DAY 2: 03/01/1969
Disc 4
"Knock knock, who’s there? Your muse."
D4- 01- All Things Must Pass 3.124
Paul McCartney: I mean have a break after [singing] All things must pass away. That guitar bit you have. When it repeats at the end.
George Harrison: In between the repeat?
PM: Yeah.
GH, PM, & JL: All things must pass away / All things…
GH: [speaking] Yeah, and that bit, we could just, uh. Yeah. Have a [singing] Things must pass away… [speaking] All out. Back in.
PM & GH: [in harmony] All things must pass / All things must pass away
John Lennon: In the beginning… was the Word. The Word was gold. So they went.
GH: Gold? The word was gold?
D4- 02- Unknown 3.125
[instrumental]
D4- 03- Back In The USSR 3.126
GH: We’re not gonna do any oldies but goldies on the show?
PM: Dunno. We could do.
GH: ‘Cause I’d like to do it.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: I think it would be nice.
GH: It would, y’know. And also from the selling point of view. In America, you know-
PM: [to Michael] Give us a cigar, then.
GH: -I was saying.
MLH: For oldies but goldies, yes.
GH: I don’t know, maybe it’s all new, or maybe it’s, y’know. They say “ah, fuck that, we don’t want to see any more.” [chuckles] They would if they had the album and then saw it.
JL: Yeah.
GH: But just to hit the first initial thing of us singing all completely new ones. They need something to identify with, apart from us. I mean, like. So it would be nice to start the show or end the show with a couple…
JL: We’ll rock some up like Joe Cocker did. I’ve been doing Help! pretty good, so.
Yoko Ono: Yeah, Help! is nice.
D4- 04- Every Little Thing 3.127
GH: I’ll tell you which is a good one. [begins playing Every Little Thing]
GH & PM: [singing] When I’m walking beside her… [mumbling]
MLH: You want one of those rock ‘n’ roll songs, I mean like Good Golly Miss Molly.
PM: Oh, those kind of songs? Yeah, we’ll do it.
MLH: Remember when we were doing “Jude.” To warm them up, we were doing Good Golly Miss Molly, Lucille, Long Tall Sally, what’s the other one? That girl’s name?
D4- 05- Piece Of My Heart 3.128
MLH: Or versions of that.
PM: Jenny, Jenny, Jenny?
MLH: Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. Yeah. And they were all great.
GH: [singing] Take another little piece of my heart
MLH: I mean, that’s the start of the audience getting sort of settled as they go.
GH: [singing] Take another little piece of my heart
MLH: See, ‘cause you are a great rock ‘n’ roll group. He says, modestly.
GH: [singing] Take another little piece of my heart
JL: Yeah, like we didn’t write any of these to fit the bill, we certainly-
MLH: That’s what I think, yeah.
GH: [singing] You know you’ve got it if it makes you feel good [speaking] That band, uh. That band, uh, Bonnie & Delaney. On Apple.
MLH: [whispers unintelligibly]
GH: Are more together than we’ll ever be.
Unknown: That’s between you and God.
GH: Y’know, as a band.
[unintelligible chatter]
JL: See, I think when we’ve done a month of this, we do the album. And somehow we should either use what we’ve put together to do the album.
GH: We have to do a new one?
JL: Yeah, but you know what I mean.
GH: Yeah.
JL: [unintelligible] Let’s do an album after this album. Y’know, a month later.
PM: But I mean-
JL: I mean if we can spend a month on this, we’ll just get to a good peak playing. And then we split.
PM: No, but we should- we should sort of organize our career.
GH: Yeah.
PM: Get our careers and everything. Because, y’know. This is like, liking this. It’s together, so we quite enjoy this. Doing it. And then what we like to do next.
[chatter drowned out by organ]
GH: -it’s like hard work, really, to do it.
D4- 06- Sabre Dance 3.129
GH: And, uh. It’s… Y’know, it’s a drag.
[drowned out by organ]
GH: -you’ve got to play the guitar. Y’know, you’ve got to play the guitar. And you’re not ready for it. But that, that’s alright.
PM: I know.
GH: I mean, we’ve got to do that in order to get the good bit.
PM: Right.
GH: We’ve got to go through that bit of shit at the meeting until we get together again.
PM: Y’know, I can see it just working.
GH: There’s so much to get out.
PM: Yeah.
GH: And there’s nobody better to get it out with than us. For me anyway. Really. In my heart of hearts.
PM: Yeah.
GH: It should be where, y’know, if you write a song, I feel as if I wrote it. And vice versa. Y’know, I mean, I ought to be involved in it as much. I was a group member on the last album. It was the only album so far I tried to get involved with.
PM: Yeah.
GH: Well, Rubber Soul, I did. But the last one.
D4- 07- Piece Of My Heart 3.130
PM: What’s all this? What’s all this?
GH: [singing] You know you got it if it makes you feel good.
