. Referring to your dancing and/or potential sex partner as “child” is super weird. John Lennon harmonica is wonderful on Love Me Do and I Should Have Known Better, but here - love me don’t, and someone should have known better. The piano is not working for me either. The only moment of early years “rock out” piano I like is on “Slow Down”. (Favorite piano part in a Beatles song: I Want To Tell You) OK- Let’s talk a minute about Beatle-shade. I’m going to get my share of blowback, which I’m cool with. There’s nothing more annoying than Best to Worst, or Worst to Best lists of Beatles songs, or albums. They always drive me nuts because the Beatles appealed to too many people. Same with Dylan and the Stones- the careers and catalogs are so long and wide there’s a lot of all-comers. There won’t be a consensus, which I’m cool with too. So, COME AT ME BRO- I will not defend myself. I will meekly and wimpily just say this whole exercise is editorial, just one geek’s opinion. I would love to hear a defense of Little Child, like I heard for
TILL THERE WAS YOU getting this one out of the way too- this would be included in the needle lift from Don’t Bother Me to Hold Me Tight. The one cover here, and a show tune. Meh. Nice guitar work by George. This recording would stand out as one weakness in the tiresome Beatles vs. Stones argument. This song would be on one end of Paul’s broad spectrum, where Helter Skelter would be on the far other end.
Track 10, HOLD ME TIGHT. I love this song. It's a red headed stepchild of Beatles songs..kicked around and ignored as filler..I love the the way it chugs along like a freight train. There's no solo, just grinding guitars and Paul at his most mellifluous. It's dirty too..."making love to only you..", that's pretty explicit for 1963...they're "doing it"..what else can it mean? You don't make love by holding hands. The one four two five progression is common in country western turn arounds but in the bridge they go satanic once again with the C.."dont know..what it means to hold you tight..." and again at the coda where the freight train slows up to the station in a retard (c'mon now, this is a musical term..not being un-pc) "youuuu..hoo..oooh..youuu... oooh oooh.. I really liked the song as a kid because it was easy to figure out. Anyway, my weird ass shaded the last two tracks, perhaps unfairly, but I always champion HMT. The last impression I had as I listened again two minutes ago is the girl group seeds it has with the call and response . It cant be overstated the bulging suitcase of American music the Beatles brought back to America in the early days.. doowop, rockabilly, country, Motown, girl groups, R and B...this country seems to need constant reminding of its natural resources. Okay, we got two left . See you soon.
The 5 phases of Beatles:
CAVERN-BURG LEATHER DADDIES 1960-62
Perfect eye candy for a tortured and closeted Brian Epstein. Tougher looking than Teds, but a baby faced biker gang.
SUITS AND HEELS 1963-64. Brian’s cleaned them up for Mum and Showbiz, but still a tad foppy with collar-less jackets and Cuban heels.
STONER MODS 1965-66 Losing the ties, more corduroy and suede. Shaggy but clean shaven.
THE CLOWN SHOW 1967-68 The circus is in town, or it’s a yearlong Halloween, or they’re all in Witness Protection.
BEARDED BURNOUTS 1969-70 All you need is seething bitterness, Ennui All Live In a Yellow Submarine.,
TRACK 11 I WANNA BE YOUR MAN. grammar, stones, perfect open with a bend.
Before India, LSD, sitars, backward tapes, this is thee first single chord drone song. This is the black and white psychedelia MK Ultra-era sound of something that wasn’t. The Rolling Stones’ version is worth spinning on the other turntable if you happen to have two, to consider some things. Both versions were recorded within the same timespan by a matter of weeks. The Stones kicked out a very garagey version in one day, whereas the Fabs version was dubbed over the course of a month or two. The difference in production is quite stark, Oldham v. Martin. The sloppy Stones version is cool- but crude, lo fi, hard for me to say whether this is the way Let It Be SHOULD have been recorded
The opening guitar bend is the same as the beginning of Back In The USSR- five years later.
