The Lingering Mystery in the Wildest Beatles Song
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- Опубликовано: 12 ноя 2020
- It's All Too Much is one of the most magical - and tragically under-appreciated - songs that the Beatles ever released. It also happens to contain some of the most intriguing mysteries in their entire catalog - what the heck is John saying in the intro? Why are there multiple versions of the song? Who is actually playing guitar? In this episode, I will examine these mysteries and attempt to solve them.
As a fair warning, once I point them out, you can't unhear this ;)
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Special thanks to the following individuals for sharing insights and materials for this episode:
Kenneth Womack kennethwomack.com/
Dave Rybaczewski www.beatlesebooks.com
Alan Pollack www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/D...
Mark Lewisohn www.marklewisohn.net/
Scott Freiman www.beatleslectures.com/about-...
Dash Cole
Eli Rosen
@DLD2Music
@FabFourArchivist
Check out my other videos:
Why Is This Beatles Song So Messy? • Why Is This Beatles So...
The Hidden F-Bomb in 'Hey Jude'
• The Beatles' Hidden F-...
#TheBeatles #YCUT #Music
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Wooo, 100k subscribers! Thank you so much for being a part of this incredible journey through The Beatles musical library. I hope you enjoy this special new episode about one of my favorite (and tragically overlooked) Beatles songs: It's All Too Much.
And as always, let me know what you think in the comments!
Congrats for 100K! 🥳
Right when we were needing you!
I thought yous was dead
Dude I hope you keep growing, these are so good because I’m a huge Beatles fan and your doing a lot for me, thank you
Now you can get verified!
I read years ago that the lyrics represent George’s reaction to a particularly strong acid trip. Having taken acid myself, I can definitely see that being accurate.
I think you hit the nail on the head. I have always felt the song is a comment on the overloading of 'experience' that led George to ditch psychedelia for a religious 'pure' high. For a while the others tried that as well (see trip to India) but the others quickly dropped that to return to more individual experimentation via drugs. The others became DISGUSTED by the predatory 'guru' which led to another of my favorite Beatles song. The sublime, hilarious 'Sexy Sadie'. Drug abuse was fatal for some but it also evolved musical genius.
@@vladdrakul7851 Always thought some of the lyrics referred directly to Pattie Boyd though.
@@groaningupright The song was originally called “Maharishi” but they later changed it to “Sexy Sadie” to make it less obvious they were slamming Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and calling him a fraud.
Yes you are correct. This song is a celebration of his experiences with LSD.
It was clearly Ringo, finally showcasing his distinctive lead guitar prowess
Nah, there's no way it's Ringo on guitar. That's daft.
It was Pete Best!!
Wrong mate, it's clearly Keith Moon on the guitar !
yoko?
It was as usual John and George - Guitar, Vocals / Paul - Bass / Ringo Starr Drums and Tambourine. Paul added Handclaps aside from George and John. George added the Hammond Organ to the song, Paul played Cowbell and John played the big G power chord intro of that song before the riff - According to Wikipedia.
I was the janitor in the studio that day. It was definitely Ringo on guitar
Definitely the most hidden of the gems.
It’s accompanying scene in Yellow Submarine is joyfully mesmerizing
The Yellow Submarine soundtrack album was released as an almost novelty album and yet it contains five of their best songs.
I was blown away when I saw Yellow Submarine at the theater, not only by "It's All Too Much", but by "It's Only A Northern Song" & "Hey Bulldog"! At that point, I thought I had heard (and owned) every Beatle song made. The opening of "All Too Much" actually gave me chills!
.....it's to your muff.......Liverpool slang for .........er........(ah go look it up)...
I heard ''It's All Too Much'' for the first time in 1977 when I was 11 years old, almost a year later I had my first blowing mind Hendrix moment with ''VooDoo Child''.
Yes, this song is truly alll too much.
Same here, I love these songs. George is ridiculously underrated.
@@frankhornby6873 That has to be it. Typical Lennon word play. And hilarious.
Its amazing that such an amazing song - up there with Tomorrow Never Knows - is so relatively unknown. It's a great surprise to Beatles fans of a certain era.
Not sure what era you’re referring to??
@@feelthejoy maybe this era
It IS one heck of a song. One of my favorites.
I was on a Beatles binge going through every song in their catalog looking for gems and this was the one that floored me that I had to stop and listen again. Such an insane song.
The one time I did mushrooms I watched this movie and this song made me cry, it just felt so beautiful and it was explaining exactly what I was feeling both in that moment and about life in general.
"Show me that I'm everywhere, and get me home for tea"
Excellent !
The world is a better place because of those four lovely lads from Liverpool.
I KNOW RIGHT
A pocket is better because of them for certain . Much better. But as a whole it’s marching toward the final battle.
this channel is the definition of ''quality over quantity''.
Hell yeah!! These vids take so long to arrive, but are soooo worth the wait!!!!
There's not enough of this on youtube now.
@V MO i have it agree!
I was just thinking the exact opposite. If I was learning English I’d appreciate the speed and careful enunciation. But the narration makes me feel like I’m five.
I think this channel is the definition of "ridiculous analysis".
If you listen to the guitar parts John plays on "The End," where John, George, and Paul are all taking turns playing lead, you can definitely hear a stylistic similarity to the guitar work on "It's All Too Much."