PM: Give us a drink, mister!
GH: Did you play that tape?
PM: [background] Is that yours? No, no, give us a glass of whatever everyone’s having. What are they all having? Pale ale? Anybody else want a drink?
GH: Yes, please.
JL: Yes!
GH: I’ll have a glass of white wine.
JL: I’ll have a beer.
Ringo Starr: Six.
PM: Six? [giggles]
Unknown: Yoko?
RS: Alright?
PM: [silly voice] Alright, man!
GH: Kevin? Kevin? I think you should maybe just get me one of these straight bridges for now until we get that other one, ‘cause this- there’s so much- y’know, it’s such a good guitar to play. And can you get me some, uh. [unintelligible] in these key things. You see like that, on the other one. In fact, like on the other Gibson-
[drowned out by organ]
D4- 08- Over Nad Over Again 3.131
PM: [singing loudly] Over and over again! / Over and over again! / Over and over again / Over and over again / Over and over again / Over and over again / [gibberish]
[JL and GH chatting unintelligibly]
JL: Unless you want to learn On The Road To Marrakesh
GH: I don’t mind. I know it a bit. At least I know the tune a bit.
JL: It’s a bit like that again, you know.
PM: [chuckles] See, I’ve got quite a few like that again.
GH: It’s that tempo?
PM: Yeah.
JL: All of mine are like that.
GH: All of mine are like that. But I mean, on the other hand, maybe it’s like y’know, Ella Sings.
PM: Songs For Swingin’ Lovers.
JL: I know they’ll get- it’s just that there’s none that I really feel like doing.
PM: No.
JL: I only like singing the chorus of Don’t Let Me Down apart from anything else. It’s a job.
GH: Oh well, the thing is, my slow ones, I’d like to sing them all, but y’know.
JL: Yeah.
GH: Y’know, I don’t mind if we end up doing, like… after-school sessions.
JL: Oh, I don’t. If we just get something different out there in each one.
PM: Yeah, it’s really different, and then another.
GH: [unintelligible] Your choice. So should we do another one now?
PM: One After 909.
GH: Oh.
JL: We know that, don’t we? [chuckles]
GH: But we’ll have to routine it.
PM: Yeah, we’ll just routine it and say how it goes.
GH: Mal?
PM: What chords we’re gonna go to in the solos.
JL: Play the tunes in the solo.
PM: Yours is back to the middle eight.
JL: After the solo?
GH: Y’know, there’s like two verses, then a bridge, “pick up my bags” and then there’s the other verse after that. Wrong location.
JL: That’s the middle eight, yeah.
GH: Move over twice, baby be cold as ice. Baby said traveling one 909.
D4- 09- One After 909 3.132
GH: Then the solo, if you have a solo, should go-
JL: Into E?
GH: Into the middle eight.
JL: Okay.
[instrumental]
JL: Is it hard for you to play at all, that?
GH: No. Well, y’know, it’s just- it’s starting from the beginning anyway. Y’know.
D4- 10- Slate Announcement
[slate]
D4- 11- Dialogue
GH: I wanna get- See, the thing with like, lead.
JL: Be nice, one of them fast songs [vocalizes].
PM: Not bad, though. Good try, that, Johnny.
GH: Yeah. But you know, John. The thing for- with- the difference between me and… the difference between me and, say, Eric [Clapton]. I’m just another guitar sometimes playing bits and sometimes singing. And like you, or sometimes singing and sometimes playing. But he’s just being the only guitar to play lead and so he’s like, playing. That’s how he can keep it going all the time.
JL: Yes.
GH: So, I feel now I can play things. I can learn things that’ll sound okay. But I could never sustain it like that unless I join the big 3.
JL: Mm. It’s just a matter of-
GH: It’s practice.
JL: -learning the solo.
GH: Yeah, but it’s more than that. It’s like, to sustain something for a long time, especially fast fingering like that. That’s where he wins over all the others, because even over them Albert Kings and them, he’s much better than them, because he can-
JL: He wasn’t as fast as this Taj Mahal fella.
GH: Yeah.
JL: That was fast.
GH: Well y’know, he’s good at that thing, which I’m not good at. And that’s like sustaining and, within that, y’know like a lot of guitarists can sustain, even. But they play like a lot of shit, but his thing takes on a pattern, y’know, and gets somewhere. And resolves itself. Which is very odd.
PM: It’s jazz, man.
GH: Not really, just Eric. Like for whatever- for his thing that he does, he’s very good at that. At, like, improvising and keeping it going. And meaning something.
PM: I saw something like jazz. There was one show where they just show one band, and they showed little bits of everyone
[loud whistle]
PM: So it was great. ‘Cause I don’t really like jazz.
RS: I didn’t like [unintelligible]
GH: Old-timey jazz.
MLH: I hate jazz.
PM: Jazz, jazz, y’know. And they showed just little bits.
