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by: Andy Roman (revolver@bright.net)
Beatle Speech (take 1)
Readers of Mark Lewisohn's Recording Sessions book are aware that on 8 November 1965, George Martin decided to leave the tape machines running while the Beatles rehearsed George Harrison's Think For Yourself. According to Lewisohn, the purpose of this action, at least partially, was to possibly capture on tape anything that might be worthy of inclusion on the forthcoming Beatles Christmas flexi-disc, which to that point they hadn't recorded yet. For those who may have read about it, and were curious as to what it was all about, here is the first segment of a portion of those session tapes called Beatle Speech.
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As the session tape cuts in, Paul is singing a line from George Harrison's newest composition Think For Yourself.
John, presumably speaking to George:
"We only did it once, right? The first take, you know, now I've got it in
my bleedin' mind for remembering it-"
Paul: "I
will have a cup. ."
John, acoustic guitar in hand,
starts to play a section of the song, attempting to perfect his harmony. He
sings, ". .About the good things that we can have if
we-"
George: "No, play major. . ."
John gives it another go. Particular focus is being
placed on the words "Close our eyes." Again, they run through it,
John trying to get his harmony part
down.
George: ". .But that chord. Play that. .that's. .
."
John: "Aaahrr!. . ." (laughter) Again and
again. . . John finally thinks he may have it,
"Okay."
(tape edit)
John: "You'll have to bear with me or have me
shot."
John and George run through it
again.
John: "We'll just have to have a go of it, you
see."
George Martin: "Yes, I know exactly what you
mean."
John: "Mmm. . .It could be there, and it
couldn't."
Martin: "It could be
there."
John: "There. . .or it couldn't. .
.Alright, come along now."
Again, John has trouble with the line. Once again, he
has a practice go of it. After getting it right he says, "Sure, that wasn't
the real one. If that works, I'm in for it."
Paul:
(into the mic, softly) "Let's see what they think about this one."
(tape edit)
John: "Okay, I think I might have it now. . .I get
something in me head, you know, and all the worlds of Rome couldn't stop
me." (some chuckles)
Paul: "..pickled
onions."
John: "And I stink, too. I'm waiting for
someone to say something about it."
Paul: (in a funny
voice) "It's that deoderant you use. .It
is."
John: "Cynthia licked it clean before we
left."
Paul: "Let me tell you. . . It's that B.O.
.oderant. .that B.Oderant you're using. .(starts singing) be-oderant, that
great big be-oderant. ."
John, meanwhile moves back to the task at hand, once
again focusing on the troublesome line "Close our eyes." Trying to
perfect the part, he substitutes the three syllables "da-da-da" for
"close our eyes." Then, immediately realizing a similarity, he
launches into a da-da-da send-up of the opening line of Paul's
Yesterday.
Paul: "Keep quiet.
."
(tape edit)
Paul: "Okay, let's try another
one."
John: (while Paul carries on in
the background) " 'Cause he kept pointing over there. . .Why did you keep
pointing up there every time?"
Paul: (hamming it up)
"I was doing it as a joke because every time we came to there, you pointed
it out."
John: (playing along) "Well, you know,
that was the first time that I went wrong when you started doing that, and ever
since then we've had this trouble-"
Paul: "Do you
wanna fight?"
John:
"No."
Paul: "Okay. Let's settle it. . .other
ways."
(George laughs)
John:
"Do you play snooker? . .I don't . .Play
tennis?"
Paul: (referring to a broadcast on
television) "Did you see Rocky Marciano last
night?"
John: (laughs) "Yeah.
."
Paul makes some noises, loosely akin to "duh. .
." but relating to boxing in some way.
John: "The
whole conversation was about everything else, then he goes (in a funny voice)
'I remember the great Joe Louis. .' "
Paul: "He
was a great fighter."
John: (quoting the program)
"'And what do you attribute it to, Rocky?' . . 'Training'
"
Paul: (laughs) "The condition.
."
John: "Condition. .my
cond-"
Paul: (mocking) "No, I had a good
condition. ."
John: "My real name was Rocky - he
was proud of it, called him Rocko. That other bum was called Frank."
Paul: "Frank Graziano."
John:
(yelling, mock scouse) "Somebody up there likes
me!"
Paul: "Who is
it?"
John: (still mock-scouse) "It's Jesus, Our
Lord and Savior. .who gave his only begotten bread for us to live and die
on! (George laughs) And that's why we're all here,
and I'll tell you. . .There's more of them than there are of us. . And that's
why there's so few of us left?"
Paul: (scouse)
"Why such fury?"
John continues with his fire and
brimstone delivery.
George: "What is this wrath that
beholds you?"