Inconclusive. If you listen to the guitar parts Paul plays on "The End," you can definitely hear a stylistic similarity to the guitar work on "It's All Too Much."
Unlikely. If you listen to the guitar parts George plays on "The End," you can definitely hear a stylistic similarity to the guitar work on "It's All Too Much."
Incoherent. If you listen to the guitar parts Ringo plays on “The End,” you can definitely hear a stylistic similarity to the guitar work on “It’s All Too Much.”
Muddled. If you listen to the guitar parts Yoko plays on "The End" you can definitely hear a stylistic similarity to the guitar work on "It's All Too Much"
Hard to say. If you listen to the guitar parts Stu Sutcliffe plays on "The End," you can definitely hear a stylistic similarity to the guitar work on "It's All Too Much."
"All the world is birthday cake so take a piece but not too much" was my senior yearbook quote. 🧡
That cake has grown some mold on it, sadly...
@@francelaferriere6106 ignore the mold and carry on. Be in the here and now at all times
All an ILLUSION@@macm3081
Just one of the many overlooked and underappreciated beatles songs
“Overlooked and underappreciated” because The Beatles themselves didn’t care much for the _Yellow Submarine_ project after _A Hard Day’s Night_ (French New Wave-esque mockumentary masterpiece) and _Help!_ (fun if nonsensical Bond spoof). That was especially so since they weren’t tasked to contribute much beyond new music and others were voicing them in this animated project.
I love this period of George, "Blue Jay Way", "It's only a Northern Song", "it's All Too Much"
Maybe yer rubbish no??
George's songs were criminally overlooked, by John and Paul especially.
@Sid Patankar Listen to the slowed-down ballad version of the song by the great Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento. Close your eyes and imagine it as a farewell song to Paul's soulmate Linda McCartney. Just might bring a tear to your eye. ruclips.net/video/_vTPa4G1aBA/видео.html
What's truly astonishing (although hardly surprising) is that we still analyse Beatles tracks in minute detail after 50+ years (You wouldn't think there was anything left that hadn't been analysed to death) and do it in a way that reminds us how new and fresh those tracks were and somehow still are. Thank you.
Ditto.
They’re a band that’s truly worth analyzing to death, they were really something special. And as was alluded to in this video, there really are still unsolved mysteries regarding the recording process and the various roles that were played. You might think we’d have it all nailed down by now, who played what, etc.. but there are still some things that we still don’t know for sure, and we’ll probably never know. Even asking the Beatles themselves doesn’t always yield solid answers, as in many instances they don’t remember, or- they “remember” incorrectly. But it’s all in fun, as I said, they were really something special. Me personally, I can’t get enough of videos like this... I love it. They’ll always be my favorite band.
that's the Beatles !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Timeless
Mozart-like
There was that ONE track that IF you play it backwards it said Paul's career is DEAD , turned out to be true......
I think he was speaking to George saying "to your muff," as in "this song is dedicated to your woman," with muff as a slang and bawdy term for "woman." George wrote the song for Patti, and John had that kind of sense of humor.
That's my theory too
Moeuf is also the French verlin slang for woman.
I'd agree with this.
good one!
That is plausible.
It's one of my favourite Beatles songs, extremely underrated, VERY unknown.
One of the most well knows songs in my opinion by anybody who has at least seen the yellow sub
But it amazes me when I play things like this around people for instance who do like the Beatles but haven't heard song like this or hey bulldog
This is one of my favourite songs. I've never understood how this, Hey Bulldog and Old Brown Shoe aren't right up there among their most beloved.
Old Brown Shoe totally rocks. I never realized how much it rocked till I was much older. It's a screamer.
Agree. The original mix of "It's all too much" was pretty bad though so maybe listeners at the time didn't catch on to the power of the song. Also, the "Yellow Submarine" album was probably a disappointment to the record buying audience since it contained only one side of Beatles originals. This might have contributed to the relative obscurity of "IATM" and "Hey Bulldog".
Four songs all considered throwaways plus two previously released didn’t give much value for money. The liner notes on the UK release were basically “Ignore this one and buy the White Album”.
I love this track, also Hey Bulldog, that piano riff is brilliant, and Old brown shoe,by George,too good for a b-side,I also like his demo version on anthology 3.
Joe Walsh learned how to play “And Your Bird Can Sing” on ONE guitar.
The opening sounds like he was just playing with the "too much" lyric as he does for the rest of the song. Whether on purpose or not, I think he's saying "to your much" instead of "you're too much."
Yes, I have thought that too. It makes sense, knowing how playful John could be.
Exactly!
Ya know, that's pretty spot on for what John would do.
I've always thought it was "Too Your Much" and never even heard the "Muff" part before. Sounds like he started singing it backwards by mistake and stopped but tried to make it sound like he was saying something else deliberately to make it look like he hadn't made a mistake?
Great response. I tend to agree.