JL: It’s nice to see it when the band is spot-on, though.
PM: Yeah.
JL: Like that. Drummers, man. [vocalizes drum]
PM: It’s incredible, all that Medallions scene in the white turtleneck.
JL: Yeah.
GH: What program?
PM: Uh, BBC2 color program.
GH: And what jazz bands?
JL: All of ‘em.
PM: They have a lot.
JL: All the old-time greats, you know.
GH: Like, modern?
[overlapping conversations]
PM: Erroll Gardner. [Garner]
JL: Buddy Rich.
RS: [laughs] Gardner?
PM: Gardner?
GH: Buddy Rich? He’s the drummer?
JL: Yeah. He’s got a great band. I mean together- [vocalizes]
RS: Who was he last night?
PM: Erroll Garner.
RS: No it wasn’t.
PM: That was him! How would you know?
JL: And then when the soloist gets up, it’s good.
RS: Well, the one I saw was-
MLH: I hated what they did to jazz when we were all fifteen.
GH: That was trad.
JL: Trad jazz.
GH: Trad.
MLH: In America, it was the beginning of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. The early stuff, but I hated them then. I mean, I really liked Elvis Presley.
GH: I think, uh. I don’t know.
PM: I’m not struck on jazz either.
GH: Some jazz players are great, but as a whole, it’s bullshit.
PM: I’ve seen a few of them gettin’ at it recently and it’s not bad.
GH: The best band I saw was Ray Charles’ band. I mean, that’s jazz, really.
[MLH and PM continue talking unintelligibly]
GH: Well, you know, ‘cause like, when he was like the big season[?] I wouldn’t have been able to dig it. But just seeing him now, it’s fantastic. ‘Cause it’s like… Y’know when you make a record and you get- you get the rhythm section together, and then you bring the brass in, get them together, and then you get the singers and get them together. But they’re just like that all the time, it’s like as if you just stick a mic there and record it. It’s fantastic. Billy Preston was too much. He’s better than Ray Charles, really. ‘Cause he’s like twenty-six or something, and he’s fantastic. I’m sure you’ll dig him, you’ll see. Too much, ‘cause he plays organ so great. Ray Charles doesn’t bother with the organ now, he just, “I’ll give it to the young guy, Billy.” He’s too much. Billy just plays and he does his- plays piano with the band, then does his own spot where he sings and dances and plays an organ solo. Then he goes and sits on the organ and Ray Charles comes on. Ray Charles does his bit and Billy backs him.
PM: Gene Vincent.
D4- 12- I’ve Been Good To You 3.133
PM: What should we do, then?
GH: [singing] Look what you’ve done / You made a fool of someone / You thought love was true / Found out that you were just having fun
PM: Oh, yes you did now…
JL: [singing] Yes I have been good, been good
GH: You needed somebody and I made you mine / You needed a friend so I took you in / And treated you kind
PM: [speaking] Let’s do this one again.
GH: The bit where I was asking you to sing, the “all things must pass” is like- hold it.
JL: I was singing the melody
GH: Just like, just holding it, y’know, the phrasing on that, the timing.
JL: Sustain it.
GH: It’s like as if it’s dragging behind.
D4- 13- All Things Must Pass 3.134
GH: [singing] I must be on my way
PM: Go through from the beginning again, ‘cause we’re sort of glossing over bits we’re not getting right, so stop us whenever it doesn’t go right.
GH: Yeah. Okay. The only thing, uh… Y’know, it’s sounding alright.
PM: Or if you can think of any riffs, try and sing ‘em, or-
D4- 14- All Things Must Pass 3.135
GH: The only thing I feel is-
RS: [unintelligible]
GH: Pardon?
RS: After we do a couple of those. When I come in, just come in, y’know, on the words.
JL: We both got lost.
PM: Yeah, you expected to sort of be somewhere else.
GH: Yeah, I think with, with- with all this, it’s like the backing and that, as long as you know the chords and the changes and you’re not playing any wrong notes, it’s fine. It’s just a matter of the more you know it, the more you can feel how… y’know. [pause] But the middle bit, because it says the same word first, like “all things must pass away,” then [singing] All things must pass [speaking] Something there, y’know, is where we’d overdub something or add voices or track it, or-
D4- 15- All Things Must Pass 3.136
GH: Y’know. Something’d come in there to make it move a bit more. And the bit, uh- [singing] All things must pass [speaking] It’s very like, restrained. Rather than like-
PM: Maybe it’d be better if we just do it straight. First of all. Just [singing] All things must pass.
GH: See, it should be as if I’m-
PM: But just to get it. Y’know, to get the chords and that.
GH: Okay.
PM: Just do everything just really mechanical, and then we can sort of get it all good after that. Y’know.
GH & PM: [in harmony] All things must pass
GH: [speaking] It sounds, in my head, a bit like triplets or something. [singing] All things must pass [vocalizes drums] All things must pass / All things must pass- Okay.