Paul: "Why such fervor? Why such
fervor?"
George: (laughing) "Okay, let's go .
."
John: "I thee called, and they bloody well
come!"
Paul: "Why? . .Yet, if you look in your
bible. . ." (Things sort of settle down at this
point)
John: "I can't go on, I really can't. . .Come
on, let's do this bleedin' record."
Work continues on the George Harrison song
Think For Yourself. After another unsuccessful
attempt at completing the vocals, particularly Lennon's
harmony, George Harrison speaks to George
Martin: "George, can we take it. . .you know,
that-"
Martin: "One of those didn't make
it."
John: "Mine."
After a moment, John asks, "Hey, you can do it in
bits, can you?"
Martin: "We (can) do it. Let's
have one more go."
John: "Well, we'll have one
more try, you know, then. . .you know, I . .I can
see."
Paul: "Try. . . It looks like Super-Car is
getting out of control, boy."
John
laughs.
Paul starts to sing, "Mar - i -na. . .Aqua
Marina. ."
John:"Yeah, we'll do one of them for
Christmas."
George:
"Yeah."
Paul continues singing: "How come you
fuck up everything that you do?"
George
laughs.
John suddenly spouts, "I will be pleased to see
the earth men disintegrated."
(tape edit)
George Harrison: "Go from. . .just. . .'Although
your'. . .you know, the beginning of the last verse."
John: "What did you do then, Paul?. . .very
interesting."
Paul: (singing in a high-pitched send-up
voice) "Although your mind's upseh - I can't explain the things. .
."
After a quick playback from the booth, John sings,
"Do what you warry-woo. ."
A moment's pause before
Paul seriously asks, "Are we getting it
already?"
John: "Well, I think we had the rest of
it." After another moment, John addresses the booth
above, "It's not coming through down here if you think it
is."
George Martin tells the band that they'll be
working on the last verse.
Harrison: "Okay, just before
it."
Martin: "Just before you made the
mistake."
John: "Oh, so we're gonna do two, in
fact."
Harrison: "That's 'Try thinking more, if
just for your own sake.' "
Martin: "I'll play it
for you first, if you want. . ."
Immediately and simultaneously,
John and George
reply.
George: "It's okay, we know. I think we know.
."
John: "No, we know. I mean, this might be it. .
."
George: "We just go ching-aching-a-ching bom
bom bom. . ."
After making their point, in a rather funny moment,
John turns to ask George, "Which bit are
we going-"
George: "Just before I sing. .
."
George Martin comes back on the intercom, laughing,
"Okay, John. You know it, don't you?"
Harrison
finishes explaining to John.
John:
"Oh, yeah. . .yeah, yeah. .why not?"
George:
"Just the last whole last verse."
Martin:
"Here we come. ."
Paul: "Sure. He's gotta lead
us in."
(tape edit)
John: "I'm sorry. Sometimes I feel less than
useless at these sessions. I really do. Of course, Cynthia understands. I often
talk to her about it when we get home. I say, 'Sometime, you know, Cynthia, I
just can't get the note.' "
Paul: "Yeah, . .
.well."
John: "She understands alot of things like
that because she went to Bailey (pronounces it "belly"). . .for our holidays. .
. .You know, 'belly' elich- (starts laughing)"
The two
Georges, meanwhile, are discussing the song they are there to
record.
John: "I don't care how you feel. I feel
ridiculous."
Paul: (high-pitched, sounding scouse)
"We always thought it was a Welsch grammar school, like, y'know, Belly,
aye!"
(tape edit)
John: "Come back,
Neil."
Paul: (almost chanting) "Cum back, Neil. .
. Cum back, Neil. . .e ruskie juvna. ."
(tape edit)
Paul: "That was
wrong."
John: (overly dramatic) "I'm so sorry. I
feel so stupid. I don't know what to do."
Paul:
(sounding like a crusty British director) "Look, Terrence. . .If you want
to resign from Amur-Dramatics, do."(sic)
John:
"It's not that. I put alot of money and thought into the whole
thing."
Paul: (still playing the part) "Yeh, but
let's face it. . .You're crap! (John laughs) . .
.Aren't you?"
John: "Well, alright,
alright!"
Paul: "You were only doing
walk-ons!"
John: "Who's father was it got the hall
in the first place, aye?!"
Paul: "Yes, you were
only doing walk-ons, and you're farting those
up."
John: "Nell!"
Paul:
"Oh, Christ. . ."
John: "Give us a kiss . .
.ha! ha!"
Work continues on George Harrison's Think
For Yourself.
John:
"Okay."
Paul:
"Mmmm."
John: "Oh, that might be an idea. .