With George providing an Indian-style drone on Hammond organ, John on distorted lead guitar, and Paul and Ringo on their usual instruments of bass and drums, the group recorded four proper takes of the song once they were fully acquainted with it. 'Take four' was deemed the best, which at this point was 8:09 long. At 2:30 am the next morning the session was complete, the full rhythm track for what was then called “Too Much” being put to tape.---Beatles Music History
Impossible for John to be playing guitar on this. There is a vibrato arm used to lift the guitar in the intro. The only guitar John had with a vibrato arm at the time was the Black Strat, and it’s got to be a hollow body with the heavy feedback. Paul and George’s casinos both had Bigsbys, and since George was playing organ and wasn’t playing that much guitar in 67 anyway (since he was busy studying the Indian sitar), it’s Paul by process of elimination.
What a treat that I can love this song, know the song, discover it a first time, then because of the sheer mass of genius held out for me to take, I lose track of it, only to be reacquainted with it months later and fall in love again.
I just love love love The Beatles
Interesting that Apple Music has the opening line as being definitive “To Your Mother”
Your mother should know
Hm. There's definitely an "fff" at the end of that excerpt.
@@drewcampbell8555 I have no idea but maybe John said mother then a second word that got cut off
@@drewcampbell8555 There's a London accent that pronounces th as ff -- As in "Word to y'or muffa..." I think John is goofing on this accent.
Obviously George saying "to your mother". Really, Jorma?!?! You guy-- are out of your mind!
Along with Hey Bulldog, one of my favorite Beatles tracks just because it hasn't been played to death.
the guitar riff is one of their best
You might want to give Hey Jude a listen.
Rain is my favorite - similar reasons.
Hey Bulldog is def a fun song and underrated
You can tell from the sound that it's a single coil guitar, most likely a Strat because it also definitely has a floating bridge trem. John and George both played such Strats at that time (John had the pale blue Strat, George had "Rocky".) Paul McCartney's single coil guitar of choice with The Beatles was a Tele with no trem. Also, it's definitely him on bass, probably the Ricky 4001. For it to have been anyone else in the band they'd have needed a right-hand strung bass. And that little octave play at the end is VERY McCartney. So, by default, I reckon it was John on guitar. And he did like the Fender amp fuzz sound a LOT.
George also once said John did things on guitar no one could do, probably referring to this song.
Yep. Because John’s voice is heard shouting just before the feedback, it would make more sense. It totally sounds like Lennon starting it off with a crazy burst of energy.
Good catch on the Fenders. Both John and George had 1962 Sonic Blue Fender Stratocasters. They had fatter necks that year. Fenders were hard to come by in the UK, back in those days, so it was a big deal for a Brit to own one. George later painted the front of his in a psychedelic pattern and would dub it "Rocky", as you mentioned. Only the front was painted, as the back still had the Sonic Blue finish. George played this same Strat for the recordings of, "And Your Bird Can Sing", "All You Need Is Love" and "Nowhere Man". "All You Need Is Love" is from the same album and recording sessions as "It's All Too Much". George didn't get his Rosewood Fender Telecaster until 1969, just in time for the "roof top concert" in December of that year. They have a beautiful tone, but boy are they heavy!
No opinion on whether you're right or wrong, but it's easy to approximate a floating bridge on a fixed bridge guitar by just bending the whole neck. Depending on the guitar, you can drop maybe a semitone and a bit. Not that I recommend it.
Thank you for adding your input as someone familiar with their instruments. It’s one of the few holes in my Beatles knowledge. I love the fact that there are still people out there who are passionate about them and their history and also have important knowledge.
I always heard it as " too your much " , which I took as a cheeky way of switching around the words " you're too much "
It's 'to your muff'.
@@duhusker4383 wtf is a muff.
what is it
what's a muff
tell me costa
tell me
That makes sense
@@shadejamison4118 a term for a woman, in which George had wrote it for Patti
Yes. For Years I thought it was "Too young much" but yours sounds better.
When I was a kid, my oldest brother would play Beatles records on the family stereo for us when my parents were out playing bridge with the neighbors (it was the only time he could get away with it). The two albums he played the most were Sgt Pepper and Yellow Submarine, so I grew up with It's All Too Much. it's my favorite Beatle song
How did they leave 2 of their best songs( Too Much and Bulldog), almost as Easter eggs, for their best fans only practically, to be found on YS? Brilliance. Kindness. A great gift.
LSD did absolute WONDERS for their songwriting.
Maby LSD should file a law suite.
keep dreamin ...
Not the drug. The drug only opens doors to spirits.
Totally! It changed them. From a teenybopper band to a group of adult musicians, LSD was a miracle.
well it just wasn't that. They already had a vivid imagination and LSD just amplified it by a bit but the majority was their extraordinary imagination and God-given talent.
It certainly is not an overlook-able performance. I feel it's incredible that it was played live, all of them at once. The soaring power of it is gigantic. I love the song AND the track. Did you say there is an 8 - minute version? Now THAT, I gotta hear.
"You know my name" - Another unappreciated song that deserves your analysis :-)
Good evening and welcome to Slaggers
@@wyssmaster Yes exactly :-) By the way what does "Slaggers" mean?
I recall John and Paul worked on "You Know My Name, Look Up the Number" off and on for YEARS, having fun with its satirical approach and nature. Finally, after several years, they released it.............almost unnoticed, as the B side of "Let It Be", or, at least, not discussed or taken seriously, it seems, until some years later. I love it now..............it's funny and makes fun of lounge music etc.
You Know My Name is an even worse effort than Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Rather than being under appreciated, I would say it's over appreciated.