[instruments start from beginning]
GH: [singing] Sunrise doesn’t last all morning / A cloudburst doesn’t last all day / Seems my love is up and left you with no warning / It’s not always been this grey
GH, PM & JL: All things must pass / All things must pass away
PM: [speaking] Okay, now there’s where it goes, isn’t it? Now, just tell us what you’re doing there, ‘cause I expect you to go “all things must pass away” Three, four…
GH: It’s like, you know in the intro? In between every verse, the intro, which is- just one of ‘em is [demonstrates]. So the end of the first verse is [singing] All things must pass away / Sunset doesn’t last- [speaking] It’s just like an intro. [singing] E, F sharp minor, E, to A. [speaking] Like that, ascending. So it’s…
GH & PM: [in harmony] All things must pass away
GH: You can even, like, leave that if you like, and just have a guitar doing the bit. So you’d all end on-
GH & PM: [in harmony] All things must pass away
D4- 16- All Things Must Pass 3.137
JL: Yeah, it’s gettin’ like, uh. Gospel.
GH: [singing] Sunset doesn’t last all evening / A wind can blow those clouds away / After all this my love is up and must be leaving
GH & JL: It’s not always been this grey
GH, JL, & PM: All things must pass / All things must pass away / All things must pass
GH: None of life’s strings can last / So I must be on my way and face another day / Darkness only stays at night time / With the morning it will fade away / The light of day is good at arriving at the right time / It’s not always gonna be this grey
GH, JL, & PM: All things must pass / All things must pass away / All things must pass / All things must pass away
GH: [speaking] The next bit stuck in, Paul said he thought it should have a bit more between the repeating line. I don’t know if you noticed, so it went [singing] All things must pass away [speaking] I think you should come in for this bit.
GH & PM: [in harmony] All things-
GH: Y’know, so if you drop out. And the bit, it’s good where you drop out after the first verse. Y’know, you drop out after “fade away” and leave that. Then it’s “sunset doesn’t last” but after the end of the second verse, I think you shouldn’t drop out, because it’s-
JL: It’s into the middle eight.
GH: Yeah.
JL: Okay.
GH: Hm. That’s getting alright.
PM: It’s better, yeah. It’s better with the breaks, too, ‘cause it doesn’t throw you.
RS: Now I know what to do.
PM: Yes, right.
JL: Are we all singing- I’m singing the melody
D4- 17- All Things Must Pass 3.138
JL: [singing] All things must pass away
GH: Yeah, it’s…
PM: No, I know, we should go into threes there.
JL: Or all sing the melody.
GH: On that-
PM: Yeah.
JL: It sounded like…
GH: Actually, that bit, I thought of-
JL: One of those gospel ones.
GH: -matching what you were doing [singing] All things must pass [sustains note]
PM: The Chambers Sisters.
JL: Yes.
PM: The Blind Brothers.
GH: [singing] -away.
JL: Have a long breath, y’know.
GH: Yeah.
PM: And you just sing that on your own?
GH: No, I wouldn’t sing that line, I’d just sing the “all things must pass away”
PM: I like that. For us not to try and join in and just keep going with the other
GH, PM, & JL: [in harmony] All things must pass / All things must pass away
JL: We just say “away” then?
GH: I mean, that idea would be good if you were carrying on. Where I come in. Then you can get a quick breath for “away” if you need the breath.
JL: We probably don’t need it.
GH: Yeah. Just try that bit.
GH, JL, & PM: [in harmony] All things must pass / All things must pass away
GH: Yeah, it’s good when you drop out there, too, because I change the thing sometimes, it’s just straight. Or sometimes it’s not. Yeah. [pause] Y’know, the idea of doing it. This thing, so that it’s just us doing it and there’s no overdubs or you can’t get out of it—is much better, really. Because you know that all the time recording, we start…
JL: Yeah.
GH: You’re thinking, “it’s alright, we can do that later” so you never get even the most out of that moment, really.
[match striking]
PM: [singing] All things must pass away [speaking] What was that, what was that, what was that? [chuckles]
GH: [singing] Macrobiotic pills are good at arriving at the right time / It’s not always-
PM: One more time.
JL: Should have “a mind can blow those clouds away.” Looks like.
GH: [chuckles] Yeah. Okay.
JL: Get a bit of psychedelia in it, you know. Y’know, social comment, like.
GH: It looks like it on the paper.
JL: A miner can blow these clouds away.
GH: Mal’s writing.
PM: [silly voice] Okay, gang.
JL: Put it on the bass pickup! Put it on the bass pickup. With the back on treble.
GH: You need a new control.
JL: Yes, I know. So can we have that pedal phasing machine for this?