."
Paul: (with funny voice) "Okay, let's take it
from the top and run it. ."
John: "Don't Take It
From The Top. ."
Paul: "I mean. .
."
George Martin: "Take it from the same
place."
Paul: "Yes, okay. . .Let's run it from
there, then."
There is some mumbling amongst Beatles and a tape edit.
John: "You know, a little thing like that,
Paul, can just throw me."
Paul:
"Yeah."
John: "Can you. . .can we just do the little
bit together and let me. . . 'cause I'd forgotten already. . .Just the last
one (starts singing, but not seriously) 'And you've got time'. .
.c'mon, c'mon." (He starts to count in)
John, Paul, and George then attempt a three-part harmony of the line in question, but it is quite out-of-tune, quickly breaking off into selected giggles. However, John Lennon quickly composes himself to attempt finishing the line.
George: "I don't know. .
."
Paul: "What key are you in,
Jock?"
They then attempt to run-through the line a few times. Finally, a
successful try, to which Paul comments, "That was
it."
John: "You should have gotten me there, boy,
I was moving. . .And tell that Norman to get back in here, you
know. He's kinda groovin' out the place, you
know."
Martin: "He's here all the
time."
John: "Is he? I can bet that it's just a
drawing."
George:
"Okay."
John sings the dreaded line again, then
says, "Oh, I've got it now. Listen to this. I'm going to give expression as
well."
(tape edit)
George Martin gets on the intercom explaining that what
they had just recorded was still not quite right. However, he explains that
only a portion would have to be retried.
George: "No,
just from after that . . .the two. . the last two 'Do what you want to dos.'
"
Martin: "Yeah."
Lennon
is heard, in the background, off-mic, singing, "Do you want to hold a
penis? Do-wah-ooh. ."
Martin: "Here it
comes."
(tape edit)
George: ". .Last verse, where the thing about 'You've got time to rectify all the things that you should.' That bit. The bit that John finally got. Just after that. Then we'll do both of the 'Do what you want to dos' ver- choruses."
(tape edit)
Martin: "I'm sorry. I made I
boo-boo."
George: "Ahh. . .but that
was-"
Paul:
"Right."
Martin: "Yeah, but we'll need John
again."
George:
"Oh."
Paul: "C'mon
John."
(John is using the
facilities)
George:
"Why?"
Martin explains that he accidentally wiped
a portion from the tape.
George: "Ahh, naughty. . . . .
.John?. . . .John, luv. .
."
Martin: (in a mock-disciplinary tone, with a
strange accent) "Jonathon, what are you
doing?"
Paul: (off-mic, funny voice) "He's just
been. . .Where. . .Is he messing behind the. . .. .I'll get
him."
George starts whistling the "Ringling Brothers"
circus theme. Footsteps are soon heard running into the
studio.
John: "What is
it?"
George tells him what's going on, and that they'd
have to give it another try.
John: "I was just singing
in the toilet, so I think I should get it."
Martin
cues them.
George:
"Paul?"
Martin: "Going from
'The future still looks good. .'"
George: "Oh, I.
. . I see. Okay."
John: "What's
that?"
George: "And so if you'll. . .So it's
just (sings) 'And you've got time to rectify
all-"
John: "Just from
there?"
Martin:
"Yeah."
George: "Just that
line."
John: "Not even the,
ah-"
George: "No. . .(then dryly)
There'll be a lead in before."
John: "Oh, God,
yes. .of course there will-"
George: (to
Martin) "But will you rub off what else I'm
doing?"
Martin: "No. Well, I'm just gonna start
recording you. I'll give you a forehand when I start recording you on 'The
future still looks good.'"
George:
"Okay."
(tape edit)
After another unsuccessful attempt. . .
John:
"Oh, right in there, is it? Which bit was that?"
George Harrison, meanwhile, is conversing with the
booth.
George: "Yes, I will. Though I really didn't
know exactly if that was the end of Think for yourself 'cause
I won't be there with you.' That's what I thought it was going to be. .
."
As George continues speaking, a tambourine starts
banging in the background.
George: "Well, it's hard to
recognize it just from the chords, which line I'm up to
really."
Martin: "You want to hear your words
then?"
George:
"No."
John: "No, God. .We have never heard
them once, you fool. No wonder we've been getting it wrong."
Martin: "I'm hearing them up
here."
John: "Wonderful for
you."
Martin: "Very
lovely."
George: "I wonder if Ron
Richards is free tonight?"
John
laughs.
Martin: "Here it
comes."
John:
"Paul?"
Paul: "I just got in
from Olympia. I lit the torch."
April 13, 1965
January 2 1969 
Behind The Scenes.