I’m playing the Guitar, hope that clears things up
Just about everything they recorded has been covered by others. Whether it's Cry For A Shadow, Please Don't Bring Your Banjo Back, Revolution #9, and all the rest, you can find cover versions.
Jerry Smith LOL ! I thought so ! There's a distinctive Twang to your font. But, what prompted you to fess up ? Cheers !
Love your work lol
Did you get paid scale ?
@@keensoundguy6637 Wild Honey Pie
I love how you say "too much" in the right time
All these years, I have always heard the opening shout as "Too you're much!" a sort of inverted "you're too much." I never tried to listen closely or thought about it that much, but that's what it's always been for me.
Congrats on 100k subs!! 🎉
unusual to see you at a site about music.
usually a train video.
so, did you see 4014 last year?
@@jeffreymcfadden9403 I'm all over! And unfortunately, no, I didnt.
YOOO THE RAILFAN HIMSELF
I always thought, and still think John is saying, "To your mother!"
I love how you escort me through each Beatles song - bringing back old memories and revealing secrets that previously were hidden to me. I love the Beatles so much that listening over and over to every little sound or sound gap still amazes me as much as it did the first time I ever heard any Beatles treasure. The only reason I own a high quality set of headphones is to hear this music - to hear the breath taken between words while picking out each individual voice in the harmonies, to the beat, the bass, the guitars. It is like heaven entering your mind through your ears.
My guess is john. This is because I saw him at the one-to-one concert in 1972. He did a section of about 10 or 15 minutes with just Him and yoko. Yoko was doing her usual routine and Lennon was playing a Gibson Firebird and did nothing but unbelievable feedback for 10 or 15 minutes long. It was beyond Hendrix feedback. He really knew how to get incredible feedback and that would be my guess that he's doing it on this track. I know there are not a lot of Yoko fans out there and that's probably why that part of the concert was never released but it really was something to hear especially live.
Im seriously jeleous!
A Gibson Firebird?
Surely that was his modified Les Paul Jr, that was his main guitar during 1972
I highly doubt he played a Firebird.
@@supersonicsroots He played a firebird shaped guitar...i sat right in front of him and saw him play it. Lay your doubts to rest.
If the next Paul interview I hear doesn't include the question about the lead work of this song I'll be ticked
One of my favorite Beatles' songs. Everytime it comes on the radio I revel in it.
This is an extraordinary series! I hope you can continue to find nuggets of such exhilarating intrigue and mystery for many years. Thanks for every one of these.
Not only did I now hear what this mystery is, I got to know this song. Thanks YCUT!
I've always thought George was referring to Patty when he said "with your long blond hair and your eyes of blue."
The bass part is very simple (I can play it in my sleep) and would perfectly line up with John's very simplistic, basic style of bass playing. I am sure it is Paul on guitar, it is very much his style.
'I Feel Fine' is not John or anybody else. The Beatles had laid their guitars & bass against the amps that were turned up and Paul's bass started feeding back, being a hollowbody. It caused the guitar to start vibrating and the note started buzzing. George Martin captured the sound on tape.
It's All too Much also has backward vocals on it, that's why you cannot understand them.
The extra verse in the movie, I've been told, was written by Donovan. Whether this is true or not, I'm not sure.
This is one of my favourite Beatle songs of all and I certainly regard this as one of the greatest Psychedelic songs ever written.
He mistakenly assumes that a base riff must be John's if it sounds like John, but in fact it could be John playing Paul's base riff while Paul plays Paul's lead guitar riff. And this is exactly what we see in the early days of Wings, when Paul does all the creative and uses his wife and another guy to back him.
Beatlesrgear - Great post!
The bass part is simple in the sense that it's a pedal for the entire song. But within that very strict framework, the bass does some pretty creative & somewhat technically difficult stuff. I don't think John was a good enough bass player to pull that off, IMO.
The guitar is too messy to be Paul he is too meticulous for that to happen, especially in this period.
Wrong, it's well documented it's John and anyone who understands guitars and playing styles knows it. Not even close to Macca's style but of course there are those that love him so so much, right?
The guitar feedback on the beginning of "I feel fine" was produced by what I believe to have been a guitar leaning against an amplifier/speaker, (possibly the bass amp) A bass string was plucked. The guitar string vibrated in sympathy with the bass, through the guitar. The guitar string vibrated excessively, rattling against a fret, causing the sound we hear. I experienced the exact same phenomenon quite by accident in the same circumstances with my bass and an acoustic guitar leaning against my amp. (2×15" speaker cab.)
The feedback on "All too much" is a different type and I'm pretty sure it's Paul on his Epiphone Casino, which he used on "Taxman". It has a Bigsby tremolo fitted which action can be heard. John's Casino didn't have a tremelo.
To be specific, the feedback in "I Feel Fine" is the D (4th) string- just listen!
I accidentally created the "feedback" on "I Feel Fine" by letting the top e string ring and then softly resting the flat part of my fingernail on the string. When I discovered that it made me realize it might not be feedback on the record at all.
Good lordy, I love your channel so much. Thank you for caring so deeply for this music, and for treating it seriously, but also so, so lovingly. And congratulations for hitting 100K six months ago. Now you’re at 118K... and soon you’ll be at a bazillion.