GH: Uh, I asked-
JL: ‘Cause you see, people are doing live shows now, they take so much gear onstage with them, like echoes, phasing, tapes, and they do it live! They do their overdubs, ‘cause they’re phased and echoed live, y’know! We’re still thinking of it in terms of the four guys and four amps in the Cavern. But you can have all sorts of…
GH: Did Eric take our Leslie speaker?
JL: I don’t know.
GH: Y’know the speakers from off the booth that we had at EMI. The company in LA is making them so specially for guitars, so you don’t pedal, you just plug your guitar straight in and it’s great! You just have it set up by you. So I’m gonna borrow that off him for this, so if you wanna borrow a Lesley guitar.
JL: Yeah, I’d like phasing.
GH: But the phasing is [Magic] Alex, and he’s building the studio stuff, and putting it in soon this week, y’know, so I just said “well look y’know, that thing I’ll have any time you get it.” But you know, he’s…
JL: Try the tremolo.
PM: [silly noises]
JL: Tremolo’s great. Just try it.
PM: What? Try what?
JL: Just try ‘em on tremolo.
PM: Tremolo.
D4- 18- All Things Must Pass 3.139
JL: Oh, you’re in your own amp playing.
PM: [singing] All things must pass away… [whistling]
D4- 19- All Things Must Pass 3.140
GH: [singing] Sunrise doesn’t last all morning / A cloudburst doesn’t last all day / Seems my love is and has left you with no warning / It’s not always been that grey
PM & JL: [in harmony] All things must pass!
GH: All things must pass away / Sunset doesn’t last all evening / A wind can blow those clouds away / After all this my love is up and must be leaving / It’s not always been this grey
GH, PM, & JL: All things must pass / All things must pass away
GH: All things must pass / None of life’s strings can last
[tape cuts]
D4- 20- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.141
[slate]
PM: One, two, three… [singing] D, D, B, B, E minor, A-7, D, D, A-A-A. D, D, B, B, A minor,
GH: B?
PM: B to A minor. [singing and vocalizing] A-7, D, A, E, to A, D. D. E.
D4- 21- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.142
PM: [singing] -silver hammer came down upon his head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that Joan was dead [speaking] It’s not quick!
JL: No, no, it goes- it just…
GH: Tell you what, Paul, just sing us up to the end of the verse where it goes into “bang bang” you know?
PM: Yeah, okay. It goes D, B [vocalizing] E minor [vocalizing]
GH: So it’s that one now? Is that E minor again?
PM: E major, then.
JL: [singing] Up the door, so-
PM & GH: Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead
PM: [speaking] But it was a bit- I was doing like piano, which was like [singing] Sure that she was dead! [vocalizing]
GH: Okay, sing the words.
PM: Okay.
GH: So we can see.
PM: One, two, three. [singing] Joan was quizzical / Studied pataphysical science in the home / Late nights all alone with her test tube, oh-oh-oh-oh / Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine / Called her on the phone / Can I take you out to the pictures, Joan? / But as she’s getting ready to go- [speaking] E, there.
GH: It’s E major?
PM: It’s- yeah.
GH: [singing] But as she’s getting-
PM: -ready to go / A knock comes on the door
GH: Bang bang!
PM: Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head! E. A. / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead [speaking] See, uh.
GH: It sounds as though it should repeat it twice. Bang bang.
PM: Yeah.
GH: But that’s only-
PM: Maybe it does. I can’t remember, you know. [vocalizing]
PM & GH: [singing] Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head
PM: Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that… / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made [gibberish] / Back in school again, Maxwell is a fool again / Teacher gets annoyed / To avoid an unpleasant scene / She tells Max to stay [gibberish, vocalizing] / -on the door! / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead [speaking] Don’t know. I’ve been- I think I’ve only been doing it once.
GH: Just seems a bit short.
PM: Mm.
JL: Maybe later on, do it twice.
PM: Also-
GH: Or, on the first one do it twice, and then the others, do it once. On the last one. It’s like, that’s the bit. Paul, that’s like, the bit that is the one. The title bit and the bit, y’know, the catchy chorus again. It’s like-
PM: It’s like, sort of [vocalizes drums]
GH: It just feels as though it should go [hums]
PM: Just heavy, that bit. [singing] Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead [speaking] But even more sort of rockier, that bit. The rest of it’s sort of [vocalizes] Bang bang, Maxwell’s- Even like, your tom-toms. Oh, that’s it. Sort of slow offbeat on that. [vocalizes drums] On the tom-toms. Just like, I dunno. Something so it’s [vocalizes] and then [vocalizes]
GH: Just the first one?
PM: Yeah, that’s it. But even with the cymbal on that first. Like, on the hi-hat as well. Yeah. So it’s like [singing] Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver… / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / [gibberish]. [speaking] ‘Cause originally, I was trying to get a hammer. Which we might get Mal to do. Just on a hammer, like on an anvil. Big hammer. On an anvil, just- [sound effects] Maxwell’s silver hammer came- ‘Cause it’s only that sound, you can’t make it with anything else. Y’know, bang bang! Okay, do it from the beginning, then. Sort of like Steptoe, y’know. One, two, three. [singing] Joan was quizzical- [speaking] Just straight. Yeah, okay.
