And I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me, Come Let Us Go Unto The House Of The Lord...

SGT. PEPPER-THE LOST SONGS

There were three songs recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions that never appeared on the album. Ive included them here.
They are- ONLY A NORTHERN SONG-A George Harrison song, and two LENNON-McCARTNEY songs..STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER..and..PENNY LANE..

The Beatles were in the middle of a dispute over ownership of their material with Northern Songs LTD. George penned this saurcastic little diddy in response to that. It later "surfaced" in the movie Yello Submarine.
Penny Lane, and Strawberry Fields were released as a single, which according to the rules of the day, made them unavailable as album tracks. A decision Sir George Martin called one of the biggest mistakes of his career.



STRAWBERRY FIELDS- A Lennon song,obviously. (A general rule of thumb with the Beatles was that the writer generally sang the lead vocals.) This is a real place with special memories for John. I have always loved John's dreamy psyce-delic vocals of this period. This has always been one of my favorite Beatle songs. And what you hear at the end is John saying "Strawberry Fields" recorded backwards..Not- I buried Paul...




PENNY LANE-Just as obviously a Paul McCartney song. Full of his imagery, and wonderfully drawn characters. The music is beautifull. I could listen to this song 1000 times, and not tire of it.
Penny Lane is also a real place. I wonder why the fireman rushed in in the pouring rain? Very strange....



So! I'm all through with the longer than anticipated SGT PEPPER project. I hope you enjoyed it.

BEATLES FOREVER!!!!!

SGT PEPPER (PART FIVE)

Well we're in the home strech with this project now. Here are the last two songs that are on the album. Cue the chicken(again)1..2..3..4..
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (reprise)-Written by Paul, and sung by John, Paul, and George. Recorded in studio 1, with work starting on April 1, 1967. Man this tune is a rocker! Anybody that thought the Beatles couldn't rock, hasn't heard this. There is some very hot guitar work going on in this short, but sweet offering. Give it hell George. Ringo kicks some butt on the drums too. The first rock song I ever heard with an orchastra. And like the lyrics say.."It's getting very near the end..."

A DAY IN THE LIFE-Written, and sung by Lennon, and McCartney. With recording begining in studio 2 on January 19, 1967. I'm crazy about this song for a number of reasons. The song itself for one, it's hauntingly beautiful. John's trippy vocals sound so mysterious, specially the aahhhs. Then there is paul's part in the center..."Woke up, fell outta bed, dragged a comb across my head..." Ringo does some very tasty drums, And that wonderfully psyce-delic symphony! I'm sure George is in the mix somewhere too. He is a great guitarist, and very under-rated in my book.
Another reason it's such a favorite has to do with memories of my teen years in Monterey tenn. This is one of the songs my sister Anna, and I would hear late at night on WLS. It seemed so spooky, and mysterious laying in the dark. I would often "camp out" in the floor of Anna's room. We would listen to the radio, and talk the night away.
This was also one of the songs my buddy,Bobby Baker, and I used to sing. He'd play it on acoustic guitar, and I'd sing lead vocals. I remember many a night, sitting by a campfire, harmonizing those spooky "aahhhhs" at the end of each verse...
"I'D LOVE TO TURN ...YOU... ON...AAAHHHHHHHH

SGT. PEPPER (PART FOUR)

If you haven't seen the Monty Python Beatles parody "The Ruttles", do yourself a favor & look them up on u-tube, or somewhere. Some of the Beatles are actually in it, along with the original Saturday Night Live cast. It is hilarious, and the music parodies are actually quite good. Very Beatlesque.

Now on to Pepper part four...

LOVELY RITA-Written, and sung by Paul. Work began on February 23, 1967 in Abbey Road studio 2. Another wonderfull example of Paul's story songs. Full of his innocent whimsy, and rich with detail. You can almost see the story unfold befor your eyes. This is another example of Paul's incredible ability as a bassist. The bass guitar on "Rita" is so good!
Lennon's backing vocals are great on this song too. I love the vocal/instrumental break in the middle, and oh man, that piano!

GOOD MORNING GOOD MORNING-Written, and sung by John. Recording began in studio 2 on Feb. 8,1967. John's lyrics, and phrasing are sharp, and the tempo changes are great. This song has all kinds of things going on, begining, and ending with a chicken. Ringo is great on drums, George does some killer guitar riffs, let's not forget the morphing animals at the end. (cats meows morph into dog barks..etc, oh and there's the fox hunt too, complete with horns, and dogs. Cue the chicken. 1..2..3..4..

Hands Outstretched.....