According to "The Beatles Bible" web site:
George Harrison: vocals, Hammond organ
John Lennon: harmony vocals, lead guitar
Paul McCartney: harmony vocals, bass
Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
David Mason and three others: trumpets
Paul Harvey: bass clarinet
Bass is unmistakably Paul.
@@peterdeep
I think so too.
This song and album have always flown under the radar compared to most Beatles hits. Its trippy, very creative & experimental. This was right in the middle of their psychadelic phase. It influenced other artists of the time.
Where does BB cite as the source of who played what??
Ringo's drum intro makes it worthwhile to listen to this one, apart form all of the other interesting aspects
I totally agree with you. One, if not THE most underrated song out of their entire catalogue. The perfect psychedelic song. Ringo’s drums in the intro are monstrous, and the vocals are simply amazing, and a LOT of fun, like that ‘toooooo mu-cha’ mantra, or when John and Paul repeat in unisson the borrowed ‘With your long.... ...of blue’ line right after George. I also enjoy the brass, though I believe George mentioned in an interview in later years that he wasn’t a big fan of their contribution.
I think John's saying "to your mother" because they recorded "Your Mother Should Know" just a few months later. Paul had possibly been playing around with an earlier version of it in the studio at the time.
“I see your muff!”
The beginning feedback of the guitar sounds like John's "The End" solo to me
It's all too much is one of my favorite Beatles songs, "Show me that I'm everywhere, and get me home for tea" is one of George's best lines, it really sums up his whole aesthetic
we need an Anthology 4 for shit like this… we need this full 8 minute cut, and theres tons of other stuff that i know Beatles fans are dying to hear!!
Giles Martin has said that they are waiting for technology to catch up to remaster the earlier albums so maybe one day we will hear it all.
Look up the 'Secret Songs in Pepperland' bootleg
There were quite a few songs that were left off of the Anthology packages. I would have liked to have seen Bad to Me (John's demo) and Love of the Loved from the Decca sessions, to name a few.
Hasn’t Paul ever been asked about these mysteries?
Seems like that would be the logical thing to do
That would be a bad idea as Paul frequently mis-remembers and deliberately bullshits in interviews.
Paul makes everything about himself. Unfortunately John and George are gone so Paul cannot be challenged on anything he says.
@@elementrypenguin3116 I LOVE Paul the song writer, the human being not so much... I mean, will he EVER get tired of throwing shade on John? Or Yoko for that matter. I wasn't AS IF John was DEMANDING Yoko become the bands NEW manager the way Paul was DEMANDING Linda's father be the NEW manager so Paul could PUSH the other 3 around even MORE! Paul jumping onto Ringo's drum kit during the recording sessions of Hey Bulldog was DISGUSTING. Paul USURPING the guitar leads from George and basically STIFLING George's now SUPERIOR songs those last couple of years is what lead DIRECTLY to the band's break up.
@@donaldcarpenter5328 like the drumming on BITUSSR. It’s sloppy and muffled. Not good for a Beatle record. Good song but….
They couldn’t wait for Ringo to get back? What if Ringo stayed away for a month or two? It would have been Paul on most songs on the White Album? Everything’s about him. And I’m tired of reading posts from trolls on YT every time there’s comments about Ringo’s drums on a particular song. Someone always comes up with ‘oh, it’s really Paul on drums.’ I’m sick of reading it. Every Beatle song we hear on YT there’s always a comment about Paul playing the drums. Ringo made a comment saying would leave the studio for whatever reason and he’d come back and who’s on the drums? Paul. So I don’t think he he liked Paul on his Drum kit. And who really knows why he left the band during WA sessions? Maybe that had something to do with it.
"Too your much" at the beginning maybe? He couldve just been saying gibberish combined with lyrics to get into the vibe of the song
This is the correct answer! Thank you. I’ve always heard it as “too your much.” 👍🏼
Interesting theory! I definitely hear an “ff” at the end of whatever john is saying, but given how weird it is already, I’m also open to alternate interpretations...
That's what I always thought.
rhessex
Same with me.
I always heard that too...but if you want to get the "ff" in there, perhaps given that it is a song for Patti, maybe John is giving a ribald slang dedication, "to your muff."
If it’s John on guitar, he’s playing George’s guitar. There’s clearly some vibrato bar work going on, and John’s Epiphone didn’t have a bar on it. Paul’s did, but it would have been strung lefty. George’s also had a bar, strung righty.
To me the whammy bar sounds like on a Fender strat. You can't get that sort of speed etc going with a Bigsby. Maybe it was George's Rocky, but could have been Lennon's strat (I was surprised that they both had strats and used far more than we knew, per George interview). I've got strats and I've got Bigsby equipped guitars... or maybe just lots of coffee...? ;)
@@lauranceemory4448 Hmmm. That sure sounds like feedback from a hollow-body guitar rather than a Strat.
@@jamesjames9275 double hmm... well, I do like the feedback with hollow bodies, but has a very Hendrixy more in control to me... we'll never know. Personally, I prefer hollowbodies.... That interview with George saying lots of times thought it was a Ric 12 and he was playing strat! Cheers!
@doubleheadergr everybody forgets george had a SG with a maestro vibrola on it and
@@lauranceemory4448 for me, it's either the SG or the casino.