GH: Straight in.
PM: One, two, three, four. [singing] Joan was quizzical / Studied pataphysical [speaking] This is just sort of straight, this first bit.
RS: So what do you want me to do?
PM: Oh, I don’t know. Just what you were doing earlier. Yeah. One, two, three, four. [singing] Joan was quizzical / Studied pataphysical science in the home [speaking] Minor, though. Minor on that one, yeah. Do you want to write them down? On the words.
GH: Pen? Anybody got a pencil or a pen?
MLH: Yeah, I have one.
GH: Thanks.
PM: [singing to himself] Came down upon his head…
GH: [unintelligible mumbling] “Science.” It changes E minor on “science”?
PM: Science, yeah.
GH: In the room? In the- what’s that word? In the home?
PM: Home, yes.
GH: And that- is that where it changes to A?
PM: [singing] Joan was quizzical / Studied pataphysical science in the home / Late– A –test tube, oh-oh-oh-oh [speaking] Goes back to D on [singing] Oh-oh-oh-oh / …Majoring [speaking] “Majoring.” Changes to B. [singing] Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine / Called her on the- [speaking] “Called” is E minor. [singing] Can I take you out- Can I- Joan, A minor 7 / And E, and as she’s getting ready to go, an A comes on the door / D, D, Maxwell’s silver hammer came- [speaking] That’s it, it changes to that, then, like sort of slow. But the other is-
GH: E major? Is it E major in the chorus?
JL: Yeah.
PM: Yeah.
GH: On her head, clang clang…
PM: One, two, three, four [singing] Joan was [gibberish] [speaking] Do the shuffle one. Yeah.
GH: Just the “bang bang” bit is D, “bang bang Maxwell’s silver hammer, B-”
PM: Came down.
GH: On her head. A-7, “Maxwell’s silver hammer made-”
PM: Yeah.
JL: E minor.
GH: E minor?
PM: Yeah. E minor, yeah. A, dead. [silly voice] A. Dead.
[instrumental]
PM: Okay. Go from the beginning, now.
GH: Two, three, four.
PM: Okay. You count it in, then.
GH: One, two, three, four.
PM: [singing] Joan was quizzical / Studied pataphysical science in the home / Late nights all alone with her test tube oh-oh-oh-oh / Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine / Called her on the phone / Can I take you out to the pictures, Joan? / And as he’s getting ready to go, a knock came on the door / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang- [speaking] Just there, where it goes [singing] Bang, bang Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her– do-do-do-do-do-do! [speaking] But like, in harmony. [singing] Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head, do-do-do-do-do! Clang clang- [speaking] Yeah. Like, “head, do-do-do-do.”
GH: Is that going into A?
PM: Yeah.
GH: [singing] Bang bang, Maxwell’s-
PM: -silver hammer came down upon her head! Do-do-do-do-do! Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that Joan was dead! [speaking] See, on the piano. Oh, it was doing the other one.
GH: Do you want to play the piano and I’ll play bass for this one?
PM: Yeah.
GH: ‘Cause, uh.
PM: Yeah.
GH: I’ll have to play a right-handed. Kevin? Mal or Kevin? Hello? If you’ve got the six-string bass, it’ll be best. Oh, so that bit, if you wanna play that bit. Oh, but you’ll play it on the piano now.
PM: No.
JL: No, it’s the same as that.
GH: [singing] Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon his head…
JL: It’s alright, then.
[slate]
[instrumental]
D4- 22- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.143
PM: [vocalizing]
[slate: “Fifteen, take one”]
PM: [singing] Fifteen, take one… / As she’s getting ready to go / A knock came on the door / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that Joan was dead [speaking] See, there’s the bit I was doing. [singing] Sure that Joan was dead. [speaking] Dead music. You know the one.
JL: Yeah.
PM: And sort of chilly. [sound effects] You know, the one they use in those movies. [sound effects]
D4- 23- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.144
PM: [vocalizing] But as she’s getting ready to go… [speaking] There’s no- there’s no PA on this. Can you get some of that on it?
MLH: Can we get some more PA on the piano?
RS: Here’s a mic.
MLH: A-ha. Can you put the boom on it? Hello?
PM: [loudly clears throat] Hello? Hello? Hello?
MLH: We’re working on it.
[instrumental]
GH: Okay.
PM: Ahh. Ahh. Ahh. [vocalizing] So those chords that do that, go [plays] D minor.
JL: D?
PM: Uh, A. [singing] Joan was dead— A to D minor to E minor to D, A [speaking] You know.
[instrumental]
GH: Okay.
JL: E minor
GH: What is it?