First off, a hearty CONGRATULATIONS on your amazing viewing figures! You have earned them! Ah! One of my all-time favorite Beatles songs! As for the opening voice cueing the guitar chord that launches the song, I've always heard it as GEORGE'S voice and not John's. Thanks to the isolation of the vocal track in question, this confirms my observation even more (to my ears, at least). The other thing is that both the spoken kick-off and the playout voiceover I always though were playing backward (recorded forwardly against the entire track while it was playing backward, then the tape run forward again so as to make only the spoken voice run backward). As for the lead guitar, I'm still convinced it was Paul until some other evidence or assertion (perhaps by Paul himself?) officially states otherwise. That said, I've loved this song since I first heard it in 1968 and it remains among my favorites. As a fun footnote, my final concert performance as a professional drummer was with a Beatles tribute group called The Day Trippers (the industry "retired" me after that) and the encore we did to finally close out the big outdoor concert back in 2006 was "It's All Too Much". I totally ripped off every single "Ringoism" possible for this song which went over hugely with the audience. A nice way to end my career as a pro power drummer. The morning I was packing to leave for the concert (my drums had already arrived at the gig), I got the phone call from producer Sam Reich over at College Humor that I had been chosen to play the role of Zangief on that which would be the worldwide hit series, "Street Fighter: The Later Years". Another great memory to add to my enduring love for "It's All Too Much".
Couldn't someone just ask Paul ? I mean, he is still with us thankfully
I would propose that John is saying, "Too Much," in the beginning. That was the original name of the song and might have been John's joke or a way of getting into it before the song really got going.
Yep. I agree.
Except that 'too much' has only got two syllables.
1st of all, in my humble opinion, this is arguably your best episode yet, although the song is in my Top 3 favorite Beatles songs, so, there’s that.
And I could not agree with you more, when you say that even as we discuss, debate, and speculate the possible & probable answers to these random ‘Beatle Mysteries’, the more important aspect is that we the people are still enthralled by the topic, 50-some years after It’s inception. I loved that you pointed that out.
Thank You
Probably the first song that comes to mind when I think of hidden gems in the Beatles' catalog. Should get much more attention than it does.
Paul played the guitar part. Paul played an Epiphone Casino; a hollowbody guitar he bought specifically for its' ability to feed back. His Casino had a Bigsby tailpiece which allowed the wild and wide vibrato bends.
And, besides, Paul frequently played lead on George's songs.
Frequently?
On a guitar, Paul couldnt play his as.
Every member of the group had an Epiphone Casino by that point.
Ringo lived in Monte Carlo and went to the casino quite a bit
The sound of the intro is less caused by feedback and more by a vibrato bar, like a Bigsby.
While I think John overall had more interesting lyrics and incredible 'woah dude' compositions, Paul was hip and dabbled in so many different sounds. Incredible duo.
That you said is stupid ! Into Lennon/McCartney partnership, Lennon composed more 58% of the songs, words and music.
I appreciate your comment. Paul was much more musically experiments than he was given credit for. Paul was also more interested in production than John was. I think nearly every Beatles song had a little Paul magic spread over it. John even said that he thought Paul and George Marting sabotaged Strawberry Fields. That song is one of his most celebrated.
I agree Tanguo, for me, Lennon had much more interesting lyrics,I am the Walrus, Come Together, Happiness is a warm gun,John had a great imagination, and was into his poetry, like, Across the Universe,he was a true genius. My favourite is obviously John, but Paul was a genius aswell,he wrote some classic tracks, and when they bounced ideas off each other they came up with probably the greatest track ever A Day in the Life.Lennon and McCartney each added their own unique songwriting to the group,it wouldn't be The Beatles without either of them,it's just we all have our favourites, and mine is John, but that doesn't mean I think lesser of Paul,I don't understand the argument of who was the best John or Paul, they were both as important as each other, and George aswell,he became a brilliant songwriter from Revolver onwards,he just got better and better. I love all The Beatles,I just prefer Lennon's songs mostly, but there is tracks by Paul that I think are amazing, and I love some of George's songs. What a band.
@@stellapolanco6860 I think Lennon is more interesting than McCartney,as I've already posted,he wrote I am the Walrus, Come Together, Happiness is a warm gun, Across the Universe, Tomorrow Never Knows,he had great imagination.
this is a George song
100k congrats!!!
🎉
I agree that the psychedelic Yellow Submarine songs, "It's All Too Much," "Hey Bulldog," and "Only a Northern Song" represent a peak in The Beatles' career. The songs were too weird to fit on Sgt. Pepper, they never got much in the way of AM airplay, so mostly how they came into the lives of me and my peers (I was 8 when Yellow Submarine came out) was when our parents bought us the Yellow Submarine soundtrack for Christmas that year. For me and plenty of others, it was the first non-children's album they owned. Older teens took it as a kids' record, paid more attention to Sgt. Pepper and The White Album. The songs on Submarine were considered castoffs and outtakes, not worthy of making it onto the regular records. It's only been in the past 20 years or so that they've become so widely loved. But MAN, us kids back then sure loved them. On one level, it was cool to have Beatles songs that were sort of "ours," it was our first taste of the classic thrill of digging something that's not on the mainstream radar (or that you think isn't!). Then the songs themselves were playful and weird and kind of scary and funny all at the same time. How could a kid not love John and Paul singing about jackknives and wigwams and barking like dogs? George singing about birthday cake? I'm in. And sounds we'd never heard in any kind of music anywhere, but they sounded bad ass. The terrifying Strat whammied feedback wailing and then turning into the sweet churchy-sounding organ? It was like a Halloween scare. We'd sing along with the "ugh ooh ooh" stuff on the fadeout. I'd do the "whaddaya say? I said 'ruff.' You know any more?" bit with my friend. 15 years later I went to see an underground band play at a dorm party and was amazed when they ripped into a ferocious version of "It's All Too Much." I drunkenly jumped on the stage and sang along on the fadeout. Wound up playing bass in the same band a couple of years down the road but they didn't want to do the song anymore. 😞
"Hey Bulldog" should have been on the "Lady Madonna" single. (Instead, they backed it with George's "The Inner Light" and it became the first Beatles single not to hit #1 on the charts.) Backed with "Bulldog," it would have. In fact, in the video for "Lady Madonna" the band are actually recording "Bulldog". One of their best songs and unbelievably neglected at the time.
Thank you for such a wonderful homage to one of my top top five Beatles favs.
Truly one of the greatest gems of the catalog...sparkling and immersive.
I’ve never wondered this question. Now it’s all I think about, “who DID play the guitar in Its All Too Much”
John!
I believe it was Paul. he has quite a wild side to his leads.
@@THINJIMI Yes but John wasn't very capable on the bass guitar and since they were on the same track, that would mean John either played the bass here or he sat out on the track and someone than the Beatles played bass, which is highly unlikely.
That means the only logical lineup is
PAUL: Bass guitar
GEORGE: Organ
JOHN: Lead guitar
RINGO: Drums
@@JesperSalama - Oddly enough I just saw a picture of John sitting with a five string bass or something the other day. So I imagine he does play bass. But Johns lead’s are not very developed, in my opinion. Give me an example of a lead that John did that is as developed as what Paul could do. I can’t even think of another lead other than the trade-off at the end of Abbey Road?
Thanks for a deep dive into my favorite band’s intricacies.
I was a boy of ten when The Beatles burst onto the scene, and their musical and cultural progression coincided with my coming of age.
Oh, what a wonderful time it was!
Thanks for your analysis of this song. I too have been immensely impressed by the music that the Beatles made (Bought the White album, my first Beatle album, in 1979). i recently watched the "Get Back" mini-series on a popular streaming channel and was blown away by watching their creative energies captured on film in a candid fashion.
I think it's a re-ordered "You're Too Much" into "Too You're Much!"
That's plausible. Johns type of wordplay that
Is the right answer..
Huh
I like that !
I've never thought of that and this has got to be the right answer. John was well known for spouting off phrases immediately before songs started. It sounds like it and its themed around the song much like "sugar plum fairy. sugar plum fairy" which he says before strumming A Day in the Life to the same cadence/rhythm on guitar.
Ever since I heard this song while watching the Yellow Submarine movie, It's All Too Much has been a favorite of mine. Its chaotic nature in terms of composition along with the oddities that you've pointed out in the video give this song an otherworldly experience compared to other Beatles songs.
I love this song! Especially the long version. It is in my opinion one of their best and most underrated songs.
The group taped four takes of the basic track, the final version of which extended to over eight minutes, with Harrison playing Hammond organ, Lennon on lead guitar, Paul McCartney on bass, and Ringo Starr on drums. The following day, they added overdubs, comprising vocals, percussion and handclaps.
FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE UDNERSTANDS THE MAGISTY OF THIS SONG
Fucking right!! 🤘It’s majesty, by the way...
Majesty
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
Sounds like "to your muff," which would be a particularly John thing to say.
Agree. Lennon throwing in a rude comment...!
Nah
@@glenzig07 You're not a Scouser, are you...? You don't understand the humour of the place...
@@Pokafalva pretends to know John Lennon’s intentions, then it created it’s own personal “sense of humor” to act pompous when anyone disagrees with it’s delusional insights to John Lennon’s thought process... cool, got it
@@glenzig07 It's more like mocking a friend's typical behavior but in a sense of a way sarcasm can be seen. It's actually "to your mother", but in a half way the distorted guitar riff starts playing.
I really enjoyed watching and listening to this. Very nicely done!
"Underappreciated" is an understatement! That vocal bit by Paul sounds reversed. I think the guitar is shared by John & Paul in bits. Maybe they played with our heads and switched up while recording! Wouldn't put it past them! Great vid!
I always heard the beginning as "To Your Much". Maybe an intentional mix of words "Your Too Much" or a tribute to the title of the song?
Interesting! Never heard it that way before, but I suppose it's as possible as any of the other explanations...we might never truly know :)
That's always been my thought too
@@YouCantUnhearThis I’ve always heard it as “too your much” - just John being cute.
George had previously twisted “I’ll make LOVE TO YOU” into the title “Love You To”, so it wouldn’t be the first time. However, personally, I definitely hear a “th” or “f” sound.
I've always thought so too. With the "Ch" sound cut off by the guitar...
Welcome back!!! I love your videos!!
Just ask Paul who did it. I've always been a big Beatles fan and I've seen Yellow Submarine more than once, however, I just don't recall this song.
Anyway, I'm still in shock at learning that Paul performed some of my favourite guitar licks that I always attributed to George (Taxman, Good Morning).