PM: D minor, A, D. Then back.
GH: [muffled] How- it gets into D minor directly? [?] [unintelligible question]
PM: I don’t know. How am I supposed to know? Oh, for that bit?
GH: Yeah.
PM: I don’t know. A. A for that bit. It’s just like- just take A, like on the piano. Just listen to that.
[feedback]
PM: [testing mic] One, two. Hello. [singing to himself] Rip Van Winkle… [vocalizing]
GH: [unintelligible]
PM: [chuckles]
GH: [testing mic] Hello. It’s this one?
PM: Hello?
[feedback]
PM: Hello, hello? Hello hello hello hello. Hello hello hello hello. Hello hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. One’s not on. Hello.
GH: [background] The routine is [unintelligible].
PM: Yeah. Yeah. And the costumes, too. [testing mic] Hello. Hello? We’re north, here.
[instrumental starts]
PM: Two, three, four. [singing] Joan was quizzical / Studied pataphysical science in the home / Late nights all alone with her test tube oh-oh-oh-oh / Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine / Called her on the phone / Can I take you out to the pictures, Joan? / But as she’s getting ready to go, a knock comes on the door / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that Joan was dead / Oh, back in school again, Maxwell is a fool again, teacher gets annoyed / Wishing to avoid an unpleasant scene / She tells Max to stay [gibberish] / But as they’re getting ready to go, a knock comes on the door / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that Joan was dead / [vocalizing]
[song ends]
GH: D? [singing with bass] Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer…
PM: No. E. Yeah.
GH: [continues playing]
PM: So shout the chords out. Okay.
[instrumental]
PM: [singing to himself] In a little town named Smallville…
D4- 24- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.145
PM: Two, three, four. [singing] Joan was quizzical / Studied pataphysical science in the home / Late nights all alone with her test tube oh-oh-oh-oh / Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine / Called her on the phone / Can I take you out to the pictures, Joan? / And as she’s getting ready to go, a knock comes on the door, woah! / [silly voice] Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head! / Clang clang, Max- [laughs] sure that she was dead! [speaking] You think we should do it twice, then?
GH: [unintelligible]
PM: And then have that, sort of the other bit, later-
JL: Dead bit?
PM: -and then maybe as a solo. Yeah.
D4- 25- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.146
PM: Or even do more of that. And the orchestra goes [vocalizes]. Okay. So we’ll just do the verses.
GH: Kevin?
PM: And then [singing] A knock came on the door / …hammer came down upon her head!
GH: Kevin?
PM: [vocalizing] Back in school- [speaking] Yes. So just- So it goes [singing quickly] Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead. [speaking] Yeah. That’s it. And then back into the verse. Dead. And back into the- Yeah. Okay.
D4- 26- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.147
PM: One, two, three four. [singing] Joan was quizzical / Studied pataphysical science in the home / Late nights all alone with her test tube oh-oh-oh-oh / Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine / Called her on the phone / Can I take you out to the pictures, Joan? / But as she’s getting ready to go, a knock comes on the door / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head, do-do-do-do! / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that Joan was dead / Oh, bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head, do-do-do-do-do! / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead
GH: [unintelligible]
PM: Yeah. [singing] She was dead / Back in school again, Maxwell is a fool again / Teacher gets annoyed / Wishing to avoid an unpleasant scene / She tells Max to stay when the class has gone away [gibberish] / And as she’s [gibberish] / Bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead! [whistling] Back in class again…
GH: [speaking] It’s like a typically oldie song thing.
PM: Yes.
GH: Arrangement.
D4- 27- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.148
PM: [singing] Back in school again, Maxwell plays the fool again.
[song trails off]
PM: [speaking] There’s only two verses in that, so…
GH: Well, a bit of arrangement will do you no harm.
PM: Yeah, alright. But I don’t really know where it goes after that.
JL: There’s three of them. Didn’t we know another one?
GH: Do the words, like, resolve the story?
PM: Well, they will do.
GH: I mean, have you got more to write, or they will do?
PM: No, no, I’ve got more to write.
[instrumental]
PM: Let’s do it once through again. Once more. ‘Kay. Bit slower.
GH: One, two, three, four.
D4- 28- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.149
PM: [singing] -quizzical / Studied pataphysical science in the home / Late nights all alone with her test tube oh-oh-oh-oh / Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine / Called her on the phone / Can I take you out to the-
[tape cuts]
D4- 29- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 3.150
PM: [plays waltz] [singing] Back in school again, Maxwell plays the fool again- [speaking] Should we have that?
GH: Do that.
PM: Okay.
GH & PM: One, two, three, one, two, three.
[waltz instrumental]
PM: [singing] Back in class again, [gibberish] ass again / Teacher gets annoyed / Wishing to avoid an unpleasant scene / She tells Max to stay when the class has gone away / So he waits behind / [gibberish] / Oh, bang bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon her head / Clang clang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead. [speaking] Yeah, it should just be regular time.