Also on Another Girl and Drive My car.
congrats on 100,000!
I never asked myself those questions but always felt that sheer joy and "cohesive unit" thing you mentioned here while listening to this song. But it's also in many other songs from that mid-to-late Beatles period... The first example that pops in my head is "You know my name, look up the number", but I know I heard it in many other songs and also earlier on in their "Christmas records" from 1965-1966. There was indeed a time when the Beatles were really just a group of very talented friends having FUN and, this song is one example among many, of that time. But, from what I've seen and heard so far of Peter Jackson's soon-to-be-released documentary... Perhaps that time lasted longer than we thought...
I have always been fascinated by this song, and I agree that it is much underrated. Your analysis is very interesting, as is the amazing creativity in this song on all levels. A true masterpiece.
I don't think it gets pointed out enough that when Paul does his modal, fuzzy leads on "Good Morning Good Morning" and "Taxman", he is VERY clearly inspired by what Jeff Beck was doing in the Yardbirds (R.I.P. Mr. Beck)
Hey man... thx from Spain for your incredible work with this fantastic videos.
You make may day happy again!
Love U!
One of my fave Beatles tracks. Transcendent.
It’s All Too Much is the most underrated Beatles song, not necessary the best of the lesser known category, but the number one that deserves more attention
Definitely
It isn't underrated in the slightest! Who thinks this song isn't very good?
Add this: There are some backwards vocals, here. Well, John's opening statement "It's All Too Much" is not backwards, but randomized Malapropism/Ringoism-like comment.
I'm glad to have found this. Indeed, "It's All Too Much", as on the Yellow Submarine LP, is one of my favorite Beatles and George Harrison songs, and, yes, I always wondered why it did not and has not gotten the attention it deserves. I, for one, was and am impressed by it. This discussion does not discuss the guitar licks that must have been dubbed after the basic track was done. I love those quick licks, and always imagined Paul played them. They are quite precise and have a good range of notes in them. I'm thinking of the ones with notes mostly of the G chord (the key of the song), except for a 'passing' note C. Hard to describe here. But they are prominent right in the body of the song. They are bold and awesome, and psychedelic.
The recording of the song begins with the tape being cut, while George was in mid-sentence. It's clearly George, not John, and it's just George talking to one of the others as the tape starts rolling. This happens when bands are in the studio, they talk to each other - and often, the Beatles just left that sort of studio chatter in. In this case, it's clearly not a "hidden message," it's just studio chatter.
I thought it sounded like George too, i agree with you
@@lee-e1767 I as well...speaking of studio chatter, the first Lp by The James Gang (with Joe Walsh) "Yer Album" features a couple sections of chatter between Joe (mostly) and producer Bill Szymczyk. Joe even breaks into a short "Wipeout" riff. Funny stuff. Bill telling Joe "be careful of that squeaking in your sleeve noise." I think it referred to the sound of dragging a pick along one of the strings...
Absolutely correct.
Almost any other 60's or 70's band had released this track it would be one of their most loved tracks and closed their concerts for the last 40 odd years. As it's the Beatles it's an unloved song on their most obscure (proper) album that I'm sure a good percentage of people who consider themselves Beatles fans haven't even heard.
You’re right, lol
Steve Hillage performs the quintessential cover of the song… Creatively beautiful
I just found this channel a couple days ago. I call it The Magical Beatles Mystery Tour...as we know that almost all the Beatles songs full of mysteries, and it shows us how genious they are....
To my ears, that is 100% a Paul bass track and a John guitar line.
Why don't people just ask Paul? It's not like he died or something
Ghost of Henry Because Paul will tell his own truth, which may not be the truth.
@@stephensmith1034 the same could have been said of John and George. Memories change over the years since 1967. Paul is usually considered to be correct with only a few exceptions. If John were alive the same might be true but we will never know...
Great point. He's told the same story about the song Yesterday (scrambled eggs) a million times. Nobody ever asks him about the two guitarists on And Your Bird Can Sing, either.
Dude, it was a few days work over 50 years ago. How much do you think he'd actually remember? All the songs and shows he's worked on since and you think he'd remember that?
I know George hated pointing out instances where Paul played and he didn't! still if it's McCartney I wonder why he never mentions this song if he played that awesome guitar part. one it is from the Pepper era and would be contemporary with Paul's guitar blasts on that album. Two it's in the Yellow Sub movie which has to have come to their attention more than once in the last 50 years!!!
"Do your most..."
I thought this as a teen when I bought the record in the late 60s, and it still sounds like that now. That, along with the radical blast of guitar feedback that accompanies the voice, serves as an intro, and announcement that this recording is going over the top in psychedelia.
Brilliant Analysis! Thank you!
This has John written all over it. And it's obviously John talking. I think it's two separate tracks smashed together to create a sort of a shock intro! George played organ on lots of his own tunes, so it makes sense that the basic track would have John on Gtr and George on organ
Thanks for this. I believe George is expressing the love he felt on LSD trips, not exclusively for Patty Boyd. I agree that the exuberance in the performance of the song is priceless.
The mystery guitar solo does recall Paul’s aggressive reckless precision style !
Outstanding work. Thanks for being a Beatle fan! I used to have to guess at information like this 😎