JL: We’re just [singing] sure that Joan was dead. [speaking] What is that, E minor?
GH: Is that the second one?
PM: [plays] Sure that– A was dead.
GH: Is that the first or second one?
PM: Yeah, but just…
[instrumental]
PM: Should we do [unintelligible] solo?
JL: I don’t know.
PM: So we’ll leave it there. And that’s the chords.
JL: Okay.
[feedback]
[instrumental and unintelligible chatter]
JL: One of ours?
MLH: Which bit? The hard bit or the…
GH: No, it’s the 3/4 one. [unintelligible]
MLH: Play it again. Rock ‘n’ roll song.
GH: [plays] It’s just so obvious, that bit. There must be something. I’m sure I’ve heard it.
JL: We’ve done it. Haven’t we? We did that.
PM: [unintelligible] It’s obvious.
GH: Yeah.
MLH: Today’s Friday. Last time I heard.
[unintelligible chatter]
MLH: We all would, I suppose, at some point start thinking about the S-H-O-W. Exactly what performance.
RS: S..Sound. I…
PM: [chuckling]
JL: W-H-A-T?
[everyone begins spelling out words]
GH: Where’s Mal?
PM: The sound hydrant takes them. You know where my coat is, Kevin?
MLH: Yes, it’s over there. He says, anonymously.
GH: Bang bang.
MLH: It was over there, anonymously.
[shuffling, overlapping conversations]
GJ: George, has your eight-track ever been used?
GH: Yeah, just a bit.
JL: Where’s mine? Where’s mine?
GH: It’s in, uh. Some place.
MLH: You tired?
RS: Yes.
MLH: Do you mean secure?
GH: Yeah, it’s been tested and used, I think we lent it to EMI, you see, because EMI has two eight tracks-
[all unintelligible]
GH: In America they think we’ve got the grooviest engines and the best equipment.
MLH: That’s good. I don’t mean- I don’t mean- I don’t mean “coach.” Thanks, coach. No, I mean, that’s kinda good.
GH: -Got the eight-track and they’re saying “it doesn’t come up to specifications and it doesn’t work and we can’t have it” and all that crap. Well, look, we’ve got three eight tracks just down the road! So we lent him one, just to show him that if you want, we’ll send our guy ‘round. And in an hour we’ll have him working for you, and whatever your hangup is is because you’re EMI, not because it’s, y’know. And uh, they couldn’t have that either, but they borrowed one of them just to see how the difference works. And then they delivered it back and just left it in the street in the pouring rain. Very strange.
MLH: [to RS] I also think, if you work, it inspires you. I mean, the musicals, and you’re working more often. [unintelligible]
GH: We’ve got three eight-tracks. I’ve got one in the house, John’s got one which is in Boston Place. And the other one’s in Boston Place, which is going to Apple studio.
MLH: I totally feel that. But you won’t. Your muse. Knock knock, who’s there? Your muse.
PM: I don’t understand him half the time.
RS: I don’t know what he’s talking about.
MLH: I like: Knock-knock, what? One Eton gay. What?
[chatter]
RS: Goodnight, everybody!
MLH: Goodnight, RS!
JL: [spelling unintelligibly]
GH: See ya, Ringo! Try and play that Jackie [Lomax] thing. If you think of a running order, give us a shout!
JL: B-U-T-N-O-T-A-L-W-A-Y-S.
GH: It’s this shit about England.
GJ: I know, even I’ve noticed they’ve been there, working in studios over there.
GH: You’ve been fortunate enough to do that.
GJ: Right. Unbelievable, you want three eight-tracks, they wheel ‘em in!
GH: They don’t need all this shit, do they? They don’t need it.
GJ: Right. Right. Even in the little place I’m using in Los Angeles. We came in and-
GH: Which place do you record?
GJ: Studio three. Beach Boys studio. It’s on Cahuenga. So, a little guy would come in every morning or afternoon, whenever I start, and say “anything you want?”
GH: Yeah.
GJ: Anything. Right. “We’ll get it for you.” When I came to do the mix, I used like two four-tracks, two two-tracks, a mono machine, and two eight-tracks. All at once. And they just wheeled ‘em in.
[overlapping voices]
PM: See ya, then! Bye-bye!
MLH: See you Monday at 10, right?
PM: Yes.
MLH: Monday at 10, right? Yes.
PM: Ta-ra.
JL: Ta-ra. See ya. Uh, yeah. See you Monday.
MLH: So long. See you Monday. Have a nice W-E-E-K-E-N-D.
PM: Ciao, John.
JL: Goodbye, yeah.
PM: Bye, Yoko.
JL: [spelling unintelligibly]
GH: Bye, Yoko.
MLH: Bye.
PM: Ta-ra.
[shuffling, footsteps]
